#TimRae Fanfiction

[darthvashtique93]

Sleep

The sexual tension had been building and building and building until it finally exploded in an array of words and silent, rude gestures. The hurtful words like 'replacement' and 'demon' may have been exchanged, but not a single voice was raised…there was no shouting. Their teammates only watched in fear as barbs were calmly exchanged between the two.

It had been almost a week since the argument, and he hadn't slept a wink. They were giving each other the silent treatment, and the team had had enough. Right before they called for an intervention, he was called to Gotham. Tim Drake needed to make an appearance in the place of Bruce Wayne, who was off-world.

He slept two hours on the jet, and an hour before the gala. Out of 5 days, he'd slept three hours. After the gala, he had to go on patrol with Nightwing and Red Hood. Both told Red Robin that he "looked like shit and need to sleep." Red Robin snarled out them and sped out of the cave, leaving two very confused brothers behind.

Red Robin was cold. The pelting rain hurt as it landed on his face. He was so tired. At the moment, he was sitting on top of a gargoyle, looking out over the city, with nowhere to hide from the rain. He didn't have the energy to respond to the jokes Nightwing and Red Hood were cracking in his ear.

Now that he was away from the situation, regret began to set in. He had been harsh, but so had she. Still, he was the leader. He could have deescalated the situation. Instead, he threw out the word, 'demon', causing her to respond with the word he hated most - 'replacement.'

Red Robin groaned. He didn't know what was wrong with him. Lately, everything she did either annoyed him or angered him. Like, the way she drummed her fingers on any surface when she was annoyed; the way she stared at him with her knowing, vibrant eyes; and the way she was there to stop him from doing something stupid. Those things drove him crazy. Then there was the way she bit one side of her lip; the way she'd hang her head to hide a blush any time she was complemented; the way her hair draped in front of her face when she tilted her head. Don't even get him started on her hair. He'd felt it once. It was silky soft. He'd also spent time studying her lips that were begging to be kissed. Those things annoyed him to know ends. Why did she have to smile in a way that gave him tingles in multiple places? It pissed him off. She needed to frown more. And her breathing – did she really have to inhale like that every time she caught him gazing at her. It was infuriating. Why couldn't she breathe like a normal human? Red Robin frowned as he remembered she was anything but normal.

Red Robin stood from his spot on the gargoyle and jumped to the flat surface of the roof. He needed to apologize. But why should he be the one to say sorry first? Red Robin shook his head, his soaked hair slapping his face. He needed to figure out his feelings - "Why don't you come in?" Nightwing suggested. "It's almost 4 a.m., and you could use some rest."

"Yeah," Red Hood chimed in, "you've been a real grump tonight. What's your deal?"

Red Robin didn't respond. He couldn't. She was there, in front of him. Standing right there. She'd just emerged from the shadows. 'How long had she been there?' he had asked, ignoring his brothers, who were both speaking in his ear.

She stepped forward, removing her hood. The torrents of rain immediately soaked her hair, and his eyes began to wander. She was saying something, probably apologizing. He was too busy tracking the raindrops rolling down her face to pay attention to her words. His world slowed as he watched her. Before he knew it, he was approaching her with confidence. He stood directly in front of her, looking down into her violet eyes. She took a small step back to put some distance between them.

"Tim," his name slipped from her mouth. Red Robin had had it. Wrapping a strong arm around her waist, he pulled her into his body and placed his lips on top of hers. Suddenly, it all made sense. Though, he really should have known – he'd been in this position before with previous lovers. Only his feelings for her were more intense, and he never kissed Bernard in the rain. "Tim, are you there?" Dick asked. "Tim?"

Red Robin ripped his earpiece from his ear as his lips continued to move against hers. His tracker was still in place, Dick and Jason could reach him if they needed him.

Grabbing her thigh, he placed her leg around his waist, and she immediately wrapped the other leg around his waist. Red Robin pushed her back into the wall for support. Making out on a roof in uniform – Batman would kill him. As if he hasn't done way more on a roof with Catwoman, Red Robin thought as he pressed his hard body into Raven's soft one. Even though he couldn't feel her through his plated armor, his entire body was on fire. The freezing rain did nothing to quench the flames inside of him. "Bed," he whispered breathlessly against her lips. A portal opened, and Red Robin felt himself fall forward. He immediately stuck his hands out, bracing himself so he didn't fall on top of her.

Once he was stable, he ripped off his mask and threw it somewhere in the room before placing his lips over hers again. Her mouth was hot against his, and her lips were so soft. Tim shoved his tongue into her mouth and rubbed it roughly against hers. Raven's groan vibrated against his mouth, and the feeling made him shiver from the top of his head to the tip of his toes. He needed to feel her.

He abruptly sat up. Using his teeth, he pulled one glove off his hand while he used his other hand to unclip his cape. Removing his other glove, he too, tossed it somewhere. His lips were back on hers again within a split second. He shuddered when he felt her fingers dig into his scalp. Groaning, he blindly felt for her cape and unclipped it. Yanking the soaking wet fabric out from underneath her, he threw it. It hit the wall before landing on the floor with a splat.

Breathing heavily, Tim looked down at the empath. He could just make out her features in the dark room. Her eyes were purple and bright and seemed to glow. Her breasts moved up and down with every deep breath she took.

Caressing her face, he slowly made his way down to her lips that he softly traced with his thumb. "Beautiful," he said. He then went to work on his uniform, removing his utility belt and dropping it by the side of the bed. He removed his bulletproof-plated armor that she herself had enchanted, making crime fighting a lot safer. Never breaking eye contact, he removed his boots and placed them neatly at the foot of the bed before slowly removing his tights. When he returned to his bed, he was only wearing black briefs. Crawling over Raven, he spread her legs and knelt between them. She immediately wrapped her legs around his waist. Her hands began to slowly, tentatively, reach for him. Tim grabbed her wrists gently and placed them on his waist right above the elastic band. Instead of grabbing the briefs, which he had expected, Raven slowly dragged her hands up his bare chest, feeling each and every ab. Tim inhaled sharply and breathed out slowly. Her hands were so warm and soft. He leaned over her, bracing himself on his hands as she caressed his shoulders down to his arms. She slowly made her way back up to his neck and face, caressing his cheeks and tracing his lip. Tim placed a gentle kiss on her gloved hand. Raven inhaled sharply at the feel.

Tim slowly leaned back down and began to gently kiss her. He kissed her upper lip and then her lower lip as he searched for the catch in the back of her suit. Finding it, he slowly dragged the zipper down her back. Raven arched into him to give him better access. Once it was down her back, she sat up and helped Tim remove her uniform. It took a little longer to remove Raven's than his being that Raven wore a catsuit that stuck like second skin.

Now, they were both in their undergarments. Bracing himself on his forearms, Tim kissed her slowly and languidly with his tongue searching the crevices of her mouth. Raven wrapped her arms around Tim's neck and brought her closer. "Tim," she whispered as they slowly separated, "I'm ready." Tim's eyes widened as he stared down at her in shock and surprise. They'd already gone a lot farther than he'd expected, and he was okay stopping here. Raven placed a hand against his cheek and said, "I want you."

Tim surged forward, fusing their lips together, pressing every inch of his body against hers. His hands wandered and skimmed over every inch of skin, and hers did the same. He was on fire; he needed relief, but imagining the rain freezing rain falling against his skin helped him cool down. His movements slowed and became more controlled. They'd have more opportunities for him to give in and lose self-control, but for now, it was about her. He'd cool down just for her.

Hours later, after rounds and rounds of lovemaking, Tim lay on his side with his arms wrapped around Raven. Every now and then he'd move his thumb up and down against her arm, and she'd shiver against him. His body was slowly coming back to life with each shiver. He exhaled heavily. His body was ready for another round, but his brain one out in the end. There was no doubt in his mind that she was sore. He was sore. She had initiated things Tim didn't think she was ready for, but she once again, proved him wrong. Kissing her hair as she snuggled deeper against him, Tim closed his eyes and finally slept.

[flyingkiki]

Ours (1/?)

Leila. "Daughter of the night."

It was a surprise Tim wasn't ready for.

Or

How one night close to five years ago would change everything for Tim and Raven.

~~~~

Chapter 1

“Hey, I’m in Gotham,”

The message seemed strangely out of the blue to be sent at 4:23 in the morning, but when he saw the ID on his phone Tim sat up in bed and stared at the screen. Whatever dregs of sleep he felt disappeared instantly.

Rachel R.

Not wasting time, he called her. Raven picked up on the second ring.

“Hey,” her voice drifted through the phone, her voice soft and familiar. 

“Hey yourself,” Tim greeted, smiling into the phone and slowly rolling out of bed. It was nice to hear from Raven again after all those years. After she quit the team, they barely heard from her. Raven said she wanted a normal life, away from their superhero work. While with the Titan’s she had gone to a community college in San Francisco and it didn’t come much of a surprise she got into grad school right away on an academic scholarship. “It’s been ages,”

Raven hummed, her voice just a little distant. “Yeah, it has. Sorry for the early morning text,” she said. He could hear her moving around, plates rattling in the background. Probably preparing her morning tea, he thought. He could picture her making her favorite blend of herbal tea, the memory of her in the Tower still familiar to him. 

Tim entered his own kitchen and placed her on speaker as he started preparing his coffee. He set his phone on the large granite counter. “Don’t worry about it,” he assured and started puttering around in his kitchen. “What brings you to Gotham? Do the others know?”

There was a brief pause from the other line and Tim stopped dumping heaping portions of coffee into his old coffee maker. Multi-millionaire and he still had yet to buy a decent espresso machine. His brows furrowed at the silence.

“Just some personal stuff,” Raven finally replied. There was some distant noise and a door closing in the background. He heard the line rustle with her movements. 

“I see,” he breathed with piqued interest. In the last five years or so, Raven barely stayed in touch. She kept the team updated on her travels across the globe, but barely delved deep on her personal life beyond her life as a research assistant and her latest whereabouts. This was new. He knew that Raven’s mother was originally from Gotham and with the ex-Titan wandering around the globe, he assumed she had some business to take care of. 

“Do you need help with anything? Are you alright?” he asked, suddenly standing still and waiting for her reaction. Worry laced his tone and he tried to pick up anything that felt out of the ordinary. “Just say the code,”

Raven released a soft huff of laughter, the sound familiar to his ears and he visibly relaxed around his coffee. She did not sound in distress. “I’m fine,” she said. 

Tim stared at his phone waiting for her to continue as a pregnant pause filled the air. He heard her line rustle again. “Raven?” he prodded gently.

“Sorry,” Raven breathed. “Got a little distracted,” she said over the clatter of plates. He wondered where she was. That sounded way too much china for just morning tea, breakfast perhaps?

“How long will you be in Gotham?” he asked. Tim checked the time on his phone, making sure he still had enough time to get ready for work and make it on time. He had a meeting with R&D in the morning and he had hoped not to come in late today. 

Raven hummed. “I’m not sure, for a while, I think,” she said. 

Tim frowned at how distracted she sounded.  He wondered if she truly was alright, her voice seemed distant. “That’s great. You think we could catch up?” he asked while picking up his phone and coffee and heading back into his bedroom to get ready. 

“Actually, yeah, that’s why I’m calling,” replied Raven, there was a waver in her voice that Tim could not quite place. “Do you think we could meet up?”

Tim blinked, mildly surprised at the offer. “That’d be great,” he said, hiding the surprise in his tone. How strange for Raven to initiate a meet-up. His curiosity picked up and he blinked at his reflection in his bedroom mirror, mildly wondering why she wanted to meet up. Raven barely did social calls. “When?”

“Are you free later, after work?” 

—

While Monday’s were always terrible, Wednesdays were the worst for Tim. Mid-week meant meetings with the Audit department, review of project proposals, a stack of finance documents to review and sign, and project update meetings, and business planning for the new joint venture. Lunch was something he hardly tasted, barely touched it and had it whisked away from him as fast as it arrived. The rest of his Wednesday was spent neck deep in reports, Tim had barely some time to breathe.

His stomach churned from either hunger or his nth cup of coffee today. Or, he chalked it up to the curiosity that came with seeing his teammate after so long. While a million questions ran through his mind, Tim genuinely hoped that Raven was alright and in no way in any trouble. Social calls were hardly her thing.

Tim had just gotten back from work, surprisingly still daytime (a first in his entire career) and busied himself in the kitchen. Raven would drop by any minute, she had insisted on just coming over instead of meeting at a cafe. After throwing his suit jacket over one of the kitchen stools (a terrible habit he still had to outgrow, despite his age), he rolled up the sleeves of his white business shirt and prepared a plate of crackers. Alfred would have his head if he didn’t prepare at least something to nibble on for his guest.

It didn’t take long until his alarm system notified him that someone was outside the building, waiting to be let in. Briefly checking through his phone that it was indeed Raven, he buzzed her in. “Come on in,” he spoke through his phone, tapping a button and letting her through security. 

When he made it to his front door, he heard Raven softly knock against the reinforced door. Swinging open the door, Tim smiled. “Hey,”

Raven looked the same from how he remembered her five years ago. Her hair came longer now, black hair cascading past her shoulders. Her ruby jewel on her forehead was gone and turned into a pendant. Dressed simply in a pair of jeans and stylish black sweater and oversized jean jacket, Raven smiled at Tim. 

“Hey,” she mumbled, familiar blue eyes bright as they stared up at him. Raven sounded the same, and much to Tim’s relief he noted no signs of distress. Perhaps he was just overthinking everything.

“Come in,” he said, stepping aside to allow her to pass through and moving to close the door after her. He stood awkwardly by his now closed door and watched her briefly glance at the tastefully decorated hallway. For a brief moment he panicked, unsure what to do — could they hug? Was she okay with hugs now? Was a handshake okay? Or should he just wave?

Raven seemed to sense the mild awkwardness and she stepped into his space and took him by surprise and hugged him. “It’s good to see you,” she mumbled into his shoulder, she barely came up to his chin as she stood on her tippy toes.

“Raven, it’s been years,” he chuckled and squeezed her small form. Tim wondered if she had gotten smaller, if that were even possible. 

Raven hummed in agreement and stepped out of the hug. She sent him a smile that didn’t quite reach the eyes, but then again, Raven barely smiled. He ushered her into the apartment, directed her where to hang up her jacket, and told her to take a seat in the living room while he went to get them something to drink.

“You really didn’t need to prepare anything,” Raven called after him. Tim laughed and shot her an amused grin over his shoulder. “What kind of host would I be if I didn’t offer my guest something to eat and drink?”

Raven made a face, her calm expression crumpling as she wrinkled her nose. “Host?” she teased. 

Tim left her to her own devices, likely perusing his book collection along the large wall that led to his home office. When he returned moments later, sure enough he found her reading the backcover of a book. Little Women, First Edition.

“You know you can borrow anything you’d like,” he announced while setting the large tray with crackers and tea on the living room coffee table. 

“It’s a first edition,” Raven noted in mild surprise, gently cradling the book to her chest. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen this before here,”

Over the course of their time together with the Titans, Raven had visited his apartment a handful of times. Each visit had her inspecting his book collection, commenting on his lack of classics, and how he could have impossibly not read every management book that lined shelves. (“Some of these look like they never were opened,” she told him dryly, eyeing a Peter Drucker book in amusement.)

“I took that from the Manor a while back,” Tim told her. “You could borrow it if you’d like,” he motioned her to join him on his ridiculously large leather couch. He set a steaming mug of tea, prepared to her liking (as far as he could remember), in front of the empty space next to him. “Now come here, have some tea, and you can pick books you can borrow later,”

Over the course of years he had known her, Tim easily spotted the brief moment of hesitancy that crossed Raven’s face. She hugged the book tighter to her chest and shuffled towards the couch and slowly sat down next to him, just a fraction of a distance away from him. He could smell the familiar scent of her lavender perfume. Setting the book on the table, Raven carefully reached for the steaming mug of tea and took a tentative sip. 

“Well?” Tim asked, smiling and casually angling his body to face her, hoping to break the seemingly awkward silence that stretched through the air. 

Raven smiled over the mug. “This is good, you remembered,”

Tim grinned teasingly. “Hard to forget when you chugged tea every hour of every day,” His smile grew when the tension left Raven’s shoulders and she released a small huff of laughter. 

“As if you’re any different with your coffee,” Raven shot back.

They fell into an easy conversation, quickly catching up on the years apart. Tim learned Raven had traveled quite a bit over time, spending most of her time in Asia and Europe consulting on ancient literature research with local universities. She enjoyed her time in Europe and the slow travel to different countries by train. Tim thought it seemed very much like Raven to enjoy traveling at such a leisurely pace. This was the first time she was back in America after close to five years.

“So what brings you to Gotham?” Tim asked, after they shared a laugh over old memories of the Titans. 

Raven blinked, and that distracted energy he noted from her came back. He watched her blink, the corners of her lips lifting tentatively as she shot him a brief glance before turning back to the now cold tea. 

“It’s complicated,” Raven began and absently tapped the side of her mug. She stared at the plate of crackers, seemingly briefly lost in thought. Tim patiently gave her time to collect her thoughts, worry slowly brewing in the pit of his stomach. 

“Raven?” he gently prodded.

“I have a daughter,” she announced without much preamble.

Tim blinked, genuinely surprised at the announcement. Well, that wasn’t what he was expecting. 

“Oh, wow,” he breathed. He watched her worriedly stare at him, as if studying his reaction. “Congratulations, Rae. That’s awesome,” Raven offered him a small smile, she looked sheepish and inhaled deeply, as if collecting her thoughts. “This is great news,”

The corner of Raven’s lips curled into a wry smile. “Her name is Leila,” Raven carried on and suddenly broke eye contact. Tim watched her in mild worry as she absently stared at the orange teapot Alfred gifted him as a housewarming gift many years ago. “She’ll turn four this year. She’s a very smart little girl. She likes books, going to the park, going to the beach, playing with dolls and Lego, dancing, and drawing,” A fond smile plays on Raven’s lips as she thinks of her daughter. “She’s talks a lot and asks a lot of questions,”

Tim smiles as he pictures a little girl that looked exactly like Raven. The image couldn’t be cuter. His smile grows at the thought. “She sounds wonderful, Raven,” 

Raven looked at him and caught his gaze, she smiled at him like any mother proud of her child. “She is,” 

“You should have brought her with you,” Tim told her. Tilting his head curiously, he watched her body stiffen. “Who is looking after her while you’re here?” He paused, wondering if it was the right time to ask. “The father?”

“She’s at daycare,” Raven answered, not really answering his question. Inhaling deeply, Raven set her cold tea on the coffee table in front of them. She stared at it for a moment, as if seemingly studying the intricate patterns that danced on its surface. 

“Raven?” Tim looked at her in confusion, worry again starting to creep up slowly in his stomach. Was Raven alright? Was her daughter safe? What was going on?

Raven blinked, breaking out of her stupor, and she looked up at Tim, an unreadable expression crossed her face. “When I said I wanted to leave the Titans for a more normal life, I guess I truly got that,” she said wryly. As if catching Tim’s concern, she caught his confused gaze and she swallowed the lump that formed in her throat. Tim had never seen Raven look so hesitant. 

“When I left the Titans, I did not know I was six weeks pregnant, Tim,” she said. There was a brokenness in her voice in her confession that made his heart jump into his throat. His stomach churned uneasily as his mind began to process the information. 

Raven’s eyes widened in alarm, as if sensing Tim’s jump of emotions. She watched him go rigid, staring at her in alarm. “I didn’t know, until a few weeks later. I guess half-demons show pregnancy symptoms late in the cycle,” she explained, her smile wry.

“Raven,” Tim’s voice sounded strained, as waves of emotions suddenly seemed to swell in his stomach. Thought after thought ran through his mind, how could he have missed a pregnant teammate?  His stomach heaved.

“Leila has been asking a lot about her father,” Raven whispered. There’s a hesitancy and brokenness in her voice that made Tim worry even more. “She wonders where her father is and she’s such a curious child. And I can’t –” Raven paused, her voice wavering and her breathing hitched as she sensed Tim’s spike of emotions. Her blue eyes locked with Tim’s alarmed dark blue ones. 

“She deserves to know her father. And her father deserves to know she exists,”

Tim’s ears started to ring as he finally processed the information. Six months pregnant once she left the Titans. Six months — “Raven,” Tim hissed, his breathing hitching and his chest tightening. He felt breathless, his ears continued to ring loudly, and it felt like the world was spinning out of control. A distant memory, clear yet faint crossed his mind, that had his heart stutter and suddenly his world titled to the side. 

Fuck.

“Tim,” He heard her despite the mad ringing in his ears. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. She pressed on, her voice a mad mix of apologetic and panic. Her face crumpled into deep regret, her eyes trying to catch his panicked stare. “I tried to tell you —” she whispered and Tim felt his world explode. 

Oh shit.

“But I couldn’t, I was scared, I didn’t know what you’d do, what the Justice League would do, I as afraid they’d take her away from me, I did not know how you’d react, you were with Stephanie again soon after, and I was embarrassed and just scared,” her words were a jumbled mess, her voice uncharacteristically rose with a mix of emotions. Her blue eyes shone with unshed tears. “I am so sorry, Tim,”

Tim felt like the wind was knocked out of his chest and he inhaled shakily, desperately trying to find air to breathe. “So she’s —”

“She’s yours,”

~~

Notes:

Well, so here's that. Just another wild idea I could not let go of. I had to write. I always wanted to explore the idea of Tim as a father, I knew he was good with kids and the idea kind of grew on me over time. I know I have a couple of other stories in the works, but this one I'll keep short, just so I can let go of this plot bunny that's been bothering me for a while.

I wonder how I two birbs will navigate parenthood together?

[shewhowillnotbenamed1]

More than half of my ships are basically bundles of twigs tied together by twine.

I’ve got my two hands to type paddle, so these ships will still get out to sea. (Just barely.😁)

Ahoy!😏

[jasonrae117]

This is my first post on Tumblr. I have an ongoing story on fanfiction but I felt like trying something new. I was heavily inspired by @flyingkiki because timrae is too good of a pairing and there needs to be more stories. This is my contribution. I will be using songs throughout since its a band au but only this first chapter will have the whole song typed out. Furthermore all songs in this story exist in our world but for sake of my storytelling some will be "written" as originals by the character while others still belong to their respective artist which I will note.

For part one:

1.Dear Society- Madison Beer (As is)

2. Ribs - Lorde (As is)

3. Like That - Bea Miller and Aurora (Intended as band original)

4. COPYCAT - Billie Eilish (intended as band original)

Bad Idea, Good Intentions 

Part 1

Tim wondered why he found himself at a club on this Saturday night. Him and his friends had just graduated with their bachelor's degree in their respective fields and they convinced him to celebrate with them at this club.

By 'friends' he meant primarily his best friend Connor. The other two guys were more of Connor's friends than his but Tim knew them well enough to consider them his too. However, Connor had called him the day before and practically begged Tim to come. Apparently there was this new band that he knew the drummer and this was their highest profile gig yet and Connor wanted to support his friend by bringing whoever he could. Tim reluctantly agreed, feeling like he should get out more and spend time with his friends outside of college.

Tim already felt like this was a bad idea when he walked into a packed club with flashing lights, a fully stocked bar, and a large stage. 

"Tim! You made it!" Connor walked over to him and gave him a one armed hug as the other was occupied holding a half empty pint of beer. 

Tim smiled at his long time best friend. "Of course buddy, I keep my promises."

Connor dragged him over to the bar where their other friends Garfield and Garth were sitting. Both greeted him with cheers and hugs.

"Dude, this place is fucking great! So many hot girls!"

"Good God Gar, can you keep it in your pants for one freaking night?" Garth shoved the blond playfully and took a sip of his drink.

"What can I say, the ladies love me. I just wish your stupid band played something easier to dance to." Gar crossed his arms and glared at the stage where the four person band was performing.

"This is your friend's band?" Tim directed at Connor.

"Yeah, this is Nevermore! Wally West is the drummer. Jinx is on bass, Argent is keyboard, and Raven is the lead singer and guitarist." He pointed to each of the members.

"What the hell kind of names are those. That Raven girl already has a creepy vibe and she chooses a name like that? What's with the Edgar Allan Poe obsession?" Garfield looked bewildered and shook his head.

"I'm shocked you even know who that is. But dude, it's just their stage names."

Tim looked back to Connor wanting to know more about the band that made him come here. "What are their real names?"

"I don't know." Connor shrugged.

"Are they single?" Garth had asked grinning.

"I don't know about the other two, but don't even try with Jinx, that's Wally's girl." 

The guys entered a discussion about Connor's and Wally's friendship and what his stage name was. Tim heard it was something like Kid Flash but he wasn't paying too much attention. He was focused on the band onstage. 

The song sounded familiar but Tim wasn't big on music. Each member seemed to have their unique style and color but they all worked well together. Wally was wearing yellows, Jinx wore black and hot pink striped knee high socks with a short leather skirt and black mesh top. Her hair was dyed entirely bubble gum pink and wrapped up in two space buns. Argent had black hair with red highlights running through it and an all black outfit with a studded leather jacket. The lead singer, Raven, really caught his eye. She has a short purple bob that fell to just below her chin. 

Her outfit is what really had his mind stopping. She had on a black long sleeved ribbed shirt with a large keyhole neckline, showing off the tops of her full breasts, which was tucked into royal blue shorts that seemed to be barely long enough to even be classified as shorts with frayed edges. Her legs were encased in black fishnet stocking ending in a chunky heeled combat boot. Tim liked to think of himself as a gentleman that Alfred would be proud of but...the woman was hot. She had an hourglass figure but probably the best set of legs and ass he's ever seen. She was almost unreal how incredible she looked. 

The banter of his friends regained his attention as the band switched to another song. 

"Hey fellas, let's go hit the floor, this song is much better!" Garth and Connor finished their drinks and placed them on the bar agreeing to Garfield's request. They looked to Tim when he didn't move. 

"You guys go ahead, I'll be there in a second. I haven't even gotten a single drink in."

Connor threw an arm around him. "That's what happens when you arrive late." He ruffled his hair a bit. "Alright man, we'll try to find a spot close to the stage. See you there." 

With that his friends mingled within the crowd. Tim turned to the bar and ordered a bourbon on the rocks, he wasn't great in heavily social settings like this so he needed to calm his mind a bit. As he waited, his focus returned to the band.

They were actually really good. While he was slightly confused since their music was slower than he expected, the songs themselves were great. The lead singer had a lower voice of an alto but in the next song they started, it was clear she had a wider range. It was smooth when it needed to be but raspy and gritty, adding to the unique sound. The other girls added to the dynamic with their higher notes and he found he really liked it. 

The slow beat of their next song reverberated around the bar, drawing everyone in, particularly Tim. He moved from his spot at the countertop to one of the metal standing tables that was currently unoccupied. It stood to the mid-right of the stage with a small gathering of dancing patrons between him and the stage. He gently placed his hand that held the almost empty glass of bourbon on the surface of the table as he leaned into it. 

The lead singer Raven, he recalled from Gar's description earlier, slowly grasped the microphone. One delicate hand curled around the mic while the other laid gently in the supporting pole. Her almost raspy voice fluttered through the speakers.

 

Don't be cautious, don't be kind

You committed, I'm your crime

The low octave sounded almost sensual and her hand slid down the pole in time with the held note.

Push my button anytime

You got your finger on the trigger, but your trigger finger's mine

Her left hand formed into the shape of a gun and as she 'pulled the trigger' she collapsed her hand save for her single index finger that she spun slowly in a circle. Tim grinned at the small gesture representing being wrapped around one's finger and he couldn't pull his eyes away from how delicate and smooth her hands were. Even from the distance he sat she looked flawless.

Silver dollar, golden flame

Dirty water, poison rain

Perfect murder, take your aim

I don't belong to anyone, but everybody knows my name

Raven removed the microphone from the stand with her left hand and held onto the pole with the other as she slid down to a squat. On the beat she pulsed up and down to the next lyrics.

By the way, you've been uninvited

'Cause all you say are all the same things I did

Tim swallowed, eyes having never left her body he watched as the muscles in her legs contract and saw how her amazing ass peeked out slightly more from her bottoms. The routine had certainly taken a turn to a sexual nature and he couldn't help being turned on by the attractive lead singer. Her voice seemed to just purr in his ear. She rose to her feet again as she began the chorus.

Copycat trying to cop my manner

Watch your back when you can't watch mine

Copycat trying to cop my glamour

Why so sad, bunny, you can't have mine?

Did she just make eye contact with him? Holy shit, she definitely did. And was that a smirk? Was he drooling? Tim wiped at his mouth to confirm that he did not embarrass himself. He shook his head a bit to rid himself of the ridiculous idea that she could pick him out in the growing crowd. Many more patrons, especially the male ones, drew in closer and he found that he only had a small space around his table left. No way she looked directly at him. 

Call me calloused, call me cold

You're italic, I'm in bold

She sauntered to the right side of the stage before flipping around and doing a body roll on "italic" followed by a deeper and more exaggerated one on "bold" where she popped her ass out more. There was a cheer from almost all the guys in the building and a flurry of whistles. 

Call me cocky, watch your tone

You better love me, 'cause you're just a clone

Was Time seeing right? He could have sworn she winked at him as she strutted to his side of the stage. He knew he wasn't imagining things when she deliberately pointed at him accusingly while swaying her hips. Damn it was hot in here. He knocked the rest of his drink back hoping to steady his thrumming heart.

The chorus repeated with her returning to center stage and moving the stand off to the side. She dropped to the floor and threw her legs over the side where some of the guys tried to touch her before a bouncer pushed them back. As she finished the chorus she swung her legs back onstage but pivoted so she was parallel to the edge. One leg straightened while the upstage leg was bent.

I would hate to see you go

Hate to be the one that told you so

You just crossed the line

You've run out of time

Raven brought her upper body down flat with such ease and no doubt incredible core control. She gracefully placed an arm above her head as it turned to look out at the audience all keeping in time with the now soft melody of the song.

 so sorry, now you know

Sorry I'm the one that told you so

On the extended note she curled back up and hugged her knees briefly before sitting up and resting her ass on her heels. Tim was not only impressed with her fluidity and the hot choreography, but the range she held in her vocals. He was starting to think this wasn't such a bad idea after all. 

Sorry, sorry, I'm sorry, sorry

Raven bowed her head and sang softly into the mic looking like she was praying for their forgiveness. The music silenced for a beat before she snapped her head up with a devious glint in her eyes, a small curl to the side of her lips, and a quirked brow.

Sike

She got up to her knees and swayed back nearly to the former sitting position before thrusting forward again on each beat.

By the way, you've been uninvited

'Cause all you say are all the same things I did...

...you can't have mine?

She had risen to her feet again through a combination of swaying hips and body rolls. She retrieved the mic stand again and returned the mic to its post before the last lyric and ended the song in the same pose she started with.

At the song's last note the crowd erupted in applause, whistling, and to Tim's displeasure, sexual comments from some of the more rowdy and drunk guys. The band bowed and waved before thanking the owner and the audience and retreated off stage. 

His earlier worry about the band playing songs inappropriate to the occasion was thrown out the window because all parts of him thoroughly enjoyed their last song. He wouldn't dare say that to anyone but damn him if it wasn't true. That lead singer was just so gorgeous and had such a unique and fantastic voice, this must be every guy's fantasy. It was his now but who was he kidding, she must have a boyfriend. Wait...but didn't she wink at him? No, it was all an act. God he needed another drink. 

Tim made his way back to the bar and ordered another bourbon on the rocks. He paid his tab and leaned on the bar, replaying the movements of Raven's body. He felt a little shameful for not watching the other bandmates as the whole song was performed well, but she was too captivating. Probably why she was the lead singer.

 A pat on the shoulder interrupted him from his non-stop overthinking and he turned to see the smiling faces of the friends he came here with. The friends he had completely forgotten about until now. 

"Dude where the hell did you go? We had a great spot just left of center stage! There were a ton of hot girls dancing with us!" Gar waved his arms around almost smacking Garth and Connor. The two just shaking their heads and laughing.

"Not to mention a great view of the performance." Connor nudged Tim and an almost wistful look came across his eyes. Tim swallowed hard again.

"And what a performance that was. Shit that lead singer has a great body." Garth swung his arm around Gar's shoulder.

"And voice." Tim coughed and immediately took another sip of his drink realizing that it didn't help.

Garfield chuckled. "Who was listening to the music when she worked that ass like that. She probably got ninety percent of the guys in here hard by the first chorus."

"And you said she was creepy." Connor poked Gar in his chest. 

He held his hands up defensively. "Hey, that was before I knew she could get down like that! I mean her name is the bird of death, a bad omen. The other girls' names are kinda hot."

"Raven is just her stage name." Tim interjected. He didn't know why he felt like defending her, he quite literally didn't know her at all and this was typical Garfield behavior.

"Woah chill Tim. Got the hots for the lead singer? Wouldn't be the only one. Do you think she's single?" Garth lightly pushed his shoulder and took a seat next to him at the bar, flagging the bartender down. The other two looked at Connor who seemed to have the most information on the girl.

He head flicked back and forth between the two men staring at him before he understood their eager silence. "Look, I don't actually know that much about her. I just know about the fake names and mostly about Jinx. Wally doesn't really talk about the other two and I don't ask." 

Garfield groaned. "Why the hell not? Your friend is the drummer for a hot girl band and you don't ask about their relationship status, or what their real names are?"

"No I don't because that's weird and I'm sure he's told me their names, I just don't remember right now. Not like you'd have a shot with them."  The three men laughed at Garfield's expense and he crossed his arms and pouted.

"I don't see a line of girls wanting to dance with you Kent." 

"It doesn't bother me all that much Logan. Plus, I came here to support my friend not hook up with some random chick."

"Ugh you guys are all lame. I'm heading back out there. This band is playing music more my speed." Gar grounded out and spun on his heel, disappearing into the sea of bodies. 

"Good job Con, you made him all grumpy. Now I gotta calm him down." Garth grabbed his beer and followed his friend.

Tim was now reminded of why he was hesitant to come tonight. He wasn't the best of friends with Garth and Garfield and he came solely because of the desperate plea of Connor. He looked over to the stage and saw the main band playing their hearts out, music blaring over the speakers in an uptempo beat. Although it was more along the lines of typical club music, he found he preferred the darker melodies of Nevermore. 

"Yo buddy! Where'd that big brain of yours disappear to?" Connor waved his hand in front of his face dizzying him for a second. Tim reached and snatched Connor's arm to stop him and dropped it once his motion stilled.

"Sorry, I was just trying to remember something. How are you doing? Enjoying yourself?" 

"Yeah it's great. Awesome way to celebrate getting our degrees. I wish I had someone a little more special with me though, better company than those two numbskulls. How'd they graduate anyhow?" Connor took the seat the Garth vacated and spun facing the bar.

"Well, shockingly, Garth is actually pretty smart and Gar just copies off him when he can. He certainly didn't graduate magna cum laude." The two shared a laugh, lightening the mood once more. "You'll get that someone soon. Why don't you go back out there and see if she's there?"

"I feel like my soulmate isn't dancing in a club right now. I wouldn't be if my good friend wasn't playing for a big audience tonight."

"Fair enough. His band was really good. Do they play often?"

"At smaller venues yeah. I'm sure they'll be playing more here though, if any of the guys have anything to say about it." Connor smiled as if replaying a fond memory. "What do you think about Raven and Argent?"

"They're cool, great voices and Argent is amazing on the keyboard. How she keeps track of all the sounds is beyond me."

Connor let out a lighthearted chuckle. "I meant as attractive women, not their talents. Dork."

"Oh, yeah they're attractive."

"Wow, you're just not into this dude talk are you?" Connor swiveled to face him.

"I'm sorry, what am I supposed to say? I'm not going to sit here and objectify them." Tim looked seriously into his glass. It wasn't his intention to ruin the fun but he wasn't a fan of talking about his romantic interests, it felt too personal even though Connor was his best friend. 

"Sorry Tim. I didn't mean to offend you, just dumb guy stuff. I guess I've been hanging out with Gar squared too much." He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. Damn Tim really had a way with being a downer.

"Nah, it's all good. I think I'm just constantly in my head too much. Gotta be professional all the time and all that jazz." 

"Yeah man, well I'm gonna check on those idiots. Try to relax and have fun." Connor stood up and began to move before Tim stopped him.

"For what it's worth, I think Raven is the hottest. Her voice is positively sinful." Tim smirked at him and Connor's eyes widened as if Tim had spilt some highly classified secret. 

"There you go man! Hey maybe I can see if Wally can hook us up with a meet and greet." He winked and came back toward Tim to clap him on the shoulder. He started walking backwards toward the mass of people dancing to the music while pointing at Tim and sending him a knowing wink again. Tim just shook his head and laughed. 

[bluboothalassophile]

Hello Blu! I LOVE your Calm in the storm and Hopes for a Bastard stories! Thank you, you are doing an awesome job with these characters. Are Jayrea your favorite couple to write? Can you recommend any other great Robrea writers? (Any Robin). Love me som Robin/Raven!

Hello,

I’m so happy to hear you enjoy the stories! Hopes for a Bastard and Calm in the Storm are my two favorite fanfics to write!

JayRae are my favorite FanFiction couple to write.

Okay, I will admit that I, for the most part, stick to my ship for reading, or to platonic ties for the Batfamily. But I do have a few recommendations.

RobRae:

@xaphrin, @bwbeedubs, @megwritesfanfiction; these are the three big writers I recommend for ANY RobRae Ship they write, because these three are phenomenal. Obviously.

There’s also @elliniest, who wrote one of my favorite stories Leading the Blind, and currently is writing Turn A Blind Eye, so those are two good reads for RaeX and RobRae.

Also BEST Young Justice/Teen Titans Cross Over Ever: Xed, by Home By Another Way.

I don’t know any TimRae writers, at least, I’ve never gone looking for them. 

Now, I asked my DamiRae friend; @chromium7sky, for DamiRae recommendations:

@squiddybeifong, @kasieli, @damiraes, @alphayue, @queenfayonce, @airilymusing

[pinkrae]

SO. I’ve decided to make my life even harder than it is already and actually try my hand at writing fanfiction. 

I had tried to write some RobRae stuff in the past, but neither did it get finished, nor published anywhere because I thought I was trash (still kinda do, but eh, now I care less I guess?). But recently I’ve read small one-shots and it got me inspired again. I saw this “One hundred ways to say “I love you”” post and I instantly knew I want to do something based on that. And so the idea of creating one-shots using several pairings of Raven that I love was born. xD

The first chapter is already up on Fanfiction.net if you want to check it out, the link is here. (it’s super short! lol And probably not even all that great) I might post the separate chapters here on Tumblr as well, we’ll see.

But yeah, THE LIST IS LONG. And I’ll probably not even get halfway through this before I lose inspiration/motivation, but hey, at least I’m trying something new! ;D

And since there’s a lot to write and a lot of pairings to choose from, I’ll accept ideas for what pairings you’d like to see in each of the scenarios! So if you have a specific pairing for a specific prompt from the list I linked above, shoot it at me and I’ll consider it! <3

I accept most pairings for Raven, so don’t be afraid to come up to me with an unpopular one~! I’ll say it beforehand, though, that I’m not a big fan of BBRae, BUT I might consider it if it does get requested. It’s more likely to have a sibling-like relationship, though, so just be warned. My absolute NOTP is Raven x Slade, so don’t even come to me with that shit, thank you. Some of my fav pairings include: RobRae (OTP), JeriRae, DamiRae, WallyRae, TimRae, KonRae and others.

[darthvashtique93]

Love

Tim leaned against a pillar as he stared out at his jovial teammates. They had just successfully eradicated the entire HIVE and put The General (aka Ulysses Hadrian Armstrong) behind bars at Blackgate Penitentiary. Because this was a huge win for the Titans and Red Robin, Tim gave Garfield and Bart the 'okay' to throw a party at the tower. He now regretted that decision. The place looked like a frat house on crack. Titans and ex-Titans from around the globe came to celebrate. The place was packed with at least 200 superheroes aged 15-25. As the underaged heroes entering the party were discouraged from drinking via telepaths, sorcerers, etc., underage drinking would not be a problem. Victor hooking himself up to the Tower's sound system, on the other hand, was a major problem Tim had not foreseen. Music now blasted from every single wall, room, and corner of the tower. There were no places for Tim to hide. "Tim!" Tim looked up to see Cassie running to him. She had a drink in one hand, and Connor in the other. "Tim, what's wrong?" Cassie asked with a pout. "You promised Connor and me that you would relax and have fun. You said you would take a break from thinking," she said as Connor nodded in agreement. "Go dance with someone!" she shouted over the music.

"Who?" Tim questioned.

"Anyone!" Cassie shouted. "There's a plethora of females here wishing you would dance with them."

"And some males," Connor added. Tim just smiled at his two close friends. "There's Stephanie," Connor pointed out. "You could dance with her."

"I'm not going to dance with my ex," Tim stated, giving his friend a look that screamed 'You are an imbecile.'

"Why would you even suggest that?" Cassie asked her fiancée.

Connor shrugged. "I was trying to be helpful."

Tim looked around the packed common room. Everyone was accounted for. Well, almost everyone. "Have you seen Raven?" Tim asked the two.

"Oooh, Raven," Cassie teased. Tim rolled his eyes. "I have no clue where your favorite heroine is. Probably far away from this noise. Oh look, a pinata!" Cassie shouted, her attention elsewhere. She dashed back into the crowd, heading straight towards the pinata. "I'm gonna go make sure she doesn't hurt anyone," Connor said. Tim nodded as Connor followed his girlfriend into the crowd. Tim began to think. Hmm, if I were Raven, where would I be? She wouldn't stay in the tower with all the noise, but she wouldn't leave the island just in case someone needed her. Tim smiled. He knew where she was. Tim turned and walked out of the room, trying to avoid even more dancing along with amorous couples in the hall. This party had been a really bad idea.

Tim finally found her at the beach on the other side of the island. She was sitting with her knees pulled up to her chest, so close to the ocean. Every time a wave broke on the sand, the water come up to her toes. Tim looked her over. She glowed in the moonlight and looked absolutely lovely. Her hair, once violet, was now a midnight blue color. It fell straight and silky past her shoulder blades, almost reaching her waist. She wore a simple outfit. Short shorts and purple, sheer, short-sleeved shirt with a black strapped bandeau. Tim released a breath he had been holding. She is so beautiful. "Hey," he greeted upon approaching her.

Raven blinked up at him. If Tim didn't know any better, he would have thought her startled. "Hey," she replied before quickly looking around, "you found my hiding place."

"I did," Tim sat next to her. "Leaving the tower was not an easy task," Tim told her. "Whose idea was it to throw this massive party?"

"Um…I believe it was yours."

"No, I wanted a party with just us. San Fran Titans only."

"You put Garfield and Bart in charge," Raven deadpanned. "I warned you."

"You did," Tim said with a chuckle. "A part of me knew it was going to get crazy. I just didn't expect…that," he pointed to the glowing tower.

"Surely, you've been to some crazy parties of your own, Mr. I-graduated-college-at-18," Raven said playfully.

"I will have you know that I never attended a single college party."

"Didn't you show up at one of Jason's – "

"We will not speak of that night."

"I never ever thought I'd see the day when Tim Drake-Wayne was high."

Tim's head fell in his hands in embarrassment. "I wish I could forget."

"It was entertaining. Garfield took videos." Tim let out a woeful moan. "He said he will release them at just the right moment," Raven laughed. Tim groaned. "I'm thinking…wedding," she added, "at least he didn't send them to the entire superhero community."

"Yes. It could have been worse."

"How did Bruce react?"

"He didn't know what to think. He wasn't even disappointed. He was downright shocked."

"What's it like being high?" Raven asked. "I never had the chance to ask you."

"I think it's different for everyone because it felt like I was floating on a cloud that was about to burst, plunging me to my death."

"Oh."

"I never want experience that feeling again. I like feeling all of my extremities and having some semblance of control over what comes out of my mouth."

"We should hope Jason doesn't show up here. There are at least 25 underaged heroes in there."

"I asked Bruce to keep him busy. He has Jason attending a benefit with him. I believe Rose is there, too."

"I have heard from Dick, Kori, and Barbara that those things are extremely dry and boring," Raven said. "I have never been to one, but it does not seem exciting."

"I'm gonna have to take you to one."

"Pass," Raven immediately said.

The two friends sat in a comfortable silence before Tim said, "You've been really distant lately." Raven turned her head to Tim. "Ever since the Oz incident," Raven shifted uncomfortable at the mention of Oz. "But it's only with me. No one else."

"Maybe it has something to do with the fact that you were presumably 'dead' for two years," Raven bit out sharply. She immediately flinched afterward. "Sorry," she said.

"It's okay," Tim answered, "I asked. I am really sorry you guys had to go through that."

"It wasn't your choice or your fault. I know that. I just…I had just made peace with the fact that you were dead. And then you weren't." Tim studied her. He didn't understand at all. "I don't mean to be distant," Raven said. "I just…" her voice trailed off as she drew in the sand with her finger. "I guess I'm afraid."

"Of what?" Tim asked.

Raven didn't answer. Instead, she asked, "How long do you think this party will last?"

"Well, the party started at 9. It is now," Tim pulled his phone out of his shorts' pocket. "It is now 1 in the morning. I'd say we have about 4 hours left."

Raven threw herself back onto the sand. "Great," she huffed. Her head rested on her hands as her eyes closed.

Tim's eyes traced her body and immediately fell to the belly button ring. That's… new. Tim gulped before laying beside her. He really needed to get his hormones under control. He was just happy Raven had learned how to completely block out other's emotions. "So," Tim cleared his throat. He really wanted to get back to the question Raven had so artfully avoided, but he didn't know how. He decided on a tactic. "Did you have stars like this on Azarath?" he asked. Really? He mentally rolled his eyes. That wasn't the question he wanted to ask, but…

"We had stars," Raven answered, "but not like this. The night wasn't nearly as dark as it is here. We didn't have streetlights because there was no need. Azarath had two moons. The moons were always full. We would watch the moons rise the way you watch a sunrise. Once a month, when the moons reached their peak, different colors would flash through the sky. We were able to see the different galaxies. Ooh, and every other month, there was a meteor shower."

Tim could sense her excitement as she talked about her life on Azarath. Have I never asked her about Azarath? Sometimes Tim forgot Raven wasn't from Earth. "That seems awesome," Tim said when he realized she had stopped talking.

Raven turned to him. The joy in her eyes accentuated her beauty even more. "It was amazing," she breathed. "I wish I could show you," she said sadly.

"I would have loved to have seen it," Tim told her softly. He slowly reached his hand up and removed an errant strand of inky black hair.

"You would have tried to map out the galaxies. Then you would have named them," Raven smiled breathlessly.

"Probably," Tim laughed. They both stared into each other's eyes. Tim moved closer to her; his thumb gently stroked her lower lip.

Raven abruptly lifted herself up on her elbows, surprising Tim. "I can show you," she said, sitting all the way up.

Tim followed her. "How?" he asked, genuinely curious.

Raven crossed her legs and motioned for Tim to do the same. They sat across from each other. "Do you trust me?" she asked.

"You have to ask?" Tim said with a smile.

"Tim," Raven said seriously. "I'm about to enter your mind."

Tim looked deep into Raven's eyes, all playfulness leaving his face. "I trust you more than anyone I know," and he was shocked at how true that was.

Raven nodded. "Close your eyes and relax," she said as her eyes glowed white, and she placed a hand on each side of Tim's face. She began chanting. "Open your eyes," Tim heard a soft voice breathe in his mind. He obeyed. A jolt of fear shot through him. "Stay calm," Raven's voice echoed softly. Tim turned to see an older version of Raven dressed in white robes, with glowing white eyes, looking down at him with a smile. "You're in one my memories," her voice echoed. Tim immediately slowed his breathing, taking a moment to look at his surroundings. Judging from the way they were dressed, this was Azarath. "Raven, look," the older woman beside him said, "it's starting." Tim looked up at the dark sky to see two moons and the most beautiful colors sparkling in the night sky. Galaxies. The sky then lit up with flying objects. Tim easily recognized the meteor shower. He felt a swell of happiness and peace rush through him.

A minute later, Tim and Raven were back in their respective bodies on a beach in San Francisco. "Raven," he breathed.

She immediately knelt next to him and placed a hand on his chest. His heart was racing. "Calm down, Tim," she breathed softly as her healing powers slowly seeped into him, slowing his heart back to its regular pace.

"It was so beautiful," Tim said, covering the hand on his chest with his own. "But I didn't feel like me. I felt…different." He turned to look at the empath.

Raven's eyes lowered to the ground. "You were seeing through my eyes," Raven said.

"It was a memory," Tim breathed. "I was happy. You were happy and at peace."

"That is the last memory I have of my mother," Raven said, subtly trying to dislodge the hand trapped against Tim's chest. "Eight hours later, Trigon attacked." A solo tear ran down her cheek. She quickly wiped it away.

"Thank you for sharing it with me," Tim said in awe of what she had just done. It was no little thing, Raven showing a part of herself to him. She didn't let anyone, anyone into her head. Ever. In that moment, it hit him. I hope I'm right, he thought. "Raven," he scooted closer to her. She shifted onto her knees, staring intently at him. "I'd like to ask you a question." Raven nodded. "Earlier you said you were afraid. Why?" Tim could see her begin to disappear behind her wall. "No, don't," he sat up. "Don't do that."

"Do what?"

"Disappear."

"I don't know – "

"You're afraid of me…or for me?" Raven looked away. "Why?" Tim asked, searching her face. "I'm not going anywhere."

"But you did," Raven replied. "You died. Tim, you were dead for two years."

"Raven," he reached for her hands.

"What happens next time you die, for real?"

"Raven…"

"I…" Raven opened her mouth to respond; her lower lip trembled. Tim reached a hand up and caressed her cheek. Raven leaned into his hand. "Tim," Raven's voice trembled as she tried to pull away from him, but he wouldn't let her.

Tim placed his hand behind her head and gently pulled her forward. Kissing her lower lip first, he connected their mouths, fused their lips together. He swallowed her gasp of surprise as he placed an arm around her waist and pulled her close, chest-to-chest. He massaged her lips with his own, drinking in her soft sounds and moans. He felt Raven slowly, tentatively placing her fingers in his hair. Tim gently pushed her, coaxing her onto her back. He broke the kiss to breathe her name. "I don't know how long I've been wanting to do that," he said, rubbing their noses together.

Raven was breathless. She stared up at Tim with her large eyes. "I've wanted to do that for four years," Raven breathed out, her fingers tangled in Tim's hair.

"Really?" Tim asked as he softly drew designs on her stomach with his finger.

Raven bit one side of her lower lip, drawing his eye. "Tim," she whispered, "I um…" she paused, nervously. The feeling of his fingers on her stomach; the one stroking her hair – she couldn't concentrate. "I think…no," she paused, "I know that I- "

Tim placed his mouth over Raven's again, pressing his lips hard against hers. He lifted his head and breathed out, "I know. And I'm so sorry it took me so long to see how much you do. I love you, too." The amount of happiness and joy flooding her eyes nearly brought tears to Tim's eyes. He slowly brushed his lips against hers before slowly molding his lips to her, pressing his body against hers, slipping his tongue in and out of her mouth, sucking on her lower lip, basking in her breathless, soft moans. He needed to slow down. He didn't want to get so carried away he scared her away for good, but damn! He could kiss her forever. Just as he started kissing down her neck, drunken laughs interrupted him. He stopped and took in Raven's appearance. Her lips were swollen; she was blushing and breathless. They turned to see who had interrupted them. Two members of Titans international were about to have sex on the beach…and not the beverage. Raven and Tim started laughing quietly. "I think your secret hideout has been compromised," Tim laughed. "They stole my idea though."

"Tim," Raven gasped, blushing as she gently slapped Tim's arm.

"What?" he asked, gazing at her mischievously. "I'm just being honest."

"Well, can we go?" Raven asked as the passionate couple's moans and groans grew louder. "I don't want to hear all that."

"Sure," Tim said, rolling off her. He quickly jumped to his feet before helping Raven stand up. He then grabbed her around the waist and pulled her up against his body until not a single millimeter of space was left between them. He kissed her once again so passionately; if he hadn't been holding her, Raven would have swooned. By the time he pulled away, Raven had her arms wrapped around his neck, and she was out of breath. Raven had the feeling that as long as she was with Tim, she would probably always be out of breath.

The world stopped as Tim gazed into Raven's eyes. "Thank you for trusting me," he kissed her forehead. "Thank you for befriending me," he kissed her nose. "And thank you for loving me," he gently kissed her mouth. Raven nodded before snuggling closer to Tim as they began to walk back to the loud, Titan Tower turned frat house.

"I don't want to go back there," Raven whispered.

"I have a place," Tim blushed. He placed his forehead against Raven's, mentally sending him an image. Raven's eyes glowed black. The next instant, they were landing on a bed. "Perfect," Tim said before kissing her again. "I love you," he whispered.

"I love you, too," Raven whispered back. Tim smiled beautiful before he eagerly began kissing her again, much to Raven's amusement. But Tim couldn't help himself. He felt so free. The future he once worried about, didn't seem so bleak anymore now that he knew Raven would be right there by his side.

[flyingkiki]

We Played Dangerously (6/?)

Chapter 6: Once an accident, twice a coincidence, thrice a habit

It takes habit to make this a regular game.

You guys wanted more history, I give you you more smutty history. It's messy, it's complicated, and it's all very smutty.

Enjoy!

Previously: Chapter 5

