100 theme challenge PART THREE BBRae
Complicated
"Friend Raven! Where are you going in such a hurry, it is nearly nighttime?" Starfire's voice called
"I have some things to do," Raven said without turning around "I'll be back late"
"Where are you going?" Cyborg asked
"Somewhere" she told him flatly as the door closed
She didn't notice the small raven that flew over her as she walked down the street, following her way down into the poorer part of the city. It watched her from the shadows as she knelt down and small children, their clothes patched and worn, came to her.
"Raven!" one of the girls squeaked joyfully as she hugged the hero's cloaked legs
Raven allowed herself a small smile and put a hand on the girl's head
"Are all of you here?" she asked
"'Cept for Jerry, he's really sick" The girl looked at Raven sadly "He can't move at all, and he sweats and moans in his sleep, my mom thinks he's not gonna make it through the night"
"How long has he been like this?" Raven asked the girl as she lifted her to see her better
"After two days that you last came, there was a storm an he went out, even though we knew we weren't sposed to" the girl pointed a grubby finger down the dirty street "His house is back there"
Raven walked into the house with the girl in her arms, she could feel the sickness around her. Little Jerry was handing on to life on a very thin thread. He was on a small bed, his hair was darkened by sweat and plastered to his forehead. His skin was pale and also soaked with sweat. Next to him was a woman who had to be his mother. She was placing a wet cloth on his forehead to try and slow the fever. Raven put the girl down and looked at the worried mother.
"I can cure him" she told her simply, the mother smiled, tears gathering up in her eyes
Raven placed a hand on the boy's forehead, sending her healing magic into him, eliminating all of the sickness. When she finished, the boy opened his eyes, smiled at his mother and Raven, then at the young girl.
"You went and got Raven for me, Lily?" he asked
Lily gave him a warm smile and hugged her friend "I knew she could help you!"
Raven transported some of the food she stashed in a closet in the tower and gave it to the mother; then she turned to Lily. "I want to check you and all the other children, come on"
Lily took her hand and they walked out to where the rest of the children waited. Raven checked each one, then afterwards gave them some food for them and their families, all the while the adults of the area watched in wonder, and the strange raven stared at Raven intently.
It watched her as she said her farewells, clasping hands with the older children and their parents, and chatting for a moment with others. It followed her when she left and started her walk back to the tower. It saw her stop at a small book store and come out moments later with a book on her hand. It flew over the dark streets close to her, staying to the shadows. As a car disturbed its perch, it quickly flew away, only a blur of a bird that the driver could've sworn was green.
Raven walked on, seemingly oblivious to the animal behind her. She trudged ahead ignoring the weakness she felt from healing the sickness of the children and transporting the vast amount of food there. A car screeched past her, spraying her with dirty water. Suddenly the world around her went dark. She heard a familiar voice yell her name as her legs gave up holding her. The exhaustion she had been trying so hard to ignore claimed her and she gave in to the darkness. She did not feel the hands that caught her.
She woke up a while later in her room on the tower. A small green cat was asleep next to her. When she tried to stand up; the room spun around her. The cat immediately woke up and changed into her green skinned teammate.
"Hey Raven, well I was out walking around the city and I happened to see you when you fell" he explained lamely
"You were following me in the shape of a raven" she told him "I saw you when that car nearly ran you over"
"Well, I was just wondering where you always go once every week, why didn't you tell us?"
"It's complicated, Beast Boy"
Beast Boy looked at her "why?"
She looked away "you wouldn't understand"
"Try me" the changeling said, attempting a smile
"My… mother" Raven started "When she lived here on earth, she ran away from home. Her parents were poor and they didn't treat her well, she was out in the streets all alone at sixteen or so. Her parents, my grandparents, never cared enough to go look for her, to find out what happened to her. They just assumed she was dead" Raven looked down at her hands "And I think that maybe if my mother had had someone who had helped her, talked to her, made life seem a little better, maybe she wouldn't have run away. She might've never joined that cult and" she sighed "See, you wouldn't understand" she told Beast Boy, raising her hand to pull her hood up
Beast Boy took that hand "Maybe I do, you want to help those kid's life be better, even if it is just a little. You just want to make sure that they don't do bad things just because their childhood sucked. You want to give them hope" he smiled "I would like to help you, if you want me to"
Raven smiled at him, "Thanks Beast Boy, for…"
"I know" he told her gently as he stood up "Try to get some sleep, it's still nighttime"
Breakfast
Beast Boy was sleeping peacefully in his own bed. Spending most of the night following Raven and staying in the same shape for so long had worn him out completely. His alarm clock beeped annoyingly at him, with a groan he turned and pressed the snooze button.
