The next day came and brought with it a level of calmness that had helped relieve the unspoken tension and apprehension of recent events.
Almost everyone had gotten the 'smother Robin until he tries to bite their hand off' reaction out of them after the first day. After that, things quieted down; Robin had spent time with Cyborg and Beast Boy, showing them around the Manor and finally answering questions about who Dick Grayson was before he became a crime fighting vigilante and eventual leader of a team of superheroes. It had felt strange stepping into the shoes of his past self, like Dick was a stranger instead of Robin; a feeling that had crept up when he and Raven had first arrived and he'd de-masked to take her out into town.
Honestly, it was a little disconcerting to think of himself as a stranger, but someone was there to help ground him in spite of his feelings about being normal.
Raven spent as much time as she could with him after he'd recovered. There was usually a small smile on her face too, but no one dared call her out on it. It was a rare treat to see her smile regardless, and her other two male friends knew enough about the situation to put the pieces together and let them enjoy their time together.
It was later that afternoon before dinner, when Cyborg and Beast Boy were sitting in the living room, that they saw Raven poke her head around the corner. She blinked when they made eye contact, and then her head disappeared back around the corner. There was the sound of whispers, Raven poking her head back around the corner and disappearing again, which caused Cyborg and Beast Boy to look at each other in confusion, then Raven walked into the room with Robin beside her. "Good afternoon."
"Howdy, witch girl." Cyborg gave a casual wave. Beast Boy tilted his head upwards at the two of them.
Raven looked back at Robin, who stepped forward and cleared his throat. "I've got an important announcement to make." His face went red despite his matter-of-fact tone, and if Cyborg's face hadn't been half metal he might've been grinning ear to ear (like Beast Boy was). "Raven and I have started dating."
She stepped forward and linked their hands together, and Beast Boy started clapping while Cyborg let out a, "Whoop!"
Robin's face felt less flushed as he sighed and tightened his grip on Raven's hand. "I know she told you about her feelings for me a while ago. It wasn't until recently that I realized how I felt about her, so we're... You know, together now. We just wanted to tell you and make it official." He turned to smile at his girlfriend, and she nodded at him.
Cyborg got up from the couch and pulled Raven into a hug, and she let go of Robin's hand to return it. "It's about time. I'm happy for you, Raven. Really."
"Thanks, Cy."
Beast Boy walked forward with open arms, and though Raven recoiled initially, she sighed and lifted her arms. Thankfully, Beast Boy didn't try to glomp her or otherwise make her uncomfortable. "Glad it all worked out." He whispered under his breath, just low enough for her to hear.
The two parted after a short moment, but the moment was just long enough for them to miss how Cyborg had lifted Robin up by his shirt with both hands.
"Uh, Cy?" He asked nervously.
"If you ever hurt her again, I will kill you."
Raven and Beast Boy watched with wide eyes, too shocked to say anything.
The Boy Wonder sighed, his lips pulled into a slight frown. A part of him wanted to argue, a part of him wanted to twist out of Cyborg's grip, but he figured someone at some point would try to warn him, and it was better Cyborg than Trigon. "I won't. I promise." Robin glanced at Raven quickly before looking back at Cyborg.
He sighed, shaking his head. "You already did once. Maybe things were tense here, but from now on: Things will be much more easygoing, you understand?"
Raven stepped forward and started pulling Cyborg's arms down as she rolled her eyes. "Enough. What do you think you're doing?" She scolded.
Cyborg chuckled and let Robin go. "I was just messing with him. Giving him the good old 'big brother' warning, you know?" He clapped Robin on the shoulder, who forced a smile. "Not that you need to be afraid of me. She'll be the one who kills you if you mess up again."
"I don't think we have to worry about that." Raven muttered as she smoothed out Robin's shirt, then stepped to stand beside him and wrap one around him in a light hug. "We had a nice talk last night, and got everything sorted out. But next time-" She cocked her head to the side as she looked up at Robin, "Don't go knocking on death's door just to figure things out."
Beast Boy cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his head. "Uh, she's not the only girl who might be tempted to kill him in the near future, you know?"
Robin sighed. "I know. We're going to tell Starfire, just... not right now. We need to take care of Slade and Joker first."
