-hits self forcefully- Do NOT, I repeat, DO NOT write another pointless one-shot! People are clammering for the end of Broken, Shadow Creature hasn't been updated in months, A Series of Ridiculous Events needs your attention...DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME AND ENERGY WITH ANOTHER PIECE OF NONSENSE! DON'T YOU DARE...
Woops, I dared. This
isn't really related to the first chapter...but they are both
one-shots about an older Robin, so I thought I'd put them in the same
spot rather than have another story. Since they aren't related, I'm
not going to respond to reviews, so thank you to everyone who dropped
me a line! Your input is much appreciated.
BEEP...BEEP...BEEP...BEEP...
Maybe if he ignored it, it would just go away...
BEEBEEP-BEEBEEP-BEEBEEP-BEEBEEP!
Just ignore it, it will pass...
BEEBEEBEEP-BEEBEEBEEP-BEEBEEBEEP-BEEBEEBEEP!
Please, please make it stop...
BEEBEEBEEBEEBEEBEEBEEBEEBEEBEEBEEB--
A fist smashed the alarm clock hard enough to merge it with the nightstand, and the insane alarm was silenced in mid-chirp. Oh well...there goes another clock lost to the fact that Robin just wasn't a morning person. Especially not on this morning.
The Boy...or rather, Man, Wonder cracked open one eye, cursing the sunlight that burned through the small opening, a frenzy of color spots dancing before him. A few minutes later, he got up the courage to peek out of both eyes...then little by little, they opened to "greet" the sunshine. Whoever invented Day Light Saving's Time should be drug out into the street and shot...mulitple times...in the head...and the heart. If the people had to have a clock to tell them how far gone their day was, why not leave it as it was? Why change back and forth continuously until no one really knew what "time" was anymore?
Oh well...he was probably only frustrated because he had been awake till who-knows-when last night. There are a few things in life that stick with you...learning to ride a bike, the first time you got dumped, your first broken bone, and insomnia are among them.
Yawning wide enough to swallow China, Robin stumbled out of bed, then yelped as his foot came down hard on a crumpled soda can. Cursing under his breath, he kicked the rebellious piece of rubbish across the room, contemplating for a moment a good spring cleaning...Nah.
He had to fight through piles of clothes to even get the bathroom door open, and then of course there was the mountain of towels completely obscuring the bathtub. Geez, he was becoming as much of a slob as Beast Boy...well, maybe not that bad. BB had...cultures living in his bathroom sink, and we won't even discuss the toilet. The changeling's room was a regular safe haven for bacteria of all kinds.
With a shiver of disgust, Robin stumbled over to the shower and cranked on the hot water. No cold shower this morning...he just wasn't feeling up to it. Scratching his chin absently, his hand met with stubble...he could use a shave. These idiot criminals were so persistent these days he hardly had time for even the smallest things...like grooming. It was the weekend...not that that meant anything, but he had a good feeling business would be slow today, so he might as well make himself look somewhat decent.
He sighed gustily as the water pounded down on him, waking him up a little less harshly than the hypothermia temperature he was used to. Tense, sore muscles relaxed, the aching soothed away by the heat. Why didn't he do this more often?
After an uncharacteristically long shower, Robin dried off, fixed his hair (yeah, it was still spiky), shaved, and all that other morning jazz. Rooting through his closet for a clean uniform, his eyes fell upon something bright and painful...his old costume. He had saved one, even though he no longer wore it and couldn't fit into it if he wanted to. There was something comforting about having it always with him...without it, the past would slip away into the deep folds of memory. He sighed, his fingertips brushing the worn and abused fabric gently. "Well, Mom, I'm twenty-one. Twenty-one...Can you believe it?" With a slight shake of his head, he found a uniform and closed the closet door. "Yeah...me neither."
After that, unease plagued his mind, making him jumping and uncomfortable...and he couldn't quite shake it. Holidays were just not his thing...they always seemed to be a painful reminder of what was missing.
"Good morning, Robin. Sleep well?"