Someone knocked on his door, he ignored it and put his head under the pillow. The door opened and he heard footsteps coming toward him. He also smelled food. His ears perked up and he groggily raised his head from under the pillow. What he saw woke him up completely. Raven was standing just inside his messy room, holding a tray with tofu eggs and bacon with a glass of soy milk.
"Raven?" he asked
Raven seemed uncomfortable "I wanted to thank you and I knew you'd be tired and hungry, so I made you some breakfast" she set the tray on the edge of the bed and started to walk out of the room
"Wait, Raven" he told her, suddenly he didn't want her to leave
"What is it?" she asked, turning back around to look at him
"Um… I wanted to say thanks for the meal" he couldn't ask her, not yet
Lost and Found
The two heroes were walking down the dark streets. One of them basically hidden by her blue cloak, the other carrying a bag. Their faces were set and determined. They turned to go down to the poorer district of the city. When they reached a small clearing, children swarmed around the cloaked hero, yet looked warily at the other green skinned hero.
"Children," Raven said solemnly "I want you to meet a friend of mine, Beast Boy"
Immediately, Lily and Jerry, two of the most adventurous kids, walked up to the changeling and looked at him carefully. Never in their life had they seen someone so… different.
"Why is your hair green, and your skin?" Lily asked him
"And how come your ears are pointy?" Jerry added
Beast Boy smiled at the kids, "it's because of my powers" he told them in a conspiratorial whisper
"Your powers can't be cooler than Raven's!" Lily informed him "She can move things with her mind"
"And she can fly!" Jerry added
Beast Boy smiled and transformed into a green St. Bernard, then changed into an Eagle and flew up into the air, diving when he was high enough, before turning into an armadillo and curling up to brace for impact. When he hit the ground, he shifted back to human form and winced at the pain in his head.
"I can't levitate things, read minds, or heal people" he said with a smirk, "But I can turn into any animal"
The cry of a young girl stopped them. A small brown haired freckled girl ran to Raven crying hysterically.
"I can't find it!" she shrieked, all the kids got quiet "My favorite teddy bear, my mommy gave it to me, before she left, and I can't find it!" she collapsed into a crying heap
Raven picked her up and dried the tears with a handkerchief "Tell me where you last saw it"
"I was running here, Teddy in my arm" she hiccupped "then I tripped, there was a lot of people, when I looked at my hand, he was gone!"The last word became a wail
Rocking the young girl back and forward Raven went inside the mind of the young girl and sent her a repetitive message to calm down. When she stopped crying, Raven put her on the floor and took her hand.
"Show me where you lost it" she told her, then turning to Beast Boy, she added "Try to see if you can sniff out the bear, it should smell like her"
Beast Boy nodded and turned into a bloodhound. Once they reached the area where the bear had been dropped, Beast Boy started sniffing around: first, the girl's hands and clothes to get the scent, then around the street, looking for the trail. He found the bear, near an alley where it had probably been tossed. It was right next to a puddle of dirty water. He grabbed it and headed back to Raven and the girl.
When the girl saw her bear, she ran to Beast Boy, pulling Raven with her. She hugged Beast Boy in his dog shape, since she was still holding Raven's hand; she pulled the rather unwilling Raven into the group hug. Then she let go of both heroes and hugged her precious bear. Beast Boy morphed back then helped Raven up.
"Come on, we still have food for you and the other kids" Raven told the girl, holding out one hand. The little girl took it, then pointed out the Beast Boy should hold Raven's hand since he could get lost if he didn't. Raven obliged when she realized that her small companion would not go anywhere until she was sure no one else would get lost that night.
Beast Boy hadn't minded at all having to hold Raven's hand for a while. He'd cheerfully helped her hand out the food among the families; then entertained some of the kids by giving them rides on different animals while Raven talked with others.
"That was really fun, Raven" he told her when they headed back up to the tower "you know, Rae, I've been meaning to ask you something…" Beast Boy trialed off in an uncharacteristic silence
Raven looked at him, he seemed nervous
"Well, you see" he started "I was wondering, if you would want to go… somewhere with me" he gulped "On a date" he added carefully
Raven blushed, she looked surprised, Beast Boy hoped it was in a good way "I'll have to think about it" she told him "I'll tell you later" and with that, the calmest, most levelheaded of the titans, fled at full speed to the inner sanctum of her bedroom. Beast Boy saw, that right before she escaped into her room, she looked back. Her cheeks were reddened by her blush, but her eyes seemed… happy, and a small smile was on her lips.
