When Raven returned to the Tower later that afternoon, she was worn and bruised from the showdown against Cinderblock. The Teen Titans had performed very poorly during the battle; both Robin and Starfire were out of sync and off-kilter, accidentally aiming shots at friend instead of foe and blundering into one another's range of fire. The whole team had suffered, and if not for some power moves that Cyborg and Beastboy had been practicing together, Cinderblock would have wiped the floor with them.
Robin had immediately stalked into his room and slammed the door as soon as they'd arrived home; no doubt brooding over the team's inefficiency and ineffectiveness. The Boy Wonder was particularly susceptible to the ridicule that they would endure by the City if their act wasn't cleaned up.
Cyborg and Beastboy quickly bailed the Tower soon after, heading downtown to get a half-vegan, half-meatlover's pizza to help unwind after the tense battle. They had managed to coax Starfire into going with them, reasoning that a little outing would help her feel better about everything that had been going on lately.
Raven herself had had mixed feelings about returning to the Titan Tower after the fight. There was a powerful urge to both run toward her room and run away from it— a strange mixture of nervousness and excitement, which seemed foreign to the isolated empath, yet at the same time stirred familiarly in the crevices of her mind.
She entered quietly, cautiously, as if feeling the need to stake out her bedroom before revealing her presence.
As the dark bird stepped further into the dim chamber, the soft, steady rhythm of breathing told her that there was nothing to be anxious about. Red-X, unmasked,— looking for anything like a normal person, a person who held a regular job, interacted with normal people, lived in an average home— was burrowed beneath her sheets, arms wrapped around a pillow that was pressed against his chest. An almost innocent look upon rested upon his normally scheming, cocky face, deep black hair tumbling across his brow and the strong line of his jaw revealed by a sliver of light from the window.
Raven looked down at him, at his peacefully sleeping form. She gave into temptation and reached out, brushing her fingertips down the side of his profile, remembering what he said earlier. She concentrated on his face, on how he lightly stirred beneath her touch, trying to convince herself that this was real, that Jason was real.
She stayed like that for another moment before tearing herself away, bringing her mind into the present. The sorceress recalled the idea she had conceived many nights ago, the one involving small gifts for both Starfire and Robin to help ease their aching hearts.
Recognizing that this was as good a time as any to go get them, Raven left her sleeping patient undisturbed and exited the room to purchase the presents.
xxxx
"Starfire? It's Raven," the empath called out tentatively, a bright butterfly ornament clasped in her left hand.
"Come in, friend Raven," the Tamaranean replied from within her room.
The door slid back and the dark titan was suddenly barraged by a colorful spectrum of fluffy stuffed animals and ribbon-trimmed decorations. The very distinct scent of a flowery perfume wafted through the air.
The alien girl was lying across her rumpled pink bedspread, hair splayed out around her head like a flaming halo and her legs dangling off the edge of the mattress. Silkie lay on her chest, and Starfire was carefully grooming the beloved pet. She sat up when Raven entered the room, and her larvae moth tumbled onto the bed with a squeak.
"Have you come to join me in the relaxing exercise of brushing the skin of my little bumgorf?" she inquired, eyes lighting up.
Raven took a step back, as if to ward off the larva moth.
"Er… no— sorry, Star. I actually came to give you this."
She sat down beside her friend, opening her hand to show the glittering butterfly clip. Starfire let out a small gasp, her hands clapping together.
"This is for me?" she exclaimed delightedly. "This is most beautiful, Raven!"
The Tamaranean scooped up the hair ornament and flew over to her mirror, fixing it in her hair at a pretty angle. She turned around, positively beaming at the dark titan.
"Thank you so much. I cannot express what this means to me." The strong girl enveloped her smaller friend in a bone crushing hug, squeezing so tight that Raven finally gasped out,
"Star— can't breathe—!"
Starfire released her and Raven rubbed her sore arms. She smiled at the Tamaranean.
"I'm glad you like it, Star. I just wanted you to know... that I care about you, and I miss you not being as happy as you usually are."
Starfire's smile faltered, like a bright bulb that suddenly dims to a pale orange glow. She bowed her head, her eyes downcast at the fuzzy carpet.
