Curiosity (7/?)
We all need more #TimRae moments. Enjoy! :)
Raven woke up with a strangled gasp and blindly stumbled out of her bed. Swaying unsteadily and feeling a wave of nausea hit her, she inhaled deeply. Despite the cool dawn air, she felt her body burn underneath her camisole. Inhaling unsteadily, she desperately tried to forget fire suffocating her and hot marble angrily burning into her back. Her mother’s name was like a song whispered by disembodied voices over the hot flames.
Purple eyes closed and she released a long breath she did not know she was holding. Looking at her arms and legs, she warily checked for any signs of the marks of Scath. Standing in the middle of her room, Raven tried to calm her erratic breathing and desperately scrambled to ground herself.
Her toes curled into the plush carpet and she silently tried to push away the haunting memories of her mother. Breathing in slowly, she felt her heartbeat slowly steady but her emotions remained wild and angry inside of her. Black energy snapped at her fingertips briefly before disappearing as she inhaled sharply.
This damn cult was fraying her nerves.
Raven looked at her bed with a look of displeasure. The bedsheets were untucked, her blanket had tumbled down to the floor, and her pillow was dangling over the edge of her bed. Her eyes slid towards the alarm clock and she frowned. 2:45 in the morning. She barely got any sleep.
With her emotions so tightly wound, Raven knew sleep would not return any time soon. Sighing softly, she marched towards her closet and decided to blow off some steam. After changing into a pair of shoes, a sports bra, and gym shorts, she silently walked through the manor listening to the quiet noises the old house offered. In the distance, she could feel the manor’s occupants still asleep in their own rooms.
The Batcave was dimly lit as she entered through its secret entrance. The cave was alive with the quiet hum of machines and computers, and Raven silently thought how impressive the whole setup was. Cyborg always was jealous of the Batcave setup, despite their advanced setup at the tower.
Flying down towards the center of the cave, she landed in the middle of the training ring. Dropping off her towel and water bottle, Raven fished out her phone that she tucked into her shorts and walked up to the sound system. A little music would help her nerves.
Just as she finished typing up and activating her training course, a few notches higher than what she would usually go for, loud rock music filled the Batcave. Stretching her body over the growing the growing thumping of rock music, she watched as holograms of robots shot up from the ground with varying weapons and bodies that towered several feet above her. The training system was similar to the one they used at the Tower where holograms could still touch and inflict damage on them.
As the loud beat of rock music steadily grew and climbed towards its crescendo, Raven jumped back into the training ring. The loud, angry drum beats filled cave, and Raven found her mind automatically slip into fight mode as a mass of fighting hologram robots lunged at her.
For training at the tower, Dick had them work on their hand-to-hand combat skills often. While Raven heavily relied on her powers during most of her fights, she quickly picked up combat skills from Nightwing. While it was nowhere near like her meditating, Raven discovered that hand-to-hand combat helped when her emotions were too wired.
And she hated to admit it, but she desperately wanted to perfect her fighting skills to save her from Dick’s constant complaints how sloppy she was with some of their weapons. She never was a fan of Dick’s criticism.
Easily punching out some of the holograms and dodging swipes from swords, Raven neatly turned on her heel and delivered a kick to a robot that tried to attack her from behind. The simulation was faster than the level she worked with back home, and she gasped for breath. Punching a robot, she jumped over the stumbling form and threw another one over her shoulder.
This is okay, she assured herself, as she narrowly missed a sword swipe just close to her throat. She felt the adrenaline rush through her and relished the momentary high of the fight. Anything to keep her mind off her mother, the cult, and Trigon.
One of the hologram ninjas jumped at her and swing his katana at her, Raven inhaled sharply and dropped to the ground and rolled out of the way. Scrambling towards the weapons stand, she grabbed one of the bo staffs and sharply twisted her body to deliver powerful blow to her opponent. The music switched to a fast metal song, filling the cave with loud drum beats and heavy electric guitar riffs.
That you've always counted on, What's your goal, to save your soul?
Dropping low, Raven dodged a punch and swiped the bo staff under her opponent’s feet. Jumping away, she twisted again and delivered several more blows to her coming opponents. Feeling her emotions angrily thump in her veins, Raven watched as a few more holograms appeared in the training ring. Her emotions roared. Somewhere in the angry fog of her mind, she could hear the whispers of chanting.
