Chapter Text
Raven hated fairs and carnivals and festivals and all those events which brought the loud enjoyment of crowds and culminated in explosions of emotion that made her empathy taxing. That was why she was currently miserable, trailing behind the four Titans who were overjoyed at the bright lights and garish attractions of the annual Jump City Fair.
Beast Boy had heard about the event when he visited the video game store for the latest Mega Monkeys game and ran home at the speed of a cheetah (literally) to inform the others. Robin thought the fair would be a good opportunity for team bonding. He seemed dead set on fashioning an indestructible unit out of the Teen Titans and Raven suspected his mysterious past with the Caped Crusader had something to do with this obsession. Robin had them training for 5+ hours every day, not including the nightly patrols around the city. Group activities like trips to the park, meals, and now this fair were Robin’s attempts at solidifying the team’s relationships to ensure success in battle. The Titans had only been together two months, yet their dynamics were pretty much established.
Robin and Cyborg got along great, becoming friends almost instantaneously. Beast Boy and Cyborg got along even better, sharing a love for inhaling buckets of food and playing video games at obnoxious volumes. Robin and Beast Boy weren’t necessarily close, but guys got along easily with handshakes, nods, and healthy competitions. Starfire was adored by all because of her naïveté and sweet temperament. She was new to Earth and dependent on others to guide her through a lot of daily human life. This was some sort of turn on to men… Robin and Starfire seemed to have a relationship that went above friendship and they would flirt every now and then though Starfire seemed more invested in it than their masked leader did.
Raven was the odd one out though she felt a familial connection to Cyborg. He acted the part of the big brother, giving her friendly advice and bringing her out of her constant gloom and doom to help him with his car or with the grocery shopping. Beast Boy annoyed her to no end and knowing this, he made it a hobby of his to accost her with unfunny jokes and bits that went on for far too long. If she didn’t know any better, she’d think he had a crush on her
Starfire–possibly because she watched The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants her first week on Earth–wanted to be best friends with the only other female on the team. She tried coaxing Raven out of her room to join her at the beauty salon or mall, but Raven always refused and Starfire’s green eyes would sadden each time. Raven felt bad for hurting the alien girl, but she really didn’t know how to get along with her and thought that the Tamaranean’s emotional outbursts were dangerous to Raven’s wary control over her power.
Finally, there was Raven with Robin.
The two birds were not close. In fact, they spoke a handful of sentences to each other on a day to day basis, but each recognized profound intellect and tactical ability in the other. As the leader, Robin wanted the team to give their input on attack patterns, battle strategies, etc. but no one except Raven seemed to have the interest or the talent to do so. Raven and Robin had spent some time together looking through dossier files on active villains in the area, discussing defensive and offensive strategies. It had been effective for the team, but it had not cemented any deep bond between the two. They never spent quality time together doing anything non-work related.
But tonight, Robin intended to change that.
Robin had not chosen the fair to use as a team bonding experience, he had chosen the fair to use as a get-to-know-Raven experience! He had the whole thing planned. He would usher the other three off to do their own thing and get the dark sorceress alone. Maybe then she would reveal her true self. Robin knew the girl was hiding more than just her body under her cloak. Raven was more than the antisocial one and Robin wanted to know just how much more.
He couldn’t rationally explain to himself why he was so interested in his petite teammate. It could be that Robin, trained for most of his 17 years of life by the Great Detective himself, loved to solve every puzzle that presented itself, which Raven was. It could also be that as the leader, Robin was responsible for harmony between all of his teammates and he had yet to find any with Raven, so he had to course correct. Still, a little voice in his head whispered another possibility.
She interests you because she’s beautiful but unattainable. She has a darkness to her that could rival yours, something Starfire could never offer you. You want Raven for yourself.
Robin cursed those thoughts away as the Titans reached a food stand. Cyborg and Beast Boy ordered popcorn, nachos, and humongous sodas while Starfire timidly chose cotton candy, staring at the pink fluff with wide eyed wonder. Robin chose funnel cake for himself and turned to Raven, who had her hood up and her gaze trained on the floor.
“Do you want anything, Raven?” He asked, making her jump. She seemed surprised someone was even addressing her.
“No,” the careful monotone came.
Robin didn’t push her, knowing there was enough of that coming soon.
“I wish to take home one of those giant yellow creatures,” Starfire pointed at one of the game booths, where the grand prize was an oversized baby chick.
“I think I can arrange that,” Beast Boy made a show of cracking his knuckles.
“I’d like to see you try, grass stain. You need precision and timing to win those games–two things you definitely don't have,” Cyborg teased, causing the changeling to glare.
“I’m getting that chicken.”