Cyborg nodded slowly. "Sure, but... Probably shouldn't put it off for too long. I mean, we've all seen how clingy she's been the past few days."
"And jealous." Raven muttered, which made Robin snort.
"She can be as jealous as she wants."
"What are you going to tell her?" Cyborg asked, one brow tilted down curiously.
Robin didn't hesitate as he looked up at his friend. "The truth. The same thing I told Raven. She's my friend and she's an important person to me, but I don't have any feelings for her past friendship. Maybe at first I was curious, but I've lived with her long enough to know the difference between friendship, love, and lust. All I feel for her is friendship."
Raven took his hand again, and the two shared a look that made Cyborg smile and nod in satisfaction.
"Well, we won't say anything until y'all do. But the sooner we get things sorted here, the sooner we can get things sorted back home. Hopefully Star won't hold anything against the two of you, but..." He trailed off and shrugged.
"Speaking of sorting things out here-" Beast Boy's voice had a serious edge to it that made everyone look at him, and they were surprised to see the look his on face matched, "When are we going to go after him? If you're feeling better now, we should put a stop to him as soon as we can."
None of the other four present had forgotten that out of all of them, Beast Boy had lost the most because of Slade, and would be the most eager to pay him back if he could have.
"Bruce said we're going to start tonight. If we're lucky, we can be back in Jump City in a few days. Maybe by the end of next week, at the latest." Robin answered.
Dinner came and went quietly. The only thing of note to happen was how Starfire frowned at Raven, something not lost on any of the other Titans, but other than that dinner was consumed quickly and everyone headed down into the cave to begin prepping for battle.
They gathered around the main computer console and Bruce began by asking, "All right, tell me about this Slade man - I've done what research I could, but what can you tell me about him that I don't know already?"
"He's gotten a lot stronger than when we last fought him when he was alive." Robin answered. He rubbed his chest where Slade's sword had pierced him. The scar and the pain were long gone, but he could still remember how it felt. "But I wouldn't say he's anywhere near as strong as when he had Trigon's powers."
"And he doesn't have those powers anymore, nor powers of any kind - I'd have sensed them." Raven supplemented.
"Then that means we can beat him. We beat him once after he kidnapped you Robin, and Terra killed him outright. If he's back to being a man, then he's back to being beatable." Cyborg said.
"Yeah, he was never any match for all five of us!" Beast Boy pumped his first into the air.
"But this time it's three against five - and you've never fought the Joker or Harley Quinn." Bruce reminded them. "And it's never a straight foward fist fight with those two. The Joker has nearly as many gadgets as I do, and despite his thin frame he's nearly as strong, too. Harley is a total wild card, striking when you least expect and hitting way above her weight class. We need to be careful."
"The next time we come up against them, we'll split into two teams. Me, Raven and Cy will worry about Slade. I doubt he could do much against Raven's powers and Cyborg's tech, and I've got a score to settle with him. Star, Beast Boy, you'll be backing up Batman. It's true you've never fought Joker and Harley before, but the inverse is true as well; I doubt they'll be able to handle you shapeshifting around them to help Bruce while Star uses her bolts to provide ranged cover. With any luck, we can bring all three of them down in one go." Robin said.
Bruce nodded beside him. "After that, you'll be able to return to your city."
"Uh, sir? Is there any word on where they are exactly?" Beast Boy asked.
"Unfortunately, no. I've tapped into the surveillance equipment around the city, but until something pings them, we're going to have to scout out ourselves. And this a recon mission; no one is to engage them until we've all arrived. Comms are to be kept open at all times; do I make myself clear?" Bruce's frown as he looked between them all caused them all to nod. Except Robin who rolled his eyes behind his mask.
"As authoritative as ever. No 'thank you' for coming to your rescue or anything like that." Robin crossed his arms over his chest. "And another thing; you three try to keep a low profile. As far as Gotham is concerned, you're all in Jump City. We're all here to help stop Slade - if the criminal underworld thinks we've moved here, it might escalate things unnecessarily. And we don't want to let all hell break loose in Jump because the criminals there find out were not in town anymore."
