A/N: To quote Owl City's Fireflies, everything [below] is not what it seems… At the very least, read the very end, please, so there are no… misunderstandings?
Disclaimer: Rights to the Teen Titans go where they're due, and not to me. If this show was mine… The sixth season wouldn't be an urban legend.
A quiet evening between the two of them, just Raven hanging out in Beast Boy's room, doing normal, non-relationship related things, right?
… Well, that's what Beast Boy said would happen anyways. With Robin informed, free reign of the Tower was entrusted to the changeling while Cyborg, the Boy Wonder himself, and Starfire ran errands to replenish the food supply, something that had been nearly depleted due to Beast Boy's midnight snacking habits.
Raven opened the door, and took a deep breath. It was nice to inhale some clean, fresh air, and relieve oneself of the tension that normally plagues superheros… Moreover, the tension created from this being the first time the two of them were alone in the tower with no possibility of the others returning anytime soon… Anything could happen between them, easily, and no one would know. Besides, it's not like the others weren't… doing the same. Nothing wrong with following a crowd of superheros, right?
"I still don't know why Robin put you in charge, Gar… I thought it'd be a cold day in hell before he gave you any responsibility," Raven said, knocking the door into the wall hard to make her presence known, chuckling softly to herself. After all, she was much funnier than the changeling, hands down.
Beast Boy leapt off the bed, startled, but quickly regained his composure.
"Are you saying you don't think I can't keep a single tower safe until the rest of the Titans get back? Is that a challenge, Rae?"
Raven became visibly irritated at this… nickname Beast Boy insisted on using. "How many times have I asked you to stop calling me that, Beast Boy?"
"Around 1524, but who's counting, Rae?" Beast Boy said, grinning and tucking a lock of her hair behind her ear.
With that, Raven disregarded the issue at hand and nervously tried to change the subject, hoping that Beast Boy didn't notice the furious blush that now appeared on her visage.
"What are those- those things on your bed? What are- Are we?..."
"Don't pretend like you've never seen them before, Rae… If we can get away with anything tonight…"
'You've gone completely insane, haven't you? What if they actually get back and see us like this? You don't think Robin'll be too happy about us-"
Beast Boy's grin turned into a nonchalant smirk as he waved his hand around to dismiss the very notion.
"Trust me, they won't even suspect a thing, Rae… And even if… I'm not that afraid of the others finding out that we- Well, I'm pretty afraid of it, but as long as you throw me into the ocean fast enough, we'll be fine?"
Raven sighed, somewhat subdued by Beast Boy's words.
"Sounds like a plan… But you really think you're ready for this? To you, this is like a huge step in our relationship, right?"
"I-I thought about it for a while, Rae… And I definitely want to try this with you, no one else. I'm ready when you are?"
Although Beast Boy's hesitation worried her, she had come into this room with one purpose, and she wasn't about to leave before that happened.
"Then now is as good a time as ever, right?"
He shot her a look that questioned the truth behind her answer.
"Come on, Rae. Either you're ready or you're not. There is no copping out from this one… I just… don't want to force you into doing anything that you might regret…"
"It's you, isn't it? You're the only one that's this way… Anyone else would've started something by now, but you really don't want to hurt me, do you? It's- it's fine, really. I'll be fine…"
She imitated Beast Boy's hand-waving and smile in an effort to appear completely okay with the idea. Beast Boy, however, saw through the ruse. He wouldn't be much of a boyfriend if he didn't know the girl he was with better than the back of his hand.
"Look, Rae, I'm not going to do anything unless you're ready, okay? Until you can convincingly tell me that you're ready…"
"...Okay. I'm ready... Starfire showed me a few tricks, so I'll be more than capable of keeping up with you and all your "experience", Garfield"
As she said his name with a mischevious look in her eyes, Beast Boy began to wonder if he was the one that wasn't ready for something like this.
"Alright then... Guess I'm going to start. We should probably sit on the bed before we- The table might not be able to support the both of us and the floor isn't very enticing… But it is the girl's decision, so?..."