“I doubt it,” the half-robot smirked.
Beast Boy snarled. “Come on, Star, I’m getting you that chicken,” He pulled the girl towards the ring toss booth.
The redhead threw Robin one final glance before allowing herself to be tugged away.
“You guys coming?” Cyborg asked.
Raven shook her head. Robin bit back a grin. It was time to set his plan in motion.
“Nah, you go and keep an eye on them for me,” Robin replied.
“So where are you going?”
“Ferris wheel.”
Cyborg raised an eyebrow at that, looking over at Raven, who made no sign of agreement or disagreement.
“You sure about that?”
“Positive,” Robin smiled broadly.
Cyborg shrugged before muttering, “Your funeral.”
After the tall Titan had joined the other two, Robin took a few casual steps closer to the hooded girl.
“Are you up for it?” He inquired.
“What?”
“The Ferris wheel,” he nodded towards the spinning attraction.
“You’re joking,” she deadpanned.
“I’m not.”
Even with the hood shielding her face, her eyes revealed her confusion. “What are you trying to achieve, Robin?”
“I just wanted to spend some time with you. Is that so wrong?”
“...I just don’t understand why you didn’t ask Starfire.”
Ah, so she’s noticed that,
Robin thought to himself.
I should be more careful. Starfire’s a great girl, but there’s no chance a long-term relationship would work between us. We’re far too different. I may be accidentally leading her on.
“I can answer any questions for you if you ride the Ferris wheel with me,” he spoke cheekily.
She eyed him with uncertainty for a moment before finally sighing and replying, “Fine.”
The view from the top of the Ferris wheel was spectacular. Raven could see the faint glow of Titan Tower in the distance, a permanent emblem of justice and protection for the people of Jump City. It was too bad no one knew what kind of evil resided in one of the heroes the people trusted to save them…
Raven hadn’t told anyone about her prophecy or her father’s identity, and she wasn’t planning to do so anytime soon. What was the point? Her destiny was set in stone. Until that horrible day came to pass, Raven could control her powers and her emotions as needed. There was no need to drag her teammates into it.
“Enjoying the ride?” Robin’s deep murmur broke her out of her thoughts, and she turned to the boy next to her as if seeing him for the first time.
Up here, with the gentle breeze of late summer, everything seemed more beautiful. The night sky was ethereal in its obsidian and navy shades, dotted with shiny stars. The city was a concrete paradise, stretching on endlessly. Robin, already handsome under regular circumstances, was illuminated by the moon, making his features look quite impressive. The strong jaw and high cheekbones, the soft looking pink lips, and the spiked ebony hair–it was all doing something to her. But what?
As she continued to stare at her leader, something exploded below them. Raven winced, surveying the ground to find the source of the sound. Thankfully, it had only been a lone trash can and no one had been close enough to be injured.
“Raven? Are you okay?” Robin’s brow furrowed in concern.
Raven internally cursed herself for the lack of control. This was why she didn’t allow her emotions to reign free. Ever. Yes, she found Robin attractive but no she couldn’t act on it, so what was the point?
“I’m fine,” she replied curtly.
“You don’t have to lie to me, you know. I know I’m the team leader, but I care more about being your friend than your boss.”
“Sure.”
“I’m serious. I care about you–all of you,” he paused, hoping she didn’t notice the slip. “I know you like your privacy and your silence, but I’d like to get to know you better and really be your friend, someone you can talk to and hang out with. Like you do with Cyborg.”
He felt a small sting of jealousy at the thought, but that was the truth. Cyborg was the only one who spoke regularly with Raven and actually joked around with her, even if she barely reacted. The fact that the half-robot could get close enough to ruffle her hair and poke her teasingly was amazing. When Beast Boy tried any form of contact, he was smacked in the head with household objects, courtesy of Raven’s powers.
“That’s different,” she responded.
“How so?”
“Cyborg is…like the older brother I didn’t get to have. He’s overprotective and nosy, but he means well. It’s actually kind of nice.”
“Oh,” Robin felt stupid for envying a relationship that was clearly one of sibling affection and nothing more.
“Why do you care now?” Raven questioned. “The team formed two months ago, so why now?”
“I don’t have a good answer for that,” he admitted. “I should have approached you sooner. The only time we speak is when we’re planning for battles and even then it’s minimal.”
“Yes. You save your conversations for Starfire.”
Robin flushed at the reminder of the pretty alien. “Yeah, well, that’s a mistake.”
“Pardon?”
“I don’t like Star
that way
. I mean, I admit I flirt with her, but it’s not serious.”
“I see. I think you should make that clear to her.”
“I know.”