"If there are no further questions... I'll take the city center. Raven, the docks. Starfire, take the southern tech district. Cyborg the eastern factories. Beast Boy, the north. Robin, stay moving on the highways on your bike. You're in charge of comms; keep an eye on everybody. Let's go."
The rest of the Titans nodded and began moving out, but Robin frowned as Bruce was about to put his cowl on. "Why are you sticking me on comms? I can handle myself."
Bruce stopped before putting his headpiece on, lowering it slowly. "It's not like that." He said. "I know you can handle yourself, but... You're their leader, you need to know where everyone is at all times. No one else needs to get kidnapped while they're here. And Slade has it out for you more than any of your other team members; it'll be harder for him to target you if you're always on the move."
Robin relaxed subtly, acknowledging the truth in his words. "Alright. Here, before I forget." Robin pulled a communicator out of his belt. "All honorary Titans have one. It's helped us in the past; you can call anyone on the network with it, and it has a geolocator, so we know where to look for one another."
"So I'm a Teen Titan now?" Bruce asked with a smirk as he took the communicator.
"Well, you were the one who got kidnapped instead of any of us..."
The two held even gazes before laughing out loud.
"Alright, let's go. The night's getting any younger." Bruce put his cowl on, and the two rode out of the Batcave with their respective vehicles.
Robin kept his eye on the location tracker as he drove through the city. As everyone had scattered throughout their assigned locations, he reminded them to check in often and to notify him if they stopped moving for too long; more than once in the past a communicator left behind had been the only clue leading to someone's whereabouts.
About an hour had passed when his communicator began buzzing, and he saw Raven was trying to contact him privately. He pulled off to the side of the road, pulling his helmet off as he accepted the call. "What's going on?"
"Nothing much here. I'm not seeing any suspicious movement."
He nodded slowly. "We might not have anything tonight. Unless they go for something big and drastic, it'll probably be quiet for a little while."
"Yeah. I don't know how Batman goes around the city by himself; we struggle in Jump with the five of us." She sighed as the wind whipped at her hood and cloak, and she pulled it closer to maintain her warmth.
"Well, I hate to break it to you, but usually Batman shows up after the party starts. Joker and the rest love to play a cat and mouse game, only to bite back when they're in a corner." Robin leaned forward and rested on his bike with one elbow.
Raven was silent for a moment, brow gently furrowed before her lips formed a thin, flat line. "Speaking of cat and mouse... How are you feeling?"
He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly as he gathered his thoughts. It was a few moments before he responded. "I don't know." He admitted. "I guess it still hasn't sunk in; I think deep down, a part of me thought he was gone for good. I never imagined he'd kidnap Batman in an attempt to draw me out and kill me. Whether dead again or he'd started up again somewhere far away, I'd moved on and didn't think I'd see him ever again." He smiled sadly for a half second. "Guess I just can't stop getting blasts from the past." He leaned back sit upright on the bike with a shake of his head.
"Are you ready to face him again?"
"Yes." Robin nodded resolutely, his voice strong. "One way or another, we're gonna stop him. He's done too much harm to all of us and to others for us to let him get away again."
Raven nodded slowly. "If he thinks he's gonna get away with prison after what he did to Terra and you..." For a moment, her eyes turned red, and Robin's brow raised in alarm, but he wasn't able to say anything before she calmed down and said, "He'll be eating from a feeding tube from the rest of his life."
"Raven-" He was about to try and calm her down when he noticed something. One of the Titans was moving closer on the geolocator. "What the...?" He lifted his head, his expression falling as he saw who it was. "I'll call you back. Starfire's flying over."
She frowned, but nodded, and the call disconnected.
"Hello, friend!"
Starfire landed on his bike with a thump, hugging him from behind. He wheezed as her super strong grip pushed the air out of him. She loosened her grip, but kept hold of him as her hands fell to stay around his waist. "How are you feeling?"
"I was feeling better a second ago..."
"Oh no!" She gasped, looking up and down him frantically, one hand patting his chest and other rubbing at his back in an attempt to search for a trace of blood. "Did I reopen your wounds? I did not mean to! I apologize, I will do what I can but-"
"It's fine, Star! I don't even have so much as a scar after Raven and Alfred helped me recover, so - let go!"