"To tell you the truth… I have not been feeling so well," she said sadly.
Raven watched her, feeling her pain yet unsure how to properly comfort her. The sorrow swirling in the room was tangible. The empath opened her mouth, hesitated, then plowed on ahead.
"Star… no matter what, you have to know that Robin will always care about you, and love you. You're one of his best friends. You mean so much to him, to all of us… we hate to see you like this." Raven paused, looking closely at her friend's face.
"And there are so many other guys out there Star, just dying to have a chance with you. Think of Speedy, Aqualad… you could have any one you wanted. Robin is just the first of many."
Starfire turned her face up toward the sorceress, her brilliant green eyes glistening.
"Thank you friend, truly," she said, a watery smile spreading slowly. "You have alleviated much of my distress. I am glad to have a companion such as you."
Raven gave her a genuine smile in return, happy that the Tamaranean might now be able to move on and return to her lively self once more.
"Now that I know you are such a wonderful comfort, I shall be sure to seek you out immediately whenever a problem arises that I would like to discuss with—"
"Er..."
xxxx
Exhausted from the physically and mentally draining day, the sorceress stumbled to her room, barely managing to unclasp her hood and cape before collapsing onto her bed. Her eyelids fluttered closed and she was quickly adrift on the tugging currents of sleep.
xxxx
Sunlight streamed in through the large paned window, casting gleaming yellow rays through the normally shadowed room. Warm, steady gusts of air tickled Raven's cheek.
"Go away Beast Boy," she murmured groggily, trying to ward off the shapeshifter whom she thought was invading her space this early in the morning.
A low chuckle reverberated alarming close to her ear, and the titan's eyes flew open.
Red-X lay a foot away, his arms tucked lazily behind his head. His gaze was fixed intently on her, studying every detail of her form.
Raven felt herself heating up, and she reached behind her head to pull up her hood. Much to her dismay, she realized that it was still strewn across a chair from last night.
"Do you always do that?" she muttered embarrassedly, trying to divert his attention.
He cocked his head and raised an eyebrow. "Only when you're not watching," he reassured her devilishly. "I must say, it was quite a treat to wake up to an extra warm body this morning."
Now Raven could not even attempt to hide the deep flush oF her face. "I didn't mean to," she muttered quickly, trying to avert her gaze from his own. "I was too tired last night to remember that someone already occupied my bed."
He gave her a provocative smile. "Well maybe you should make more of a habit of it," he suggested.
She pushed herself up, wrinkling her nose. "You reek," she commented to him frankly.
The thief shrugged. "That tends to happen when one lies paralyzed in a bed for many days."
Raven scoffed. "You're not paralyzed, just dramatic."
He grinned. "I take terrible offense at that statement, you know."
"Good," she answered back, rolling her eyes.
The sorceress pulled herself out of bed, brushing her hair back from her eyes.
"I can get started on your leg this morning," she told him, walking around and sitting on his side.
He watched as she laid her hands on his broken leg, and closed his eyes when the warm power began to trickle into his bones.
x
After the mending spell had been completed, Raven wiped a bead of sweat away from her brow and examined his now mostly-healed body. She seemed satisfied.
"All you need is some rest, and then you'll be well enough to return to your… lifestyle," she said, a faintly mocking smile quirking her lips.
"May I use your shower?" The criminal sniffed his arm. "I think you were right about me smelling stale," he added.
"Um— sure," Raven replied hesitantly. "You're probably going to need to borrow something to wear."
She gestured at his suit, which indeed was torn in many places and still crusted with blood.
He flashed a cheeky smile. "I think Boy Blunder is about my size."
xxxx
Raven felt slightly bad for breaking into Robin's room and nicking a pair of boxers, jeans, and a dark t-shirt. However, she reasoned that there was no good explanation—outside of the truth— that she could give him if she were to outright ask his permission. So she settled on borrowing the clothing now and asking for forgiveness later.
She hurried back toward her room, the bundle tucked under her arm, until she smacked into something solid. Raven stumbled backwards, the floor titling up like the deck of a ship, and as she reached to rub her throbbing forehead the clothes tumbled to the floor in a heap.
