Author's comments at the bottom. Thanks to the following for reviewing:
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I'm Solo , xxYoursTrulyxx , sandstorm95 , Shnitzel , ttraven4ever , Spicy Sweet , Dormouse The Great , Azreal , PRC , Seaz , Nikki-4 , Darkangel436 , iNsAnE nO bAkA , Turquoise Blue 14 , Inakura , Faith Crain , Child of the Rain , and raerobgal.
Thank you all for the lovely threats and best wishes. I felt loved. :D ....And sorry in advance for the slight OOC-ness.....*winces*
Previous Chapter:
Slowly, eerie and bloodshot gold eyes surfaced through the water's surface. His infrared vision detected two bodies lying before him.
Too close to each other.
What could be an attempt at a smile appeared on his face, sharp teeth glistening despite the darkness.
The rats screeched, running away from their death.
Chapter Seventeen: Russian Roulette
The pair of bloodshot gold eyes squinted, the infrared vision shifting, almost magnifying. Yes. These were the ones.
Raven blinked, not allowing herself to delve too much into the touch his lips provoked her. This kiss was but a whisper of the kiss he had demanded of her from the stairs on their way to meet Eric. That one was desperate to convey...to convey some sort of message she couldn't make – wouldn't make – herself understand. Slowly, his lips separated from hers, but did not retract from hovering near them.
"Oops," he mumbled, not sounding apologetic. His eyes were out of focus, she couldn't make out if his pupils were dilated or not. Raven's fingers, still lying on his cheek, started to retract but his hand on her arm held it there. "I-"
"Shhh, rest. We'll ...We'll talk later, ok?"
"Hmm."
"Sleep." Water sloshed more firmly below their feet as his brow slid down, almost bracing itself on her chin, his uncomfortably warm body warming hers instantly. Raven closed her eyes. She had to retract her emotions. She couldn't let them get the best of her. She had to pull away before it would be too late.
But it was already too late, wasn't it?
He was in too deep. Her vow to keep herself indifferent on this mission had flown out of the window before she stepped out of the Tower. His unkempt hair shifted under her nose, almost tickling her. His breath, now even as he gave himself into sleep, warmed her breath and through his ripped shirt, his skin scalded her own, his large hand practically scorched her arm. There was no way to rid herself of this man. He was in: under her skin, in her thoughts, and provoked things from her that not even the malice of her father could bring out of her. Emotions. Emotions she was so good at hiding, hiding from anyone. But not from him. Damn him.
Suddenly, a large THUMP echoed loudly in the sewer.
Before she could blink, Raven found herself flat on her back on the concrete as a towering mass shot up from the water.
Instantly, there was the whirling screeching of a bird-a-rang cutting through the air and shooting off of a hard surface. The empath spared a half second of her reaction to assess the suddenly alert Robin, who had knocked her aside. Her leader huffed, propped up, sitting, arms warily hovering near the flooring, the aftermath movement of sending a sharp blade like contraption through the air. His bare back was crouched, an angry wound finally revealed as the exit wound of the bullet.
The half second gone, she regarded the large black mass – solid mass – and immediately she propped up a shield between them. The repercussion of the wave of water the mass brought up when it surfaced bounced off of her weakening shield.
"What the-?!" Robin's hand, hovering in front of her, made a gesture to allow him to assess the situation. She pursed her lips. She had to concentrate anyway. Her shield shivered. Water dripped from the large body. Rancid air filled the already rank sewer. The bird-a-rang clattered noisily a few feet away. For what seemed an eternity, Raven was immobile. Her eyes were all over Robin and the unidentifiable mass in front of them.
Suddenly, the air went still around them.
"GO!" yelled Robin, rotating towards her, and attempting to stand. A roar made them almost deaf as it swirled forward. Raven scrambled backwards for a second before her mind commanded her legs to stand for themselves and join Robin.
A resonating THUMP echoed loudly as it hit her shield.
"Go, Rae! Go, go, go!" he commanded, his hand wrapping around her upper arm.
Another roar.
"Robin, what-?!"
