Stuff Like That There
(Hugs)
by Em

"There's always a price for what you want."
- Steve Perry

A/N: Crack!Fic strikes again! This one is different in two ways: one, it started out as being an idea for the "Quid Pro Quo" theme for my Sweetest Thing challenge, but the idea sort of grew beyond the reaches of the 500 word limit parameter I set up for that. So, I set it aside and did a new one for Sweetest Thing and sort of forgot about this one until I came across the "Chocolate" theme for the hugs. I thought, "hmmm...this could work!" and so I finished it with the "hugs" theme in mind. Two, it's different also because whereas the "hugs" themed vignettes have dealt primarily with the birds in the burgeoning stages of their relationship, or even less than that, where they haven't even admitted to feeling anything for each other or whatever, this one deals with them already in a relationship (as I hope I make clear as the vignette goes on.)

SO...it's very important for you guys to remember for this one especially, that these vignettes do not relate to each other.

Thanks: I'm so glad you guys have enjoyed these so much! Really. When I don't produce something that is at least somewhat serious, I tend to worry. I hadn't given in to the wonder that is Fic!Crack, not really, until you guys received these so well. I hope you continue to enjoy them.

If you've asked me something specific in a review, I will respond through the 'review response' feature on FFN.

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05: Chocolate

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Raven loved sweets. That, he had learned pretty early on in their acquaintance. That she didn't indulge in them at every turn only added to the specialness and the temptation of them for her. That he had also learned, much to his benefit.

"Looking for this?" Robin asked, trying to keep the humor out of his voice but knowing he was failing.

Raven went completely still at the sound of his voice, but didn't turn around. Raven was nothing if not deliberate in everything she did. Slowly, as if she were trying very hard not to do something drastic, Raven turned on her heel, her face in perfectly composed lines, revealing nothing. Her gaze flicked only briefly to the bag he was dangling by thumb and forefinger. If it had been anyone else, he wouldn't have even noticed.

"How did you find them?" she asked, her tone the only thing belying the emotion currently scurrying through her body.

He chuckled, and the sound sent a ripple of foreboding up and down her spine. "I am a master Detective, after all."

"Who snoops entirely too much in things that are none of his concern," she snapped.

He shrugged, completely unconcerned, "Be that as it may.." he let his sentence trailed off and made a show of looking at the bag, "You seem to have taken a liking to caramel, haven't you?"

Raven eyed the bag of gold wrapped Hershey's Caramel Kisses in his hand and barely refrained from growling. "For now," she conceded, because if she didn't, she knew he would just prolong the moment. She forced herself to take on a nonchalance she knew he knew she didn't feel and leaned back against the window seat where she had hidden the bag of chocolates, "So what now?"

"I hadn't really thought about it," he said.

Her eyes narrowed, "Bull," she said succinctly.

He laughed, "Well, you know how this works, Raven," he said sweetly. "If I find your stash, I get to ask a boon to give it back." He opened his eyes meaningfully, "It is only fair."

Her expression changed just minimally, and he knew the game was on in earnest now.

"Fair, yes of course," she enunciated, shifting her arms so that they crossed just under her breasts, pushing them up and against the pliant material of her leotard. "The question is," she allowed her eyes to take in his jaunty stance. "What boon shall you ask tonight, Robin?" she practically purred.

Robin wasn't fooled. This was the part where she tried to persuade him to ask for something she was perfectly willing to give anyway. And as tempting as she always managed to be, that would be wasting a perfectly good boon.

"I'd say there are at least 40 pieces left in this bag, would you agree?" he asked.

The seductress frowned, "Or less," she answered.

He rose his brows, "We could always count them?"

She narrowed her eyes, "Forty, agreed."

"So, I could give you one piece per smaller boon," Raven made a face and he raised his brow, daring her to interrupt. When she didn't, he continued, "Or, a really big boon for the whole lot."

"What would the smaller boons be comprised of, do you think?" she asked.

"Oh, I dunno," he said purposefully nonchalant, approaching slowly, "A kiss for a kiss?"

She raised her brows, "Forty kisses?"

"Is it so displeasing a thought?" he asked.

She shrugged and made a concentrated effort to appear nonchalant, "And the big boon?" she asked.

He pretended to think about it for a bit, and finally turned to her, "PDAs"

She looked as if she were about to have a fit, "No."

He shrugged, "Alright," he allowed, reaching into the bag, knowing her eyes were following each movement of his fingers as he peeled off the gold and silver foil, revealing the chocolate beneath. He popped it into his mouth and chewed it thoughtfully. "Oh, I see why you like the caramel ones!" he enthused, making a show of sucking the last of the chocolate from his mouth.

