A/N: Sometimes, I accept prompts on my tumblr. This one ended up being quite long, so I figured I would post it. Guest starring Rose Wilson/Ravager. Do enjoy.
No Regrets
It was just a mission.
Some stupid undercover ploy to infiltrate the enemy base and scoop up new intel on Brother Blood.
So what if it required an elaborate disguise? So what if it required Beast Boy to have a 'date' to go with to the ridiculous party? And if it happened to be an attractive vixen like Ravager, it certainly wasn't any of Raven's concern.
"How do I look?" He'd asked her apprehensively once he'd come out of his room.
Raven had to use all of her willpower and self control not to let her expression betray her emotions.
She'd been expecting him to look disheveled, lazy, maybe even unkempt, but when Garfield had stepped out for her appraisal, he looked anything but.
Not only was he wearing a clean cut, black dress suit and silk tie, he also had to slip on a custom holo ring that Cyborg had made exclusively for him, to help mask his otherwise uncanny appearance.
Therefore, the young man that stood before her looked nothing like the teenage boy she'd come to know throughout the years. This man had hair in a shade of flaxen blonde, combed back and gelled neatly aside in a gentlemanlike coiffure, very unlike the shaggy green tendrils Raven had grown accustomed to. Most notably, his skin was no longer a jade green, replaced now with a more normal peach tone as of his Caucasian heritage. Also, it did not escape her that even his ears were not pointed, and his teeth were a straight, pearly white with a significant absence of fangs.
Beast Boy looked…completely and utterly normal.
The only feature of his that had remained unchanged were his eyes; they stayed the same glittering verdant shade she had found comfort in many a time. Even if she were at death's door, she'd vowed never to tell him any of that.
Altogether, his new look had jarred her, and done something strange with her emotions that she couldn't recognize. Too frightened to linger on feelings she could not understand, she focused instead on the ones she could easily rely on, such as apathy.
"…Weird," she finally answered him in a disinterested tone.
His smile faltered a bit. "W-weird? Is it the suit? Or the hair? I told Cy, I just don't do gel." He fidgeted in his clothes like they were crawling with insects, adjusting the form fitting jacket and playing with the buttons on his crisp, white dress shirt.
"I think you look delicious," a new voice entered the fray.
Rose Wilson stood at the end of the hallway, wearing an appreciative smirk and a revealing, tight black dress to go with it. She eyed Beast Boy without a hint of discretion, admiring the way his new outfit clung to his lean form. Raven noted that the tips of his ears were red, and that his blushing was becoming a lot more evident now that he wasn't green anymore.
Rose started walking towards them once all eyes were on her, the slit in her floor length, black gown revealing the strap on her thigh where she'd no doubt stashed a weapon of some sort. The holo ring Cyborg had provided her with had changed her hair colour to a more natural, platinum blonde while also maintaining the illusion that she had both of her eyes. It didn't, however, provide any alterations on her deceptive and unpredictable personality.
Once she'd reached them, she had made it a point to blatantly ignore Raven's existence, and instead, leaned in towards Beast Boy, her nimble fingers playing with his tie. "Normally, you'd be a little too young for my tastes, but might I say that you clean up well, Gar," she purred into his ear.
Beast Boy had visibly tensed, and Raven saw his cocky façade for exactly what it was; a façade.
"U-uh, you look good, too, Rose," he squeaked, uncomfortable at the lack of space between them, and working up a nervous sweat.
She towered over him by a few inches, especially in the strappy, black high heels she wore and, as a result of the height difference, if Garfield looked down, he'd be staring directly into her ample, pushed up cleavage.
"This is the part where it gets gross and I leave," Raven groaned, rolling her eyes in disgust, no longer being able to stand in such close proximity to the couple.
As she started walking down the hall and towards her room, Ravager called out to her, "You had your chance, Rae. You turned it down, don't forget that."
Raven scoffed, "Whatever."
Yet Rose's words still rang true; Nightwing would have much preferred if it had been Raven going in undercover, and not Ravager. Not when they barely knew if they could even trust her, especially considering who she was related to. Richard had pleaded with Raven to reconsider, although Nightwing's 'pleading' merely outlined all the benefits of his decision versus the negatives. Still, Raven had adamantly refused, and not even their leader would be able to sway her on the matter.
