30Kisses Theme Ficlets

Robin/Raven

By Kysra

Theme #2 (news; letter): Tabloids

He did not realize he was seeking her out until he found himself in the common room staring at her still figure lounging on the couch with her newest literary obsession, Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah by Richard Bach. Now that he was here, however . . .

"Were you aware we're sleeping together?"

It was to her credit that she neither looked up nor twitched, eyes still glued to the pages even as she turned to the next. "I'm also expecting our love-child."

"Really? Why don't I remember this?"

"Because you've been steadily killing the few brain cells you could boast with an array of narcotics."

He tried to keep a straight face, but the corner of his mouth seemed bent on twisting into a half-grin. "Well, that explains quite a bit."

"Doesn't it." She turned the page again and flexed her toes.

Dropping down at the opposite end of the sofa, he reached out to pluck the book from her grip.

"Robin. You are treading on dangerous ground." He wondered what she would do if he told her that pinched look on her face was simply adorable.

"You're the one having a secret affair with Beastboy."

Raven shook her head slightly. "Beastboy seduced Starfire after he caught Jinx giving her kissing lessons."

At this, the Teen Titans' leader burst out laughing. "Now I know why she lost interest in me."

"She hasn't. She's currently planning how to get you to join in the fun . . . with all three of them."

"And here I was under the impression she was with Plasmus."

Violet eyes seemed to spark with something - possibly humor? "What about you and Slade? Rumor has it that you two were hot and heavy for a while."

"Only in your fantasies."

"Who says I have fantasies about you?"

"Well, you are expecting our love-child."

This time her mouth dipped into a small smile, but it was enough to warm his heart. "So you do remember."

His hand caressed her exposed ankle before letting it drift up her leg. "Maybe. How do I know it isn't Cyborg's?""Apparently, despite my best efforts to gain his attention, Cyborg is pining over Terra."

"Terra?"

Her hand stopped his from moving past her thigh. "You don't want to know what they're saying about Titans East; and Cyborg is the least of your worries."

"You mean I have more competition?" His grin was cocky now, and there was a ball of heat swirling in his gut, weathering his voice into a deep, hoarse whisper.

She leaned in slightly. "I don't know. You went to the store today, right?"

Producing several rumpled magazines, the Boy Wonder couldn't help asking, "Are we sick for being addicted to these things?"

Twisting a section of hair between her fingers, Raven replied, "It's like a train wreck or a soap opera. I can't decide which. I have to know what they're saying this week."

They were silent for long moments as they read with relish the many sordid (and fabricated) sexual and romantic escapades of the residents of Titans Tower, the celebrity sweethearts of Jump City.

"So?"

"This week I've hooked up with Batman, and we are planning to elope. Starfire, since failing to add you to her harem, has decided that Mammoth must live up to his name in other departments . . . As for Beastboy and Cyborg --"

It was killing him. "Do you think they know they were right about that one thing?"

"I'm sure they'll figure it out in a few months when the baby comes."

"That's not what I . . . oh. Oh."

"Exactly."