~~~

The first time was an accident – or perhaps she liked to think so. 

Tim was a flurry of emotions weeks after another argument with his ex(?)-girlfriend Stephanie (something that seemed to happen more often than they’d like), another case that seemed to have taken over his life, and another fallout with the Batfamily. On the outside, he seemed typical Tim – collected, charismatic, exhausted, and every bit of a leader to safely (relatively speaking) drag them through that week’s shitshow. 

On the inside however, Tim was a storm of emotions. It was grating on Raven’s last nerves.

Raven paused and realized she had unconsciously stopped in front of Red Robin’s door. The cup of tea was slowly scalding her hands, but she barely paid attention to the heat. Instead, she felt the onslaught of emotions seeping out of Tim’s door and gnawing at her skin. Tim had come from Gotham earlier that evening, and he was no ray of sunshine.

And she thought Jason’s emotions were a hurricane.

She knocked, her knuckles rapping just a little too hard against his door. Frustration bubbled under her skin. Not soon after, Tim’s door opened, the noise slicing through the still of the night (morning? What time was it?). Blue eyes warily stared down at her.

“Raven?” Tim stared at her, blinking away the confusion in his eyes.

“You need to stop,” Raven hissed, fingers tightening around her mug, and she frowned up at him. He was still in uniform, of course, working on whatever ridiculous case he got his hands on. 

Tim titled his head, looking even more confused. “What?”

“This,” she hissed, voice low with everyone sleeping down the hall. She absently waved her hand at him in general, her hand gesture vague and admittedly terribly confusing. She knew she could do better at explaining things – but holy fuck, she was tired. His confusion mixed with everything else made her bristle. “All of this,”

Tim crossed his arms and Raven watched his eyebrows draw together as he stared at her. Confusion and frustration dangerously bubbling over. “I’m still not following,”

Raven released an irritated huff and unceremoniously pushed Tim into his room, the young man stumbling backwards in surprise and confusion at Raven’s force. His door room hissed shut behind them and Raven barely registered his room, the papers, technology, and evidence that seemed to litter every corner, and she stared up at him in exasperation. With a flick of her wrist, she cast a silencing spell in his room, in case a shouting match ensued. She had no time to deal with Superboy and his nosy super hearing. 

“Your storm of emotions is grating on my nerves,” she snapped at him as they stood in the middle of his room. 

Tim blinked, a look of understanding crossing his face and his tight shoulders seemed to loosen just a fraction. Raven knew he understood how her abilities worked and she immediately felt him consciously drawing away, a mental practice she knew Batman taught him. 

“Oh,” he breathed, arms dropping to his side, and he offered her a sheepish look. “I’m sorry,”

Raven frowned. “Don’t be,” she said. “Look, I’m not asking you to bottle up your emotions on my account. I can handle that,” she sighed and shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know, this can’t be healthy, Tim,”

In hindsight, once Future Raven would look back, everything moving forward with them was not healthy. A complete and utter shitshow, yes. 

She felt him close off further, protective walls immediately going up. They were by no means close, like to the standards of Superboy and Bart. She was at most, and felt like, an outsider to the team. But she liked Tim, he was nice and tried to understand her and get to know her while others were wary of her and her history. He respected her and she appreciated that. Beyond her annoyance over how he seemed to consistently grate on her nerves and concentration, she was concerned. Tim was a friend. 

She watched him release a soft chuckle. “It’s nothing," he said and brushed her off. He turned on his heels and made his way back to the mess on his desk, signaling an end to their conversation. She felt his tense emotions, his focus turning back to whatever he was thinking and working on. 

Raven frowned at his back. "It is something when you brood like Batman,"

Tim released a bark of laughter, he looked over his shoulder and a look of pure amusement crossed his face as he stared at her. “I do not brood like Batman,”

Raven rolled her eyes and sat down uninvited at the foot of his bed. She shot him an unimpressed look. “If you’re not trying to kill us at training, you’re locked up in your room working on whatever cold case you can get your hands on. And you’re consumed with this case you are working on. You’ve been snippy at Bart and Kon, they’re like little puppies you kicked into the rain,”

She watched him shuffle a few papers around, shoulders tense, and she could practically feel his closed off emotions bubbling underneath his skin. She wondered if that’s what she was like back when her emotions caused her too much trouble. She saw him frown at his table. “That’s not true,”

Raven tilted her head, borderline amused and frustrated at Tim. “Empath, remember?”

Tim sighed loudly, throwing the papers he was seemingly studying on the table and turned to Raven with a frown. “Okay, fine,” he breathed. Crossing his room, he sat down next to her, and Raven looked at him, studying his frown and the bubbling emotions. His warmth and his storm of emotions sent shivers down her spine. 

It often caught her off guard how out of all Bruce’s children, Bruce and Tim held the most similarities – even if Tim did not admit this.

“Tim?” she asked they fell into silence and her tea started to lose its warmth. 

She watched his jaw tighten briefly, the scars along his neck that peeked out of his uniform danced with the movement. “Right, sorry, Raven,”

“Here,” she said, passing him her now warm tea. “Tea helps calm me down,”

Tim hummed and took the offered mug. He took a tentative sip before exhaling slowly. “Thanks,” he offered her a small smile. The first she’d seen from him in days.

“It’s probably nothing like Alfred’s,” she commented. She watched him shrug and take another sip. 

“Remind me to bring you some the next time I go back to Gotham,” 

Raven glanced at him. “I’m guessing that’s not anytime soon,”

Tim hummed, took a long drink from her tea. “Yeah,”

"I can help, if you'd let me," Raven offered, raising her right hand towards his face and a gentle violet glow bathed the side of Tim's face.

Tim caught her hand and gently pushed her back. She expected that from him, all the Bats seemed wary of any kind of magic that would mess with their brains. "Thanks, Raven," he smiled gently at her. "It's alright"

Raven nodded and watched him drink some tea before blankly staring at his door, absently fiddling with her chipped Picasso mug, a gift from Rose. She could feel the thoughts running through his mind and Raven wondered if Tim ever paused to breathe. It always felt like he was running a marathon. She was always curious about Tim and the secret he seemingly kept. It oftentimes felt like he kept more secrets, darker than hers. Perhaps he did, she thought. It was unnerving – her curiosity piqued.

Gloved fingers tapped the rim of her mug, blue eyes stared at her curiously. "What do you do when your emotions," he blinked and paused "and thoughts get too much?"

Raven shrugged. "Meditate," she replied. She absently toyed with a loose string on her pajama bottoms. "Workout, go for a run, do yoga, get a hot bath." She sent him a wry smile, "Talk," 

Tim returned her wry smile. “So, what should I do?"

Raven hummed and eyed him in bemusement. "Talk to your friends? Get out of your room? Go for a run? Drink?" She made a face and she shot him an amused smile. "I don't know. Actually stop working? Sleep? Rub one out?"

Tim released a bark of laughter. "Rub one out?"

Raven shrugged, fighting off the amused smile that threatened to appear on her lips. She watched Tim laugh, the tension in his shoulders finally breaking, blue eyes dancing in amusement - the most life she's seen in them in weeks. "I don't know. Whatever it takes to get off the edge. Jesus, you’ve been obsessing over this case for days. Maybe jerking off helps? All this frustrated energy needs to go somewhere,"

Tim's shoulders visibly relaxed and she watched him snort ungracefully. "Okay, I'll add that to my to do list later then,"

Raven looked mildly horrified. "Please stop. Do not give me a mental image,"

Tim smirked and stood up. He shot her an amused grin over his shoulder. "Too late," He crossed his room and rummaged through one of his cabinets. Raven watched him riffle through one of the smaller cabinets before straightening and pulling out a bottle filled with dark amber liquid. He returned to the bed and sat next to her, a small, amused smile played on his lips as she watched him open the bottle of a very expensive whiskey (that likely cost more than what she made in a month). The familiar smell of alcohol filled the air.

Tim poured some whiskey into her now empty Picasso mug. "Since you're still here and I can't 'rub one out' now as per your suggestion," Raven rolled her eyes at his playfulness, "Let’s drink instead,"

Raven eyed the whiskey bottle warily. “Who would have thought Red Robin allows underage drinking?” she asked and carefully took the offered mug. 

Tim shrugged and watched her take a tentative swig. Raven grimaced at the burn of alcohol. “Well, Red Robin doesn’t but Tim Wayne does,” Tim said while tugging off his gloves and staring at her with amused blue eyes. 

They talked. 

She and Tim rarely talked in the past beyond the occasional banter and their regular meetings. Tim held deeper friendships with Cassie, Kon, and Bart and some of the younger Titans. Raven respected Tim a lot, he was a remarkable Robin and even more so as Red Robin. He was different from Dick in many ways. When she returned to the Titans, from her death after her father’s defeat, Tim was the only one who seemed to welcome her into the group. Where many feared her and kept her at arm’s length, Tim tried to be nice to her – but at the same time kept a close analytical eye on her.

He told her about the case he was working on, something be brought back with him from Gotham, a bloody human trafficking operation. He told her about his recent fallout with the Bats, the fights with Damian, Dick’s behavior, and Bruce’s distance. He told her about Stephanie, their recent argument, her transition to Batgirl, and all the messy details in between him and her. He missed Cass, one of the few family members who seemed to understand and connect with him. He told her about his work at WE, the struggles of being such a young CEO and all the assholes board members he dealt with daily.

They passed around the chipped Picasso mug between them, Raven sharing her own stories of her father, her brothers, relationships lost, and her time in the underworld.

“Hell sure is not fun,” mused Tim.

Raven snorted. “Far from it,” she breathed. She faintly recalled Tim and the team helping her come back, drawing her body back into this world. She watched the young man pour them another round of whiskey and it struck her that she sometimes forgot that Tim was the most human of them all – in every sense of the word.

“What messed up lives we live,” Tim commented, leaning forward and placing his elbows on his thighs. He threw Raven a rueful smile.

Raven hummed in agreement, warm from all the alcohol they had consumed, and she plucked the Picasso mug from his hands. She unconsciously leaned into his side, a little buzzed and sleepy from all the alcohol but her powers were processing through it and her mind was just barely hazy. “Hear, hear,” she mumbled into her mug, taking a small sip of whiskey. 

She felt the warm liquid slide down her throat. “Definitely not Hallmark movie material,” Raven mused dryly.  She felt Tim chuckle next to her, his shoulders jostling her head as he snorted ungracefully. Her chest tightened, as Tim’s familiar stormy emotions brushed against her, his thoughts now making so much more sense to her. Her stomach churned uneasily at the thought of everything Tim had to endure, it seemed unfair. 

“Do you,” Tim paused, seemingly trying to mull over his thoughts as he gently took the mug from her hands. He glanced at her head briefly. Raven felt his curiosity and unease. “I know you’ve been asked this many times before, but – do you still feel your father’s presence?”

Raven blinked and sat up, mildly surprised at the question. She had been asked a few times in the past. It was an old question, mostly because people were more wary of her than concerned. She felt Tim’s curiosity and concern. Raven shook her head as she stared up at him. “No, not anymore. Not for a long time,” she said. She watched him nod and drink from the mug. “He’s been gone for a long time,” 

Raven paused, catching his curiosity and his looming emotions that brushed against her side. Her gaze glanced at her mug; Tim's long fingers wrapped around it. 

"But I guess sometimes his presence still lingers, just memories," Raven added as an afterthought. 

Tim hummed in understanding before drinking the last dregs of the whiskey. She watched Picasso's face peek through Tim's fingers. "I guess our fathers really like to linger and haunt us," he said, shooting her a wry smile.

Raven paused and watched Tim pour them another glass, fingers still steady despite nearly getting through the entire bottle. She wasn't sure who he meant, if it was Bruce or Jack, but both parents weren't best father figures in Tim's life. It was a bit surreal, she'll admit, to see this Tim – all intimate and without the secrets and walls he meticulously kept drawn around himself. It strangely reminded her of her own walls and secrets she kept. 

"Fuck them," she breathed suddenly, leaning away from Tim, and stretching her legs out in front of her as she suddenly felt an odd comfort wash over her. Perhaps it was the alcohol or perhaps she just was tired. But this, this moment of rawness between them seemed safe – it was okay. 

Tim released a bark of laughter and shot her an amused glance, cheeks mildly flushed and eyes just a tad bit less tired. He looked less like he carried the whole world on his shoulders. It was a good look on him, she mused. "Right," Tim breathed, agreeing to her sentiments. 

"How are you not drunk?" She asked curiously, watching him take another sip from her mug before handing it to her. Her mind gently buzzed from the alcohol and sleep sounded perfect right about now.

Tim shrugged. "When I work at WE, a lot of my meetings have alcohol. Some of the countries I visit have lower drinking age restrictions. Overtime, I've built a tolerance or else all these old board members think they can prove their power because they can drink," 

Raven hummed. What a cutthroat world to live in. "Sounds like a good pathway to alcoholism to me," she mumbled, absently wiggling her toes to remind herself not to fall asleep.

Tim chuckled. "It does. We make sure we don't overdo it. My parents and Bruce taught me that," he paused and blinked. "Except for Jason, I think," Tim returned the cork on the whiskey bottle, signaling an end to their drinking. "This was nice. Thanks, Raven,”

“Anything to get you to sleep,” Raven breathed, relieved that finally Tim’s mind was not a cacophony of noise and there was less tension around him. She hoped she didn’t have to drink with him again to achieve this again though. Standing up, she briefly felt the warmth of alcohol tingle her skin and her mind clouded momentarily, the floor shifted, and she willed herself to burn through the alcohol faster. 

“You good?” Tim asked her, looking mildly amused as she made a face and swayed for a second in the middle of his room. Raven hated how unaffected Tim looked. 

“Yeah,” said Raven. She shrugged dismissively. “Just takes a moment to burn through all the alcohol,” She explained and started to walk towards his door. Tim followed her to the door, his aura much less tense. Raven was relieved, with harmony restored to a certain level, sleep and her bed sounded lovely right now. 

“Sounds like a good power to have,” mused Tim, chuckling softly. Raven was silently relieved to see him slightly sway on his feet – at the very least he did seem to get a good buzz out of all their drinking.

Raven paused at his door and turned around, watching Tim’s amused smile spread just a little bit further that evening. The sight made her skin tingle. “I can do that for you now, you won’t have a hangover tomorrow,” she offered, not really waiting for his reply and already reaching out with her glowing hand towards his temple. 

“Alright, I could also do without the hangover,” Tim agreed. Raven allowed her powers to reach out and heal Tim, taking the heavy effects of alcohol out of his system and clearing his mind. It seemed strangely personal – intimate – to heal him outside of their usual missions, but Raven ignored the thought and tried to focus on the task at hand.

She felt the alcohol and haziness that came with it bubble underneath her skin as she took the last of the effects of alcohol away from Tim. Dropping her hand, she watched him smile, skin just a little flushed still. 

"Thanks," breathed Tim. He blinked, rolling his right shoulder just a bit and he frowned at the movement. "Did you heal my shoulder too?" 

Raven shrugged, feeling the shadow of tight muscles that were once Tim's chief complaint with her movement. "I guess I did,"

Ignoring Tim's soft noise of protest, she plucked her Picasso mug out of his hand and started to turn to his door. She really wanted to sleep. "Well, good night, Tim," her hand hovered over his keypad, just about to open his door. She shot him a warning look over her shoulder. "Sleep," she made a face as he released a soft chuckle. "Or rub one out, and sleep,"

"Maybe I will," teased Tim, a playfulness Raven rarely saw.

Her face pinched. "Ugh, stop putting images in my head," There was a playfulness that tickled at her skin. Ignoring her better judgment, she entertained the playfulness.

Tim laughed, thoroughly amused at their exchange. Raven smiled, a surprisingly light moment. "Your fault, your suggestion," Tim tilted his head, studying her amused face. Raven watched the smile grow just a little wider. Scars along his neck bobbed as he swallowed. For a moment, Raven thought she saw Tim studying her. 

"You did offer to help,"

There was a beat as she caught Tim's bright blue eyes and Raven knew that the world seemed to suddenly shift. And it was not because of the alcohol. Looking back, Raven knew she was damned that night. 

It happened in slow motion, her mug gently being pulled out of her hands and blindly pushed onto the shelf next to her. 

The kiss just happened; Raven told herself as she would later look back at this particular moment. She wasn’t sure who leaned in first and when, but when somehow Tim’s warmth just seemed to just press into her skin and blue eyes grew just a tiny bit darker, studying her in a mixture of want and curiosity, she took the invitation. 

Lips pressed into hers, gentle and probing, and her fingers curled into the front of Tim’s uniform as she tried to steady herself with every kiss. A breathy sigh escaped her lips, and she took more – because as a half-demon, she still liked to take. She liked to be greedy sometimes. Her emotions purred in delight at the attention. 

Fingers were gentle against her hips, guiding her up against Tim’s door, pushing them flush against each other. Their kisses were gentle, probing, and tentative, gently taking stock of each other. She felt him inhale deeply, emotions warm and needy pressing into her skin, and Raven’s stomach jumped in delight at the curious want that pressed into her. Tim pulled away, fingers still pressing into her hips and his blue eyes a mixture of surprise and searching. His breath stuttered as he seemed to come to his senses but to Raven’s mild curiosity, he did not fully step away. His breath fanned over her cheeks, warm and inviting. 

“I’m sorry,” he whispered and released a shuddering breath. His fingers twitched her hips. His shifted gently but did not step away, Raven’s fingers still curled into his uniform, as if keeping him in place. “I shouldn't,”

“Tim,” she whispered, cutting off his apology and her fingers tightened around the folds of his uniform. She was already wrapped up in whatever this was. His keyed-up emotions pressed into her, needy and wanting — she felt her body warm at the attention. “It’s okay,”

She watched him swallow, studying her with wide blue eyes and a storm of emotions. She could feel how his emotions seemed to expand and sizzle under his skin. Raven found herself eagerly taking in every bit of his warm emotions. “Is this okay?” Tim asked, his voice barely above a whisper, repeating her words into a questions they seemingly both already knew the answer to. His fingers pressed into her hips just a tiny bit tighter in anticipation. Want. 

Raven knew this was going to crash and burn so badly. She knew she was going to burn in hell. But she's been to hell once or twice, and there was a want she was curious to full. The attention was tantalizing, so —

"Yes."

He stole her breath. He drew gasps from her lips expertly, greedily drinking them in and taking them as his own. Tim’s kisses were long and deep, eagerly drinking every breath she had to offer and taking it as his own. Raven felt her knees weaken at the want and attention.

There was a hunger, a need, a blaze of sudden emotions that seemed to erupt from Tim that caught Raven off guard. But as Tim pressed into her, fingers slipping under her night shirt, she eagerly responded to every lick of Tim's inferno. She was all but happy to respond to his attentive ministrations, eager to give back what has been given.

Lips and teeth scraped against her neck, and her toes curled into his carpet the delicious sensation. She released a breathy sigh as calloused hands under her shirt slid across her skin just above the beginnings of her shorts and slid to the small of her back. She arched into his touch just teeth scraped the underside of her chin. 

"Tim," she breathed, gasping as his hand slid over her ass. He cupped her ass and whimpered into his lips as he pushed her into his hips and they rocked into each other. Her demon purred in delight at the hard friction.

Fucking hell.

Whatever reservations Raven had gone out the window. There was no going back. Ever. Not in this lifetime. She groaned as teeth sunk into her lips and thirst just practically bathed her. She basked in the attention, and she felt Tim’s emotion hum, eagerly taking in her own ministrations. As fingers slipped and dipped over scars and muscles, and they slowly unwound each other, perhaps they were just two starved souls eager for touch and attention.

To Raven, it was addicting.

Her whole body seemed to slowly burn as they continued to rock into each other, pressed up against Tim’s door. It’s been so long since she’s been consumed like this, and every bit of her was eager to consume and be consumed. 

One of Tim's belts pressed painfully into her stomach, and she blindly fumbled to try to remove it. Releasing an unsteady breath, Tim stopped his exploration around her neck and helped her remove the offending belt. When it fell to their feet, they stared at each other momentarily, seemingly coming to the realization of how real the moment was. 

The belt was not enough.

Raven knew she was fucked anyway as she lurched forward, eagerly responding to Tim's hungry emotions. Her fingers began finding clasps and zippers, clumsily removing the top of his suit.

They somehow managed to stumble back to his bed, clumsily crashing onto its edge. Before either could catch their breath, Raven climbed onto his lap, pleased at the surprise on his face. 