There was an uncomfortable silence that Robin forced himself to break.
“Want some funnel cake?” He offered it out to her.
Raven looked at the fried dough and frowned. “Why is it called funnel cake?”
“I’m not sure, but it’s good, trust me. Try it,” he insisted, and she slowly reached out to tear a piece off and pop it into her mouth.
He watched her chew it, chastising himself for lingering on her full lips for so long.
“Good?” He asked.
“Yes,” she admitted.
“Want some more?’
She nodded and they ate the rest of the dessert in a pleasant silence, watching the sky. Before Robin could ask Raven anything about herself, there was a loud bang as the display of fireworks commenced.
“Beautiful,” Raven whispered, pushing her hood down to fully see the show of lights.
“Yeah,” Robin breathed, eyes trained on her. “Beautiful.”
He’d never been so close to her with her hood down. Raven was stunning with her bright amethyst eyes aglow, matching the shade of her hair, and with her flawless gray skin. She was undeniably an exotic beauty.
A scream broke through Robin’s ogling. Both Titans recognized the voice as Starfire’s.
“What is that thing?” Raven asked, standing in the box and gaping at the tentacle creature that had wrapped Starfire in a death grip and was dragging her away into the sky.
Cyborg and Beast Boy had jumped into action with the latter in pterodactyl form, holding the robot man in his claws as he blasted sonic beams at the purple creature.
“We need to help Starfire. Can you carry me?” Robin asked and the empath gave a brief nod, levitating above the Ferris wheel and extending her arms.
Robin grabbed the slender hands and held on tightly as she flew after the others.
The fight had been difficult, but Robin had finally ripped the animatronic creature open and destroyed its circuits with Cyborg’s assistance. The Titans had arrived home, tired and worried about the new threat. Cyborg had just flipped the lights on when Starfire released another scream, though this one was not of fear but of happiness.
“Sister!” The redhead jumped into the open arms of a black-haired girl dressed in armor similar to Starfire’s though the latter’s was a vivid purple and the former’s was as dark as her hair.
The introductions were made and soon Blackfire was the hit of the room. The boys were thoroughly enchanted by the older Tamaranean and though Raven admired the girl’s knowledge of chakras, she suspected malicious intent in her demeanor. As Blackfire recounted a trip around the Centauri moons, Raven tentatively probed her mind. She gave a silent gasp at the images she was able to grasp: blasts of pink energy, screams of pain, heavy shackles, a large alien with stern features and a gun extended.
“So, who’s up for a party?” Blackfire asked the Titans, her voice bringing Raven back to the present.
“That sounds cool! We never get to party!” Beast Boy exclaimed.
“But, Sister, I thought we could do the catching up tonight. We have not seen each other in many gorthags.”
“Yes, the years have been many. I have missed you, little sister, and I brought you a present from my travels to prove how much I thought about you.” She presented Starfire with a large green gem. “It matches your eyes.”
Starfire squealed at the necklace, thoroughly complacent, and Blackfire didn’t hesitate to convince the other Titans to accompany her to the rager. Though Raven acted like the fact that it was in an abandoned warehouse interested her, the real reason she agreed to go was to keep an eye on Blackfire. Raven wanted to find out exactly why Blackfire was on Earth. There was something off about her and the images Raven got from her mind made her even more suspicious.
“Everything okay, Sunshine?” Cyborg asked her as the Titans left the tower.
“We’ll see.”
The party was pointless. The music that blasted from more than twenty speakers was atrocious with vulgar lyrics and repetitive, booming beats that quickly had Raven feeling like she was experiencing a migraine. There were also too many people crowded in the musty warehouse. Raven felt the cacophony of emotions threaten to suffocate her. She couldn’t further investigate Blackfire with her powers because she felt like her head was about to burst from the emotional onslaught of the room. Besides, the older Tamaranean had pulled Robin and the other guys to the center of the dance floor to begin performing a variety of inappropriate dance moves Raven had only seen on MTV (and only because Cyborg forced her to).
After saving Starfire from a verbal misunderstanding about shovels, Raven retreated to the roof of the club for some air. She sat in her preferred lotus position and chanted her mantra softly to block out the mix of emotions downstairs. Unfortunately, she was soon interrupted by a sobbing redhead.
“Friend Raven?” Starfire sniffed loudly, wiping at her eyes.
“What’s wrong?”
The taller girl sighed, taking a seat next to Raven. “It is my sister. She was always the most beloved growing up. Our parents made their preference clear. They seemed to forget about my existence. Just like everyone else has now that Blackfire is here.”
“That’s not true. I haven’t forgotten about you.”
“But you do not care for me as a friend. I am a bother to you, correct?” She asked sadly.
