Fan Fiction ❯ Running Buddies 101: Defensive Driving ❯ Chapter 1
[ P - Pre-Teen ]
By: Nate Grey 
Raven & Cyborg are buried alive, but believe it or not, that's NOT the problem. Not Another Romance.
Anime/Manga: Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Adventure | Type: One Shot | Uploaded On: 09.03.2004 | Pages: 4 | Words: 2.9K | Visits: 958 | Status: Completed
Raven & Cyborg are buried alive, but believe it or not, that's NOT the problem. Not Another Romance.
Anime/Manga: Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Adventure | Type: One Shot | Uploaded On: 09.03.2004 | Pages: 4 | Words: 2.9K | Visits: 958 | Status: Completed
Notes: This one-shot was partially inspired by the whole "Dude, Who Stole My T-Car?" fiasco. You need to have read "Raven's Reward" to get one plot point, but other than that, read away.
Summary: Cyborg & Raven are buried alive, but believe it or not, that's NOT the problem. Not Another Romance.
Running Buddies 101: Defensive Driving
A Teen Titans One-Shot by
Nate Grey (XMAN0123@aol.com
Raven sighed softly, closing her eyes as she lowered the mug from her lips. There was something so perfect about peace, quiet, and a good cup of warm tea that made it seem like all was temporarily right with the world.
And now, according to what they'd all come to think of as Robin's Law, some evil nutcase would go a little more nuts, and the Teen Titans would be required to stop him or her. Which, in essence, meant the serenity of the whole moment was fleeting, at best. But for now, it was just what Raven needed.
When she first sensed one of her teammates approaching, Raven was pleased to find that there was no concern or strong sense of duty at the moment, which meant that her tiny piece of perfection was safe, for now.
"Hey, Ray," Cyborg said as he entered the kitchen. He went stright to the refrigerator, pulled out an orange soda, and downed it in less than six seconds. Almost as an afterthought, he turned to her and asked, "You busy?"
"No. Why?" Raven asked, with just a hint of suspicion. Cyborg was cool, and nice, and funny from time to time, but even he was prone to pulling practical jokes every now and then. Still, he wasn't Beast Boy, and was therefore relatively safe by comparison.
"Gotta run some errands," Cyborg replied. "Wanna come with?"
She eyed him curiously. "Isn't that usually Beast Boy or Starfire's thing?"
"Yeah, but BB drools on the paint job, and I don't feel like playing 'A Million Questions' with Star. Which leaves you."
"What about Robin?" Raven offered. It wasn't that she didn't want to go, it was just that he was ruining her tea moment.
"Seems like he's trying to get everyone out of the Tower. He sent BB and Star out on some mission." Cyborg lowered his voice a bit. "Which probably means he wants to run around naked a little. But don't tell him I told you."
Raven was proud of herself for keeping a straight face. "And why would I want to miss out on that?"
Cyborg smirked. "Well, I can't say I'd ever strip for you, but if you held me down, I probably wouldn't fight much."
"Is that a promise?"
"Only one way to find out." He grinned at her. "C'mon. You know you wanna be my running buddy just once. And Robin deserves a break...or a chance to streak, anyway."
"You just want Starfire to catch him in the act instead, don't you?" Raven accused.
"Of course not!" Cyborg said, looking shocked. "But, uh, don't lock the door when we leave..."
* * * * *
"Ray," a voice just above her ear whispered. "Ray, you gotta wake up."
Raven's eyes fluttered open, and she winced as a fresh stab of pain flared in her head. "Cyborg?"
"Yeah, it's me. I need your help."
"Why can't I see anything?" Raven asked, blinking a few times.
"That's why I need your help. We've been buried. We're about ten feet underground, if my guess is right."
"How did we get down here?"
"There were bombs in the street. You tried to warn me, but it was too late. Ran right over one."
Raven frowned. She didn't remember any of that, but he was obviously telling the truth. Her body was wedged tightly between two large slabs of rock. She pushed at one experimentally, and was a little surprised when it pushed back.
"That's my arm," Cyborg said. "Grabbed you right before the bomb went off. You okay?"
"I think so," Raven answered. "But I don't think I can get us out of here for a while. For some reason, I'm feeling really weak."