Taking charge, Raven kissed Tim, leaning over him and allowing her hands to drag over muscle and scars. She drank his groan and rolled her hips into his teasingly. Large hands steadied her hips, guiding their movement as they continued to kiss and slowly stoke a fire that all but started to consume them.

Raven leaned back when breathing became difficult and she stared at Tim, taking in his dark blue eyes and his wild hair and the sheen of sweat that started to build over his shoulders and chest. There was an electrifying need that burned her skin. 

She watched Tim blink, determination and hunger washing over his face, and with grunt he reached for her face and cupped her chin. Calloused fingers tilted her chin and with a determined glint in his eyes, he leaned closed and kissed her, wrapping his other arm around her waist, and simply consumed her.

Her body burned and Raven could feel her emotions purr at Tim’s kisses. She could feel heat pool low in her abdomen and she rolled her hips into his lap, earning a sharp nip to her lips and a low growl. Her fingers slipped in-between them, and she again blindly fumbled with the rest of his uniform, trying to unclasp his pants.

Large hands wrapped around her wrists, stopping them as she found the complicated zipper and clasp to Tim's tactical pants. Raven blinked and stared at Tim, his erratic breathing fanning her cheeks and his gaze suddenly studied her again over the haze.

"Raven," he whispered, as if in warning. 

There was a fine line, Raven realized. If they'd cross it, Raven knew there was no turning back. But then again, they seemed to have crossed it already that evening.

Fuck it.

She was damned anyway. 

Raven’s lips curled into a smile, her inner demon purring in delight as she felt Tim's anticipation grow. She returned Tim stare, tilting her head, and waiting for his own move. "I said I'd help," she repeated her words that evening.

Raven watched Tim swallow, processing her words, and just studying her for a moment. He eventually grunted, lurched forward, and caught her lips in a searing kiss. Raven’s hands busied themselves in between them, finding the intricate clasps to his pants and fumbled with his pants.

"Raven," Tim sounded like a wounded animal, his groan guttural as he released her lips with a wet pop just as her finger dove into his tight pants and wrapped around his throbbing member. 

They struggled for a moment, shimming his tight pants down his hips, and fully releasing his erection. Raven squeezed him, fingers gliding over the thick length and absolutely enjoying the groan that filled the air. His silky member throbbed in her hands, and she watched in satisfaction as Tim’s eyes rolled back and his Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed another gasp. Heat began to pool low in her abdomen as her gaze slid from the pure ecstasy on Tim’s face to the growing length in her hands, and she continued with her gentle ministrations of pumping his length. 

“Raven,” Tim groaned and capturing her lips in a clumsy kiss. He released a shuddering breath into her lips as Raven squeezed and he retaliated by firmly squeezing her hips, tips of his fingers dipping into her sleep shorts. “Didn’t I say you needed to rub one out?” she whispered into his ear, her hand gliding over him. 

“An excellent suggestion,” Tim whispered into her neck, voice tight as Raven continued to pump his cock. 

Calloused fingertips eventually dipped into her shorts, sliding over the swell of her ass, and firmly squeezed her, drawing a whimper out of Raven’s lips. They bucket into each other, and Raven felt that the heat of the room was stifling. 

“Tim,” Raven whimpered, acutely aware of fingers slipping under her shirt and hands dragging up her body. Releasing a soft gasp against Tim’s lips and she practically reveled in the heady emotions that consumed them. 

A calloused thumb just swiped the underside of her breast, teasing and Raven’s breath stuttered. Her body buzzed with emotions, and she tumbled into Tim’s chest, cheeks pressing into his as her emotions simmered. His erection throbbed in between them, she felt a warm wet patch against her stomach from his pre-cum. She shuddered in anticipation.

“Are we—,” Tim breathed, fingers pressing into her ribcage and thumb stroking the swell of her breast. She heard him groan against her ear and squirm under her, trying to hold on the last bits of composure. Their want was all too consuming, but he held on to his last bits of control, evert the gentleman he was. “Raven, is this –”

“Yes,” she whispered, hating the way it sounded like a desperate whine. She scrambled off his lap and Raven practically purred in satisfaction as she saw Tim watch her undress, his blue eyes dark and hooded. She stood in between his legs, dropping her shirt and underwear and she could feel her emotions preen in delight as Tim grabbed his cock and gave himself a few strokes. The air was thick, smelling of sweat and desire and sex. 

This was wrong, so terribly wrong, Raven knew. But this would be something she’d take care of later – now she’d just wanted to be thoroughly consumed. His need and desperation were fueling her own desires that had her scrambling back into his lap and eagerly pressing into Tim, stealing a searing kiss that left her lungs burning and begging for more.

It was frantic and desperate, an visible need consuming them and burning every inch of their being. Raven hated how eager she was, happy to take in the gentle and greedy attention Tim offered her. Kissing every scar and hands fanning over her heated skin and holding in place as they continued to take from each other. 

“Please,” she whispered into heated skin, her face pressing into Tim’s shoulder and she felt teeth sink into the crook of her neck. She rolled her hips into his lap, aware of his hot erection pressing into her abdomen. Teeth scraped against her neck, a low growl rumbled across Tim’s chest and Raven bucked into him. 

It felt wrong, oh so wrong, when she grabbed his shoulder to steady herself and Tim helped her sink herself onto his throbbing cock. It felt wrong yet so right to lock eyes with him and watch his mouth drop open in pure ecstasy. It felt intimate and wrong, it was a moment Raven knew she had no place to take, but the heat and need were distracting and at this point, she knew they both just wanted to take and be sated.

The world seemed to melt away as she rode Tim, their movements rushed and frantic against each other. She felt Tim’s fingers press hard into her hips, keeping her steady and directing her hips in just the right angle to hit the perfect spot. 

“Fuck,” Raven whined, she felt a searing heat pool low within her as Tim eagerly met every thrust and practically impaled her. Greedy fingers slid over her bouncing breasts, tweaking her nipples and hungry blue eyes eagerly watched her come undone. Raven greedily took Tim’s heady emotions, drinking them in and eagerly offering her own attention for him to take.

Their movements became more frantic as Raven inched towards the edge of oblivion, and she listened to Tim’s grunts as he pressed her hips into her, his own release closer with every heavy thrust. Her name came tumbling from his lips like a frantic prayer, which fueled the heat in her abdomen. “Please, Tim,” she whimpered, her legs shaking as her orgasm bloomed and the wet sounds of felsh hitting flesh driving her over the edge.

With a growl, Tim sat up and warped his arms around her hips, slamming her down onto his cock and Raven mewled. Fingers slipped in between their bodies and skilled fingers found her clit, easily throwing her over the edge.

Raven groaned, her hips blinding thrusting into Tim as she felt herself freefalling through an explosion. The world seemed to just disappear, and Raven felt herself wrapped in an inferno. She drank Tim’s whirlwind of emotions, readily catching his own orgasm and greedily drinking every last dredge of his heated feelings. 

They sagged against each other, Tim tumbling backwards into bed and wrapping his arms around her and taking her with him. They gasped, breathing heavily against each other, slowly coming down from their delirious high. Raven felt her senses come back, her face pressed into Tim’s neck and slowly growing aware of her surroundings. She felt his erratic heartbeat against her cheek, drawing her back to reality.

Well fuck.

Tim’s cock throbbed in her, mockingly.

“Oh, wow,” Tim’s voice cracked, horse and just above a whisper in Raven’s ear. She felt the unsteady rise and fall of his chest as he tried to catch his breath. Raven lay sprawled over him, her legs wrapped around his hips, and he was still buried deep within her. Tim’s heartbeat and unsteady breathing were oddly secure and comforting. 

As they lay there catching their breath, the world slowly came back to them. Their senses, too. The reality of what just happened slowly sinking in. Raven listened to Tim’s breathing as he tried to find the right words and his emotions finally caught up with him. Fingers twitched along her ass.

Raven hummed, acknowledging Tim’s loss of words. Very gently she pushed herself off him, shuddering as his cock slid out of her and she rolled to the side, suddenly incredibly aware of their nakedness and what just happened.

 Raven lay on her back, still breathing unsteadily, and she watched Tim swipe a hand over his face. There was an unreadable expression on his face, matched by emotions she wasn’t quite sure to place. Tim lolled his head over to her, an unsure smile crossing his face. “Definitely not how I’d imagine the night to end,” he finally said, releasing a soft uneasy chuckle. 

Raven curled her lips into a small smile, as they tried to find a way to navigate through the moment. “Well,” Raven drawled, bracing herself on her elbows and looking at Tim and his bundle of confused emotions. “I did say you should rub one out,”

Tim made a face and Raven watched his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed thickly while mulling over his words. “Still not how I’d imagine that to turn out,”

Raven blinked and watched him curiously, her head tilting to the side. “It took the edge off,”

Tim looked confused and torn with his eyebrows drawn together, she was sure she looked equally as confused. “Raven,” Tim breathed, staring at her with a searching gaze. “I — we shouldn’t have,” he breathed. “I’m sorry,”

Part of her knew he wasn’t, she could feel it by the way his emotions still bubbled under her skin. His blue eyes were dark and there was a desire that seemed to shine in his eyes. Raven swallowed, relishing the desire and attention. She wasn’t sorry either. Her emotions purred, basking in the afterglow. “It’s alright,” she replied. 

Tim’s face pressed into his gray comforter as he stared at her, his eyes searching. For a moment, he looked like any other young adult male, sprawled across their bed after a long night of sex. The image struck a chord in Raven, and she drank in the sight. “It is?”

Raven hummed, vaguely aware how her body still buzzed in delight at the surprised – and piqued interest. She allowed Tim to study her, unashamed at her nakedness. “It is,” she said and shrugged in afterthought. “We’re old enough,”

There was a line that was crossed that night, Raven knew. There really was no coming back from that line.

~

The second time was a coincidence. 

It happened again close to a month after Raven’s night in Tim’s room. They surprisingly went on with their lives, brushing off the incident as a one-night occurrence. Raven refused to call it a one-night stand. Neither talked about it either. It just happened. She entered the Tower’s kitchen the next day, acutely aware of how sore she was and had breakfast with the entire team. Tim had called them in for training later in the morning, following their usual schedule like clockwork. Nothing remis.

Raven refused to think much of it anymore. There were far more important things for her to focus on - like Deathstroke, the Hive, and the occasional imminent doom of the world. 

Their second, what was it – meeting? – happened at random, purely out of coincidence. If having consensual sex even was considered a coincidence. Though, honestly, it was perhaps just as much her fault as it was his.

She knew it was Tim even before spotting him in the dingy dive bar in the outskirts of Seattle. Vaguely wondering what he was doing here, in this particular bar in god knows where Seattle, she returned to her greasy fries and soda. Perhaps he won’t even notice her.

She absently went through her phone, scrolling through social media and the local news. Perhaps she could still catch one of the free concerts at the park. She absently noted that Tim, obviously not dressed as Tim Drake-Wayne in all his worn leather jacket, ripped jeans, baseball cap, and sunglasses glory, settled somewhere in the back.

Her solitude didn’t seem to last very long, when a very familiar energy approached her. She looked up from her phone after checking the latest concert schedules of the local art fair and watched Tim slide into the high stool next to her. He settled his cup of coffee on the bar table. Raven tilted her head curiously, watching a small smile play on Tim’s lips.

“Is this seat taken?” he asked.

Raven’s brows furrowed, watching Tim slide into the rickety seat. “It is now,”

Tim hummed in acknowledgment and Raven watched him take a drink from his coffee, briefly glancing over her shoulder before beaming at her. Of course, work. “I’m Alvin,”

Raven hated that disguise. Alvin Draper. What a strange name. Raven fiddled with her half-empty soda, mindlessly tapping at the glass. “Rachel,”

Tim smiled; she could barely see the way his eyes crinkled in mild amusement. “Nice to meet you,” Tilting his head curiously, he looked genuinely confused. “What brings you here?”

Raven shrugged. “I’m on vacation,” she said with a point. “Got a week off from work for the culture festival here in Seattle.” The corners of her lips lifted teasingly, and she caught his stare as Tim obviously now remembered the vacation time she filed for. “I was hoping to get some time away from work and enjoy my time at the festival,” she watched Tim smile. Propping her chin on her hand, she thoughtfully popped a fry into her mouth. “My boss can be a pain in the ass sometimes, this break is really nice,”

Tim released a bark of laughter. “Right, I’m sorry,”

Raven rolled her eyes and took a swig of her soda. Leaning in just a little closer, she hissed. “You better not blow this place up,”

Tim laughed, more for show than anything else. “I won’t,” he mumbled. “I’m here for the festival too,” he said normally.

Raven looked unimpressed and pressed her lips into a thin line. “What a coincidence,”

In between staged laughs and casual conversations, Tim explained that he was tailing a lead. An international smuggling syndicate had set-up shop in Gotham and nano-tech trade seemed to happen at random points across the US. One of the syndicate's liaisons was scheduled to meet a few associates in this bar. He explained he’d been tailing them for a while now. Strange how their paths crossed – out of all the places and out of all days. Raven just hoped she’d not be asked to help. There was a bibliotheca she wanted to visit in the morning.

“What are your plans tomorrow?” Tim asked, while glancing over her shoulder and watching the group of men in the back. She watched him tap on his watch, obviously recording whatever the conversation was back there.

“There’s a library I want to see tomorrow. Some old scripts and books,” she explained.

Tim hummed, only half listening. He glanced back at the group. “Fascinating,”

Raven snorted, mildly amused to have caught him at work. “You barely even listened,”

“Old books and scripts,” Tim said, throwing her an amused glance. He was about to continue when he paused and stared at the group again. Out of the corner of Raven’s eyes she could see movement and a discrete exchange happen. Tim took a thoughtful swig of his coffee.

“What are you looking at, punk?”

So much for tailing his targets. Tim turned to Raven, schooling his face and throwing her a charming smile. They ignored the movement of Tim’s targets behind them. “I’d like to kiss you,”

Raven rolled her eyes and nodded. Tim owed her for messing with her vacation. Ignoring the familiar tingle that ran down her spine, she watched Tim hop off his chair and confidently walked up to her. Maneuvering herself away from the table, she allowed Tim to step up to where she sat and stand in between her legs. With purpose and confidence that took her by surprise, Tim drew her in for a kiss.

It was for show, to get his targets off his tail. Public display of affection always made people uncomfortable, even criminals. Raven wrapped her arms around Tim’s shoulders and returned his kisses, sitting in the bar stool gave her a height advantage and she slightly leaned over Tim’s form. Her fingers curled into the hair at the base of his neck, and she ignored how familiar every touch and kiss increasingly became.

She felt his hands fan over the swell of her hips, fingers teasingly running along her hips and occasionally stroking exposed skin around her hips. Her stomach flipped at the familiar sensations, and she unconsciously leaned in further.

She tried to ignore how teeth sunk into her bottom lips, drawing out a soft gasp from her. Her fingers curled around Tim’s neck, and she leaned in just a tiny bit further, allowing him to tilt her head just the right way and swiping his tongue against hers. 

There was movement behind them, and a group of men passed them. “Get a fucking room,” she heard one of them say. After a few more moments, they heard the distant sound of doors opening and closing. The bar was filled once again with dated country music. 

Theoretically, they should have stopped at this point. The targets were out, the danger was over, and they had successfully averted blowing Tim’s cover. They should have stopped.

But they didn’t.

Tim continued to kiss her, his ministrations languid and thorough and eagerly drinking her every sigh. He had stepped closer, hands fanning over the curve of her neck and angling her face just the right way. Raven felt her skin tingle at the familiarity, and she tried to not lean into him too much – to no avail. 

When breathing finally became an issue and her lungs began to burn, Raven gently pulled away. She silently wondered what the fuck just happened. They still kept close with foreheads pressed together and noses barely touching. For show Raven assumed in case some of the targets were still around. Feeling Tim’s fingers press into her neck had her shiver in a level of anticipation she shouldn’t even possess. 

“Sorry,” Tim breathed, a jumble of emotions, and looked a bit sheepish. He pulled away, gauging her reaction. She felt the pads of his fingers press into her pulse point on her neck and Raven wondered why her pulse quickened. Blue eyes blinked, trying to clear the darkness in their eyes. Tim cast a brief glance at the door before swallowing, looking thoughtful. “We should go,”

We.

She watched Tim pull away, emotions a curious jumble. He stepped away from her, watching her response before taking his mug and drinking the last dregs of his coffee. He waited patiently, as she mulled over his words. We. An invitation. 

It could well mean her helping him with whatever case he was working, her helping him keep up the front of a random girl he picked up at a bar. Perhaps this was true, whatever image he was trying to project, he needed to keep his cover. But she was also all too distinctly aware of the need that started to warm their skins.

Raven knew she should know better, she thought as she slid out of her chair and stuffed her phone into her pocket. She knew she should have better judgment but the tingle of excitement, a rush of something she shouldn’t be enjoying, had her following Tim out of the door and into the warm night of Seattle. 

She was staying at the Grand Hyatt, a treat she booked for herself. She could have gotten off right at the corner of her hotel when Tim made the turn. But instead, she watched the hotel disappear out of view from her window and allowed him to drive them to his safe house. 

His safe house was an apartment just close to the residential district of Seattle. It looked like a modern apartment, filled with tasteful furniture and the latest technology. It looked barely used, Raven figured Tim stayed at a different place if he’d come to Seattle for business trips. 

She watched him go straight to an open laptop, insert a thumb drive and run a program. They barely spoke, beyond him giving some details of the case. There was a determined look on his face and a heat that simmered low underneath the surface. She watched from the doorway of the living room, the screen of the laptop illuminating his face in the otherwise dark room. There was an air of seriousness that lay heavily in the silence. 

Raven leaned against doorframe, arms crossed and her nerves silently bubbling under her skin. She watched Tim type in his final command into the software, before straightening and looking over his shoulder and catching her stare. She could feel the edge in his nerves as he walked over, his stare intent as he studied her barely visible outline. 

Raven shifted when he finally stood in front of her, her back pressed into the doorframe. She stared up at his face, trying to study his intense gaze in the darkness of his safe house. There was a nervous, on the edge, curious energy that hung thickly in the air and Tim’s emotions probed at her, making her head tilt curiously to the side. 

Tim swallowed thickly and his fingers twitched on his sides. “Are we — are we doing this?” he asked, his voice a low rumble. Raven’s heart jumped at the invitation. 

He stared at her, the sensation of his emotions both familiar and foreign all at the same time. They shouldn’t, Raven knew. She watched Tim inhale deeply, his chest rising and blue eyes dark with an intensity she can’t quite place. Her curiosity and anticipation got the best of her. 

Curiosity killed the cat, she’d say. 

 Tilting her head, a small smile played on her lips in silent response, and she watched the relief and confidence just flood into Tim. Raven hummed, feeling herself loose to the anticipation and nervousness that filled her senses. “Alvin Draper did pick up a girl at a bar,” she said.

Tim immediately crowded her space, taking her confirmation and Raven felt her senses tip into overdrive. For a moment, they just stood there, pressed into each other, and feeding off each other’s energy. Raven felt herself warm as Tim studied her, his body on the edge and a curious energy just eagerly pressing into her. 

His hands fanned over her hips, holding her in place, just as he tipped his face down to capture her lips in a kiss. She inhaled sharply as familiar lips pressed into her, the taste of bitter coffee invading her senses as his tongue slipped against hers in a needy kiss. 

Pressing further into her, Tim’s kisses were practiced and surprisingly familiar, drawing out whimpers and sighs from her with practiced ease. He knew how to angle her head, press greedy fingers into her chin to angle her in such a way that had breathless and arching into him. 

It was disorienting to feel this way. But Raven chased every needy kiss with one of her own, her curiosity and want fueled by Tim’s own confusing emotions. Teeth scraped against her lips and fingers dug into her hips that had her gasping for breath and whimpering into his mouth. Her hands wrapped around his shoulders like an anchor as Tim’s heady emotions had her tittering into a dangerous oblivion, she was not all too sure she’d wanted to leave. 

They gasped for breath when their lungs finally burned, and Raven felt Tim’s ragged breath against her cheek and neck when he pressed his nose into her flushed cheek. Her skin tingled when their hips angled just the right wait and his hands had sneakily slipped under her shirt and pressed into her waist. 

With a shuddering deep breath, Tim pressed a soft kiss to her cheek. “Your kisses taste so good,” he whispered into her ear.

Raven felt whatever fortress she built crumble. With a whimper she kissed Tim, fingers tangling into his hair and practically melting into him. She’d worry over her bad choices tomorrow. 

They left a trail of clothes as Tim led them to his bedroom, hands exploring and each kiss more demanding than the last. They tumbled into his bed naked and breathless, emotions heady and delirious to Raven and she eagerly took every last dreg of pure want Tim had to offer. 

“Tim,” Raven purred, she felt his cock slide over her warm core, and she involuntarily bucked into him, chasing for release. Heat bubbled low under her skin. She’d worry over their poor decision-making skills later.

“Shh,” Tim whispered into her lips. He nipped her bottom lip and pressed a hand into her hip, pushing her away. He suddenly rolled off her and pressed into her side, he hovered over her, and Raven suddenly felt extremely exposed as he dark blue eyes watched her. 

His hand rested on her abdomen, fingers pressed into her hip bone and Raven watched him stare down at her, a dark twinkle in his eyes. “I didn’t get a chance to memorize you last time,” he said, his voice low. Raven felt herself burn under his gaze; his face illuminated by muted lights. Heat rushed through her, and she felt her core pulse. Holy fuck. 

Tim studied her like an assigned case, he was meticulous and thorough. Fingers slid over every scar and dip, memorizing every reaction he could draw from her. Lips followed his curious trail over her body, leaving nips and marks in places that drew embarrassingly soft whines from her. 

When his face disappeared between her legs and her world exploded around her, Raven realized that sinning was not so bad after all. 

~

Three times, that’s a pattern.

It was, there really was no place for Raven to deny it. It was a pattern she unwittingly found herself entangled in. It was dangerous, she knew, but she knew neither of them seemed to think too much of it. 

The third time wasn’t an accident, they did not randomly bump into each other at a bar, it wasn’t anywhere near a coincidence. 

Tim just appeared at her door one night. 

He stood in front of her door, his energy different – bright, on the edge, nerves, and a wanting Raven could easily identify. Raven swallowed at the press of emotions. It was past two in the morning, he looked freshly showered and different in his sweatpants and old Green Day band shirt. His lips lifted into a small tentative smile, and he seemed to study her for a moment, gauging her reaction. 

“Oh,” Raven breathed, and her pulse jumped at Tim’s emotions. It had been weeks since their encounter in Seattle, she had not expected to see him given everything that was going on in his life. She blinked, trying to understand what was happening. “Hi,” she whispered.

“Hi,” he replied, and she watched him stand firm in front of her. His blue eyes studied her, waiting for her next move. 

She shouldn’t have stepped aside, but she did. He shouldn’t have stepped into her room, but he did. 

His shoulder brushed against her as he stepped in, she could smell the familiar scent of sandalwood from him.

The door closed behind them, and Raven vaguely listened to the door’s lock mechanism snap into place. She was all too aware of Tim’s energy pressing into her, a familiar buzz that settled under her skin. 

“I couldn’t sleep,” he explained, his voice low. She knew she shouldn’t allow her skin to tingle and her heart jump at the confession. But the energy immediately changed in the room and Raven readily welcomed the change. 

Raven hummed, the corner of her lips quirking just a little bit in teasing amusement. “Didn’t Alfred tell you that warm milk and honey are supposed to help you sleep?” she asked. 

Tim released a soft huff of laughter and shook his head. “Not much of a milk fan,” he confessed lightly. His damp hair fell into his face and Raven thought how soft it looked – though honestly she shouldn’t even be thinking of this. 

Tilting her head, she studied his playful smile. “So, you thought it’d be good to visit, at two in the morning?” 

There was a pregnant pause between them, as they took the moment to stare at each other in the dimly lit room. She watched Tim tilt his head, as he spoke to her, studying her reaction. “I’m sorry, I could leave,” he told her, it sounded more like a challenge than an apology. Did he really want to leave? No. 

The air seemed warmer. “Stay,” she said. Her nerves tingle at the sight of Tim’s smile. “You can do what you like, you can pick a book, browse the net on my laptop, play some games — there are couple of games on my shelf, or use my bathroom to have another shower, or,” she drew the word out teasingly and paused, her eyes twinkled in amusement. Tim laughed as if catching her thought. “Rub one out. I am going to bed though and look at some animal memes, my legs still hurt from today’s patrol,” she announced in mild amusement. She turned on her bare feet and walked back to her bed and climbed into bed. She was aware of Tim’s watchful stare, burning into her back. She suppressed a shudder, refusing to be the first to budge in whatever game they were playing tonight. Raven crawled into her bed and sat leaning against her padded headboard, her skin warm with anticipation.

Her dim bedside lamp cast a warm glow around Tim, shadows dancing across his face as he sent her an amused smile at Raven. “Thanks for the hospitality,” he teased. Raven snorted and grabbed her phone, barely even paying attention to the animal memes. Instead, she watched him with a mixture of intrigue and subdued excitement as Tim slowly walked across her room and towards her large bookcase. Tim studied her bookcase, amusement and interest emanating from him as his lips continued to curl into a smile. He knew she was starting.

“Really?” her voice carried over her still room, watching Tim pull out a book – Out of Oz by Gregory Maguire.

Tim held the book close to him and turned at his hips to look at her over his shoulder, feigned innocence on his face. Raven fought off her own small smile that threatened to blossom on her lips. Tim was insufferable. “I like Wicked,”

“There are two other books that come after Wicked,” she told him. Raven watched him hum and briefly glance at the copy.

“I know,” Tim said. “Son of a Witch and A Lion Among Men,” he told her. Raven tilted her head and the corner of her lips lifted as she caught his deep gaze. Her insides jumped at the announcement; she wasn’t all too sure what to make of this new knowledge of his reading choices.

“You can borrow it if you like,” she told Tim. She watched his smile grow at the offer. 

“Thanks,” he told her and tucked it under his arm. He turned to starting at her bookshelf, studying the books and knickknacks that filled its shelves. Raven paused the video of the sunbathing dog and watched Tim pull out her old scrabble board. Her brows furrowed as she watched him turn and approach her bed, the scrabble tiles rattling noisily in the box. 

“Scrabble?” she asked and watched him sit down on the other side of her bed. Tim placed the old scrabble box on his lap along with the book he took from the shelf.

“Did you want to play?”

Tim’s blue eyes danced in amusement and a smile played on his lips. Long fingers rested on the edges of the scrabble box, fingers tapping the box absently. Raven glanced at the box, then back at Tim’s amused face. “You came here to play Scrabble?”

The mood shifted and the air that settled around them turned warm as Tim released a soft chuckle, his gaze steady and his smile unwavering. There was a teasing confidence around him that sent chills down Raven’s spine.  “What did you think I came over for?” Tim asked, blue eyes dancing in her muted lights.

From the moment she first met Tim many years ago, she quickly learned how noticeably different he was from all the other Robins. Where most of them were cocky and loud, sure of their moves and their presence, Tim held a quiet confidence that easily captured an audience and took control of any situation to his advantage. In recent months, Raven learned Tim’s quiet confidence was enrapturing, he unwittingly could crawl under her skin, and she was quite possibly drawn to his presence every time.

His gaze was steady, as if waiting for her to make the next move. A challenge, like a board game of Scrabble, tiles laid out strategically. He knew the outcome though.

Raven released a soft laugh, realizing he knew what she was thinking. Placing her phone on her bedside table, she raised an eyebrow at him amusedly. Game on.

“Paint our toenails and gossip?” she offered. She slid under her sheets further, her covers reaching her shoulders and she stared up at Tim with a teasing smile. 

Tim snorted ungracefully as he placed the scrabble board, book, and his phone on the bedside table on his side. Raven watched him hesitate for a moment, thoughts visibly running through his mind as his gaze switched between her and the empty space beside her. 

Warm anticipation brewed as Raven caught Tim’s stare, a silent question in his eyes to which she responded with a small smile and rolling to her side, facing him fully. Tucking her right under her face, she waited for Tim to make his next move. Carefully, Tim slipped under her covers, blanket tucked over his shoulder and settled on his side to face her. He rested his hand in the little space between them, as they lay on their sides and studied each other with bated breath.

For a moment they stared at each other, Raven’s skin tingled as the air seemed thicker at their close proximity. She watched how Tim’s long hair fell into his eyes, a familiar image she’d seen intimately already. He looked awfully comfortable, albeit curious and hesitant, as he lay in front of her, taking his time to study her, as if memorizing. 

“Is this —,” Tim paused, she felt him shift and inhale. His breath fanned over her face and their closeness sent a shiver down her spine. She felt the warmth of Tim’s right hand where it settled in the space between them, long fingers twitched under the covers. “Is this alright?”

“You coming over to play scrabble?” she whispered. They both knew that this was wrong. But — 

Tim’s foot shifted, accidentally brushing against her own bare feet. She playfully nudged his foot away and she settled her own foot on top of his ankle. She watched him smile widen, a familiar glint in his eyes, and his intoxicating confidence she knew all too well seemed to seep into her skin. “Is that what we’re calling this?”

This. 

Calloused fingers wrapped around her wrist, his hand shifting under the covers and grasping her wrist in a gentle hold. His touch sent sparks down her spine that had her inhale softly and desperately try to keep his steady gaze, she refused to be the first to budge and tumble headfirst into this. Whatever this was. 

All Raven knew this was a damned game – and she was willing to play. 

Raven shifted, her foot pressing into Tim’s and their knees brushing against each other. Her nerves seemed to vibrate. “Sure,” she relented, allowing herself to tumble headfirst into this. 

“Good,” Tim said, his voice just a little bit thicker and he swallowed, waiting for either of them to make their next move. Calloused fingers slid up her arm and wrapped around her elbow, fingers pressing into her arm with an apparent want. He tugged gently and Raven felt his warmth and thick desires travel from the pads of his fingertips into her nerves. 

Everything around them seemed to shift as the air became stifling and Tim’s emotions pressed into her, a slow burning hunger licking at her skin. His fingers twitched around her elbow and Raven felt her last resolve break. Fuck it. 

She pushed Tim onto his back and unceremoniously straddled him, heat rushing through her body as hips slanted against each other and Tim’s hands immediately flew to her waist, holding her in place. Bracing herself against his shoulders, she eagerly consumed his heat and loomed over Tim with a playful smirk. “You should know I’m an excellent Scrabble player,”

There was a hungry glint in Tim’s eyes, and he returned her playfulness by gripping her waist more firmly and teasingly slipping fingers under her camisole. “Oh, I know,” he whispered. 

Raven fully surrendered to the moment, to this. She knew when Tim tugged her down to kiss her, a hunger roared to life, and she wanted nothing more to be consumed by this. Future Raven could deal with the consequences of this.

For now, she wanted to feed this wanting and consume nothing but the fire that seemed to teasingly lick her skin. Teeth bit into her bottom lip and hands ghosted over her camisole, brushing over her breasts, and tweaking her nipples into tight peaks. Raven whimpered as their hips rolled against each other, their need more apparent and without any hesitations, unlike before. 

Removing clothes and pressing needy hands into scars, tight muscles, and dangerous dips has since become muscle memory, practiced, and done with little hesitation. There was no hesitation when Tim rolled them over, pressing Raven into her bed and stealing her breath with another long kiss that left her breathless and arching into him. She relished the tight press of his naked body into hers.

True to his promise of memorizing her, Tim knew where he could draw the longest gasp or how to make her breath stutter. His kisses and touch were confident and practiced, pressing into her neck, and scraping over her pulse point. She dug her fingers into his shoulder, pressing into him and whimpering for more. Their movements were confident, drawing out gasps and moans from muscles and folds that they had since memorized.

A heat pooled low in her abdomen, fueled by Tim’s heady wants and desires. Raven whimpered and wrapped her right leg over Tim’s hip, seeking for release as his emotions slowly all but consumed her. 

Practiced fingers slid down her side and Raven listened to Tim inhale sharply just when his fingers brushed her folds and her own fingers curled into hair in response. “Tim!” Raven gasped and her legs spread open further, her core aching and throbbing as Tim continued to tease her, pressing fingers into her in a way he seemed to have memorized well. 

“Fuck!” Raven groaned, unable to control herself as her emotions bubbled over and an inferno all but consumed her. Tim’s fingers slipped into her, curving just the right way, and filling her out and stretching her. She bucked into him, desperately seeking for release. 

Tim released a shuddering breath into the curve of her neck and pressed his fingers in her slick heat. “That’s 13-point word, Rae,” he hummed into her neck and gently bit into her skin. Raven released a soft chuckle which quickly dissolved into a groan when Tim picked up the pace and thrust his fingers into her. 

Raven felt herself tittering close to the edge, her hips eagerly keeping pace with Tim’s fingers. She felt the fire in belly burn her nerves and she eagerly drank Tim’s own emotions, spurring her on for more. 

“Please,” she whimpered, when she felt the hot pressure build up inside of her and slowly melt the world away. Her body groaned for release.

Tim growled and pulled his fingers out of her. He grabbed her hips and pulled them closer. Whispering her name like a mantra, Tim grabbed his cock and slid into her. They groaned as Tim bottomed out, his familiar girth and length stretching her out and filling her.

Raven felt the world just disappear as she welcomed the feeling of being consumed in a mad inferno. Tim thrusted into her at a strong pace, determined to sate their hunger and take them over the edge. His thrusts were unrelenting, long determined strokes that were confident and practiced – Raven moaned as he hiked her leg up higher and angled her hip to furiously hit the perfect spot he knew well. 

Kisses and hands became greedier and needier as fingers twisted nipples and kisses muffled moans. Raven groaned, drinking in Tim’s hunger, and eagerly welcomed this onslaught of emotions. Her inner demon purred in delight, greedy for more. 

Tim hiked her leg over his shoulder and groaned loudly when she squeezed around his cock in response. “Oh god, Raven,” he whispered into the skin of her shoulder, shuddering as hips snapped against each other in a frantic rhythm. 

Gripping Tim’s shoulder, Raven felt her leg jostle and bounce over Tim’s shoulder, their thrusts growing more frantic as they chased after their orgasm. “Harder!” she gasped, and fingers dug into Tim’s hips, pulling him closer - if possible.

The wet sounds of flesh hitting flesh filled seemed to fuel their frantic pace and spur on their need for release. Tim picked up the pace and all but plowed into her – drawing long whimpers and groans from Raven. Raven felt her world slowly burn as Tim brought her closer and closer to the edge, his strokes long and hard, filling her to the core and just driving her senses mad. 

With a soft growl, Tim slammed into her, his thrusts deep, constantly bottoming out and filling her. Raven felt the world burst into hot stars and she felt herself being swept away by a sea of hot emotions and just thrown into oblivion. Everything around her muted and she eagerly consumed Tim’s own orgasm as he frantically thrust into her, their combined emotions throwing her over the edge. Raven mewled in delight, legs wrapping around Tim’s waist and greedily gripping Tim’s throbbing cock, drinking every last dreg of his heat.

“Raven,” Tim breathed, collapsing on top of her. Raven wrapped her arms around Tim’s sweaty form, relishing their closeness and allowing them both to collect themselves from the high. 

Raven felt Tim’s frantic heartbeat against her chest, and she listened to his unsteady breathing, silently delighted to have caused this pure exhaustion. Her fingers pressed into the scars of his back, and she enjoyed the heavy press of his body into hers. 

When sounds of the world slowly returned to them and their breathing leveled out, Tim gently rolled off her. Raven shivered at the loss. “Fuck,” Tim breathed, still out of breath and relishing the after-sex high. Not bothering to think over the consequences of the lines they officially crossed that night, he gently tugged her closer and wrapped his arms around her.

“That’s a double word score now,” Raven mumbled into his chest, teasing him gently. She felt Tim chuckle, his laughter a low rumble in his chest. They basked in the moment, Raven eagerly taking every little emotion Tim had to offer. 

Fingers squeezed her hips and legs tangled into each other. “I’m starting to like Scrabble,” Tim mumbled into her shoulder. He pressed a gentle kiss into her collarbone. 

It was a terribly dangerous declaration, Raven realized. But it was one that was dangerously tempting – something that made her inner demon purr in satisfaction – and one that she’d eagerly play. Consequences be damned. 

“Me too,”

[darthvashtique93]

Letters To Juliet

Chapter 17

A chorus of congratulations followed Raven’s announcement.  She graciously thanked everyone and looked down with a blush.  Leonardo asked Raven what her occupation was.  Raven then spent the next hour answering questions about herself.  Tim smiled as he listened.  With every question, she seemed to shrink within herself as her face would redden even more, and she looked adorable.

“Okay,” Azar laughed, stopping the flood of questions.  Tim’s heart raced at the grateful smile Raven sent to her grandmother.  “Zaichikioia,” Azar stroked Leonardo’s face, “my darling.”

