Those 5 Words
"Hurry up, Rae!" Beast Boy called from his position in bed, picking up a pillow and hurling it at the bathroom door on the opposite side of the room. The pillow struck its intended target and landed on its side with an unimpressive thwap on the floor below and lay still in the dimly lit room. "Make-up can't be that hard to take off, can it? Just dunk your head in some water and let's go to bed already!"
"Give me a minute." The indigo-haired sorceress answered flatly from the other side of the door, dabbing at her eyes with a white cloth in an effort to remove some particularly heavy mascara applied earlier in the day by Starfire. At least she hoped it was mascara and not some weird tar at the rate it was coming off at.
Damn the people who created this filth, she scowled inwardly, rinsing the rag off under the running faucet and going to work on some light pink blush that stained her pale cheeks.
"You said that 20 minutes ago!" Beast Boy whined as he flipped over onto his back, interlocking his fingers as he placed his hands behind his head, legs crossed at the ankle under the dark purple comforter that covered the couple's bed.
"On the plus side", the green changeling continued, yawning slightly as he spoke, "this new blanket is mad comfortable. Feels like I'm laying under a cloud or something. And it doesn't remind me of a graveyard or smell like the inside of an old person's home like that last one. Man, I'm a great shopper."
Raven dragged the cloth across her lips several times, a deep shade of crimson lipstick tinting it and mixing in with the various other hues of green, black, and pink, the cloth looking something like one of those tie-dye t-shirts she saw at the mall earlier, where they picked up said comforter. It was supposed to be a quick errand- pick up some circuits for Cyborg from one of his frequented tech spots, the aforementioned duvet for their own room, and lunch for the entire team, simple as that- however, Beast Boy turned the experience into a 5 hour trip, going in and out of every store that caught his attention and some that didn't, just because why not?
She began unclipping a few berets that pinned her hair back, smiling as she thought of the trip. At first, she was a little annoyed at Beast Boy dragging her into varioius shops just to peruse stuff they didn't come there to see. She merely wanted to purchase what they came for and go home, but Beast Boy's enthusiam and chidlike joy as he spotted something new in a window they passed or noticed a sign was contagious. Her personal favorite stop was inside of a suit rental store. Beast Boy made her wait on a bench by the changing room for nearly a half hour, only to come out dressed in a teal 3 piece-suit with a matching top hat and monacle.
"Good evening, milady" Beast Boy said in an English accent, lowering his voice several decibels in an attempt to sound 'refined'. "Could you point me in the direction of the nearest crumpet stand? I am simply starving and I've run out of fish n' chips and other English things that we English gentlemen eat, hmmm?" He lowered his head closer to hers and waggled his eyebrows playfully.
Raven bit her lip to stifle a giggle, not wanting to encourage him. "Take off that suit, you look ridiculous."
Beast Boy adjusted his monocle, his eyes wide in faux-indignation as he twirled his cane for effect. "I beg your pardon, miss! This is the look of utmost refinement and gentlemenly gentlemen-ness! A shame it is wasted on your tragically lacking sensibilities. This teal suit with my dazzling green complexion gives me much- as you Americans put it- 'swag', I dare say."
Beast Boy spun on his heels in those teal, wing-tipped shoes and pointed at the cashier, still using that ridiculous accent, "On a scale from wonderously amazing to absolutely ravishing, how good do I look, hmmm?"
Raven covered her mouth with her hand to supress her growing laughter, albeit mostly in vain as her boyfriend started performing some Michael Jackson-esque crotch grabs in the mirror.
"Um... well..." the blonde cashier girl stepped around the counter, strolling toward the two Titans with a devious smile. She leaned against the wall next to the mirror, looking the animal master up and down as he pretneded to twirl a non-existant mustache. "Want my honest opinion?"
"Indubitably so" he answered curtly, glancing at Raven with a mischevious smirk of his own, the female Titan barely able to contain her giggles now.
"I think it looks incredibly, incredibly sexy on you." The cashier lowered her voice to just above a whisper, approaching Beast Boy and walking in a circle around him like a wolf pack does to their prey.
