Gray trailed behind the sullen Robin to the training grounds and halted in the middle of the field. "So."
Robin looked over his shoulder to shoot Gray a look of disdain. "What?" He snapped.
Gray shrugged. "Dunno, you're the one who called me out here in front of my girlfriend."
Robin wasn't sure what happened next. Before he could think of what he was doing he tackled Gray to the ground. Almost immediately the pounding ringing from before resonated in his mind, like a thundering fire alarm going off. He yelled incoherently and scrambled away from Gray. "She's not your anything." He grunted between his clenched jaws as the ringing increased to an ear splitting pitch. Gray only sat in front of him, calm and with his head cocked to one side. He leaned forward and placed his hands on either side of Robin's head, and the ringing ceased altogether. Calmer, Robin couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Gray didn't shy away and surveyed Robin closely. "Since Raven herself hasn't bothered to correct us on that point, I would suggest you drop it."
Robin flinched inwardly at the word us. He felt that was somewhat, off in a way, but he couldn't explain why. "What exactly are you?" He finally stared straight into Gray's unmasked blue eyes.
He took a moment to think on his answer. "Just a piece of something bigger." He lowered his voice and murmured more to himself. "Anymore of this though, and I don't know how long you'll last."
Robin took a shaky breath, still feeling some kind of pressure forming in the back of his head. "What are you talking about?"
Gray gripped the sides of Robin's head firmly and pursed his lips. "You know what, this is a great opportunity." The pressure in the back of Robin's head bored down on his thoughts suddenly and Gray continued. "So Robin, what's your real problem with me huh?"
Robin struggled to keep his mind blank, but he couldn't bring himself to establish a conscious barricade. He bit hard on his bottom lip, trying to keep his confession at bay. "I don't like the way you look at her." He admitted with bitterness in his mouth.
Gray peered down at him with a familiar smirk on his lips. "What, like I'm in love with Raven or something? 'Cause I am. Since I do love her, I just want to be here for her, that's all. I'm not going to hurt her." He paused. "We wouldn't ever do that." He said rather pointedly with a sad smile. "Not on purpose anyways."
Gray released Robin unexpectedly and the excruciating ringing sounded in Robin's mind once more. He withered onto the ground; the sound so high pitched it could break his bones. He felt like his head would shatter in hundreds of pieces. "What…. Is…this…"
Gray squatted to get a better look, clearly unconcerned. "I wouldn't think too hard on getting rid of me you know." He said quietly. "It could have some really bad consequences that you wouldn't want to go through." Robin grunted in pain, his teeth clenched and his body twitched uncontrollably as if he was having a seizure. Both arms clutched his head and his voice rose from groans to a strangled howl. "Look at you, almost at your limit." Gray continued. "Robin, look at me."
"What…are…you?" Robin spoke up, only to be stopped from saying more due the pain ripping through his entire body. His face scrunched painfully and a pathetic whimper ran across his lips.
Gray's blue eyes softened and Robin felt him take a knee and peer closer to his face. Gray knocked his forehead with Robin's hot forehead and sighed. He leaned back, closed his eyes and placed a hand over Robin's eyes. "Relax, and breathe slowly." In a few seconds, Robin's body stopped seizing. "There we go."
"Hah." Robin panted, his consciousness beginning to cloud even with the ringing subsided. His eyes slid in and out of focus. "Couldn't find you...on… radar." His voice gurgled.
Gray poked Robin's cheek. "You're not going insane Robin, I promise. Just sleep for now, Original me, and maybe rethink what everything means." Robin's blinked at him, realizing how heavy his eyes were. His haggard mind demanded stillness and his body refused to move.
"I….don't….understand." Robin muttered before slipping into oblivion.
His other self shuddered. "I hope you do, soon." Gray observed his Original's mind still trying to fight from succumbing to the sleep. He placed his hand over his chest, where he could feel a weight and a steady beat growing stronger everyday. "Or we're both headed for self destruction."
-X-
Raven turned her back from him; her cloak around her like it was a shield against the world. She looked so small, hunched in the alleyway. "If you knew what I really am, you wouldn't want me around."
Robin stepped forward towards and he could see how much coming closer only made her tenser. "I know enough." He replied back with confidence.
He did know enough. Yes, she dwelled in the darkness and mystics of the unknown. But she wasn't one of the villains attempting to destroy Jump. He concluded that she just wanted to stay out of everyone's way, to bide in solitary confinement even. But it was because she understood her powers, and cared enough to stay away from others so she wouldn't be given any chance to hurt anyone.
She may have lived in the darkness, but that had nothing to do with her heart.
Raven turned slightly to look over at him. Her eyes glimmered the slightest hope even if she masked it with dread.
In his mind, he promised to protect this girl. Whatever she was afraid of, he would make sure nothing would happen to her.
-X-
"Robin, I'm here to help you."
"Raven! What are you—you have to get out!"
"You have to trust me, Slade isn't here. He's not in the tower."
"No! He's here! He's real! I've seen him!" In one of the rare moments of his life, Robin's fear enveloped him and threatened to overwhelm everything he believed in.