         Signor Rossi only gazed at Azar with love.  Then, standing to his feet, he held his hand out to her.  Azar placed her hand in his, allowing him to pull her to her feet.  Signor Rossi then leaned into Azar’s space and whispered something in her ear.  Azar blushed and turned to Raven and Tim.  “He’s going to show me the property,” Azar beamed, “but he says to make yourself at home.”  Raven and Tim nodded as the elderly couple strolled away from them.

Tim turned to Raven, catching her eye.  “I need to make a phone call,” she said to Tim before excusing herself from the table.

Raven leaned against a tree, clutching her phone to her chest.  I got the job!  On the inside, she was dancing for joy.  The Thanagars specialized in Egyptology.  They were famous excavators and curators in the art and archeological world, and they had just hired Raven.  She’d be leaving home in three weeks.  Her heart swelled with joy.  Art had always been her passion.  Museums and libraries were her safe spaces, along with her bedroom.  This is great!  Raven was beginning to feel like herself again.  There was a bounce in her step as she returned to the table.

Looking at the rest of the Rossi clan sitting and laughing around the table, Raven’s eyes zeroed in on Tim, and her steps faltered.  He was laughing at something one of the cousins said.  His blue eyes were bright, and his posture relaxed.  Raven bit one side of her lower lip.  He really was…something.  And though her heart said one thing, her mind said something completely different.  “No,” Raven told herself.  She was about to start a new job.  She couldn’t afford these feelings.  But you’ll both be in America, her heart said.  Raven shook her head at that thought.  No, Raven thought firmly as she continued walking.

Raven stepped towards the merry group but paused once more when she heard Tim’s laughter.  Her heart beat in her chest, and tears came to her eyes.  She turned on her heel and began walking briskly in the opposite direction.  She needed air; she needed to think.

Tim laughed at another joke one of Leonardo’s many, many grandchildren told.  All of this laughter and joy reminded Tim of his own family in the states.  He couldn’t help but wonder if Raven had ever been part of a merry, familial atmosphere.  She’d get along great with Cassandra, Tim thought.  He froze.  The thought of introducing Raven to his family filled him with a strange…warmth.  He couldn’t stop his smile from spreading.

“Uh…Tim,” one of the many Rossi asked.

Tim turned to one of the male cousins, giving him a polite smile.

“Is…uh…Signorina Raven…uh…la tua ragazza?”

“Ragazza?” Tim repeated.  “Oh.  Girlfriend?  No, no,” he smiled.  “Solo amici.  Just friends.”

The male cousin smiled before chattering away with his family.

“We are just friends,” Tim muttered to himself as he remembered last night’s kiss.  So many unanswered questions, and…He sat straighter in his chair.  Where was Raven?  Graciously excusing himself, Tim decided to walk the property in search of his not-girlfriend, Raven.

“There you are.” Raven looked up to see Tim approaching her with a grin.  “You disappeared,” he sat in a chair across from her.

“I apologize.  I am packing…mentally.”

“Big move,” Tim continued to smile.  “Congratulations.”

“Thank you,” Raven looked down, hiding a blush.

“America.”

Raven looked at him curiously.  “Are you actually a journalist?”

“Technically, no,” he smiled.  She raised a brow.  “I quit my job about 8 or 9 days before we met.  If it’s okay with you and your grandmother, I would like to send the story to my ex-boss.”

“Of course,” Raven agreed in earnest, unconsciously leaning towards Tim.  “And, you have to come to the wedding.”

“The wedding?”

“There is going to be a wedding.  I am certain.”

“Really?  How?” Tim leaned closer.

“My grandmother threw a ‘Farewell Party’ for me the night I applied for the job in America.”

“Oh wow,” Tim’s eyes widened.  “Either she was very confident or….”

“Or she really wanted me gone,” Raven laughed softly.

Tim joined in the laughter.  “Well, if I’m going to attend this wedding, I guess you and I better stay in touch.”

“Azar gave you my phone number the day we met,” Raven stated.

“Wait…what?  Really?” Tim pulled his phone out.  “Your grandmother really wants us two to be together,” Tim muttered as he scrolled through his phone.

Raven felt the blood leave her face as her traitorous heart raced in her chest.  “Tim,” she spoke quietly.  Tim looked at her with bright blue eyes.  Raven gulped.  “About last night,” she barely got out before she heard her grandmother call her.  “Raven!”

         Raven schooled her expression before standing to her feet.  “Nonna,” Raven replied, seeing her grandmother and Leonardo several yards away.  She hurried to her Azar, hearing Tim behind her.  “Grandma, how was your…tour?” Raven asked.

         “Prekrasno,” Azar gushed.  “Wonderful.  Darling,” Azar reached for Raven’s hands.  “I wanted to run it by you first.  You will be moving to the United States in three weeks.  And…we were thinking,” she rubbed the back of Raven’s hands with her thumbs, a sign of nervousness Raven was shocked to see.

         “Azar,” Raven encouraged her usually overly confident grandmother.  “Just tell me.”

         “I want to marry Leonardo,” Azar announced.

         “I figured,” Raven smirked, hearing a chuckle from Tim.

         “I would like to go through with it before you leave for the USA.”

         “That is fast,” Raven said, “but…um…okay.  If that’s what you want."

         “And Tim,” Azar turned to Tim with joy in her eyes, “you must be there.  I do not know about your work schedule, but I will pull all strings and every string to get you here.”

         “It’s okay,” Tim laughed.  “I’m pretty close to my new boss.  So, I think I’ll be able to pull a few strings of my own.”  He caught Raven’s eye and gave her a quick wink.  Raven looked away with a blush.  “I need to make a few calls, and I should probably contact my employer ASAP, but…I can’t wait to see you in two weeks.”

https://archiveofourown.org/works/35245624/chapters/87833437

[flyingkiki]

Ours, Chapter 2/?

Hi, little human.

Chapter 2 Here

Raven returned to her apartment exhausted, her emotions drained and strained at the same time. Her conversation with Tim took more out of her than she had hoped for. 

The guilt and worry still settled heavily in her stomach, despite having finally come clean to Tim. She had hoped that after years of keeping this secret from him, she’d finally have a weight lifted from her shoulders. But her nerves told her otherwise and her anxiety multiplied when she felt Tim’s startling realization that he had a child – it honestly felt like she got ran over by a truck.

Absently gnawing her bottom lip, she thought of Tim and the storm of emotions she left him with that evening. She knew he was lost in his own thoughts, the repercussions of wrong choices from many years ago finally catching up on him. She felt terrible for dumping such an important truth on him so unceremoniously. Even more so from keeping his child from him for so many years. What would his family think? The public? Stephanie? Her stomach lurched, she wanted to throw up. Jesus Christ, she was horrible. 

“Mommy?”

The small voice was laced with curiosity and concern, cutting through Raven’s train of thoughts. Raven looked down at the tiny human being beside her, quickly realizing that she had a daughter to take care of. Raven’s own whirlwind of emotions could wait. There’s a little child to feed, bathe, entertain, and put to sleep.

“Hey,” Raven offered a gentle smile, catching Leila’s blue eyes as they stared up at her. For a moment, she marveled at how much of a spitting image the child was of Tim. From her blue eyes to black hair, the playful smile, her eyebrows, and the shape of her face – her features matched her father’s. 

Leila tilted her head curiously at her mother. While Raven may not know the extent of how much her daughter may have inherited her demonic heritage, she was sure Leila was an empath much as herself. The little girl must have caught on Raven’s frayed nerves. 

“C’mon, you,” Raven gently nudged her deeper into their new apartment, a recent acquisition. She wasn’t sure how long they would settle in Gotham, but she felt she’d set something up just in case Tim wanted to build a relationship with his daughter. It felt like the most reasonable thing to do. 

“You must be hungry,” Raven mused thoughtfully while the little girl chirped a yes in response. “What do you want to eat?”

“Cake, pwease. Thank you!” 

Raven released a soft huff of laughter. “Perhaps spaghetti, yes?” she bargained. When she received a request for lots of cheese and “two meatbaws, pwease”  in response, the request for cake was forgotten, and the two settled to make spaghetti with meatballs. Raven wasn’t the best cook, but she rarely heard complaints from her daughter, which she was thankful for.

Despite her exhausting afternoon, Raven still had enough energy to focus on her daughter and listen to her babble about her afternoon at daycare. Raven listened, actively asked questions, voiced her opinion over Sally not sharing crayons (“That’s not nice. Did you share your crayons?” “Yup!”) and hope she did not come across too tired to the perceptive child. 

When everyone was fed, and dishes had been clumsily loaded into the dishwasher by Leila (creating more of a mess than necessary), and the child was bathed, they settled for a book to read (The Princess and the Pea) in her bedroom. 

Motherhood was not something she prepared for, nor thought she’d ever have to prepare for. It wasn’t in her plans or did she picture herself ever to be a mother. But somehow, here she was curled up on the soft violet carpet of her child’s bedroom, reading The Princess and the Pea to an amused 3-year-old. 

“Good night, Lei,” Raven pressed a kiss to the child’s forehead after tucking her into her bed. The little girl mumbled her good night, the promise of playtime at the park dying on her lips, and her tiny fingers tightly wrapping around an old cat plushie, Ginny.

After making sure the child was asleep, Raven stood up, checked to make sure that windows were locked, and every book and toy returned to their boxes and shelves. She turned off the lights and kept the fairy night light on before quietly stepping out of the room. She glanced briefly into the room, the gentle pink and violet light casting a lulling glow into the room. The little lump in bed stirred, curling into herself, and Raven suddenly thought of today’s events and if she did alright as a mother. Her stomach churned.

With her worries and insecurities returning a hundredfold, Raven went through the motions of the evening. Turning on the dishwasher and cleaning the kitchen, returning toys and books to their rightful places in their small living room, and setting out to do laundry. 

The gnawing in the pit of her stomach returned as their home fell into silence and her thoughts kept her company. Her muscles hurt and her nerves stretched and frayed from every last ounce of emotions spent. Meeting Tim didn’t last long, just under an hour – she had to pick-up Leila from daycare. But those 40 minutes felt like a lifetime, zapping her energy dry. 

As she sifted through the colored and whites of their laundry, a routinary task she had grown accustomed with over the years, she wondered what would change now that Tim knew. She wondered if Tim would do the same, sort his child’s laundry in his most likely expensive laundry machine. Would he even know how to wash children’s clothing? Sort the whites from the colored? Raven paused as she picked up a tiny zebra pajama bottom and she blinked, worry growing in the pit of her stomach, would Tim even be interested in his daughter?

“I’m so sorry,” she told him that evening. The weight of Tim’s onslaught of emotions – anger, disbelief, panic, confusion, frustration – seemed to slowly suffocate her, straining her own emotions. Her body groaned in agony. “I wish I could have told you sooner, but I was –”

“Afraid, yes, I know,” Tim cut her off, terse. He sat more rigid, hands curling into fists before frustratingly running along the length of thighs before stopping at his knees. He clutched his knees as if trying to anchor his emotions and released a loud sigh. Raven watched him stare off into space, deep in thought. 

They fell into heavy silence, with Tim just staring at his garishly orange teapot, brows furrowed and breathing deeply. Raven watched him, her own regret and worry growing in the pit of her stomach while feeling Tim’s tumultuous emotions angrily seep into her skin. She felt like throwing up. 

“I’m sorry to ask, but,” Tim sounded genuinely apologetic, but his voice was business-like and measured. “Are you sure she’s mine?”

She wanted to feel indignant and snap at him. But he had every right to ask. “I didn’t sleep with anyone else, Tim,”

Tim’s jaw twitched and she watched him swallow, processing the information. He ran a hand across his face, inhaling deeply. His shocked emotions pressed into her skin, making her muscles groan. “I know you had your reasons, Raven, I respect that, I just – I,” he paused, releasing a frustrated huff. “I wish you told me sooner,”

“I know,” she replied. She felt her emotions strain. “I’m sorry, I wish things were different. But they’re not,” Raven said, feeling herself close to snapping as well. She pressed on, as the mad mix of emotions spurred her on. “I know it’s not fair, I wish I had the courage to tell you sooner, but I didn’t. But you deserve to know. It would be unfair to keep this from you. I just wanted to let you know – what you’ll do with this information, I’ll leave it up to you, Tim,”

Brows furrowed over stormy blue eyes and Raven watched him swallow as he processed her words. He released a long, frustrated sigh. His spiked emotions wrapped around her like a weighted blanket, sinking into her and weighing her down. “I need to process this more,”

She left the apartment soon after, there was nothing more to discuss that evening. She practically flew out of his apartment, blindly grabbing her jacket, and rushing out into the streets to inhale deeply the muggy Gotham air as the world seemed to tilt underneath her feet. She wasn’t sure what she’d expect out of their meeting today.

Raven sighed, memories of that afternoon still bothering her, worry weighing down her movements. She set the laundry machine and began running a load. She glanced at the pile of dark colored clothes, mostly her own, and wondered if she’d still have time tonight to run another load once the first one would be done.

Exhausted, her emotions buzzing under her skin, she padded barefoot into her kitchen and grabbed Leila's half-empty juice box. No use of letting that get to waste. While waiting for her laundry to get done, she sunk into her couch and curled into herself, turning on the TV and mindlessly watching the Minions movies, Leila’s latest interest.

She felt him before his silhouette appeared on her window. As Raven watched the little yellow Minions run across the screen, she could see his hulking shadow cast across her carpet. She heard the faint click in the background and Raven smiled in amusement as Stuart (or Kevin?) babbled loudly. 

"You need better locks,"

As the Minions started babbling about bananas Raven glanced at Red Robin, his suited figure larger than life. Despite how much he denied his similarities to Batman, the Red Robin suit reminded her just how similar Tim and Bruce were. Intimidating, calculating, and strong. The sight of him, taller and larger than she remembered, made her chest tighten and she inhaled deeply, trying to still every electrifying nerve in her body. Red Robin was a familiar sight she should be accustomed to, but seeing him here after close to five years, seemed all too new for her.

“I don’t think anyone will climb up to the 22nd floor to see me,” Raven deadpanned. She grabbed the Juicebox, sugary orange juice, and took an absent sip from it. She went back to staring at the Minions, the volume of the TV barely above a whisper. 

Red Robin shifted from where he stood by the windows, cowl still drawn and his stance rigid and muscles tight. “This is Gotham,” he stated, tone tense and just a little gruff. Raven felt a chill run down her spine, albeit mild, but it had her sit up just a little straighter. 

Raven blinked as she felt his tense emotions, tearing her gaze away from hundreds of Minions going crazy on screen. She stared at Tim; the air seemed to warm with the tension that slowly stretched between them. It felt strange to stare into the white lenses of his cowl, she knew he was studying her. “There are enough wards in this place to send an intruder to hell,” she replied.

Red Robin tilted his head curiously. “And what about me? Am I not an intruder?”

She couldn’t help it. Her skin bristled and her nerves were on the edge. “Maybe this is hell for you?”

She watched his shoulders hike just a fraction of an inch, his muscles incredibly tight, and his gloved hands twitched at his sides. She felt his emotions burn her. The moment broke when he released a long sigh and his face crumpled. Shoulders slumping, Red Robin pulled back his cowl carefully, and Tim Drake-Wayne finally stared at Raven apologetically. 

“Raven,” he breathed, blue eyes looked tired and confused. Inhaling deeply, he tried to find words as he stared at an expectant Raven. “I –”

“I really didn’t think you’d come by tonight,” she mused, sitting up and dropping the remote on her coffee table. It slid across the wooden surface, gently nudging their daughter’s little ballerina toy. Raven blinked at the thought – their daughter, now with Tim finally in the picture. Her heart tightened.  “I thought you’d need more time,”

Tim sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I do, but I also want to talk more,” he said. She felt his distraught emotions, her stomach churned feeling sorry for him. “I just need help navigating through all of this. It’s a lot to take in, Raven,” 

“Okay,” Raven breathed. She watched him stare at her, looking like a man trying to make sense of things. The air still seemed tense, but less so. Swallowing, and trying to tame the last shreds of her sanity, she offered him a tentative smile. “Do you want anything to drink? Coffee? Tea? Water,” she glanced at her, their she corrected, daughter’s Juicebox. “Juicebox?”

Tim released a soft croak of a chuckle, awfully sounding like a cross between amusement and disbelief. He carefully looked around the dimly lit room, studying the furniture and decorations, as if cataloging every little detail. Raven stood up, giving Tim a moment to memorize some of the children’s books and toys that were lined up against the wall. “I’ll get you something to drink, you can sit down. Just be careful not to step on some of her dinosaurs,” she glanced at Tim’s steel-toe boots and the corner of her lips quirked up lightly. “You might crush her stegosaurus,”

She returned a moment later carrying a cup of coffee. An unmasked Red Robin sat on her couch looking pensively at a small plush rainbow rabbit in his gloved hands. It looked miniscule in his large, gloved hands. She quietly sat down next to him and placed the cup of coffee in front of him, startling him out of his thoughts. “That’s Coco,” Raven said, gently. 

“Coco?”

Raven hummed and tore her gaze away from the old rabbit. She absently picked up the Juicebox and drank the last few dregs of orange juice. “We got it last year, around Easter. We had a few fresh coconuts in Indonesia. I guess she remembered coconuts when I gave her that, thus Coco,”

“Indonesia?” Raven ignored how Tim’s eyes burned into her, instead she focused on the colorful drawings on the Juicebox. “So that was true? Traveling around Asia and Europe?”

“Yeah,” Raven looked at Tim, catching him studying her. She offered him an apologetic smile, her emotions getting the better of her and her body just sagging under the whirlwind of emotions. “I’m really sorry, Tim, about all of this,”

Tim sighed, looking completely tired and lost, a first in her books. Tim fiddled with the colorful bunny ears, staring at it lost in thought before offering her small smile. “I’m sorry too,” he offered gently, his voice sounding completely and utterly broken at the moment. “I’m equally at fault,”

Raven stared at him, gauging his confused emotions as he tried to process being in a room filled with toys and Knick knacks of his daughter. Her heart twinged at the sight, large, gloved fingers cradling a rainbow rabbit, and she wished she offered Tim the opportunity of meeting his daughter sooner. She felt her selfishness eating her chest. “What do you want to talk about?” she asked, voice cracking just a bit.

Tim looked around, as if trying to figure out what best to ask from the multitude of questions that seemed to race through his mind. He blinked as a thought crossed his mind. “How old is she?”

“3 and seven months,” she replied. 

“Huh,” Tim breathed, letting the thought sink in. “Terrible Threes?”

Raven released a soft laugh, of course Tim would know about child development phases. “Thankfully, not as much anymore. Maybe we’re closing in on the ‘fantastic four’s’” she breathed. She tilted her head as she watched curiosity blossom on Tim’s face. His expression reminded her a lot of Leila’s inquisitive looks. Cerulean eyes that glistened in wonder. “Maybe occasionally, when she can’t navigate her own emotions or when she doesn’t understand things. But she’s very smart and seems to handle herself well,”

“Emotions?” Tim blinked. “Does she have powers?”

Raven shrugged. “She definitely is an empath; she can pick up emotions. She gets curious when she picks up something new and different. I don’t know if she has other powers, or if her powers are diluted because you’re human and I’m half demon. I’m sure her powers would be latent, it’s honestly really a wait and see at this point,”

Raven paused, studying his thoughtful expression. Her stomach churned as an ugly, distant memory resurfaced and she frowned. “Is that a problem for you?” she asked, her tone defensive and her skin seemed to tingle in protective energy.

Tim’s blue eyes widened, and he straightened, as worry and panic washed over him. She watched him shake his head, carefully dropping Coco the bunny into the space between them. “You know me well enough that this doesn't matter to me, Raven,” he pressed. He frowned, brows furrowed defensively, and he stared at her with a determined glint. “And it shouldn’t matter to anyone else,”

Raven released a soft dismissive huff, she looked unimpressed. “Look, you must understand the main reason why we stayed away from everyone was because most of the people we know either wanted me gone or dead because my father was Trigon. I was, I am,” she corrected. “Still considered a threat to many. I’m still afraid of what they’d think of hearing that Trigon now has a granddaughter,” she pressed on, frustration and anger spurring her on. 

She watched Tim inhale deeply, processing her words and looking both stricken and apologetic at her words. She knew he understood what she meant – Batman, his father, close to 12 years ago pushed a young Raven away from the Justice League. Wounds would always leave scars.

“Raven,” Tim whispered, he looked sorry and hurt. She felt her throat tighten defensively; she didn’t want his pity. “I really can’t reverse what happened in the past. You should have never, never, gone through that with the Justice League. But I’ll never,” he stressed, his tone hardening, and a protective glint shone in his eyes as he stared at her. “I’ll never let anyone hurt Leila. I promise,”

There was a protectiveness that radiated from Tim that made Raven again regret not allowing him to see his daughter earlier. Her stomach churned painfully. She watched him swallow, his sharp jaw twitched as if his daughter’s name rolled off his tongue for the very first time.  

There was a sense of security and protectiveness from Tim that made Raven’s heart leap. But at the same time longing bubbled under her skin – where was this protection when she was younger, when she had to run from a world that wanted her dead?

Raven inhaled deeply, immediately stopping her thoughts – her past had no place in this narrative. 

“Okay,” she breathed, trying to settle the last shreds of her nerves. She looked at Tim’s intense eyes and she tried not to get too overwhelmed by his own stormy thoughts. Tonight was a lot to take in, for both of them.

“What do we do now?” he finally asked. Tim still looked overwhelmed and confused and Raven watched him seemingly rack his brain for an answer.

Raven blinked, for a moment unsure how to answer. Tilting her head, she watched Tim’s face studying her. “What do you want to do?” she asked tentatively. Concern and dread bubbled forebodingly in her stomach – what would she tell her, their, daughter if her father would not be a part of her life? 

The decision was up to Tim, she knew. A part of her was prepared for whatever his decision may be – he was a Wayne after all. And while children outside of marriage were not uncommon, Tim did uphold a vastly different public image from Bruce Wayne. How involved he wanted to be in his daughter’s life was entirely up to him, and she’d respect that. But the twinge in her heart at the different possibilities left her aching, for so many reasons she would not admit.

“This is up to you, Tim,” she continued. “It wasn’t fair for me to keep this from you for the last four years. It wasn’t fair to Leila either. I’ll leave this to you – if you want to be involved or not. But you had to know she’s here. I’ll res—” 

“I want to be there for her,” Tim cut her off, brows drawing together in confusion and looking incredulous. 

Raven felt her breath catch and heart hammering in her chest. “Please don’t think I’d never want to be a part of my daughter’s life, Raven,” he said, voice sounding just a little wounded. A myriad of emotions pressed into her as Tim continued. She watched Tim swallow, looking clearly overwhelmed. “Look, I wish I knew sooner. I wish you didn’t feel the need to hide and protect yourselves – or myself. I wish I could have been there for the both of you. It’s unfair you had to do this alone for the last three years, I should have helped,” he said, regret lacing his voice. 

Tim offered her small, tired, tentative smile. His tight, defensive posture finally sagging as at the weight of his words. Yes, he had a daughter. They had a daughter. “It’s a lot to take in,” he admitted. Tim absently stared at Coco the rabbit and fiddled with one of the floppy rainbow ears. “I–I don’t know what to do right now. I do want to take responsibility and be present, if you let me. I know we’ll figure something out, right?” 

Raven inhaled, taking an unsteady breath, as the weight of his words settled around her. They rattled her– things could easily go so wrong and right. Raven tried to navigate her emotions and offered him a soft smile. “Right,” she repeated, offering them both some assurance. 

They stared at each other for a moment, waiting for the other to say something. As if on cue, a soft whine carried through the quiet of her apartment and they both stared at the doorway of her living room. “Oh,” Raven breathed. 

Tim watched Raven stand up, offering him a murmured “One moment,” before disappearing through the doorway and into her dark apartment. After another whine and low whispers, Raven returned with a small peach colored bundle wrapped around her chest. Small fuzzy socks with avocado patterns dangled around her hips and Tim stared breathlessly at the sight.

It felt like the room exploded with emotions as Raven carefully stepped into the room, cradling their sleepy daughter to her chest. Her steps faltered at the onslaught of Tim’s jump of emotions as he stared at them slowly returning to the couch. Leila whined in discomfort, likely feeling the jumble of emotions in the room, tiny hands fisting into Raven’s shirt and sleepily squirming in her hold.

Under Tim’s intense gaze, Raven carefully sat down and gently arranged their sleeping daughter on her lap and pressed her into her chest to make her more comfortable. Tiny arms and legs wrapped tightly around her in sleepy discomfort, releasing a soft whine. 

“I think we might have been thinking and feeling too loudly,” Raven whispered thoughtfully, her dark blue eyes staring at the top of Leila’s head tucked under her chin. Placing a gentle hand on her daughter's back, she hoped the added little weight would comfort the little girl. 

Raven glanced at Tim, his blue eyes widened, and he carefully leaned away from them. “Oh,” he breathed in mild panic. “I’m sorry,”

Whatever worries she may have had over Tim, the chaos she seemed to have unceremoniously dumped into his life, and him finally arriving in his daughter’s life seemed to momentarily dissipate. She watched the awe blossom on Tim’s face as he intently stared at the small breathing bundle, tightly wrapped around Raven. She felt his gentle emotions press into her and Raven felt her chest warm in response. She drew in a measured deep breath as distant memories and emotions sent tingles down her spine. She willed her nerves to still.

“It’s alright,” Raven offered, voice gentle and controlled. She watched as Tim stared intently, memorizing the tiny foot covered in cartoon avocados to Leila’s peach-colored pajamas with funny little fairy drawings. The child’s head was turned away from him, safely tucked under Raven’s chin – but Tim continued to stare at the little breathing lump, in total awe. 

As if on cue, the little girl gave a little sleepy mumble and wiggled in Raven’s arms, trying to get comfortable. With a soft yaw, Leila turned her head and pressed her left cheek into Raven’s chest. Raven watched a little breathless as the little girl sleepily blinked at a very still Tim. 

Tim inhaled sharply and in the muted lights of Raven’s living room, stared directly at his daughter in sheer wonder for the very first time. Sleepy cerulean eyes stared back at him, cheek smooshed into Raven, and long black mussed hair framed her sleepy face. Raven watched Tim swallow, at a loss at the sight. 

“Hi,” Tim croaked. Raven watched a watery smile cross his face. 

Leila blinked, stared at Tim for a moment longer, before yawning and slumping further into Raven and slowly closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep. Raven heard Tim release a shuddering breath and she turned her attention to the man, noticing how he seemed to have scooted just a fraction of an inch closer and just stared enthralled at the sleeping child. 

“She–”

“Looks just like you,” 

Tim swallowed, his blue eyes breaking contact from Raven’s and dropping back to the little girl, completely enraptured by the sight. “Raven,” Tim breathed, as if finally, the reality of being a father hit him. She knew Tim well, she felt him at this very moment – working, thinking, planning, and ensuring the future, safety, and everything possible for this little new human in his life. 

“We’ll make it work,” she assured him, but perhaps more for herself too. Tim nodded before carefully settling into the couch, deciding that he had no place he’d rather be than watch his new daughter sleep. 

Raven watched as Tim Drake-Wayne in full Red Robin uniform comfortably leaned into her couch and just stared at his sleeping daughter, a gentle aura of fear, admiration, love, and so much more emanating from him. She ignored how that ugly mixture of guilt and longing suddenly returned and gnawed at her chest. 

This will work.

~~

Notes: Tension, what tension? Of course there will be tension! Not your usual family fic. lol.

I love torturing these idiots.

[flyingkiki]

We Played Dangerously (5/?)

"I think some things (never) change"

I know a lot of you have been asking what happened between our favorite little TimRae birbs.

Well, here we are. We're slowing unpacking things. Slowly, I'd like to unravel this painstakingly slowly (I'm sorry!!) and put things into light little by little. Some things need to be drawn out, with the amount of history between these two. But today's chapter should cast a little light on things.