You better run, You better run, you better run, 'Cause the stars are falling from the sky,
Grunting, Raven felt heat consume her and she punched one of the holograms angrily. Twisting, she easily met blow after blow with her bo staff and deflected punches. Clinging desperately to the heat of the fight, she tried to erase the smell of burning flesh that seemed to claw its way back into her mind. Arella.
You always want to be someone, But life's a game of zero sum,
She felt a punch draw dangerously close to her torso and she gasped. Raven felt hands grab her and pull her back onto the altar. It suddenly felt like an onslaught of hazy memories that seemed to grab her by the throat and she inhaled sharply. She took a misstep and felt the bo staff swing in the wrong way. One of the holograms knocked her off her feet, a punch she did not feel, and she landed roughly on the ground. Raven watched breathlessly as a sword swiftly came down on her head.
You better run, You better run to be someone, It's time to do or die...
There was a loud beep signaling that the simulation was over. The loud metal music was winding down too, ready to switch to a new song. Inhaling unsteadily, she sent out a spark of her magic and the music died. Lying breathless on the cold training floor, Raven dropped the bo staff next to her with a loud clatter and she stared blankly up at the grey and brown ceiling of the Batcave.
She felt the satisfying ache of her body as she draped her arm over her eyes. This somehow helped tame the emotions that angrily gnawed against her being.
“It would help if you twisted your leg and hips just a little bit more to reel in a stronger blow,”
Raven inhaled softly pulled her arm away from her eyes. Turning her head to where the voice came from, she spotted Tim up on the railings above her. She caught his curious gaze and stared at him. Feeling his concern and curiosity push against her, she blinked. “How long have you been here?”
Leaning over the railing, Tim watched her. “Long enough to see you punch the shit out of our combat training system.”
Raven hummed softly and sat up. She knew Tim would want to ask questions. Ignoring how his eyes swept over her body, Raven stood up and walked towards the bench where she left her things. She felt his gaze burn into her back. Grabbing her water bottle, she drank some water and eyed Tim out of the corner of her eyes walk down to the training ring.
“Couldn’t sleep?” Raven turned around at his question and watched Tim pick up the bo staff she dropped.
“Nightmares,” She replied. Picking up her towel she wiped her face and neck before wiping off her arms and stomach. She caught Tim watching the towel mover from her arms to her stomach and when she felt the slight shift of his emotions towards her, she quirked her lips lightly.
“Again?”
She shrugged. “Yeah,” she caught his calculating stare and tilted her head. “Why are you up so early?”
“I wanted to get an early start on some research I’ve been working on,”
Raven hummed. “At 4 in the morning,”
Tim watched her putter around the training ring, returning some of the weapons she used. From where he stood in the middle of the ring he could see her muscles move softly with her movements. He didn’t bother to suppress the emotions that stirred within him. With her back turned to him as she returned some arnis sticks, he caught sight of a long scar run over the swell of her left hip. Tim blinked when Raven looked over her shoulder and caught his wandering eyes.
Tim chuckled softly and crossed his arms over this chest, still holding the bo staff. “Better than beating up all of our holograms since 3 in the morning,”
Raven turned around and eyed him with a surprised look. “How did you know?”
He tapped his watch. “We get alarms when someone enters the cave,”
Raven let out a small huff of laughter. “Of course.” She walked up to him and curled her finger around the bo staff he was holding with the intent of returning it to the weapon’s stand. When Tim refused to let go of the staff, she looked up at him and raised an eyebrow.
“So, the music?”
Knowing that he would not let go unless she satisfactorily answered all his questions, like the nosy little nerd that he was sometimes, Raven dropped her hands and sighed. “I like how music helps me with my emotions, especially when I’m keyed up pretty badly.” Running her fingers through her messy hair, her purple eyes locked with his light blue ones. “The playlist is Garfield’s. I copied his, I’m surprised I like his choice of music, really.”
“I see a lot of Dick’s fighting style in your moves,” Tim commented, tilting his head to the side and allowing some of his hair to fall into his eyes. She blinked up at him, Raven wanted to brush his stupid hair away. “With some variations,”
“He taught me some capoeira, judo, jeet kune do, and escrima. He likes to make sure we all know how to do hand-to-hand combat in case our powers don’t work,” Raven shrugged. “He likes to crawl up our asses if we don’t do well in combat, so I try to practice. Dick is annoying when he handles our training runs, honestly.”