"Not now! Go!" almost blindly, they raced forward, tripping, and not glancing back. The noise and its echo was enough to alert them of the mass following them. Water splashed everywhere. Energy drained from Raven's mind as her shield began to dissolve, and finally left all together. Robin's hand didn't release her arm. They rounded up cobbled corner and his body slumped over hers, pressing them against the wall. His broken and haggard breathing echoed softly in her ear as his shadowed face peered back into the darkness they had escaped from.
Another roar echoed in the tunnels of the sewer, though at a farther distance.
It seemed a long time before Robin's body released the tension and suddenly slumped forward onto her own. A startled cry escaped her but her cold hands managed to wrap around his shoulders and slowly ease them both down. Her injuries protested but she bit back a retort.
"Fuck..." he moaned softly.
"It's alright. I got you." A whispered chuckle escaped him, his head finally resting on her lap.
"I know...you do. You always...have..." Raven closed her eyes.
"Not now..."
"We're safe," he whispered, a bit more strongly, seeming to not have heard her. "He's going away. He's a monstrous guy but not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed..." He winced.
"Robin," her hand grasped his face and turned him towards her. The new tunnel provided a bit of a better light but not exactly enough to rely Robin his vision back completely. "Who...what was that?"
"That...was Waylon Jones...or as you would know him, Killer Croc..."
"What?" Robin swallowed thickly and his eyes closed. Her colder fingers cooled down his feverish face and managed to make him conscious enough not to go back to sleep.
"He's the one who started the whole, alligators in the sewer bit– " Robin managed to squeeze his eyes open again. He faintly felt her power hover over his skin, much like it had when she had cloaked them in disguise whenever they passed the paparazzi in front of Eric's Hotel. But this was her healing powers.
"I know who he is, Robin. But what is he doing in Trinity?" she whispered, her fingers releasing his face gently and beginning to drift over his long body, never touching. He released a large breath.
"I don't know. His ..."hunting" grounds are Gotham. Maybe he's expanding his horizons," his hand flexed into a fist by reflex and sharp pain ran up his arm. He hissed.
"Robin?"
"I'm fine..." he controlled his breathing for a second before he opened his eyes again. "...how are you?"
"I'll be fine. I heal at a faster pace than you do, remember?"
"You're still injured," biting back a groan, he attempted to pull away from her probing hands and body altogether when said hands stopped him.
"Stop. You'll bring more harm to yourself. Lay back down. ..I don't know when I can conjure enough energy to attempt to heal your wounds again."
"Save your energy-"
"No. I need you alert," Raven wet her lips, "I don't know Jones like you do. He could come back." Robin paused, seeing a bit off of her direction.
"....Fine. But I need you too."
Raven physically felt the blow of his words. He had such power over her. She couldn't let her emotions misinterpret his words.
"...I'm trying to amend what I can right now."
"Have you tried it on you as well?"
"Not at the moment."
"Don't forget to do that," he commanded sternly, an emotion she couldn't identify, spicing up his tone.
"Deal."
Water dripped not too far from them. Raven's hands hovered over him, her upper body leaning over him as she tried to get as much of him as she could in her current position. A few squeaks of new rats signaled their position a bit further down the tunnel they found themselves in. The logo of a water filtering plant was tattooed and flashing in front of them on the opposite side of the tunnel.
Silence settled over them as her hands settled finally on either side of herself as she took customary to do when in her meditating lotus position, sans her crossed legs. She felt energy zoom into her own being and her Soul Self tremble at its touch. Her physical injuries were recovering faster but her Soul was still bruised. That would take a serious amount of meditation on her part.
She faintly heard the eerie echo of her own voice in her head giggle before she heard Robin take in a shaky breath.
Suddenly, their bond pulsated intensely, making her almost double over at its sudden power jerk. Robin's chest cavity shot up, his breath hollow. Raven instantly released the energy she could, her Soul protesting.
"Jesus," Robin's words filtered through the cloud that hovered her subconscious when she meditated. Slowly, she regained her vision and realize she hovered over his head, her face inches from his own. "...Rae?" he whispered after a pause, wincing at the aftermath of the shock. "What...was that?"
