robin_raven | FIC: Perceptive Trust, by violetdropst

Title: Perceptive Trust
Author: violetdropst
Rating: PG-13
Series: Animated Series
Summary: Raven makes a mistake. This is how the Titans deal with it. Will they be able to overcome the issue or will they run away from it, feeling betrayed? Is the trust between team mates destroyed?
Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans!

They are staring at each other with such contempt. Before they were close and now there is such a gaping hole in the middle of their bond she doesn't know if she'll ever reach the safety of the other side.

Emotions are driving them making this world wind dangerous. There were red lights and she blew right by them carelessly putting them both in fatal positions. Racing through the traffic she believed the course was right at the time but afterwards she is lucky she knows that none of them were injured. However, her lack of faith in her judgment is not exempt from the crash of different trains racing with their views.

So which path does she choose? To forge on through the rest of the day, snapping at everyone and anything that goes wrong. Now knowing what she knows it became obvious that she isn't ready to take the next step. And here she thought she was. Another error, another mistake. When these fatalities will end she has no clue. If the information she based her judgment off of was wrong then does that make her judgment perfect or dirty?

She cannot help but laugh in his face when he points out all of this. It bubbles from her nervous gut trying to distract her from the shame and obvious stupidity. Taking off again they make it home but the damage is done. The rest of the day is spent holing up in her room questioning everything. She doesn't want to make the people she cares about unsafe but doesn't think there is anything wrong. On more error to add to her growing list.

The consequences only come into effect after the incident. During the action she thought nothing of them. She only knew that she must go and that was quite the wrong action to take. She should have waited she knows now. But it doesn't change the fact that if caught she could've suffered dire punishment, ruining the rest of her life and career.

She knows he wants to teach her so she can be safe and good on the road. He doesn't trust her and now she doesn't trust herself. So what is she to do? Is there even any choice? Does she even have a choice? Shame is filling her again. Shame at her feelings, shame at her actions, shame at her reaction.

"I was wrong." She concedes. "I should go."

Making the motions to leave she is trying to find the strength to under his withering glare. He isn't stopping her though and that is about all she could be grateful for at this point. Gathering up what belongings she can find in her destroyed bedroom she quickly tries to pack. Her hands are shaking with the repercussions but it won't stop her. Just like it didn't stop her before. She still doesn't understand the way her mind is coming to these conclusions and it makes her scared. She doesn't let the anxiety control her and moves to find her trunk.

It is pointless if she stays. He doesn't trust her and what is a relationship if you cannot trust the person you are with. How can you expect someone to save your butt in battle or help you take down a criminal if you cannot trust them? You can't and that is why she must go. Grabbing some paper she means to write them about just how sorry she is but she cannot continue to reside here if her mistake was this bad. It is brief because there are no words to express how much agony this is causing her or how much betrayal she feels at her mind for making her do that.

Taking a deep breathe she goes to find her sand and crystals. She has to get out of this place for he is going to suffocate her with his silent opinions if she does not. She wants to shut them off and tune the world out. Maybe it would be beneficial if she transported herself to a far away cave to live without these things crawling in her skin, making her itch. Making a circle she intends to whisper the words to remove her from this tower.

She doesn't see him approach which isn't all the surprising because she has been in her own little world recently. Stuck with her mind, stuck with her decisions. After being told to open her eyes to her surroundings she still doesn't follow his orders. And there is he. Grabbing her hand with funny little crystals of his own sliding down his cheeks.

"You can't leave." He states.

This amuses her for some reason and the laughter is flowing out of her mouth. Crushing waterfall making him feel weak in his little canoe.

"How can I stay when you can't rely on me? I'm not up to the standards and so I'm useless." She replies with a tint of bitterness in her voice.

His hand is gripping hers as she tries to pull away.

"You can't leave." He repeats. "I value your judgment. It was only one little mistake, you just have to be more aware next time."

"Next time?" She questions in mocking him. "There almost wasn't a next time! I could have killed everyone there. You should be yelling at me some more not doing this."

"Sure you shouldn't have blown through the intersection but no harm no foul. I know you won't do it again because you will learn from your mistakes. I know you will. I trust you."

This statement wipes out the cloud of doubt lingering over her. She knows she can still do anything she wants and has the sound mind to make the right choices.

"Thank you, Robin."

"Thank you for staying."

She never said she was but he knows that she will. He doesn't know what he would do without her sarcastic blows to his ego or insults to Beast Boy or letting Starfire torture her at the mall or helping Cyborg with his next mechanical project.

Enveloping her with a hug he lets her feel all the unbreakable trust he has in her. She is finally convinced and sighs deeply with the feeling of honest, unconditional affection filling the gap; she is safe her with him.