~RavensMind~

Between Lovebirds: A Series of Shorts

Scene 3: Morning Tension

With a yawn, the Titan's leader drowsily climbed out of bed and stretched. Then checked the time and couldn't believe he'd managed six hours of sleep. After last night's long research binge, he figured he'd either barely sleep or wake up after lunch. The latter rarely happened, the former was too frequent. Robin burned the night at both ends, it was an art he'd come to perfect over the years. The latest string of heists in the city had been a major problem the last few nights, as he was sure that he knew Red X was behind them, but hadn't found enough evidence to be sure. There was nothing for the team to do with the case until they figured out who was responsible. He rubbed his eyes and went into his bathroom, going over the day's tasks in his head as he showered. Training, patrols, food prep, and it was his turn to do dishes. He groaned and wondered if Starfire had remembered she had laundry duty this week, too.

Feeling clean and fresh, Robin finished up in the bathroom after brushing his teeth and expertly applying his hair gel, and put on a clean uniform. He yawned again as he left his room, making his way toward the most essential part of his morning routine: a nice, steaming, doctored cup of dark, rich coffee. There had only been a few days where he either forgot it or didn't have time to get any, and after those rueful days for his friends, one of them made sure he got his cup every morning. She didn't have to, he was capable of getting it himself, but she insisted. It wouldn't be too much trouble for Raven, she would already be up making tea for herself. Ever since, he had spent each morning with her. Not that he was complaining.

On the contrary, it had become one of the best parts of his day, whether he admitted it or not. They were already close and the added contact had further altered their friendship. If the detective hadn't been so preoccupied with the city, he might have noticed his own developing inclinations toward her. Fortunately for him, the empath was determined to keep him ignorant of them for as long as she could. He wasn't aware of his own longing until it awoke each morning as he pictured her meditating with a hovering cup of tea by the window in the common area. He dismissed it as something less fitting of him as their leader. If Raven hadn't been struggling with her emotions that morning, maybe nothing would've changed for them, but it was likely just a matter of time.

Robin felt the bond between he and Raven tug at his awareness as he neared the common area. All he could discern was stress and it worried him immediately. He entered the room and found Raven sitting at the bar in the kitchen with her head down and a steaming mug in her hands. His own steaming mug of coffee was waiting for him on the counter next to her. He smiled and crossed the room, sitting down on a stool next to her.

"Morning, Rae. Thanks for the coffee, really need it today," Robin said as he reached for his cup.

"You're welcome," Raven said softly, "Long night...again?"

"Kinda, yeah. Think I'm getting closer though," he replied.

"That's good," she said simply, taking a sip of her tea.

"Yeah," he said, copying her and taking a sip of his coffee.

"Maybe when we catch them you can get some sleep for once," she said.

"Doubt it," he laughed, "another case'll stop that."

She chuckled and took another drink. She hadn't looked at him at once since he entered the room, her eyes were locked either on her swirling tea or on the countertop. He feigned looking out the window at the falling snow to look her over. Her shoulders seemed stiff and her posture was fixed, her mouth set in a firm line, and her hands more held onto the cup than held the cup. He sipped his coffee and felt the wave of her anxiety that ran through their bond. While he usually gave her the space she needed, it didn't stop him from checking on her, and he wasn't about to ignore it this morning.

"Something up? You look tense," Robin observed.

"Just tired. Things haven't been easy lately. My emotions have been acting out," Raven said.

"Anything I can do?" he asked.

She clenched her cup and took a long swig from it and then set it back down. She bit her lip and her eyes darted toward him, then she went back to staring into her mug. He raised an eyebrow and set his mug aside. She wasn't acting like herself at all. Then he grabbed the edge of the counter. Something had wrapped both of them in the same embrace and he was suddenly as tense as she was.

"I haven't decided yet," she replied.

"Let me help, I can feel how much it's bugging you," he said.

"Don't ask for this...please," she warned.

"I don't even know what 'this' is," he pointed out.

"I've been...keeping it from you. These emotions aren't good for either of us," she confessed.

"What? What is it? I should know if they're my feelings, you can't just take someone's emotions from them, it's not right," he objected.

"I know, but...fine, I'll show you," she said softly.

He watched as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, as she let it out- the tension he felt morphed and he steadied himself in his seat. What was he feeling? What changed? His eyes roamed over her and lingered on every accentuated curve. He wondered if her lips were as soft as they looked. She returned his appraising look and that was enough to show him what she had been keeping from him and fighting against every morning. It was hard to focus and he didn't want to take his eyes off her. Oh, this was a problem, a wonderful, irritating, special problem.

"I think I uh, see now. Why didn't you say anything? Why did you hide it?" Robin asked.

"I wasn't sure if it was good for me, or for you," Raven replied, "and it could wreck what we have."

"And you didn't think I could handle these feelings? Or you didn't want me to do anything about them?" he asked.

"No, I just-it was too much, too fast," she replied, "I guess I panicked."

"Right," he said as he reached for his mug, "okay, well...uh."

They fell silent and resumed drinking from their mugs, stealing sidelong glances at each other. She waited for him to continue, wondering if she had ruined things between the two of them. She wasn't sure if she could deal with the repercussions if she had. Then again, she also feared what it meant if he took things to another level. Ideas about either direction had been frustrating her for months. Keeping his emotions as well as her own under control had stressed her to no end.

"I'm not happy that you kept my own feelings from me, it's a huge breach of trust, Rae. But, I get why you did it. Just promise me you won't do it again," he continued.

"I promise," she said.

"Good. But I'm not letting you off the hook," he said firmly, "you'll pay for this."

"What-what do you mean? How?" she asked.

"Kiss me," he replied.

"I-I'm not gonna just kiss you like this, it's not-," she started.

"Don't you trust me? C'mon," he cut in.

"If you say 'I won't bite much,' I swear to-," she started.

"Promise I won't," he chuckled.

"Why are you doing this to me?" she asked as she gripped her mug tighter.

"It'll help you...and you owe me," he said.

Raven took a long sip from her mug and took a moment to prepare herself. She leaned over and brushed her lips against Robin's, pressing them into his firmly. He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close, she clenched his shirt in her fingers and let out a sharp breath as he parted her lips with his tongue and it slid against her own. They twisted in their seats as he moved his mouth over hers and switched the angle of his lips. Their minds fell into a warm pool of sweet sanctuary that introduced them to the bliss of their shared feelings. They sighed together and he released her from the kiss.

"Wouldn't mind adding this to our routine together, you?" he asked.

"That sounds perfect," she replied.

"Hey Rae."

"Yeah?"

"Your tea needs more sugar," he said as he licked his lips once.

"No, your coffee needs less."