“I bet,” Tim grinned. Straightening, he eyed her curiously. Tapping the bo staff with his fingers thoughtfully, he pressed forward. “So, did you want to go for another round? I could teach you how improve your bo staff techniques,”
Raven frowned. “I know how to use it,”
Tim raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t say you didn’t know how. I know you could do even better,”
She knew what he was doing as she watched him move a step closer to her. He knew about her dreams and Tim was helping keeping her distracted. Feeling the familiar push of his emotions, she nodded. “Fine,”
Tim grinned and pushed the bo staff into her hands. “Excellent,”
Raven watched him jog off to the side of the ring and grab an extra staff for himself. She blinked as she saw him take off his shirt, leaving him barefoot in his black sweatpants. She pursed her lips as she stared as the scars and muscle move across his ridiculously chiseled back. Was this necessary?
“Ready?” Tim called.
Raven barely even had the time to look up from appreciating one scar disappeared into the dip of his back and into his sweatpants when he charged at her. She had the foresight to deflect his attack with her staff and grunt at the impact. “Hey!”
There was a glint in Tim’s blue eyes that bordered dangerous and amusement at the same time. Of all the Robins, Raven knew that Tim was the no fuss kind. Highly calculating, an excellent planner and strategist, and always several steps ahead in battle. While she knew he was holding back to a certain degree, Raven stumbled back as she took into the brunt of the blow.
“Always be on your toes, Raven,”
She watched him in mild annoyance twirl his bo staff before crouching down low. He sounded like Dick. Taking a step back, she readied herself for another attack. He lunged forward again and swung a series of strikes and kicks her way.
Raven frowned and tried her best to deflect all his attacks. Over the years, Tim had mastered the use of the bo staff. His training background also put him to an advantage. Trying to find an opening for her to land a strike, Raven frowned in concentration as she narrowly missed a swipe.
“You’re keeping your left side wide open, Raven,”
Raven frowned and tried to spot an opening in Tim’s attacks. She knew he had an advantage over her after studying her fight earlier. Diving into an offensive attack, she let out an annoyed grunt as Tim easily deflected her blow.
Taking advantage of her momentum, Tim struck her bo staff and sent it clattering loudly to the ground. Swinging his body around her, her grabbed her body and slammed her back against his chest and trapped her in place with his bo staff firmly pressed over her arms and chest. A little thrill of excitement jolted down his spine at the press of her body against his.
Not the one to give up easily, Raven struggled against his hold. But the more she struggled, the firmer the Tim’s bo staff pressed against her body. She felt it painfully press against her rib cage. Grunting, she tried to swing her weight to kick his feet under him but with Tim’s height and weight he seemed firmly planted to the ground.
She felt his warm breath against her neck as he pressed his face next to hers. Her body tingled at the whisper of a contact. “I told you your left was open,” there was an amused lilt in his voice.
Frustrated at loosing, Raven huffed and tapped his right thigh in surrender. “Fine,” she mumbled.
Chuckling, Tim loosened his hold around her and allowed her to step away. Tilting his head in amusement, he could practically feel her annoyance. Tossing her his bo staff, he smiled. “C’mon, let’s go through your katas,”
Where Dick was high strung and commanding in training, Tim was calm and patient. He watched her smoothly flow into different stances. While she felt his gentle press of attraction against her, he was focused on teaching. Keeping a respectable distance from her, he adjusted her arms gently and corrected her shoulders.
Raven however will admit that her attention did shift momentarily as she watched the muscles of Tim’s arms move slowly as he adjusted her wrist gently. Her focus broke briefly without her permission and she eyed the long scar running along his forearm as his fingers curled around her wrist.
Catching her curious gaze, Tim paused and his lips lifted slightly. “That’s a souvenir from the Joker,”
“Oh,” Raven inhaled softly and she felt her cheeks warm, embarrassed that she was caught staring. Her stance faltered and she wanted to drop the kata all together, but Tim hummed and ignored her. Stepping dangerously close into her personal space, he held on to her wrist and raised her hand again. He gently placed his other hand onto her lower back and guided her back into the correct stance.
“He was running around with an axe. I was 14, young, and pretty stupid,” he said, his soft voice hiding a chuckle. “I’m lucky that he wasn’t able to chop it off,”
Raven pictured a young Tim in his Robin suit and the Joker with his axe. She did not have encounters with the Joker, but from what she heard sent shivers down her spine. She wondered what it would be like to actually fight him, especially at 14.
