Fortunately for the Titans, each member had come to compromise on the fact that the Tower required cleaning nearly every other week. This week, however, good fortune was not at all in Beast Boy's favor. Standing on the platform that overlooked the common room of the tower, his sharp vision turned sore at the mess strewn over every surface. Residue from his and Cy's breakfast buffet stuck to the countertop. They had eaten a variety of servings with such gusto that their satisfied stomach's begged them to lie down. Therefore, the kitchen remained neglected in a sticky, odorous shamble. Dishes were stacked from the depths of the sink rising to an uncanny resemblance to the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Flour had turned to glue from exposure to water. Grease encrusted the stovetop.
Cringing upon realizing the effort he would have to put into today's job, he faced the gaming area. If anything, it was much worse than the kitchen. Discarded CDs and Game Station cases were scattered across the floor. Controller wires had been knotted and a neglected soda stain tinged the carpet brown. To his ultimate annoyance the remote was nowhere in sight.
So Robin can track Jinx across the entire city and discover the top secret, underground H.I.V.E. Academy in the process but we still manage to lose another remote!
Trudging towards the kitchen in a querulous grumble, he quickly grabbed the cleaning rag and began to viciously scrub at a grime covered plate. Ugh, sick!
From behind him, the double doors hissed upon the entry of his fellow teammate. Eager to table his task, he nonchalantly glanced over his shoulder, green eyes connecting with a violet gaze. Acknowledging the dark empath, a sharp tooth slipped from his lips as they spread into a smile. "Hey Rae. Finish cleaning the bathrooms?"
Scoffing, Raven swiftly levitated towards the kitchen, avidly scrutinizing the tabletops. "Apparently I finish my job much faster than you do." Her dissecting eyes rested on the dishware in his gloved hands. "And more effectively."
For a moment, his smile faltered, but he was quick to regain his composure. "Yeah, well with your powers you can finish cleaning in like three minutes! It's so not fair!"
This got a rise of an eyebrow from her, "Get creative."
Scouring the rest of the room, she levitated in the direction of the bay window, rising over the coach and workbench. Reaching for a bowl teeming with a murky liquid, he grimaced as he continued to rid the kitchenware of gunk and grime. Taking her words into consideration, numerous transformations raced through his mind. Which one would get the job done quickest? A Gibbon? No… A Chimpanzee? Nah… A Squid? Hmm…
Finally locating the book she had been seeking out, Raven settled on the sofa. While cleaning the gaming area, she figured Beast Boy had carelessly stacked her books up on the workbench to move them "out of the way." Albeit she simply left them thrown against the cushions every time the Titan Alert interrupted her reading, it annoyed her all the same. His room was enough of a disaster, how did any of her teammates believe he would actually sterilize the common room?
A humbled wave of energy washed over her upon hearing the soothing crack of the worn novel's spine. Thank Azar none of them can read Latin she reflected once picking up on the latest chapter of her horror novel.
She didn't get very far in her reading, however.
The shrill of shattering glass scraped against her eardrums and shards rained in the kitchen. Slamming her book close, she whipped around to spot Beast Boy in the form of an octopus, tentacles desperately wrapped around the refrigerator. Sighing, she slid her book off her lap and walked over towards the flustered boy, a glower shrouding her visage. "What did you do?"
Morphing back into his human form, the Changeling nervously reached for the back of his neck once he landed on the floor from the height of the fridge. He winced once shards of glass crunched beneath his shoes. "Well, you said to get creative… and I thought having an extra hand would get things done faster."
Slightly amused by his abashed demeanor, she surveyed the damage he had caused. The floor was coated in glittering splinters that most likely accounted for a few plates. Returning her acute gaze to his, he instantly leaned against the fridge. Fear and embarrassment engulfed her senses but the emotions were not her own. Seizing her hood between her scrambling hands, she shoved the material over her head, careful not to show her own anger. Damn mental blocks… why aren't you working? Rarely, the mental blocks she had installed against her empathy ever faltered unless by will. It was as if Beast Boy's abrupt reaction towards her caused them to crumble.
He's cowering away from me because he's afraid that I'll scold him… Grasping the reins of control over her poise, all traces of agitation or any other invading emotion was expunged from her conscious. "Beast Boy," she said in an even, unfeeling tone, "I'm not mad at you."
