A/N
Wow, has it really been (checks watch) four years since I wrote a standalone robrae fic? Sorry all.
Lately, he wasn't sure what to do with himself.
On days when he didn't want to talk or spend a few hours exercising, or go out and enjoy the scenery, he went to find her. He didn't want to be alone either, and he figured she would understand.
It was a day like that, a warm, sunny, cloudless summer day, where the wind wasn't too fierce and the humidity was non-existent, where he didn't want to be bothered by the energetic, or sometimes the idiotic, antics of his teammates and friends, and so he went to find Raven. He took the stairs, the thought of having to engage with and then withdraw from the people he didn't want to see already tiring him out, and made his way to the roof. Raven meditated many places- the 'backyard' of the island, the gym, the meeting room, her room most days, but surprisingly to those who would make assumptions without knowing her, Raven would often go to the roof to meditate when the weather was nice. It was a safe bet to assume she was up there.
And it payed off! As he pushed open the door, he took a moment to adjust his eyes after leaving the dim stairwell and saw her floating above the ground in the lotus position at the far end of the roof. He made his way over, part of him apprehensive as he did so, thinking, "She probably wants to be bothered about as much as I do, I should leave her alone, I know how important it is that she meditates..." But he squashed those thoughts down as he heard her chanting softly. He came to a stop beside her, and when she turned to look at him, forced a small smile. "Mind if I join you?"
Raven sat up straighter in the air. "You... want to meditate?" There was visible surprise on her face, and he shrugged.
"I know I haven't before, but, yeah. If it's alright." He added the last bit quickly. Part of him could already feel the declination coming, and his shoulders hunched subtly as-
"Alright."
He blinked in surprise, but he didn't misunderstand. "Thanks." He said as he sat down. There was a snicker as he did so, and he looked up. "What?"
"It's nothing." Raven said with an undertone of amusement. "Sometimes Star will meditate with me and well... she floats."
Robin scoffed lightly. "Give us regular humans a couple million years, and I'm sure we'll have evolved to master the art of flight, too." He shifted so he was sitting in the lotus position, but there was a soft thump, and he looked over to see Raven had descended to the ground and was now sitting beside him.
The corners of her mouth lifted for a split second, but her expression normalized to its stoic look and she closed her eyes. "Clear your mind. Focus on finding your center." Robin closed his eyes and they began chanting in unison.
As time passed, his shoulders gradually relaxed and the pressure on his head lifted, a pressure he hadn't known was there until it faded.
Once they stopped, Raven stood up first and offered her hand to help him. "Better?"
He nodded. "Maybe I should meditate more often." He admitted.
"You're free to join me whenever you feel like it." She offered. Raven began walking away, but stopped and looked back when she noticed Robin hadn't moved. "Not going back in?"
That pressure from before returned, albeit only slightly, and he sighed. "...Nah. I think I'll just lay up beneath an umbrella or something." He called back softly.
Raven tilted her head, frowned, then turned back to the door. "Okay. See you later."
He looked up at the sky, then back out across the horizon, before moving to the nearest chair and closing his eyes as he listened to the sound of the waves hitting the shores of their island, and the seagulls flying overhead.
There were days where all he could do was nothing.
If there was a large enough gap between villain attacks, then paperwork and meetings with the police would cease and the Titans could relax, more or less. There was always training, there was always a patrol they could go on in the hopes of stopping a random mugger or car thief, but when the police could handle the smaller criminal cases and he didn't want to go out, he found himself sitting on the couch, idly flipping through channels on the television.
So far, there was nothing he wanted to watch. But even so, the more he glanced at the clock, the slower time seemed to pass, and the worse his mood seemed to get.
He hated the feeling of wanting to do something when there was not only nothing to do, but nothing he wanted to do.
Some eternity later, the door hissed quietly and he turned to see Raven had walked into the living room. She tilted her head up at him in acknowledgement, and she sat beside him on the couch. In her hands was an old, leather bound book and when she opened it, he could see the pages were aged and yellowing, while all of the text was in runes he didn't recognize. She began reading, and Robin flipped through a few more channels before he settled on a history documentary in the interest of not having something loud on TV that would distract her.