He hadn't expected her healing session to affect him in any way. Even the Reaper's attack on Raven hadn't effected him like this had. Perhaps because her powers hovered over his body or maybe the Reaper's assault had been only meant primarily for her and he had gotten the after effects then. But this wasn't unpleasant. No, just ...strong, vivid. His eyes finally managed the squeeze back open. With slight surprise, he could almost make out the fullness of her lips and her large eyes, hovering above him.
"Raven?"
"I...I apologize for that..."
"It wasn't intentional, was it?" he tried to smile but came forth as a wince.
"No..."
"Then there's no need to apologize, is there? ...Help me up, if you can..." His back muscles contracted, propping him up. After a pause, cold hands reluctantly pushed him up, emitting a groan from him, as his stomach muscles contracted. Slowly but surely he sat up erect and together, managed to get his body to lean back against a moist wall. He swallowed. "..I sure feel a lot more sympathy for the guys who work down here, in the sewers," he mumbled, after a pause. "Conditions aren't the best..." He never would change, would he?
"We can do something ...about it in Jump. We can even "talk to the mayor" about it." He chuckled, finding it easier to do so while sitting up.
"...how are you feeling now?"
"Better...that jerk of energy healed much more than I could have done in few days amount of slow healing..." Raven sighed. She'd definitely needed another conference with her emotions, "Robin?"
"Hmm?"
"What do you really think Killer Croc is doing here?"
"...It's no coincidence, I can tell you that."
"Probably not... So, what, he's after us?"
"Who would have enough influence over him to make him come to us, is the real question..." She could practically see his hand reach for his chin, to formulate the position he unconsciously took when his mind began to overwork in his Leader mode. Perhaps the pouty lips were donned as well.
"Someone with power?" she aided. Raven blinked rapidly. Her eyelids were closing on their own accord, but she no longer felt the impulse to fall into unconsciousness. Just rest. She fought to stay awake, though.
"He isn't influenced by 'super powers', for one thing."
"So...money?"
"No..." Raven felt him suddenly shift and prominently, his aura emitted confusion and anger. It felt both strange and familiar to be able to read him this easily again.
"What is it?"
"Nothing." His voice was clipped, hard.
"Did you hear something?"
"No, Croc's not heading our direction...for now." She swallowed, her throat dry and no drinkable water resided in the prominent radius around them. Robin's aura turned more towards anger than confusion, as the latter dissolved altogether. She wasn't going to probe, as much as a sudden swirl of emotion drove forward to make themselves known.
"Shut up," she begged quietly.
"What?"
"Nothing...nothing."
"Raven...are you sure you're feeling fine?" She felt him shift and lean on his right shoulder to face her. She wouldn't open her eyes. She wouldn't open her eyes. She wouldn't open her- "Raven, look at me."
"How do you know I have my eyes closed?"
"I didn't but I do now," his voice lowered and a warm hand blindly searched for her jaw. Finding it and making her flinch, he gently turned her to face his own face. "...what's going on?"
"It's nothing. I told you."
"Nothing means something, when it comes to you," she knew he didn't mean it harshly but she still felt the pang of his words.
"I'm complicated, what do you expect?" she snapped, though her voice wasn't as sharp as she wanted it to. He chuckled, and it sent her nerves on fire.
"I know."
"Then don't bother yourself in trying to figure me out." She snapped her jaw from his hand and looked away. His hand pulled back but he didn't turn from her. He sighed heavily.
"Damn right you're complicated." Raven instantly stiffened. "But...I kind of like that."
"Robin," she warned.
"What?"
"Stop it."
"Stop what, Raven?" Robin shifted his weight on his shoulder and he frowned, his face pulsating murmurs of fading pain.
"I'm...I'm attempting to heal myself again. You're making me loose focus."
"Liar."
"Do you mind?!" she suddenly snapped, facing him. He flinched back a few inches but instantly, he closed in on her.
"Why are you yelling at me?"
"Why? Because you are giving me the third degree, that's why."
"I'm sorry. I thought I was being considerate."
"Oh please," she snapped, crossing her arms. The remains of her long sleeve shirt – now practically sleeves only – scratched against her almost naked torso.
