Beach Workout Revelations
Relaxing in the summer sun, a cold iced herbal tea in one hand, an open book in the other, Raven stretched out on a lounge chair under a wide umbrella on the beach in front of Titans Tower. She was taking a short break from the team's outdoor workout. Initially she had protested the idea, not wanting to bake in the sun, until she remembered the massive umbrella she had gotten at the end of last year for that exact reason. It was a great day for it, as there was enough of a breeze to tolerate the heat and some cloud cover every now and then. All the Titans were in their swimwear, so any cardio would be done in the water, another way to ensure they wouldnât collapse in the sun.Â
âHey Raven, going to be up for squats soon?â Robin called out to her from the waterâs edge.
âListen, taskmaster general, I need a little more time in the shade first, Iâm not going to burn like some people,â Raven called back, her eyes going from Robin to the green changeling next to him, who was already sunburned on his shoulders.
âNo pain, no gain, dudes,â Beast Boy retorted, flexing his arms with his fists over his head, showing off the minor muscle increase heâd recently gotten.
âThatâs supposed to refer to your muscles, not your skin,â Raven said, rolling her eyes.
âIâll be fine, itâs just some sun,â Beast Boy said.
âCan we proceed with the squatting? I also do not desire the burn of the sun and wish to do as much as we can to enjoy ourselves,â Starfire chimed in.
âSheâs got a point, câmon, Rae, get over here,â Cyborg called, âIâll move your umbrella if you want it that bad.â
âOkay, fine, Iâm coming,â Raven said, setting her drink and book down on the small folding table sheâd brought out with the lounge chair.
Raven stood and adjusted the tie on the side of her dark blue bikini, making sure it was tight and rolled her shoulders before walking down to join the others.
âI saved you a spot next to me,â Robin said with a smile.
Raven had to push her emotions down so color wouldnât creep into her face as she neared him and only managed a nod in his direction. Truthfully, it hadnât been merely the sun she was taking a break from under the umbrella. Being close to Robin under any circumstance had been trying for her lately, as she discovered she was attracted to him. Any look, word, or touch from him jolted her emotions, making her grip her power to keep it in place. Their chosen activity and attire made suppressing certain thoughts and feelings harder, making it as much of an emotional exercise as it was a physical one. Beast Boy and Cyborg were wearing long swim trunks, but, ever the purposeful, prepared obsessive that he was, Robin wore a tight red speedo, emphasizing strong legs and leaving even less to the imagination that his normal green tights. His body was slick with sweat from his own workout, as he had started before the other Titans showed.
She walked over to the spot beside him and waited as Cyborg brought the umbrella over and set it up near her.
âThanks, Cy,â she said.
âNo prob, Rae,â he said, before returning to his spot in their line-up along the water.
With the shade as cover, she turned out toward the water and tried to focus on just doing the exercises. Before she could get herself into position, she felt Robinâs touch on her arm. She wondered if he knew how he affected her through their bond and was just enjoying watching her tense.
âDo you want to borrow my smaller weights? They might give you better results than going without, you uh, donât seem to have trouble, and itâs good to push yourself,â Robin asked.
âSure,â Raven replied quickly.
It was better to give him short, simple responses when she was holding her emotions down, otherwise she risked blushing. Like she was going to broadcast to him what he was doing to her, that just sounded unfair.Â
He stepped away to grab a small set of dumbbells from the collection heâd brought outside and lined up behind them, bent down to pick them up, and made her have to look very quickly anywhere else before the slightest thought about him at that angle did anything else to her. She acted like she had been looking at a passing bird when he had turned back to face her. Thankfully, their friends had started on their own exercises, so nobody wouldâve caught anything regardless. She was still safe. He approached her and handed her two red dumbbells, which she took from him, holding one in each hand by her sides. She expected him to return to his place in the sand, but he remained by her side.
âThanks, um, was there something else you wanted?â Raven asked.
âOh, uh, I wanted to make sure you had the right form before I started on my own stuff,â Robin replied.
âOkay, right,â she said.
Fantastic, now he was going to be watching her. She suddenly wished sheâd worn a swimsuit that covered her entire body, face included. Nothing she could do now⊠except mess with him.
âLike my bikini?â she asked, as she got into position, her feet digging into the sand, facing the water.
âI-itâs uh-nice, yeah,â he replied, tensing and rubbing his neck.
âWith the way youâre watching me, Iâd think it was better than âniceâ,â she said, as she bent her knees and slowly descended into a squat.
âMaybe-I mean, yeah, itâs⊠you look awesome in it,â he admitted, color coming into his cheeks.
She smiled to herself. His eyes may be hidden behind his mask, but he couldnât keep all of his emotions from showing themselves in the rest of his face and body.
