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for anyone who was curious, or even keeping track, i dropped robin/beast boy from the to-do list due to time. i may do it in the future, just not for this challenge :)
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dangerpronered, who i should thank for being so patient!
title: conditioning
author: songbirdjen
rating: g
summary: raven decides she needs a bit of training in the "hand-to-hand" combat category, and who better to help her out than robin? robin/raven
spoilers: maybe a slight one for "fear itself."
notes: my last fic formemlu's v-day fic challenge :) also my longest @_@ nearly broke 1000 with this one...
Conditioning
-songbirdjen-
“Ready to do this, Raven?” Robin says quietly, planting his feet firmly on the floor and readying his muscles to attack.
Raven takes a deep breath and exhales slowly through her teeth. She clenches and unclenches her hands several times before replying, “Ready when you are.”
Almost instantly Robin charges at her, and she sucks in a rapid breath and dives out of his way, rolling to the ground. Her head snaps in his direction and she attempts a sweeping kick at his legs, but one second they’re there and the next they’re gone, and in the second following those two she hears a snikt and suddenly feels cool metal against the back of her neck, forcing her nose to the ground.
She sighs against the matted floor of the combat room. “I’m not going to get this right anytime soon.”
Robin retracts his bo and helps her up. “I wouldn’t say that. You’re getting a little better every time. At least this time you managed to attempt an attack.”
“Maybe we just shouldn’t bother,” Raven continues, ignoring him. “I mean, what’re the chances that I’ll be rendered completely powerless again, as long as I focus more on keeping my emotions in check—”
“Hey, it was your idea to try and work on your second line of defense, Raven. And since the whole Wicked Scary movie fiasco I agree: it does sound like a good idea. Not to say that your powers aren’t, you know, capable,” Robin quickly amends at the offended look that crosses her face, “but it’s definitely a plus to have a backup plan, just so you’re prepped for the worst. At best, it’d be a good idea to establish some rudimentary defensive skills, right?”
Raven mulls this over in her mind as her eyes trail around the sparse combat room, recalling the sense of helplessness that filled her weeks ago, not to mention how useless she felt when all her friends had disappeared. If push comes to shove, and worse comes to worse…
“I know you’re right, Robin, but this whole thing is just a bit… well, different. I exercise my mind; I’m not exactly used to exercising my body—at least, not like this.”
“Well, that’s what we’re practicing for,” he says gently, and places a reassuring hand on her shoulder, keeping it there until her eyes pull back to his. “Now, why don’t we give it another couple of shots? I’ll get rid of my bo this time.” As evidence, he whips out his bo and tosses it to the side, flashing Raven a grin.
It takes Raven a moment to realize the room suddenly feels very warm and they are standing very close. She feels Robin’s thumb slide against her collarbone, almost imperceptibly.
Robin blinks and lifts his hand away, taking a few steps back and clearing his throat. “Um, ok. Let me know when you’re ready, alright?”
“I’m ready,” Raven says without hesitation, the spot on her shoulder tingling.
Robin blinks again, probably at the immediacy of her response, but quickly recovers and takes a running leap into the air, aiming for his dark-cloaked teammate. Raven shoots forward and twists to keep her eye on him as he sails over her, and he lands light as a feather on the floor and tries a spin kick at her, which comes so close she has to flip back to avoid it.
“Good!” Robin exclaims appraisingly, then sobers at once and aims a fist at Raven’s face. She braces her forearms in a block, catching Robin’s wrist in the upper angle of the “X” created by her arms, and shoves him away.
He falls back, but not before hooking an ankle around Raven’s calf and pulling her feet out from under her. She topples away from him, shoulders hitting the wall and sliding to the ground.
“Ergh… ” she groans, propping herself up on her elbows just as Robin crosses his arms against her neck, forcing her head against the wall.
Her eyes flicker first to his gloved hands, and then to his eyes. “You… have this thing about necks, don’t you?” she mumbles, breathing difficultly.
Robin is panting for breath too. “It’s a pretty effective way of putting your opponent in checkmate, so… yeah.” He eases off a bit, but doesn’t remove his arms. Doesn’t move much at all, really.
For that matter, neither does Raven.
He is very, very close, Raven thinks torpidly, and there’s that tingly feeling again.
His lips part, just slightly, and her eyes are drawn to the small movement, one quick glance. He shifts faintly, just barely, and the space between them starts to close…
Raven’s eyes suddenly snap wide, wide open and she jerks back, only there’s nowhere to go with the wall in her way, so instead this surge of black mass strikes Robin square in the chest and roughly throws him back against the floor.
“Umph!” he grunts when he lands, stunned.
She clambers to her feet, hastily trying to think of the words you say when you’re supposed to apologize to someone and drawing a complete blank; she’s too preoccupied with blanketing the chaotic rush of feelings in her head to even speak properly.
She finally manages to dash over to him and gives him an arm up, blurting, “I—sorry, I’m sorry about that, it’s—”
“No, don’t be—” he starts, placing his hand over hers resting on his arm, but is abruptly interrupted by his communicator going off and flashing red lights.
“Looks like there’s trouble,” he mutters, and she just nods and pulls her hand away.
Just before she does, though, she says, “Um, Robin… I know this probably isn’t the best time, but… can we do this again tomorrow?”
He looks back at her and the corner of his mouth quirks upward, and if either of them are blushing they can’t tell, what with the red beams assaulting their vision.
