30Kisses Theme Ficlets
Robin/Raven
By Kysra
Theme #23 (candy): Hearts
Raven Roth did not do romance. This was due - in no small part - to the fact that she had, until recently, neither reason nor inclination to indulge. That she was not yet accustomed to expressing her emotions was a moot point. However, as today was somewhat of a hallmark in history, she was more than willing to give it a try.
He had better appreciate this.
The mental grumbling was a symptom of her efforts (and subsequent disposal of all extraneous evidence) which had resulted in several stomach aches, a slight case of marathon gagging, and a generally rotten disposition. But that wasn't important, she decided. Her suffering would not be in vain; and if she played her cards right, he might even reimburse her for her pains.
After all, he probably thought she had forgotten. Or maybe, he believed she would not assign today any measure of importance. Come to think of it, she didn't even know if he would want to celebrate.
Well, too bad. Her hands were already dirty. She was sweaty and tired, and - damn it - she had almost finished cooking his favorite dish (which was so complicated, nuanced, and ridiculously time consuming, she had considered tracking down the author of such a convoluted, unnecessarily difficult chapter of culinary artistry to shove his or her face in it). Leave it to Robin to love such a pretentiously fancy recipe.
Swirling a large wooden spoon through the bubbling, thickening white concoction that was the sauce, she used her free hand to snap the oven knob to the 'off' position. The meticulously seasoned, laboriously marinated baked chicken (cooked in a liberally spread bed of orange wedges, lemon slices, and pinapple chunks) would just have to stand for a few moments in the caged heat of the oven while the sauce simmered and she fetched Robin.
Thank goodness for small miracles, Raven thought of her absent teammates as she spoke into the intercom system, "Robin, please come to the kitchen. Dinner's here."
Her plans for the night had required a small white lie that Chinese take-out would be the meal for the evening. Unfortunately, those same plans required that she not share in his company at table. Untying the simple, yellow apron (sporting red kiss-lips across the chest), the Dark Witch of Titans Tower set the anniversary table with tall candles, a simple arrangement of Forget-Me-Nots (1), a proper place setting (complete with actual silverware - a rarity in the Tower), a little note with preconceived instructions, and - most importantly- a small dish with a tiny pink candy heart sporting a message: "Love you."
-30kisses-
The next day began with Starfire's Pudding of Happiness, Beastboy's whining, nearly tripping over some stray part of Cyborg's newest project, and a series of Robin's most irritating smirks.
At least he cleaned up in the kitchen. Waking up at the ungodly hour of 3 A.M., Raven had stumbled into the kitchen to do a little damage control. It wasn't that their relationship was a secret, it was that she knew Robin would rather cut off a limb than clean dishes. Yet, she had been pleasantly surprised to find the room spotless. Even the oven had been cleaned! How was it that something so simple could threaten to send her into convulsions?
Still, he had yet to whisper a 'thank you,' tell her if he had enjoyed the fruit of her labors, or even kiss her for the day. As if her good humor hadn't been ruined already after discovering that her literature-of-the-week had taken a flying leap into the bay thanks to one of Beastboy's pranks. The only reason why her green friend was still alive to apologize was her distracting anxiety to know if her cooking had been up to par with Alfred's.
Or close to it . . . Decent would be good. Edible, acceptable. Something to tell me he's appreciative.
After a year, it was still so new, this closeness and, strangely, . . . distance. There were things she no longer felt comfortable telling him, though he seemed to be more open. Very strange but in a good way, because even if she didn't feel comfortable, there was an understanding that when she did become comfortable he would be a willing and secure vessel for her every whimsy. In a way, it was just a continuation of their prior friendship. She had never really comprehended where she stood with him while he had always held a very stable - if dynamic - place in her life.
When they had first come together as something more than mere friends or teammates, it was due to a mutually acknowledged physical and mental attraction. There had been no talk of emotional ties. She had not been ready to commit herself to any sort of vocalized feeling, and he had still been trying to sort his affection for Starfire into a safe little box. As a result, their 'relationship' was subtle, soft, and slow. Their first kiss had come six months to the day of their founding commisseration; and they had never spoken the 'L' word.
In other words, she had taken a great leap of faith when she had placed that particular candy heart upon the dish. He, then, held her heart in his hands to accept . . . or crush.
She sighed. Maybe he had misinterpreted the dinner. There had been nothing in her plans that screamed or spelled out 'Happy Anniversary'; but . . . Robin was an intelligent guy. He should have figured it out, and . . . Why does he keep smirking at me?
Feeling raw and confused by her own screwed up emotions and the waves of affection tinged amusement he was sending her way, she wilted under his arrogant stare before shooting up to her feet and stomping off to her room.
As she approached her door, she knew something was off. There were three orchids (2) wrapped gingerly in yellow tissue lying across her threshold. Picking up the blossoms, she entered her private domain, eyes surveying the clean, seemingly undisturbed room. Again a sigh fell from her lips, but the irritation she had felt upon taking her leave of the living room seemed to flow out of her with each inhale of the orchid's light scent. She laid the flowers upon her bed before sitting at her desk and absently studying the glowing bits of dust falling through the air; but her quiet was soon destroyed with a chance shift of an elbow coming into contact with an alien item.
A . . . box? Delicate, pale hands caressed the sides of the ivory and gold masterpiece before opening it. A tinkling rendition of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata immediately began to play, but it was the bit of confection centered upon the plush velvet inlay that turned her frown upside down. The candy heart held the letters that spelled, "For You."
