One Problem At A Time (robrae fanfic)

Protection

Raven had gotten used to keeping her and Robin a secret, so when Starfire asked why she never showed affection for Robin, she answered truthfully, "I'm not used to it." Starfire looked confused, and Raven explained. "I've never had a boyfriend. We planned on keeping it a secret too," Starfire nodded slowly, rolling the information around in her head, "So you are learning to show the affection in public?" Raven nodded, getting up from her spot on the couch, walking towards the kitchen. It was 5 AM, and Starfire was the only other Titan with Raven. She had woken up from a nightmare, and followed Raven to the common room, where the two had been talking for nearly an hour. Raven poured herself a cup of tea, not hearing the common room door open and close. She turned back to Starfire, but the alien was gone. Raven headed for her room, but halfway there, something touched her shoulder. Startled, she turned quickly, spilling tea on herself. Standing in front of her was Robin. He was adjusting his mask, like it had fallen off. Raven gave him her infamous death glare. "Would it bother you to make some noise when you follow me?" Her voice was slightly cold, making Robin laugh. "The element of surprise suits me better." He smiled softly, looking to her tea. She gripped the cup harder, holding back her anger. "It's annoying," Robin pushed her hood down, revealing the rest of her angry face. "Something bothering you?" She rolled her eyes," I don't know, maybe I'm bothered by the fact that you made me spill my tea." Sarcasm leaked from her voice, causing Robin to grab her hand. "You want me to get you more?" He pulled her slightly, but she stopped him, "No, I'll get more later. I'm going to go meditate." She started to walk away, but didn't get far before Robin walked in front of her, kissing her cheek. "See you later?" Raven nodded, kissing him quickly. She walked to her door, letting it hiss open. Rage had slipped out with Robin, just because she hadn't shown emotion for a couple of days. Her usual self would've just raised a brow at him. She knew she couldn't just meditate it away, she needed to go find Robin and tell him about it. Most likely, he was in his room, but she decided to think about him and phase to where he was instead. When she tried to though, nothing happened. Thinking she was distracted, Raven thought harder. Still, nothing happened. She started to panic, but thought maybe meditation would help. Raven meditated for over two hours, but had to stop when the Tower alarm went off. She walked to the common room, noticing she had been the last one there. Raven quickly looked to the computer, seeing it was Dr. Light. Robin looked to her, knowing how she hated the man. "Cyborg, you take Star and Beast Boy in the T-Car, I'll take Raven on the R-Cycle." Cyborg nodded, pulling the other two along. Raven walked with Robin to his cycle, keeping quiet about her phasing issue. He helped her on, handing her a helmet. "This should be quick." Robin said, starting the cycle. He followed Cyborg, pulling to a stop near a local jewelry store. They exited the car, waiting for Robin's command. "Titans, go!" Cyborg raced forward, shooting Dr. Light with his sonic cannon, The thief quickly ducked, shooting Cyborg with his light beam. Raven stayed behind slightly while the others fought. She took the opportunity while Dr. Light was busy, to try and chuck a car at him. She said her mantra, but nothing happened. Dr. Light looked to her, firing a light beam. Raven froze, unsure of what to do. She was cornered by two cars, and her powers wouldn't work. She began to back up, but backed into a wall. She heard someone call her name, but couldn't comprehend who. The light was coming closer and closer, she could feel its heat. She held her hands up, hoping something would happen. When nothing did, Raven let out a scream. Just as the light touched her hand, she was pulled out of the mess. Robin held onto her, much like when she fell off of that building on her birthday. Only this time, Robin wasn't smiling. He had a look of clear worry covering his features. Raven gripped his arm, speechless. He had used his grappling hook to swing towards her, and now they were pretty far from the fight. Starfire, Cyborg, and Beast Boy were just finishing beating Dr. Light, and had soon joined Robin, their own worry visible. Robin was the first to talk, noticing the burn marks on Raven's left hand and arm. "Raven, what happened?" She searched for words, not sure of what to say. "I don't know....." Robin pulled her to her feet, touching her arm. " We can talk about it later, for right now, you need to get to the infirmary so Cyborg can check out your arm." Raven nodded, heading for the cycle. She handed Robin his helmet, strapping on her own. Robin led the way, keeping quiet. As the parked the cycle the tower, he tried to read Raven's expression, but failed. Cyborg met the two in the infirmary, startling to work on Raven. After 5 minutes of silence, Robin spoke. "Why didn't you defend yourself, Raven?" He pushed back a lock of her hair, realizing her eyes were down on the bandages Cyborg was putting on her arm. "My powers aren't working." Her voice shook slightly. Robin's masked eyes widened, and he exchanged worried looks with Cyborg. Raven didn't look up, he didn't want to see their reactions. Robin tilted her head up, forcing her to look at him. "How long did you know about this?" Raven cradled her burnt arm, moving her head away from him. "Since this morning. I thought that if I meditated, I'd be fine." Cyborg crossed his arms over his chest. "Rae, you're not fine." His voice held a hint of fear. Robin agreed with him, his protective instincts kicking in. "Cyborg's right, Raven, and until we can figure this out, I don't want you going into battle with us."

"Robin."

"Raven."

"Fine." She sighed, getting off the operating table. Robin started to go after her, but Cyborg stopped him. "Let her think." He gripped Robin's shoulder, making the bird turn. "Cyborg, I need to protect her."