She heard Tim hum softly. She blinked and felt Tim’s hand slid down her arm and gently push her elbow in. “Up,”
She felt the shift of energy from him as Tim moved closer and his fingers practically burned into her back. The pads of his fingers pressed gently into an old scar and she shifted involuntarily into the press of his hand.
Tim knew that he was threading very dangerous territories as he felt the mood shift. His gaze dropped from her arms to her face, to the flush that spread across her cheeks, to her slightly parted lips as she leveled her breathing through them. The warmth of her body next to his stirred so many emotions in him. To say that he didn’t want to kiss her would be a flat out lie.
Feeling his emotions press into her, and her own emotions greedily respond to his, Raven looked up and caught Tim’s long gaze. Swallowing, her gaze dropped to his lips and back to his eyes. “Did you want to try another round?” she asked, her lips lifting just a little bit.
If she was being honest, she wasn’t sure what she truly meant by that. She recalled Tim’s long kisses last night by her bedroom door and it would be nice to be kissed again.
Tim inhaled deeply, the smell of lavender tickling his nose. He dropped his hands around her and took a step back, his lips curling into a smile. “Sure.” Feeling the atmosphere shift around them again, he watched Raven walk away from him and drop into a fighting stance.
“Ready?”
Tim grinned. “Are you ready to lose again?”
Raven tilted her head and her eyes were bright in the light of the Batcave. It was 4 in the morning and here they were dancing dangerously around each other. A thrill of excitement slipped down her spine at the emotions that lapped around her. “Well, I had a good teacher. I’m sure I won’t lose this time,”
Tim swung his bo staff around him and they slowly circled each other. He eyed her in amusement. “Oh?” He clucked his tongue. “Are you sure?”
A smile threatened to cross her lips. “Something tells me you’ll lose,”
Tim snorted a laugh. “Please,”
“Cocky doesn’t suit you,”
Tim laughed and easily deflected her attack as she lunged at him. He watched her move, surprised how fast she corrected her stances from earlier and copied some of his moves. Jumping away, he went into offensive and swung several attacks her way. Tim was impressed how she quickly she defended herself and snuck in some attacks of her own.
Spotting that her left was still open, Tim faked an attack and then quickly maneuvered to her left with the intent of sweeping her legs under her and delivering a strike to her shoulder. But he blinked in surprise as Raven easily dodged his attack and seamlessly copied his move.
Taking the opportunity, Raven easily slipped out of his reach. Using her body, she delivered a punch across his shoulder making him drop his staff. Satisfied at Tim’s surprised reaction, she twisted her body and used the momentum to swipe her staff under his feet. Dropping her own staff, she lunged forward and pressed her hands into his shoulder and tackled him to the ground.
With a loud thud and grunt, Tim landed on his back. Squinting through the sharp pain, he tried to catch his breath and looked up at a smug Raven. Purple hair fell into her eyes and her hands pressed into his biceps barely curling around the defined muscle. Leaning over his prone form, straddling his hips, she offered a smug grin. “Your left was open,”
Tim let out an unsteady laugh as he tried to level his breathing. He tried to move his arms, but Raven kept them firmly in place. Looking up at her, he made a face. “Ha, ha, very funny.”
Raven titled her head in amusement and pressed her hands further into his biceps to prove her point. “Told you you’re going to lose this round,”
He gave her an unimpressed look. “Cocky doesn’t suit you.”
Her purple eyes twinkled. “Oh?” She clicked her tongue the same way he did earlier.
Done with the teasing, Tim quirked his lips and suddenly shifted his hips upwards causing her to tumble into his chest. Ignoring her startled yelp, he twisted his legs around hers and easily rolled them over to the ground. Using his upper body, he pitched forward and pressed his body against hers, trapping her body against the floor. His hands curled around her wrists and held them on either side of her head.
“You were saying?” Tim’s voice dropped dangerously low.
Her emotions roared and it felt like her body was on fire in the most delicious way possible as she felt nothing by the warm press of Tim’s body against hers. Raven inhaled sharply, staring up at blue eyes that held a storm of emotions behind them. His breath fanned over her face and she could faintly smell his familiar scent of sandalwood. Her emotions purred in anticipation as she felt him lean in closer.
“That was a cheap shot,” she whispered.