Here's Chapter 4

~~~~~~

Present Day, Gotham

Tam was furious when he told her to take all his calls just as he stepped out of his office for lunch. He wasn’t sure when he’d be back – or if he’d be back at the office later. He told her he’d work from home, if his schedule changed. (Was he hoping his schedule would change?) But Tim had promised an exasperated Tam that, yes, he’d go through the Tokyo contracts, and, yes, the budget would be signed by tomorrow afternoon. Yes, he really was going out for lunch and not slipping into tight fitting kevlar in the middle of the day.

Though all in all, despite his intelligence, Tim slowly started to doubt his lunch plans. He stared at Gotham Library with uncertainty growing heavily in the pit of his stomach. It was a terrible idea, he knew. But, when did a terrible idea ever stop him? God, he was on the edge.

It’s been a few days since his visit (break-in) at Raven’s apartment. For whatever reason, his nerves were killing him. He was unsettled. God, perhaps Jason was right – he needed to lay off the caffeine for a bit.

Sighing softly, Tim stepped out of his car and hurried up the old library steps before he would lose his resolve. He waved at the surprised receptionist in the lobby, not really bothering to stop to talk to her. Instead, he flashed her a patented Wayne smile, which seemed to do the trick and the flustered woman waved him along as he continued heading towards the third floor of the library where he knew the laboratory and conservation department was located.

Stepping through the large white doors and into the department, Tim briefly took in a spacious room with high ceilings and big tables with an array of books, equipment, and documents. Soft jazz music filled the air and he could see people’s heads move from the glass window that divided the main room from the main entryway.

The sole occupant in the room was a young woman with a Gotham University ID strap around her neck, the same one who pulled Rachel aside during that night at the gala. She was hunched over an old piece of parchment, busy dabbing away on the paper with a cotton swab.

“I’m looking for Rachel Roth,” Tim said, approaching the young woman.

The young woman hummed, not bothering to look up, too engrossed in whatever she was doing. Tim curiously stared at how she swiped the cotton swab across the edge of the frayed paper, silently wondering what that achieved. “I think she’s inside,” the young woman said.

Tim tilted his head curiously to the side and smiled in amusement. “Do you think I could see her?”

“Eh, do you have an appoi– OH,” Tim watched in mild amusement as the brunette blinked momentarily, staring up at him like he had grown a second head. He supposed he did stand out in his business suit. He smiled kindly at the woman, tilting his head ever so lightly for her to continue. “Mr. Wayne,” she breathed, staring at him.

“Hi,” he chuckled. When that didn’t get the response he hoped for, he offered her one of his smiles that usually helped close business deals. “I’m looking for Rachel?”

“Oh, yes!” the woman pushed herself away from the table, rolling her swivel chair away with a bit more force than necessary. “She’s in the main lab,” she said and stood up abruptly, ponytail aggressively swishing behind her. “I’ll take you to her,”

Tim smiled. “Thank you,”

“My name’s Alice, I’m a junior at GU majoring in Conservation Science with a minor in literature,” babbled the brunette, Alice, as they walked down the large hallway. Tim nodded politely, listening to her talk while curiously peeking into some of the rooms they passed.

“Here we are,” Alice directed to the large two-door entryway. “This is our main lab where we do most of our paper conservation work. The other labs are for art,” she explained, though Tim was barely interested. Through the glass panels, he could see Raven’s black hair and he was immediately reminded of his nerves as they leapt briefly.

“Yeah, it definitely looks glued together. Let’s look at what kind of glue they used or if we can get the compounds? That way we can find ways to remove the glue and separate all these sheets,” Tim watched Raven talk to a small group as they were leaning over a large scroll that lay on the huge white lab table. She held what looked like a scalpel close to the old paper, gently nudging at where the sheets were glued together. “Once that’s done, let’s study if we can give the paper a rinse and stop the acid from decomposing the paper.”

For a moment, Tim just stared from his spot in the doorway, taking in Raven’s blue dress and heels and the curious expression that crossed her face. A few strands of hair fell into her eyes as she turned and listened to one of her colleagues and everyone shared a laugh. He felt the oddly familiar way his stomach flipped, watching the smile dance across her lips – a rare sight he often enjoyed for himself. And it struck him how in her element Raven was.

Tim felt his breath catch. Just as Alice was about to announce their arrival and butt into the group’s conservation, Raven looked up and locked eyes with him. Of course, she must have sensed him as he stepped into the room. Surprise flickered in her blue eyes as she stared at him.

“Hi, sorry, to bother,” Alice next to him, smiling apologetically at the group. “Rachel? Eh, you have a guest?” She tilted her head towards Tim, not so subtly nudging her head his way and raising her eyebrows warningly.

“Mr. Wayne,” Raven breathed, a small smile played on her lips as she straightened and she schooled her face, slipping into Rachel Roth with ease.

"Hi, Ms. Roth," the formalities felt odd, grating against his lips, but Tim played along expertly and he smiled at her. He watched her stare at him, as if trying to figure out what he was doing here.

"What a surprise," she said, still staring at him as if trying to read him. Tim knew that look well, her blue eyes searching his face as if trying to find answers.

"Our meeting?" He lied, tilting his head ever so lightly and smiling at her. He watched her blink, a look of sheepish surprise crossing her face. Tim had to fight from smiling broader, watching Raven look sheepish, albeit fake, was always amusing.

“Right, my apologies,” she said. Glancing briefly at her colleagues, she nodded her head. “I think we’re good? I’ll be back later to help out. Hopefully we'll know the compounds by then.” she said before turning back to Tim and offering him a calculating gaze.

“Right. Let’s go to my office, Mr. Wayne,” Raven said, sparing him a brief glance and smile, before walking past him and through the doors of the lab. Tim followed her silently, listening to the rhythmic clicking of her heels against the tiled floor.

Tim spared her a glance, staring at the telltale signs of Raven’s mild confusion as her eyebrows barely drew in and her lips were pressed into a tight smile.

They stepped into her small office at the end of the hallway. It was bare, but tastefully decorated with a few plants and paintings. A standard desk with an obscenely large computer screen was set up close to one of the small windows. Tim could barely see one of the ugly stone gargoyles that were perched by the library entrance from her window.

Once the door was safely closed, Raven whirled around and sent him a confused look. “What are you doing here?” she asked, eyebrows drawn in utter confusion. Arms crossed, she studied Tim. “Do you need help with something?” She paused and looked over his shoulder. “With a case?”

Tim released a soft chuckle, unbuttoned his suit jacket and eased himself, uninvited, into her rather uncomfortable chair reserved for guests. The upholstery was old and uncomfortable and Tim wondered just for how long the chair had been in circulation. “Er, no,” he smiled sheepishly up at her, mildly amused at the sight of her drawn eyebrows. “I was wondering if you’d like lunch?”

Raven looked surprised and she gingerly stepped closer to the edge of her desk to sit down, presumably to digest what he just had said. “Lunch?” she repeated, arms still folded across her chest as if defensively. Tim thought that it was odd to see Raven this way – heels and business-like, and just edging on cautious.

“Yeah, you know. Something you eat sometime around 2-ish or so,” he explained, tilting his head just a little to throw a teasing smile at her.

The corner of her lips curled into a familiar amused smile and she uncrossed her arms, allowing them to rest on either side of her hips and gently grab the edge of her desk as she sat up and leaned towards him just a little bit. She narrowed her eyes and caught his amused stare. “Look at you, telling me to go have lunch. Who are you and what have you done with Tim Drake-Wayne,” she said, a teasing lilt in her voice.

There she was. Tim beamed, catching a brief glimpse of the Raven he remembered from years ago. His chest tightened at the memory of her and he quickly dismissed it. “I’m a changed man,” he told her.

Raven rolled her eyes and crossed her legs by her ankles, getting comfortable on her perch. “I doubt that,” she said, an air of finality in her voice that carried more than it intended to. They shared a brief glance before she huffed and shook her head. “Also, normal people have lunch at 12 noon, not ‘around 2-ish or so,’” she told him.

Tim shrugged. “So my timing needs a bit of work,” he said defensively. He stared at her, expectantly waiting for her reply. Silently wondering if she’d agree. Surely she wouldn’t say no to a friend, right? “So, lunch?”

“It’s quarter to two,” Raven deadpanned.

Tim wrinkled his nose. “Time is irrelevant,”

Raven made a face. “I’d like to think timing meals is important to avoid ulcers and other complications,” she countered.

Tim blinked, staring up at her amused expression and for a brief moment, he was reminded of their younger versions and their endless banter. Before he could allow himself to tumble headfirst into old memories, logical Tim laughed and forced himself to look at the much older version of the Raven he once knew. “Okay, you got me. My lunch game still needs work,”

Raven released a soft huff of laughter. “It’s vastly improved,” she assured him.

“So, is that a yes?” Tim asked.

Raven eyed him as she looked torn for a moment, her gaze drifting towards her office door briefly, without a doubt thinking of her team and her work. Her gaze settled back at him, an unreadable expression crossing her face as she sighed and pulled herself up on her feet. “Fine, but you better think of an excuse for my team,” she told him.

He shouldn’t have felt as excited as he was, but Tim thought it was alright considering they had not seen each other in years. Catching up was in order. Buttoning up his suit as he stood up, he threw her a winning Wayne smile. “Excellent. We can have a lunch meeting outside the library,” he told her.

Raven watched him, as if studying him for a moment, before sighing and rolling her eyes. “Fine,” she mumbled. Standing up, she grabbed her things – her phone and laptop satchel before joining him by her door.

They left without much fuss. Tim threw her assistant Alice a bright smile and nonchalantly informed her that they’d leave for a business meeting. Raven smiled at her assistant and told her she wouldn’t be back for the day and the team could leave early if they were done with today’s work.

They had lunch at Royal Thai’s, of course. The lunch rush was long gone and there were barely any people left in the restaurant as they entered. Out of habit, they walked towards their old table way in the back, the same table tucked away next to a potted mini-coconut tree.

They ordered their usual pad thai, fried chicken, pineapple fried rice, and an order of mango-sticky rice to share. As their familiar order arrived, Tim grinned at the familiar sight.

“Things really don’t change?” he mused while helping himself to a large drumstick.

Raven hummed, as if mildly agreeing. She helped herself to some pad thai, carefully adding a few more tofu cubes to her helping. “Maybe some things,” she said.

Tim sobered briefly, his chopsticks pausing as they tried to scoop up some fried rice. A lot did change, he realized, even if he unknowingly seemed desperate to look for remnants of the past.

Biting the bullet he was too nervous to ask, he eyed her curiously over their achingly familiar lunch. “So what did change?”

A lot, he learned. Raven learned to like running, she went on runs while at the university. She joined the New York City Marathon during her senior year and still goes on morning jogs in Gotham. She seemed to be a lot of comfortable around people, she had gone to parties while at NYU and her handful of galas. She learned how to shmooze more, a must at research fundraisers. Tim learned she briefly joined a Ayahuasca retreat in Peru, during that one period of time where he couldn’t find anything on her. She was vague about the spiritual retreat but laughed it off saying the effects of the psychoactive brew only lasted for a few minutes.

There was a curiosity and lightness about her that he remembered from many years ago, but at the same time, it was new to him. As she explained to him some of the research projects she worked on in Indonesia and Bulgaria. Raven has always been curious, ready to understand more of the world around her. Having this kind of freedom at her disposal seemed to give her a certain glow.

He learned that Raven had taken a liking towards knitting. It was a small hobby she had picked up, again, while at university, when finals were grating her nerves. Though she did admit that she was terribly at it. Her last knitting project resulted in a sweater with lopsided arms.

Tim pictured Raven hunched over her sweater, furiously knitting into the night. The picture made him chuckle.

She learned how to bake, albeit not perfectly. But this confirmed the sight of the KitchenAid in her kitchen. Her shortbread cookies were passable, she told him. But nothing to Alfred’s standards, the ones he liked.

“I’m sure they’re perfect,” he told her.

They shared a smile over the last bits of sticky rice, and Tim found himself desperately grappling for more information about her and her new life. There were years between them, and while it was still the same Raven who liked pad thai, books, glueing ancient documents together, and secretly enjoyed boba tea (and his terrible jokes), it still felt that there was a chasm between them and new things he had to relearn about her.

He watched her wrinkle her nose at one of his bad jokes, lips curling in that old familiar bemused smile masked by feigned annoyance. Tim silently knew he wanted, needed, to fill that chasm between them. The idea had his nerves pulsing under his skin and his stomach leap.

He always knew that bad ideas were terrible for him to jump headfirst into. But he always did.

~

Tim saw Ravan again, a few nights later. She knew he was there before he could fumble with her pathetic locks on her window. She was at the window, dressed in an familiar oversized Gotham Knights shirt, glaring at him with her bedhead hair.

“What the fuck do you want? It’s 3 in the morning,” she glared and watched him stumble into her bedroom. “On a Sunday,”

“I got shot?” he told her lamely, applying pressure to his left shoulder and trying his best not to bleed all over her carpet.

Blue eyes zeroed in on his shoulder and Raven exhaled loudly in exasperation. She stared at him, taking in his roughed up form (he and Jason had intercepted a drug shipment courtesy of Black Mask. They successfully stopped the shipment, albeit with a few scrapes and bruises. Neither were too keen on going to the Cave to get patched up). Tim watched her inhale deeply as she stared at him before turning on her heels and walking away from him.

“Strip, on my bed, let’s patch you up,” her retreating form announced. He watched silhouette silently pad out of her bedroom, likely out to retrieve her med kit. Not waiting to be told twice, Tim silently worked on removing his cape and cowl, along with the top of his uniform without aggravating his injuries too much.

Raven returned with her medical supplies and switched on her bedroom lights, bathing them in warm yellow light. She spared him a brief glance, watching him carefully drop the last of his uniform into one corner of her bedroom where was sure no surface would be stained with blood. Raven threw a towel on the edge of her bed and sat down, carefully disinfecting her hands and gathering necessary supplies to extract the bullet.

“C’mon, Boy Blunder,” Raven beckoned him over and Tim sat down next to her, right hand still pressed into his throbbing shoulder. She glanced at him, eyebrows pinched in displeasure as she took stock of his injuries. “Anything else I should know about?”

“It’s not as bad as it looks,” Tim breathed through the throbbing pain. It was just another Sunday morning, in his book.

“Seriously?” she breathed and swatted his hand away from his bleeding shoulder. “Is it a through and through?”

“Still lodged in there,” Tim winced as fingers gently prodded into the angry red flesh. He watched her frown as she stared at his injury. Dark blue eyes flickered to his light blues ones, and Tim allowed himself to take in the familiar sight of Raven’s displeasure over his injuries. It was an old picture he could never forget. “Okay,” he breathed, as Raven continued to stare, waiting for him to reveal more of his injuries. He knew that she knew him well enough to not disclose every injury. “Cracked a rib or two too,”

Raven sighed and rolled her eyes in clear annoyance, but he could see the whisper of a smile curling around her lips as her fingers worked deftly at removing the bullet and warm hands seeped familiar healing magic into his system. “Some things never change,” she breathed, her energy slipping underneath his skin and wrapping around him in that familiar warm way that he remembered from years ago.

~

Work at WE would keep Tim busy on most days, on other days he’d stop by at the library for lunch. 12ish, not 2ish.

He’d learned that taken an interest in art restoration, more than just restoring old papers and books. He’d enjoy listening to explain her work, going into detail about restoration work and her research on runes.

“So it’s not just glueing papers together?” he asked in amusement over the rim of his Thai coffee. Raven rolled her eyes at him in bemusement.

He learned, much to his surprise, she enjoyed cliff diving. She had told him she went a few times while in Indonesia. The cliffs were high and the thrill of jumping, without powers, was fun.

“It felt like it was a regular person,” she mused.

~

Tim was curious if she had dated, while away. The thought didn’t settle well with him, but he was curious. For reasons he would rather not confront, he wanted to know.

She did, though briefly. While at, again, university. He learned this while she was baking shortbread cookies one evening as he arrived at her apartment for a patch-up. His stomach flipped at the idea but he ignored the feeling immediately.

“Vigilante Half-Demon and civilians don’t really mix,” Raven chuckled and absently cut the shortbread cookie dough into squares. Tim released an absent hum.

From his perch at her kitchen island, he watched her pause and she stared at him with quirked lips. “How’s Steph?”

Tim blinked, not expecting that question. He stared at her, gaging her look as she silently waited for an answer. He and Step had broken up years ago. They were friends but whatever past they shared was just that -- in the past. Tim ignored the sudden tightness in his chest and he shrugged. “She’s good. I don’t see her a lot except on patrol. When she can. She’s working on her residency at Gotham General,” he told her.

Raven smiled and nodded. “Great for her,”

~

Tim stumbles into her apartment more often than he had planned. Oftentimes with casework he wanted her to look over, asking her for advice (“You know these cryptic messages better than us,” he told her once, when going over a recent case he helped out with the Justice League) but more often than not for healing injuries. He refused to go to the Cave. Some things never change, he supposed.

Tim had stayed over one night, on a night after a particularly bad encounter with Captain Boomerang that left him a little too raw and on the edge. After healing all his broken bones and injuries, she had offered him kindly if he’d like to stay the night. He looked dead on his feet anyway.

Raven looked up from watching the kettle on her stove as he stepped awkwardly into her kitchen, dressed in clothes that were achingly familiar.

“Looks like you grew a little,” Raven smirked just as the kettle whistled on the stove. Her gaze swept over his taller, larger form and her eyes danced in amusement.

Tim chuckled and tugged at his old Green Day concert shirt. He had not seen the shirt in years. He was dressed in his old shirt and sweatpants, both just a little too tight and both memories of clothes Raven had seemed to weasel away from him. “Yeah, well, that happens when you grow older,” he said while padding barefoot into her kitchen and depositing himself by her kitchen island. Despite her healing every injury in his body, he was exhausted.

Raven slid a steaming mug of tea his way and watched him gratefully take it. She eyed him in bemusement. “Carefully, you’re calling yourself old,”

“Hah,” Tim chuckled into his mug and carefully blew into it, taking a tentative sip. He kind of felt old, he’d admit.

Raven sat across from him, and carefully handled her own steaming mug of tea. A brief silence fell on them as he watched her glance at her open laptop next to her, she absently typed a few things into the machine with one hand. He had stumbled into her apartment earlier that evening while she was still working.

“What are you working on?” Tim asked her curiously.

Raven shrugged and shoved her Mac away from her. “Just my presentation for the lecture series at Gotham U. I have another class coming up,”

Tim frowned and absently tapped his mug. “I’m sorry to have bothered you,” he glanced at the laptop. “I could leave,”

Raven rolled her eyes and gently closed the laptop with finality. “Don’t be ridiculous. You can surprisingly barely stay away. It’s fine, I was done anyway. I was just going through some of my notes and finetuning some things,” she explained.

Tim sent her an amused smile. “Always the perfectionist,”

She threw him a wry smile. “Learned from the best,”

Tim chuckled into his tea. He glanced at her laptop again, curiosity piquing. “Do you enjoy teaching?”

Raven hummed and shrugged. “It’s nice. I don’t think I’d like to do it full time. Spending so much time with that many people in one place is a bit exhausting. I’m glad it’s just a special lecture series, nothing really graded, I’d rather not spend my evening grading papers,” she explained. Tim watched as a thoughtful expression crossed her face. “But it’s nice to have conversations with students and learn from each other,”

“Seems like you enjoy what you do,” Tim commented and ignored how that realization seemed to not settle well with him.

Raven shrugged absently, throwing him a small smile. Her fingers danced absently over the rim of her now warm mug. “I like it, but it’s a lot less exciting,”

Tim smiled. “Well, your spot with the Titans is still open,”

Raven tilted her head, staring at him and mulling over his words. “Thanks,” she said. “I’ll keep that in mind,”

Tim stared at her and felt the mood shift. Her blue eyes gazed at him briefly before drifting back to her mug and absently taking a small sip of her tea. “I mean it, Raven,” he said, and silently tried to leap over the distance that he had hoped to slowly close in.

The corners of her lips quivered just a little bit and she regarded him with an unreadable expression. “It’d be nice to see the team again,” she mused.

“Everyone misses you,” Tim said, his words weighing heavily in the air as they stared at each other.

He watched her finish the last of her tea with a heavy note, her shoulders a little bit more set and her gaze just a little bit more thoughtful. She blinked and stared at him. “Perhaps I should have been in touch more all these years,” she mused.

There was a pregnant pause as Tim watched her gaze at him, a wan smile playing on her lips, before dropping her gaze and thoughtfully staring at the potted plant in the corner of her dining room. “You had your reasons,” he told her carefully, and suddenly it felt like he was threading through thick waters, legs and arms heavy. Tim listened to her absently hum.

“I should have been more in touch, too,” Tim said, his chest suddenly just a little tighter at the sudden admission. The air just seemed a fraction of an inch thicker and he inhaled deeply, regret that had built up over the years suddenly crawling up his throat. He caught her gaze, as dark blue eyes stared at him, calculating and drinking in the swarm of emotions that suddenly bubbled up out of nowhere.

“Why didn’t you?” she asked, her question seemed like a stick gently prodding a sleeping hornets nest.

His throat tightened at the thought and Tim suddenly found himself tumbling headfirst into memories from years ago. His thumb dragged absently across the handle of his now cold mug, an action that seemingly tried to ground his sudden onslaught of thoughts.

“I was a coward. That was sutpid of me. This is all on me,” he told her, heavily.

Raven blinked and did not look away as she stared at him, taking in his admission. Her brows pinched in that familiar way when she would mull over her thoughts. “You kept your tabs on me. You had every chance to say hello, but you didn’t. You knew exactly where I was, all the time,” she told him. She didn’t sound accusing, she just said things how they were.

Tim swallowed thickly as guilt seemingly clawed at him. He tried to navigate and find the right answer, but at the same time he knew that they both knew the answer to her point. The answer settled low in his stomach.

He sighed and blinked, watching as a Raven offered him a tired smile. He knew she knew. “Why didn’t you?” he asked suddenly, asking before he could think and retract the question. He watched her blink thoughtfully and briefly look away.

She turned back to him, her lips quirking into a wan smile. “Maybe I was just tired of begging for scraps. Maybe I was tired of waiting at a possibility that could never happen,” she told him.

Tim felt his shoulders tighten the chasm that he had so desperately tried to close between them seemed to suddenly reopen, and he watched, with a tight, pained smile at how he was reminded of the distance that was all his – their – fault.

[darthvashtique93]

Shattered Soul

Chapter 1

Beep. Beep. The heart monitor was the only sound to be heard in the med bay.  Raven sat with her head in her hands, willing Connor to wake up, willing herself to remember.  What happened? How did I…?   She looked at her hands woefully.  She honestly could not remember.  Raven searched her brain desperately.  She remembered the distress call.  She remembered she and Connor getting to the night club first.  She remembered Red Robin telling them to wait for backup, but Connor had already run into the night club.  So, she followed him.  She followed her teammate.  That’s what she was supposed to do.  That’s what heroes did.  They had their teammates’ backs, even the ones that didn’t listen because they were still getting over a breakup.  A sharp pain shot through Raven’s head as she roughly rubbed her temples.  She remembered flying past the police cars with their blaring, bright sirens upon reaching the crime scene.  She remembered teleporting into the night club.   Connor hadn’t been visible through the strobe lights or fog machines.  She was getting hit with too many emotions.  Unconscious and dead bodies littered the floor, but she needed to find Connor.  But…that’s where things got fuzzy.

             Raven opened her eyes.  She slowly sat up as her vision began to clear.  She then took stock of her surroundings.  The nightclub had been reduced to rubble.  It was…gone.  Cops were yelling, speaking into their radios, calling for backup.  Firefighters and EMTs had converged on the scene, and a few spectators were digging through the rubble, trying to reach the victims buried underneath.  She sensed fear coming from the already gathering crowd.  She looked down at herself.  Her clothes were torn entirely, no more than mere strips of cloth barely covering her privates. She had blood pouring out of a deep gash on her head.  Probably from a ceiling beam, she surmised.  “Raven!” She turned to see Red Robin and the rest of the team running towards her with shock and horror apparent on their faces.  He said something to a nearby cop who pointed at her.  She then realized that she was the source of the crowd’s fear.  Suddenly Wonder Girl was in front of her, yanking her to her feet and shaking her roughly.  “What did you do?” she screamed.  Raven stuttered.  “Wh-what?” was Raven’s only response.  She looked at the destruction all around her.  Cop cars were flipped over; one was in a tree.  Shattered glass was all over the place.  “Connor!” Wonder Girl released and began to dig for her ex frantically.  The other Titans had already made themselves scarce, looking for survivors, helping the police, retrieving the cop car from the tree.  Red Robin was suddenly in front of her, wrapping his cape around her shoulders.  She placed a hand on Red Robin’s shoulder, steadying herself on shaky legs.  She immediately felt his worry.  He gently cupped her face and asked, “What happened?”

“I don’t know,” she replied, tears welling up in her eyes. “I don’t know.”

             Once she had returned to the tower, Raven had done her best to heal Connor; but with the trauma to her head, and her fragile emotional state, she could only do so much.  Although, physically speaking, Connor was fine.  There wasn’t a scratch on him.  But, for some reason, he was in a coma.  Raven had received an earful from Cassie as soon as they reached the tower.

             “This is your fault!” Cassie screamed lividly.  “How could you lose control?  Why didn’t you wait for backup?”

             “Enough, Cassie!” Red Robin had stepped between the two girls.  “We don’t know what happened, but Connor isn’t our main concern right now.  Raven,” he looked at Raven tenderly, “stay here.  Rest, and keep watch over Connor.”

             “What!” Cassie protested.  “You’re leaving him with her?  It’s her fault we’re in this mess in the first place!  She can’t be trusted!”

             “Enough, Cassie!  You and I need to get back out there and help with the rescue.  Here is the best place for Raven to be right now.  Will you be okay?” he had asked Raven.  Raven nodded.  “Okay.  Let’s go.”  Cassie turned to follow him, but not before giving Raven a dirty look.

             Now, hours later – around 6 a.m., Raven sat on the bed, still wrapped in Tim’s cape, looking at her hands, still trying to piece the evening together in her mind.  What happened?  How did she lose control?  She was always in control.  Save for a few instances.  And why wasn’t Connor waking up?  He didn’t have a scratch on him.

             Raven sensed before she heard the rest of the titans enter the tower.  They were speaking amongst themselves.  The atmosphere was tense and depressing.  She listened to the doors to the med bay open and prepared herself for the tongue-lashing of the century.  Tim and Cassie had walked in.  “Any change?” she heard Tim ask.

“No.  No change,” Raven answered softly.  “Is everyone okay?” she asked without looking up.  She heard Cassie scoff.  “You mean from the building you dropped on them?” Cassie asked.

“Cass,” Tim snapped at her, shocking both her and Raven.

“Whatever,” Cassie responded, leaving the infirmary. “I’m over this.”  It was just Tim, Raven, and a comatose Connor.  Eventually, Raven looked up to see Tim staring intently at her, his mask off.  He took a step closer to her, his blue eyes holding her gaze.  “It’s just us now, Rae," Tim spoke softly.  "You can tell me anything.  What happened?”

“There's nothing to tell,” Raven sighed, looking away.  “I don’t remember.  I can’t remember.”

“Raven- “

“I’m telling the truth, Tim,” she looked at him desperately, “I don’t remember.  I don’t know.”  Tim sat on the edge of the bed she occupied.  Raven pulled her knees to her chest to give him more room.  “It’s…it feels like there’s a black hole in my memory.  I don’t know what happened.  I remember running into the night club after Connor, but I don’t remember anything after that.  I just remember laying in a pile of rubble.”  Tim reached out to put a comforting hand on her knee, but Raven flinched.  Visibly flinched.  There was nothing subtle about that flinch.  Tim looked at her curiously.  “Are you okay?” he asked.  Raven stared at him for a moment before nodding slightly.  “Okay,” he said, clearly unconvinced, “but I’m benching you for now.  Just until things get back to normal.”  Raven nodded, resting her head on her knees in exhaustion and mortification.  What had she done?

                     One month.  That’s how long it took for things to go back to “normal” – that’s how long Raven was not allowed to leave the Tower as ‘Raven.’  Within that time span, a few leaguers stopped by to see if they could rouse Connor from his coma.  The Martian Manhunter; Batman; Zatanna Zatara – who made her thoughts on Raven’s existence extremely clear – and a few of the greatest minds from S.T.A.R. Labs visited Connor.  But nothing was found.  He was physically and mentally in great shape.  “The only thing I can say,” Raven listened by eavesdropping from a place in the ceiling in the guise of her soul-self as the Martian Manhunter spoke, “is that Connor is perfectly healthy.  I believe he is keeping himself in this coma.  Did anything traumatic happen to him the week of the accident?”

“Isn’t having a demon drop a building on you traumatic enough?” Zatara nearly sneered.  “I told the League-“

“Thank you, Zatanna,” Raven’s stomach fluttered as Tim interrupted the magician, “every person in the Justice League, Titans, and Young Justice know how you feel about Raven.”  Tim turned to the green alien as Zatanna seemed to pout.  “He and Cassie broke up hours before the incident,” Tim said.  “That’s all I can think of.”

“Hmm,” Raven saw Martian put a finger to his lips.  “What are Batman’s thoughts on the matter?”

“Basically, the same as yours,” Tim answered, “he thinks Connor is subconsciously keeping himself in this catatonic state.”

“What about the young sorceress? Raven?” J’ohnn asked.

“She has no memory of the evening,” Tim sighed.

“And you believe the demon?” Zatanna questioned.

“Yes,” Tim answered firmly, without hesitation or doubt.  “I do.”  Zatanna took a step back from him.

“Hmm,” Martian Manhunter said again.  “Can you call Raven down here?  I would like to speak to her.”  Raven immediately returned to her body, not waiting to hear Tim’s answer.  Her heart was thumping against her chest.  Moments later, she sensed Tim outside her door.  She opened it before he even had a chance to knock.  He stared at her, his mouth slightly agape in surprise.  She must be quite a sight with her hair hanging limply down her back, dark circles around her eyes, wearing an extremely baggy shirt.  Also, none of her teammates had seen her in a good week.  She always teleported to and from school; teleported food from the fridge to her bedroom.  “I sensed you,” Raven said softly when Tim still hadn’t said a word.

“J’ohnn would like to speak to you,” he said.  Raven nodded and stepped out of her room.  “Raven,” Tim placed a hand on her shoulder.  She froze for a split second before reflexively throwing his hand from her shoulder with a growl.  Both Titans froze at Raven's response.  Raven could only stare at her hand in shock and horror.  “I…” she didn’t know what to say.  Tim's surprise was just as palpable.  “Raven,” he said with deep concern, "if you don't feel up to this-"

“No, I’ll go,” Raven said.  “Where is he?” she asked, knowing full well J'ohnn awaited her in the common room.

“The common room,” Tim answered.  They then stared at each other awkwardly.  “After you,” Raven whispered.  Tim nodded, this entire interaction had him perplexed as he stored it away in his brain, something he'd dwell on later.  He briefly glanced back at the empath following him.  Raven followed a few feet behind him with her arms around herself, hugging herself protectively.  All was not well with his teammate, and he resolved to get to the bottom of it.

                      Fifteen feet away from the door and Raven hit a wall of hate and disgust.  Zatanna.  Raven rolled her eyes.  She had neither the time nor energy to deal with the goody-two-shoes TV magician.  Raven walked through the common room doors, facing Zatanna’s glare head-on.  “Demon,” Zatanna growled.  Raven rolled her eyes.  “You aren’t worth my time, Zatara,” Raven replied.

“What did you say you-“

“Zatanna,” the Martian Manhunter interrupted, “your skills are no longer needed.  You are free to leave.”

“I’d like to stay,” Zatanna said.

“As a superior league member, I am nicely asking you to leave,” J’ohnn turned his red, alien eyes to the female magician.

“Fine,” Zatanna turned away grumpily, “but don’t come whining to me when shit hits the fan.”  She then stormed from the room.  “I apologize for her behavior,” the green alien said to Raven.

“Doesn’t bother me anymore,” Raven shrugged.  “Tim said you wanted to see me.”

“Yes, I would like to see what happened through your eyes.  If you’ll allow it,” he added, exuding calm and safety.

“Okay,” Raven said, the thought of someone else in her head making her queasy, “but I don’t remember anything.  And ripping a memory…”

“I won’t do anything to your mind.  I promise.”  Raven sensed only truth from the green alien.  She nodded hesitantly.  J’ohnn motioned for her to sit. ��She did; and J'ohnn sat in front of her, their knees brushing against each other.  Raven's stomach churned at the contact as a brief wave of nausea and panic swept through her.  “Ready?” the Martian asked.  Raven closed her eyes and lowered the safeguards in her mind just as he was placing a hand on either side of her head.  "Ready," she breathed after a moment or two.  Once he sensed her walls were down, the green alien entered Raven's mind both slowly and carefully.  He'd barely crossed the threshold when a scream tore through the air.  A wall of pain hit him like a ton of bricks before his mind went black.

            “Raven,” a voice called out.  “Raven.”  Raven’s eyes slowly opened groggily.  A pair of blue eyes were inches from her face, staring at her with worry.  Was she on the floor?  When did that happen?  “Mmm,” someone groaned in pain.  Raven turned to see M’gann helping her uncle off the floor.  “What happened?” M’gann demanded to know.  An intense pressure filled Raven's head.  Her head was pounding.  She had a headache, and the room was spinning.  Were the walls closing in on her?  Her heart began pounding in her chest as her body filled with terror.  She closed her eyes as she began to be plagued by images.  She couldn't breathe.  Flashing lights.  Sickening laughter.  A huge weight on her chest with heavy breathing in her ear.  “Raven!” a voice screamed.  Raven’s eyes popped open once again as she began hyperventilating and objects in the room began vibrating.  Tim held her head in his hands and said, “Breathe, Raven.”  She looked at him with wide eyes.  “Breathe,” he said again, “inhale.  Exhale.  Do it with me.”  Raven began inhaling deeply and exhaling.  “Good,” Tim said giving her a small smile as he gently stroked her hair.  Raven felt her body relax.  “Can you sit up?” he asked.  Raven nodded.  Tim helped her slowly sit.  He froze when he realized how close their faces were.  If he angled his head just so, their lips would touch.  Raven’s breath caught in her chest at the thought of maybe kissing Tim.  “What happened?” she breathed out.  She looked past Tim.  A sofa and table had been split in half.  “Did I do that?” Raven asked in a panic as Tim helped Raven to her feet.  She looked over at the two Martians.  J’ohnn was still on the floor, rubbing his head.  “J’ohnn,” she said, “I…I…” she looked pleadingly at M’gann, who was torn between yelling at Raven and comforting her uncle.  She chose the former.  “No,” J’ohnn stopped her before M'gann could utter a single insult. “This wasn’t Raven's fault,” he groaned in pain.  M’gann looked at him queerly.  “How do you mean?” she asked her uncle.  “She should have lowered her safeguards.  Why didn't she?”

“She did,” J’ohnn looked at Raven with compassion.  “Something else kicked me out.”

“I didn’t mean to,” Raven gasped, trying to pull away from Tim, who was gently holding her.  Tim didn’t let her go, thankfully.  Raven was a bit wobbly on her legs.  “I know,” J’ohnn slowly stood to his feet.  "I know," he reassured her.

“Do you know what it was?” Raven asked.  “Is someone in my head?  Am I compromised?”

“No,” J’ohnn shook his head.  “Your mind is safe.  Extremely safe.  Unfortunately, I was not able to see what Raven saw.”

“Why?” Raven asked.

“Because you didn’t see anything, Raven,” he turned to her kindly.  “For some reason, your eyes were closed when whatever happened, happened.  You were probably unconscious.  From what I gathered, you're not the cause of...any of this.  Merely collateral.”  Raven didn’t know what to say.  It didn’t make her feel any better about the situation. “Well,” Tim said, optimism coating his voice, “since Raven isn’t responsible, I guess you are no longer benched.”  He smiled at her.  She didn’t return it.  “Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Raven asked.  “I don’t know if I’m ready to jump right back into heroics.”

“If my uncle says you’re not responsible, Raven,” M’gann looked at her with no malice or anger, “then you’re not responsible.  However,  I can stay until Raven gets her bearings.  I don’t mind.”  Raven looked at Tim pleadingly.  “Uh…okay," Tim looked at Raven in obvious concern.  "If you don’t mind,” he said to M’gann.

“No problem,” she smiled brightly. “I’ve wanted to spend more time with Beast Boy.  He’s so funny.  Like the little brother I never had.”

“Um…okay…” Raven said.  “If you guys don’t mind, I have a biology exam tomorrow.  I need to study.” Tim watched intently as she slowly phased into the floor.

             Raven landed on her bed and curled up into a ball, pulling the covers over her head, replaying the conversation in her head.  She did have a biology exam, but she didn’t need to study.  She knew that stuff inside and out.  No.  That wasn’t what bothered her.  The fear and panic and terror she currently felt had nothing to do with her upcoming biology exam. It had been there before J’ohnn entered her mind, and it seemed to have amplified since he entered her mind. Raven didn’t know what she was afraid of, but every fiber of her being said that she was no longer safe.  Her room was no longer safe; the Tower was no longer safe; she was no longer safe.  Hot, silent tears came to her eyes as drowsiness took over. Her heart pounded loudly in her ears as the shadows in her room began to close in on her.  She was drowning; she was scared, and she didn’t know why.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/29485125/chapters/72428814

[flyingkiki]

A Very Merry Christmas (4/4)

We're ending this little series with a steamy little Christmas celebration for our favorite little birbs. Thank you all for following this series. I had a lot of fun writing this story.

Chapter Three of A Very Merry Christmas is here.

I'll focus on a few other TimRae projects and finishing a few other stories. Would you be interested in an AU?

Here's a steamy Christmas celebration, my loves!

~~~

Christmas dinner was a sin, really. It was the most delicious meal Raven ever had in her lifetime – Alfred truly did wonders in the kitchen. She still silently marveled at the normalcy of the Wayne family celebrating Christmas with a Christmas ham, creamy mashed potatoes, and array of vegetable dishes and sides, and a delirious amount of desserts. It felt strange to watch Bruce Wayne carve into the ham and gingerly place a rather large slice of ham on an annoyed Jason’s plate. The emotions in the room were strange – hurt still bubbled low and raw underneath the surface, but there was a level of protectiveness, forgiveness and care she could feel all at once with the family.

While everyone was still full and dutifully placing dishes into the dishwasher (“Alfie should not wash dishes, you little shits,”), Raven, Cass and Alfred carefully portioned off leftovers into containers for everyone to take home tomorrow.

The house smelled like Christmas as Cass steered her back into the sitting room where the large Christmas tree was bright and warm. If she blinked, Raven thought she was in an old Christmas movie as she watched Dick and Bruce settle a few more gifts under the Christmas tree. Their movements ruffled a few sprigs of the tree and Raven could smell the fresh scent of pine.

“Presents time,” Cass whispered into her ear and pushed her into the plush rug next to Tim, who easily caught Raven by the elbow and helped her settle in next to him. Cass pushed a plate stacked high with desserts into Raven’s hands, “Eat,” before bounding up to the couch to settle next to Bruce.

Raven stared at the gingerbread men and colorful thumbprint cookies warily before shooting Tim wry smile. “This is so much food,” she whispered to him, while watching Tim chuckle and pluck a colorful peanut butter Christmas cookie, his favorite, off her plate. Alfred had taught her how to make them, which thankfully turned out passable by Alfred’s standards. Tim didn’t seem to mind the burnt edges.

“We’re growing superheroes, we need our calories,” Tim said teasingly before quickly devouring the cookie.

Raven leaned into Tim, pressing into his side as they settled comfortably against each other. Curling her legs under her and feeling just a tiny bit drowsy from all the food, she carefully balanced the plate on her lap. “I don’t think I’ll fit into my uniform after all of this,” Raven breathed in resignation and took a careful bite out of a gingerbread Batman.

Tim made a dismissive sound and grabbed another peanut butter cookie while the rest of the family was busy pouring themselves glasses of eggnog and hot cocoa. “I definitely do not mind you out of your uniform,” he whispered discretely into her ear, earning a blush and exasperated eyeroll from Raven.

“Shut up,” she shoved Tim lightly, and she smiled at his amused chuckle as he plucked another cookie from her plate and crawled towards the large coffee table to grab them some hot eggnog. He carefully crawled back to her, half a cookie in his mouth, balancing two glass mugs of eggnog in his hands. Raven accepted the small glass mug and took a careful sit and immediately felt the warm rush of alcohol and spicy, creamy sweetness coat her tongue. Delicious.

“Okay, presents!” Dick announced after Alfred finally joined the family, not after depositing a large Christmas log on the table much to everyone’s delight. Bruce dove right in and began handing out slices.

Raven settled back and watched in a mixture of fascination and amusement as everyone eagerly handed out gifts. Bruce received a Green Lantern shirt from Jason, much to his chagrin. Damian received a new easel stand from Bruce. Jason got a new holster with tech upgrades from Tim. New ballet shoes for Cass from Dick. Alfred received some incredibly fancy pair of gloves from Damian. Dick chuckled in amusement at the Hufflepuff scarf he received from Cass (Both Dick and Cass seemed to have taken quite a liking towards Harry Potter).

There were more gifts that were passed around and opened and Raven took great pleasure to take in the domesticity of the scene in front of her. She ignored how her stomach leaped and warmed at the occasional ‘Thank You’ and the hug she received from Cass for the ballet tickets (“We can go together!”). She still was not entirely used to having this kind of doting attention directed towards her. This year she and Tim signed the tags of all the gifts for the rest of the Wayne brood with their names together. It was a surreal act, a first in their relationship (since last year they just kept to themselves), making this feeling of inclusion into this little bubble very real. She watched as Damian carefully unwrapped the silvery wrapper of their gift for him, her gaze briefly catching sight of the familiar tag she and Tim meticulously cut out and signed. She felt her heart leap briefly and marveled how a simple strip of paper could affect her.

They gifted Damian with leatherbound sketchpad and graphite pencils which Tim had carefully picked out for the younger boy. She watched as the corners of Damian’s lips curled slightly into a smile as he lifted the large sketchpad and inspected the lettering of Damian Wayne carefully pressed into the leather. She knew that Tim and Damian were not always at best terms, but Tim still was very thoughtful of his younger brother’s interests.

“Thank you, Raven, son,” Bruce smiled kindly over at the couple, holding up a large leather satchel. Tim had mentioned that Bruce needed a new bag for work, so he and Raven tried to find one and worked on customizing it with a few more hidden panels and locks.

“Welcome, B,” Tim beamed and quickly went through the codes and panels with the older man.

Raven was busy making plans with Cass to catch a performance at the New York City Ballet Company for their Spring season with the promise to use a portal to pick the younger woman up in Gotham. Tim returned and sat down next to her and gently pressed a small present into her lap.

“Oh,” Raven looked at the small red package in surprise. She caught Tim’s bemused smile and playfully rolled her eyes. “Wait, let me get yours,” she said and hurried towards the tree and grabbed the medium-sized gift. “Here,” she offered him a stern look. “Don’t shake it,”

“What is it?”

Raven settled next to him and placed her own gift into her lap, curiosity piquing slightly at what could be in the box. “Just open it,” she nudged him gently while watching his fingers pull at the ribbon and meticulously unwrap the giftwrap.

“Oh,” Tim pulled out a Sigma camera lens from the box. He blinked and stared at the new model, surprised at the gift. They briefly talked about getting new lenses for his camera a few months back, Tim was touched that she even remembered that conversation. “This isn’t even out on the market yet,” Tim marveled.

Raven shrugged and smiled mischievously. “I have my ways,”

Tim carefully returned the lens into its box. Leaning in he pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek. “Thanks, Rae,”

Raven hummed, a warm blush dusting her cheeks, and she ducked her head. Focusing on her gift, she unwrapped the gift carefully and stared curiously at the grey box. Carefully lifting the lid, a small smile spread across her lips as she stared at the little note she found on top of a pair of very fuzzy blue socks. ‘For your cold feet.’

She released a soft huff of laughter and pulled out the impossibly soft and fuzzy socks. She shot an amused look at Tim, who quickly returned hers with a familiar boyish grin of his own. Pushing aside the colorful box stuffing, she pulled out a portable mug heater and a beautiful kabuki mask from his last trip to Japan.

“Thanks, Tim,” she pressed a soft kiss onto his cheek.

“There’s one more,” Tim gentled nudged her shoulder, prompting her to look back into her gift box and rummage through colorful paper before fishing out a small velvet pouch. She cast Tim a curious glance, before turning back to the little pouch and carefully opening it. Turning it upside down, she knew it was jewelry when she felt the light weight of a chain slide down the pouch and drop into her hand. “Tim,” she breathed.

It was gold necklace with a little bird in flight pendant. The pendant looked delicate and finely made, Raven could see the details of feathers on the little bird’s outstretched wings. The little pendant slid down her palm as she shifted her hand in the warm light, the delicate weight of the necklace tickling her palm. She never really thought much of jewelry, but her heart warmed at the thoughtfulness of the gift.

“Do you like it?” Tim asked carefully, leaning into her space, and gaging her reaction. He knew that he shouldn’t be all too worried over her not liking the gift, he already knew that she appreciated small tokens and trinkets. Early on into the relationship Tim learned that Raven did not seem to care over expensive and lavish things, but she enjoyed simple treats and gifts from his business travels and missions. She did the same by bringing rocks or other strange trinkets from her off-earth missions. Yet the little golden necklace seemed to unwittingly rattle him just a little bit, he thought.