-30kisses-
That night, Raven couldn't seem to tear her eyes from Robin's anniversary gift to her. It was so normal. For a group of superheroes living in a huge 'T'; for a half-demon girl whose entire life up until recently seemed destined for complete destruction and lonely suffering without expression; for a human boy trying to outrun his mortality and damaged beyond the exterior; celebrating an anniversary and exchanging gifts to show without telling . . . She was more grateful for that gift. But more than that, she wanted . . . something from him.
An answer . . . A reciprocation.
She was out the door and into the hall before she could consciously register the whisper of silk against her clenched fingers or the fragrant strands of incense connecting with her olfactory senses. This was not ritual but it was not unusual. They often exchanged tokens, little surprises that would be meaningless to most but held some special significance between them.
The scarf she left tied to his bed post was scented with his favorite incense and echoed the color of her eyes. However, where on any other occasion she would have simply left the bit of material, she placed a candy heart upon his pillow. This one left her even more vulnerable than the last, painted in red with the plaintive, "Love me."
-30kisses-
His response, when it came as it did once the night had passed into day, was in the form of more smirks, a few winks, and the most passionate kisses. The groping was pretty nice too, but she would never tell him that.
Considering he had given every sign that he did - in fact - feel something more than simple physical attraction for her, she found herself seeking his company. They sat next to each other at breakfast; she was in his lap reading while lounging in the main room; he held her unnecessarily while teaching her a new hand-to-hand move; and their hands seemed fused together when they decided to walk to the pizza parlor for the night's dinner. The distance she had not wanted to admit being concerned about had begun to close.
They had decided to venture out in street clothes - a rare thing these days, and as they walked, slowly, back to Titans Tower, Raven's hand dipped into her jean pocket to find her key card only to come up with the chalky hardness of a tiny heart with the message, "I do." Her head swiveled to find Robin gazing seriously at her - for once without the mask - before their lips met in probably the most meaningful, romantic kiss they had ever shared. And later, before they retired to their rooms to sleep, Robin came to her with yet another surprise.
"A little bird - named Alfred - told me that Wicked is being performed in Gotham next week. I managed to get the last two tickets. So, if you're not doing anything --"
She didn't let him finish the inquiry, and if the satisfied purring and low moans as their tongues danced were any indication, he didn't mind in the least.
-30kisses-
The days couldn't pass quickly enough, and Raven - through crime fighting, dealing with her friends, and finding time with her . . . boyfriend sounded so juvenile - found that anxiety with purpose was not necessarily an unpleasant feeling. To relieve the pressure within, she spent much of her time meditating but more of it cleaning. The blue, fuzzy mold had been evicted from the refrigerator; the pantry had been cleared of all food products with an expiration date; and even Beastboy's bedroom was no longer a toxic waste dump.
When the day finally arrived, she was fairly glowing with anticipation - not because she was going to see a play her interest had been piqued in but because she would be alone with him for more than a few hours. It was hard finding an extended period of privacy among such a diverse group, especially when you were one of two girls within that group and the other girl always wanted to partake in bonding rituals.
In an exemplary show of true expression, Raven exhibited no hesitation as she straddled the R-cycle (a vehicle she had always been cynically disinclined to use in the past) behind Robin, her arms locked around his middle out of a need to feel secure as well as the wonderful friction the hold produced between her chest and his back.
This must be what hormones feel like. Chemical lust.
The drive was uneventful, and when they reached Wayne Manor - they're lodging place for the two nights they would be spending in Gotham City - Alfred and Bruce were nothing but gracious. Bruce and Raven were not strangers to each other as he had met her before anyone else on Earth, but the multi-billionaire turned Dark Knight had never seen his ward and the Azarathian girl interact together. As they were now . . . together, he was even more intrigued to observe such different personalities interact on an intimate level. However, he quite deliberately set them up in separate bedrooms, with several chambers between them.
But that was fine with Raven. She was no strategical genius, nor was she a specialist when it came to covert tactics; however, since she was finally free to listen to her heart, she was not letting one single opportunity slip through her fingers. Her presence here was not only geared toward a night at the theatre. There was also an ulterior motive, one that was to become quite clear once Robin retired for the night in his room to find yet another candy heart - this one green - asking him to "Be Mine" with the added handwritten addendum, "Tonight?"
-30kisses-
The proposition had not taken as much strength or soul-searching as the first admission of love had. Once the feeling had been identified, she had known instinctively how much she wanted to give of herself.
Everything.
Because she had kept to herself for so long. Because she trusted him with all that she was and everything she would ever be. Because he knew just how precious a gift her love, her soul, and her body were when given so freely, willingly.
He was at her door before the stroke of midnight, shirtless and beautiful, clad only in a pair of old boxers; and it made all the difference in the world that he replied to her sweet inquiry with an even sweeter answer. Caught between his teeth, there was a purple conversation heart decorated with the words, "I will"; and when he kissed her, pushing the little bit of sugar into her mouth, he pushed away only long enough to add an addendum of his own - tick for tack, "Always."
She smiled then and lifted her arms like a child begging to be held. The door closed behind him softly, the discordant music of love in motion began, and the night passed without sleep.
Notes:
(1) Meaning: Faithful love; Undying hope; Memories; Do not forget; True Love
(2) Meaning: Love; Beauty; Refinement; Beautiful Lady; Flower of magnificence