Raven shook her head. “No, Star, that’s not correct. I do care for you as a friend and you don’t bother me. We’re just…different, that’s all. It’s hard for me to get used to you, but I can try harder.”
“Oh, thank you, friend!” She pulled Raven into a bone-crushing hug.
“Starfire–air–please,” the empath wheezed.
“I apologize friend,” Starfire released her.
“It’s okay,” Raven regained her breath and adjusted her cloak.
“Why are you here all alone? Is it due to my sister’s presence?”
“No, it’s just all those people. I’m not good with…people,” she finished lamely, choosing not to go into detail about her powers.
“I understand, friend. If you do not mind, I shall stay here and keep you the company.”
“You don’t want to rejoin the party?” Raven was surprised the exuberant girl wasn’t enjoying the music and liveliness.
“Blackfire has chosen Robin as her partner in the dancing and I…”
“And you wanted to dance with him. Because you like him,” Raven stated.
Starfire sighed. “Yes, I believe I do.”
Raven had not forgotten about her teammate’s feelings towards their leader. It was a precarious situation at the moment. Blackfire and Starfire wanted Robin’s attention and though Raven wanted a place too, she could never display her emotions or fight for what she wanted.
As if he’d been summoned, Robin suddenly appeared on the roof.
“There you two are. I was wondering where you’d gone,” he smiled.
“Really? Last I saw, you were wrapped up in Blackfire. How kind of you to notice our absence though,” Raven spoke sardonically.
Robin looked confused and Raven couldn’t blame him. Her usual uncaring monotone was gone. She hadn’t meant to reveal any of her thoughts, but the words had left her mouth before she could stop them. Thankfully, Starfire took over, distracting Robin.
“Yes, Robin, you are getting along very well with my sister. I did not think you were aware of anything else. Or anyone else,” she added with clear melancholia.
“What do you mean by that, Star?”
Before the conversation could continue, Blackfire appeared in a pink wig to drag Robin back to the party. He had no chance to protest before he was whisked away. Starfire sighed forlornly.
“Your sister’s not so nice. How did you deal with that through childhood?” Raven asked.
“It was not easy, but I love my sister and cannot fault her for being better than I am.”
“She isn’t better than you, Starfire. Why would you think that?”
That night, no conversation could be finished. At that moment, another tentacled creature came up behind the alien girl and pulled her away screaming.
“Star!” Raven quickly phased through the floor, searching for her teammates.
She saw Cyborg first and ran to him. “Cyborg! Starfire’s been taken again.”
He stopped dancing and moved into action. “Stay on her trail. I’ll get the others.”
Raven phased outside and found Starfire in the alley, fighting the creature on her own. Raven let her power flow to her hands and threw dumpsters and crates at it alongside Starfire’s starbolts. The creature didn’t back down though and with one tentacle it threw the girls apart, causing Raven to land hard against the wall and allowing it to recapture Starfire. Before it could get far, the rest of the team and Blackfire appeared.
Cyborg helped Raven up and the others attacked the creature. While Beast Boy and Robin struggled to cause any damage, Blackfire flew behind it and shot a single starbolt at a spot on its back. The creature crashed to the ground, releasing Starfire who landed upside down in an open dumpster.
“Good job!” Beast Boy praised.
“How did you know where to hit it?” Robin inquired.
“Lucky shot?” She shrugged innocently.
“We need that kind of luck around here! How do you feel about joining the Teen Titans?” Cyborg asked excitedly.
Starfire gasped from her spot in the dumpster and Raven’s eyes narrowed under her hood. This wasn’t right. Blackfire’s guileless expression was fake and Raven could see right through it. There was something going on here and Raven had to inform Robin about it.
Early the next morning, Raven woke up and took a quick shower, ready to find Robin and tell him about her suspicions regarding Blackfire. She was halfway to his room when she came across Starfire.
“Friend, have you seen Robin today? He is not in his room of rest.” The redhead shared.
“No, but I can help you look for him.”
“Many thanks, Friend Raven,” Starfire smiled as Raven led the way to the training room, the only other place their leader could have been so early in the day.
Raven wasn’t sure what Starfire had to say to Robin, but it was best to get that out of the way so that Raven could mention what she’d seen in Blackfire’s mind.
The girls were about to round the corner to the training room when they heard Blackfire’s haughty voice.
“That’s right, hold me like this and now…”
The shadows of Blackfire and what had to be Robin merged in a kiss and Starfire’s hands flew to her mouth, suppressing a sob. She ran down the opposite hallway, tears streaming down her face. The noise must have alerted Robin of their presence because he came out of the training room, sweaty from some workout, and saw Raven standing there.