Even though he wasn't watching it, Robin found himself glancing at Raven every few moments. Whether she realized she was doing it or not, she was subtly reacting to whatever she was reading. Her eyes would widen and her lips would part, or she would lean forward into the pages with hunched shoulders, or one knee would bounce as she flipped through page after page. At some point, she brought her legs up and rested on her side, one hand propping up her head as she put the book in front of her. Then, she shifted again, laying on her back and bringing her knees up so she could lean the book against her thighs.
The new angle, however, caused her to notice Robin watching. She titled her chin back and looked up at him.
"Busted." He grinned at her and shrugged his shoulders.
"I didn't know my reading habits were oh so interesting." She monotoned as she raised a brow.
He was silent for a moment as he wondered what to say so she wouldn't leave- he'd never say it out loud, but it was amusing watching Raven's reactions. "Comfy?" He asked.
Raven blinked, looked down at her book, wrinkled her nose, then wriggled up so her head was on his thigh. It gave support to her neck and she smiled in satisfaction. "Now I am."
He shook his head, draping his arm over the back of the couch so it wasn't awkwardly in her space, and turned back to the TV. Underneath his mask, he closed his eyes. He wasn't interested in the documentary anymore.
"Raven's comfortable. That's all I need to worry about."
It shouldn't have made him feel as peaceful as it did.
He wasn't sure how much time passed, if he accidently fell asleep or not- but when the door opened and the other Titans returned, causing Raven to gently slip away for the sanctuary of her room, he frowned, wondering what cosmic force out there was in charge of making boring moments stretch out for hours, while a moment he had been enjoying had to vanish so quickly.
His room was not somewhere he was usually found. In normal circumstances, it was only used for sleeping.
The living room tripled as the observation room for monitoring the city and the meeting room, so official business- when there was any- was conducted there. He had an 'office' on the same level as the evidence room (which was really just a place for him to work in peace), but there had to be work for him to be in the former and no one ever really went into the latter unless they were making sure nothing was missing... or they felt like basking in old victories, which wasn't often. The gym was on the floor beneath that, and beneath the gym was the workshop, where he and Cyborg worked on their vehicles and weapons.
And of course, aside from the rare attack directly on their home, all the fighting took place in the city.
So normally he was busy doing something in another part of the tower when he was home, and not sitting at his desk doing nothing like he was right now.
He was laying with his arms folded beneath his head, looking out the window without really seeing anything there.
"...In his room."
"But dude! Why would he be in his room?"
"I don't know. But that's where his communicator is saying he is."
He lifted his head up as his door opened.
"Knock knock?" Beast Boy said as the door opened.
"Told you." Cyborg said.
Robin sat upright in his chair, but didn't say anything.
"Friend, hello!" Starfire flew over Cyborg's head and floated in front of Robin. "We have not spoken at all today!"
For a moment he was silent, unsure what to say. He'd stayed in his room because he didn't want to talk to anyone today. What was he supposed to say now?
Luckily, Cyborg broke the silence for him. "We got dinner. Chinese food."
"Come, come! We will delight in the feasting of the rolls of egg!" Starfire turned and walked out with the others, apparently not having noticed his earlier silence.
Robin put a hand on his forehead and closed his eyes. He didn't feel that hungry.
"You okay?"
He looked up to see Raven leaning against the doorframe. He lowered his hand and shrugged. "I'm fine."
Raven stood up and crossed her arms with a look of concern on her face. "You sure? You don't... feel fine." Her head ducked slightly as she looked at him, like she was looking through him and he quickly focused on closing his feelings off. She looked up at his gaze with a frown.
"I'm fine." He reassured her. There was an awkward silence before he started to walk past her, causing Raven to turn on her heel and walk beside him.
"Were you in here all day?" She asked.
Robin shrugged. "Except when I went to take a shower this morning."
There was another silence between them as Raven looked straight ahead. After a moment, she spoke again. "You didn't eat today?"
He shook his head.
With a scoff, Raven looked up at the ceiling. "Don't skip meals. You need to keep your strength up."
