This is a one-shot requested by Alleluia00. This is also my first written piece that has been requested by a reader. So I'm hoping I got it right.
The one-shot is based off an image a guy named mess deviant artist made a while ago on devianart. The image is also the cover for this story. So you guys can see it more easily.
Lastly, thanks to all those who made my last one-shot 'Cute Girl' so successful! I'm hoping that this is received with just as much (if not more) enthusiasm!
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, image, or anything whatever. Now will you damn lawyers get off my back already!
Dark Side
Beast Boy's POV
Today was November 10, 2015.
It was one day, out of 365 in a year… or 366 if it was a leap year.
Today wasn't a holiday for most people.
Today wasn't an off school day for kids of all ages.
Today wasn't a day something epically major had happened in history.
There was almost nothing special about this day to most of the world, in other words.
For the few who did find this day important.
It would be because of different things.
Like a wedding.
A funeral.
An anniversary.
A new Episode of their favorite TV show.
Or the most important of all, at least to me.
Their day of birth.
Other than these though, it was a part of a group of meaningless days. Like President's Day, or May 8.
Not worth the glance of most of the people in the world.
More people would be aware of the next day, November 11, since it marked the end of the first World War, but this day would simply be overlooked.
So why would I, Garfield Logan, AKA Beast Boy, mention this day?
What is so special to me, what is so important to me, that it would require me to mention this day?
I can tell you.
I mention it, because someone very special, and very important to me, was born on this day.
Someone who had to go through so much in her life.
From a dysfunctional demon overlord father, an unfeeling and unforgiving mother.
Someone who suffered from a past as dark and dreary as my own.
Someone who, like me, had their heart torn apart by the ones we had thought we loved.
Someone…
Who doesn't even like her own birthday…
Because of what it signified…
Because of what happens each year on this day…
Who was so desperate to hide it from other people…
Even from her own friends...
From me… her boyfriend...
That I never even found out about it till today…
When I had accidentally stumbled upon it at night…
Third POV
A few hours earlier
Beast Boy opened his green eyes, filled with tears, to his dark foreboding room. He was laying on a new king sized bed he had gotten for his room almost nine months ago. That had hardly seen any use for a long while. On his 19th birthday to be exact. He had asked for it not because he was sick of the bunk beds, no, even at 19 he was still mostly a kid at heart. But with his 6' frame, he simply couldn't fit on that small thing anymore. Plus, he had been sick of hitting his head on the ceiling whenever he had come out of a nightmare.
Which is ironically why he woke up this time. As his sweat covered body indicated.
Beast Boy looked to his right where his alarm clock rested on its nightstand. It was late at night, or as he looked at his clock more closely, it was very early in the morning. It was as of now, 2:30 A.M. Beast Boy let out a groan of annoyance and anger as he rolled his head on his pillow's wet spot. He tried to fall back asleep again, but couldn't.
Beast Boy was slightly annoyed that he had woken up in the middle of the night. Who honestly wouldn't be? But he was also still sad about what had happened the day before. As the wet mark on his pillow showed. He honestly wanted to go back to sleep. He didn't want to think about yesterday, or any day anymore.
Unfortunately, he couldn't stop thinking about it. Because today was her birthday. Even though it was the early hours of the morning, it was her birthday nonetheless. So he couldn't get the thought of her out of his mind at all. Nor could he get rid of the anger, sadness, and guilt he still felt after their fight just a few short hours ago.
Flashback:
They had just been cuddling together on the couch. Watching some random movie together with the rest of the team. The movie had just ended. Everyone had been saying their good night's to each other. When...
"What do you mean you want me to sleep in my own room tonight! I haven't even entered that room for six months!" Beast Boy shouted at the cloaked figure in front of him. His other three teammates stared at the two in shock. It had been a while since one of the two had yelled at each other. Argued, yes, but never yelled.
Her voice was cold. "You heard me Garfield. I want my room to myself for tonight, and tomorrow. Without anyone else in there. That includes you."
"But tomorrow is your birthday! We haven't celebrated it ever since you turned 16 four years ago!" Beast Boy told her.
She glared at him from the safety of her cloak. "How many times do I have to tell you the reason why I don't like to celebrate my birthday." It normally would have been left off here, but Beast Boy wasn't having it.
"That was four years ago Rae! Trigon is gone now! Why are you still so hung up about it each year!? Don't you want to even celebrate the fact that we all managed to live through it!?" Beast Boy yelled in her face.