"I remember seeing a whole lotta black before we fell in. I figured it was you throwing up a shield. The strain probably knocked you out. Either that, or a rock."
"That would explain the headache," she murmured. "Can you move?"
"Yeah. But I don't think it would be a good idea, since I've got ten feet of rock on my back."
"Oh." Raven thought for a moment. "What do we do?"
"I figure we wait until you're strong enough, then you phase out, call the others, and start moving the rocks away until they get here."
"That could take hours. Is there that much air in here?"
"No, but I got some oxygen stored up. At least an hour's worth. But if I go into sleep mode, it's all yours."
"Won't it cave in if you do that?"
"Shouldn't. Think I got it braced pretty good."
"Think or know?" Raven pressed.
"Ninety percent sure," Cyborg replied. "Anyway, I charged up earlier today, so no danger of my battery wearing down. But I don't think our communicators will get a clear signal until we're above ground."
"So we're stuck until I'm rested up. Just great."
"Look on the bright side. At least you're not bracing the ten feet of rock. Better get some rest if you're gonna get us outta here."
Raven nodded and closed her eyes, not even realizing the rock on which her head rested was actually Cyborg's chest.
* * * * *
When Raven woke up, there was an oxygen mask over her nose and mouth. She moved slightly, and a fresh burst of it instantly wafted out of the mask. Taking several deep breaths, she poked Cyborg's arm experimentally. When there was no response, she knew he was in sleep mode.
"Right. Time to get us out of here."
However, as Raven began to focus on phasing through the rock, she realized that something was keeping her from reaching that final stage of concentration. At first, she thought the bump on her head had given her a concussion, but within a few minutes, she forced herself to accept what was really holding her back.
She couldn't leave Cyborg.
It was amazingly stupid, of course. Cyborg didn't need oxygen...at least, not for a while now. And they'd already agreed that she would escape and then come back for him. He could hold out longer than she could, and she was the only one who could telepathically contact the other Titans.
But something wouldn't allow Raven to leave her teammate, not even for the few minutes it would probably take the rest of the team to arrive and clear the rubble away. Aside from offering moral support, it wasn't as if Raven could even help the situation by staying buried with Cyborg. But, for some reason, there was something so wrong with just leave him there that the thought made her feel ill.
Her thoughts came to an abrupt end as lights flashed along Cyborg's arm, and she heard him sigh softly as his systems came back online.
"It's the weirdest thing, Ray. I dreamed we were stuck in a hole, and then--oh. Right." He chuckled, mostly to himself. "Guess you had the same dream, too, huh?"
"How long do you think you can keep this up?" Raven asked.
Cyborg started to shrug, and then thought better of it. "Dunno. Guess we'll find out. But if you wanted to make with the phasing right now, that'd be cool."
She closed her eyes, glad that he couldn't see her face. "I...I can't."
There was a slight pause. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure you'll feel up to it with a little more-"
"Cyborg," she interrupted. "It's not that. I'm strong enough now. But I..." Raven trailed off, unable to admit the truth to him.
He seemed to sene that something was seriously wrong. "Ray, what is it? Tell me."
"I can't just leave you down here!" she blurted out. "What if something happened to you?!"
Cyborg didn't say anything for several minutes. Then, softly: "Don't worry. Nothing's going to happen to me."
"You don't know that," she muttered bitterly, angry at herself. "Your systems could short out, or you might get tired, or-"
"Raven."
She paused, swallowing loudly. Though it was next to impossible for him to move just then, she sensed that his voice had the feel of a warm embrace in it. There was calmness, concern, and a little bit of surprise radiating from his mind, and Raven realized that she had knocked him for a loop. He had never seen her act like this before, and it was...not scary, but odd for him.
"Are you claustrophobic?" he asked suddenly.
"No," Raven sighed, wishing she was. Then, at least, she would've had a real excuse.
"Are you telling me," he said slowly, "that you're not going to phase out because you don't want to leave me?"
She bit her lip and closed her eyes in shame. "Yes."
"You WOULD pick the one time I can't hug you to get all mushy on me."
Raven couldn't help the faint smile that found it's way to her face. "You're not mad?"
"I guess I should be. But hearing you say that you care about me kinda softened the blow. In the meantime, though, we still need a way outta here."