"What?"
"You can't help it. This is the way you are. You delve too much, too close to others-"
"Raven, what is the matter with you?" He heard her take in an intake of breath, probably preparing herself to scold him, probably for those kisses he stole from her.
But she surprised him when she released it.
"That's what I'd like to know," she mumbled almost silently. In other circumstances, Robin would have left the issue there. Obviously, this had something to do with the inner workings – the zen – of Raven's being, but...this obviously had something to do with him too. And goddamn it if he was going to leave it like that.
"Raven?"
"What?" she mumbled, almost monotonously.
"I..." he sighed, and wet his lips, though he didn't get much moisture. "Look...I don't know why you thought the concept inconceivable that I would go back and rescue you-"
"That's...that has nothing to do with that, Robin."
"So it is something."
"Why don't we drop this discussion till a better time when we are not in danger of risking our health surrounded by fecal matter?"
"Rae.."
"Robin. Please."
"...Fine." She heard him mumble darkly to himself before he turned and faced forward. A breath escaped her and she swept back a strand that dangled over her face. His aura, however, she couldn't bat away. It pulsated with anger, confusion, and an emotion she would not recognize or touch. His arms crossed over his naked chest and his head tilted back onto the wall. "...it's like fucking Russian roulette with you..."
"Excuse me?"
"What?" he snapped.
"How the hell am I compared to a game such as that?" He chuckled sardonically and turned towards her, from what she could make out. What she could feel, however, was his piercing gaze.
"...'a lethal game of chance'..." She could practically see the cocky eyebrow raise itself. Water rippled around them. How the hell was she suppose to interpret that?!
"....Robin, I don't know what kind of game you are playing here, but I am not-!"
"Game?" He laughed almost cruelly, "Game?! I'm not the one playing games here."
"And I suppose that I am?"
"As a matter of fact, yes."
"And please, enlighten me, oh fearless leader," at this, she saw him flinch, "How am I supposedly playing a game? A game of what?" Instantly, his aura shifted towards resentment, and before she could open her mouth again, he sighed.
"Forget it. I ...I'm way in over my head here," he ran a hand over his face, "I don't know what I was thinking." Almost to himself,he added , "This is so not in protocol."
"What isn't protocol?"
"Raven-"
"No, answer me, dammit." She could almost see where this conversation was heading and for the life of her she couldn't make herself stop. These words were coming out of her mouth faster than she could process them.
Finally, his shoulders slumped but his hands remained crossed over his chest.
"...what's not protocol is me....me acting like this..." Raven paused. Acting like how? "I mean, I violated your privacy more than once and forced myself onto you twice. I...What kind of goddamn leader am I?"
A silence seemed to have stretched between them before Robin's taller body moved in the darkness in position to get up.
"Where are you going?" she asked, despite herself. Slowly, her leader's body rose tall and pushed itself away from the wall. She heard him bite down a groan, and saw as he blindly touched the wound of the bullet.
"Nowhere." He took a few steps and rounded the corner.
Jones sniffed the air. They were still there. Any minute now and he should be there.
Before she knew it, her head dropped, heavy with fatigue. No. she had to stay alert. Her mind, unwillingly, reached out and threatened to make contact with Robin's. But ...she couldn't. Not yet. She felt the pull of her telekinesis pull at her again, now for a different purpose.
"Fine," she growled slowly to herself. Raven leaned back against the slightly slimy brick wall and closed her eyes. "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos, Azarath..."
"What do you want?"
"You know why we wanted to conference with you."
"Because you want to cause me more grief," Raven bit out, her voice not quite reaching the level of ferocity she had wanted to achieve.
"No, silly! We want you do -"
"Don't!"
"They're right... For one," at this, her newly hated emotion raised a hand, personifying a balance, "Suppressing me will have great consequences. Remember you swore you didn't miss him when he went missing? When Slade took him?" Raven shuddered at the longing that Fear felt whenever she remembered that moment in her life, "Your powers were chaotic. Causing havoc."
"What's your point? That I be selfish enough to involve him in..in this, so that I can have better control over my emotions?"