"I didn't need to be reminded of that." He thought. He began to speak, to find something to say, but his lips barely parted and he just nodded in silence as Raven gently placed a hand around his arm and pulled him up. Her hand didn't drop, and all the way into the kitchen he was focused on the warmth of her fingers and how closely she was walking next to him, only for a rush of disappointment as she separated from him right before they walked into the kitchen area.
He didn't feel like sitting in the tower doing nothing anymore, and even though it was something he'd never done before, he got on his bike and went for a drive.
He got on the highway, where some people honked at him and others cheered from their windows, and headed out of the city through the mountain pass. It was always interesting how once one got to the other side, the land suddenly became flat desert and borderline uninhabited, in such stark contrast to the technologically advanced urban metropolis just on the other side of the mountain range.
Saguaro cactus nearby and rocky buttes in the distance broke up the otherwise flat landscape that extended all the way to the horizon. He drove out for hours, occasionally taking side roads just to see where they lead, until he noticed the sun getting lower and he decided to head home.
Every few days he would do this, when the boredom became too much and he sought the comfort of isolation as an escape from the often hectic life at the tower.
One day, he was about to leave when a question halted him. "Where are you going?"
He turned to see Raven had followed him into the garage.
"Out." He muttered, then frowned as he realized how curt that sounded. "Just for a drive." He explained in a softer tone, putting on his helmet.
Raven stepped closer and crossed her arms over her chest, rocking back and forth on her feet. "Is this what you've been doing lately?" She asked in a casual tone, but Robin noticed the way she moved, the subtle tightening of her jaw and the tapping of her fingers against her arm, and frowned.
"Yeah..." He answered slowly. He wasn't sure what was making Raven antsy, but even though he was curious he knew asking outright wasn't going to yield an answer. Surely him leaving for a little while every so often wasn't that much of a cause of concern for her? After a moments silence he turned and sat on his bike and put the keys in the ignition.
"Mind if I come with?"
He stopped himself from turning the keys and looked at her.
If anyone else had asked, the answer would've been an immediate no. Even if he had to make up some paper thin excuse, or even if he couldn't, it would've been no all the same.
But Raven never asked to go with him anywhere normally, and if had to choose anyone to spend time with...
"Here." He raised his hand and when she placed hers in it, he helped her onto the bike. "Hold on tight". He felt her link both arms around his waist, then started the bike and they took off into the afternoon.
Deciding it would be best to show her something interesting, Robin decided to drive to a place he had been once before.
Raven watched as the city and four lane highway went to suburbs and three lanes, then down to countryside and a single lane running in both directions, then down to a dirt road and buildings that looked rundown and abandoned whenever they appeared every few miles. They stuck close to the mountain range as they headed south for a few hours, until finally Robin pulled off to a parking lot. The term parking lot being used loosely, it was a dirt lot with some aged wooden logs set up to denote spaces. There was only one other vehicle, a dusty black SUV, and a sign that said 'hiking trail', pointing up the mountain, but otherwise there was nothing else around.
They took their helmets off and set them on the bike, making their way up the mountain. Aside from the sound of insects buzzing or the wind blowing or their footsteps crunching against the ground, there was an altogether peaceful silence between them. Raven wasn't the landscaping type, but the desert brush and red clay of the mountain made for a beautiful scene that she usually never saw in the city.
When they came to a stop near the end of the trail, they leaned against a wooden railing, Raven looking out to the horizon and Robin leaning against it while looking up at the sky.
"It's a beautiful spot." Raven said after a moment.
Robin smiled for a moment, and sighed as it faded. "Yeah..."
She looked at him and studied him, then looked back out. "You've said this is what you've been doing lately." She hesitated, a sudden uncharacteristic nervousness welling up before she swallowed it back down and continued. "But you've been kind of different, lately. Quiet and off on your own." She forced a playful smile as she looked over at him. "That's my thing. What's been bothering you lately?"
Robin turned and looked at the view as he shrugged. "I dunno. I'm just... Think I just need a vacation."