He was startled to see her...though it wasn't unusual for them to meet in the kitchen during the early hours of the morning. You know what they say...the early bird gets the worm. It looked like he was the worm this morning. "Not bad...killed my alarm clock, though."
She put her hands on her hips in mock disapproval. "Again? How many have you gone through...10?"
"Eleven, actually." He smiled slightly as she rolled her eyes. "What about you? You did go to sleep, right?"
Raven nodded, then an unfamiliar expression fixed itself to her face, almost as though she was trying not to laugh. "Come on." She reached out and took his hand forcefully, all-but dragging him out of the kitchen and into the hallway as he protested, thinking of his coffee longingly. "What are you doing? We didn't have plans today!" His stomach lurched uncomfortably. Could she...No. Nobody knew what today was for him.
"Be quiet and you'll see in just a minute. Stop pulling, I'm not going to kill you or anything!" Raven continued to drag him toward the elevator, becoming irritated with his struggling. Raven was strong, but you've got to calculate mass into any battle. Still utterly confused, Robin gave in to her pulling and allowed her to lead him into the little metal box. His eyes widened slightly as she pushed the button labeled "roof". Seeing his surprised face, Raven grinned (very uncharacteristic for her) and winked (even more shocking). "You'll see...boy, will you see."
There was something in her tone that made Robin a little bit nervous. Dreading what would come next, he let Raven pull him through the roof access door and into the cold air and dim light of early morning. He blinked for a moment, unsure if he was seeing correctly...
"Ta da!" Raven said in her usual monotone, flinging her hand out dramatically...by her standards, at least. A blanket big enough for two was spread out on the east side of the roof, decked out with a box of pizza, two cans of rootbeer, and, in the place of honor, a small cake decorated with red, green, and yellow frosting. "Happy Birthday, Robin!" was neatly written across the top in bold black letters. This picture was set off perfectly by the dark-haired young woman standing in front of it. "So...do you like it or are you going to kill me?"
All Robin could do was stare, blinking in complete shock. Why did she do this for him? That cake must have taken a good four hours...Wait! How did she even know in the first place?
Raven looked down at her feet, blushing slightly, "I've known for a while Robin. This is just the first time I've dared to do anything about it." When he continued to stare, she cleared her throat and tried again. "You...well...certain emotions attracted my attention, and...I was worried about you, I thought it was something more serious...so I sort of found out by accident." She hesitated, looking up at him with trepidation, as though worried he might be angry. "I didn't tell any of the others," she added hastily. "If you don't want them to know, that's fine, but...I thought you deserved a celebration. I can understand if you don't want to, that's completely fine too, I just thought...maybe..." She bit her lip, looking up at him for some sign as to how he was taking this. The cool breeze swirled around her, blowing her hair back from her face to reveal her deep purple orbs.
Robin wasn't sure what to think. It had been so very long since he had an actual birthday party, and that was how he wanted it. It was just another day, no reason to celebrate, he didn't want his friends to feel pressured into doing something for him or acknowledging him, just because it was his "birthday". But Raven...this was different. She wasn't doing this for show, wasn't fullfilling her duty...she did this because she cared about him. A slow smile spread across his face, and a barely audible sigh of relief escaped her as her hands unclenched and she ceased her nervous biting. "Thanks, Rae."
"Your welcome." The rising sun threw faint beams of golden light upon her features, making her pale skin glow and her empty eyes light up. She took his hand and led him over to the blanket, settling down beside him and cracking the rootbeer. The time passed pleasurably, both of them relaxed as they talked and laughed about nothing and everything, watching with a strange feeling of rebirth as the sun slowly crept into the sky, throwing its light over them and warming their skin with its gentle caress. When the cake was gone and the pizza and pop cans tossed carelessly to the side, Raven and Robin lay side by side on the blanket, gazing up at the lightening sky. It had been a long time since either had felt this happy, this content, this...relaxed. There was nowhere to rush off to, no villain to apprehend, no arguement to stop. It was just them and the beauty of early morning.