"It's hardly being selfish, Rae. In fact, you're helping others with not being all evil-like."
"Thanks..."
"No problem."
"Continue," countered her other emotion, who sometimes Raven relied on so as to control her emotional self. But as of right now, she had joined the others and had gone against her.
"And on the other," the new emotion continued, raising her hand, "You allow for myself to go forth and see what my presence provokes."
"You make it sound like a threat..."
"Raven, listen. You know what you need to do. If a single emotion takes full control – as consequence of being suppressed – goodness knows what will happen to us...or to Robin. So please, allow yourself to indulge in Love, even if for the tiniest piece of time-"
"No."
"Rae, please! If not for the sake of you, then us!"
"You?"
"You do not think this won't affect us, as well?"
"..."
"Rae-"
"Silence!" She suddenly snapped and cowered deeper into the depths of her cowl. The currently three present emotions stared at her. The dark atmosphere of Nevermore shifted. Neither of the three blinked.
Then slowly her more ...'chipper' self smiled broadly and jumped into the air.
Raven's eyes snapped open. Darkness greeted her.
"Robin?"
No answer. Raven swallowed and leaned against the wall, propping herself up slowly. Okay. So far so good. Water rippled around her, seeming to branch from her direction as if she had touched its surface. Her limps and her overall frame groaned in protest but she ignored it. Her soul self was in better shape. But it wasn't like she could fly out of her yet –
Her cry of warning didn't make it out of her throat quick enough.
A scaled hand shot out of the water and around her throat, her senses alerting her almost ironically that a threat was near her. Her mauve head snapped back into the wall, making stars dance in her vision.
"CROC!" A yell echoed in her head before the same hand dropped her. Immediately she was engulfed in frigid water. Her eyes searched around herself. She could make out shapes but it was so dark. Allowing the hurting soul to come out of her, it pushed itself up, taking her with it.
Instantly, a large mass snapped her back under the water.
Croc's cry vibrated around the tunnel of water around her.
'Robin!!!'
Warm arms reached around her and pushed, harshly, forward. Wordlessly, both pairs of bodies pushed forward and propelled through the semi-sanitary part of the sewers. Raven's throat ached sharply but at least the weightlessness of the water brought some relief to her – and Robin's body. With a sudden quickness, his arms pushed her to the side and up. Breaking from him, she floated up and greedily gasped for air. His dark figure bobbed besides her not a second later.
"I injured him. But he had rapid healing and generating abilities. It won't detain him for long."
"Then let's get out of the water," Raven grasped the ledge nearest her and pushed herself out. Before she could turn, Robin mimicked her movements and breathed heavily besides her.
"Did he hurt you?" he asked.
"No," something inside her stirred and she had to close her eyes.
"We have to keep moving. Come on." He grasped her arm and limping, made them shift forward, Robin glancing behind them every now or so. A pregnant pause of silence spread between them. Raven felt her emotions shift again underneath her subconscious and sighed in slight agitation.
"Do you know where we're heading?"
"Vaguely. According to the directions the florescent lettering scribbled on the walls, I think we're heading back to Gotham."
"You think?" they limped over a caved in part of the walking pavement meant for the workers.
"Yea," his voice was again clipped, and his hold on her stiffened, but did not harm her. Her emotions moved, almost like giving her a whiplash and she bit back a retort towards them.
"...How are your injuries?" He didn't immediately answered, but when he did, his voice was a bit distant.
"They'll heal."
"Alright."
"..Yours?"
"I'm fine."
"Good. Turn to the right here," his hand subconsciously reached out to reach for the cobbled walls and in the process of, hovered over her smaller frame, almost in the presence of a hug. Her new emotion fluttered, its intensity and overwhelming sudden appearance made her week in the knees. His hands grasped her. "Raven?"
"I'm good. I'm fine."
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing. Exhaustion," she excused smoothly, and tucked her dirtied hair behind her ear. She felt his searching gaze peer at her despite the darkness but relented after a minute.