Cyborg stood above her, a look of suspicion on his face.
"What's up, Rae?" he asked casually, folding his thickly muscled arms across his chest as he eyed the men's clothes on the ground.
The sorceress's eyes widened in panic. "I— I, er, those… Robin wanted me to wash them for him," she finished lamely, unable to meet Cyborg's hard stare.
"Robin wanted you to wash three articles of clothing, huh? And since when did you start doing Robin's laundry?"
"Uh, well, I lost a bet—"
"Listen, Raven," he cut her off. "Your business is your business, and I respect your privacy. But I'm getting a strong feeling that something's up that you're not telling us," he eyed her in a no-nonsense way. "And let's just say that if it's something big, you best be sure I'm not the last to find out. Because I'm the closest ally you've got here."
Raven's heart pounded. Her secret was at the tip of her tongue, just a breath away from being spilt out to Cyborg, if for no other reason than the need to confide in someone about it. But she sucked in her breath, unable to face the reaction she knew she would receive if she were to tell him here, now.
"I—I know Cyborg. You're right. I just… it's hard to share, right now." Raven looked up at him. "I trust you the most. But I don't think I'm ready, yet."
Cyborg nodded, the hard look softening a little, but still sharp. "I think I already have half an idea of what's going on," he said.
Raven paled, but said nothing, hastily bending down to pick up the clothing.
xxxx
Her room was thick with humid steam by the time she returned. Raven knocked on the bathroom door, intending to slip the clothes inside to him.
The door swung open at her touch though, and she jumped when a tall figure emerged from the cloud of steam, a white towel wrapped around his waist. His hair was plastered and dripping, and little rivulets of water ran down his tan chest. Raven followed their intricate path from his neck down to his toned abdomen, until they were absorbed at the top of the towel.
"Like what you see?" came an amused voice. Raven snapped back to attention, forcing her eyes up at the handsome face.
"I brought you some clothes," she stammered, trying to not let her gaze wander back down again.
"Perhaps you'd prefer if I just stayed in my towel," he offered with a smirk.
The titan shoved the clothes toward him, eager to exit the heated bathroom before she made a fool of herself.
As she backed out, she could swear he was laughing quietly to himself as he pulled the t-shirt over his head. She caught a last glimpse of well-defined arms, rippling with strength, before the door shut behind her.
Raven stood rooted to the spot for a moment, then took a breath to steady herself.
Get a grip, she told herself exasperatedly.
She sat down in the alcove by her window, saying her calming mantra over in her head while she waited for him to get dressed. She became so focused on the flowing words that she did not hear the padding footsteps behind her. A lean body dropped down across from her, and Jason swiped his wet hair out of his eyes. His right leg was bent up on the seat, his forearm resting on top of his knee and his back settled comfortably against the wall.
"I imagine I smell a bit better now," he joked, making a ridiculous face.
"You do," Raven conceded, unconscious that she was smiling back at him.
The rogue shifted closer to her. Raven could smell the faint scent of her shampoo in his hair.
Jason reached out and took her hand, entwining his warm fingers with hers. A feeling of pleasure spread throughout Raven, which she unsuccessfully tried to ignore.
"Thank you for everything you've done for me, this past week," he said, genuine appreciativeness clear in his voice. "I probably wouldn't be alive, if not for you."
He lifted their interlocked hands and brushed his lips across the tops of her fingers.
Raven sat there quietly, enjoying the moment of having such gentle contact with someone. She hoped that these few seconds would stretch on until the earth's end, yet at the same time part of her felt guilty, as if she were holding hands with the devil.
Finally, she spoke.
"Red— Jason," she corrected herself.
"Yeah?"
"Don't think this changes anything."
He caught her stare. "Hmm?"
Raven cleared her jumbled mind, still holding on to his hand with hers.
"I've still got a job to do, so don't think I'll go easy on you or just let you get away," she clarified.
Jason grinned wide, a charming look on him which he knew well.
"I wouldn't expect any different from you, Sunshine. I've still got a job to do too. Things don't just steal themselves, you know," he said mischievously.