During his protests, he'd tried to wiggle out of Starfire's grasp, but she'd started floating in an attempt to inspect him. When he mentioned Raven's name however, she'd stopped and adopted an uncharacteristically serious expression. She scoffed, touching down to the ground and looking away to the cars passing them by. "There is a friend you can count on." She muttered.
He let his hands rest on his legs. "What? What do you mean?"
Starfire crossed her arms over her chest and closed her eyes. "You counted on her. You trusted her. And yet she abandoned you." She gripped her arms tightly as her voice got quieter. "We were always stronger together, and yet alone you almost died." She looked at him pensively. "A few more minutes and you would have. How are we supposed to trust her when we know that she will abandon her friends in their time of need?"
"It wasn't like that." He cut in defensively. "I was the one who told her to leave."
"What do you mean?" Starfire tilted her head in confusion. "I simply mean, she did say that you told her to go, but she never should have. And none of us could help you to respect your privacy; she was the only one who could. Why did you two argue? Why did you tell her to leave?"
His eyes widened as he realized now was not the time to have this conversation. In an attempt to deflect he quickly said, "Because I was being stupid. Why did you come my way, Star? We're supposed to be tracking Slade and Joker."
Starfire shook her head in defiance of his tactic, seeing right through it. "You are many things, Robin, but stupid is not one of them. Perhaps you make a foolish decision from time to time, but only a mind as smart as yours could lead us and save us as you have done time and time again. Now that I know Raven kept your secrets for you when she did not earn them, I refuse to believe she has no blame in this."
Robin grit his teeth in anger. "Did you forget that she only learned those secrets trying to save my life?" He asked pointedly. Star's eyes widened a little in surprise. "And I asked her to keep them, in case she kept that detail out, because I trusted her then and I still trust her now."
"Do you not trust us?" Starfire frowned at him.
"That's not what I meant. I have to keep secrets to keep innocent people safe. She stumbled upon them by accident when she was forced to make a choice between saving me and letting me die. And you haven't earned my secrets either, or the rest of the team. I'm grateful Raven returned with backup, but if I had a choice I wouldn't have brought anyone. That was my plan originally. It was Raven who changed my mind; if she hadn't I would likely be dead and no one would be to blame but me."
Starfire's arms fell to her side, her expression crestfallen and distraught. "Is that all we are? Is that all I am to you? Backup who has not earned your trust?"
"No, that's not-"
"I understand. Forgive me Robin, but I must return to my patrol."
She left before he could say anything else, and after watching her disappear into the night sky, he growled, put his helmet on, and drove away, as though he could leave the problem behind him. Deep down, he knew he'd have to face it eventually, and he was not looking forward to that conversation.
It was a long night, with little communication between the heroes save for status updates, but everyone returned to the batcave a few hours before dawn.
Alfred approached the group as they all came together. "No luck on your end?"
Bruce's frown was accentuated by his mask. "Nothing." He turned to the others as he pulled his cowl off. "We'll pick up our search tonight. Until then, no one goes anywhere alone, and Robin or Alfred needs to know if you're leaving. I suggest you stay here and get some rest; at some point we'll catch up to them and we'll need our strength."
"Would it only be possible for you to take your own advice, sir..." Alfred mused.
"I can't help it if I have a multi-billion dollar company to run." Was Bruce's only response as he stepped into the elevator and left the Titans behind with Alfred.
"He's so coooool..." Beast Boy had stars in his eyes as he watched him disappear out of sight.
"I don't know how he does it. The guy's a hundred percent human, yet he's a CEO and a vigilante with barely in rest between them. I have to get in my recharging bay every few days, even if I'm not doing anything." Cyborg complained lightly.
Alfred shook his head. "He is more driven than most others who are a hundred percent human, Master Cyborg. There's no need to feel shame in being compared to him."
There was a few moments of silence before Starfire mumbled, "I am going to my room." And headed to the elevator.
"Wait up, I'll come with."
Cyborg and Beast Boy got in the elevator with her, looking between each other as they took in Starfire's uncharacteristic quiet, distant look.
Eventually, the shapeshifter cleared his throat. "Uh, everything okay Star?" She shook her head, and Beast Boy raised a brow. "Do you want to talk about it?" He asked slowly.