Raven smiled and nodded. “It’s pretty,” she mumbled, careful to keep the little conversation between them as the rest of the Bat family busied themselves with their own presents and conversations. Leaning into his space, she pressed a kiss to his cheek. “You shouldn’t have,”

“Well,” Tim chuckled and took the necklace out of her hand and gently pushed her shoulder to turn her around for him to put the necklace around her neck. “I would have wanted to get a bat pendant, but that would have been weird,”

Raven released a huff of laughter as she pushed her hair out of the way and allowed Tim to fasten the necklace around her neck. The little gold bird settled against her red reindeer sweater. Absently fingering the little pendant, before turning back to Tim to show him how it looked. She smiled as she watched him beam at her, blue eyes bright in mirth. He looked happy and content, bathed in the warm Christmas lights and wrapped up in his dorky Festivus Christmas sweater. Raven’s heart warmed at the sight, the Tim she met so many years ago was so different – much darker, and she enjoyed seeing this new light in him. Leaning in, she kissed Tim. “I love you, you dork,”

Tim hummed and offered a mumbled ‘I love you’ back before gathering her into his arms for a quick hug. Aware of others around them and the curious glances they shot their way, he released her and pressed a quick kiss to her temple before they settled next to each other. While Raven busied herself with Cass, Tim caught Bruce staring at them, his gaze warm and there was a small smile on the older man’s lips. Tim felt a little flustered at being watched but felt relieved to find himself in a better place with Bruce and the rest of the family. Offering the older man a small smile, Tim was glad that he and Raven decided to spend Christmas together with the family.

“We should take a family picture,” Dick announced, his Gryffindor scarf clashing terribly with his cat Christmas sweater. There was a loud cacophony of agreements and grumbles (“So many dramatics, dickface”) as Dick herded people to the small couch by the Christmas tree and had everyone settle around Bruce and Alfred.

Raven blinked, suddenly unsure where to place herself in the middle of people moving around the living room for the family picture. She awkwardly stood up and made a grab for Tim’s camera. “I’ll take the picture –”

“No!” Cass jumped to her knees and stopped Raven from picking up the camera from the table. “You sit with us,”

Raven felt heat rush to her cheeks at the invitation. “But I –”

“You’re one of us now,” Dick chirped from his perch on the couch’s armrest. His arm was slung over the back of the couch behind Alfred and he smiled warmly at Raven.

“Sit,” Tim mumbled warmly into her ear, gently pushing her lower back towards the couch. He easily caught on her sudden discomfort, catching the way her brows drew together in worry. Smiling gently, he gave her another gentle push before he took the camera and worked on setting up the tripod and timer.

“Come sit with us, Raven,” Bruce said while wrapping an arm around Damian next to him. Bruce easily caught her flustered glance and tilted his head towards the side where Cass had settled down next to the Christmas tree.

Raven tried to hide her surprise and embarrassment as she ducked her head and hurried to sit down next to Cass by the foot of the Christmas tree. You’re one of us now settled low in her stomach and surprisingly sent warm jolts up her spine – she had not expected that invitation. She felt Cass’ hand wrap around hers and she looked up at the younger woman in surprise. Cass offered her an encouraging smile and nudged her shoulder. Raven offered a small one in return as she allowed these new feelings to settle in.

“Hurry up, Timbers. Let’s get it done within this year’s Christmas maybe?” Jason’s annoyed voice drifted through the living room and Raven listened to Cass giggle next to her. “My hot eggnog is getting cold, and I’d like it warm, thank you very much.”

“Hold on, one sec,” Tim mumbled. He was busy tinkering with the camera settings, making sure that the lighting was perfect, and the exposure was just right. After making sure that everyone was in frame, Tim pulled out his camera remote. “Okay, got it.”

Hurrying towards Raven and Cass, Tim settled down on the floor next to Raven and gave her gentle smile. Wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her closer to his side, he squeezed her shoulder encouragingly. “Okay, everyone. On three, smile. One, two, three!”

“Wait now? Or on three? Or after?”

“On three, Dickface!”

“Boys!”

“Three!”

As the sounds of the camera shutter filled the room, Raven smiled and leaned into Tim. Whatever discomforts and flustered feelings she may have had early on, seemed to have slowly dissipated – like a weight she had been carrying on her shoulders had lifted. She belonged. Leaning into Tim more and feeling his arm just tighten a little bit more around her, Raven basked in the warmth of belonging.

The picture turned out great.

~

They all settled into their own rooms later that evening after everyone had their fill of eggnog, hot cocoa, and the Christmas Yule Log was miraculously eaten up. (“When you raise boys, leftovers are rare,” Bruce told Raven with a chuckle) A round of ‘Merry Christmas’ filled the living room followed by amusingly stiff yet warm hugs among the men (except for Alfred, who warmly hugged his brood) and a promise of Christmas leftovers for breakfast for everyone.

Raven and Tim silently shuffled back to their room carrying their gifts. Raven was surprised she even received gifts that evening considering that none of them even knew that she would be coming. The cashmere scarf from Alfred was beautiful (“I wasn’t sure who Master Tim would bring, but I would think every young woman would need a beautiful scarf”) and the Christmas-themed Batman sweater was funny (“We didn’t know who you were,” Dick shrugged apologetically). Bruce gifted her with a first edition Mark Twain book, undoubtedly pulled out of his personal library, but she loved it. (“You’re welcome to come and visit the library, or our home, anytime.”). Damian surprised both Tim and her when he silently offered them a thick rolled up paper before scurrying back to Bruce’s side and stuffing his face with cookies. When she and Tim unfurled the paper, they were surprised to see a beautifully drawn pencil drawing of both of them asleep and curled up into each other in one of the many sitting rooms of the house. It was beautiful.

Just as they carefully deposited all their gifts on Tim’s study table, Raven heard a little huff and scuffle by their door. Titus’ head peaked through the open door, obviously on his way to Damian’s room down the hall. The large dog whined, begging for Raven’s attention. Leaving Tim to change and get ready for bed, Raven released a soft chuckle and went over to the large dog.

“Hey boy,” she whispered and knelt to offer some scratches. Titus huffed loudly and promptly plopped down on the floor and rolled onto his back for some belly rubs. Raven eagerly complied, rubbing the dog’s soft fur.

Raven chuckled as Titus gave a low huff and whine as she scratched just the right spot. She heard Tim move in the background and slowly appear next to her, watching them in amusement. “Titus is going to miss you,” Tim chuckled while rubbing his face with a towel.

Raven hummed and she briefly looked up at Tim, noting that he had already changed for bed. Taking that it was her turn to get ready, she gave Titus one last pat on the belly and finally stood up. “I’ll miss him too, but not his sheer force of a dog,” she said with a small smile and stood up. They both watched Titus whine and get to his feet, watching Raven curiously. With a sneeze and a huff, he sat by their door. “Night, boy,” Raven gently patted the dog on his head before gently nudging Titus out the door and closing and locking it.

Pressing a kiss to Tim’s temple, she slowly shuffled off towards the bathroom to wash her hands and get ready for bed. She could hear Tim climb into bed and tinker with his phone as she heard the distinct tapping of keys, she was sure that Tim was busy checking emails and some work-related project from WE. She could feel the gentle push of his stress and it was a little surreal how well she knew Tim. While admittedly, there was still so much to learn from each other, Raven oddly caught herself surprised at how well they complemented each other despite the physical distance between them at times.

Despite her earlier hesitations of coming to meet Tim’s family officially, Raven was glad they made this trip. She understood his hurt a little bit better. She got a glimpse of how much he cared for his family, despite the tension that often bubbled low beneath the surface. She understood and saw Tim more, a rawness she was privileged to see, and her heart unconsciously warmed to have shared those moments with him.

Frank Sinatra’s ‘Have yourself a merry little Christmas’ crooned softly from the bedroom and Raven smiled. Feeling warm and full, Raven was glad she was here with Tim. She silently hoped for more of this. These quiet, raw, moments between them. Funny how she now found herself wanting this kind of raw intimacy.

After washing her face and brushing her teeth, Raven stripped down to her underwear – thankfully a matching lacy black pair. Not bothering to change just yet, she slipped out of the bathroom and leaned against the doorframe as she listened to Sinatra’s voice and watched Tim frown at his phone screen.

“I’m not sure Frank Sinatra will appreciate you frowning so furiously at his singing,” Raven teased, while playfully crossing her arms.

“There’s just a report –” Tim paused and openly stared at her figure, drinking in the black lace. “Oh,” He sat up, leaning against the headboard and watched her move towards the bed with piqued interest. “Hey,”

“Through the years we all will be together…”

Raven released a soft chuckle. “Hey,” she replied, lips curling every so lightly as she felt the familiar press of desire and attraction press against her. Drinking in his own boyish grin and the way his muscles rippled as he carefully placed his phone on the nightstand while not breaking eye contact with her had her own desires pool low in her stomach.

“Merry Christmas,” Tim said as Raven reached his side of the bed.

Raven hummed playfully. “Merry Christmas,” she replied and climbed into his lap, Tim’s hands immediately settling on her thighs as she sat down.

Tim grinned up at her boyishly and ran his hands up her thighs and over the swell of her hips. Fingers teasingly hooked into the sides of her lacy underwear and his lips curled further into a smile as he caught her amused stare. “May I unwrap my Christmas present?”

Raven released a thoughtful hum and ignored his fingers press into her hips. Leaning over him, she instead slipped her hands underneath his grey shirt and teasingly tugged it up his body while pressing a kiss to his neck. “I was hoping I could unwrap mine?” she mumbled into the underside of his chin as she pressed her body into him and felt his hands splay over her hips and butt. She tugged at his shirt once more and they fumbled to remove it while Raven lay over him.

They kissed languidly, both basking in a warm Christmas glow that settled low in their abdomens and left warm tingles up their bodies. Fingers were needy and gentle as they pressed into familiar curves and scars.

Raven felt nimble fingers run up her back and make quick work to unfasten her bra as she kissed him deeply. With a soft inhale, Raven sat up on Tim’s lap and allowed the garment the slide down her shoulders. Raven raised an eyebrow playfully as she caught Tim’s heated gaze, watching her remove her bra and drop in on the floor. For good measure, she teasingly rocked her hips into him as she felt his erection press against the apex of her own growing need.

Inhaling sharply at the steady rocking of her hips, Tim’s fingers dug into her hips and slowly slid up her waist for a steady trek up her chest. “Definitely the best Christmas, I must say,” Tim announced, hooded eyes eagerly drinking in Raven’s naked form.

Raven teasingly raised an eyebrow and ran her hands down his abdomen, watching in satisfaction as the muscles contracted in contact. She hooked her fingers into his sweatpants. “I still need to finish unwarp—”

Titus’ loud snuffling interrupted them as he sniffed the bottom of their bedroom door. Raven paused, lips lifted into an amused smile, and they both curiously watched as the silhouette of a large nose danced across the small crack at the bottom of their door. There was a low whine and a lot louder snuffling.

Tim shot an annoyed-amused look at this door. “Go away, Titus. You’re killing our Kinky Christmas mood,” he said, which of course did not achieve anything with the silencing charm still in place in the room.

Raven chuckled. With a little spark of magic that danced through the crack, Titus released a loud huff, before scurrying away from their bedroom door. With purple eyes dancing in amusement, she turned back to an equally amused Tim. “We should get a pet,” she said, tilting her head to the side thoughtfully and she regarded Tim’s surprised expression.

Tim blinked, surprised at the announcement. Scooting further up against his pillows to sit up better, he dragged Raven closer to him on his lap. The pads of his fingers pressed into her waist. “A pet?” he repeated, curious at this sudden announcement.

“Yes, a pet. An animal,” Raven rolled her eyes and squeezed his left forearm playfully.

Tim paused, gaging where this was going. He watched Raven curiously, waiting for her to explain but she seemed to wait patiently wait for his reply. He blinked. “Uh, okay? But we’re rarely together as often as we’d like in one location. So maybe a,” Tim paused and drew his eyebrows together. “A fish?”

Raven released a soft huff of laughter. “I’m pretty sure a fish needs just as much care as any other animal,” Her gaze softened a little bit as she took in Tim’s curious look and the corners of her lips curled up. “You always said you’d like a cat and I thought we could get one together?”

Tim’s chest warmed at Raven’s explanation. She remembered their conversations of wanting to own a cat as a child but never having been able to. Tim smiled warmly up at Raven, as a rush of emotions spread across his chest. It was always so easy to remind himself why he loved Raven because of her simple acts of kindness and thoughtfulness. “I’d like that,” he said. Curious, he pressed on. “So, it moves around with us? A few months in Gotham and Jump at a time? How do we –”

“I could be more in Gotham,” Raven cut in, tilting her head thoughtfully as she looked down at him.

“Oh,” Tim breathed, as realization slowly dawned on him. A pet – something they’d share together, the feeling of permanence bubbled low underneath his skin and the thought left him just a little bit breathless. “More time in Gotham?” he repeated, sounding terribly like an old record, but he needed to confirm what he was hearing and what it meant.

The corner of Raven’s lips lifted slightly, and she shifted in his lap as Tim sat up fully to lean against the headboard. Fingers pressed into the dips of her waist, and she felt a blush spread across her cheeks and neck as she felt his warm press of emotions against her – want, love, happiness.

“Yeah,” she replied and absently traced an old scar along Tim’s right forearm. “I’ve been thinking of getting a degree at Gotham University, have a life more outside of the Titans,” she shrugged nonchalantly. “I’d still help where I can, but –” Raven blinked thoughtfully and stared at Tim. “I’d like to have a life as Rachel as well,”

Raven watched as a smile grew on Tim’s lips. She returned his smile, her own emotions a whirlwind in her chest as she thought of the different prospects of the future. “That’s an excellent plan,” breathed Tim, eyes shining and his grin wide with excitement and happiness.

“Yeah?” Raven asked, unconsciously tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. They occasionally talked of the future and their current arrangements, but her plans offered unspoken possibilities they both seemed eager to explore. “That is, if Batman is okay with having a half-demon resident in Gotham?”

“Fuck Batman,” Tim huffed and pressed forward to kiss Raven, muffling her bark of laughter. Pulling away from the kiss, he smiled “So, a cat?”

“We should look at shelters,”

In a rush of emotions, Tim kissed her again. The promise of so much more between them seemed to teasingly dance in front of them and he was eager to take what he could get. He felt Raven hum and melt into the kiss, leaning deeper into his embrace.

“I love you,” he breathed after finally pulling away and gently pressing another kiss to the corner of her lips. Basking in the joy of the moment and the unspoken promise of what lay ahead for them, a cat and so much more, Tim pulled away and carefully leaned towards his bedside table. “I have another Christmas gift,” he announced and with unusually clumsy fingers, he pulled the small item out of the bedside drawer.

Raven’s brows furrowed as she curiously watched Tim blindly fumble through the items in his drawer. She kept her balance on Tim’s lap, as he twisted and tried to keep his balance over the edge of his bed as he rummaged through the drawer. “Here,” Tim announced and turned back to her a little too quickly, eager to present to her what he pulled out of the depths of his drawer.

“What – oh!” Raven felt her heart stutter to a halt and her breath was knocked out of her lungs. She stared at the small black box in front of her with a wild mix of emotions. She blinked, wondering perhaps she was seeing things, but yes – the little black box was there. Her heart jumped into her throat. “Tim.”

Tim blinked at her tone and jumped as his own thoughts and stray emotions seemed to catch up with him. “It’s --- ah,” he breathed, and Tim was sure he could barely hear his own thoughts over how loud his heart was hammering in his chest. He shifted in bed, bringing Raven closer to him. Her eyes were wide, staring at the little box in his hand.

“It’s not an engagement ring,” Tim quickly explained, catching the panic and surprise that crossed her face. “I --- ah, yet.” He quickly added, heart beating like mad in his chest and he watched in relief as Raven released a soft huff of laughter and the confusion on her face disappeared.

He pressed the little box into her hands with a nervous laugh. “It’s not an engagement ring,” he repeated and offered her a small reassuring smile. “Yet – we didn’t talk about that. But --- yeah,” Tim wrapped her fingers around the small box and held her hands. “It’s just a ring I thought you might like,”

There was an inexplicable warmth that spread through Raven at the unspoken promise of something deeper. They had never really talked about how their future may look like – their work offering little stable foundation to a permanent future. But this tonight – these little promises and pictures of what may potentially be ahead of them painted a much clearer picture of the future for the two of them. It left Raven breathless. They were getting a cat, together, and they had this now – this little warm bubble they shared.

“Oh,” Raven opened the box and stared at the silver infinity knot ring perched in the velvet case.

“I thought you might like it,” Tim explained gently, taking in Raven’s surprised reaction. “I just – I like this, us, and everything we have together. It was a dangerous mission, but Lisbon and getting shot and getting paired with you was incredibly lucky for me – well, minus getting shot and losing a lot of blood, but,” Tim shrugged and watched as Raven chuckled softly. “I’m so lucky to be with you, and I honestly don’t think I deserve you or everything that you’ve given me. You’re the kindest, most loving person I know. The last year has been incredible and yeah --- I want more of this. These moments of us together, it’s been incredible. I love you, Rae,” Tim felt his stomach twist and he smiled gently at Raven. “I’d really like that cat with you,”

Raven laughed; eyes filled with unshed tears. “I love you too,” she breathed and dipped down for a deep kiss he eagerly responded to. There was a jumble of emotions that seemed to catch up on her – she honestly wasn’t quite sure if they were hers or Tim’s, but the feelings were pleasant, and she was in no rush to dissect them.

She pulled away when air became scarce and a deeper hunger pressed into her as their hips slowly rocked into each other and fingers pressed into the dips of her ribcage and brushed just under the swell of her breasts, a reminder of their nakedness. Sitting upright under Tim’s watchful gaze, she pulled the ring out of its box and slipped it onto her finger. It fit perfectly. Looking down at Tim’s face, she quirked her lips up teasingly. “Are you sure you didn’t just propose?”

Tim laughed and leaned forward to press a kiss onto her cheek, he felt her grin widen. “I want you to be my cat partner,” he teased and ran his hand down her bare back, enjoying how her warm skin felt against his hands. There was a little window that offered a little glimmer of being more than just cat parents that they both seemed to acknowledge but they did not bother to speak about – yet. “Besides,” he mumbled against the underside of her chin and teasingly ran his hand over her waist. “I’d rather propose somewhere else, not with a 200-pound dog standing guard outside our door and the rest of my family in the house,”

Tim flipped them over, Raven released a soft laugh as she was pressed into their bed and Tim hovered over her with a teasing smirk. Fingers teasingly hooked into the waistband of her underwear and he grinned boyishly at her, long hair falling into his eyes as they twinkled playfully. “And I’d like us to celebrate very loudly all over our apartment and not worry over nosy neighbors,” he said and playfully tugged at her panties. Pressing down for a breath-stealing kiss, Tim nipped at her lower lips and pulled his body flush against hers and gently started to tug her panties down. “For now, we celebrate us being cat parents. I’m going to unwrap my Christmas gift,”

“Yes,”

With a final tug, black lacy panties were thrown off their bed and Tim quickly dipped his head between her legs, tongue eagerly licking wet folds and burying into an addictive warmth. Raven gasped loudly, back arching off the bed, just as hot electricity shot through her body and desires pooled low in her abdomen.

“Tim!” she gasped, her thighs straining against his forearms as he pressed them wide open. Raven’s world seemed to turn into a blurry haze as heat just ignited her skin. Blindly grabbing the sheets to anchor herself and her reeling world, Raven buried her right hand into Tim’s hair and gave it a sharp tug as he hit a particular delicious note in his ministrations. Groaning, Raven felt her titter dangerously out of control.

Enjoying watching her coming undone, Tim continued with his careful ministrations of measured licking and strokes. Humming in delight as he felt her sharp tugs in his hair, he peered up at her and watched in satisfaction as continued to writhe in delight. Spreading her wider open and digging his fingers into her hips, Tim’s tongue buried deep within her and eagerly stoked a fire that made her sing.

Raven felt the world melt away as she felt herself quickly tumbling over the edge as Tim continued to stroke and suck, quickly sending her into oblivion. With a cry, Raven felt her body tumble over the edge. The world seemed to explode as she fell through the sky and her body roared at lick after lick after lick – continuously stoking flames and propelling her into the abyss.

The world came back around her slowly and the first thing she heard was her unsteady and rapid breathing. Her senses came back one of after another, her skin hot and sticking against the sheets despite the cold winter air that brushed over her legs. She lay spread eagle, all her limbs weak, and she gasped for breath as the heat within her belly still roared and her core throbbed deliciously.

“Fuck,” she breathed, blinking up at the old wooden ceiling and thanked the gods for their common sense of using a silencing charm.

“Hmm,” Tim made a humming sound of agreement from below and Raven lazily lolled her head in his direction to catch him still draped over her thighs and hips. He looked like the cat that ate all the cream – quite literally with the way his chin glistened. Raven blushed at the sight and her desires roared lowly for more. Nimble fingers danced over her heated flesh, dancing across her inner thighs and dangerously close to her throbbing core – teasing her with each stroke. Raven involuntarily bucked into him. Fuck.

“That was the best present to unwrap tonight,” mumbled Tim with a soft grin. He watched her sigh softly as he ran his hands up her waist. “Need to do one more thing before we move along,” he announced and quickly began kissing and nibbling on her hip bone.

“What are you doing?” Raven asked in between breaths as Tim nibbled and sucked on her hip bone, teeth scraping against heated flesh. She gasped as teeth dragged across her skin and she felt herself buck into him, cashing the delicious friction.

With a wet pop and a satisfied grin, Tim looked up at her, catching her blown blue eyes over her heaving chest. Tim felt his emotions hum in satisfaction, he loved watching her come undone and loose herself. “Just leaving a little mark to celebrate the occasion,” he said, eyes trailing back to her hip bone.

Raven’s brows furrowed together in confusion before releasing a soft huff of exasperated laughter as she saw the blossoming red bite mark on her skin – on her hip bone. “You didn’t,” she threw him an accusatory smile.

“Oh, I did,” Tim kissed her rib cage as he crawled up her body. Pressing a kiss to the side of her right breast, he dragged himself up her body and enjoyed the silky press of her skin against his. Pressing into her and enjoying the subtle roll of her hips against his own, he kissed the underside of jaw. “Thought it’d be a good touch to celebrate our Kinky Christmas,”

Tim had lost his sweats at some point earlier and Raven felt him brush against her inner thigh. Chasing the silky heat and his hot emotions, she laughed and wrapped her arms and round his shoulders, drawing him flush onto her. “You sap,” she whispered and caught his lips for a kiss. Feeling him brush against her, she whimpered softly and wrapped her left leg around his waist.

Tim rolled his hips against her teasingly, his cock brushing against her entrance and he released a breath he was holding in anticipation. Teasingly, he kissed the corner of her lips and smiled. “You like it, admit it,” he said while grabbing her leg around his waist and digging his fingers into her thigh. He grinned at the soft mewl and how their bodies rocked into each other.

“Yes,” She whispered, slowly loosing herself again. Her fingers danced over his shoulders and traced old scars. Rocking her hips against his and chasing the heat that was building up, Raven tapped his shoulder and hungrily brushed up against the silky skin of his cock. “But,” she whispered and her breathing stuttered as Tim started to kiss her neck and continued to teasingly rock into her. “I – I’d rather,” she mumbled, and she felt him nibble at the junction of her neck. “You fuck me into oblivion to celebrate our cat parenting future,”

Tim dragged his teeth along her pulse point and listened to her stuttered breathing. Allowing a fire to consume both of their desires, Tim promptly crawled over her and grinned down at her wolfishly. Rocking his hips into hers and brushing against her entrance teasingly, he spread her wider for him and pulled her in for long, bruising kiss. “Gladly,” he growled and all but impaled himself into her hot heat in one fluid motion.

“TIM!”

Much later, when they lay spent against each other and basked in the afterglow of lovemaking, they’d agree that this was perhaps the best Christmas they ever had – the promise of more Christmases together, as a cat family, seemed to glimmer teasingly.

[flyingkiki]

A Very Merry Christmas (2/4)

Full steam ahead! I'm back for more steamy TimRae content! Enjoy, my loves.

Chapter One is HERE. A Very Merry Christmas, Chapter 1.

~~

“Good morning.”

Raven tensed and immediately looked over her shoulder to see Bruce, dressed in pajamas, appear under the arch of the living room’ doorway. She blinked, surprised at how she was not able to catch his aura or emotions – but then again, that would be Batman for you. It stunned her at times how she could oftentimes read nothing from the man. She watched him walk into the room, his movements not making a sound.

“Good morning,” she replied, offering a small smile before involuntarily folding her arms across her chest. Tim’s soft sweater offering some comfort. “You’re up early.”

The corner of Bruce’s lips quirked just a little bit in response. “I’m usually up at this time to prepare for work and start the day,” he replied.

Raven hummed lowly in agreement and returned to staring out the window. It was still dark outside; sunlight would be in another couple of hours thanks to winter. The garden lamps outside illuminated the snowy garden beautifully and Raven had spent the last few minutes just staring blankly out the window and watching illuminated snowflakes drift from the sky.

“Tim’s practically the same. Though he usually stays up until dawn for work and catches whatever little sleep he can. It’s horrible,” Raven said, a fond smile playing on her lips at the memory of Tim hunched over a laptop in his bedroom back in Gotham. “Though he usually gets into bed with a few threats,”

Bruce sighed. “He works himself to the bone.”

“He does.” Raven agreed.

A heavy silence fell over them as Bruce and Raven continued to stare out the window. Raven shifted, pressing her arms just a little tighter to her chest as her discomfort grew. Perhaps it would have been best to have just stayed in bed with Tim. She shot Bruce a quick glance before watching a few snowflakes disappear into a rosebush.

“Thank you for taking care of him,”

Raven starts, looking up at the sudden confession. She blinked, feeling the faint whispers of emotions from Bruce. Her fingers curled into Tim’s sweater as she mulls over Bruce’s words. Raven tilted her head just a little bit and released a soft breath. “He’s been taking care of me too,” she replied, silently recalling her own personal struggles recently.

“We all went through some difficult times,” Bruce said, his voice low in the quiet of the room. Raven held her breath, watching as a few emotions flickered across his face. “Tim more so. I – I,” Bruce blinked and paused, visibly struggling with words. Inhaling softly, Bruce absently tapped the mug he was holding. “I have many regrets.”

Raven felt her stomach twist and she watched Bruce swallow. “You’re trying now,” she said after finding her voice. “Tim knows that. He’s trying too,”

Bruce stared out the window, seemingly lost in thought. Raven saw a broken expression flicker in his eyes briefly, before turning to Raven and offering a small smile. “I love my children though I’m terrible at showing it,” He told her. He inhaled softly and released a rueful chuckle. “I’d never imagine parenting to be this difficult,”

Raven tilted her head and smiled. “It doesn’t come with a user manual, does it?” Bruce returned the smile. Her lips quired at a thought. “Though I’d doubt you’d be type to read the manual.” A fond expression crossed her face and a smile played on her lips as she turned back to the window. “I’d think Tim would though.”

Bruce chuckled and nodded his head. He returned to watching the snow too. “That’s right.”

Raven dropped her hands from around her, tension leaving her. It was still pretty early, perhaps it would be good to return to bed briefly before everyone woke up. Bruce may like some time alone, after this rather strange heart-to-heart encounter. “I –”

“I’m sorry,”

Raven paused and stared wide eyed at Bruce. She held her breath, starting up at the older man expectantly. “Bruce,” she whispered. A swarm of mixed emotions blossomed in her chest and she watched as Bruce looked at her with a rare, apologetic look.

“13 years ago, we made a terrible mistake. We allowed our prejudices cloud our judgement and refused to help a 13-year-old girl asking for our help,” Bruce stared at Raven, for a moment seeing that distraught young girl. He paused and watched Raven’s surprised reaction. “We are an institution that is supposed to help. But we failed you. I have seen your work and the Titans you have built over the years, I’d like to think you’ve become a hero far greater than most of us. I deeply regret our decision – my decision – on that day. I know that trust is hard to build but, I’m sorry for what happened on that night. I hope you can forgive me for my mistakes,”

Raven inhaled softly and for a brief second she remembered that night at the Watch Tower and the silence she received from the Justice League. She remembered Batman and his empty emotions, and she looked up at the same man now and felt his emotions, regret, tickle her own. It took her aback. “Bruce,” she whispered. She blinked, pulling herself out of the memory. “I—thank you,” she whispered. She gave him a rueful smile. “You were being a parent, protecting his home,”

Bruce swallowed, an emotion flickering in his eyes. His lips quirked into a rueful smile of his own. “I’m a parent now trying to correct and learn from my mistakes,”

~

“I’m kinda hurt you didn’t tell me,” Dick shot Raven a playful smile over the kitchen counter as they helped Alfred prepare breakfast later that morning.

Raven rolled her eyes and transferred some fresh pancakes on a plate. “You didn’t tell us you and Star were dating. Just taking notes,” she shot back.

Dick snagged a strawberry from the plate she prepared, much to her annoyance. “Told you a week after,”

“Well, you know now.” Raven replied and pushed the plate of finished pancakes towards Dick. She raised an eyebrow as he eyed the pancakes skeptically. “Alfred made them,” she said. She had been delegated to plating duty after confessing to Alfred that she wasn’t very much useful in the kitchen outside from making tea and toast. Tim had been trying to teach her to cook, but what little time they had together was not spent in the kitchen, admittedly (more like the kitchen floor, but that wasn’t something she would openly admit to Tim’s family). Alfred had promised her to teach her to make Tim’s favorite cookies later though. She hoped they’d be passable.

Dick took another strawberry from the plate. “Yeah. Over a year late,”

They heard Alfred putter in the background, finishing up a final batch of pancakes. Raven dutifully waited by the counter for the final few pancakes for her to plate. “To be fair, nobody really knew.”

Dick propped his elbow on the counter and dropped his chin into his hand as he eyed her. His face contorted. “I feel bad that you felt like you had to keep it a secret,” he told her.

Raven shrugged her shoulders dismissively. She absently rolled a blueberry between her fingers. “Don’t be. We just wanted privacy,” she smiled. “It was nice keeping this just for us,”

“Something as precious as love is always best kept close,” Alfred offered Raven a pleasant smile as he placed a final stack of pancakes in front of her ready for plating. Raven returned the smile, the warm emotions of Alfred tickling her own.

Raven hummed in agreement and the three shared amused smiles. “Besides,” continued Raven and started distributing pancakes onto different plates. “I honestly did not want Gar or Jinx annoy the crap out of me with all their teasing.”

Dick made an agreeing sound in the back of his throat. “I’m still surprised nobody caught on.”

The corners of Raven’s lips quirked just a little bit. “I think Cyborg got suspicious at one point. He caught me once when I was not in the Tower. I leave my comms with the tracker in my room when I go out,” at the look of Dick’s disapproving face, she rolled her eyes. “And take my untraceable comms with me, every time. My tracker said I was at the tower but I wasn’t in my room. Cy got a suspicious. Told him I had to return a book. We were actually in New York,”

Dick raised his eyebrow. “New York?”

“Broadway.” Raven smirked. “Hamilton.”

Dick rolled his eyes at her smirk. “Cyborg’s going to blow a fuse.”

Raven chuckled and nudged all plates into his direction, ready for serving to the rest of the Batfamily. “To be honest, I’m kind of disappointed none of you caught on.”

Tim took this time to shuffle into the kitchen, still in his pajamas and looking disheveled and sleepy. “Terrible detective skills if you ask me,” he yawned and shot Dick a sleepy grin. Dick retaliated by quickly giving his younger brother the finger just as Alfred turned his back on them. Tim maturely returned the finger while crowding into Raven’s space and throwing an arm around her waist.

“Morning,” Tim offered Raven a sleepy smile and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “I was wondering where you went.”

“Couldn’t sleep anymore,” Raven shrugged and smiled. She handed Tim one of the plates with pancakes and blueberries.

Jason made a face as he entered the kitchen for his plate of pancakes. “Please don’t talk about your sex lives this early in the morning. We do not want to know what kept you up all night,” he shot Tim an annoyed look.

Dick looked scandalized and shot Jason a dark glare. “Jason!” The last thing he wanted to hear was that his little brother and one of his best friends were having sex. Dick felt a little sick.

Jason lazily leaned over the kitchen counter and pointedly stared at Dick with a bland expression. “Don’t say you didn’t too!”

“You are terrible,” Tim frowned and made a grab for the coffee pot.

Jason pointed a finger at Tim and offered him a wink. “I know it,”

Raven rolled her eyes and shoved a plate of pancakes for Jason to take. She watched him grudgingly take the stack and her lips quirked just a little bit. Despite the storm of emotions Jason usually carried with him, she could feel the light banter behind his words.

“Let’s have breakfast, shall we?” Alfred appeared at the foot of the kitchen island carrying a tray of coffee and hot chocolate. “I am sure Master Bruce and Master Damian are already waiting and hungry,”

They all nodded in agreement and shuffled around the kitchen island, picking up plates of pancakes and trays of fruits. Tim nudged Raven gently and they exchanged small smiles. “All good?” he asked her as they followed the rest of the group towards the dining area.

Raven hummed softly and nodded. She felt Tim’s gentle brush of concern and she nodded. Recalling the early morning conversation with Bruce, she realized what tension was left in her shoulders had disappeared. Offering Tim a smile, she juggled the plates of pancakes in her hands and nudged her concerned boyfriend with her shoulder again. “All good,” she replied softly only for them to hear. Entering the dining area, they joined the rest of the Batfamily at the table, depositing stacks of pancakes in front of everyone. Raven caught Bruce’s eye as she settled down next to Tim. The older man offered a small smile and nodded in her direction. Returning Bruce’s smile, Raven allowed herself to slowly let go of her worries of the past. All was good.

~

“And this is still Wayne property?” Raven asked, her voice carrying through the cold winter air. She surveyed the frozen forest, appreciating the sight of a pure white landscape. They were a good distance from the house, walking past a frozen lake and over a snowy hill.

After two days of just staying indoors, baking (and taking out fires that came with it), board games, and movies, Tim had decided they both needed a break from the rest of the group. While he loved his family and it warmed his heart to see Raven slowly take to the rest of the Batfamily, they both needed some much-needed alone time. There was just so much smothering and sex jokes he could take from Dick and Jason.

They decided a quick hike into the forest would do them some good. Raven suggested they take his old camera with them so he could do some photography. Most of the pictures he took were of Raven though, admittedly.

“Yeah, sort of?” Tim replied, lowering his camera after taking a photo of a snow bunny. He smiled as the little creature scurried away after catching sight of them. Turning back to Raven and watching her carefully step over a dead log.

“Sort of?” Raven looked up and eyed him curiously.

“I think this is the edge of the property?” Tim looked around in the clearing they were in, cataloging the trees and calculating the distance they had walked. “Yeah, pretty much the edge of the property.”

Raven stuffed her gloved hands into her jacket and bounced on her heels to get some warmth into her body. “It’s such a huge property,” she whispered and watched her breath condense. There was a winter snap lingering in Gotham and it had been snowing for days. Thankfully it had stopped snowing today. Raven looked around briefly, appreciating the snowy quiet.

“Apparently B’s great grandparents kept this place as a farm back in the day. There’s a really old barn at the back of the house,” Tim told her. He absently took a photo of the dead tree branches, capturing the spiny outline they cast in the sky. He threw an amused smile over his shoulder. “Farming didn’t stick with Bruce. It really wasn’t his hobby of choice,”

Raven chuckled in amusement and stepped up to him, watching as he took a few more landscape photos and clearly enjoying himself. She was glad they were able to do something he liked. “That’s good. I don’t think any of you would be great farm boys,” she teased.

“Hey,” Tim chuckled. “I’m pretty sure I’d invent something to speed up farm processes in no time. Shouldn’t be too difficult,”

“Careful,” Raven chided, purple eyes danced in amusement and she quickly sidestepped Tim as he tried to reach for her. “Your nerd is showing,”

Tim released a loud bark of laughter. Reaching out with his gloved hand, he tried to make a grab for her. Snorting at her playfulness and he watched her slip out of his reach. “Raven,” Tim whined playfully and dropped his camera to dangle over his shoulder. Quickly catching up with her, he caught her wrist and pulled her towards him. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he chuckled as she squirmed in his grasp and tried to elbow her way out of it. Tim grinned at her frustrated whine and tsked lowly in the back of his throat. “So mean,”

Raven let out a soft huff and stopped wriggling. Leaning into his embrace, she conceded to the fact that she was not slipping out of Tim’s embrace (though honestly, with a little fight she could, really). Inhaling Tim’s familiar aftershave, she slowly melted into his embrace and relished the familiar warm press of his body against hers. Coming up to her toes, she pressed a clumsy kiss to his flushed right cheek. “What are you going to do about it?” she whispered playfully into his ear.

Tim groaned. “Raven,” he whispered and held her closer, fingers digging into her hips. Adjusting his hold around her, he leaned forward and captured her lips into a needy kiss. He felt her breathy chuckle and wrap her arms around his neck, deepening the kiss. Ignoring the biting cold and the uncomfortable press of his camera into his ribs, Tim sighed and savored the kiss. Humming softly at the kiss, Tim slipped one of his hands down her back and cupped her ass.