Raven smiled despite herself, the image of Robin in a Hawaiian shirt, shorts, and sandals on the beach popping into her mind unbidden. "Robin, the famed workaholic, who's had to be literally dragged away from his office and thrown into his bed on more than one occasion, talking about needing a vacation?" She stood up straight and turned to him, raising a hand to cup his cheek. "Who's this troubled guy and what have you done with my friend?" She asked quietly, her voice barely above a whisper as she stared at Robin's mask, wishing she could see his eyes to better understand him. She could feel some kind of an empty feeling coming from him, something sad but she had no idea what was causing it.
He smiled and lifted his head, causing Raven to drop her arm. "Guess I just don't know what to do with myself when it gets slow. I mean, we're heroes. What are we supposed to do if there isn't anyone to fight?" He shrugged again, then turned and started back down the trail. "C'mon, it'll be late by the time we get back."
She watched him go, frowning as she pondered the question that she hadn't been given a chance to answer.
A few days later, there came a knock at his door.
Somehow, he wasn't surprised to see Raven standing there. If anything her casual attire made up of sandals, denim shorts, punk rock t-shirt, and unzipped jacket made his brow raise. "C'mon. Get changed- or throw something on over that." She gestured to his uniform.
He blinked. "Are we going somewhere?"
"You'll see." She smirked at him, then walked away. "I'll meet you in the garage. You can drive us."
He blinked again. Then turned and looked for something casual to wear, thinking that whatever Raven had planned couldn't be any worse than doing nothing at the tower.
Making his way downstairs after getting changed, he saw Raven was already sitting on the bike with the spare helmet in her lap. They looked at one another in silence, Robin taking the time to appreciate how relaxed she looked, before he put his helmet on and asked, "Where to?"
Raven guided them through the city, until they were out in the eastern part of town, in an area that was mostly little businesses and suburban areas mixed together, an unremarkable, quiet, but comfortable place that made the neighborhood feel like its own small town instead of being part of the larger city. He parked his bike by the curb and Raven shook her head as her hair clung to the inside of the helmet, putting it away and smoothing out purple strands before sighing. "Alright, let's go."
"You still haven't told me where were going." Robin pointed out.
"That's cause we're here."
He blinked as he turned the corner with her, and was surprised to see a somewhat large group of people standing around. Most of them had coffee cups in one hand. "A café?"
"Yeah. They're having an anniversary sale- they've been open ten years, so they're giving twenty percent off. 'To the future', they said."
Robin smiled; he couldn't help it, the optimistic outlook made him feel good. He saw Raven looking at him and quirked his brow. "So, how come you know about this place?"
She shrugged and looked away. "I saved it from being robbed one night while I was out. I come here to read every so often, and sometimes they let people play music or read their poetry. It's out of the way, so I'm not heckled by the paparazzi, and it's usually about this busy anyways, and most people don't pay me any mind- even when I'm in my uniform."
He nodded as she led them up to the second floor balcony, where they sat under the shade of an umbrella. Even with his mask on, simply acting casual had drawn no attention to them thus far. It didn't last when the waitress came and took their order, but she agreed not to alert the media and left them, returning a few moments later with the coffee and tea they'd ordered. Robin sighed as he looked out over the balcony, over the people and down the avenue, where the coming season of autumn was being signaled with the changing leaves falling from the trees, even though it wasn't any colder than usual for this time of year. It rarely got cold enough to snow, but it regularly got cold enough for people to put on heavy clothing to combat the chill in the air.
Raven was looking away too, one finger absentmindedly tapping against the cup in her hands, one leg bouncing up and down before she swallowed down her apprehension and cleared her throat to get Robin's attention. "I did want to talk to you about something, actually."
He looked up, resting his elbows on the table.
"About what you said to me before, when we went on that hike through the mountains." She looked down, into her reflection in the tea, wondering how best to phrase it. "About what we should do if we're not being heroes. Well..." She tapped one finger against the table, "I came here to think about it. And I realized I had been thinking about what I should do ever since we defeated my father. It still hasn't sunk in, really. Having my future in my hands." She frowned slightly, then looked up. "But isn't this-" She gestured around them, and Robin looked at all the people chatting in their groups, or sitting in front of their laptops, the couples sitting close to one another, "What we fight for?"
"Of course." Robin answered.
"Well, maybe it's not so bad that we have the chance to enjoy some down time. I don't think any of us plan on doing this forever, so maybe there's nothing wrong with getting back to some normalcy, so we know what it's like."