"Is there a problem with me wanting to spend a day alone in my room?" Raven asked in a seething voice.
"Yes! Because you always do it every year on your birthday! Ever since you turned 16, you've been doing that! We never see you during the day, or the night of your birthday! And you won't even tell us the real reason why! You just say it's because it reminds you to much of your father! It's like you're hiding something from us all over again!" Beast Boy was all in her face now. And she was starting to get mad too.
"Why do you even care!? It's just one day out of the year that I'm asking for myself! Why can't you respect that!? Don't you trust me!?' Raven yelled at him.
"Because four years ago, I was your annoying teammate who tried to get you to open up! Two years ago, I wasn't even your boyfriend yet! Then last year, we were still in the will we won't we stage of our relationship! And now that I am officially your boyfriend, I want to show you I care about you on your birthday!" He yelled back.
"Are you truly that selfish you brainless dolt! I'm just asking for one ****ing day to myself! I'm not asking you to cut off your arm!" Raven shouted so loudly, it covered the small explosion in the distance that came from her emotions.
The argument escalated further from there. As both young adults hurled reasons, obscenities, insults, and many other things at each other. Most of which were to horrible to mention.
The other three Titans, Cyborg, Starfire, and Nightwing could only stand in their spots in complete shock. This had to be the two's biggest fight, ever. Even before they got together. Beast Boy was acting as if his world would end if he slept in his room. And Raven was doing her best to defuse it, but kept on getting caught up in the argument.
It lasted for another fifteen minutes. With each word and phrase growing progressively and completely extreme. Items were blowing up from Raven's unleashed anger. And the two didn't seem to care as they were too focused on yelling at each other.
And then Raven finally raised her right hand. Cutting Beast Boy off midrant.
"You know what, if you can't handle giving me one day all to myself, all because I'm your girlfriend, I'll make it simple for us! So we never have to deal with this problem again!" Raven shouted for the last time.
"Oh, and just how is my ice queen going to do that!" Beast Boy said mockingly to her.
"Simple. I'll just end this mistake right in its tracks before it continues."
Pause "This relationship you thought we had. I'm ending it." Raven said calmly and evenly.
Time seemed to stop in the room. Her face remained stoic underneath her hood. All the Titans paled. While Beast Boy's brain sputtered to a complete and utter stop. As it tried to process what she had just told him.
"W-W-What?" He stuttered out in a confused voice.
Raven rolled her eyes. "Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot how stupid you could be at times." Raven said in a sarcastic tone before she continued in a seething one. "We are breaking up. Over. Done. Finished. History. Through. Gone. Shall I continue? Or did one of those words manage to get through that thick skull of yours?"
Only, Beast Boy didn't seem to be listening to her anymore. As he had fallen onto his knees. And his eyes seemed to be staring off into space. "No, no, I didn't want… I didn't mean… no..." He tried to find a proper response, but couldn't. How did their argument go to this? He had just wanted to spend the night with her on the eve of her birthday. And now she was breaking up with him!
Raven just shook her head at him. Her face now as expressionless as stone. "I can't believe I was such a fool. To think I believed that you would do anything for me. When you were too selfish to let me have this one day, my day, to myself. I was actually starting to think someone finally loved me for me, and not my body or mind." It was her signature monotone. A voice she hadn't used with him for two years.
His eyes became wide ag the implications of her words. "No, I do love you Rae! I-" A black band of magic covered his mouth. Preventing him from speaking. He looked up into a pair of cold purple dead eyes.
"Your lips might say it, but your heart doesn't truly mean it... We're done Beast Boy." She then turned around, her hood over her head. As she started to walk towards the Common Room doors.
Tears were falling down his eyes. "But Rae…" He trailed off, not sure what to say.
"Don't call me Rae. Rae was the nickname for a foolish girl. And I refuse to be that anymore." She said, before she walked out of the room.
End Flashback:
Beast Boy felt the tears sliding down his face again.
After that, his friends had tried to comfort him, but he had refused their pity. Nightwing even had the scratches on his arm to prove it. After that, he had ran straight to his room and locked the door to not allow anyone in.
Not that it mattered. No one came by to see him that night.
Not even Raven, even though she should have been able to tell how much her words had hurt him. With her empathy and all. She should have sensed it.