"He said we are backup and does not trust us."
They stepped out of the elevator and Cyborg frowned. "Talking about Robin? What do you mean?"
Starfire huffed as she turned back to her friends. "He said it was not Raven's fault she left and tried to shift the blame to himself. Perhaps he made a bad decision, but he couldn't have made sent Raven away just because he was not thinking clearly. But she had his confidence, and yet he defends her and tries to keep us at arms length." A moment passed, and when her two friends shared a look, she asked, "What?"
Beast Boy shifted awkwardly; Cyborg looked equally uncomfortable. "Look Star... He made a bad decision, and then he paid for it. The price was almost too high, but he is our leader, and it's his choice who wants to be with." He felt extremely guilty trying to hide the truth of his words in plain sight, but he'd guessed that she and Robin had had a talk when he wasn't around. "But it's over now; we're all on the same page - Robin's safe and sound, he's come clean with us about his past, and he's made up with Raven. We need to let it go."
Try as he might, he couldn't maintain eye contact with her. When she saw Beast Boy looking away entirely, she narrowed her gaze slightly. "There is... something you are not telling me." She said slowly. When they both looked away, then at her sadly, she frowned and straightened up. "What? What is it?"
"Robin will tell you." Cyborg answered. "When he's ready. But now's not the time Starfire, really. Let's stop Slade, and then we can all sit down and talk."
"Talk? Talk about what?" Starfire couldn't say anything else as the other two walked away, and after a few moments she returned to her room and locked the door; sleep eluded her as she tried to figure out what could have possibly happened between Robin and Raven while they were alone.
Down in the cave, Robin sighed as he watched the other three leave. Once the elevator had ascended, he pulled his mask off and rubbed his eyes.
It didn't escape Alfred's notice how Raven was watching him. Part of him wondered if Robin had truly kept Dick Grayson hidden behind a mask for so long, and another part of him answered that question by reminding him how many times Bruce had neglected his own needs in his never ending quest for vengeance. "You two should heed Master Wayne's advice and get some rest. There is some food leftover if you wish to eat before you retire for the morning."
"Thanks, Alfred."
The butler could practically hear a heavy weight on Robin's shoulders, and he saw from the corner of his eye how Raven gave him a concerned glance. An idea came to him, and he smirked. "And might I say... It is nice to see you two have made up and are getting along again."
Robin turned toward him quickly, and Raven rolled her eyes - but she couldn't stop a smile from forming either. "I - Yeah." He rubbed the back of his head. "Oh, while I have the chance... Thanks for reminding me about what really matters after I screwed up." He mumbled. "I definitely had that one coming."
Sensing that his mood had lightened, Alfred smiled and turned towards the computers. "Just so long as you don't make a mistake like that again."
"I won't."
As they got out of the elevator, Robin turned to the living room.
"Not going to bed?" Raven asked as he began to part ways from her.
"Nah." He shook his head and stretched his arms over his head. "I've been in bed too long these past few days. I'm not tired."
Raven looked back to the stairs; her fingers twitched as an idea came to her. The Titans Tower wasn't as spacious as Wayne Manor. It had enough space for five people, but it was also hard to be alone unless one retreated to their room. And once they returned, there would be precious little opportunity for her and Robin to spend time together as a couple; going into town was certainly an option, but it was also costly and given their near celebrity status within the city, it also meant they'd have a hard time being together outside the Tower as well. Things were bound to be a little hectic once they got back and news spread, and all she wanted to do was spend a nice quiet evening with Robin.
"I'll join you."
Thankfully, he accepted her proposal by lifting his hand, and she intertwined their fingers as they walked to the living room and sat on the couch, Raven leaning against him and resting her head against his chest. Turning on the television with the remote, they were greeting with the early morning news.
"Hope you're having a good early morning, Gotham! We're looking at a high of sixty-seven degrees and a low of forty-six. The sun won't be up for another hour, so now's the time to cook breakfast and get on the train to work. Don't worry; your chances of getting mugged have dropped like a rock, thanks to the return of the Batman! That's right, ever since his return a couple of days ago, crime has dropped like a rock. No one's sure yet whether he was just on vacation and asked the Titans to cover for him, or if he was truly in trouble, but I'll tell ya one thing: I'm sure glad he's back! Now if only the police would do their job instead of letting kids and a lunatic do it for them! Turning now to-"
Raven rolled her eyes as she let go of Robin's hand wrapped her arms around him. "What an odd way to say 'thank you'. And here I thought saving the city was supposed to be a good thing."