"I'll go with the bed… That is what you've traditionally done, right?"
Raven and Beast Boy moved to Beast Boy's bed, decorated with a beautifully designed DC themed comforter.
"You're kidding me? They probably had a billion options at the store and you picked Batman? I had no idea the Dark Knight suited your tastes, Beast Boy… You truly are a man of mystery"
"Kay, for your information, it was either this, or Pretty, Pretty Pegasus and well…"
Raven raised an eyebrow, still the skeptic as ever then rolled her eyes to indicate her acceptance. She wasn't going to waste telepathy on something as trivial as this. "Maybe I'd come here more often if you picked Pretty, Pretty Pegasus?"
Beast Boy wasn't about to fully admit his fond admiration of the Caped Crusader, and Raven was willing to accept his simple explanation. If Raven ever told Robin about it… He had a feeling he would never hear the end of it.
"First girl to ever tell me that… Anyways, we should probably get started," Beast Boy sighed, looking out the window. It was the middle of the evening and the sun's hues blended nicely, casting a brilliant light through their window.
"It kinda is the perfect day for this, isn't it?"
"Weather ain't half-bad. Wish I could say the same about the company," Raven said, punching his arm lightly, then pulling him in for a quick kiss.
"I-Isn't it kind of hot in here? Hotter than it usually is? You think something's up around the Tower?" Raven asked, trying to sound as casual as demonly possible.
"If you're trying to stall for time, you know I wouldn't be doing this with you if you didn't want to… we shouldn't have started this then… But I thought you just said you were ready. Was that all a lie, Rae?" He challenged, his green eyes catching the light and twinkling with anticipation.
Raven recoiled and winced. "It's not like that, Gar…-It's just... I'm not good at these kind of things... It's not like I get out much so…" she trailed off.
"Oh, come on." He nudged her side and proceeded to playfully push her. "You've seen how this works before, right? You have to have… at least once… Probably even more, knowing you... "
Her eyes widened in shock. "D-Don't make me remember, Garfield!" She shrieked, turning away from him, pouting.
"I'm sorry, Rae… Didn't realize that touched a nerve… But you know, you are irresistibly cute when you're mad..." he trailed off, placing his hand on her shoulder and dragging her in for a hug.
"I'm going to start now, okay?" he asked assertively, as if it wasn't so much a question of what her answer would be.
"F-Fine." She agreed hesitantly. The bed creaked again, and to a passerby, it wouldn't be hard to gauge just what activities they had planned for tonight.
"Well, here I go, no point in waiting any longer." Beast Boy proclaimed, as if he didn't care who heard him. "I'll continue along at my own pace, but you just follow whenever you're ready to begin, kay?"
"Got it...Don't think I won't give you a run for your money…" she nodded affirmatively. A silence erupted for a brief few seconds as Raven tensed up but Beast Boy was much too keyed up to hold anything back now.
"Ah! W-Wait, Gar! N-Not so fast! If you're going to insist I participate, at least give me a chance to keep up?" Raven began, a nearby lamp flickering in response to her outburst.
"Ah, sorry, Rae... Guess I was so into it, I wasn't paying much attention to what you wanted. Promise I'll wait for you..." he apologized, determined to avoid such lapses in judgement again.
When Raven was finally up to speed, Beast Boy began moving again, a bit slower than before. He took the lead, relentlessly and fearlessly as Raven constantly winced and squeaked along the way, still struggling to keep up.
"How is it even possible for someone to?- I fucking hate this! How is anyone supposed to?- And there you go again!" Raven articulated, almost furious that he would do such a thing.
"Rae, ever considered it might be a game?" Beast Boy joked, never the one to take anything seriously.
"This isn't a game, Beast Boy, it's life or death. This is an experience to treasure for the rest of our lives!"
"Who'd ever thought you'd be so passionate about- about something like this? You are just full of surprises, Rae…"
"Well…" Raven's voice trailed off, and she looked away, hoping Beast Boy didn't catch sight of the fierce blush she now sported.