But no, she was shutting him out now. And it was all his fault.
To think, almost a whole year and a half together, and several years before even that, spent getting her to open up to him, and he just had to throw it all away. All because he didn't want to sleep alone in his room. Because he was too afraid of his own nightmares. His own Beasts. His own dark side.
That had been the other reason why he had wanted to sleep with her tonight. Like they had been for the past few months.
You see, before their relationship, and after the Beast incident, Beast Boy had been suffering from nightmares. Vivid, scary, Joker insanity filled nightmares. A secret he had tried his best to hide from the team.
Some were what we would consider barely tolerable. Yet to him, he handled them just fine. He woke up from these only slightly disturbed. Those days it had been easy for him to act normal. Kicking Bucket Head's butt at some random racing/zombie/both game. Getting through the training obstacle course with ease. Taking down the villain. Annoying Raven. All that stuff.
Unfortunately, most of them were not what we would consider tolerable by our standards. And these were what pushed at his breaking point at times in the night. On these days, of which there had been many, Beast Boy would wake up screaming, sometimes repeatedly. And he would be off all day with thoughts of his latest nightmare plaguing his mind.
Whether it be from the famous Meat vs. Tofu argument for breakfast, or doing something as simple as training. He just wasn't his normal self when these days came around. And almost always, there was a crime alert on these days. The end result being him messing up in the fight, making a mistake that either got him hurt, or caused the villain to evade them for a while longer. Making them spend more time than was necessary to apprehend him/her/them.
During this time, he had almost gotten used to being healed by Raven after the fight, while Nightwing would lecture him at the same time. Nightwing would be cold and unforgiving. While Raven would look at him with sympathy in her eyes. She was the only one on the team who knew why he wouldn't act normal on these days. But out of privacy, she would keep this to herself. And when the night came, Beast Boy would beg, beg! To have something more tolerable to sleep to that night. So the next day wouldn't be so terrible.
His wishes were almost never answered.
So Raven had been right. He had been selfish.
Selfish of the fact that when they had started sleeping together, with her body pressed up against his, the nightmares always seemed to go away. The sounds of his parents screams would fade into the background, and would be replaced by those of them playing around with him as a kid. That the stern voice of his adopted father criticizing him for never being good enough would be replaced by the kind soft one of his adopted mother urging him to continue doing his absolute best. That the villains who would beat him to a pulp: like Adonis, Mallah, Rouge, etc. All of them would be replaced by his smiling friends: like Starfire, Robin, Cyborg, but above all, Raven.
All of those dark thoughts, all those dark memories, all those dark nightmares.
Gone.
Replaced with better memories, better dreams. Because he would have Raven in his arms. Her small petite body pressed up against his. Providing him a comfort that no one had ever managed to give him before.
With Raven, his old self was able to fully manifest itself. And not hide away inside a shell of fear that chipped at his sanity. She even knew the calming effect she had on him, and had used that as her reason for him to move into her room in the first place all those months ago.
And now, without her… the feel of her body against his… the smell of the jasmine in her hair… to keep that dark side of him away...
Beast Boy couldn't take it.
He couldn't take the fact that they were over.
That the last few months, the best of his life, had never happened in her mind.
That she felt he had never truly loved her.
But above all, he couldn't take the fact that she wasn't with him now. Cuddled up to him like a little girl to her doll. With the smell of jasmine that came off her hair, lulling him into a deep sleep that always promised a better tomorrow.
He had to do something. He had to find some way to apologize. To get her back. Not only to escape the nightmares, but because he really did love her.
Beast Boy pulled the covers off himself and ran out of that room. That room that hadn't been used in a while. That room that couldn't take his nightmares away. That couldn't put his dark side at bay. That didn't have a trace of her or her love and affection inside to keep his dark side at bay.
He sprinted down the hallways of the Tower in nothing but his briefs. Running as if from some terrible Beast. One that seemed as real in life as it did inside his imagination.
He could hear it now. Running down the corridor behind him. Panting wildly as it caught up to him inside his mind, to bring him back to that nightmare filled room of his. To keep him as a permanent prisoner there inside his mind. Where he would slowly go insane until he either snapped and fell to his primal desires, or killed himself to escape the feelings of his Beast.
He didn't want either way. He wanted the safety his Rae provided from the night.