"We'll reach shelter soon. We just need to navigate towards the part of the sewers where it's slightly more difficult for Croc to maneuver in the water." No rats screeched near them now, the facility apparently in its new stage of processing the water passing by, less and less debris appearing in its depths.
"Think this sewer system leads all the way to Jump?"
"Perhaps. I've never really had the pleasure to know for sure," he mumbled, glancing mechanically behind them. Raven suppressed the feeling again. Just a little while longer. As soon as she could place some distance between them, then, then she could bask in the feeling. But not a moment sooner.
"Right."
"Come on..." his voice trailed off, making her look up into the darkness.
"What is it?"
"I," he swallowed audibly and she felt his shoulder near her shift as if he were turning to look around them. The echo of dripping water widened and echoed loudly, as if the ceiling were raising and they were entering part of the tunnel that gave way to a sort of crossroad. His aura shifted almost visibly from a brewing anger to one of confusion again.
"Robin? What is it?" She knew he couldn't see. Her vision was better than him and she could only make out the opening tunnel. Raven heard his hand pass over one of the cobbled stones. Then, a sardonic chuckle came from under his breath and the hand that had been holding on to her released her but did not fray far. It smoothly passed over her naked shoulder blades and over to the opposite shoulder. Raven shivered and her emotions flared.
Robin was so not helping the matter.
"We're safe. Come on." He nudged them forward, his back seeming to have straightened and to have temporarily forgotten his injuries. Raven frowned in confusion but she did not shrug away his arm lying across her back. He seemed to need the support anyway. The sense that walls enclosed tight on them fell away and she knew that they were at the cross section of the tunnels.
"...You know where we are, aren't you?" She heard him sigh.
"It's too much of a coincidence," he mumbled to himself and he made a move to remove his arm from her. She sent him a confused look but she back away. Robin sat down on the ledge of the water and she saw him shift his feet into the water.
"What are you doing?" she asked, wary.
"I'll be right back. Stay here." Before she could say anything else, he slipped into cleaner waters and was lost in the darkness.
"Robin!...Damn it, Robin! This isn't funny!" Raven knelt slowly, biting back a sharp cry out, and sat down, her legs beginning to submerge into the water.
Suddenly, Robin sprang back up, gasping.
"Robin!"
"I knew it," he seemed to remember her in front of him and his hand searched for the ledge but found her knee instead. He grasped it, nonetheless. "Rae....I found a hideout." Raven blinked and looked beyond his shadowed body into the depths of the water.
"In...the water."
"Yes," he gave a small chuckle, "It's...," he sighed, "It's one of, his many hideouts."
" 'His'?" Robin closed his eyes and his fingers shifted on her bare knee.
"Batman's."
"...oh."
"I felt the inscription he places to signal shelter. One too many times we've been in situations like this. Not necessarily in the sewers," his other hand found the ledge, but he did not remove his hand from her knee. Raven winced. There it was again, that goddamn emotion. "His 'room' is underwater. I wasn't sure it would still be there. Sometimes the places are under self detonation systems. ....paranoid bastard."
"So," she prompted him, shifting the slightest bit away. Her vision – despite it being surrounded by darkness – swam and she leaned back into her hands, keeping upright.
"Come on. We'll swim a bit further down and you'll see the entrance obvious enough." He parted from her and waited for her. Raven slipped into the chilling water and heard him intake a breath before she followed suit and submerged herself underwater. Robin found her hand and pulled her towards the right direction.
The entrance was obvious enough.
A glow in the dark bat symbol was glowing in the still murky waters, hardly sheltered by a piece of permanent debris lying in the bottom of the tunnel. Robin jerked her fingers in a signal to follow behind him. He released her hand and pushed through the barely wide enough crack in the wall. His hand quickly enough found the steel wall-ed passage way and its shift upwards. Robin steeled his jaw as he managed to squeeze further up until his head broke through the new water level.
"I'll kill you, you son of a bitch," he cursed and raised his less injured arm upwards and pushed the hatch above him, leading him into another dark room. Deftly, he rose from the passage way and turned, holding the hatch open. When Raven didn't immediately resurface after him, fear sped down his spine. "Rae-?!" She broke through the surface, gasping and splashing. "Raven?"
