Chapter Text
September
high school/college sweethearts | hurt/comfort | meeting the family | "i wrote this for you" | flood | shifter au
“To be trusted is a greater compliment than to be loved.” ― George MacDonald
Tim hadn’t thought of Raven as a woman. Not really. As a sexual anything. For God sake, she been his partner for the better part of six years.
Raven rolled her eyes, and Damian smiled indulgently as he buttered a piece of toast and offered it to her.
For some reason that offering a food irritated Tim.
He shovelled eggs and sausages while his partner sat across the mess table, making moon eyes at the latest Robin.
The guy he became Red Robin for. Was still Red Robin. Thank God Raven talked him out of the whole Drake thing. Of course others pointed it out, but her Openion was most valued.
Raven said something, before taking a bite of toast. Damian laughed and poured tea in her half-empty cup.
Kon, Cassie and Bart were still in the process of showering after training this morning. But Damian was done real quick, his hair still damp as he leaned to speak into Raven’s ear. Usually Raven was as exited to try out the different dynamics of training that came out when
Damian obviously whispered something suggestive, even without the colour that correct up Raven's face. Tim’d never realised how translusent her skin was.
This morning out of The blue, before the crack of dawn, Damien show up at the tower, he’d be helping out for a while was all he said.
What did that mean?
It was anyone's guess because Robin did not care to elaborate. Was he here for some special mission yet to be assigned? Was he joining the Titans?
Kon looked the same, but Cassie, him and Bart were in their late twenties. All looking for their next step in life. For Tim all prospects included Raven.
Chewing his food carefully, Tim tried to recall a time when Raven was not a part of his plans. It was so long ago, and he had been a different person then. Having her constantly in his life for the past six years had changed him. Changed him so much that without even thinking about it, he’d always assumed her presence in his future.
For a while, a couple of years ago, the Titans had thought of splitting up. With Dick and Jason uninterested in Wayne enterprise, Tim had gotten more involved. Helping out wherever he could. A project here in there, sometimes at a nascent stage, sometimes for a while when the situation called for it. Raven came and went as she pleased. Always coming back with the most outlandish stories.
Cult in rural Ohio that was being controlled by brownies or something.
One time she had accompanied him on an oil rig, a joint venture, where managers reportedly flaunted environmental guidelines. Donning her alternate ego of Rachel Roth, Raven disappeared for nearly 48 hours after excusing herself from a meeting, to go to the bathroom. Apparently, 600 miles away or so, negligent fisherman had cut their losses, leaving fishing nets in the sea unconcerned with what might get tangled in them. The sea creature’s distressed alerted Aqualad. Doing the best he could, he called to Raven. After healing the skittish dolphins, sharks and a baby whale, she apparently teleported the nets back to the individuals responsible, along with a gift from the sea. 3 gallons of ocean water filled with fish waste.
There were more instances over the years. Somebody or something called her. She’d disappear for a while, and then pop back at the Tower, wherever he was, with another outlandish story.
After the first few times, she accompanied him for Wayne business and disappeared, Tim became really creative with excuses. Ahem, reason that did not include an upset stomach or women's menstrual issues.
Yes, that included android too sometimes. Tim thought he would either lose all his hair or go premature bald when Raven disappeared into none other than legs Luther’s, very well hidden mainframe.
Apparently in an air gap computer, a real life, AI was trapped. Once freed, upon being asked what it wanted, Tim watched as a laptop cried. Having never been shown any kindness and any human interaction involved experiments, which were usually unpleasant, it was overjoyed to feel empathy for the first time.
A bird in India, intertwined on sharp thread, abandoned by negligent kit flyers.
Superman, suffering from the effects of kryptonite exposer, Raven used the light from the industrial lamps changing its frequency/wavelength to concentrated UV, healing the kryptonite poisoning.
Constantine stuck at the oblivion bar, went to fetch him and bail him out.
More often than not Raven brought back presents:
- A bottle of enchanted wine that left no hangover,
- samosa’s from India,
- kryptonite coz the boy scout trusted Rae,
- Atlantean shell that connected directly to the King of Atlantas - for service to the sea.
Even with all of this, Raven found time for his stupid shit.
Bothered by his feelings for Cassie, who was a teammate and had only recently broken up with Kon. Raven did what she always did. She sat on a comfortable recliner chair in the control room, dubbed Raven’s chair, and listened to him vent his feelings. All talked out, he would look to her. Raven would help him find some sort of solution. Someway to overcome or if not that, then live with the situation. He always felt better after their talks.
One would think an empath was all fuzzy feelings and hugs. That was never true with Raven. She would give him a look, a raised eyebrow. This don't bullshit me look in her eyes and call him out on his nonsense. Sometimes it would be a quirk fo her lips, that indicated that she knew that he knew he what was saying wasn't really true.
It was impossible to argue with Raven because she knew exactly what you were feeling. You could only hide so much from your own self, from an understanding of your life and eyes full with compassion
Finished with his breakfast, tired of being ignored, Tim decided to leave. He reached the adjoining kitchen, entered when he heard a soft giggle.
His dirty plate still in his hand, one leg in the kitchen, he turned, caught sight of the woman who made the sound and found himself transfixed. A burning ache began in his stomach when he saw the way she was looking at Damien and what her expression did to her face.
Ravens, black eyes was shining as if reflecting a star studied night sky. Pin prick of lights danced in her obsidian eyes transforming her from exotic to goddess. Her cheeks were red, not from exercise but from something else.
Leaning over, Damian ran a finger down her chin.
“Breadcrumbs.”
Raven didn’t draw away, as she did with anyone, but the Titans. Instead she smiled.
“Thank you.” she whispered, even as his hands moved from her chin lingering on her shoulder. Creasing her.
“My pleasure,” Damian’s voice thick, deep green eyes seemed to glow with intensity.
And Raven was buying this! The burn spread through his chest and before he went up in flames, Tim carefully placed his dish in the sink, turned around a walked off.
He was not an habitual eavesdropper. Not on his friends. Not during intimate moments, be it in a shared space.
“To be trusted is a greater compliment than to be loved.” Tim had read. But it seemed Raven wanted more than trust and friendship.
As he walked aways from the mess, their hushed whispers his sound track, as if chasing him, Tim wondered why Raven liking someone, even Damian scared him so. Why it bothered him to see this side of Raven, stars in her eyes, blushing, pulse hammering at her throat, and leaning into Damian as her creased her.
Then it hit him, no matter what Raven claimed, she didn’t so casual. Intimacy was connected to emotions. There could be no separation of her body and her innate empathy without strict discipline on her part. Everyone was susceptible to her power, but the reverse was also true. There is no ignoring anyone who touched her. Their history, hopes, flaws, trauma, needs all bombarded her, like a one way channel into their wants and deepest feelings. In the worst-case scenario, Raven had recounted her first moments on earth, hoping to warn others of Trigon, the overload had crushed her brain, overload her senses, and she could die.
Yet she trusted Damian enough to let him touch her naked skin, the most volatile Robin bar none.
The thought followed Tim for a long time.