Feeling his hot flare of emotions feed her own and the tantalizing grope of her butt, Raven inhaled softly and pulled herself away from Tim. “Tim,” she breathed and dropped her chin on his shoulder, steadying her heartbeat and quickly glancing around the empty forest. “Someone might see,” she whispered, and swallowed as Tim continued to press closer to her and hotly press a kiss into her neck.

Slipping his hands away from her butt and over her hips, Tim ignored her and shifted both their hips towards each other into a delicious press that simply made the freezing outdoor temperature disappear. Pressing another needy kiss onto the underside of her chin, Tim sighed against her skin. “We’re alone,” he whispered, and hands traveled again over her back.

“Tim.” Whispered Raven, her words disappearing into a sigh as she melted into another long kiss. Her gloved fingers curled into his thick winter jacket to steady her as she felt his slick tongue slip against her own. A warmth bubbled lowly within her, and she keened softly, knees growing week and desperately chased after his lips. The cold wind tickled her flushed, warm cheeks, seemingly adding fire to the heady emotions.

Raven gasped as Tim shifted them ever so slightly, one strong leg slipping in between hers and gently pressing against the growing heat between her legs. Teeth scraped against her jaw and her fingers dug deep into his jacket as she felt her emotions purr. She whimpered as she felt his soft breathing in her ear.

“Tim,” whispered Raven, eyes flying open as she heard the distant snap of a twig. She blinked, pulling away but holding onto the man in front of her and relishing Tim’s hot breath fan over her cheek. She briefly looked over his shoulder, just to make sure they were alone.

Tim chuckled softly, swallowing and catching his breath. Catching on her worry, Tim pressed forward and kissed her cheek gently. “Sorry,” he mumbled. Finding his center, he straightened and pulled Raven’s hands away from his back. Slipping his gloved fingers against her left hand, he gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “Let’s walk around a bit?”

Raven hummed and nodded, allowing Tim to tug her along through the snowy forest. They remained quiet for the most part, catching their emotions and enjoying the quiet noise the forest had to offer.

They reached another clearing with a massive tree off the center. Tim tugged her towards the tree and pointed at the large treehouse that sat up in the baren branches. “We built that when the little demon spawn came to live with us,” he told her.

The tree house was large, made of old, sturdy wood, and obviously built to last. It stood out in the white snowy background. Raven squeezed Tim’s hand and eyed him curiously. “You built that for Damian?”

“Yeah,” he breathed. He threw her an amused smile and pulled her towards the tree. “We thought it would make the eight-year-old brat less, uh, deadly. You know, give the kid a treehouse to have some semblance of a childhood, not that any of us really knew what that was, really.”

Raven’s lips curled into a small smile and followed Tim towards the back of the tree. “Did he like it?”

Tim brushed away some snow from the steps that were fixed to the side of the tree. He snorted and gave Raven a wry grin. “He knocked out Jason and left him tied up in this treehouse for 6 hours,” he told her.

Raven frowned and watched as Tim started to climb up the small stairs. “What are you doing?”

Tim threw an amused smile over his shoulder as he stopped his climb up the stairs. “C’mon. Don’t you want to check it out?”

Raven drew her brows together and eyed the large structure skeptically. “Is this even safe?”

“You of little faith,” Tim chuckled. He continued his short climb up the steps and pushed against the floor door to open it. When it released from its internal lock, he looked down and saw Raven at the foot of the stairs. “We built the Batcave. This is basically a fortress of treehouses,”

Raven rolled her eyes and slapped his calf. “Shut up. Your nerd is showing again.” She smiled as he caught her eye and laughed. Raven watched Tim jostle the door a bit more before pushing it open. He climbed throw the hole and turned around to stick his hand out and help Raven through the door. Climbing through the hole, Raven was sure she heard the old treehouse creak under their weight but kept quiet.

“Some fortress,” Raven said dryly, looking around the bare room. An old table stood in one corner of the treehouse. She watched Tim remove his camera from his shoulder and carefully place it on the table.

Tim rolled his eyes at her and walked around the space, looking out one of the two windows. “It’s a treehouse, what do you expect?”

“I don’t know. Maybe like a BatTreehouse?” she teased. She leaned against the window from of the other window and briefly looked out before turning back to an amused Tim.

Tim’s lips quirked into a silly smile and watched Raven in amusement. It was nice seeing her relaxed and with her guard down. “Aren’t you a tease today?”

Raven snorted and crossed her arms. Her purple eyes shone playfully catching Tim’s shift of emotions. Two could play that game. Tilting her head, she raised an eyebrow in mock challenge. “I am?”

Tim hummed his confirmation and moved away from the window, slowly crossing the small space. A familiar glint in his eyes. “Very.”

Raven raised a delicate eyebrow as she watched Tim draw closer to her. The emotions in the room shifted and it suddenly did not seem too cold. A pleasant warmth spread low in her abdomen and her senses tingled in anticipation. “Are you complaining?”

Tim chuckled, stopping in front of Raven and placing both of his hands on her hips. Smiling mischievously, he leaned forward and pressed a gently kiss on her cheek. “Hardly,” he mumbled into her skin. Shifting his hands, he drew her into an embrace, pressing her small form towards him.

“Good,” Raven mumbled into his shoulder, melting into the warm embrace and closing her eyes. Inhaling Tim’s familiar smell and relishing the solid press of his body and warmth against hers, Raven sighed in content. Despite her initial hesitations to go out for a long walk in the cold weather, she was glad to spend some alone time with her boyfriend and get away from all the new emotions at the house. Enjoying the quiet, Raven sighed softy and drew her arms tighter around Tim.

Feeling her shift in his arms, Tim tilted his head and eyed her curiously. “Everything alright?” he asked, voice low and carrying softly through the cold afternoon. He smiled when he felt her nod against his shoulder. Running his hand up her back, he leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her temple.

“Though,” Raven voice was mumbled against his shoulder. “I’m still disappointed that this is not a BatTreehouse.”

Tim laughed and his arms drew her tighter to him. “Hey,” he squeezed her waist and grinned at the soft chuckle from her. “I’ll have you know there are definitely weapons in this treehouse,”

Raven snorted and propped her chin on his shoulder. She smiled in amusement. “Of course,”

Rocking them gently, Tim squeezed her hips. He pressed his lips closer to her ear, earning a soft shiver from her form. “Such a tease,”

Leaning up and pressing into him, Raven relished Tim’s warm emotions. Curling her fingers into his upper arms, Raven leaned up and kissed the underside of his jaw. Her skin hummed in silent anticipation. Raven sighed. “I hear no complaints,”

Tim ran his right hand down her back and gently cupped her ass through her jeans. Releasing a soft chuckle, Tim easily caught her lips in a breathy kiss. “No complaints here,” he mumbled against her lips. He sighed softly as she readily responded to the kiss with her arms curling around his neck, drawing both of them closer.

Raven felt his warm emotions press into her and she readily responded in kind, raising to her toes and pressing into Tim’s lips. A soft moan escaped her lips as Tim pressed into her, pushing her against the old wooden wall. His strong fingers pressed through the thick layers of clothes into her hips, and she sighed softly at the pressure.

She felt him shift, hips pressing into hers greedily, and she felt her skin tingle in anticipation and her mind fog. Releasing breathy moan into Tim’s hot kisses, Raven pulled Tim closer. Heat started to pool low in her abdomen and Raven groaned as Tim tilted her head and kissed her deeply, parting her lips and slipping his tongue against hers.

Tim shifted them, greedily drinking in her softy sighs and pressing his right leg in between hers. Grazing his teeth against her jaw, Tim groaned as she shifted her hips and brushed against his own growing desires. “Raven,” he whispered into her neck, her soft scarf tickling his nose. He was faintly aware he was making out with his girlfriend in an old treehouse. How cliché. Tim felt Raven’s fingers curl into his winter jacket, and she shifted against him, hips urgently pressing into his. Fuck.

“Shut up and kiss me,” Raven whispered, lost in the fog of hot emotions. Eagerly lapping up Tim’s warm emotions, Raven leaned up and captured his lips in a heady kiss. She moaned softly as his tongue slipped against hers, teeth catching against lips. His right leg pressed into her, adding a delicious pressure in between her legs. She unconsciously bucked her hips, chasing after the hard pressure. Heat rushed through her and she sighed breathily.

She was vaguely aware of Tim pulling off his gloves. She felt one of his cold hands slip behind her head, threading into her hair and knocking off her black bonnet. Tim tugged her hair gently and titled her head up, kissing her deeply. Pressing into him and bucking into his leg for release, Raven heard Tim’s low groan.

She gasped loudly and pulled away from his demanding kisses as cold nimble fingers had slipped under her jacket and thick sweater and danced over the hem of her jeans. Cold fingers pressed into her heated skin and she whimpered softly. Unrelenting, Tim pressed forward and pushed her harder into the wall behind her. Fingers danced over the hem of her jeans as Tim instead started to kiss her neck, teeth hungrily scraping at the exposed flesh.

Raven felt like she was going to explode as heat pooled in her abdomen and teeth scraped against her throat. Throwing her head back and ignoring the sting of hitting her head against the wall, Raven released a soft moan. Tim’s fingers fiddled with the button of her jeans and his knuckles pressed into her abdomen. Her hips bucked in response. She faintly wondered how she did not burst into flames yet.

“Is this okay?” Tim whispered, voice raspy and needy. Despite the fog that clouded his mind, he was still vaguely aware that they were outdoors and just seconds away of potentially fucking their brains out in public. He felt Raven’s hips buck and his thumb pressed into her jeans button, ready to open a glorious treasure.

Raven inhaled deeply, lust practically purring. Cracking open her eyes, she caught Tim’s hooded stare. Lips curling and shifting her hips into his hand, she tried to pull him closer. “No one is here,” she whispered.

That was all the invitation he needed. In quick, practiced movements, Tim pushed the jeans button through its hole. Surging forward, Tim groaned and caught her lips in a heady kiss. Tongue hungrily slipping against hers just as his fingers slipped past the confines of her jeans and into her tantalizing wet underwear. He happily drank her keen as his fingers slipped into her wet heat. Groaning into the kiss, Tim felt her contract around his fingers.

“Ah!” Raven breathed loudly, head tipping back and hitting the wall behind her. Closing her eyes in pure ecstasy, Raven’s hips bucked into Tim’s hand as his fingers pumped into her in a steady delicious rhythm. Raven was sure her body was on fire as she felt her knees buckle. Her own fingers curled desperately into Tim’s shoulders, trying to keep herself upright. She moaned breathily as Tim curled his finger and hit that spot and she released a breathy moan.

“Raven,” Tim watched the emotions dance across Raven’s face. Pressing a kiss into her neck, he groaned as he felt her chase after his fingers. He felt her flutter around him. Tim sighed into her neck, his own need for release becoming painfully aware. His dick twitched in his jeans.

Tim’s fingers were relentless as they thrust into her and Raven mewled softly, heat close to making her body explode. Gasping as his fingers pressed into her, Raven grabbed Tim’s chin and caught his lips in a rough, heady kiss. She felt Tim’s burning emotions, begging for release pressing into her. She knew they both would not last very long – and while Tim’s fingers fucking her senseless were wonderful – her body was ready to explode.

As Tim roughly pushed into her, his body practically pressing her into the wall, Raven’s hand traveled down his chest. Tim immediately pulled away, and stared at Raven with wide eyes as he felt her fingers shakily work on his belt buckle. The distinct clink of metal releasing from the buckle could be heard over their heavy breathing. “Raven,”

Breathing heavily, Raven unbuttoned Tim’s jeans and swiftly unzipped his pants. Hearing his sharp intake of breath, her dark purple eyes caught his dark blue eyes heavy with lust. Her fingers slipped over his exposed boxers and danced over his hot bulge. “You’re going to fuck me into this wall,” It was more of a command than anything.

“Fuck,” Tim growled. He pulled his fingers out of her, enjoying the slick wet sound as he removed his fingers from her. Ignoring her groan, he grabbed her hips and roughly turned her around, making her face the wall. Mind clouded heavy with desire and his ears ringing loudly with his heavy heartbeat, Tim watched in satisfaction as Raven groaned at the rough action and arched her back. Pleasure spread through his chest in satisfaction – she did always like it rough. Surging forward, Tim groaned and pressed into her back, hips thrusting into the curve of her ass. Freeing her scarf around her neck, he hungrily pressed a kiss into the nape of her neck. He smirked at her breathy groan.

“Please,” Raven whimpered, hands braced on either side of her head and right cheek painfully pressed into the cold wood wall. She thrust her ass into Tim’s hip, seeking for release.

With a strangled grunt, Tim made quick work of pushing Raven’s jeans down her ass and legs. He listened as she inhaled softly as cold air brushed against her legs. His cold fingers ran up the side of her legs before reaching her exposed ass and giving the right cheek a hearty squeeze. After pushing her legs apart a little, Tim pushed down his jeans and pulled his throbbing member out of his boxers. He hissed as the cool air hit his warm dick and he gave it a few pumps. Stepping forward, he pressed himself into her back and allowed his dick to slip in between her legs and brush up against her wet heat.

“Tim,” Raven breathed and whimpered at the familiar feel of Tim’s cock brushing against her. She rolled her hips, hungrily brushing up against Tim’s cock. Bending over a bit more and pressing into the wall, Raven spread her legs further in anticipation. “Please,”

Groaning lowly, Tim grabbed Raven’s hips and with a one fluid thrust slipped into her. Raven released a strangled moan and pressed her cheek into the wall. The cool wall offered some relief to her hot cheek. She moaned softly as Tim filled her to the hilt, the pleasant stretch and fullness made her skin burn and her knees grow weak. She gasped as he began to move, thrusting into her and stoking a hungry fire.

His movements were fast and frantic, both desperately trying to chase after a much needed release. Tim’s right hand slid over her abdomen and towards her clit, and his fingers danced over her as he continued to press into her. Grunting into her neck, Tim rubber her clit while his other hand dug into her hip, guiding her with every heavy thrust.

Heavy breathing and the sharp sounds of flesh hitting flesh filled the treehouse. Tim groaned as he felt her flutter around him, he heard her breathing hitch as they inched towards the end. Despite how cold it was, he felt that his whole body was on fire, practically singing as he held Raven close. He groaned as Raven frantically met every thrust, catching him and pushing her soft body into him.

Raven tittered dangerously close to the edge, her body tingling and her emotions purring in satisfaction. She hungrily chased Tim’s emotions, catching his fiery need and gasping at each needy thrust. She dug her fingers into the wood and her back arched as she released a strangled groan. As fingers continued to dance across her clit and Tim’s hard thrusts filled her, she felt herself dangle close to the edge.

With a low growl, their movements become more frantic and the wet noise of sex filled their ears. Tim gasped and angled her hips just the right away, hitting her from behind that made her throw her head back in a satisfying groan. With a few more heavy strokes, Raven mewled and arched her back as heat just exploded inside of her and she toppled over the edge. Gasping and groaning, Raven tumbled forward as Tim chased after her orgasm and roughly pressing her into the wall, frantically riding out his own orgasm.

Their movements slowed down and their heavy breathing filled the cold air. Tim’s arms wrapped around Raven’s waist as her legs wobbled and he gently pressed her against his chest, supporting her. “I love you,” he whispered and pressed a kiss into her cheek.

Raven hummed softly. “I love you too,” she mumbled, heart still racing wildly in her chest. After a few more moments of stillness and trying to catch their breath, they slowly moved apart. Raven shuddered as Tim pulled out of her. Turning around, she leaned against the wall and inhaled unsteadily as she came tumbling back from her high.

Ignoring the freezing cold as it bit into his exposed thighs, Tim stepped forward and kissed Raven gently. A soft gust of wind slipped through the open windows making them both shiver. They worked quickly to pull up their pants, Raven fumbling with shaky legs. After Tim pulled his pants back up and closed his belt, he threw an affectionate look at Raven and gently helped her straighten her clothes and brushed some errand strands of hair from her face.

“Some walk,” Tim breathed with a soft laugh as they shared a look. Knowing that she needed to steady all her (and his) emotions, Tim gathered her in his arms and listened to her sigh into his shoulder. Adjusting their position, he leaned against the wall and felt her practically melt into him. “Excellent idea for a walk, Rae,”

Raven made a softy sound in the back of her throat and gently pinched his waist. Pulling away from his shoulder, she raised an eyebrow at him. “Having sex in your family treehouse really was not part of the plan,” she shot back. She made a face in sudden realization. “We had sex in your treehouse.” She said as she looked up at the old wooden ceiling. “There are no cameras here, right?!”

“Relax,” Tim breathed and brushed a hand down her back soothingly. He pulled her closer, enjoying her closeness. After assuring her, that no, there were no cameras hidden in the treehouse (maybe explosives? Who knows where Jason keep his shit), the two stayed up there for a little while longer, catching their breaths, and enjoying each other’s presence.

As she buried deeper into Tim’s embrace, she had to agree with him. This was definitely one of their best walks.

[flyingkiki]

A Very Merry Christmas (3/4)

A little bit more excitement and a whole lot of steamy escapades for our favorite bbs. As promised, 2021 is a year of smut and steam for our favorite birbs.

Check out chapter 2 of A Very Merry Christmas to refresh your steam tank. We know Tim a little dirty boi behind closed doors -- or in abandoned tree houses.