"I'm sorry," she apologized.
"Don't be," he said, and meant it. "Technically, since Robin isn't here, I guess I could order you to leave, but considering why you want to stay, it'd hardly seem fair."
Raven smirked. "So you think you outrank me?"
"I led the last time Robin wasn't there, didn't I?"
"Things might have changed since then." She reached into her cloak and pulled out something small and shiny, holding it up to where she thought his face was. She was certain he could make it out with his night vision.
"How long have you had that?!" Cyborg cried in shock.
"Doesn't matter," Raven said quickly, shoving the badge back into her cloak. "The point is, I outrank you, and I'm not going anywhere."
There was a sound in the darkness that could've been mistaken for a sniffle.
"Cyborg...are you crying?" Raven asked in disbelief.
"What? No! Look, Ray, I'm touched, but it's nothing I'm gonna cry over."
"I heard a sniffle," she insisted.
"Then you must be tearing up yourself, 'cuz it ain't me."
She snorted indignantly. "I do NOT sniffle."
"Neither do I," Cyborg said firmly.
"You GUYS!" a familiar voice wailed. "That was SO BEAUTIFUL!!!"
"...BEAST BOY?!" Raven and Cyborg shouted.
"What?! I can't show my appreciation for what was obviously meant to be a private moment between you two?"
"How long have you been here?!" Raven snapped.
There was a dry chuckle, and she felt something furry brush against her arm.
"Well, let's see. You're a telepath, and Cy's got tons of sensors. How lovey-dovey did you two have to be to miss my mole routine?" he teased.
Cyborg growled. "BB, ten feet of rubble or not, I'm two seconds from blasting you into next week!"
A angry green firefly landed on his nose a second later. "You know," it squeaked, "I expected it to go more like this. 'Oh, thank you for saving us, Beast Boy!' 'It's a good thing you sniffed us out, Beast Boy!' 'My hero! Let me thank you with a kiss, Beast Boy...'"
"I hate to break it to you, Beast Boy, but I think Cyborg prefers girls," Raven replied.
"What I'd prefer is NOT being buried any longer than I have to. So can we hurry up this rescue, BB? Unless you wanna tell Robin why you left us down here."
* * * * *
Raven winced as the first rays of early morning sunlight hit her. Then she noticied that the light was green, and that it was coming from a pair of glowing eyes.
"Raven!" Starfire said happily as she pulled her teammate out of the ground with one hand.
Raven couldn't even get a word out before Starfire enveloped her in a big hug. She would've complained about how the alien girl was covered in dirt and concrete dust, but knew she probably looked even worse. "Great to see you, too, Starfire." She even found herself returning the hug, and not quite pretending to enjoy it.
"Sorry it took us so long to get here," Robin apologized, clapping her shoulder lightly, in case she was injured. "There was...ah..."
"An Incident?" Raven guessed, the corners of her mouth turning up slightly.
Robin stared at her, the slightest hint of red in his cheeks. "Yeah. An Incident."
"Well, incidentally, Cyborg is REALLY HEAVY!" Beast Boy shouted from somewhere below them.
"Bet I'd be even heavier if I kicked your head in!" Cyborg shot back as he climbed out of the gaping hole.
Beast Boy scrambled out after him, panting loudly. "Man! You're lucky you don't get stuck often, Cy, cuz that's the LAST time I'm saving your ton-heavy butt!"
Cyborg was about to reply when his eyes finally found Raven. "Whatever, BB."
Raven swallowed noisily as Cyborg walked over to her. "Cyborg...I'm sorry. I should've-"
He cut her off by drawing her into his large arms. "Ray, there's a lot of things you could apologize for, but being my friend won't ever be one of them. Got it?"
"Got it," she murmured, resting her head against his chest.
Cyborg lowered his voice. "Robin was streaking, wasn't he?"
"I owe you ten bucks," she sighed sleepily, going limp as she began to slide to the ground.
Cyborg easily scooped her up in one arm.
"She okay?" Beast Boy asked, looking concerned.
"Raven's fine. Just a little tired. We both are."
"Yeah, I always get tired after make-out sessions," Beast Boy agreed sagely.
Cyborg gave him a good-natured slap to the back of the head.