"Well, we haven't saved the city yet. Until Slade and Joker and all the rest are behind bars, we can't cash in on the free food." He lifted one hand to play with her hair idly.
Her eyes closed as his hand continued to move back and forth in a pleasant motion. "We'll get them." She said quietly.
It stayed that way for a moment, the infomercials going ignored on the television, until Robin cleared his throat and said, "Actually, there is something I'd like to thank you for."
When she lifted her head to looked up at him, he continued.
"Thanks for stopping me when we confronted Zucco." He said, causing her eyes to widen. "And I'm sorry I got angry at you afterwards. I shouldn't have lost control of myself like that. I know you were only looking out for me." He mustered up a smile, but he still felt guilty over turning his back on Raven.
"Richard-" He tensed when she used his real name, still unused to it. "You're welcome." She said with a short sigh. "And, I'm sorry for confessing how I felt about you that day." She raised a hand to cut off his protest. "It was the wrong time and place. Cyborg even told me not to try something like that, and I did it anyways like an idiot. I should have waited until we were back home, at least, and not when you were angry with him and anxious about returning."
He opened his mouth, but was silent as he was unsure what to say. He nodded after a couple of moments deliberation. "Yeah. Yeah, and if we're going to keep apologizing, there'll be no end to it. You're forgiven." She smiled at him, and he leaned in for a quick kiss. "But, I'm glad you did decide to say something. If you hadn't, if we'd just saved Bruce and gone back to Jump, I'm not sure I would've realized that I was missing out on something important."
Raven's eyes shone with adoration, and she smiled as she gently pushed him onto his back, settling in between his legs as the parted on either side of her. She was propped up on her elbows looking at him, and he let his hands gently run over the curve of her shoulder and neck. "I'm glad to hear it." Her expression shifted uneasily. "And I'm glad I did too; I was afraid I'd never be able to tell you."
He tilted his head curiously. "Why's that?"
Her expression fell further, and she let her head rest against his chest once more. Her voice was barely above a whisper when she spoke again. "Well for one, my emotions need to be controlled so my powers don't tear the walls down. How was I supposed to tell you I loved you when I can't let those emotions out in the first place? And second..." She trailed off, but when she could feel Robin's gaze on her she continued. "You were always with Starfire." She said. "No point in keeping secrets anymore." She thought to herself. "And I never thought I'd have a chance. I didn't want to ruin our friendship."
"Did you think I'd hate you?" His voice was quiet. "That I'd want nothing to do with you? You're my best friend; even if I turned you down, I'd beg to keep things the same between us."
For a few moments, the worst case scenarios played out in her mind. Scenes of awkward conversations, pitying gazes, and excuses to leave the room that would create a rift between them that may never heal.
"You and I are best friends, but even being an empath I never sensed anything... romantic coming from you." She admitted. "So I felt like even if you didn't care for Starfire that way, you'd have turned me down regardless. But she always there for you, in ways I never could be..." She stopped suddenly, shaking her head and looking back up at him. "Well, it doesn't matter now. I was worried over nothing, it seems."
He smiled. "Well, it took your confession and me nearly dying for me to figure out what I wanted." He reminded her. "So don't blame yourself. And what do you mean she's there for me in ways you can't be? I invited you here, remember?"
Raven snorted lightly. "Speaking of... Why did she come to you during the patrol earlier?"
He groaned. "To play babysitter and to try and blame you for what I did. It's not entirely fair to her; she doesn't know that I turned you down at first, but until we tell her she's going to keep thinking that you did something that made me mad and that's why I told you to leave."
There was a few moments of silence between them. "I hope she doesn't stay mad when she finds out." She admitted quietly. "She's still my friend, and it's nice having another girl in the Tower. Hopefully..." She trailed off, and let the sentence conclude itself. "When we get back, we'll tell her the first chance we get."