So he stayed one step ahead of that hunter. One tail length away from its outstretched claws. Trying to find the safe haven he knew from before. The safe haven that was Raven's room. Where the nightmares would be too cowardly to follow inside.
Finally, Beast Boy turned one final corner, and he was in her hallway. The beating of his heart seemed to slow down. And the Beast of his nightmares that had been chasing him inside his imagination disappeared at the sight of safety. At the sight of the door with her name on it.
He was free from his nightmares for now. He only had to deal with the one he knew he was about to face. Beast Boy walked up to her door. Not caring how late it was right now. He wanted to apologize. To get back in her good graces. But above all, he wanted to know he really was safe from the Beast inside him. So he was just about to knock on her door.
'Why do you have to be so selfish!... All I'm asking for is one day to myself!... Your lips might say it, but your heart doesn't truly mean it.'
Beast Boy's knuckle stopped an inch above the surface of the door. As those words she had said him earlier appeared inside his mind. Whether by his own conscious, or from the Beast inside him, he didn't know. Still, he found himself suddenly filled with doubts either way.
'Even if Rae was awake now, would she truly want to see me? After what she told me earlier… when she broke… ... Maybe she was right. Maybe I am just being selfish. I haven't left her alone in the past few months. Night and day I've almost always been at her side. And it was only one day she was asking for… one day... and I didn't even want to give her the one thing she wanted on her birthday… god I feel like such a jerk now.'
Beast Boy still had his knuckle raised above her doorway during his line of thinking. He was hesitant now about waking her up. He would never get back in her good graces this way. Beast Boy took a look down the hallway. Wondering if he should go back to his room or not.
And then he imagined his Beast, his dark side, lying in wait for him in that darkness. Ready to snatch him up and find some other fun way to torture his mind. Be it a run through of his older self trying to save his parents, some random villain targeting his friends around the world, or whatever else it could imagine to torture his master until he was released.
Beast Boy couldn't go back to that room. Not when he knew what awaited him there. Yet, he couldn't go back into her room either. Since even though he would be able to sleep surrounded by her scent, Raven would probably kill him quickly when she woke up, if he was fortunate for his death to be a quick one.
What was he to do? What could he do? When neither option was very appealing in his mind. Did he go to his room, where he knew he might go insane? Did he go into her room, where the chance of dying was extremely high? Or did he stay out in the hallway? Hoping that the faint scent coming out of her door would be enough to keep the worst of his nightmares at bay.
'What should I do?' He thought to himself.
And then he heard something. A sound that seemed to be coming from her room. Since he was still close to the door, he had been able to catch it. But if he had been two or more feet away, he would have missed it from the reinforced plating. Still, he managed to hear it. And his eyes widened in shock. While the Beast howled with worry for his mate inside his mind. It was no longer focused on getting his master to lose control now. Because one thing reigned supreme inside it's mind.
The sound was quiet sobbing. And it was coming from within Raven's room.
Beast Boy's mind was made up.
He didn't bother to knock as put in the 7 digit pass code for her door in the keypad. He only hoped that she hadn't changed it.
9549925
The keypad turned green and the door slid open. Raven hadn't changed her codes after all. And Beast Boy was quick to sneak in before the door slid closed automatically.
Raven's room looked about the same for the most part. Even with his influence over the last few months or so, her room looked almost as dark as ever. With the creepy artifacts on the ceiling and floor. Like the dark chest containing Raven's most dangerous possessions. Or the theatre masks that looked almost out of place. The bookcases that were meticulously organized with spellbooks, potions, ingredients, etc. And she still burned the same lavender incense inside her room. Which was something he didn't ever want to change.
Now, despite the similarities to her room of old, there was one main difference here. Raven's hooded bed, like his, had been replaced with a large king sized bed. It hadn't been because she grew, she was barely 5'6" as it was. It had been because Cyborg had done it as a joke. Saying it was just in case she ever wanted grass stain to come over and spend the night with her. He had been laughing when he said that.
Imagine his shock then, when she thanked him for giving her and Beast Boy something that had more room to sleep on at night.
Other than that, the changes were relatively minor. A new blue paint job for the walls. A place for his comics on one of the bookshelves. And some green carpeting on the floor. And that was about it.
As Beast Boy quietly walked over to her bed, where her blankets were covering her form, he briefly looked around the room. Seeing that there wasn't anything different from last time. She hadn't even touched any of his stuff. He thought she would have thrown it all out by now. So why hadn't she?