"OW! What was that for?!"
"Oh, just for being you," Cyborg answered with a huge grin. He looked down at the sleeping Raven and smiled faintly. "Better sleep all you can now, partner. We still got an errand run to finish when you wake up."
Presumably in her sleep, Raven pressed her face into his arm, moaning something about someone's crazy driving.
"Must be dreaming," Cyborg laughed weakly to his teammates, a huge sweatdrop rolling down his face.
The End.
Summary: Cyborg & Raven are buried alive, but believe it or not, that's NOT the problem. Not Another Romance.
Running Buddies 101: Defensive Driving
A Teen Titans One-Shot by
Nate Grey (XMAN0123@aol.com
Raven sighed softly, closing her eyes as she lowered the mug from her lips. There was something so perfect about peace, quiet, and a good cup of warm tea that made it seem like all was temporarily right with the world.
And now, according to what they'd all come to think of as Robin's Law, some evil nutcase would go a little more nuts, and the Teen Titans would be required to stop him or her. Which, in essence, meant the serenity of the whole moment was fleeting, at best. But for now, it was just what Raven needed.
When she first sensed one of her teammates approaching, Raven was pleased to find that there was no concern or strong sense of duty at the moment, which meant that her tiny piece of perfection was safe, for now.
"Hey, Ray," Cyborg said as he entered the kitchen. He went stright to the refrigerator, pulled out an orange soda, and downed it in less than six seconds. Almost as an afterthought, he turned to her and asked, "You busy?"
"No. Why?" Raven asked, with just a hint of suspicion. Cyborg was cool, and nice, and funny from time to time, but even he was prone to pulling practical jokes every now and then. Still, he wasn't Beast Boy, and was therefore relatively safe by comparison.
"Gotta run some errands," Cyborg replied. "Wanna come with?"
She eyed him curiously. "Isn't that usually Beast Boy or Starfire's thing?"
"Yeah, but BB drools on the paint job, and I don't feel like playing 'A Million Questions' with Star. Which leaves you."
"What about Robin?" Raven offered. It wasn't that she didn't want to go, it was just that he was ruining her tea moment.
"Seems like he's trying to get everyone out of the Tower. He sent BB and Star out on some mission." Cyborg lowered his voice a bit. "Which probably means he wants to run around naked a little. But don't tell him I told you."
Raven was proud of herself for keeping a straight face. "And why would I want to miss out on that?"
Cyborg smirked. "Well, I can't say I'd ever strip for you, but if you held me down, I probably wouldn't fight much."
"Is that a promise?"
"Only one way to find out." He grinned at her. "C'mon. You know you wanna be my running buddy just once. And Robin deserves a break...or a chance to streak, anyway."
"You just want Starfire to catch him in the act instead, don't you?" Raven accused.
"Of course not!" Cyborg said, looking shocked. "But, uh, don't lock the door when we leave..."
* * * * *
"Ray," a voice just above her ear whispered. "Ray, you gotta wake up."
Raven's eyes fluttered open, and she winced as a fresh stab of pain flared in her head. "Cyborg?"
"Yeah, it's me. I need your help."
"Why can't I see anything?" Raven asked, blinking a few times.
"That's why I need your help. We've been buried. We're about ten feet underground, if my guess is right."
"How did we get down here?"
"There were bombs in the street. You tried to warn me, but it was too late. Ran right over one."
Raven frowned. She didn't remember any of that, but he was obviously telling the truth. Her body was wedged tightly between two large slabs of rock. She pushed at one experimentally, and was a little surprised when it pushed back.
"That's my arm," Cyborg said. "Grabbed you right before the bomb went off. You okay?"
"I think so," Raven answered. "But I don't think I can get us out of here for a while. For some reason, I'm feeling really weak."
"I remember seeing a whole lotta black before we fell in. I figured it was you throwing up a shield. The strain probably knocked you out. Either that, or a rock."
"That would explain the headache," she murmured. "Can you move?"
"Yeah. But I don't think it would be a good idea, since I've got ten feet of rock on my back."
"Oh." Raven thought for a moment. "What do we do?"
"I figure we wait until you're strong enough, then you phase out, call the others, and start moving the rocks away until they get here."