Beast Boy immediately dropped the charade and became himself once more, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly with one hand. "Uh... um, yeah, sorry. I was just fooling around. I didn't mean that seriously, I was just trying-"
"Does that mean I can't take you to the back and have my way with you?" The young blonde growled quietly, putting her hands on Beast Boy's shoulders and rubbing them suggestively.
Beast Boy's eyes darted to Raven's, who's normally serene amethyst orbs were lit with an emotion she didn't often let herself feel: rage. Yet, she remained seated and observed, her laughter replaced by a menacing glower.
Beast Boy immediately stepped back to get some distance from the girl and took off the top hat and monocle. "Definitely not. See that chick sitting right there? She's my girlfriend and I don't think either of us appreciates this."
The store employee closed the space between herself and the Titan until his back was pressed against the changing room stall door, his hands up like he was a fugitive from the law in sight of the police, a look of panic and surprise etched on his face.
The girl put her hands on Beast Boy's chest, tracing his muscles slowly as she spoke. "Well I'd like to appreciate you all night long. Once on the floor, twice in the shower, and anywhere else your heart desires, sweetheart. I've always thought you were the sexiest super hero I've ever seen, Beast Boy. You could say I'm your number 1 fan, even."
"Sweetheart" Raven hissed mockingly through her teeth, now on her feet, fists clenched and glowing with energy. "Do you mind if I show this harlot how much I APPRECIATE her?"
Beast Boy nodded quickly, his expression still somewhere between 'deer-in-headlights' and 'just-saw-a-ghost-for-the-first-time'.
"I hate to disappoint, but I don't swing that way. Especially not for- HEY, PUT ME DOWN THIS INSTANT"
"I don't think you're in any position to be making demands of me, you little hussy. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't banish you to the nightmare realm and go about my day?" Raven demanded as she held the girl upside-down telepathically, watching as the cashier struggled and writhed in the psychic energies surrounding her, delighting in her cries of frustration and anger.
"Let me go, you demented witch! Just because I'm prettier than you and can actually show emotion like a NORMAL human doesn't give you the right to send me to another dimension!" The girl's words barely escaped her mouth as Raven started whipping her side to side with her powers, smiling as the worker's face turned red and she struggled harder.
"Cut it out, I'm gonna puke! SECURITY, GET THIS PSYCHO OUT OF HERE!" she shouted, or at least attempted to. Not an easy task considering her current predicament, and the black swirl of energy that had forced her mouth shut.
Beast Boy put his hand on Raven's extended wrist, looking into her eyes solemnly. "Rae... put her down, please."
Raven gritted her teeth, but relented after a few more well deserved swings, releasing her hold on the girl so she plummeted to the unforgivng tile below headfirst.
"Whoops", the mage deigned with a shrug before crossing her arms in a most aggrieved manner.
Beast Boy placed a single finger under Raven's chin and pecked her lips tenderly. "Thank you. I'm sorry about that." He sincereity was evident in his tone and the way his emerald eyes beseeched hers. Raven felt her rage slowly melt away, answering her lover with a simple nod and a gentle kiss.
It was amazing the calming effect he had on Raven. Just seconds ago, she was considering opening a portal to a plane of suffering and hurling that tart in there. Now, with the way Beast Boy was stroking her cheek affectionately with the back of his hand and his "You know you're my only girl" comment, she couldn't even summon the power to keep his knees steady.
Beast Boy slipped off the suit and accessories and laid them on the counter, along with a note that read 'Sorry for the trouble, but maybe you shouldn't go around harassing people's boyfriends, yeah? Hope your head isn't permanently damaged or anything. Later - Beast Boy', and a coupon to the Waffle House that he fished out of pocket. Then the two sidled out of the mall hand in hand and returned home at once.