“I’d love to.”
-fin-
for
dangerpronered, who i should thank for being so patient!title: conditioning
author: songbirdjen
rating: g
summary: raven decides she needs a bit of training in the "hand-to-hand" combat category, and who better to help her out than robin? robin/raven
spoilers: maybe a slight one for "fear itself."
notes: my last fic for
memlu's v-day fic challenge :) also my longest @_@ nearly broke 1000 with this one... Conditioning
-songbirdjen-
“Ready to do this, Raven?” Robin says quietly, planting his feet firmly on the floor and readying his muscles to attack.
Raven takes a deep breath and exhales slowly through her teeth. She clenches and unclenches her hands several times before replying, “Ready when you are.”
Almost instantly Robin charges at her, and she sucks in a rapid breath and dives out of his way, rolling to the ground. Her head snaps in his direction and she attempts a sweeping kick at his legs, but one second they’re there and the next they’re gone, and in the second following those two she hears a snikt and suddenly feels cool metal against the back of her neck, forcing her nose to the ground.
She sighs against the matted floor of the combat room. “I’m not going to get this right anytime soon.”
Robin retracts his bo and helps her up. “I wouldn’t say that. You’re getting a little better every time. At least this time you managed to attempt an attack.”
“Maybe we just shouldn’t bother,” Raven continues, ignoring him. “I mean, what’re the chances that I’ll be rendered completely powerless again, as long as I focus more on keeping my emotions in check—”
“Hey, it was your idea to try and work on your second line of defense, Raven. And since the whole Wicked Scary movie fiasco I agree: it does sound like a good idea. Not to say that your powers aren’t, you know, capable,” Robin quickly amends at the offended look that crosses her face, “but it’s definitely a plus to have a backup plan, just so you’re prepped for the worst. At best, it’d be a good idea to establish some rudimentary defensive skills, right?”
Raven mulls this over in her mind as her eyes trail around the sparse combat room, recalling the sense of helplessness that filled her weeks ago, not to mention how useless she felt when all her friends had disappeared. If push comes to shove, and worse comes to worse…
“I know you’re right, Robin, but this whole thing is just a bit… well, different. I exercise my mind; I’m not exactly used to exercising my body—at least, not like this.”
“Well, that’s what we’re practicing for,” he says gently, and places a reassuring hand on her shoulder, keeping it there until her eyes pull back to his. “Now, why don’t we give it another couple of shots? I’ll get rid of my bo this time.” As evidence, he whips out his bo and tosses it to the side, flashing Raven a grin.
It takes Raven a moment to realize the room suddenly feels very warm and they are standing very close. She feels Robin’s thumb slide against her collarbone, almost imperceptibly.
Robin blinks and lifts his hand away, taking a few steps back and clearing his throat. “Um, ok. Let me know when you’re ready, alright?”
“I’m ready,” Raven says without hesitation, the spot on her shoulder tingling.
Robin blinks again, probably at the immediacy of her response, but quickly recovers and takes a running leap into the air, aiming for his dark-cloaked teammate. Raven shoots forward and twists to keep her eye on him as he sails over her, and he lands light as a feather on the floor and tries a spin kick at her, which comes so close she has to flip back to avoid it.
“Good!” Robin exclaims appraisingly, then sobers at once and aims a fist at Raven’s face. She braces her forearms in a block, catching Robin’s wrist in the upper angle of the “X” created by her arms, and shoves him away.
He falls back, but not before hooking an ankle around Raven’s calf and pulling her feet out from under her. She topples away from him, shoulders hitting the wall and sliding to the ground.
“Ergh… ” she groans, propping herself up on her elbows just as Robin crosses his arms against her neck, forcing her head against the wall.
Her eyes flicker first to his gloved hands, and then to his eyes. “You… have this thing about necks, don’t you?” she mumbles, breathing difficultly.
Robin is panting for breath too. “It’s a pretty effective way of putting your opponent in checkmate, so… yeah.” He eases off a bit, but doesn’t remove his arms. Doesn’t move much at all, really.
For that matter, neither does Raven.
He is very, very close, Raven thinks torpidly, and there’s that tingly feeling again.
His lips part, just slightly, and her eyes are drawn to the small movement, one quick glance. He shifts faintly, just barely, and the space between them starts to close…
Raven’s eyes suddenly snap wide, wide open and she jerks back, only there’s nowhere to go with the wall in her way, so instead this surge of black mass strikes Robin square in the chest and roughly throws him back against the floor.
“Umph!” he grunts when he lands, stunned.
She clambers to her feet, hastily trying to think of the words you say when you’re supposed to apologize to someone and drawing a complete blank; she’s too preoccupied with blanketing the chaotic rush of feelings in her head to even speak properly.
She finally manages to dash over to him and gives him an arm up, blurting, “I—sorry, I’m sorry about that, it’s—”
“No, don’t be—” he starts, placing his hand over hers resting on his arm, but is abruptly interrupted by his communicator going off and flashing red lights.
“Looks like there’s trouble,” he mutters, and she just nods and pulls her hand away.
Just before she does, though, she says, “Um, Robin… I know this probably isn’t the best time, but… can we do this again tomorrow?”
He looks back at her and the corner of his mouth quirks upward, and if either of them are blushing they can’t tell, what with the red beams assaulting their vision.
“I’d love to.”
-fin-
Teen Titans
That ROX
Buttercup-babe,or Raven-babe.