In today's episode, that bathtub looks perfect for some luxurious steamy action.

~~~

Titus, much to Raven’s surprise had taken a great liking in her. Over the course of her stay, the Great Dane was practically glued to her side, following her everywhere. While endearing, it proved to be quite a challenge during movie nights once Raven quickly realized that despite his size, Titus believed he was a lap dog.

“Titus!” Tim whined when the dog’s tail smacked him across the cheek one evening while the whole family settled down to watch The Nightmare before Christmas. As Raven settled down next to Tim on the couch, Titus climbed up on Tim’s other side and clumsily clambered over his lap to get to Raven, who stifled a giggle.

“Oh,” Raven breathed as the huge dog settled on her lap, knocking the wind out of her. She felt Titus snout settle into the crook of her neck and his paw dig painfully into her thigh. The dog practically leaned against her and she shot Tim a quick look over Titus’ hulking form. The dog wiggled in her lap, trying to get comfortable. “You’re a big boy,” she breathed.

Tim frowned and tried to nudge the dog off his girlfriend. “You’re suffocating her, Titus.”

Unfazed, Titus yawned and clumsily knocked his face against Raven’s cheek. With a little huff, he licked her left cheek and dropped his chin onto her shoulder.

Raven squeaked softly at the lick and wiggled under Titus, trying to get comfortable. Titus paw dug painfully into her thigh. She leaned into Tim’s shoulder and grabbed his forearm, giving it a gentle squeeze signaling her discomfort. “Tim,” she whispered. He had to do something or her illustrious career as a superhero might just end due to suffocating under a 160-pound dog.

Tim sighed and reached around the massive dog to gently nudge Titus off his girlfriend. When the dog whined and sneezed into Raven’s shoulder, Tim rolled his eyes in exasperation. “Dami,” he called the younger boy sitting on the floor next to Dick’s loveseat. “Call Titus, he’s suffocating Raven,”

Damian looked over his shoulder, frowning at the sight of his dog taking more interest in Tim’s girlfriend. “Titus,” he called over the noise of Jack Skellington discovering Christmas. The dog di not even budge and Tim shot him an annoyed glance.

“Looks like Titus has a new favorite human,” Jason commented slily, enjoying getting rise out of his younger brother.

Damian huffed and glared at Jason for even insinuating Titus had a new favorite. Shaking his popcorn bowl, Damian called Titus again. The sound of popcorn in a bowl seemed to have caught his attention. “Titus, come here.” Damian called again just as Dick ‘shhed’ him.

Titus seemed to finally get the message and with a huff into Raven’s neck, he jumped off Raven’s lap (and successfully kneeing her in the process) and trotted towards Damian. With a low whine, he curled up right next to the boy and deposited his head into Damian’s lap.

Titus continued to follow Raven that evening. Tim flat-out refused to have the dog in their bedroom because sex with a dog watching was a terrible idea. Titus was following them the entire morning as they helped Alfred with a new batch of Christmas cookies.

“Titus, time for your walk,” Damian appeared at the entrance of the massive kitchen, already wrapped up in his winter jacket. He jiggled the leash to catch Titus’ attention, which was solely focused on Raven as she bent over the kitchen island pipping lopsided smiles on gingerbread men with Tim and Bruce.

The dog whined and gave Damian a brief glance before turning back to Raven.

“That much sugar cannot be good for you,” commented Tim in amusement after Bruce ate half of a gingerbread man. Their small group remained oblivious to Damian and Titus. It was Bruce’s second cookie that morning and Alfred was not pleased at the depleting cookie count.

“It was missing an arm,” Bruce brushed off the accusation of being a cookie thief. He broke off one of the legs of the cookie. “Here, have the leg.”

Tim looked scandalized. “And be an accessory to your crime, Batman?” he said with wide eyes but still accepted the amputated sugar treat. It was a delicious leg.

“Who knew Bruce Wayne was such a sugar junkie?” Raven commented after drawing yet another lopsided smile (frown?) on a gingerbread man. She stuck a bright purple candy onto her gingerbread man’s neck. That kind of looked better.

“His sugar panel is terrible, Miss Raven,” Alfred appeared next to them sounding totally unimpressed at Bruce’s sugar habit. He glanced at the pile of cookies they had been working on, noting a few that had gone missing. He sighed softly. “Perhaps I may suggest refraining from eating any more cookies, Sir? We’d like to keep the rest for Christmas tomorrow and some for everyone to take home as well,”

“Might not fit into the Batsuit after Christmas, Old Man,” Jason commented from where he was mixing chocolate chip cookies. Cass giggled next to him.

Bruce looked a bit sheepish has he polished off the last of the gingerbread man he stole from the pile. “Right, Alfred.” Raven watched as the man looked amused and she shared a small smile with Tim, who looked happy to spend a little downtime with his adoptive father. Moments like these were rare for Tim. “I shall have a little bit more self-restraint,”

“I’d appreciate that, Sir,” Of course, Alfred did not sound very convinced. Leaving the fresh batch of cookies, he went back to working with Jason on the cookie batter. Raven and Tim chuckled softly in amusement.

“Titus!” Damian called again, this time gaining the attention of everyone in the kitchen. The dog in question raised his head in acknowledgement before lying down again and staring up at Raven.

Bruce looked over the counter and watched the dog in surprise. He looked up at Raven with a hint of amusement. “Looks like Titus has taken a liking in you,” he commented.

“More like a huge dog crush,” Jason added, smirking over this shoulder.

Damian huffed and crossed his arms, frowning at the group. “It’s likely that he senses her demon heritage and keeps watch to protect us,” he said, annoyance laced in his voice.

“Damian!”

“Hey!”

“Rude, you brat!”

Bruce was clearly disappointed and angry while Tim looked furious. Bruce frowned at his son and placed his piping bag on the counter. He crossed his arms in disapproval, an action Damian immediately mimicked. Reindeer apron or not, an angry Bruce Wayne is a scary Bruce Wayne. “Apologize, Damian,”

“Why? She is half-demon,” Damian sniffed and frowned, frustration bubbling low underneath his skin. “I’m sure Titus senses this. And I honestly do not understand how you can allow Drake to –”

“Finish that sentence and I swear I will smack you into next week,” Tim scowled, fist tightening on top of the marbled kitchen island. Raven could feel old emotions surface as the boys glared at each other and she frowned.

“I could help take Titus on a walk with you?” Raven said suddenly, knowing well that Damian was not going to apologize anytime soon. His frustration and resentment were coming off him in waves. She placed her hand on top of Tim’s arm, trying to calm him down.

“I don’t need your help,” Damian bristled.

Raven rolled her eyes at the haughty attitude. Ignoring Damian, she handed Tim her pipping bag and shot him an assuring smile. She removed her apron and placed it on the table, before turning to Damian. She tilted her head and raised her eyebrow in challenge. “Really? Not unless you want to clean up Titus’ pee later, I think you’re stuck with my offer,” she said.

“Raven,” there was a hint of worry and confusion in Tim’s voice. Raven shrugged and leaned up to kiss him on his cheek. “It’s alright,” she whispered and squeezed his forearm reassuringly. She waved off Bruce as he glanced at her.

Turning on her heel, she looked at a fuming Damian, displeased at the idea of being bossed around. “Wait for me at the door, I’ll go get changed,” she said. Ignoring Damian’s protest, she walked out of the kitchen with an eager Titus hot at her heels. Damian stopped out soon thereafter.

Jason blinked; astonishment written all over his face. “Well shit, that took a weird turn,”

Raven met up with Damian at the large front door. The boy was still frowning into his dark blue fluffy scarf when she approached and made no acknowledgement when she stood by him. Titus appeared by her feet, oblivious to the jealousy he had caused. “Ready?” she asked.

Damian sniffed again and silently hooked Titus to his leash and the trio stepped out into the cold. The leash wasn’t really necessary and as they would step further out into the forest, Damian would release Titus from the leash. The dog was trained enough to follow commands.

They were walking silently towards the large frozen lake, keeping close to the edge of the woods for Titus to sniff along and do his business. The silence between them was palpable, Raven could feel Damian’s storm of emotions. She watched as Damian released Titus from his leash and they followed him through the snow as he happily sniffed at snowy bushes and tree trunks.

“There is no need for you to accompany us,” Damian said, voice laced with a frown as he walked ahead of Raven.

Raven stuffed her hands deeper into her winter jacket as a cold breeze passed them. She hurried to keep up with Damian and walked next to him. She shrugged her shoulder dismissively and offered him a small smile. “It’s alright, I don’t mind the company,” she said.

“I do,” Damian frowned. Of course, ever the brusque one.

They stopped as Titus stopped by a bush a little up ahead. They were close to the completely frozen lake, they could see old dock and the outline of a few people walking by the lake from the distance. A few snowflakes started to fall as winter continued with is below zero temperatures. They watched Titus do his business in the snow.

“I’m sorry about this whole ordeal with Titus,” Raven said, glancing at the scowling boy.

Damian spared her glance; eyebrows draw into a perpetual scowl. “He senses the demon in you,” he said.

The corner of her lips quirked just a little bit and there was a bemused look on her face. “Well, I think you’re right about that,” she said. Damian continued to stare at her with a mixture of mild surprise and anger. They heard Titus make snuffling sounds as he buried his nose into the snow. “Some animals are quick to catch on meta-physical psyche,”

“To sense a threat,” Damian supplied.

“Sometimes,” said Raven. She glanced at Damian, sensing a mix of emotions. “They also get attached or curious. I’m pretty sure Titus is just curious after sensing a new presence in the house. He seems to be very loyal to you,”

She could see Damian move and some of the tension leave his face. She offered a small smile at the frowning boy. “I’m hardly a threat,” she added finally, her voice soft in the cold wind.

Damian swallowed and briefly glanced at Titus, who scampered towards him for pets. Looking up at Raven, his frown softened ever so lightly. “I apologize if it sounded like I was implying that,” he mumbled, his voice sounding just a little strained as if apologizing was not something he commonly did.

Raven hummed. “It’s alright. We always try to be protective over the ones we care for,” she said.

Damian cleared his throat. Looking away, he turned his attention back to Titus. It seemed like that conversation was now over. Raven would settle with whatever she could get from the boy.

They continued to watch as Titus enjoyed the snow, sniffing at the bushes and barking at stones. The silence was soon pierced with the sound of a loud crash and something heavy hitting ice and water. Louds screams filled the air.

Raven and Damian straightened, alert. They watched as the wooden docks gave way and parts of it disappeared into the lake. A name rang through the air, and they watched the outlines of two people wave frantically by the shore. Someone had fallen in.

Raven shoved her phone into Damian’s hands as they started with a run towards the lake. “Call Tim and the others. We need to help now,”

Damian scowled. “You’re not going in there. I can –”

Raven stopped and glared at Damian, halting the boy. Her Titan authority suddenly taking over, and she frowned. “They need help. That water is below zero, do as I say, now.”

She barely heard Damian make the call as she sprinted towards the couple, adding a little bit more force into her run. She couldn’t teleport, that would have been a risk to her identity and the rest of the family. She could do this rescue manually.

“My name is Rachel. What happened?” Raven breathed, reaching the couple by the docks. It was a middle-aged man and woman, both looking frantically at the remains of the docks. There were shrill cries coming from the middle of the lake, just past the remaining wooden beams of the docks.

“Maggie!” breathed woman, frantic. “The whole docks gave way and she fell in!”

The man, who looked like he was in a middle of a phone call with the fire department shot her a frantic look. “She’s five!”

Raven pulled off her bonnet, gloves, and scarf and thrust them to the frantic woman. “Here, she’ll need these when we get back,” she said. Not sparing another glance at the frantic couple, Raven took a running start towards the remaining wooden beams and jumped, easily landing on the standing wooden beam. It creaked under her weight, and she ignored the sounds of water and ice hitting the beams. The beam lurched as she shifted her weight to jump to the next support beam, nearly slipping on its frozen mossy surface.

She heard water splashing and weak cries for help up head. Raven knew she had to pull out the girl soon before hypothermia would set in. Jumping onto the last few support beams that stood out at odd angles in the freezing water, Raven stopped at the last one that leaned heavily to the right, barely above water. There was still about three meters of a distance between Raven and the little girl with some wood floating in between them. There was no way to pull her in from where she stood. She had to swim towards the girl. Well, fuck.

“Help!”

“Maggie!” Raven called, heart pounding in her chest in anticipation of the freezing water. She hated cold showers. This was going to be terrible. “I’m coming for you. Don’t worry!”

“Help,” Raven heard the little girl whimper. With a sharp intake of breath, Raven carefully slid down the upturned support beam and plunged into the icy water. She gasped as her muscles initially froze at the icy sensation. Her chest seized at the freezing temperatures and the wind momentarily knocked out of her. Holy fucking shit. Raven screwed her eyes shut and willed her muscles to move as cold water slapped her face. Hearing the soft whimpers up ahead, Raven pushed forward and quickly swam towards the girl.

“Maggie, hold on,” Raven called, she swore she felt her teeth clatter in the cold. Using a bit of her powers, she swam faster through the water, knocking away the large planks in her way. Raven panicked as the whimpers seemed the grow softer as she approached and Maggie seemed to slowly sag against the large wooden plank she had been holding on to.

“Hey, hey, hey, hey!” Raven surged forward and watched as the little girl seemed to have fallen asleep and slip into the water. Gasping, Raven lurched forward and dove straight into the water. Spotting the small pink body in the murky lake water, Raven quickly grabbed the little girl and broke through the surface gasping for air.

“Maggie, hey, Maggie,” Ignoring the biting cold and how her winter clothes weighed her down, Raven wrapped the little girl closer to her body and patted the girl’s bright rosy cheeks as she spluttered and gasped against her shoulder. Raven allowed the little girl to gasp and recollect herself against her shoulder and she listened to Maggie whimper and wheeze loudly.

“I got you,” Raven whispered and wrapped her arms tightly around the little girl. Craning her neck, she faced Maggie and pushed wild red curls away from the girl’s face. “Hey, I’m Rachel. Let’s go back to shore, okay?”

“It’s so cold,” the little girl whimpered, and Maggie’s arms tightened around Raven. She began to sniffle and cry softly. “I want mommy,”

Raven continued to thread in the freezing water, keeping herself and the little girl afloat. Rubbing her hand soothingly across the girl’s back, she nodded. “Your mommy’s back on shore, we’ll get you there in no time,” she assured. Looking over the girl’s shoulder, she caught sight of the frantic parents back on shore. Damian was with them talking on the phone with an alert Titus at his feet. She waved her hand in the air. “Got her!”

It was a bit of distance from where they were to the shore with a thin sheet of ice covering the lake water. She would have to break through the ice as she’d swim towards the shore. It should be easy enough, Raven thought. The little girl shivered into her neck as Raven started to swim to shore, pressing the little girl into her.

“It shouldn’t take us too long,” assured Raven, as she used her right hand to push them through the water. The little girl pressed into her chest, whimpering in response. Using her fist and forearm, Raven punched into the thin layer of ice as she pressed through the ice. “You’ll get lots of hot chocolate after this,” Raven assured. “That sounds good, right?” her voice strained slightly at the cold. Her body groaned in protest as the icy water continued to stab her muscles. The little girl nodded into her neck and whimpered. Good, at least she was still pretty responsive.

“Rachel!”

Raven looked up from pressing through ice to watch Tim, Dick, Bruce, Cass, and Jason rush towards where Damian and the parents were. Cass and Tim were carrying heavy blankets while Jason was carrying a rescue buoy.

“Hold on!” Jason called from shore. Raven stopped swimming and watched as he twisted his body and forcefully threw the rescue buoy across the lake. The red ring was attached to a rope and Raven watched as it flew through the air before dropping onto the ice and skidding towards her. Using her powers discreetly underwater, she helped the buoy slide towards them. “Got it!” she called as her cold fingers wrapped around the red ring.

“Here, Maggie,” she shifted the little girl and slipped the ring securely around Maggie’s shivering form. “I need you to wrap your arms the ring, okay?” Raven watched as the little girl whimpered and she swam closer to the buoy and wrapped her arm around the girl’s shivering form. “You got this. I’m right here, I’ll push us through. My friends are going to pull us back to shore, okay? I’ll break through the ice so it’ll be easier for us, okay?” Raven pushed some red curls from the girl’s face. “Ready?”

“Okay,” Maggie whimpered. Not really wanting to waste any more time, Raven nodded and turned back to Jason and the rest. She tugged the rope. “Go!”

Raven felt Jason tug the rope and they lurched forward easily. Keeping her hand firmly pressed into Maggie’s back, Raven swam next to her and used her arm to press through the thin layer of ice to avoid any hard ice hitting the little girl. Her muscles groaned in protest and the felt the ice bite her skin.

“Maggie, baby!”

Raven groaned and pushed the buoy with a little bit more force as they closed in on shore and her feet started to feel the ground. Maggie started crying again at the sight of her parents and with a low grunt, Raven pushed the ring forward to shore. She heard Bruce bark out orders to grab the girl and Raven’s legs slipped under her as she pushed the girl towards the shore and within reach to a waiting Jason and Dick.

“Oh my god, my baby. Thank you so much, thank you. Oh Maggie!” Arms were flying around as everyone made a grab for the little girl and the mother continued to sob in the rush. Raven slipped in the water as she lost her footing and her knees hit the ground. Weighed down by her clothes and her frozen limbs, Raven clambered back to her feet and gasping for breath as the cold seemed to finally register.

“Rae,”

She felt gloved hands wrap around her wrist and pull her out of the water. She gasped as the cold air seemed to bite into her body. She tumbled into a warm solid body and her arms instinctively wrapped around Tim, immediately recognizing his warm press of emotions and his scent. She shivered as arms wrapped around her and a heavy blanket was pressed around her. She felt hands rub up and down her back as she continued to shiver into Tim. “Maggie,” she whispered, trying to look over Tim’s shoulder to where Bruce was assisting the parents. She heard muffled crying and the distant sound of an approaching ambulance.

“Maggie okay,” said Cass, hands pressed into Raven’s back to keep the blanket from sliding off her shoulders as she and Tim tried to rub some warmth into Raven.

Tim’s fingers dug into her body and he pressed her closer. “They’ll be okay, you did great, Rae.” He whispered and pressed a kiss into her cold temple. “Let’s get you back home for a hot bath,”

The trek back to the house was a blur to Raven as Tim and Cass practically pushed her back to the house with Damian and Titus on their heels while Dick, Jason, and Bruce remained by the docks to help the family and talk to the lake management regarding the docks. Cocooned in the warmth of the thick heavy blankets, Tim gently steered her into their large bathroom, warm already from the hot bath that Alfred may have already drawn for her.

“Strip,” Tim said after closing the door behind him and gently peeling off the blanket from her body and unzipping her drenched jacket. Raven hummed in protest at the cold, but lethargically complied as her healing powers slowly worked on healing her from the cold that seemed to have seeped into her bones. She shivered when warm hands pressed into her bare shoulders and hip, directing her into the excessively large bathtub.

“I’m fine,” she grumbled but allowed herself to be gently pushed into the tub. Tim snorted, sounding very unimpressed and helped her climb into the tub. Raven sighed loudly as the comfortably hot water wrapped around her freezing body and she instinctively closed her eyes and allowed herself to sink lower into lavender scented bubbles. Her tense muscles eased, and she slowly felt the cold leave her as she leaned comfortably against the tub and allowed bubbles to tickle her nose and chin.

“I’ll go get you some tea,” Tim said, and Raven heard him stand up from where he sat momentarily on the tub ledge, just watching her. She cracked open her eyes lazily, muscles more relaxed and significantly less cold as she watched him stand and make his way to the door.

“Aren’t you going to join me?” she asked, her gaze drifting over the bubbles and watching Tim curiously.

Tim blinked as his hand settled at the doorknob. He raised an eyebrow at her, lips curling up lightly, and the worry that settled around his shoulders lifted a fraction of an inch. “My entire family is downstairs, Raven,” he said, tone light. “I’ll get you some tea,”

Raven rolled her eyes and raised her right hand out of the water, lazily draping it over the ceramic tub and beckoning him to come closer. Lavender scented bubbles slid down her hand and onto the floor as she waved her hand in a beckoning motion. “I’m not asking you to have sex, Tim,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Though, it’d be a nice reward,” her eyes danced in amusement as Tim snorted.

“Come sit with me,” her hand slipped back into the warm water, and she slid a little deeper into the tub as her muscles groaned in protest. “Please?”

Caving at her request, Tim smiled and made quick work to lock the bathroom door. Raven lazily watched him take off his clothes, silently appreciating the way his muscles moved at every movement. Tim caught her triumphant smile behind the bubbles and he playfully rolled his eyes as he approached the tub. “Shut up, you,” he murmured playfully and gently nudged her forward to slip into the tub behind her. Water sloshed around in the tub dangerously as they settled in together and Tim leaned against the tub wall, gathering Raven in his arms. They both released content sighs.

“What a morning,” Tim breathed into her hair while gently running his fingers along her arm.

Raven hummed in agreement. She shifted in his arms, her fingers curling into his biceps. “I hope the little girl will be alright,” she whispered.

“I’m sure she’s fine. B was there to take care of everything.” Tim said. He leaned forward and kissed her temple, pleased to find that she had significantly warmed up. “You did great,”

She hummed again, silently glad that she decided to go on that walk with Damian and Titus. Who knew what might have happened to Maggie? Allowing the warmth of the bathwater and Tim’s presence to wrap around her, Raven felt herself slowly relax and settle comfortably against Tim’s chest as the last of her adrenaline left her body.

“I think I deserve a reward,” Raven hummed, fingers curling into Tim’s biceps as she leaned into him. Her emotions purred lowly, still coming off the adrenalin and looking for a little release. Arching into him just the right way, she felt his body respond immediately and his thighs pressed into her hips.

“Raven,” Tim said warningly, knowing full well where this was going. He felt her shift against him, soft curves brushing against his thighs and chest. A soft warmth immediately pressed low in his abdomen, and he sighed softly into her hair and squeezed her shoulders.

“What?” Tim could hear her smile in her voice. Digging his fingers into her shoulders as he kept her wrapped close to him, he pressed a kiss to her temple. “My family is downstairs,”

Raven hummed and titled her head up, a languid smile stretched across her lips as she knew she already won. She felt his erection press into her lower back, and she eagerly pushed her ass into him. “The silencing spell is still up,” she whispered and pressed a soft kiss underneath his chin.

“Raven,” Tim sighed as his resolve broke when he felt her move against him and press another tantalizing kiss into his neck. He groaned as Raven stretched across his chest, placing her head onto his left shoulder, and her breasts teasingly peaking out of the water. Releasing his hold around her shoulders, his hands slid down her chest and gently cupped her breast, fingers sliding over hard buds. He heard Raven sigh in pleasure, head tipping back in delight.

“I’m not sure if sex in a bathtub is safe,” mumbled Tim and watched Raven close her eyes, relishing the soft ministration across her breasts. Nimble fingers slid over her nipples, stroking and tweaking the hard buds. He listened to her sigh in pleasure and he eagerly watched the emotions on her face – he always enjoyed watching her openly show her emotions, it was a thrill to watch knowing only he could milk these ripples of emotions from her.

Raven released a soft sigh and looked up at Tim with hooded eyes. Shifting in his arms, she spread her legs underwater and draped them over his toned legs. The tub was wide enough for enough movement for both of them. Arching into him and relishing the tantalizing feeling of being spread out in front of him to do as he pleased, she felt heat pool low in her abdomen. “I’m sure we can do enough,” she mumbled. She sighed as one of his hands slid down her stomach and teasingly trekked towards her center. She released a soft keen as his hand cupped her fully, fingers pressing into her and she jerked into his hand. As fingers began to softly stroke her, she gave him a languid smile. “And if we’re not yet done, you can bend me over the sink and fuck my brains out,” she said teasingly.

Tim groaned, his last strands of restraint breaking at her teasing. Feeling his blood roar, Tim slid his hand up her neck and tilted her head for a greedy kiss. It was sloppy and hot as tongues slid against each other at the strained angle and Tim eagerly drank every whimper and groan that he milked from her. His fingers underwater worked their magic, slipping into her hot center and stoking a hot fire within her.

Raven bucked into his hand, eagerly chasing the pleasure and release and teasingly brushing against his own hard erection. Raven released a soft keen, as she felt Tim’s fingers dance all over her body, stroking her heat and pushing her gently towards the edge. Being so openly splayed in front of him – legs spread wide over his strong legs and her back pressed into his chest – and allowing him to stroke, probe, nip and twist as he pleased simply burned her heightened emotions. It was a sin how well he knew how to draw out every last bit of desire from her.

“Ah, Tim,” she whispered, as teeth scraped hungrily against her pulse point and two fingers eagerly stoked a burning fire within her. His nimble fingers were magic.

She tittered so closely to the edge, her adrenaline and emotions sizzling under her skin, as Tim expertly drove her towards oblivion. “Please,” she whispered and screwed her eyes shut as her sensations went into overdrive – warm water lapping against her heated skin, fingers pushing her over the edge, and teeth scraping over her skin.

Tim released a soft groan, unable to hold back as his own desires seemed to sizzle dangerously underneath his skin. With low growl and curse, he pulled out his fingers from her and ignored the whimper of protest. Sitting up, he pulled her up with him and wrapped his arms around her waist and hoisted her up his chest and with a few quick movements – water sloshing over the tub – he took his throbbing member and slipped into her, reverse cowgirl style.

“Fuck,” Tim growled into her hair and listened to Raven’s soft keen of pleasure as his grip around her waist tightened and he pumped into her, stroking her hungrily and catching her own erratic thrusts. Their thrusts were hurried, each roll of their hips hungrier than the last, as they tittered so dangerously close to the edge of no return.

Raven released a strangled cry as fingers danced over her clit and her movements melted into erratic thrusts. She felt her whole body erupt into an inferno as her adrenaline stoked her desires and continued to feed of Tim’s own pleasure. She felt her whole world disappear as she tumbled over the cliff and her whole body seemed to erupt in inexplicable pleasure as Tim expertly steered her through the inferno.

Tim came quickly with her as his world exploded and he released loud moan into her neck, Raven’s name a soft mantra against her skin as he continued to pump into her and extended their high. Their movements were frantic and sloppy, as they milked every last inch of pleasure.

The world seemed to slowly come back to her as Raven slumped against Tim in exhaustion, her emotions purring and the heat in her abdomen so pleasantly warm and sated. She gasped, catching her breath and listened to Tim’s own labored breathing.

Tim wrapped his arms around her and carefully slipped out of her, shuddering at the sensation of loss. He carefully wrapped her in his arms, they settled comfortably against the tub, both trying to catch their breath and allowing their heartbeat to come to normal.

“Told you we could do enough,” Raven whispered teasingly, fingers wrapping around his forearms that settled across her chest and she gave him soft squeeze.

Tim chuckled and pressed a soft kiss to her temple. “My knees are on fire,” he commented breathlessly. He kissed her cheek at her amused chuckle. “Totally worth it though,”

“Let’s see if we can try the bathroom sink tonight,” he added playfully as an afterthought.

[flyingkiki]

A Very Merry Christmas (1/4)

I've been working on this since December last year, in hopes of giving you a steamy Christmas. But life, anxiety, and the shitstorm of 2020 came in the way. But either way, I worked through this, got all chapters ready for some regular steamy #TimRae goodness. I'll post regularly so all chapters will be out soon. Enjoy this first steamy TimRae nugget, my loves!

Notes: Messed around with ages and timelines. I like Tim and Raven in a more adult setting, past their teenage years. Doesn’t strictly follow any universe, rather a mix of this and that. They're adults and Damian is still a pre-teen kid.

Part Two of my Vanilla Series. Because Tim is a k!nky boi, and we know it. Here's Part 1: Flavor: Vanilla.

~

Chapter 1

“How many estates does the Wayne family have?”

As they were driving up the icy road, Raven warily eyed the large house decked in a thick blanket of snow. When Tim mentioned they’d be spending Christmas week at the family vacation home, she certainly did not expect another mansion in the outskirts of Gotham, tucked away by a range of trees and lush snowy forest cover. She thought of a cottage by the forest – not an 8-bedroom and 10-bathroom monstrosity of a home. Raven blinked and looked out the window. Was that a tennis court she just saw?

“There are a few,” Tim chuckled and they neared his childhood home. He eyed the home fondly and shot Raven a brief smile. “This one is Bruce’s favorite. We spend a lot of holidays and summers here,”

Hard to imagine that in between all the vigilante and business work, and all the dysfunctional family disasters and ill-managed feelings, the Wayne’s somehow were still able to spend some time together as a family. Raven had quickly learned after the rift between Tim and the rest of the family with losing and finding Bruce in the time stream, and all the tension between all the siblings for one reason or another, Bruce (or likely Alfred) had made it more of a habit for the family to gather whenever possible. Over the years as they have grown older, old wounds have somewhat healed. Somewhat.

“I cannot picture Bruce Wayne as the fishing-by-the-lake kind of father,” Raven mumbled, absently eyeing the snowy white trees whizzing past them.

“He likes to take Damian the lake when the brat is out of school during summers,”

Raven hummed in acknowledgement and watched as they finally approached a security gate. They’ve been driving for hours and it came to a relief that she’d be finally be able to stretch her legs. But the idea of finally, officially, meeting the Wayne family “outside of work” unsettled her. Worry loomed in the pit of her stomach as they drove up the driveway of the large house made of intricate stonework, impossibly large windows, and aged wood. She inhaled softly, staring at the home muted by the thick blanket of snow. It was beautiful.

“Who drives a motorcycle in the middle of winter?” Raven frowned when they drove past a large motorcycle covered in snow carefully parked next to pine trees.

“Jason,” said Tim as they finally came to a stop under the car shed next to Bruce’s Bugatti. Who drives a Bugatti in the middle of a cold wave? Raven eyed the car.

“We’re here,” Tim announced. A blanket of silence dropped over them with only the soft noise of the engine filling the air, Tim allowed Raven to process their arrival. He watched as she stared out the car window, taking in the snowy garden.

After the Killer Croc incident and the discovery of the rather embarrassingly ill-placed hickey, the entire family assumed that he was seeing someone. For a period, Jason had been talking non-stop about Tim’s sex life (“Dude, you are a kinky piece of shit.”) and Bruce had dropped invitations to holiday and gala dinners, which Raven remained hesitant to attend. After a year of postponing dinners, they did finally decide to attend this Christmas getaway after Alfred told Tim “It would be nice to finally meet your partner, Master Tim. I would like to meet and thank her for taking care of you, my boy. It would be wonderful to get to know her,” he said. And that was that. No one declines Alfred.

It was a miracle that they kept the relationship under wraps for over a year now. Tim understood Raven’s need for privacy and her hesitation to meet Bruce. Some wounds still ran deep, no matter how long ago their first encounter was. The thought still left a bad taste in his mouth, the idea of a young Raven being turned down by the Justice League. He knew that there was still bad blood between her and Zatanna while Clark tried his best to make up for their hasty decisions over her. He watched Raven inhale softly and fiddle with one of the silver rings on her left finger. “Hey,” he said softly and reached out to touch her hand. Deep blue eyes stared back at him and he cracked a soft smile. “All good?”

Raven returned the small smile and tilted her head just a little bit. “You think very loudly,” she said and adjusted her hand in his so they could hold hands. Years ago, she’d shy away from this kind of contact. It was strange how time has changed her. She watched Tim’s smile brighten and she released a nervous breath she was holding. “Yeah, I’m good,”

Tim gave her hand an encouraging squeezing. “We don’t have to do this, you know?”

“I know,” Raven replied. “But I guess now is a good time as any,”

He gave her hand another encouraging squeeze. “It’s not like they don’t know you anyway,”

Raven snorted ungracefully and rolled her eyes. “I’ve spent more time with everyone in that house in masks and Kevlar than unmasked. I’m thrilled to see everyone in their silk PJs,” she said dryly.

“I guess now’s the best time to meet everybody unmasked,” Tim told her. He released her hand and turned to shut the engine. He turned back to her and smiled, grabbing her arm and gently tugging her towards him. He pressed a long kiss against her lips. “C’mon. Let’s go inside,”

They stepped out of Tim’s warm car and into the biting cold. It was mid-afternoon and it was already slowly getting dark, and everything was becoming colder. Raven made a face and pulled the grey bonnet over her ears and joined Tim by the trunk. They pulled out their duffle bags and slowly trekked towards the front doors of the mansion (calling the monstrosity of a house a cottage in the woods would seem insulting). Raven eyed the house in awe and apprehension.

Hurrying up the wooden stairs and stomping off the snow from their boots by the worn mat, Tim fished out his keys from his pants. Throwing her a curious look, he slid the silver key into the lock. “Ready?”

Raven made a face and her eyes momentarily slid towards one of the frosted windows, seeing warm light past the heavy curtains. “Not really,”

“Raven,” Tim breathed, eyes widening, and his hand stilled.

Raven rolled her eyes and gently nudged his shoulder. “I’m kidding. C’mon, I’m freezing, and I need to pee,” she whispered teasingly.

“Tease,” Tim grinned at her gasp as his cold nose pressed against her cheek for a quick peck. Turning back to the door, he unlocked it and quickly opened the heavy front door. As they entered the welcome warmth of the foyer, they were greeted by the familiar movie soundtrack of the Grinch. Removing their coats and leaving their bags for later, Tim led Raven towards the living room. “We’re here!” he announced.

“Timbo, in here!” They heard Dick from the other room over the noise of the Grinch followed by low muttering and scuffling. “Sit up, Jason! Don’t embarrass us in front of his girlfriend!”

“Don’t get your panties in a bunch, Dickface,”

“Hey guys,” Tim entered the large living room and found his whole family scattered across the ridiculously large leather sofa and carpeted floor. He felt Raven hesitate beside him before appearing next to him and Tim snorted at the collective response of shock and surprise from everyone.

“Hey Timbers – oh my fuck.”

“Master Jason, language!”

“Raven?!”

In hindsight, perhaps it was a bad idea for her to just join the family for their Christmas weekend as every single member of the Wayne family openly stared at Raven and Tim. Raven inhaled softly and took a step back as she felt the onslaught of emotions. She watched the open surprise cross Bruce face, and she quickly averted her gaze to Dick, who gaped at her like a fish. Yep, definitely not a good idea. An uncomfortable feeling settled in the pit of her stomach as she felt out of place.

“Raven,”

She turned to Bruce again and she blinked as the man rose from his seat on the sofa, a rather ugly throw blanket slipping from his thighs. She quirked a nervous smile and breathed. “Hi,” she said. Blinking, she waved lamely. “I brought wine?”

“You and Tim?” Dick blinked, trying to make sense of what he was seeing. How did his second-in-command start dating his younger brother? How did he even miss this? “How? When?” Dick blinked lamely. “Huh?”

“Raven!” a small lithe bundle of a soft green Christmas sweater bounded towards the couple and hugged Raven. “It’s you!”

“Hi Cass,” Raven chuckled and hugged the younger woman. Over Cass’s shoulder she and Tim exchanged small smiles. Raven always had a soft spot for Tim’s sister. Cass turned in Raven’s arms and eyed Tim with a playful look and nudged his shoulder. “You kept secret!”

“Sorry,” Tim laughed and waved his hands in defense.

“Perhaps Miss Raven and Master Tim would like to freshen up a bit before we have some afternoon tea? Or hot chocolate. I’d think that would be a great idea, don’t you think?” Alfred said this with an air of finality as he stood up and briefly glanced at his wards before turning to the couple and smiling kindly at them. “It’s wonderful to see you again, Miss Raven.”

“Thanks, Alfred.” Raven smiled, tension leaving her shoulders. She pulled away from Cass and the girls gently squeezed hands.

Tim cleared his throat at the collective surprise still in the room. Bouncing on his heels, he turned to Raven. “Okay. Bathroom?” Raven nodded, relief flooding her face at the chance to escape the awkward introductions. Turning back to his flustered family, he rolled his eyes and absently took Raven’s hand. “We’ll be back. You guys get it together,” he told them before turning on his heels and gently tugging Raven back to the foyer.

Leaving the surprised family in the living room (“You guys better not get handsy up there” “Jasssssonn!”), Tim and Raven picked up their bags and made it to Tim’s old bedroom. Raven raised an eyebrow in amusement at the sight of old band posters on the wall.

“Bathroom’s over there,” Tim pointed toward the door in the corner that led to the private bathroom. Raven hummed in acknowledgement, still keyed up from all the emotions downstairs.

After puttering around in the bathroom and washing her face, Raven emerged from the rather ridiculously luxurious personal bathroom (she was definitely going to take a long, hot bath and put up some scented candles in there) and found Tim absently tinkering with an old laptop on his desk. Ignoring Tim, she walked around his old bedroom, taking in old books lined in a bookshelf. Finding some curious titles, she thought she might want to check out for later. She smiled and picked up an old Superman action figure. She moved to the wall that held a few of Tim’s old photographs. An old gritty photograph of Gotham Tower with the Bat Symbol illuminated behind it hung in the middle of an array of landscape photos.

“I took that when I was 9,” Tim said, joining her by the wall and pulling the old action figure of Clark out of her hands. They shared a smile as he waved Superman’s arms around lamely before dropping it back on the shelf.

“You haven’t done photography for some time,” Raven commented.

“Been busy. You know, saving Gotham, running a company, staying alive,” Tim smiled and watched as Raven quirked her lips in response. He watched her move around his old room in curiosity, taking in old trinkets and photos, eyeing books and posters, and smiling fondly at old memorabilia. He felt a warmth spread inside of him as he watched Raven, in her oversized grey kitten sweater, study parts of his old life. While life as a Wayne (and a Drake) was beyond messy, he realized that this – the sight of Raven gently pressed against the large windows of his old room watching snow gently fall into the garden – was something he wanted Raven to be a part of in his life and share more with her – mess and everything.

Raven looked over the shoulder, offering a rare smile at the gentle press of his warm emotions. “You’re on vacation now. Maybe we can walk around and take some photos,” she said. She watched Tim join her by the window and wrap an arm around her waist. He offered her a gentle smile. “I’d like that.”

“So,” Tim breathed, a warm lilt in his voice as he looked at her. “What do you think so far?”

Raven tilted her head and hummed. “Do you think they’d mind if I just spend my entire time here in this room?” she asked teasingly.

Tim laughed and squeezed her hip. Pressing a kiss to her cheek, her held her close and allowed his hand to slip underneath her sweater for another gentle squeeze. “As much as I’d like to keep you in my childhood bedroom, I don’t think Alfred would approve.” He mumbled into her hair.

Raven hummed and shifted in his arms, she looked over his shoulders at his ridiculously large bed and back up at him with a teasing glint in her eyes. “But there is so much we could do in here,” she said.

Tim laughed softly and pulled her closer to him, relishing the soft press of her against him. “Oh, believe me, I have plans for you,” he said against her cheek and grinned at her soft chuckle. He gave her hip a teasing squeeze before kissing her fully on the lips. He had missed her; they had not seen each other the last few weeks because of her off-earth mission. He had every intention of making sure they made up for lost time in his old bedroom.

Raven hummed against his lips before pulling away, a small smile playing on her lips. “Such loud dirty thoughts, Tim Wayne” she teased and gently nudged him away. Rolling her eyes at the guilty chuckle, she stepped out of his arms and brushed her hair back with her hands. “Do you think we should go back downstairs?”

“Yeah, let’s. I promise you that Alfred’s hot chocolate is to die for,” Tim said while leading her out of the bedroom.

If the rich chocolate smell was any indication, Alfred’s hot chocolate smelled divine. Raven blinked, trying to come to terms of the domesticity of the entire scene in front of her – Bruce Wayne, Batman, in comfortable house slippers and a grey sweater that probably cost more than what she made each month, carrying a tray of sugar cookies into the sitting room. The rest of his brood were gathered around a glass coffee table, with steaming porcelain mugs in their hands.

Cass perked up around her mug at the sight of Raven and Tim entering the room. She waved them over from where she sat curled up next to the table within easy reach of the cookies that Bruce just deposited on the table. “Come, sit!”

Bruce’s raised his eyebrows at the couple and he straightened. He looked at Tim for a brief moment before locking eyes with Raven. It momentarily startled him to see the woman in front of him, out of her uniform, a much older version of that young girl he had met so many years ago begging for their help. The memory unsettled him for a moment, a shift of emotions he was sure Raven caught as her head tilted just a fraction of an inch and she blinked. He smiled instead and placed the cookie tray on the table as she and Tim approach the group.

“Hi, Bruce,” Raven greeted Bruce, barely catching his mix of emotions and she smiled lightly up at the older man.

“Hello, Raven. It’s nice to have you with us.” Bruce eyes shift to towards Tim and he quirked an amused eyebrow. “It’s quite a Christmas surprise,”

“A rather pleasant one, if I may add,” pipped in Alfred as he appeared with a tray of more mugs of hot chocolate. He and Raven exchanged smiles. Raven always liked Alfred.

“Sit,” Cass grabbed Raven’s hand and tugged her towards the coffee table, obviously thrilled to have a girl in the house to spend time with. Raven smiled and allowed herself to be tugged to the floor next to Cass. She shared a quick amused glance at Tim before turning to the younger woman as she pressed a hot mug of chocolate into her hands. “Drink.”

“Thanks,” Raven smiled and folded her legs underneath her. The hot chocolate smelled delicious and the heat of the mug warmed her cold hands. She felt some of her tension slowly melt away.

“Why didn’t I know about you two!” Dick exclaimed from his perch on the loveseat. He sent hurt looks to both Raven and Tim. His blue eyes widened in realization. “So that’s where you run off to sometimes. You said you’re going to a museum!”

“To be fair, I did,” said Raven, sending Dick an amused look before taking a tentative sip of the hot chocolate. It was delicious. She hummed in approval and shared a small smile with Cass.

“Just with me most of the time,” Tim grinned at Dick after gabbing one of the mugs from the table and plopping down into the large sofa he shared with Bruce.

“Soooo,” Jason announced sounding terribly smug from where he was sprawled out over an overstuffed armchair. He lolled his head towards Raven and his green eyes shone with mischief. “It was you who gave Timbers that crotch hickey.”

“Jason!”

Dick coughed loudly into hot chocolate, chocking on one too many marshmallows. He did not need to know that. “Jason, damn it!”

“Language, boys!” Bruce sighed loudly and watched as Jason grinned smugly at Raven, their houseguest – Tim’s secret girlfriend. And thanks to Jason’s not so gentle reminder, said culprit of Tim’s large hickey he had the misfortune of seeing many months ago. He sunk into his seat in the sofa and mentally groaned at the terrible mental image. He really did not want anything to do with his sons’ sex lives. They were all adults, but still – Bruce sighed.

Of course. Trust Jason Todd to bring up sex. Ignoring Tim’s embarrassment and the heat that crept up her cheeks, Raven narrowed her eyes and stared back at an amused Jason waiting for her answer. “Yes.”

“Raven!” Dick whined.

Jason cackled and hot chocolate dangerously sloshed around in his expensive porcelain mug. “I like her!”

Bruce sighed and took another long drink of Alfred’s hot chocolate. He needed sugar. Thank god Damian was out walking Titus, he definitely did not need his 13-year-old son to hear about Tim’s sex life. Or hearing it confirmed by Raven.

As if on cue, the front door opened and Damian announced his arrival. There was quiet shuffling in the background and a distinct bark before the Damian’s monstrosity of a dog came bounding into the room followed by his youngest son. Damian blinked in confusion at the sight of Raven talking to Cass, obviously wondering what the Titan was doing here. Titus on the other hand stood at attention at the sight of the newcomer and barked briefly at Raven, gaining her attention, before lying down a few feet away from her and watching her cautiously with a loud whine.

“Is there a mission?” asked Damian, eyeing Raven quizzically before turning to Dick and then to Bruce.

Jason snorted and swung his socked feet over the armrest. Taking a rather dangerous sip of his hot chocolate from his precarious position on the armchair, he grinned in amusement at the little brat. “Please meet Timmy’s girlfriend,” he said dramatically, theatrically waiving at Raven with his mug.

Damian eyes widened briefly before shooting Tim a quick glance and turning to a mildly amused Raven. “I’m sorry to hear that,” he told her dryly.

“Hey!”

Raven chuckled softly. She shared an amused smile with an indignant Tim before turning back to an unfazed Damian. He stared at her for a moment, unsure what to do. They had rarely interacted outside of missions, the boy had held her at arm’s length at times – probably because of whatever knowledge he had of her from his grandfather and the League. Though she wouldn’t blame him, she’d hold herself at arm’s length too. She titled her head, the corner of her lips quirking slightly as she sensed the young boy’s unsure emotions. “It’s nice to see you again, Damian,” she said.

Damian blinked. His gaze shifted back to Tim, who was watching him intently. Turning back to Raven, he stiffly nodded. “Welcome to our home,” he replied automatically.

“Such an exciting welcome wagon you are,” Jason said dryly, shooting the short boy a teasing smirk while helping himself to another mug of hot chocolate.

“Dami have some hot chocolate,” Dick beckoned Damian towards the coffee table as he heaped another healthy spoonful of marshmallows into his mug. Raven always wondered how Dick’s sugar levels seemed to do so well during Cyborg’s annual physicals.

While Damian busied himself in pouring his own mug, Dick looked curiously at Raven and Tim, watching in astonishment as Raven handed over her phone for Tim to keep as she sat cross-legged on the floor next to Cass. He watched Tim stuff the device into his pocket and Dick blinked – it was so odd to see Raven allow such simple intimate acts around her. When Gar tried to even touch her phone, he would be blasted off the roof. He pulled himself out of his reverie as Damian unceremoniously plopped down next to him and Dick nearly spilled his drink. Catching Raven’s eyes, Dick smiled brightly, and pressed on with their earlier conversation. “So, when did this start?” he asked.

“Oh,” Tim breathed. He watched as Raven looked over her shoulder to catch his stare. Turning back to Dick, he tapped his mug thoughtfully, wondering just how much they should get into detail. “Remember that mission in Lisbon?” he asked.

Dick’s eyebrows furrowed remembering the Titan’s mission of taking on that inter-galactic firearm smuggling ring led by Slade. There was a lot of fighting, shooting, and blood. They had Red Robin join to help Cyborg hack into the several space stations and track local smuggling movements. His eyes widened at he stared at Tim. “What? That was over a year ago. I was there. You two got into arguments!” he accused. He turned to Raven with a bewildered look, feeling utterly confused. “You said his plan was, I quote, ‘fiery hot mess’ and he was stupid beyond belief.” Jason released a bark of laughter in the background.

Raven shrugged dismissively. “It was. He is.”

“No, reckless. The word was reckless.” Tim tutted.

Raven rolled her eyes. “And still stupid. You got shot.”

“Still took down the entire operation.” Tim grinned and they shared a small private smile. Turning back to Dick, he offered an easy shrug, as if everything explained for itself. “Asked Raven out on a date once we all got back and recovered from blood loss.”

Dick gaped at them, still thoroughly confused. “That was 18 months ago. How? All this time –?”

Damian sighed loudly looking rather bored. “Your detective skills are rather disappointing, Richard, if you failed to take notice for the last 18 months,” he said. Dick made a disgruntled sound next to him.

“I’m happy!” Cass announced nudging Raven and the two shared a smile. Raven felt herself relax, as an easy conversation fell on the group and everyone continued to tease Dick for his terrible situational awareness skills. She chuckled at a joke Jason threw at Dick and looked over at Bruce, who remained quiet throughout most of the conversation. She caught his eye briefly and felt whatever tension that was left in her leave as the two shared a rather brief smile.

Dinner was a chaotic affair as promised with Jason and Damian, and on occasion Tim, getting into arguments and Dick trying to placate the situation. Though it was not like Raven was not used to the chaos, after living with Victor and Garfield, and Jinx, for so long. Tim had agreed that he and Raven would help Alfred in his baking tomorrow. When Cass was not busy talking to Raven, she’d endlessly tease Tim or Jason for one thing or the other. Bruce looked over his children occasionally trying to break up arguments or admonish Jason for his cursing. It was a surprising sight, to see this different side of Batman, and it threw Raven into a loop. It was admittedly nice, despite her initial apprehensions, to meet everyone outside of their Kevlar and masks.

“So?” asked Tim later that evening as he appeared from the bathroom barefoot in nothing but his sweatpants. Raven looked up from reading an old philosophy book. She watched Tim towel his wet hair as he approached the bed. Closing the book, she allowed a small smile to play on her lips as she watched him approach, appreciating as the defined muscles rippled with each movement. Tim’s work with his bo staff does wonders – not that it was something she’d openly admit. She caught his amused emotions as he sat down on his side of the bed, catching her stare. “What do you think of today?” he asked her, reaching out and affectionately squeezing her calf.

“It was alright,” Raven replied, placing the book on the bedside table. She turned to Tim and watched him haphazardly throw his used towel onto the nearby office chair. “I’ll pick it up, I promise,” he chuckled as she rolled her eyes. Tim turned off his bedside lamp, engulfing them in the soft light from Raven’s lamp. Climbing into bed next to her, he turned to his side and propped his head on his left hand. “Was it?” he probed.

Raven sighed and sunk into bed next to him. She looked up at him as Tim gently brushed some of her hair behind her ear. “It’s different,” she admitted. “I’m still getting used to the idea of seeing Batman in Armani lounge wear.” Tim snorted ungracefully. “It’ll take some time adjusting to all these emotions from everyone. But it’s nice to meet your family outside of work. Thank you for you bringing me here to meet them,” she told him.

“I’m glad you’re here. I’d like to share this with you. It’s a bit messy and chaotic, but it’s family. I’m happy you’re here,” said Tim gently. He offered her a small smile and grabbed her left hand and gave it a soft squeeze. “I’m sorry if everything is a bit overwhelming. We can always go home when you want to,”

“I know. Thank you.” Raven replied and tugged Tim towards her, allowing him into her space and wrapped his arms around her. She did not realize her emotions were so keyed up until now. Her emotions settled at the familiar press of Tim’s body and the warm press of his emotions against hers. She felt one of his hands slip under her camisole and fingers fanned against the small of her back. She sighed contently and melted into the embrace. She felt a mumbled “I love you” and a kiss against her forehead and she smiled, fingers curling around Tim’s bicep. She hummed and pressed forward, clumsily kissing Tim on the cheek. “I love you too,” she whispered, a little breathless. It often amazed her as she found herself saying these words, three words she thought she’d never say intimately to anyone. Strange how Tim seemed to have easily settled into her life.

They stayed like that for a few minutes, silently relishing the intimate moment between them. Raven quickly learned into the relationship how much Tim enjoyed giving and receiving affection, a result from his own demons of the past. Giving affection so openly was something she gradually learned to do over time. Tim had a way of helping her learn and grow over the year.

She felt Tim shift and before she could acknowledge his change of emotions, she yelped softly as his leg slipped between hers and his foot brushed against her own. “Cold feet!” Raven gasped, trying to jerk her feet away as Tim wrapped his feet around her and pulled her against his chuckling chest.

“Share some body heat,” Tim chuckled against her hair and his legs held her own in place. He shifted again, enjoying the gentle press of her curves against him. Slipping his thigh just a little bit higher between her legs, he smiled as Raven shifted towards him, her thigh brushing against his own.

“I know what you’re doing,” there was an amused lilt in her voice. She could feel the hard press of him against her hip and she canted her hips just a little bit to brush against him. Raven hummed at Tim’s soft sigh.

“I know that there’s a no powers rule in this house,” Tim mumbled and his hand slipped over the curve of her ass and gently squeezed. He heard Raven hum against his chest. He felt her lean up and kiss the hallow of his neck. He bit back a groan as Raven shifted, deliberately brushing up against him. He squeezed her tightly, amused at her teasing. “But,” he breathed and leaned down to kiss her cheek. “Do you think you could cast a silencing spell in this room or something?”

“Oh?” Raven breathed, look up at Tim in amusement. Her eyes danced in delight as nimble fingers slid under her shirt again and traced her spine. “What for?”

“Well,” whispered Tim and nudged her up to get her face closer to his. He grinned impishly at her amused face and briefly tipped forward to languidly kiss her, relishing the needy press of her lips and tongue against his own. Pulling away, he chuckled at the soft whine of protest and leaned forward to briefly kiss the crook of her neck before leaning into her ear. “I really don’t want anyone in this house to hear what’s about to happen in my childhood bedroom,”

An excited thrill ran down her back and Raven felt heat pool low in her stomach. “Oh?” she whispered catching the wolfish smile on Tim’s lips. She draped her right hand over Tim’s bare shoulder as he turned and pressed her into the mattress. Her fingers tingled with magic, spell ready at her fingertips, as she teasingly traced a protruding scar on his deltoid. “What’s going to happen?”

Tim clucked his tongue catching the teasing glint in her eyes. “I’ll have to show you then.”

Raven just had about enough sense and time to release the spell from her fingertips just as Tim’s fingers easily slipped underneath her pajama bottoms and inter sleek, hot heat. Legs spreading instantly, back arching, and jaw dropping at the delicious friction, Raven gasped loudly.

“TIM!”

Raven released a breathy gasp as fingers moved slowly into her. The rhythm slick wet noise of Tim’s fingers driving into her at a steady pace had heat pooling low in her abdomen and her legs quivered in anticipation. His fingers steadily increased their speed, drawing out long whines and soft moans from her.

Despite the cool Christmas air, she felt her skin warm as heat shot through her body. She felt Tim’s heady press of desire as he kissed the pulse point of her neck and teeth gently scraped against her sensitive skin. Raven whimpered as she felt him push and prod against the bundle of nerves, her hips gently thrusting against his fingers chasing for release. She felt herself so close to tumbling over the edge.

“Shhh,” Tim whispered teasingly, hooded eyes drinking in her undone state. Nipping the underside of her chin, he listened to her release another breathy whimper as he continued his steady ministration into her sleek heat. Over her gasps and groans, he could hear the wet sounds of his fingers pumping into her. His cock twitched in anticipation. “The others might hear you,” he teased, watching as she gasped and bucked into his hand. They were lucky she cast the silencing spell as Raven whimpered and fluttered around his fingers, release just a few strokes away.

“Please,” Raven herself tumbling towards the edge as her body quivered and she greedily devoured Tim’s lust and desires press into her. She whimpered as she felt him kiss her collar bone before pulling the strap of her camisole down to expose her right breast. She gasped and groaned as his tongue flittered around her nipple before teeth and tongue eagerly engulfed the sensitive bud.

With a nip to her nipple and a few more fast, measured thrusts of his fingers, Tim watched as Raven released a strangled cry and came totally undone. Drawing out her orgasm, his fingers curled and pumped into her fluttering heat, helping her tumble down the cliff.

Raven’s back arched off their bed as her world exploded and she continued to buck into Tim’s hand, riding out the high and soaring through an explosion of colors and sounds. She gasped and whimpered, fingers curling into his bicep to help ground her and gain some control.

Their movements slowed and Tim pressed a warm kiss against her cheek, watching as Raven slowly returned from her high. Pulling his fingers out of her, he watched as Raven whimpered and writhed at the loss of contact.

“Fuck,” Raven breathed, as her senses returned, and she lazily lolled her head towards Tim watching him pull his fingers out of her. Tim hummed thoughtfully, his gaze dropping from her rumpled pajama bottoms to his soaked fingers before licking her sticky juices from his fingers. Raven released another whimper as desire and heat seemed to flare low in her abdomen again as she watched him eagerly lap up her cum from his fingers. Fucking hell, the thought of their total debauchery in her Wayne manor a distant memory.

Pausing with his careful licking, Tim hummed and smiled at her. Drinking in her disheveled look, he leaned over her again and relished the beautiful release of pressing his straining cock against her hip. Rocking into her, Tim pressed a kiss onto her cheek. “We should have a Kinky Christmas,” he whispered and teasingly hooked his fingers into her pajama bottoms and underwear, nudging them down slowly.

Raven released a breathy laugh but found herself nodding. She felt Tim tug her pajama bottoms off her with a few more tugs and pulls of hands and feet. “Give Jason more things to tease us about?”

Tim clucked and chuckled, pressing another kiss into the hallow of her neck and listening to her breathy intake of breath. He quickly removed his own pants, sighing as his member sprang free and brushed against her thigh. “We got the silencing spell up,” he said while pushing her legs apart and settling in between them. They groaned as his member brushed against her core. “This will be our little Kinky Christmas celebration,”

Raven hummed, hands draping over his shoulders as she eagerly rocked into his hips in anticipation. The room was stifling, and she wanted so, so much more. Drinking in his heated stare, Raven gave him languid smile, and spread her legs just a little bit more.

“Then let the festivities begin,”