Raven set the cloth down and splashed some cool water on her face, then checked herself in the mirror to make sure no remnants of that clownish make-up remained. She stared thoughtfully into the mirror, thinking back to the look Beast Boy gave her when he wanted her to stop her onslaught and how he gave that girl something out of the goodness of his heart, despite the fact she deserved nothinig short of whatever punishment Raven saw fit.
It was in that experience that she realized, yet again, why she treasured Beast Boy so much and why her love for him grows everyday at an impossible rate. Not just because of his ability to make a quick errand entertaining, not just because of his forgiving nature, and not just because he refuses to go to sleep without her. Those were all great qualities and she absolutely adored him for them and more, but those aren't the driving force behind her unconditional devotion to the light-hearted hero.
It's because he balances her out. He levels her like nothing and nobody else can. He's the shining light to her bleak darkness, the glowing warmth to her frigid cold, the 'pop to my corn!' as he so aptly puts it. Where she is standoffish and shrewd, Beast Boy is open and concerned. Where she is harsh and blunt, forever pushing everyone she can away, Beast Boy is gentle and understanding, genuine and comforting, unbridled and vibrant. Something like the sun after a furious April storm, giving the promise that everything will be okay. It's this effervescence and jubilance that drew her to him, that made him able to break down her walls and rescue her from her self-imposed desolation.
The indigo-haired Titan wiped away a few stray tears that delicately fell down her now blush-free cheeks. Who would have imagined that the big, bad, scary Raven would reach a point where just the mere thought of someone could bring her this much joy? That she would experience a love so pure and so tender like she only ever read in her books? Certainly not her, that much was for certain. But now that she found this affection, that she found her other half, she could scarcely remember life before it. And she liked it that way.
Raven threw the dingy cloth into a nearby hamper and shut off the bathroom light before opening the door, leaning over and picking up the pillow from the floor Beast Boy chucked minutes before as she walked toward the bed. Beast Boy's outline was only barely visible in the dark of the room now, but she made out the figure of his hand patting the spot on the bed beside him as she approached.
"About time, babe. I was about to go ask Cyborg for his squeegee and give you the same treatment he does the T-Car." Beast Boy whispered with a smile, watching as Raven placed her pillow in its normal spot beside his and slipped gracefully under the sheets.
"Now who says chivalry is dead?" Raven quietly quipped, turning around to face Beast Boy. She gazed into his jade eyes, losing herself in their sweet clutch and felt serenity wrap itself around her entire body. She instinctively huddled closer to Beast Boy, seeking the protective embrace and loving shelter that only he could offer her.
Beast Boy wrapped his arms around Raven's waist and held her body on his like they would spontaneously die if they were separated, which as far as they were concerned, they would. He entangled their legs together, Raven swathing her arms around Beast Boy's neck like a small child does their favorite teddy and tucking her head directly under his chin. This was their preferred sleeping pose these days, a far cry from their habits of old.
Beast Boy closed his eyes and let the familiar, beautiful scent of Raven's hair fill his senses completely. Total comfort was well within his grasp and this is why he didn't dare go to sleep without her. What would be the point without his only sense of comfort and stability? His body couldn't relax without feeling hers in his safeguarding clasp, his mind wouldn't stop ambling unless she was here to relieve his every thought and allow him to feel at home once more.
He yawned sleepily and held her hips close, breathing a sigh of contentedness as two heartbeats became one, "Night, Rae. I love you."
Those 5 words. She heard them nightly now, yet they never got old. They never lost their luster or became stale to hear. They never failed to make her heart flutter or make her stomach do flips. And much like how Beast Boy couldn't unwind and commit to sleep until he held Raven in his arms, she couldn't either until she heard those 5 words. Her entire being wrapped up in one breath. Every hope, every dream, every wish, everything she ever wanted, everything she ever needed... right there.
"Goodnight, my angel. I love you too... more than you can ever begin to imagine." She placed a tender kiss on the boy's now sleeping lips and enveloped herself in the world that is Beast Boy. The world where she felt safe and loved. Where she could finally be herself and not worry about being judged or scrutinized. The only place she belonged. Her world.
And she couldn't wait to hear those 5 words again tomorrow night.