As Beast Boy steadily got closer, he was able to hear Raven more clearly. She was crying to herself. Yet she was also mumbling at the same time.
"... no, you can't die… I can heal you… please, don't die on me Gar… we can be happy together… I know we can... no, don't close your eyes on me... Gar, wake up… wake up… wake up... GARFIELD!" She suddenly screamed at the end. Making him jump about a foot away from the bed.
He was worried that she had sensed him for a second, but then he realized that she was convulsing underneath her covers. And there was a red glow coming from underneath them. He was back to his senses in an instant as he ran forward to grab the covers.
"NO GAR! YOU CAN'T LEAVE ME TOO! NOT WHEN WE WERE SO CLOSE TO BEING HAPPY TOGETHER! I'M SORRY FOR WHAT I SAID! YOU CAN CALL ME RAE ALL YOU WANT! JUST DON'T LEAVE ME!" She was screaming as he tried to tug the covers off. Items were starting to fly around the room as her emotions started to escape from her nightmare out into the world.
"Damn it Rae! I'm right here! I'm fine!" Beast Boy shouted back, trying to wake her up.
While it didn't wake her up, it did make her loosen the grip she had on her comforter. And Beast Boy tore it off the bed to see the woman underneath.
His eyes could only blink in shock at what he saw.
Raven was dressed in a blue tank tops and short shorts. Showing much of her beautiful body to his eyese. That wasn't the thing that shocked him though. Rather, it was the source of the red glow that shocked him.
Familiar red markings were all over her pale body. Traveling up her legs, arms, stomach, chest, back, everywhere. Even from underneath her clothing. Ending at the ever so familiar mark of Scath that glittered around her chakra. Glowing as brightly as it did that fateful day four years ago. Raven was convulsing more freely now without the blanket restraining her. And she had big fat tears running down her face.
"Don't leave me Gar… please… I didn't mean what I said before… I didn't want us to be over… I was just trying to protect you… please... I thought you loved me... why did you have to die on me?… am I always meant to be alone?..." She said in a quieter voice this time. Her sobs intermingling where the pauses were.
Beast Boy, despite seeing the markings, decided to worry about them later. For now, he had something bigger to worry about.
So he gently put himself onto Raven's bed where he then held her to him. Even though her convulsions had calmed slightly when she quieted down, he still wanted to make sure she wouldn't hurt herself as she rode out the rest of her nightmare. Her sobbing was the only thing he could hear in the dark room.
"Shhhh, it's okay Rae. I'm sorry about what I said before too. It's okay now. I'm alive. I'm here. I will keep you safe." He gently whispered into her ear. Gently rocking her with him like a mother to her baby. "I do love you Rae. I do. I'm right here now. And now I'll do what you did for me all this time, and protect you from the night."
Slowly, her convulsions started to slow in his embrace. Her mumbling died down to a mere whimper. Yet she also drew herself closer to that familiar heat in her bed. Cuddling her face into that spot where the beating of a familiar heart rang clearly in her ears.
Beast Boy gently kissed her forehead. Seeing as she was now calming down. He wondered if he should try and leave her now. Since she had said she didn't want him in her room. Even the markings looked to have faded somewhat. Though they were still there.
But then Raven opened her eyes. As she was suddenly shocked into reality when she realized the beating of his heart was real. The touch of his lips to her forehead only confirmed it. Beast Boy was in her room. On her birthday…he could see her...
Raven's crying resumed. She caught Beast Boy off guard when she tried to push him away from her. 'Crap, she's awake! Oh god, what do I do now!?' He thought frantically inside his mind. While in the real world, he subconsciously pulled her closer. Making her struggle all the harder to escape.
"No, damnit Gar! What do you think you're doing!? You're not supposed to be here!" Raven screamed out through her tears.
Beast Boy tried to find an answer. But with Raven struggling so fiercely and all, he couldn't think of a rational excuse at the moment. So he did the only thing he could do, and just squeezed her to him. Keeping her from running away again.
There was finally a break in her struggling. Her marks glowed a brighter red to match her anger. "Garfield, let me go and get out now!"
"No." He calmly said.
"Garfield, I'm warning you!" She was still crying, yet becoming increasingly angry.
"And I'm not leaving." His mouth said.
"Logan! Final chance! Get out now! Or else!" Raven shouted in his face. Punching him in the gut as she did so.