"Damn it, it took you long enough to move forward." Robin released his breath angrily and reached a hand down to help her out. She took it and he helped her up, even as his back protested. Soon, their breathes echoed eerily in the room and water trickled from their wet bodies. Robin let the hatch fall and immediately, lights flashed on.
Both went blind.
"Jesus!" Raven cried out, shielding her eyes. The lighting itself wasn't strong but having been in the darkness for so long, made them close their eyes. It was minutes before their eyes adjusted and Raven looked around herself. Robin stood and sighed.
The room wasn't big. In three wide strides, one went across. In five strides, its length. A cot and blankets were against one wall and monitors on its opposite. In a corner appeared to be a healing section, the vibrant first aid cross alerting of its purpose. Robin's tall frame fell onto the cot and her leader slumped his shoulders in exhaustion.
"We need to clean up. We literally swam though crap." Raven raised a brow and glanced at his face again. "Then we'll tend to our wounds."
"What of the others? We haven't communicated with them for a while. And, Gordon and the others-"
"We won't be much help to Gordon and the others if we're about to drop dead, are we?" he suddenly snapped. Raven flinched and licked her lips. Her emotions made her skin almost vibrate and she suppressed a shiver.
"Fine." Raven warily rose and once she was sure her legs could support her, she headed towards the first aid kit.
Suddenly, Robin's steady hand snapped her wrist captured.
He had lost the risky game of chance.
Raven's gaze snapped down to Robin.
"Robin?" He didn't look up, staring down towards the floor, his grip not hurting her but steady enough to keep her wrist captive. "What is the matter with you-?"
"You," he rose and towered over her small and semi-naked frame. "You, playing this, this game with me." Raven's eyes widened but quickly frowned at him.
"You're delusional. Exhaustion had overcome you-"
"Don't tell me what I feel." Raven's jaw tensed. In fact, her whole body did. Her newest emotion battered against her, like Croc had battered against her weak barrier.
"You say I'm the one playing games," she mumbled darkly, lowering her gaze, her shoulders shaking in the effort to suppress the damned emotion from taking over her. "I wasn't the one who started that kiss at the club." She saw his muscled legs tense in her vision.
"No, you're right, I was. I was the one who kissed you then. And again, when I was in a fever." His hand shifted and she looked up at him. He leaned forward and she took a step back. He followed her with a step of his own. Soon, before she knew it, Raven's back was against the corner aside the aid center. A small handle poked uncomfortably at the base of her spine. "But I'm not the one who dangles that ...that damn connection in front of my eyes."
"Dangles?"
"Yes, dangles. You push me away, every time. You know how I am."
"Oh please. Do excuse me inconsiderate nature. Not thinking of your curiosity," she snapped, and he leaned in further, a scowl marring his already injured face. Raven felt her grip on her emotion beginning to slip.
'No!' she begged. 'Please, no!' Robin pressed closer, opening him mouth to say something else when Raven's back pushed up against the lever and fresh water splashed over them both.
The water took them by surprise, both bodies jerking instinctively close to each other to block out the cold water.
Arms released their hold and grasped the other body in front of them.
Raven's concentration slipped and her flashing eyes found his own, rumbling with a spirit that made him strive forward through thick and thin.
A moment transpire between both sets of naked eyes.
Then, Raven's back broke from the wall as Robin's arms wrapped around her. Their lips met and all else was forgotten. Gone, like the swiftness of a bullet.
He didn't find their scent anymore. He had expected the Leader of the Titans to cross paths with him sooner than later but he had found the girl first.
No matter. His mission was complete.
With a roar, he turned and headed back to familiar waters.
Where someone had to pay him for his servitude.
A/N: I guess I have some 'splanin' to do, huh?
:D Wonder if I should change the ratings now....Or leave out a bunch of ...ehem, juicy details out....I don't know. It's been a while guys. I know, sorry.
Hopefully this wasn't too much of a disappointment. Too-doo-loo!
PS - Listening to Puscifer's "The Undertaker (Renholder Mix)" when listening to the last part is pretty..inspiring. XD