"But-" He scoffed lightly as he looked away, suddenly unsure what to say, or even how to say it.
What was he supposed to say, really? He didn't know how to be normal anymore?
But he had felt pretty normal today. And when he'd been hiking with Raven, his mind had been clear of troubles and he hadn't felt as worried as he normally was lately, as though the desert itself had soaked up his troubles and he'd been free to be himself. Even just spending time with her in the Tower, seeking her out without giving it much thought, made him feel normal.
So he felt normal with her?
The tips of his ears went hot and he shook his head. He hoped Raven wasn't reading his emotions right now. He took a deep breath and sip of his coffee before he looked up. "Yeah, I know. I mean- I don't know. It's been one fight after another since I was nine, so this is normal. The hero part, I mean. I don't know what I'd do if all crime stopped tomorrow and I had to hang up my cape. I study when I can, but I can't imagine applying for colleges and trying to get some nine-to-five job." He confessed, frowning, uncertain whether it was a good idea to show Raven his uncertainties.
Raven nodded slowly, tracing the lip of her teacup with one finger. "I understand. Better than you might think. Growing up on Azarath, I trained to control my powers. I wasn't taught about algebra or geography." She smiled sadly and shook her head. "I had to learn about those things when I got here. And now that I have my future ahead of me-" She looked out over the balcony. "I don't know." She admitted. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do, either. But I know that I don't have to decide right this second." Raven turned back to look across the table. "And I know better than anyone that we're not bound to one purpose for our entire lives, either."
Robin sat up straighter as Raven talked, and smiled when she finished. He chuckled, and shook his head. "Raven, of all people, giving someone else a pep talk?" He asked when she raised a brow. "Guess we're both feeling different, lately." He muttered.
"Feeling... better?" She asked.
Robin paused, musing over his feelings as he listened to the chatter of the patrons around him, and then smiled and nodded. "Yeah. I am."
"Then maybe different isn't so bad. No one stays the same forever, after all." She sat back in her chair, drinking some of her tea.
He smiled, then a memory came to him, undoubtedly triggered by Raven's own words. It was of the moment after they'd saved the world and she'd hugged him, linking her arms behind his neck and pulling him close, and the conversation they'd shared afterwards. "What I said about her is still true. She's still the most hopeful person I've ever met." He finished the rest of his coffee and stood up. "I'll pay for it." He gestured down at the table.
"You don't have to-"
"I know. But I want to. I'd be sitting in my room moping if you hadn't brought me here." He pulled a handful of dollars out of his wallet. "So I've got this one."
When they finished and Robin had paid, they got on his motorcycle and he stopped for a moment before starting it. "What's wrong?" Raven asked.
"It's not even noon yet." He pointed out. "Let's go for a drive." He suggested.
"What if they need us at the Tower?" Raven asked.
"I'm sure they'll be able to handle themselves for one evening." Robin assured her. "Besides, I don't really feel like going back yet." He still hadn't started the bike as he waited for Raven's answer.
After another moment of deliberation, she wrapped her arms around his waist. "Alright, let's go."
He didn't say anything, but he grinned widely, feeling much less mellow as he and Raven went out of the city again, taking a different route to the one he'd shown her last time, and even though their afternoon was mostly silent as they spent it together, Robin was willing to admit that when he was with Raven, he felt as normal as a Titan could be.
"Raven, left! Star, right!"
But it seemed normalcy for a Titan would invariably, at some point, involve fighting.
"I really wish..." He grappled out of the way of an oncoming car, "That they would just lock up Cinderblock instead of trying to figure out what he is. At some point, the damage he causes has to outstrip the potential ability to calm him down and teach him to be a useful member of society."
"Help!" Came a feminine voice from behind him, and he saw a young blonde girl cowering by the wreck of another vehicle that had been destroyed in the battle.
"Beast Boy! Get her out of here! Cy, on me!" Robin gave a cursory glance to the shapeshifter, ensuring the girl was being tended to before he took his position with Cyborg and the two charged straight at Cinderblock, Robin throwing multiple explosive birdarangs. Cyborg shot the monster with his sonic cannon, hitting him the face at the same time the explosions made him stumble back. Starfire flew forward with tremendous force and uppercut him, and lastly Raven used her powers to restrain him with pipes she'd pulled up from underground.
