To celebrate winter break, I decided to write something after a hundred years of inactivity. So, this is my first attempt at writing BBrae! Let's give it a go, shall we?
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Teen Titans, , Beast Boy, or Raven. The characters depicted are property of DC, DC Entertainment and Warner Brothers.
Holiday Date
The holiday of Christmas is considered as a revered and sacred one by most people. A holiday of love and joy, of appreciating family and friends and spending time with them. And Jump City was no exception. Bright Christmas-themed decorations filled the streets and buildings of Jump, from multi-colored lights on the porches of apartments in the shapes of stars to classic Christmas music being heard from every corner, either by stores and shops or people humming them as they walk by. The festive atmosphere created by the gentle snowfall, bright lights and cheerful music could bring a smile on anyone's face.
Yes, even on the Teen Titan empath known as Raven.
While it was not a face-breaking grin, it was an honest-to-goodness smile. And she had no qualms about hiding it as she and the emerald shapeshifter known as Beast Boy walked around the chilly streets of Jump with their gloved hands intertwined, her dressed in a winter version of her costume, fur-trimming, pants and blue gloves, him dressed in a black and purple sweater, black jeans and grey gloves. Despite being the most restrained of the team, Raven could not help but smile on Christmas, feeling love and compassion from everywhere she turns. Such days could make anyone smile. Especially someone who feels the emotions of those around her. She was not entirely subservient to that trait, but it was there in the form of an influence.
She couldn't tell if it was the city's residents or the sheer amount of ecstasy a certain green-skinned changeling gave off that made her feel this way. If anyone could be so happy as to eclipse an entire city's worth of people, it'd be Garfield Logan. He has been begging her to go outside all day, and after plenty of coaxing through transforming into cute animals, she at last agreed to go with him.
"YES! Finally found it! Come on, Rae!" Raven took note of his exuberant attitude as she followed him to a small café called "Cup O'Joe". Raven raised an eyebrow at this place, with its windowed walls and small tables outside the main building built out of brick, with fancy red ribbons and tiny Christmas trees decorating the place.
"So, this is it?"
"Yep! Best hot cocoa in Jump! You'll love it!"
Raven only nodded in understanding as her response. While uncertain, she trusted Beast Boy. Much like how he trusted her through thick and thin all these years, after endless conflict of both the internal and external variety. Yet that conflict was nothing to their mutual love and understanding of one another. The fact that she's out here, enjoying herself with him proved as much.
They walked inside the café, a bell ringing as they opened the door. Steadily making their way inside the main building, they gazed upon an ornately decorated, large room, with pictures of music stars filling the walls, musical instruments and vinyl records decorating pillars among the pictures and, of course, traditional Christmas ornaments. The sound of the song "Jingle Bell Rock" reverberating through the room only drove in the fact that this was a rock music themed café. There were a few people there, some enjoying their drinks with snacks and some chatting to each other. There were two floors in the building with tables and lounging chairs.
Beast Boy turned to look at her. "So, what'd ya think?"
"It's quite nice, Gar. I knew you were a rock fan, but I never thought you'd go to a rock café. I'm surprised this even exists."
"I know, me too! I only discovered it on November during one of my patrols! I kept it secret until now and I couldn't wait to take you here for the holidays! It's nice and quiet, with few people around"
Raven lightly blushed at how considerate he was. Leave it to him to plan something 2 months in advance to make someone happy.
They moved towards the register, where a dark-haired man dressed in a black shirt with a guitar player smashing a guitar on the front of it wearing a Santa hat lay in wait.
Beast Boy greeted him in his endearingly friendly manner, letting out a toothy grin and a wave of his hand. "Yo, Joe! How's it going, dude?
The man looked up to look at Beast Boy with a warm smile. "Why if it isn't Beast Boy! Glad to see ya, kid! I see you brought some company with you!"
With a nod of his head, Garfield gestured towards Raven. "This is Raven, I believe you know of her!"
Joe's smile turned into a smirk. "Yeah, cuz you just can't stop telling me about her!"
Beast Boy and Raven chuckled at that remark. It felt refreshing to be treated like people instead of celebrities. While the admiration is appreciated, it can be too much for them to handle at times.
"So, what can I get you two? Might I suggest a cup of hot cocoa, with whipped cream and marshmallows?"
"You certainly may! We'll take our table at the top floor and wait for it there. Come on, Rae!"
With that, he led her to the top floor and picked a table for them right by a large window overlooking the streets of Jump. Holding hands all the way. Even when they sat down and took off their gloves, they still held hands across the table.
Still being a little nervous, Raven spoke up to break the silence between them. "Thanks for taking me out here, Gar. It's a really nice place."
Gar met her small smile with a grin of his own. "Thanks for taking me up on that offer. I was worried I was moving a bit too fast for you to get used to, y'know? I mean, I know you're still trying to sort some things out, but I figured that you don't need to do it alone. Because you are not alone."
Raven blinked in surprise. He knew exactly how she felt and he didn't even need empathetic powers to do so. Then again, he was just that good at reading her, even when she was completely closed to herself. He always tried to make her happy, bring out the best in her. Especially during a time when she felt lost about what path her life might take her. After all, she thought her life was always set to play out one certain way since birth. But that did not come to pass. And while "Now what?" was not the most elegant way of describing her turmoil, it was the most accurate.
Raven thought to herself. "It feels surreal, how much I have changed since last Christmas. Back then I would have never even considered going outside of the tower for Christmas. Just staying in my room with my book and my friends would have been enough. Then again, back then Gar was still trying to break through the walls I raised around myself to keep Trigon at bay. Even when he was gone, the walls remained. They were cracked and full of holes, but they remained. And he made it his mission to tear them down, just so I could be happy."
As she mulled these thought in her head, her gaze met his in a determined, yet loving manner. "I know Gar. I got my family the Titans… and I got you. Somehow."
"Oh, don't bring yourself down, I won't have that! You've been through a lot, and you deserve the best!"
Raven got a little choked up as his words touched her heart. "You are the best thing to happen to me, Garfield Logan. Just being around you makes me happier than I could have ever imagined."
After she said that, her hands cupped Beast Boy's shocked face and pulled him in for a powerful, toe-curling kiss. It did not take long for Beast Boy to return the favor, his hands playing with her blue hair. The area around them became a blur, the melody of "Please Come Home For Christmas" disappearing into the ether that was their passion. They could only feel each other, for that was all they needed.
Which resulted in them getting easily startled as Joe came with their beverages and made his presence known with a loud fake cough. Both Titans broke up the kiss, with flushed faces and heavy breaths.
Joe flipped a fringe of his hair around, trying to contain his lopsided smirk from turning to an outright face breaking grin. "Well, even though you treated yourselves to something much sweeter than chocolate, how about you have some anyway?"
"Yeah, uh, thanks Joe." Gar answered lamely. Joe only shook his head, left the cocoas on the table and left.
Raven recovered from her embarrassment and picked up her mug, holding it up as Beast Boy took his, her smile lighting up the room. "Merry Christmas, Gar."
He smiled back, his own mug gently hitting hers. "Merry Christmas, Rae."
Dedicated to Ava, for inspiring me to learn more, to love and ultimately write about this couple. Hope you like your gift! Have a Happy Birthday!