Not because of having to be Garfield's date, which was what everyone else on the team had initially concluded, but because she didn't think she could pull it off. She wasn't a very good actress, and she figured, if anything, she would only blow their cover and jeopardize the entire mission. Considering how much was riding on gathering the intel before Brother Blood could initiate a devastating blow to the Titans, Raven didn't know if she could handle that sort of pressure. Rose Wilson, on the other hand, was charismatic and devious enough for such a role.
It was simply best if Raven sat this one out.
Or so she'd thought.
Both Rose and Beast Boy had tiny earpieces and small cameras placed somewhere on their clothing, allowing the rest of the Titans to monitor the events of the party safely from the Tower. Cyborg had even stealthily hacked into the security surveillance of the event to garner them a better view of the entire banquet.
Raven had walked into the team's new conference room where multiple screens flashed different angles of the party, and Nightwing, Starfire and Cyborg sat huddled about, discussing some more final details about the job.
"We need to figure out what Brother Blood is up to. You all have your parts to play. Star and I will be at the rendezvous point in case anything gets out of control. We'll both have our comms on us," Nightwing instructed his team.
"What am I supposed to do?" Raven asked him.
After her refusal to cooperate, Dick had left her alone for the most part about the mission. It was an unspoken respect between them; if she wanted in, all she needed to do was come to him. If he had upset her somehow, then he was also content with having her on the bench for this one. The decision would ultimately be up to her.
Dick shrugged at her question, clearly taken by surprise that she'd decided to lend a hand after all. "Uh, watch Beast Boy and Rose? Make sure they stay out of any trouble, and that they blend in. None of this works if they're discovered too soon."
"Fun," Raven replied dryly before sitting down and mentally preparing herself for the underwhelming task she'd been assigned.
Once everyone was in position, and both Garfield and Rose were on scene, the operation was in full swing.
"So, do you think they have vegetarian options at this thing or…?" Beast Boy's voice came over the speakers.
"Focus, B," Cyborg answered him.
"Yeah, yeah. Blend in, got it."
"Any suggestions, Raven?" Ravager asked the empath in her sultry voice.
She sighed, annoyed by the simplicity of the question. "You probably want to locate a few of Brother Blood's confidantes, get as close as possible to them while eavesdropping. I think I see one of his bodyguards by the dancefloor," Raven replied, scrutinizing a screen for a familiar face.
Rose laughed heartily. "Perfect; a reason to go dancing. Wanna take me for a spin, Gar?" She cooed seductively.
A cold shiver ran down Raven's spine and she tried not to convulse in disgust. "Ugh," she groaned, rubbing the palm of her hand down her face.
"I'm getting vibes of a double entendre here," Cyborg grimaced.
"I wouldn't be opposed to either," Rose teased.
Garfield could be heard sputtering. "W-what?! What does that even mean?!"
Raven and Cyborg examined the cameras as Ravager led Beast Boy to the dance floor, not allowing him to formulate a proper response in time. He stumbled behind her as she tugged on his hand.
"Like what you see, Gar?"
Raven stiffened.
"I've always been told I look good walking away," she playfully added.
Even from the furthest camera, Rose's impressive silhouette stood out in the crowd, her curve-hugging black dress leaving very little to the imagination.
Cyborg let out a tired sigh.
"I…you…uh…I'm not looking, I swear!" Beast Boy could be heard protesting.
He yelped when she moved his hand lower down her back, to a spot that would certainly be considered indecent. "Yes, you were. I bet you stared long and hard enough just to figure out if I've got any panties on under all this."
Somewhere in Titan tower, a lightbulb shattered. Cyborg flinched at the sound before he turned to regard Raven.
Her hands were tight, balled fists at her sides, and she wore a scowl that set her features into a conflict of emotion.
"You…You're not wearing…any?" Beast Boy gulped.
A girlish giggle from Rose. "Maybe I am, maybe I'm not. There's only one way to find out for sure, Beastie."
Some of the surveillance screens were flickering, moving between grainy black and white, then back again to the party.
"Uh…Rae?" Cyborg called out to the empath carefully. "You okay there?"
Rose was indecently pressed up against Garfield, her lithe body practically melded against his own, her mouth dangerously close to the sensitive spot below his ear. She grinned widely, like she was the Cheshire cat, and one of her arms wrapped around his waist tightly, while the other hand explored the fine blonde hairs at the nape of his neck.
One of the screens cracked and fizzled loudly, and Cyborg cried out in surprise.