Raven rolled her eyes. "If only they did," she said under her breath.
xxxx
That morning and afternoon passed in pleasant tranquility for them. No alarm went off to call Raven away to battle, and so she had set up Jason with a book he was interested in. Together the two of them spent the day in her room reading, a sense of peace settling in the air. Once or twice each hour the thief would look slyly over his book and watch the graceful titan read, observing as she mouthed the words silently to herself, enjoying the moments when she smiled at something amusing. He wanted to brush her silky hair back from her face and ask what she loved about that novel.
As evening set in, red-orange streaking the dusky sky, Raven set her book down and stretched her slender limbs above her head. She glanced across at Jason, who was engrossed in a tome about priceless artifacts from the Arthurian era.
"I'm going up to the roof to meditate," she told him as she pulled on her navy blue cloak and hood.
Jason nodded wordlessly, too wrapped up in his book to speak, and Raven smiled as she recognized her own habit before her.
She headed to the roof and reveled in the fresh gusts of air that ruffled her hair and the beautiful, expansive sunset that greeted her openly. The sorceress sighed contentedly as she sat down, folding her legs into lotus position.
x
When Raven opened her eyes, her meditation complete, she felt relaxed— content, even. The sky had faded to black and stars were sprinkled above her, twinkling in a way that Starfire would describe as "glorious".
She sensed his presence at the same moment he spoke.
"I thought I'd find you here," came the serious yet gentle voice of her leader.
Robin moved closer and sat down beside her, the edge of his knee touching hers.
Raven looked at him, curious as to what he wanted. He seemed to sense her unspoken question.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" he asked, lounging back against the concrete roof, face titled up.
Raven nodded, she too drinking in the sea of constellations. What would it be like, to reach out and touch them?
They lapsed into quiet, both admiring the nightscape before them.
In the distance, the water between their island and the mainland brought the faint sounds of music from clubs and laughter from the wharf.
"You've been blocking out our connection more and more, Raven," Robin said suddenly, softly.
Raven turned her head toward him, slightly taken aback. She quickly began to wrack her mind, trying to come up with the right words to smooth over any hurt feelings.
"It's not personal, Robin," she answered carefully. "It's hard for me to deal with your strong emotions that emerged after your breakup."
Robin looked up at the sky, thinking. Finally he shifted his gaze back to her, his eyes boring into hers even through the mask.
"I feel like sometimes you're slipping away from me," he said, a hint of sadness in his voice.
He rested an ungloved hand on Raven's bare leg. She looked at him with surprise, her heart catching a little at the physical contact.
"I don't want to lose you Raven. You mean a lot to me. I would be a different person without you in my life," Robin trailed off with sincerity.
Raven tried to speak, then cleared her throat. Her palms felt sweaty.
"I got you a book, " she said haltingly, desperately wishing he would remove his hand and stop the unwelcome sensations.
Robin raised his eyebrows, astonished.
"You did?"
Raven swallowed and nodded.
"I got presents for both you and Starfire. Sort of as a cheer-you-up," she explained.
An interested smile spread across the masked titan's face.
"You never cease to surprise me," he told her.
Raven pushed herself up off the ground, relief washing over her as Robin's burning hand fell from her thigh.
"It's in my room. I'll go get it," she said, eager to escape to calm atmosphere of her bedroom.
She jogged down the stairs and back to her door, which slid open at her touch. The empath stepped inside, casting her eyes about for the book on martial arts she had bought for her leader. It was then that she noticed a slight chill in the room, and the absence of Jason's reclining form on her bed.
She walked in further and saw the window curtains fluttering, the hinged glass panes hanging wide open. Raven leaned out over the sill, looking down out toward the island's shore as if she expected to see a dark figure making its way across the moonlit beach.
There was no one she could see though, so she straightened up and shut the window firmly. As she turned around, a peculiar shape caught her eye. Something small and black sat on her nightstand, and she walked closer toward it. She could now see the delicate folds that made up an intricate origami bird;
a raven.
X
X
X sure can be one sweet & spicy man! ;) I gave you guys an extra-long chapter this time to make up for the long delay between updates. Please share your thoughts, hates, and loves, and I hope you all enjoy the long weekend!