They were dangerously playing with fire. Tim was sure Bruce would beat his ass if he’d walk in on them now. But here they were and everything between had shifted last night. And they both wanted this. There were no excuses for taking notes. Just this tangle of emotions. This very tentative and delicious game they now were playing. His fingers tightened around her wrists ever so lightly as he felt her shift underneath him and her body brushing against his in the most tantalizing way. Her small frame pressing against his sent desire pooling low in his body. “I told you to be on your toes,” Tim said.
Raven still felt breathless and dangerously close of tipping over whatever edge they were dangling on. She hadn’t felt like this in years and she was hungry for more. There was a beat of silence between them, as they just stared into each other’s eyes. “Hmm,” she hummed softly and her gaze dropped to his lips as he dropped his head closer to hers.
“Maybe we should try another round?” There was a hitch in her voice.
It was the invitation they both were waiting for. Letting out an unsteady breath he was holding, Tim swooped down and caught her lips in a long and searing kiss. Releasing her wrists, he cupped her cheeks and hungrily drank her soft sigh.
Raven knew she toppled over the edge the moment his lips touched hers. Her hands flew around his shoulders, the pads of her fingers dipping into hard flesh and seeking some kind of anchor as she felt herself falling. She whimpered softly as heady emotions teased her and she found herself chasing after them, wrapping her own emotions around his and pooling them low in her belly. She groaned softly at the hungry press of his lips against hers and Tim tilted her head to offer better access.
Her kisses were intoxicating and Tim was sure he could drink her sighs and whimpers for the rest of his life. Pressing into her, his tongue swiped against hers and he listened to her whispered moans. It felt like his body was burning against hers with the dangerous press of her curves and her wandering fingers. He groaned softly as she shifted against him, her hips brushed against his and it took all his self-control not to press forward.
Biting her lower lip, Tim’s right hand slipped down and ghosted over her rib cage before palming the dip of her hips and sliding over the sweaty flesh. He chased after her soft whimper and found himself wrapped in a haze he did not want to emerge from. His fingers dug into the soft flesh of her hip and he groaned low in his chest as she shifted against him again. Pressing a long kiss against her lips, his fingers slid dangerously low on her hip and whatever haze that seemed to have fallen on them consumed them completely. Fingers danced over her hip bone and teased the garter of her shorts.
Yes. Raven’s body purred, emotions tingling. She could feel him pressed against her, just right there. She shifted her body, humming softly at the dangerous touch. Curling her fingers into Tim’s hair, she –
A lightbulb exploded above them.
Purple eyes flew open and Raven inhaled sharply. She looked up at stormy blue eyes and watched as Tim pulled away slightly but did not peel himself off her. Breathlessly, they stared at each other trying to fight through the haze of emotions. Swallowing tentatively, Tim inhaled unsteadily and dropped his forehead against hers.
“Hi,”
Raven blinked and watched a flustered smile grow on Tim’s face. She felt his fingers twitch around her hip. She let out a softy, breathy chuckle. “Hi,”
“I – ah,” Tim blinked, trying to get his bearings in order. He inhaled unsteadily. “I’m sorry. I got carried away,” His cheeks flushed.
Raven tried to fight off a smile. “It’s okay,” she quirked her lips. “I don’t mind.”
“Oh.” His thumb absently stroked her hip and he continued to stare into her purple eyes. He could see her eyes dance with a myriad of emotions. “You’re beautiful,” he whispered and watched as her already flushed cheeks reddened even more.
Tim’s emotions were warm and gentle as they pressed against hers. She smiled and mumbled a soft “thank you.”
Somewhere in the Batcave a clock dinged softly signaling it was 5 the morning already. Tim slowly, albeit reluctantly, pulled away from Raven. Bruce would be coming down soon for his training and their current state was definitely not something Tim wanted Bruce to walk in on.
Moving into a sitting position, Tim released Raven and gently pulled her up across of him. Taking in her disheveled look, he felt his insides stir. He swallowed the possessive thought that he did that to her. Running a hand through his sweaty hair, he let out a long breath. “I think it’s time for a shower,” he said. He paused and quickly backpedaled. “Separately.”
Raven laughed, the sound bright in the Batcave and Tim was sure he could get used to hearing her laugh more. It was a rare treat. Settling on her knees, she tipped forward and used his right shoulder to keep her balance, she pressed her lips briefly against his before pulling away with a soft laugh. Her emotions fluttered.
She hadn’t really planned that this mission would take such an interesting turn of events. But Raven was definitely not going to complain either.
“I like you, Tim Drake,” she whispered.