"Yeah. No point in being coy or trying to hide it, especially when Beast Boy and Cyborg already know. I don't want to play with her emotions anymore."
The lapsed into a comfortable silence after that for a little while.
Robin continued to gently run his hands along Raven's upper body, and she shifted to get into a more comfortable position.
After a little while of simple cuddling, she broke the silence with something Robin wasn't expecting.
"You have a hard time relaxing."
His hands stopped moving, and he frowned. "What?"
Raven lifted one hand to gesture up and down him. "You're tense."
He scoffed lightly. "Uh... no I'm not?" He tried to argue.
"Actually, something I noticed very early on is that you don't react well to positive physical affection." She raised a brow when he gave a quiet laugh. "What?"
"Raven, of all people, is lecturing me on being touched." He tried to shifted so they weren't touching, but she moved just as quickly, straddling his hips and making his eyes widen.
"I don't like to be touched because I'm an empath; it's another way to connect to peoples emotions, and I've already pointed out why expressing them is a bad idea. You don't like to be touched because for years you've trained your body to react to danger and nothing else. We are not the same."
Her hands began to move up and down his chest, and he could feel his heartbeat quicken. "Raven..."
She cut him off with a kiss; leaning into it for a few moments before pulling back. "I'm not going to hurt you." She whispered against his lips. "Relax. Just relax." She kissed him again, and her hands moved to his shoulders, giving him a gentle massage. She sat up and smiled down at him. "See what I mean? You're too tense."
He swallowed hard, keeping eyes closed as Raven rested her forehead against his. "That's not - I'm not..." He tried to articulate his words, but Raven's hands began exploring again, trailing against his chest and sides, tickling his ribs before sliding around to his back. He let out an unexpected groan as Raven shuffled backwards in his lap, moving one leg to slip between his and gently resting partly on top of him. He did everything he could to not think about the very beautiful girl who was running her hands all over him, and did absolutely everything he could to stop his blood from flowing in one direction.
Something that was made all the more difficult when Raven tilted her head and began to press light kisses against his jaw and neck before coming up to his ear and whispering again, "Relax..."
It was only then that he realized how tightly he was gripping the couch cushions, and he was flexing his legs clenching his jaw. He let out a short, quick exhale, and opened his eyes as he forced himself to calm down. "We're just lying down." He told himself. "Nothing's happening."
Slowly, over the course of several minutes, he loosened up; limb by limb, thought by thought, until he was finally laying down comfortably with Raven.
"Was that so hard?" She asked, breaking the silence and causing him to turn towards her so he was on his side.
"Yes."
She rolled her eyes, and pushed her hair back with one hand.
"But... thanks. I didn't know I needed that."
She smiled, a far brighter smile than he was expecting, and he blinked in confusion. "What?"
"Nothing, it's just... After everything you've done for me, I've always doubted what I could give you, even as a friend." She admitted another secret, something she hadn't planned on telling him, and yet felt so liberated as she did so. "So hearing you say that it's just... It's nice..."
She let her eyes close, and now that he was relaxed, he could feel just how tired he was after riding a motorcycle for the last several hours. He took a deep breath, and kissed the crown on of her head shortly before murmuring a simple, "Goodnight, Rae..." And falling asleep a few minutes later.
Author's Note:
Sorry for the delay between updates. I lost the documents that had the outlines, and even though I remembered everything (for the most part) it was still a huge blow. I also got really caught up in work and just pushed this story out of my mind for several months. We're in the last few chapters now, but updates will still probably be slow.
I'm trying to be fair to Starfire's character here, I really am, but it's so one sided in the 03 show that it physically hurts to try and justify Robin having any feelings for her. Happy twentieth anniversary btw!
Seriously, go watch the show right now and try to tell me that at the very least, Robin doesn't friendzone her on multiple occasions, including that episode in season four where they crash land on an alien planet and Robin straight up tells her "we're not boyfriend and girlfriend, we're just friends".
Anyways, mini rant over. Before the next chapter is out, I'm going to back and edit some of the previous chapters. I was re-reading them and noticed some mistakes and some scenes that could be written better, so be sure to check them out once I've posted the new chapter.
Thanks for everyone who has favourited, followed, and reviewed!