“Raven? What happened? Were you…crying?”
“I wasn’t. But Starfire was.”
“Why?”
“It might have something to do with her sister kissing the guy she likes.”
“Her sister kissing–w-wait that didn’t happen,” Robin stammered, making Raven raise an eyebrow.
“That’s what it looked like.”
“She was teaching me a battle move and she came in close, but we did
not
kiss,” he said with finality.
“You don’t have to convince me. Starfire’s the one who’s hurt.”
Robin bit his lip to stop the first thing that came to his mind escaping, which was that he cared more about Raven’s opinion of him than Starfire’s.
“I’ll talk to her,” he promised.
Raven knew she needed to talk to him about the troublemaking Blackfire, but she sensed Starfire’s sorrow and felt her presence on the roof.
“Now would be good. She’s planning to leave us,” Raven announced.
Robin didn’t question how she knew that. “Can you teleport us there?”
She touched his arm. “This may feel strange.”
A second later, her black aura descended upon the pair. Before Robin could blink, the darkness receded, depositing them on the roof, where Starfire was floating in the air with a knapsack on her back.
“You weren’t going to say goodbye?” Robin questioned, causing Starfire to whirl around, wiping her eyes of the last of her tears.
“I did not think you would care.”
“Of course I would. You’re a Titan, Starfire. The team needs you. You’re our friend and we care about you.”
Starfire’s face brightened. “Do you care about me, Robin?”
“You know I do, Star.”
The alien girl smiled her usual megawatt smile and was going to step on the roof again when a mass of purple tentacles grabbed her from behind, pulling her away from her friends once more.
“Seriously? How many of these things are there?” Robin asked rhetorically, throwing explosive discs at the creature. To no avail as the creature carried Starfire further and further away.
Finally, Raven snapped into action. “Starfire! I’m coming!” She shouted, levitating and flying rapidly after the creature.
“Raven, wait!” Robin called, but it was too late and he was left staring after them.
When Raven caught up to the robotic creature, it had reached a large ship that opened to allow it inside. Raven flew after it, waiting until the creature slowed down to summon a black energy disc that cut all its tentacles off and freed Starfire.
“Friend Raven! You saved me.”
“I had to, Star. You’re my friend, remember?”
“Thank you,” she said with a gentle smile.
“Stop right there! You are interfering with international justice,” a voice growled from behind Starfire.
When Raven turned, she recognized the alien as the one from Blackfire’s mind.
“But we are the good guys, are we not Friend Raven?” Starfire was confused.
“Things are finally falling into place,” Raven said. “These are international police and they aren’t after you, they’re after Blackfire. She was running from the law and my guess is it has to do with this gem,” Raven unclasped the necklace and handed it to the alien guard.
“Smart girl,” he nodded. “This is the Centauri moonstone that was stolen from us weeks ago. We have been tracking it since and searching for the thief. You know of her location?”
“Oh, yes,” Raven had to grin. “And we can help you retrieve your prisoner too. Right, Star?”
Starfire, now caught up with the situation and understanding all of her sister’s lies, allowed her green eyes to glow with her fury.
“Yes, friend. It is time for my sister to pay for her crimes.”
Blackfire was zooming towards the clouds, assured that her journey to Tamaran was guaranteed. The three male Titans were fooled by her seductive act and the only people who could stop her were miles away, probably captured by the very people after her. The plan had gone down without a hitch and when she arrived on Tamaran, she could simply take the throne as hers. Life was good.
Or so she thought before a bright green starbolt hit her in the face.
Raven watched the sisters’ battle with a satisfied smirk, knowing Starfire would defeat Blackfire easily and then the black-haired girl would be sent to an intergalactic jail light years away from all of them.
“Is that a smile I see?” Robin asked, his warm breath caressing her sensitive earlobe.
Raven jumped and something in the distance exploded. He laughed as she glowered at him.
“I’m not smiling,” she lied. “Though I am glad she’s leaving.”
“Not a fan of Blackfire?”
“Certainly not as much as you are,” she quipped.
He chuckled. “It was momentary interest, nothing more.”
“Be careful with your interests, Robin. Someone could end up getting hurt,” she threw a pointed look at Starfire, who was waving a cheery goodbye to her handcuffed sister.
Robin knew what the undertone of Raven’s words meant. He frowned. He hadn’t meant to care for another girl again so soon after his failed relationship with Barbara/Batgirl. Still, despite Raven’s warning, he was preoccupied not with Starfire but with the dark girl himself. And that might turn out to be dangerous for everyone on the team.
The heart wants what it wants, Robin thought, his eyes wandering back to Raven’s exotic features.