Fan Fiction ❯ Oh Simple Thing ❯ un ( Chapter 1 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

The night air was wonderful. Robin purred silently as the just-the-right-temperature breezes sifted through his ebony hair, calming him down from the anxiety he felt over Slade, his current big mystery. Lately, the kidnappings, robberies, assaults… anything to do with violating the law seemed to be quiet, as if taking a break of sorts. It wasn't that Robin didn't appreciate it, he did, greatly, but it was just that he wasn't used to it; he didn't expect it and didn't know what to think of it. Should he be suspicious? Hn! Too late for that…. Glad? He felt that, too… then what? Should he just take it thankfully until the next big scene, or have extra reasons to look over his shoulders more often and jump at the slightest noise or disturbance? As stupid as his conflicting emotions were, it still didn't answer his question of how he should feel. Maybe he was over-analysing…? That was definitely probable.

Stepping onto the raised edge of the building under construction's top, he crouched down low like a brooding, colourful gargoyle watching over the souls contained in his city. Cars, lights, people… sounds. Even smells, all zooming past him in the blink of an eye. It was enough to make anyone dizzy, nauseas or in-line for a headache, but to him this was salvation. That maybe, if he let all his thoughts go and let him become one with the city's pulsating thrum of human life, his problems might go with it. Questions forgotten, unanswered, unimportant… no one but him. That maybe he could be selfish without the guilt. That maybe…

He sighed. No matter what tactic or ploy or whatever he used, nothing worked and it always ended in him being abruptly ripped from his soothing meditation like a rag doll on a fired bullet, into the reality of things and away from something he wanted most. Damn the world, goddamn it… damn everything. As it was, there was still that matter of Slade at hand, what his possible next move might be, and any and every possible solution against it. One must never be too certain, now.

But with the distraction of the city life and his nervousness building up inside him, Robin couldn't focus, and therefore continuously drew up blanks. He sighed.

Standing up, he turned his back to the streetlights and speeding cars, shutting himself off from a life that could've been, and walked stiffly back to the Tower. No doubt Starfire was probably wondering where he was this late at night.

It was dark when Robin entered the Tower again, but he passed it off as his crew being fatigued and simply passing out before hand, that was all. Walking in the general direction of his room, beginning the process of removing his cape along the way, he was rather startled to see movement around Raven's room off the corner. A curvy shadow had just slithered along the walls and disappeared, intriguing Robin's curiosity. Craning his neck a little so his crooked head was just before his body was, he crept silently to the shadow, keeping everything but an eye hidden behind the angled wall. It was Starfire, timidly knocking on Raven's door, looking left and right while doing so, and patiently waiting until it sounded open. She walked inside, and it abruptly closed behind her, almost snagging her rear in the process.

Waiting a few minutes, he walked up to her door and pressed his ear against the cool metal ever so gently, listening to what could possibly be going on between the only two females in the Tower. It sounded… peculiar. Like muffled noises of… pleasure? He also heard some giggling, too, just before an obvious smirk and a surprised gasp, closely followed by a loud thump, possibly someone hitting a mattress or something. Robin decided no further investigation purely out of his curiosity should be allowed; his teammates deserved their own privacy. And besides, an indifferent Raven was much better than a pissed-off one. Robin knew that from first-hand experience, as did the rest of the Titans. He turned back to his own room and entered calmly.

He hissed thickly as his body writhed under the comforter of his comfy bed in groggy content. He never felt as sore throughout any day than when he finally settled in the confines of his mattress, when all his body's wear poured onto him like sand from a truck. It felt good to have gravity press and pull on you. Robin fell asleep promptly after nestling into a comfortable starter position. No doubt that by the time he woke up, he'd be in a position not quite like this.

His shoulder blade hurt. any recent suspicions on the city's recent gang inactivity had been cleared: At least now he didn't have to fret over what he should make of the previous atmosphere. All was fine and well now… except for the current state of his bleeding shoulder blade. That still hurt. Badly.

He blocked the blow to his head and tripped his opponent with his leg. Landing rather hardly on his caboose, Robin signified Raven to bind the person's wrists together using her magic. Leaning over slightly to the man, he pulled off the horribly clichéd black face-hat designed mainly for winter's harshness and exposed his identity. Huh, Robin could've rolled his eyes right then, and he did, unnoticed, of course. It was a juvenile, probably around the age of sixteen, stupid enough to try and break into a post office and thinking he'd get away with it. Stupid, stupid, stupid!! Robin had already been annoyed from earlier that day (Beast Boy had done something to Raven that irked her to no end, and ended up having an uncontrolled outburst of power, accidentally sending a letter opener at Robin, and now this little punk had the nerve to force him to make a move that stretched that particular muscle too far and reopen his would-be healing wound), he didn't need this. Going a little rougher than usual, he forced the boy in a jail cell where he'd wait until the next decision the police and his parents made.

Starfire blinked, and when they had arrived rather quietly back at the Tower, had even dared to ask if anything was the matter with him.

"Just woke up crabby," was his only flat reply. It wasn't a complete lie… he had woken up in a less-than-happy mood that morning…. He settled himself on the sofa and watched Cyborg and Beast Boy play games and watch TV. Raven had sat next to him with a book in her lap, ignoring everyone and everything else as usual, occasionally taking a sip of her tea. Starfire moped before going to her room and returning with Silkie. She played with him on the floor, giggling often, and fed him her berries, tickling him in the process and sneaking a bite herself. Nothing much had happened after that.

A song came up when Starfire turned the radio on, Beast Boy and Cyborg playing a video game on mute at the request of both Raven and Starfire. He didn't recognise it, but then again he never really recognised any of the artists Starfire (and Raven now that he thought about it) likened herself to listen to. He listened on anyway.

The songs struck something in him. He didn't know that such a song could relate strongly with what he felt, pinpointing his soul exactly. Well, maybe not exactly…. He tried to keep from squirming around uncomfortably as he strained his ears to absorb every single syllable drawn out for musical purposes.

He figured that it was more the chorus the drew him in rather than the rest, but it still made him tingle at his navel. And it sounded kinda nice… much more different than what he'd usually listen to, but nice just the same.

A morphed puppy-Beast Boy stretching and yawning at his side snapped him out of his thoughts and it reminded everyone of their own tiredness. It was a unanimous decision to go to bed, so they did. A "G'night, everyone" uttered from Robin's lips as he made his way to his room was followed by a chorus of night's and goodnights fading away with his footsteps; he could faintly hear all the others saying their goodnights to each other as well. He smiled despite himself.

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