The battle, intense yet short lived once the Titans had arrived on scene, was over.
"Oh. My. Gosh."
Robin and the others looked to see the blonde girl from earlier had run out of cover and approached them. The Titans smiled and shrugged, spouting off quippy lines about how easy it was and how much easier they made it look, all of them used to the praise that came after a major attack in the middle of the city.
"You guys are so totally awesome!" She cheered, throwing both hands in the air and jumping up and down. "Man, I've been trying to get my dad to introduce me to you since you moved here!"
They all looked at each other in confusion. "Uh, you're dad?" Cyborg asked.
"Yeah, he's the mayor!" She explained. "And I'm Melissa!" She shook hands with Raven and Starfire, then hugged Beast Boy and Cyborg, but when she got to Robin she gave him a bunch of kisses on his cheek before he gently pushed her away. "I'll make sure he knows what you did here today- He's gonna commission a giant statue of you guys once he's learned you saved me!" She pulled out her phone and walked away when the police came forward, readying Cinderblock for proper transportation.
Robin sighed and turned to look back at his team, and was surprised when he saw Raven glaring at Melissa's retreating form, only for her to notice Robin staring. Her eyes opened wide in surprise and she turned around to pull her hood over her head. He shot a quick glance at Starfire, who would normally be the one angry when another girl got within so much as ten feet of him, but she was too busy helping the police.
"Let's go home."
The mayor was indeed grateful, and it was announced that there would be a ball held in their honor. Although normally it would have been unnecessary, many people realized that the man was grateful his only daughter had been saved and wanted to reward the people who had done so, and soon headlines and news reporters were all in a tizzy about the upcoming event.
It seemed there were only five people in the city who weren't looking forward to it.
"Do we have to go!?" Beast Boy asked for the millionth time as he struggled with the bowtie on his tux.
"Do you not wish to dress fancy and eat fancier?" Starfire asked as she smoothed out her dress. "But I do wish we could reschedule..."
"I'm telling you, we're gonna get ambushed or someone's gonna plan an attack in the city and we'll have to leave early- we might as well not even go and be ready for that instead." Cyborg argued his point.
"All we have to do is show our faces for an hour or two and then we'll make up some excuse and come back." Robin looked between the team and rolled his eyes. "I'll make up an excuse and we can go." He fiddled with the cuffs on his suit, more out of agitation with how it fit over his uniform than with how comfortable it felt. "Besides, what else are you going to do? Play video games?" He looked at Beast Boy. "Watch TV?" He looked at Cyborg. "Take Silkie for a walk?" He looked at Starfire. "We might as well do something once in a while. At least pretend to have fun while we're out."
"But dude, why do we have to go when Raven's not?" Beast Boy complained.
Raven herself was watching the group with a quieted amusement. "Like Cyborg said: there could be an attack while you're out partying. Someone needs to be here to coordinate everything just in case. Since I can teleport, I can fill you guys in then link up with you the fastest."
There was no missing the smug expression as she reasoned her way out of the party.
Still, Robin wished she was coming. Having someone to sit with when he wanted to get away from the rabble would be nice.
"I don't want to go either. But the sooner we go, the sooner we can get it over with." Robin gestured for them to leave, and everyone sans Raven made their way downstairs with groans.
It didn't take very long for them to make their way to the Town Hall, where the moment they stepped out of the car they were instantly beset upon superfans and paparazzi- a treatment they rarely received. Yes, the occasional excited person would walk up to them and ask for a picture or an autograph, but generally when they were out in public most people paid them no mind. The Titans shook hands and forced smiles (some more forced than others) and walked inside. Making their way between people until they found the mayor who relentlessly thanked all of them again and again for saving his daughter, they slowly started warming up to the atmosphere of the party after getting past the shark attack at the front doors. Beast Boy and Cyborg went straight to the buffet line, Starfire was pulled to the area of the ballroom where many people were happily dancing to the music currently playing over the stereo system, and Robin quietly made his way to a table that he deemed was tactically hidden enough for no one to notice if he wanted to be left alone.