Ravager, with her luscious red lips, and long, wavy, platinum hair, stared over Garfield's shoulder, directly at Raven through one of the cameras. Almost as if she knew she somehow had her attention, she gave the enraged demoness a playful wink and a slight wave of her fingers, before placing a tender red kiss against Garfield's neck. All the while her piercing blue eyes, so much like her father's, never left the camera.
Raven gritted her teeth in agitation as a few more screens shattered and the lights flickered throughout the Tower.
"She's doing this on purpose," the empath growled, her anger seeping through her normally contained demeanour.
"Doing what, Raven? Breakin' all my stuff?!" Cyborg shouted out in frustration, all the while trying to avoid the shards of glass that had decorated the floor and tabletop while he worked on fixing his equipment. He didn't know what to start on first; he could hardly keep up with the level of chaos.
"Look, I don't know what you guys are playin' at, but if you could stop destroying everything in sight, Rae, I'd appreciate it," the oldest Titan commented, growing frustrated with the amount of damage his teammate had caused.
Rose cackled loudly, throwing her head back in mirth. "What's the matter, Rae Rae? Have I struck a nerve? Does rage want to come out and play?"
A loose wire sparked to life and Cyborg nearly jumped at the shock.
"Uh…is everything okay over there?" Beast Boy sounded concerned.
Raven's fingernails dug into the skin of her palms as relaxation and calm seemed to be escaping her with every second that passed.
"Peachy. Don't you two have a job to do?" Raven hissed through a clamped jaw.
Cyborg, looking mildly apprehensive about approaching the broken equipment after it had nearly shocked his systems, agreed with Raven on that matter. "She's right. Quit foolin' around and find someone from the H.I.V.E already."
Ravager smacked her lips together, her hand creeping down Garfield's backside before giving him a slight pinch, eliciting an uncharacteristic squeal from the changeling. "Oh, I know. The fooling around bit usually comes after an intense job," she acknowledged, biting her bottom lip.
Beast Boy mocked innocence. "I have no idea what you mean by that," he stammered unconvincingly.
"If ya'll don't get your act together soon, I'm pulling you out and calling this a bust. Then you gotta deal with Nightwing and explain to him why it was a major fail since you two can't seem to keep it in your pants!" Cyborg threatened.
Rose only seemed to grow more amused by the effect she was currently having on every Titan, not taking Cyborg's comment seriously in the least. "You are all such easy marks," she smirked, shaking her head.
"While you were all too busy setting up and dilly dallying, I placed recording devices on Jinx and Blood himself. Any meaningful conversations, I've got stored right here," she indicated a spot between her breasts.
Beast Boy groaned helplessly.
"You did what?!"
"Turns out Gar isn't the only one who's got a penchant for hot blondes," she shrugged. "And Jinx is the H.I.V.E leader, so if any of them would be getting the dirty details from Blood himself, it would be her. She's obviously the brains of that idiotic group," Rose continued as if all this was common knowledge.
Cyborg's jaw dropped while he absorbed this new turn of events.
Raven only glowered into the screen she'd been facing, not as easily impressed with the assassin's skills as her teammates were. "Good. Then there's no more reason for you to be there," she spat in retaliation.
Rose made Beast Boy twirl her about on the dance floor before she ended up wrapped in his arms again, her back pressed firmly into his chest. "But we're having such a good time, Rae!"
Every window and screen but the one Raven stared into exploded, the pieces of glass flying all over the room, narrowly avoiding the empath's face. One of the monitors had even erupted into a smoking flame that Cyborg was desperately trying to put out.
"Get back here," she hissed dangerously, her eyes now glowing a ferocious red.
As an affront to Raven's rage, Rose turned Beast Boy's chin towards her and leaned in to press her painted lips against his unsuspecting mouth. Just as they were about to kiss, the final screen exploded, and Raven levitated out of the room in an angry huff, a trail of dark magic shadowing behind her cloak.
Even the mic connection had died, short circuiting when Raven's powers fried everything in the tower, leaving them in complete darkness.
Cyborg, disheartened by all the carnage in his room, slumped defeated into his chair, and finally gave up. "Why'd she have to go and make her so damn jealous for?" He asked the empty spot next to him.
"Good work you two," Nightwing told Ravager when she handed over the recordings.
Rose grinned. "Maybe next time, you and I could go undercover, Dick."
Starfire folded her arms over her chest. "There will hopefully not be any more 'next time'."
Richard smiled apologetically, pretending to miss the implications of her suggestion. "Star's right; if we can stop Blood before he can begin implementing whatever plan he's got in the works, then he'll be in jail for the rest of his life."