He winced, that would leave a bruise later… but still, he kept his hold on her. "Or else what! You'll kill me! Is that how far you've sank Rae! Is that how much control your father has over your fears now!" He shouted back. Wanting to hit at the heart of the problem.
Raven was about to reply. When her face paled. And all the anger she had been feeling faded as fast as a retreating wave. Just to be replaced by the sadness and grief of her nightmare all over again.
Instead of trying to push him away again, she gripped him closer to her. She put her face in his shoulder as she started to cry even harder. Beast Boy just held to her. Like he had since he entered the room. His gut still ached, but he kept his silence. He knew Raven needed to let this out. It seemed to have been pent up inside her for quite a while. Maybe even for the past four years.
So he stayed silent. As he rocked her small body with his.
Finally, ten minutes later, she spoke through her sobs. "I'm s-s-sorry… Gar."
He kissed the top of her head in comfort. He had lost all his anger for her the moment he heard her cry. "Do you want to talk about it Rae?"
She shook her head, the marks on her body were still lit, but faded somewhat. Like they had been before. "No, I-I can't talk about that now. Just please, hold on to me." She begged.
"Wouldn't let go for the world." He said calmly, but with a sincere tone to it.
They stayed like that for a while, with Raven slowly starting to calm down. Listening to the beat of his heart. Finally, Beast Boy decided to ask. "Those marks, do they come every year on your birthday Rae?"
She tensed, he felt he had crossed a line, but then he felt more tears hit his chest as she nodded. That explained a couple things inside his mind. "Do you think you can tell me about them Rae? Or is this a topic that you think you can't discuss now either?"
She briefly looked up into his face through her tears. Trying to see if there was any hate or malice in his gaze. But saw nothing but worry for her. She nodded her head as she sank into his chest again. It had been four years now, maybe it was time she just let it out.
"After we defeated… my father back then… I thought I would no longer bear his markings. That he could no longer control me. That I had truly cut myself off from my p-past." She paused as a sob racked her throat. Beast Boy gently rubbed the small of her back. Silently encouraging her to continue.
"But then, the year after, when my birthday hit again... " She trailed off.
"You had a horrible nightmare, didn't you?" Beast Boy asked. Though it didn't sound all like a question. More like a confirmation.
She nodded. Of course he would understand. "I was just so used to having nightmares back then. It was natural to me having my heritage and all… but this was… different. Like T-Trigon himself was speaking to me inside my mind all over again like that day. Showing me visions of what he would do to me, my home, and everyone I c-cared about w-when he returned... and when I woke up, I thought it was a nightmare. When I looked at my skin…" She looked at it again at that moment. And fell into tears again as she gripped on to Beast Boy. Even now, four years later, the sight of her markings brought shame to her eyes.
"Is there anything else?" He had to ask.
She nodded. "I didn't… I didn't want you guys to worry… so I tried to hide it… and forget it had ever happened." She choked up again. She wasn't used to letting out so much emotion. And her room was clearly paying the price.
"But it came back? Didn't it?"
Raven nodded again. Too tired to even cry anymore. Her tone was that of someone who was defeated. "Yes, each year ever since my 16th birthday, it has come back. With each one feeling even worse than the last." She looked up into his face then. No more tears in her tired eyes.
"I thought, when we had first gotten together over a year ago, that it would have gotten better. That maybe, I just needed a little happiness for myself, to put the guilt of the past away… … only that night, when I had that nightmare… when Trigon did his usual routine… he made what he did to you… what he did..." She couldn't speak. In fear of the tears coming again.
Understanding finally flashed in Beast Boy's eyes. He looked down at her small form, the markings and all. As his brain finally connected the last of the puzzle pieces. "You didn't want me in here tonight, because you were afraid that it would be more than a nightmare you'd experience this time."
She nodded. Her eyes closed as she leaned against his chest, so broken and angelic. Yet burdened with her own darkness, just like him.
"Only, you still had it, didn't you?" He asked. Making Raven stare up at him in stunned shock. "I did hear some of it Rae, and I'm guessing pushing me away yesterday evening didn't work."
Raven nodded as tears threatened once again. Her head was back in his chest. There was so many things she wanted to say. Above them all, she wanted to apologize. But she couldn't out of fear of breaking down. So Beast Boy spoke for her.