"That could take hours. Is there that much air in here?"
"No, but I got some oxygen stored up. At least an hour's worth. But if I go into sleep mode, it's all yours."
"Won't it cave in if you do that?"
"Shouldn't. Think I got it braced pretty good."
"Think or know?" Raven pressed.
"Ninety percent sure," Cyborg replied. "Anyway, I charged up earlier today, so no danger of my battery wearing down. But I don't think our communicators will get a clear signal until we're above ground."
"So we're stuck until I'm rested up. Just great."
"Look on the bright side. At least you're not bracing the ten feet of rock. Better get some rest if you're gonna get us outta here."
Raven nodded and closed her eyes, not even realizing the rock on which her head rested was actually Cyborg's chest.
* * * * *
When Raven woke up, there was an oxygen mask over her nose and mouth. She moved slightly, and a fresh burst of it instantly wafted out of the mask. Taking several deep breaths, she poked Cyborg's arm experimentally. When there was no response, she knew he was in sleep mode.
"Right. Time to get us out of here."
However, as Raven began to focus on phasing through the rock, she realized that something was keeping her from reaching that final stage of concentration. At first, she thought the bump on her head had given her a concussion, but within a few minutes, she forced herself to accept what was really holding her back.
She couldn't leave Cyborg.
It was amazingly stupid, of course. Cyborg didn't need oxygen...at least, not for a while now. And they'd already agreed that she would escape and then come back for him. He could hold out longer than she could, and she was the only one who could telepathically contact the other Titans.
But something wouldn't allow Raven to leave her teammate, not even for the few minutes it would probably take the rest of the team to arrive and clear the rubble away. Aside from offering moral support, it wasn't as if Raven could even help the situation by staying buried with Cyborg. But, for some reason, there was something so wrong with just leave him there that the thought made her feel ill.
Her thoughts came to an abrupt end as lights flashed along Cyborg's arm, and she heard him sigh softly as his systems came back online.
"It's the weirdest thing, Ray. I dreamed we were stuck in a hole, and then--oh. Right." He chuckled, mostly to himself. "Guess you had the same dream, too, huh?"
"How long do you think you can keep this up?" Raven asked.
Cyborg started to shrug, and then thought better of it. "Dunno. Guess we'll find out. But if you wanted to make with the phasing right now, that'd be cool."
She closed her eyes, glad that he couldn't see her face. "I...I can't."
There was a slight pause. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure you'll feel up to it with a little more-"
"Cyborg," she interrupted. "It's not that. I'm strong enough now. But I..." Raven trailed off, unable to admit the truth to him.
He seemed to sene that something was seriously wrong. "Ray, what is it? Tell me."
"I can't just leave you down here!" she blurted out. "What if something happened to you?!"
Cyborg didn't say anything for several minutes. Then, softly: "Don't worry. Nothing's going to happen to me."
"You don't know that," she muttered bitterly, angry at herself. "Your systems could short out, or you might get tired, or-"
"Raven."
She paused, swallowing loudly. Though it was next to impossible for him to move just then, she sensed that his voice had the feel of a warm embrace in it. There was calmness, concern, and a little bit of surprise radiating from his mind, and Raven realized that she had knocked him for a loop. He had never seen her act like this before, and it was...not scary, but odd for him.
"Are you claustrophobic?" he asked suddenly.
"No," Raven sighed, wishing she was. Then, at least, she would've had a real excuse.
"Are you telling me," he said slowly, "that you're not going to phase out because you don't want to leave me?"
She bit her lip and closed her eyes in shame. "Yes."
"You WOULD pick the one time I can't hug you to get all mushy on me."
Raven couldn't help the faint smile that found it's way to her face. "You're not mad?"
"I guess I should be. But hearing you say that you care about me kinda softened the blow. In the meantime, though, we still need a way outta here."
"I'm sorry," she apologized.
"Don't be," he said, and meant it. "Technically, since Robin isn't here, I guess I could order you to leave, but considering why you want to stay, it'd hardly seem fair."
Raven smirked. "So you think you outrank me?"
"I led the last time Robin wasn't there, didn't I?"
"Things might have changed since then." She reached into her cloak and pulled out something small and shiny, holding it up to where she thought his face was. She was certain he could make it out with his night vision.