Instantly, the boy's ropey muscles slackened. He tried to ignore the blood that rushed to his cheeks, "Sorry… it's just… you're really hard to read, Raven. I never know how you feel."
"I cannot afford to feel anything. You know that."
"Yeah," he acknowledged, a sudden feral passion igniting the pigment of his eyes. His fingers tensed as they coiled into his palms. "But that's not fair."
Suddenly, the glass shards beneath them collected even more debris as a bowl from the pile of dishes combusted in an explosion of dark energy. His eyes widened in surprise, the only indication of astonishment.
He's… not afraid?
"That's why I don't allow myself to feel any sentiment! I'm not going to risk endangering anyone!" The growl in her voice had no influence on her teammate.
His eyes pierced through the shadow of her hood, determination set in his eyes. "Remember our first few months in the Tower? I used to drive you absolutely crazy, maybe even more than I do now, and because of us we've had to replace a whole bunch of windows, remotes, and even a Game Station! But it's different now. Every time I tell a joke, I know it can really annoy you, but you're not nearly as explosive." Crossing his arms, his inclination towards the fridge had grown casual. "I think you're able to tolerate things after a while, Raven. Develop an immunity, yah know?"
Her heart was racing, the pendent on her cloak heaving outwards with her chest due to her deep breathing. But she hadn't been running or moving around… No, it was him.
Sparks flew from the electrical socket. Cabinet doors flew open. Her stack of books soared brilliantly across the room, one of them lodging into the magnificent bay window, causing the pane to splinter.
He remained unfazed. "We might not be totally comfortable with each other, but it would help to know what's on your mind from time to time." He was prodding her, encouraging her to open up.
"If I told you," she droned, "I'd probably have to kill you."
A faint smirk tugged at his lips. "Yeah, well, you're worth dying for. I mean, you've saved my butt on the battlefield more times than I can repay!"
Casting her gaze downwards, her violet eyes settled on the shimmering fragments. "That's because you're too impatient." Reaching for the ground, she carefully scooped up the jagged pieces. Her dark energy began to ooze over the elements, causing the bits to coalesce. "With you, it's about pace. You want to get your chores done so you become reckless. The same tactic applies to your methods when we're saving the city. You demand time, Beast Boy. You're restless and wild, which, when untended, can become destructive."
He opened his mouth to retort but she beat him to the words.
"Your reflexes, however, are empowered by this energy. It does benefit you, but you need to acknowledge endurance." Closing her eyes, her dark power encircled her fist, engulfing the fusing glass. Sensing her powerful aura, he couldn't help but fall into a dark devotion. Some kind of trance had taken over him. "Find your center, focus your energy, and…" Releasing her hold, she powered down, gentle fingers uncurling to reveal a glass figurine.
He grinned, humbled by her presence. "Sooooo, you're telling me to go through trouble to get things done and not take shortcuts?"
The rare smile that had tinged her lips vanished. "Now you're just being annoying."
Chuckling, he sidled up to her, still staring through the veil of dusk cast by her hood. She did not retreat from his sudden advance into her personal space, but she did not encourage it, either. "I'm just messing with yah. But really, if I'm patient with you from now on, will things between us be… well, not as… I mean…Uh…"
Sniggering beneath her cloak, she turned her hand over and allowed the figurine to drop to the floor and bite the dust. "Apply today's lesson and get cleaning. I'd start with the glass. Robin's about to send Cyborg off on his mission so you better be done when he leaves."
Long after Raven had exited the room, Beast Boy remained still, consumed by his insistent thoughts. He didn't quite know how to define his and Raven's relationship. It wasn't like friendship, wasn't like family, wasn't like romance. He really didn't know how to describe it except that it existed. It was there. But if he really did have some patience with her, maybe something would become of them.
A/N: So, if you didn't catch my allusions, I set this moment during "Deception" ( Season 3, Episode 1). Raven and Beast Boy's relationship has always been intriguing to me ( I'm mainly talking the comics, here ), so I'm really excited to explore that here.
Anyways, this will be a series of random one-shots & drabbles. Whenever inspiration hits, yah know?
…Review?