Chapter 8: Lost in Transmission/Hesitant Hope

Keith and Raven for the next 2 or 3 weeks existed in the Tower with an air of awkwardness, but with a close connection between them lying underneath.

There were few conflicts around the city, except for the random bouts with H.I.V.E but those were abysmally easy incidents to handle. It was only another week-ish until Dick changed to the Nightwing persona so that Bruce could take on another Robin, that being his newly found Pupil, Tim Drake. When Jason Todd had "died", Dick had returned to the Robin status to keep appearances. But now that Bruce has found a new kid to take under his literal wing, Dick was free to be his own persona. Dick was also just much more his own person now. He wasn't as new to the game as the Robin persona implied.

Dick and Starfire had obviously begun getting more and more serious. The rest of the Titans, including Keith who had wordlessly basically been inducted into the team, watched from afar and occasionally teased the two.

When the Titans had barreled into the training area that day, Keith and Raven has scrambled apart and to less intimate conversation range. Nobody seemed the wiser, except maybe Starfire.

Keith had just wrapped up a quick takedown of a warehouse of gun-running Penguin goons. He shot a "You're welcome" text to Bruce and went back to his broom closet at the Tower. He nabbed some pajamas from his apartment on the way. He began getting ready for bed, before his superhuman hearing picked up a conversation he probably wasn't supposed to hear.

"Rach, I miss you. You can feel now without fearing yourself. We can make this work again." It was Beast Boy's voice.

"Gar, I'm...I miss you too, but I just don't feel the same anymore." It was Raven this time. Her monotone voice had gradually begun being more expressive over the last few weeks, but she was all expression with Beast Boy. Keith could hear it in her voice.

"But why can't we at least try? If we do find that it's not the same, then fine. But can we at least give it a try?" Beast Boy again.

Keith, having determined in his head that this was likely to be a done deal, snatched all his clothes and shit that he'd nabbed and slipped out of the Tower unseen and unheard. Or so he thought. His staff had clicked on a metal side of a counter on the way, and Raven spun around, to see Keith quietly beelining for the balcony with what looked like all of his stuff with him. She huffed and turned to Beast Boy.

"It's not going to, Gar. You're a great guy, and I still value everything we've been through together. But...my heart is occupied by someone else right now.I'm sorry." They exchanged a quick hug and Raven then blasted the fuck out of there at the speed of sound to try to find Keith ASAP.

She found him actually slipping into the fire escape of his apartment. She hesitantly approached the window, stopping when she saw him remove his bodysuit. She was reminded again of the mental demons and trauma that Keith carried. She went into her soul-self for a moment and bled through his window and into his apartment. Her blue cloak very slowly changed to white.

Keith now wore just a black tank top and black sweatpants. She had made very little sound, but once she was in his apartment, he heard her heartbeat. He sniffed lightly. "Guess I wasn't as quiet as I thought I was." His apartment was stereotypical teacher style, but organized in such a way as to be extremely messy but also not a health hazard when he was blind.

Raven gave a sad smile from behind him. The corners of the chart peaked out from the edges of his tank top.

(boutta get mushy again. Thou hast been warned)

She stepped forward to his back and stared at the edges of the chart before she hugged him from behind. Keith initially didn't like this, and he turned around, frustration on his face. He didn't like it because he was under the wrong impression that she and Beast Boy were back together. But this was when his hearing kicked in, and he caught the skipping, racing heartbeat coming from her. "Keith, what you saw between me and Gar wasn't what it looked like. I think I know how much you heard before you left. I told him that I was certain it wouldn't work out with him."

Keith rose and eyebrow and settled down. "And...why is that, Rachel?" He wasn't much able to hear his own functions, but damn if he couldn't feel his heartbeat running without him.

Raven smiled softly. "Because someone else took my heart before he could get it back. There's no space for him in a heart that's already occupied."

Keith thought about this for about a half a second, before she cut off his thinking process, grabbing him by the straps of his tank top, yanking him in, and smashing her lips into his. He was too stunned to properly respond, but the instant she began to release the kiss, he smiled slightly and kissed back a little. He was still very hesitant to be a vulnerable person, even if she knew everything about him at this point. But, he felt comfortable opening up to her overtime.

She looked up at him and hugged him again. "There's no room for him now that you've moved in." She dragged him from his desk and to his room.

He laughed. "You're not getting laid that easy, lass." She shushed him and pushed him on the bed. She then laid down next to him and just cuddled into him.

"I just wanna sleep, K." She leaned her head up and pecked his cheek. "And I want you to sleep too. I know you don't, but I want you to try. For me."

He sighed. "Fine. But only because you pulled the 'for me' card." He softly pet her short purple hair, before he chuckled, realizing she was still in her very very tight leotard. "Are you gonna sleep in that all night?"

Her face flushed pink for a second. "I mean...I don't have any other clothes that I brought with me. And it's way too soon for me to be comfortable with sleeping almost naked with you, no offense."

He laughed. "None taken. I have some clothes you can wear." He slithered off the bed and ruffled through a few drawers before he scrounged up a baggy black T-shirt and some blue sweatpants. "This work?"

She smiled a bit and got off of his bed, taking the clothes and moving to go into the bathroom to change quickly. He stopped her though. "No, you go ahead and change in here. I just realized I have to wash off my facepaint. My forgetful ass." He went into his bathroom and quickly wiped off the red facepaint across his eyes. He washed his face and switched to speech, his sight disengaged. He opened the door. "You decent?"

She was about to shriek, before she realized he wasn't looking. "N-not quite yet. One sec." She finished slipping on the T-shirt. "Ok. Now sleep."

Keith smiled and laid down next to her again. She snuggled close, resting her head on his chest. Before he allowed himself to sleep, Keith's mind had one more train of thought:

'So many things have taught me that my life won't ever be peaceful or happy. They've taught me to not hope for something that won't happen.' He looked down at Raven, now fast asleep on his chest. He wrapped his arm around her waist and dragged the covers over them with his free arm. 'But how can I not hope for peace and happiness, when I can see it in front of me?'

That night, he slept, willfully, and for the first time ever, he had no nightmares.