âShould have seen the other one I tried on before picking this, showed too much, wasnât sure if I could pull it off,â she said, rising out of her squat, âI might not be the best judge⊠what do you think?â
His faceâs color matched the color of his speedo as he bit his lip and watched her descend into another squat. Something about the situation was bothering her more than her own nerves, but she couldnât put her finger on what. He remained silent during her next two reps and didnât say anything until she looked at him.
âI uh, think Iâd have to see it - to know for sure,â he said, his lips lifting in a small smile.
She knew that smile. It always showed itself when he had figured something out, whether it was about something personal or about one of the cityâs countless criminals. In this case, it worried her. Why? She had to say something but sheâd been thrown off by how easily he now stood looking at her. His nerves had calmed, why? She descended into another squat while she came up with a response to match the implicit challenge heâd given her.
âYouâll have to join Starfire and I when we go clothes shopping next time, then,â she said.
âHmm. Or you and I could go tomorrow, if you uh, want my opinion that bad,â he countered.
Raven came up from another squat and stopped. Robinâs response had given her the answer to her internal questions, along with a revelation that made her heart race even as it drained what color showed in her pale complexion.Â
The feeling of attraction was mutual. And he had turned her teasing into his offer of a date.
She wasnât sure how she got herself into this, how to get out of it, or if she even wanted to get out of it. No way was he going to get the best of her.
âFine. On two conditions. You keep our trip between us and⊠you have to try things on too,â she said, performing a perfect squat as she finished speaking.
âWh-uh, deal,â he said, as red took over his face again.
âAndâŠI think my form is fine, right?â she asked.
âYour form? Wh-oh, yeah, itâs awesome, uh, keep it up,â he replied, looking like heâd been hit with her reminder, âIâm gonna go back to my own workout.â
Raven managed a nod as she performed another squat, grateful for the break from the awkwardness between them. Turning her attention back to the waves and her own reps, she wished she could be as calm as the steady waves rolling in and out before her. Serenity would only be restored with meditation and distance from Robin. Try as she might, she could not resist glancing in his direction every few reps. He had his own large dumbbells in his hands, doing his own squats. His muscles stood out in the sunlight, his sleek, toned body shining with sweat the longer he went. His breathing was even, showing no sign of strain. She thought he might catch her eye and she pretended to blow a strand of her violet hair out of her face.
âDude, Iâm done with this sand,â Beast Boy abruptly called out to the group, âtime for some dolphin jumps!â
Beast Boy dashed from his place in the sand out into the water and morphed into a large green dolphin as soon as the water reached his waist. Their friend swam in a large circle and went down, then breached the water a minute later, flying high in the air, splashing Cyborg and Starfire with water as he landed near them.
âYo, youâre gonna get it for that!â Cyborg called with a grin, setting his weights down and rushing into the water after Beast Boy passed him again.
âRobin, Raven, shall we do the swimming of the laps with them?â Starfire asked the pair, rising from the push ups she was doing in the sand.
âNot ready yet, but go ahead if you want to,â Robin said.
âIâmâŠnot quite ready either. Iâll do mine soon,â Raven added.
Starfire giggled as she was splashed by another of Beast Boyâs jumps, then leapt into the water after him. This left Robin and Raven alone on the beach as their friends swam off, beginning their laps around the island.Â
Robin and Raven continued their squats with their weights, each catching the otherâs eye when they fully stood or descended every few reps. Before long, she was sweating and her throat felt dry. The silence between her and Robin grew, but that had become a silent contest, as she could feel his own tension through their bond, and he was holding himself back from saying more. Neither would stop until the other did, neither would speak until the other did, but Raven had a few advantages - she had shade, smaller weights, and she had not been working out as long as he had been.
In time, Robin had to stop and take a breather. He put his weights down and reached for his water bottle, taking a long drink and long breaths. He caught her looking at him too long before she could excuse it as anything and grinned at her.
âYou, uh, never said if you liked my swimsuit,â Robin said, âIâd say you do, you keep looking at me.â
âIt⊠suits you,â Raven admitted, unable to bring herself to try and lie to him.
âThanks. Want some of my water? You uh, seem thirsty,â he offered, a playful tone in his voice.
âI think you need it more than I do,â she replied, her tone matching his.
âYeah, itâs pretty hot out here, huh?â he asked.
âCan I join you in the shade?â he asked.
âI donât see why not,â she replied.
He joined her under her umbrella with his water bottle and stood closer than he had before. It was a waiting game now for her, as she was not about to show that he affected her, and he remained where he was, refusing to show any further interest.
Neither of them were willing to cross the line in the sand, but if they were being honest with themselves, it was only a matter of time. She stopped and put her weights down, accepting the water bottle he offered her and took a drink, hoping that wasnât all he would give her.
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