"Oh, I almost forgot." Raven suddenly sat up, fishing in her cloak pockets for something as Robin looked at her inquisitively. Her hand emerged with a small package held in her fist, wrapped in red paper and tied with a neat black bow. "This is for you," she announced, holding out her hand palm up.
Robin was completely shocked. "Oh, Rae...you didn't have to--"
"No, actually, I did. The cashier held a gun to my head." She laughed quietly as he continued to stare in shock. "Take it before my arm falls off."
Hesitantly, almost as though afraid it would bite him, Robin took the package from her outstretched hand, wondering what on earth it could possibly be. Raven began to grow impatient as he slowly pulled away each piece of tape, careful not to rip the paper in the smallest degree. "Come on, Robin, wrapping paper isn't that expensive!" Robin glanced up at her, smiling. "Maybe not, but it's important, all the same." This brought a hint of color to her cheeks as she fell silent once more, and he finally finished unwrapping the small, odd-shaped present. Out fell two squishy black balls. He blinked in surprise, then glanced up at Raven.
"They're stress balls. Supposed to work wonders for crazy people like you." She smiled, a mischievous glint in her eye as he sighed, rolling his eyes in mock frustration. "You're never going to leave me alone about that, are you?"
"Never. Now, show me what they can do! I want to make sure I got my money's worth here."
He smiled obligingly, taking a ball in each hand and squeezing and releasing his fists, arm muscles bulging ever-so-slightly beneath his solid black uniform. Truthfully, he wouldn't know if they were working or not, because there was no stress to get rid of...not right now. "It's a miracle! I'm feeling relaxed already! In fact..." With absolutely no warning, Robin leapt to his feet, dragging Raven with him as he gripped her around the waist and spun her around recklessly, laughing at the expression of shock on her pale face. "Robin, no! Put me down...put me down right now!" He paid no heed to her shouts or the small fists pounding into his back, but continued to spin, feeling light-hearted and giddy in a way that he hadn't for ages. Maybe it was all the sugar they had just consumed.
Robin gasped. One moment, he was holding a kicking, struggling Raven in his arms, and the next, his arms were encircled around thin air. He abruptly stopped his insane twisting, stumbling slightly as the ground spun without him. Where did she go? "Raven?" Fear crept up his spine. Did she somehow fall off?
"Pay back!" yelled Raven, pulling his cape up over his head and tackling him in a flying leap. They fell in a tangled heap on the blanket, Robin yelling in shock as they hit the ground, Raven laughing uncontrollably. Robin, however, didn't take too kindly to being outdone.
"Robin? ...What are you doing?" Raven's face grew even more pale, and she struggled desperately as his hands shot out to grab her, avoiding all of her attempts to stop him with frightening ease. It wasn't long before both of her arms were held forcefully above her head, exposing her helpless armpits to attack. Raven yelled, struggling to free herself from his grasp, but it was no use.
"Pay back?" asked Robin, grinning devilishly, knowing that she wouldn't be able to get free. The look of fear vanished from her face, to be replaced by a defiant frown that said, quite clearly, Do your worst! It was that firey determination that made Raven what she was...amazing. "Hmm...I was going to wage a war upon your armpits, but I have a better idea." Before she could say a word, Robin leaned in and kissed her, enjoying the taste of her lips as they met his.
When it became absolutely necessary, they broke apart, breathing in the cool morning air, almost nose to nose, Raven's arms still pinned above her head. A slow, sweet smile spread across his face as he looked at her, and Raven felt warmth beyond anything the sun could give glowing inside of her. "Thank you, Raven."
She grinned mischievously, relaxing in his grip. Robin's smile was enough to melt even the coldest heart. "If you take good care of it, maybe I'll buy you another one next year."
Sigh...I think I'm turning into a hopeless romantic. What shall we do with me? Hope you liked it...and I don't think there will be a third chapter, unless I come up with more ideas for one-shots of the older Titans, so don't count on it. Review, please! -Dusty