Just as quickly, she shut the door to her room, leaving a dazed Beast Boy wondering just exactly what had happened.
Seeking Solace
Raven locked the door to her room and slid down to the floor. She had to gain some semblance of control. Ever since they had defeated her father, she didn't have to worry so much of her powers going out of control and destroying the world. But it was still new for her to be able to feel things without worrying. And now they were all over the place: anger at herself for not being able to fully control them, anger at the way she reacted, happiness at being asked out by Beast Boy. She frowned thoughtfully, that happy feeling sprouted another feeling, one she'd never heard tell of. It made butterflies take flight in her stomach whenever she thought of Beast Boy, the way he smiled, his laugh, his voice… Raven shook her head, trying to clear away the thoughts on Beast Boy and how he filled out his clothes better now. She focused instead of identifying that feeling.
Closing her eyes, she got into a meditating position. She calmly whispered her mantra and let the emotions come at her. It was like a damn had burst open and the emotions flooded her brain. Slowly, she managed to ride above all the emotions, find out what they were and understand where they came from and why they were there. For last, she left that strange-familiar feeling. She let it go over her and rode it, feeling it completely and noticed how it was a mesh of all her emotions, somehow all in a perfect sort of balance and harmony. That feeling seemed inactive until her brain wandered to Beast Boy. Then it seemed to wake up and come over her completely.
She sighed when it did. It wasn't necessarily a bad feeling; it was a feeling on a category all to itself with its own rules and guidelines. Unlike other feelings, it seemed to clear her mind, so she knew just what she should do.
She stood up and stretched her legs; they were cramped after sitting down for so long. She opened the door and went out to find Beast Boy.
Reflection
Beast Boy sat at a clutch of rocks in the island's beach. It was where he always went when he had to think things through, or wanted to be alone. He took a smooth rock and tossed it into the water. It made two skips before a wave swallowed it whole. He tried again. Several stones later, he heard someone trying to make their way to where he was. He frowned. Usually no one came here, the last time he could remember someone trying to find him back here had to be after the whole 'Beast incident,' Raven had found him there and helped him stop wallowing in self pity.
He looked back and was unsurprised to see Raven. She looked as if she'd spent a long while meditating. But her cheeks were still red and her eyes looked different. It took Beast Boy a moment to figure out he could actually see emotions lurking inside her eyes, not the usual empty emotionless-ness that he suspected was a shield to guard her. It seemed like, after so long, she was allowing herself to feel.
"Want to sit down?" he asked her, it was a step better than just staring at each other, wondering who would be brave enough to make the first move.
Raven sat down, and to Beast Boy's surprise, she sat next to him. She looked down at her reflection while she spoke. "I was wondering" she started
Beast Boy felt himself grow hot; he mimicked Raven, choosing to look at his own reflection in the water. He was surprised to see he was also blushing. Where was his usual self confident air, the one he always had around girls? He had no idea what he was doing when it came to Raven. Other girls were easy; they just thought he was cute and funny so they went out with him. But Raven was his friend, one of his best friends. She knew him in a level most people didn't. She could read him like a book, and if truth be told, he was pretty sure he could read her quite easily too. And what was he reading about her now? She was nervous. He risked a look at her; she was still looking at the water. "Wondering?" he asked
"If, that offer you made earlier" she told him "About a… date"
He managed a smile; maybe he would get what he wanted most "It's still available, if you want to go"
Raven looked up from her reflection. She hadn't been expecting Beast Boy to be looking at her. Her eyes locked with his and she couldn't look away. She didn't want to either. She felt that feeling inside her stir, stronger than before. The blush on her cheeks grew hotter. Suddenly she was glad that the annoying breeze that kept tugging at her hair and cloak were there, it certainly helped cool down her cheeks.
"I think I would like to" she told him
Shadows
Raven woke up from a nightmare panting and drenched in a cold sweat. She still remembered those strange things coming out of the shadows. She had to talk to Beast Boy about watching scary movies while on a date. Some of those strange monsters were from that movie she had just watched. But blended into it all were those horrific memories of when her father had nearly brought the End of the World. Most disturbing was how she had to watch powerlessly cowering in the shadows as the evil creatures and her father killed first her mother, then the little kids that she visited every week, then Robin, Starfire, Cyborg. And finally his father had taken Beast Boy and while Raven watched in horrified paralysis, unable to think or do anything about it, Trigon had beaten and tortured Beast Boy until finally deciding that he'd had enough 'fun' and killing him, tossing him up on the bloody heap.