Raven's reply was swift, calming and without any doubt in her voice unlike the rest of the team. "Then let me see him, through your eyes." Her ethereal spirit entered his body and his panic immediately subsided and was enveloped in a surreal black shroud. For a brief moment, he felt her feelings, her true ones she would never expose in person.
She was worried and scared. Not scared of Robin, but scared for him. There was a protective yearning dominating the fear. She was going to save him and in a silent mental link, she told him so.
Hours later, after the episode, Cyborg told him what she had said. "Slade is real to Robin." And in one swift movement she headed straight to find Robin, without waiting for anyone else to retort once again that Slade was gone. She didn't need any more information besides that.
She believed in him.
-X-
"Raven what's wrong."
She was again with her back against him, and he learned pretty early that he couldn't stand the motion of it. "I just don't like parties." She said dryly.
"It's more than that, I can tell. We have a bond remember?" Once more, he stepped forward and again she closed herself off. "You've been inside my head, let me inside yours."
"Robin." She said this with a careful sigh. "You know me better than anyone. You should know there are places in my mind where you can't go. Where no one should ever go."
As always, he was once more stuck in Raven's maze of her mind. This was getting frustrating, to the point that he didn't want to try to find his way around anymore. Besides his feelings for her were just as twisted and convoluted. He was aware at this point that Starfire made him the exception and he began to reciprocate naturally. Starfire was always easy to understand and so very transparent; nothing like Raven. Raven he had to work for. Blinking out of his thoughts, he took another gander of appeal. "I'm willing to try if you'll-"
"I can't." came her quick reply. Then that was it.
The world spun into chaos as Trigon resurrected through Raven. He remembered the smoldering ash and heat of the rocks as he sat with Raven in the abyss she was banished to while her father wrecked apocalyptic havoc on the world. He recognized the significance of Raven's form. This was how she felt. She felt like a child who didn't have the power to stop or control anything around her. Like a child, she fled from her fears but not without shame. She was lost, but just as pure and innocent as the white clothing she now sported.
She had always been waiting for someone to save her, and Robin admitted later, to himself, that he was fated to be that someone. "What you told me about your destiny, that something bad was supposed happen… I guess it did. I'm sorry I couldn't stop it."
Raven shook her head, sad and tired. She wrung her small hands in her lap, which he noticed she still did when she was upset. "No one could." Her voice was tiny and quiet.
"But right now you're safe."
The he proceeded to get her out, making sure she stayed close as he piggy backed her up the cliff. He told the story of Raven, of his Raven- the girl he respected and cared for. He remembered the shaking shoulders as once again her back was towards him as they finally reached a cliff ledge. "You came down here for nothing!"
He reached out a hand to bring her close. "I came down here for you."
She turned around quickly, avoiding his touch. "Why? I can't help! My powers came from him. Now that he's done with me, I don't have them anymore." Real tears sprang from her eyes and fell from her cheeks. Real frustration was there, and the real urge to help him and the team was clear. "There was a prophecy Robin and it came true. It's all over now."
"Yeah, it's the end of the world, but so what? Were still here, still fighting, still friends."
"Look at me Robin! There's nothing I can do. There isn't any hope."
His eyes softened at her tiny figure she deemed to be useless. The strength of her heart had always been profound and he courage always seemed to match his. She would be able to find it again; he knew that. But until then, he held both of her tiny hands in one of his own and smiled. "Then I'll guess I'll have to have enough hope for the both of us."
He remembered the small hands that tried to wake him as the team fell despite their best efforts against Trigon. Blurry eyed, he witnessed the transformation of Raven's childlike figure to the proud standing woman who broke past the destiny of the bleak future. White, pure mystic powers emitted from her soul, not the darkness everyone assumed she harbored. She was not longer the child who saw only the darkness but a woman acknowledging that she could be both light and darkness. And it was her choice, and her choice alone when and how she would use it.
He remembered seeing the purest dove that enveloped the writhing Trigon and returned the world to how it was. She turned towards him, only him. "Somebody believed." Her smile shined more beautifully than any sunrise. He saw it briefly, until she threw her arms around his neck in an embrace that warmed his heart.
His astonishment evaporated quickly and he laid a hand in her hair pulling her closer. His smile was sheepish and embarrassed, but he wasn't embarrassed enough to separate. "Welcome back." Honestly, he didn't want to separate until Beast Boy had his mini freak out about Raven's smile.
After that she returned to normal- back to the dark clothes and the hidden mask of a smile tucked away in a secret place. Robin was then left conflicted once more, of what he should do. Pursue the spark of attraction or not, but Raven didn't, he in turn didn't, and he buried the notion away from his thoughts.
And then Tokyo happened. Briefly, the thought of Raven crossed his mind. But Starfire brought him back to earth. By this time, he was certainly in love. The Raven topic easily rolled over his shoulder without him taking months to ponder on it.
"Bit of a waste don't you think?" a voice prodded his brain.