"Okay, I think that's enough of the boring stuff," Beast Boy announced, breaking the silence that had long endured between the two due to their high levels of concentration. "It's time for some action! I'm going in!"
"Ah, w-wait for me, Garfield! Do you ever think of someone besides yourself?" She cried. "G-Gar, you're going too fast! Slow down so I can actually keep up! Sheesh, not everyone is an animal like you…"
"Sorry, Rae… Sometimes I just lose myself and… Anyways, I won't be trying that out again anytime soon, I guess.."
"W-What was that, Garfield? Some… technique?" She gasped, incredulously, unable to comprehend how such a thing was even possible.
"I came up with it and developed it myself. Was that too much for you? "
"A little..." she admitted reluctantly, unwilling to confess that she may not be able to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Beast Boy, of all people, at something.
"You know, if you wanted…I could teach you, sometime... Whenever you're free?"
"No, it's futile! I'd never be able to do something like that… Let's just… talk about something else, okay?" She asked, shaking her head vigorously.
"Surprising, but okay." Beast Boy let out the wriest of laughs. "How're you holding up? You okay? Nothing's become a burning question on your end?"
"Yeah, well... There was a bit of blood and gore on my side, but I don't exactly know that it was me taking the L out here… But I'm fine now… A little exhausted… You can keep going if you want? It's not like I'm tired. Just don't get the wrong idea… I'm not just going to stand idly by and let you have all the fun"
"You're going to love this... It'll all be over cuz we're going to finish this up pretty soon. And this is the best part."
"I'm not sure if I can... But I'll try, if that means anything to you?"
"Alright!" He shouted, aware of her reluctance and placing a kiss on her cheek, whispering in her ear that they'd be fine before starting up again...
"W-Wait! Gar, I don't think I can do this anymore! Not this fast! It's- it's impossible! Maybe for someone as talented as you but-!" She cried.
"Well, Rae, it'd be foolish to quit now… And you can't stop now! I can't do this without you! That's why this is a two-player game! I need you… Not just for this, duh, Rae, but for the rest of my life…"
"W-Why would you say something so-so serious-sounding during… something as light-hearted like this?" She falsely laughed, attempting to downplay how much the two of them had waited for this moment.
"You can do it, Rae!" He encouraged. "Just a little farther!"
"N-No... I-I'm going to-"
"Raven!"
"Kyaaaaaaaaa!"
Raven had never been good with anything intended to induce horror upon its audience, and she was even worse with admitting it. This simple fact was especially true with video games, a walk of life that she was extremely terrible at but also an area that she was gaining greater prowess in. On this particular day, Beast Boy forced himself to wait until she had steeled her emotions to the point where she was ready to begin the scariest of games with him as they sat on his bed. Forgetting that she would be in his bedroom, using his personal GameStation 4 (which took him no less than 4 months hard labor at a MgRonald's to afford), he didn't change his bedsheets, much to Raven's amusement.
As Beast Boy had mentioned earlier, Raven was definitely no stranger to the horror genre, and she had seen Beast Boy play the game with the other Titans, and even with other friends on several occasions. Although she would never admit it, she was somewhat jealous of those people and the carefree, enjoyable relationships her boyfriend seemed to have with them. Although he was hers and he had agreed vehemently to that fact when they decided to pursue something greater than a friendship between them… It wasn't like there was anything wrong with demanding that he focuses his attentions on her and her alone for a while? To that effect, Raven wanted him to see her on equal terms with all of these other people, and thus forced herself to submit to the mind-mushing agony that was Noisy Valley 6: The Screams of Blood, simply for Beast Boy's pleasure, not doubting in the least that she would find the game to be rather… distasteful.
This, in fact, was her first time playing this particular game, even though the couple had played these kinds of games together several times before, but normally with less violence. Still, frequently, Raven would just up and quit ahead of time, due to excess amounts of fear or nausea from seeing so much blood on the screen when their virtual avatars slaughtered inhuman creatures (or were consumed/ravaged by them). To Raven, as a somewhat-inhuman creature herself, these games were, at the least, mildly disturbing in nature.