Raven set her shoulder, pushing away the shadowed memories and her dream away in a tight box in her mind. She would no longer be a slave to her father's demonic side. She was determined to go on with her life, make a change to it. She was letting herself feel emotions past hatred for her father. She was letting herself have a life that was nearly normal.
She stood up and went to the kitchen to make some tea. When she was walking to the table, she saw Beast Boy coming out of his room. He seemed to have as much trouble sleeping as she did.
"No more scary movies for dates" she told him as she poured him a cup of tea
Beast Boy's only reply was a laugh as he drank the tea in one pull
Illogical
"Good Night, Raven" Beast Boy told her
"Goodnight" Raven said, lowering her hood
Neither of them made a move to leave. They had been dating for a while already, each time staying out later. Each time, Beast Boy noticed that Raven seemed freer, she smiled more, talked more. Tonight, she had laughed at one of his jokes. And he didn't mean like a small laugh, he meant a real one, like the one her Happy emotion was given to do. And when he pointed it out, she had nearly giggled.
Beast Boy squared his shoulders and took his courage in hand. He didn't know why, but he just knew that now was the best time, and the right time, to do this. Dating Raven required patience, tact, and diplomacy: all those things he had found he actually possessed, at least when it came to Raven. And after a month and a half of patiently waiting for the right moment, it had come. He was not going to let it pass.
He closed the distance between them and put a hand on her shoulder. She looked up and their eyes locked. She knew him well enough to know what he was going to do, if she wanted to, she could pull away right now. When she gave no sign of bolting, he put his free hand on her cheek and leaned closer. He kissed her slowly; then smiled in relief when she kissed him back in the same manner and wound her arms around his shoulder.
When he ended the kiss, he pulled back and looked at her. She was wearing a small smile and was looking at him with something that could be mistaken as love. Raven feeling love? Beast Boy could barely comprehend it was possible, especially having that tender affection shine in her eyes at him. But he certainly hoped so.
With that thought, came more strange ones. Like the thing he knew he felt. Now wasn't the best time to tell her, but soon he would. When the time was right.
Acceptance
It had taken her a while, but now Raven smiled more often, not all the time or with everyone, being serious was part of the way she was made, but around her friends, people could notice she participated more in conversations, went out shopping with Starfire. And even from time to time, played videogames with Beast Boy and Cyborg.
People also noticed other things about her and her changeling boyfriend. They noticed how both had taken up activities the other enjoyed. Beast Boy had taken Raven out on a picnic once and she had finally, to his inmense surprise and delight, tried his tofu and decided that it wasn't that bad. Beast Boy had taken up meditating in the afternoon with Raven and had found he had a liking for the tea she brewed. Like all couples, they had their arguments, but always seemed to pull through them and become closer than before. Most of the city wondered when the two heroes would confess their love. Others who saw in a longer term, placed bets on how many years it would take for Beast Boy to propose, even though both were still teens at the age of seventeen.
The two heroes were mostly oblivious about all the gossip they caused in the city and were enjoying a nice night out after visiting the poor children. It was a clear night and the moon shone down in the dark park where the heroes were laid down on the grass staring up at the star-filled sky. Beast Boy and Raven took turns telling each other stories about stars and how they got their names when a shooting star passed overhead.
"Make a wish, Raven" Beast Boy told her, leaning over to kiss her
"What did you wish for, Garfield?" she asked him after a while
He frowned "I wished I could figure out a better super hero name than 'Beast Boy' since I'm getting too old for that" he told her with a laugh, Raven gave him a sideways look "Ok, maybe I didn't wish for that" he conceded "What did you wish for, Raven?"
"I asked first" she told him, Beast Boy saw the blush on her cheeks
"Was it about me?" he asked her, the blush got redder
He laughed and decided to oblige her "I actually wished that I had the courage to say something, something really important" he told her
Raven looked at him, waiting for the rest. He squirmed, then decided to continue on what he started.
"I wanted to tell someone really important to me how I feel" he started, frowning thoughtfully "And to ask said someone something, something really serious"
"I think you should do it" Raven told him, he looked at her, she smiled slightly
"If you say so" he sat down and took her hands in his. "Um Raven, we've been dating for, like a while. And I just wanted to tell you, even though I'm pretty sure you already know, I wanted to tell you that I really love you" he looked at her solemnly "with all my heart"
She smiled at him "Took you long enough" she told him, he smiled back and leaned over to kiss her
When they stopped she told him, "I love you too, Beast Boy" giving him a rueful look she added "Even though I've been free to feel whatever I want for a while, it's still kind of hard for me to say how I feel. It usually feels weird, but telling you that… felt natural"
Rebirth
Raven looked at herself in the mirror. She wished Beast Boy would tell her where he was taking her for their anniversary. He had said it was a big surprise and that something important would happen. She was pretty sure of what was going to happen, she just wasn't sure where he was taking her for that. The only clue she had was that he told her it was at night, and to dress elegantly. She smoothed down the deep blue dress she was wearing and looked at her hair. She didn't usually do anything with it, and there wasn't much she could do with it, it was too short for some elaborate hairstyle. When a knock sounded at her door, she put on her shoes and went to answer it. Beast Boy stood there in a tux. They were definitely going somewhere fancy.