Robin looked over at Raven standing a few feet away, her cloak up and kneeling to view the ink and water on the ground. Despite the flashes all around the rest of the team, Raven was given a wide berth. Starfire squeezed his hand and his focus returned to his girl. He smiled back with a sharp sting, but it passed. Starfire's blush and shy smile made his heart sore. He was happy, purely sincerely happy.
"And yet still so undecided. " the voice sighed. "I don't think you made such a clear cut decision as you thought."
I tried, honest. Robin replied, raggedly.
"Yes you did, but look I came to bite you in the ass all over again."
"You-" Robin found his voice.
"Robin? Robin wake up!" Strong hands shook him and he caught the smell of bubblegum. He blindly swatted the hands away and immediately sat up.
Starfire looked away, hurt. "What happened?" he pinched the bridge of his nose.
"That's what we want to know." Cyborg came behind Starfire. Robin wagged his head and swung his legs over the couch. "Gray brought you in saying you collapsed." Cyborg lowered his voice. "But I need you to tell me your side."
Robin zoomed in on Gray sitting on the bar stool next to Raven, his arm resting on the small of her back. He looked up, the arrogant smirk gone and a thoughtful one took its place. He raised a brow, waiting.
Robin stood up and waved away the arm Cyborg held out to stop him. He marched to Gray and he in turn, slipped off the stool to meet him in the middle of the common room. Chest to chest, Robin glared at Gray at eye level.
"Well?" Gray murmured in a low voice, recognizable to Robin's.
Robin looked him up and down, noting the identical build, hair and crystal blue eyes. The seriousness, the intelligence, the speed, agility, strength and courage emanated from Gray just as much as his own. But the one striking difference they both shared was becoming apparent, even when Robin tried his hardest to ignore it. But this wasn't the first time he's dealt with this. However, he had never seen this part of him right in front of his face so clearly and so annoyingly.
He quickly glanced at Raven, tense in her seat. He knew she understood more about this than he did and even now he was barely grasping these turn of events. He ascertained that there was no way she could bring this up with him even privately. Once more, she didn't want to hurt him or destroy the happiness he sought in Starfire. That's why she tried to keep them away from each other as much as possible, to keep his world easy and simple. Or maybe, to keep her world easy and simple.
But she didn't know this was always an ongoing struggle. These feelings, Gray, never went away, no matter how hard he tried. He responded back in a matching tone. "Coming to bite me in the ass, huh."
Gray's features mirrored the straight tight lips set of determination off of Robin. "Yes." He nodded. "I have to, or you won't get anywhere."
"Uh guys?" Beast Boy croaked and tried to step forward. Raven sent him a warning with a sharp shake of her head. Cyborg clenched his jaw and Starfire looked confused.
Robin and Gray's gazes didn't break until they both gave a quiet sigh simultaneously. "Enough." Robin walked around Gray. "I need to be alone." He shot a longing look to Raven, hesitating.
Don't. Warned Gray's voice in his mind. Robin's eyes locked with Gray's again. Take your time first. I'll deal with Raven.
Robin shook his head slightly, his head still ringing. He wasn't sure what he had gotten himself into and still didn't comprehend how this all came to be. He projected to Gray. Just… be careful with her.
Always. Came the quiet reply.
-X-
Author's Note: Greetings folks! Surprised? Excited? Erm…upset with me? I'm sorry the update took longer than anticipated (by several months). My beta reader and I were/are busy people and even now, this chapter has not been beta read. So please excuse any misspelled or awkward phrasing; I did try to go over it multiple times but I tend to be more concerned over plot lines than specific grammatical structure.
Specific Notes to Reviewers:
Cardinal/Thatreader: As you reviewed as a guest, I can't reply back to you in an email. I have read your review thoroughly, many times (despite the sting). Your main point on Starfire bashing irked me. I myself do not enjoy reading bashing on any character and I did not intend it to be so in my stories.
The interactions between Starfire and Robin do have purpose. As a writer trying to convey this however, it seems to have gone awry. But then again, the whole story has not yet been uploaded so not everything links together. I'd like to point out several points that you've addressed without spoiling the future.
Starfire is badass. She is, really. I observed in most couples that in newer relationships when one partner becomes ugly in temper or personality, the other doesn't really see it, acknowledge it, or easily forgives them. I believe since Starfire is a loving, caring person, she's struggling to see past the sudden anger and mistreatment. She knows he's not usually like that.
On that note, Robin really isn't anything like that. Please remember that everything is done with purpose. Even Robin being an asshole 90% of the time so far is for a reason.
I have read the previous chapter and I am still happy with it. I am also writing several chapters ahead and Starfire has a bigger part that readers are not yet aware of. Thank you very much for your in depth review and I hope you keep reading.
To everyone else: Thank you so much for your support! I'm always excited to be emailed your thoughts. Even when I lag behind on chapters you guys are just so persistent. That's a great thing, truly! I wish I could meet every single one of you.
Well, cheers everybody. Hope you have a wonderful day! See you in the next chapter! And leave a review if you'd like!
Episodes to find Raven/Robin moments(that belong to Teen Titans franchise and not me): Birthmark ; Haunted ; The Prophecy ; The End