"Good. I don't think my tech can handle another Raven meltdown," Cyborg added bitterly.
Beast Boy, now back to his green self, laughed nervously. "Someone should probably go check on her."
Everyone in the room pointedly looked at the changeling.
Upon realizing that he'd been nominated, he moaned aloud. "Really, guys? Why's it got to be me? Technically, it's Rose's fault!"
Rose adjusted her eye patch and spoke up before anyone else jumped in, "He's right. I guess I owe it to you to probably tag along. I'm sure little miss demon would like nothing more than to get a slice out of me."
As the two made their way to Raven's room, the other Titans watched them leave. "Do you think it worked?" Nightwing asked his comrades.
Cyborg shook his head. "That amount of costly damage, I'll be angry if it didn't."
Starfire appeared puzzled. "I do not understand why Rose would do such a horrible thing just to upset friend Raven."
Richard sighed. "I don't, either. I guess it's just her way of proving her loyalty to Raven, even if it's somewhat unconventional."
"You okay in there, Rae? You've been locked up in your room ever since we got back," Beast Boy asked his friend from the other side of her bedroom door.
A moment later, and the metal gate opened. Raven stood in the entryway, wearing the same deadpan expression he'd grown so accustomed to. Garfield smiled nervously at her. "Looks like you're doing all right, after all," he noted, rocking on his heels.
A beat passed before Raven found her calm, gravely voice again.
"The green is better," she admitted to him before he could take the opportunity to walk away.
He stopped in his tracks and regarded her with confusion. "Uh, come again?"
Raven's amethyst toned eyes softened, and her cheeks coloured when she had to avert her gaze. "I said I prefer the green. The holo ring made you look…unnatural."
Beast Boy's ears grew hot. "You mean, I look better as a green gremlin than my actual human appearance? Raven, I'm not quite sure if that's a compliment or an insult…," he confessed truthfully.
"It's a compliment," she explained.
"Okay, well…thanks, I guess," he shrugged his shoulders, not knowing what else to say, or how to even feel about it.
Raven grew flustered then, her brows knitting in frustration. "Did she…did she really kiss you?"
Her voice was barely more than a whisper, but the question was not lost to his trained ears.
Beast Boy shook his head furiously. "No, no! She was just toying with me, I swear."
He couldn't really understand why he was being so defensive about it. Why would Raven even care?
The empath tucked a strand of violet hair behind her ear, and he could swear he saw her lips turn into a small, relieved smile.
"So…you aren't interested then?"
He laughed shakily. "Nah, Rose is cool and all, but she knows there's someone else I'm kind of into. Called me out on it a little bit ago, actually. She's good at reading people."
Raven's eyes widened as she stared at him with a wild expression. "Someone else? Like who?"
His smile softened. "I have a feeling, with you being an empath and all, that you probably already have an idea."
She searched his features, not comprehending his answer until he closed the space between them and cupped her face in his hands. "Getting any closer?"
The pads of his thumbs stroked her cold, pale cheeks, just beneath her thick fringe of black lashes. She fell into his touch like it was the most natural reaction, as his emotions seeped into her like fresh paint bleeding down a canvas.
It made her ache with a sudden need to reach up and kiss him, to feel his soft, warm, pliant lips move beneath her own. It would be a long while yet before Raven would realize that she'd indeed acted on the impulse, Beast Boy's affections melding with her own, and creating something both catastrophic and euphoric within her.
"Well, hot damn. Girl actually did it," Cyborg laughed, admiring the scene before him on the small screen panel in his arm. The only one Raven hadn't managed to break.
Rose had decided to let Beast Boy go it alone, only willing to jump in if things got hairy. Little did he know that she'd planned on hiding out in the corridor and film the entire thing. Just to remind the two that, on their wedding day, she was the one responsible for making it all happen. And they'd owe her big time. Open bar wouldn't cut it.
Starfire and Nightwing crowded around Cyborg to catch a better glimpse of the live video.
"You do know that when she catches you filming this, she's going to end you, right?" Nightwing scratched at the back of his head, appearing somewhat concerned by this new development.
Rose whispered over the recording device, "No. Regrets. Got to live with no regrets, batboy."
~fin
A/N: If this generates enough attention, I'll consider posting up a collection of all my tumblr prompts for my readers on this site. As per usual, positive/constructive feedback is welcomed and encouraged. Thanks for reading!