"How long have you had that?!" Cyborg cried in shock.
"Doesn't matter," Raven said quickly, shoving the badge back into her cloak. "The point is, I outrank you, and I'm not going anywhere."
There was a sound in the darkness that could've been mistaken for a sniffle.
"Cyborg...are you crying?" Raven asked in disbelief.
"What? No! Look, Ray, I'm touched, but it's nothing I'm gonna cry over."
"I heard a sniffle," she insisted.
"Then you must be tearing up yourself, 'cuz it ain't me."
She snorted indignantly. "I do NOT sniffle."
"Neither do I," Cyborg said firmly.
"You GUYS!" a familiar voice wailed. "That was SO BEAUTIFUL!!!"
"...BEAST BOY?!" Raven and Cyborg shouted.
"What?! I can't show my appreciation for what was obviously meant to be a private moment between you two?"
"How long have you been here?!" Raven snapped.
There was a dry chuckle, and she felt something furry brush against her arm.
"Well, let's see. You're a telepath, and Cy's got tons of sensors. How lovey-dovey did you two have to be to miss my mole routine?" he teased.
Cyborg growled. "BB, ten feet of rubble or not, I'm two seconds from blasting you into next week!"
A angry green firefly landed on his nose a second later. "You know," it squeaked, "I expected it to go more like this. 'Oh, thank you for saving us, Beast Boy!' 'It's a good thing you sniffed us out, Beast Boy!' 'My hero! Let me thank you with a kiss, Beast Boy...'"
"I hate to break it to you, Beast Boy, but I think Cyborg prefers girls," Raven replied.
"What I'd prefer is NOT being buried any longer than I have to. So can we hurry up this rescue, BB? Unless you wanna tell Robin why you left us down here."
* * * * *
Raven winced as the first rays of early morning sunlight hit her. Then she noticied that the light was green, and that it was coming from a pair of glowing eyes.
"Raven!" Starfire said happily as she pulled her teammate out of the ground with one hand.
Raven couldn't even get a word out before Starfire enveloped her in a big hug. She would've complained about how the alien girl was covered in dirt and concrete dust, but knew she probably looked even worse. "Great to see you, too, Starfire." She even found herself returning the hug, and not quite pretending to enjoy it.
"Sorry it took us so long to get here," Robin apologized, clapping her shoulder lightly, in case she was injured. "There was...ah..."
"An Incident?" Raven guessed, the corners of her mouth turning up slightly.
Robin stared at her, the slightest hint of red in his cheeks. "Yeah. An Incident."
"Well, incidentally, Cyborg is REALLY HEAVY!" Beast Boy shouted from somewhere below them.
"Bet I'd be even heavier if I kicked your head in!" Cyborg shot back as he climbed out of the gaping hole.
Beast Boy scrambled out after him, panting loudly. "Man! You're lucky you don't get stuck often, Cy, cuz that's the LAST time I'm saving your ton-heavy butt!"
Cyborg was about to reply when his eyes finally found Raven. "Whatever, BB."
Raven swallowed noisily as Cyborg walked over to her. "Cyborg...I'm sorry. I should've-"
He cut her off by drawing her into his large arms. "Ray, there's a lot of things you could apologize for, but being my friend won't ever be one of them. Got it?"
"Got it," she murmured, resting her head against his chest.
Cyborg lowered his voice. "Robin was streaking, wasn't he?"
"I owe you ten bucks," she sighed sleepily, going limp as she began to slide to the ground.
Cyborg easily scooped her up in one arm.
"She okay?" Beast Boy asked, looking concerned.
"Raven's fine. Just a little tired. We both are."
"Yeah, I always get tired after make-out sessions," Beast Boy agreed sagely.
Cyborg gave him a good-natured slap to the back of the head.
"OW! What was that for?!"
"Oh, just for being you," Cyborg answered with a huge grin. He looked down at the sleeping Raven and smiled faintly. "Better sleep all you can now, partner. We still got an errand run to finish when you wake up."
Presumably in her sleep, Raven pressed her face into his arm, moaning something about someone's crazy driving.
"Must be dreaming," Cyborg laughed weakly to his teammates, a huge sweatdrop rolling down his face.
The End.