It worked for a little while. No one bothered him as he quietly observed the people coming and going, and he occasionally saw glimpses of his friends through the crowd which made him smile when he saw that they were having a good time, but eventually he was found out.
"Found you."
He looked up and saw that Melissa had approached him. "You look nice." She smiled at him.
"Thanks." He nodded at her. "You as well."
She grinned at him. "Soooo..." She hummed, then looked away and Robin followed her gaze to where the dancing was taking place, and they looked back at each other. "Wanna dance?"
"Not really." He answered. "But I'm sure someone over there does." He gestured back to the dancers. "Maybe Cyborg or Beast Boy?" He offered when she didn't leave.
"Nah, they're not as cool as you." She held out her hands. "Come on, you really don't want to dance? I owe you one for saving me, it's the least I could do."
"I appreciate it, but I don't do this for a reward. Sorry."
Melissa sighed as her hands dropped to her sides, and she frowned before walking away. "Well, can't blame a girl for trying..."
For a few more minutes he watched people move about, and he'd occasionally hear someone talk about him or his team, but he eventually made his way out of the room and onto a balcony, where he reached into his pocket and pulled out his communicator.
He blinked, staring at his reflection in the screen. "What am I doing?" He asked himself, before swallowing down his nervousness and calling Raven. It rang twice before she answered. "Hey." He greeted.
Raven raised a brow. "Hey." She called back at him. There was a moment of silence between the two before she spoke again. "Having fun?"
Robin laughed dryly. "No, not really. Anything going on on the monitors?"
"You didn't really think I was going to watch over the city's surveillance system, did you?"
He shook his head with a smile. "No. But I didn't expect you to, either. Not that I'm in a position to judge, partying and all."
"It doesn't look like you're partying." Raven pointed out as she saw he was outside on his own.
"Yeah, well..." He scoffed, letting his arm extend over the balcony and his head hang. "I wish I was with you right now, instead." He admitted.
Another silence settled between them, but this one felt more peaceful, more knowing between them.
"Then come home."
Robin lifted his head. "I can't just leave." He argued without believing it, his tone of voice betraying him immediately and making Raven tilt her head.
"Sure you can." She pointed out. "What's stopping you?"
There was nothing, really- nothing but his own hesitation, brought on by the fear of losing a close relationship to a foolish, spur of the moment action. "Cyborg has the keys." But when he made up the paper thin excuse, he started laughing, and on the other end of the call Raven did too.
"Okay then, how about this: Focus all your thoughts on me." She instructed. Robin stood up straight and took a deep breath, then closed his eyes. He let his mind calm and did as she asked, thinking about his memories and recent feelings surrounding her, his desire to see her and let everything else fade from his mind.
"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos." She chanted.
There was a sound like rushing wind, and Robin opened his eyes to see a large shadow in front of him. "What's this?" He asked.
"A portal. If you'd really rather be here..." She let the conclusion hang in the air between them.
It was the easiest decision he'd ever made, closing his communicator and stepping through the portal, emerging in the living room in between the couch and the coffee table. Raven was sitting in front of him, and after quickly pulling off his tux so he was back in his normal uniform, he sat down beside her. He couldn't stop himself from smiling as she pulled one leg up to her chest and turned towards him. He lifted his hand, hesitated for a moment, then gently pulled her closer where she rested her head against his chest.
Robin sighed and let his eyes close as he let his head lean against the back of the couch. For a few minutes, they sat in relative silence broken only by the sound of the wind against the windows.
"Is it really better being here with me?" Raven asked quietly.
He nodded and hummed in affirmation.
"Why?"
Robin opened his eyes, tensing slightly in a way that didn't go unnoticed by her. "I..." He didn't know how to say it, or if he was ready to say it, or what she would say back, and so he didn't say anything at all.
Raven shook her head. "Nevermind. It doesn't matter." Then, she lifted her arms and wrapped them around his chest. "To be honest, I'd rather be here with you, too."
He relaxed, smiling as he looked up at the ceiling. Maybe one day he could tell her, but right now he was happy just to be with her.