"Rae, I know why you did it. Even though I was so angry and heartbroken when you did it, that I felt I could never forgive you, I understand now. And I do forgive you." He pulled up her chin to look her in the eyes. "You were there for me when I couldn't escape from my nightmares Rae. From my own dark side. So let me help you with your own. Let me into your heart Rae." He said, looking into her deep violet eyes.
"How?" She finally asked. As a tear slid down her face. Which Beast Boy kissed away.
"Let me stay with you. Let me help you. Let me be there for you… but above all, let me love you." Raven looked in his eyes as he said this. Wondering what had happened to that immature boy she grew up with all those years ago.
Finally, she bowed her head into his chest. Giving in as the last of her walls fell down. The tears fell down her face, but he was there. Supporting her like he always did, like he always would. Because he loved her. And finally, she felt she could admit it too. It was a long while before she spoke again.
"Will you love me? Even with my dark side?" She finally asked Beast Boy. With her cuddled into him. And him with his arms wrapped forever around her.
His answer was a whisper. As he looked down at her with sad eyes. "Always."
Beast Boy stayed like that for a minute more. Watching as she fell asleep a minute later. Her face lost the tension it always held as she slowly relaxed. The marks on her body dimmed a little more. But still remained on the surface of her skin.
Beast Boy pulled the comforter over the two of them. Before he cuddled up into his Rae. Surrounding her small body with his own. Despite all the tears, he could still smell the jasmine coming off her hair. As he too started to drift off to a deep sleep after her.
Before he did however, he whispered his words to the air. Not to satisfy some need. But to make a promise he would never break.
"I will protect you from the night. Always."
And then he fell asleep.
And the mark of Scath faded from her body completely.
Beast Boy's POV
My pale beauty was still asleep in my arms.
As I pondered all that had happened the day and night before.
I found it ironic how I went to her room to escape my nightmares.
Only to end up helping her to escape hers.
Ones that were far worse than fine.
Since mine had never included something happening to her.
Still, after all that happened, I wouldn't change it for the world.
Maybe I wouldn't have said some of the things I said to her during our fight.
I'm guessing she might wish the same thing too.
But who knows, maybe it was the wake up call we both needed.
That while we do indeed love each other.
That while we would do anything for each other.
There is always that dark side within ourselves.
Lurking in wait for the chance to tear either of us down.
To tear us, and everything we stand for apart.
Despite it though, I still love her for it.
As she loves me for mine.
This experience has taught me that we should always be aware of this part in a person, and in ourselves.
For it's easy to love what we see on the surface.
Me and her both know plenty about that.
Terra and Malchior instantly come to mind.
But is it truly love, when as soon as their dark side takes sway, we run away in fear, or fight them to the death over it?
No.
That isn't love.
That was never love.
It could have been a crush, or lust, but not love.
It means we only liked them for what they showed on the surface.
That we truly didn't care for the other as a whole.
So while it may be scary to confront that in ourselves, or in others.
It is necessary.
It is needed.
For it is the one true test in any relationship.
To see your significant other at their absolute worst.
And still love them for it.
And lord knows, I love Rae all the more for this.
Raven is starting to stir in my arms.
I take this moment to truly look at her.
Imagining those marks still covering her body.
The marks that represented her dark side.
Those marks, which are no longer here, on her birthday.
Which can only lead me to do one thing.
I kiss her on the lips, shocking her awake.
"Happy birthday Rae." I say in my annoyingly childish voice.
Yep, everything was good in life.
- Fin -
… you know, it really surprises me when it takes me writing something out for me to learn an important lesson about life. When before, I really gave it little to no thought. This is certainly one of those times. Since I never thought about this part of loving someone before. But in a way, I'm glad for it.
To Alleluia00, I hope this was what you had in mind.
And to the rest of you who read this, put this next part on your profile for me. It is a quote I came up with after writing the end to this.
'Love isn't about liking what's on the surface. It is to like for every hidden part of the person it is directed to. Both light and dark as it is revealed to us. If we can't love him/her for when their own dark side is revealed. Or if he/she can't love you for when we trust them with ours. Was it ever truly love to begin with?' -Allen Blaster
For all those posting the quote to their profile, give a loud 'Hoorah!' for me. If not, give it a 'Hoorah!' anyways. Remember to pet me know what you thought! Favorite if you liked! And yes, flames will only add to the heat that is this story!
Thanks again!
Till Next Time
Allen