"That's not very smart of you, Robin, to eat your prize?" she tried.

He reached into the bag for another one, "I'm not willing to negotiate on the terms of the requested boon--"

"--ransom, you mean," she interrupted.

He shrugged, unconcerned. "Whatever," he finished. "But since I'm not willing to negotiate, I might as well eat them rather than throw them away."

He saw it the moment she realized that if he ate them he'd make sure to do it in plain sight where she could be tortured by every minute of it.

"How public would these Public Displays of Affection have to be?" she asked, stilling his hand from unwrapping a second kiss.

He looked at her and considered her question, "I'm not going to ask that you hold a press conference for it or anything, Raven," he told her amusedly.

"So, how public is public?" she asked again.

He thought about it for a moment. "Public is anywhere where someone can see us," he answered simply.

"Not necessarily in front of cameras or paparazzi or at a big party or anything like that?" she asked for clarification.

"Not necessarily," he conceded.

She thought about it, "You said Public Displays of Affection," she repeated, emphasizing the plural of 'display'.

He grinned slowly as he realized that Raven had been bound to pick up on it. "That's right," he admitted, nodding.

"As in more than one?" she continued.

Again, he nodded, "More than one."

"How many is more than one?" she asked, once again for clarification.

Robin chuckled, "Are you sure you don't want to give up this superhero business and go to law school?" he teased. "You're trying so hard to define every bit of this..."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "That's because you are worse than the devil with loopholes and undefined terms and I need to have specifics if I'm to agree to anything with you."

"It wounds me that you trust me so little," his tone was a rather decent imitation of hurt pride.

Raven raised her brows and waited, deciding not to even deign that with a verbal answer.

He chuckled, "Okay, fine," he thought about her question. "Five."

She crossed her arms across her chest and he could see the willingness to wrangle come over her like a mantle. "Two."

He cocked his head to the side, "Four." When she opened her mouth to speak, he smiled, "And a half," he added as if in afterthought.

She looked at him as if she were disappointed in him. "Two," she repeated, raising her brows, "and a half."

"Fine," he was the perfect picture of regretful acquiescence. "Four."

She offered a deep sigh, way deeper than she would normally allow anyone to see. "I won't accept anything above three," she said in her no-nonsense voice.

"Well, I refuse to accept anything below three and a half." He shook his head. "Not for forty pieces of chocolate all at once."

"Thirty-nine," she reminded him.

"I thought we agreed it was forty?" he asked.

She smiled and it was not a pleasant smile. It was the kind of smile a cat would offer a mouse if a cat could smile. "You ate one."

He laughed. "Well, okay then," he shrugged. "For thirty-nine pieces, I guess I can take three."

She extended her hand to him, "Done."

He handed the chocolates over to her but before she could take her hand out of reach, he took hold of her hand and in one smooth motion had tugged on her arm so that she fell against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and when she looked up at him, he claimed her lips for a kiss. He didn't stop until he felt her arms wrap around his back and she returned the embrace.

Neither of them noticed the bag of chocolates fall to the ground, spilling its bounty across the carpet.

When he finally released her lips, if not her body, she smirked at him, "That's one."

He opened his eyes wide, "Hey!" he exclaimed. "That is not! I said public displays!" He motioned around them at the Tower Common Room. "This is not public!"

She shrugged, "You defined public as anyplace where anyone could see us, Boy Wonder," she said smugly. "We are in the common room and any of the Titans can see us at any moment."

He squinted at her and raised a finger between them, "Why you..." he let the sentence trail off and decided to stop her smirk by kissing it away. She responded and he pulled away to look at her, determined. "But the next one is out there," he said, pointing outside.

She chuckled and didn't say a word. She knew that tone and she knew he'd probably already be planning a casual encounter with the press and how that encounter might end with him hugging or kissing her (or both) within sight of the cameras. She knew it, but hell, did she care? No, not really. After all, she got her chocolates back and what kind of punishment was it to have Robin try to kiss her senseless?

Even if it was in pubic, it wasn't like she was aware of anything around her when he kissed her anyway.

Yeah, he was just that good of a kisser.

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A/N: This whole idea of Robin finding Raven's stash of chocolates and basically ransoming them for public displays of affection was all GuardianKysra's idea. She suggested it way back when I didn't know what I wanted to do for the "Quid Pro Quo" theme under "Sweetest Thing" like I explained above.

I hope she likes what I did with it!

Spoiler: Next theme is "Sleeping". I think I can do something fun with this one, eh?