As per the usual, Beast boy had started off without her, continuously running ahead, not even stopping to lend a hand to the petrified Raven. The gripping reality of the game left the frozen-with-fear Raven behind, far behind, in a dimly-lit forest setting until she caught up with him. He had then realized his mistake, and paused the game to talk her through the game and motivate her fighting spirit. However, Beast boy, raring for adventure, wasted no time jumping into a hoard of demons -half of her own kind- and used various original techniques to defeat them.
So many combinations of so many moves in conjunction with so many power-ups, Raven didn't think she ever could've accomplished something on that scale, regardless of the experience level. Such a thing required vast amounts of natural talent, something Raven sorely lacked. Beast Boy had offered to teach her his miraculous techniques sometime, but she felt they were far too advanced for her and that there was utterly no point in trying to teach an old dog new tricks. Beast Boy, having been a dog multiple times, would've disagreed, so she thought it best to keep this particular comment to herself.
Even when Beast Boy attempted to shield her from damage, Raven's character splattered blood on the television screen, although it was hard to tell whose blood it was, so she checked the damage gauge, a handy feature even she knew how to use. Shortly afterward, they found themselves against the final wave of darkness, which would be irrationally difficult with just a single player, hence Beast Boy's plea for Raven's help. However, even with Raven's presence, the odds seemed bleak, and in the end, Raven, still not having gotten over her fear of scary things, had once again chickened out, with a bloodcurdling scream as she cast off her game controller into the deepest depths or Pizza Box Mountain, hid underneath the blanket, and left Beast Boy to die alone in the game. Afterwards, she brought him underneath the covers, and there, the real fun began..
"Rae, we were so close...I thought that this week, we'd finally make it all the way…We even got rid of the distractions…" he said, whispering the words into a sigh.
"I-I'm sorry... After all, I'm just no good with these..." she mumbled, picking up the controller. "Put me in front of something I can touch with my own two hands and then, the magic'll kick in…"
"Something you can touch with your own two hands, Rae? Something like… me?"
"So you're not mad about the-?"
"It's okay, you'll get better eventually. And besides, nothing like that is ever going to matter more than you do," he answered, patting her head with a grin. "Come on. Let's get something cold to drink. It was kinda hot in here."
As the two unraveled the covers and hopped off of Beast Boy's bed, it appears there was one little inconvenience waiting for them…
"Friend Robin, what do you suppose the friend Raven and the friend Beast Boy are accomplishing in his room to produce such a conversation and such odd noises?" Starfire asked, her face going beet-red as she conjured a vague idea of a possible conclusion.
"Oh, I know exactly what they've been doing for the past two hours… And judging by the look on your face, Star, you've arrived at the same result… Although it kind of does break their privacy as a couple to be here eavesdropping, we can't tolerate that kind of thing in the Tower or between the Titans' members. When the two of them get out of there, they've got one hell of an explanation to give. This is what I get for leaving a clown like Beast Boy in charge, isn't it?"
"Robin, don't you think you might be overreacting? These things always have a simple explanation to them. And if the two of them thought we weren't gonna be home for two hours and decided to- you know, shouldn't that be between them and not us?"
"Cyborg, as much as what you're saying might fly, I can't just stand by and watch the morality of this tower disintegrate into nothingness… If they… are going to get themselves into these sorts of activities… They're going to have to at least find someplace else to do that.I don't think the Justice League, who, by the way, will be paying a visit tomorrow, would appreciate our use of the tower for such illicit endeavors. If Batman found out..." the Boy Wonder muttered while shuddering furiously
A/N: Let me tell you,I had too much fun with this but it was admittedly difficult, writing from a different perspective/voice. Maybe I'll write another chapter where the couple have to "clear the air" with the other 3 Titans to hone my skills? Well, at any rate, lemme know if it was convincing or if you had it all figured out, please? I hope you enjoyed the ride… Or at least got a chuckle out of it?
Please review!
~lefauxlucifer