I'm doing the Emotion Prompt Challenge on Tumblr, so expect a few drabbles over the next week or two. The prompt Felerial gave me was "BBRae and nervous". Um, rated Teen, kind of. To be safe.
Beast Boy had been waiting for this moment with eager anticipation for what felt like a lifetime. He had daydreamed about it, imagining the circumstances where it would happen, planning all the details so things would go just right, even studying the physical techniques of how it all worked, though he would never tell anyone about that last part. He had practically been counting down the days since Raven surprised him with the shocking, but wonderful news that she wanted to go through with this too.
Now that the magical moment was finally here, though, only one feeling dominated his body: pure, sweaty-handed, stomach-twisting nerves.
There was no way he was going to let Raven see that, though. She had been trying to approach the entire situation with calm, casual rationality, as if what they were about to do was just an everyday occurrence of no great note. He knew her well enough, though, to see the little cues that said she was just as scared as he was. Maybe more since she had more to keep under control than he did when it came to stuff like this.
So, although he wanted to burn off his restless energy or give in to pure, raw emotion, he forced himself to stay collected and confident, taking on the role as guide for once. It wasn't a position he was used to being in with Raven, but she seemed to welcome taking his lead in this unfamiliar experience.
Things had progressed slowly, which was partly for the best as it let them both get used to each new physical and emotional development before things escalated further, but it was also a bit infuriating. The longer they drew it out, the surer Beast Boy was he would lose his cool and freak Raven out, which would be disastrous for all of them.
In the beginning, Raven clung to her meditation techniques to maintain control as her body was assaulted by these new sensations. Over time, though, he could tell she was having a harder and harder time holding back. Her breathing had begun to become more labored with the strain, her eyes closing as if to separate mind and body. He was torn between the understanding to let her do what needed to be done to stay collected and his own selfish desire for her to be more actively aware during this incredibly important moment in their lives.
When a grimace slipped past her carefully schooled expression, he ran his hand up her arm and squeezed lightly, trying to get her to open her eyes. "How you doing?"
"I'm fine," she gritted, taking a deep gulp of air.
He tried not to let his frustration show to her empathic senses. She didn't need that extra pressure to worry about. Instead, he kept his voice as level as possible. "You know, I think it's okay to let yourself feel this a bit more now. Things seem to be going well."
She shook her head, the old, instinctive response coming out. "My powers—"
"I know," he interrupted, hand moving to her cheek. "But there's nothing for you to destroy here. That's why we built this room, remember?"
That had been another source of massive embarrassment for her. He knew she hated that she couldn't even do this like a normal human. It had taken a long time to reassure her that this modified saferoom was a perfectly logical precaution to take where a superhero was involved. Although it was never discussed, they all knew Robin and Starfire had had to make accommodations of their own to prevent any mishaps with her Tamaranean powers during times when she was…emotional. It was an unspoken agreement that no Titan would judge another for issues created by their unique abilities.
Still, stopping Raven from judging herself was a battle he suspected would keep cropping up for years to come.
She sighed, her hand searching until it found his and gripped it. "I'm scared."
The admission clenched his heart and he squeezed her hand in return, getting her eyes to open and see the sincerity in his. "So am I. Remember, it's my first time too."
"What do you have to be scared about?" she huffed grumpily.
"Hey, there's kind of a lot for me to live up to here," he asserted. "This is a big thing for both of us. I, you know, just want to be good enough."
"You're going to be fine. You've been doing great so far."
His eyes brightened. He hadn't gotten much feedback from her yet, so that was a relief to hear. "Yeah?"
"Yes, you have." She rolled her eyes slightly with a hint of dark humor. "Besides, it's not like you have a very high bar to compete with where I'm concerned."
The fact that she could be sarcastic at a time like this was just another reason he loved her. "Yeah, I guess not. And hey, whatever we mess up this time, we'll just do it better next time."
Her eyes flashed to his angrily and her free hand smacked his arm fiercely. "Not the time!"
"Sorry." He shifted his position on the bed. Her temper flaring like that, coupled with the sudden stoniness of her face, was a pretty clear sign. "It's getting stronger?"
"Yes," she answered tersely, concentrating enough he saw sweat beading on her forehead. Combined with the flush that had graced her cheeks since things really started going, it made for a fascinating image. She was so desperate to keep her composure as her body increasingly betrayed her wishes. He wished he could just watch her, but he knew he had to keep talking her through this.
"Raven," he said softly, reaching up to brush a strand of hair off her forehead. "Babe, don't take this the wrong way, but I don't think you're going to finish this if you keep stopping yourself."
"It'll happen in its own time," she said between gasping breaths. "It's natural. My body knows what to do."
"Yeah, but you're fighting it every step of the way." He leaned down, resting his cheek against hers and whispering in her ear. "I'm right here, Raven. Let yourself feel it. Everything will be okay, I promise. Just let it happen."
She resisted a moment longer, but he could feel her resolve slipping beneath the demands of her body. There was a crackling noise as dark energy sparked across the walls around them, but it only caused a cold sensation to wash across him. He kissed her neck, trying to offer whatever reassurance he could give her.
A deep, guttural groan tore itself from her throat and her hands constricted viciously. He winced at her strength, his free hand drifting down to rest on her stomach. Beneath his fingers, the muscles had gone hard as a rock. He wished he could ease some of her discomfort, but he knew she would have to bear out worse than that before this was over. All he could do was be there for her. And try not to cry. Or faint.
As the wave of intensity ebbed away, Raven slumped back against the mattress, still breathing hard. Beast Boy stretched out beside her to take advantage of this lull in the action. His hand stayed splayed across her rounded belly, moving in slow circles to try to soothe the sore muscles. Actually feeling the contraction going through her had set his nerves off anew. This was really happening. In the next few hours, he was going to be holding his first child in his arms and his life would never again be the same.
And as nervous as he was, he couldn't possibly be more excited.
Dr. Mid-nite walked in, smiling slightly as he looked at the couple lying on the bed. "Well, Raven, I have a few things to check, but from the sound of it, you're probably ready to start pushing. It should be over relatively quickly after that."
No, Beast Boy thought, kissing his wife's forehead adoringly. Everything's just about to begin.