BBAre A Slippery Slope, A Green Horizon

15

Robin had left them alone that day, seeming to withdraw into himself and go about the daily routine with automated, unfocused movements. Beast Boy was worried they had somehow offended the Boy Wonder but figured there was nothing he could do until Robin himself brought the issue out into the open.

Raven was concerned about him too, but for different reasons.

“He's never this distracted.” She had confessed to Garfield as she helped him prepare dinner, “Help” in Raven's case meaning very little contact with the food and a great deal of handing Beast Boy the utensil needed for specific tasks. “Even when he was moonlighting as Red X he wasn't this scattered.”

“Maybe we shouldn't have told him about us.” Garfield frowns, not noticing Raven's surprise at his use of plurals. “It's obviously caused his brain to short circuit.”

“I don't think this is about that, not really.” The empath disagreed. “His emotions aren't directed at anyone. He feels the same around Cyborg and Starfire as he does around us. If it was anyone else I'd think he was blocking me or giving off false signals but with Robin that's...”

“Impossible, yeah.” Beast Boy nods, knowing their psychic bond was something neither Raven or the Titan's leader liked to speak about. “He'll figure it out, I'm sure.”

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It took him three days to do so.

Beast Boy and Raven tried their best not to impede on his contemplation, even Starfire seemed more suppressed, speaking loudly rather than exclaiming, and Cyborg tried his best not to influence whatever decision Robin was grappling with, despite his strong suspicion it had to do with the youngest Titans and their relationship.

On the third day, when Raven rose from her room into the common area, Robin was already awake and seated at the table. She had known this of course, but seeing him was something else.

His usual morning edition of the Gotham Times was nowhere to be seen, he sat there nursing a coffee and when she arrived he nodded to her as he always did, but his attention did not waver from the sorceress as she prepared her tea.

She sat and for the first time in years, Robin was the one to break their silence.

“Raven.” He began, his eyes flicking from her face to his coffee cup as she went to meet his gaze. “Were you and Beast Boy afraid of telling me about your relationship?”

The other chairs at the table shot out and toppled onto the floor as Raven's eyes widened. “I… We were worried, but I wouldn't say afraid.”

“There was an element of reluctance though?” The Boy Wonder pressed. “Why?”

“Well, at first it was because I wanted privacy, we weren't sure if it was going to last at the beginning and I didn't like the idea of people getting a private drama show.” Raven revealed, toying with the edge of her teacup. They were both out of their comfort zones. “After that… We thought you might decide it was too dangerous for the team.”

“You thought I'd forbid it?” Robin asks incredulously. “Even though Starfire and I-”

“Starfire won't destroy a building if her emotions get away from her.” Raven cut him off, locking eyes with him across the table. “She's not dangerous like I am, or like Beast Boy is.”