After a nice dinner at one of the most expensive and exclusive restaurants in the city, Beast Boy took Raven's hand in his. "Raven, do you remember like, three years ago, when I first told you I loved you?"
Rave nodded, he took a deep breath and plunged ahead "Well, remember I wanted courage to ask you something?"
She nodded again "I was wondering if you remembered about that bit, since you never said anything about it"
He felt the small object he was holding in his hand "I wanted to ask you if you would make me the happiest man this world has ever seen and become my wife"
He risked a look at her; she was smiling and looking into his eyes. "Yes"
He could tell, even if she wasn't crying like most women did when they were proposed, or jumping for joy like Starfire had done when Robin proposed. He could still tell how much this meant to her and how much she loved him by the way her eyes were.
This Raven was a total transformation from how she had been when he'd first met her. It kind of reminded him of the Phoenix myth. Except Raven had risen from the ashes; metaphorically and literally, of her father. But just like the Phoenix she had risen from defeat and made a new life, made changes and had learned to fly. Still, in a way the woman who was sitting next to him, looking lovingly at him and the ring, was in essence the same girl he'd met so many years ago. He guessed that Raven wouldn't call how she was different from back then 'changes' she would probably refer to them as 'growing as an individual.'
He didn't mind, however she was and whatever she had been, or could've been, she was his Raven now. He smiled at that. She was his Raven, and he was his Beast Boy.
A Place to Belong
Raven looked down at the children playfully attacking their father. She walked slowly down the stairs where her husband had just given in to the attack of his pale green eyed, purple haired daughter and his green skinned blue eyed green haired son. When they saw their mother, they immediately turned with yells of delight to hug her around her rounding belly.
"Go up to bed," She told them "We'll be up to tuck you in soon"
Once they were scampering up the stairs, she helped Garfield up.
"Still looking for a new super hero name?" she asked him, ever since they had separated from the Teen titans, he had been looking for a new name to commemorate the fact that he was no longer a boy.
"The best I got is still just plain Beast" he sighed "Maybe Changeling"
She kissed him "Think about it in the morning, now we have to make sure those two stay in bed and actually go to sleep, I don't want to have another 'incident'"
He smiled "I thought that he was in bed, how was I supposed to know he was experimenting with his powers? Let alone that he could make a hole in the roof!"
Raven rolled her eyes good naturedly and started up the stairs. They went into the room both children shared and tucked them in.
"Mommy" one of them called "When can I go back to my room, Brandon snores"
"Do not!" Brandon interjected, un-tucking himself "You do"
"Do not!"
Before this could go on further, Raven went over to Brandon and re-tucked him in bed
"Beth, you'll get your room all to yourself again when we finish fixing the hole in Brandon's room" Garfield looked at his son gravely "You do know now better than randomly trying out your powers"
"How come?" Beth asked with a pout
"Because you'll have a little of both of our powers" Raven explained "And we both want to make sure you learn to use them in a safe way, so we can try to avoid accidents"
Both children sighed "Good night, Beth" Raven said, leaning down to kiss her forehead
"Night Mommy" Beth voice was sleepy
"Good night Brandon" Garfield told him, he ruffled the boy's hair before kissing his forehead
"Night Daddy" Brandon said, before closing his eyes and falling into an easy sleep
Raven and Garfield looked at their two sleeping children before turning off the lights and closing the door soundlessly. Raven yawned and wrapped an arm around Garfield's waist.
"tired?" he asked her, while he opened the door to their room
She nodded "The morning sickness is gone, that kind of evens it out, he'll be born soon though" she patted her belly softly as she got in the bed.
Garfield put his arms around her and the unborn child she carried. Raven sighed happily. After so many years of trying to find a place to fit in, where she was needed and loved and belonged, she had found it. She was sure life couldn't get better than how it was for her at the moment. Her past didn't matter anymore and she could look back proudly at the things she'd done and raise her children so they could become great heroes in their own right. Just like she and Garfield had done