Another chapter. This one is less funny than the previous ones. Maybe I'm running out of jokes (OH NO!) Or perhaps things aren't always as peachy in some relationships. Nope, definitely running out of jokes.
Anyway, I was wondering what your favorite scene of the story has been so far. I'm trying to come up with a cover picture for this story and, even though I have some ideas, I still don't know what scene represents the story better. Oh well. I hope you enjoy the story.
Space
No relationship is perfect. No one is meant to be, or is terribly compatible to the point they were soul mates. Raven, having learned so much about magic and destiny, never believed in such thing. She believed two people could find comfort in each other until the other became a necessity. That didn't exclude the relationship from troubles or misunderstandings, much less of hurt feelings. Yes, Raven believed in love, and she believed she found it. But as so many good things in life, everything had it bad, very dark sides.
"Rae! Come on!"
It was just like every other morning in the Titans tower. Starfire and Robin were on the couch. The boy wonder was lazily reading the newspaper, always in touch with what was happening in Jump City, a mug with coffee in one hand. Starfire was playing with Silkie, making face and cooing noises at the little bug, as it seemed to laugh mutely and wave it's little feet at her.
Cyborg sighed from his position. He was mixing pancake mix with one hand, or rather, a mixer that was now in place of his hand. He sent a frown toward the hallway, where the noise had been coming all morning. Yes, despite the peaceful couple of days they had, the most famous, er- second famous? Couple of the titans was, once again, arguing. It wasn't a surprise, just irritating to say the least. It was like Beast boy and Raven were set to make trouble even in the most peaceful of days.
"They're at it again." Complained Cyborg, turning his attention back to breakfast. It wasn't like it was his turn to cook, but he much preferred to bother with it rather than eat tofu eggs and tofu… whatever thing they made to pass for bacon. Tofu is NOT bacon!
"That's not news." Said Robin from his position, his eyes still fixed on the newspaper. Starfire turned to send a worried look at the hallway. "I have noticed that our friends have been having the arguments on more regular periods of times, no?" She added. If there was someone excited about their relationship it was Starfire, but the fighting was starting to be worrisome. What if they broke up and then they started fighting even more than they did now? And then Raven's powers turned crazy and she destroyed the entire world? That would be bad! Not to mention the emotional implications on poor Beast boy's heart. He wasn't near as strong as Raven was when dealing with a broken heart.
"At least as much as they fought before they were dating." Said Cyborg from his spot next to the stove, his eyes fixed on the hotcake that was currently on the pan. "It's silly. I thought they would stop the arguing since they got engaged, but NO! They are fighting even more. I'm not even sure who's to blame."
Robin, who seemed far more interested in his paper than his friends' relationship sent a look at Starfire. She was looking so worried he sighed, knowing he was going to need to say something. "It'll be okay, Kori." He told her with a reassuring smile, "They're just nervous about the whole thing." Starfire didn't seem relieved with just that. "But their ceremony of union is still a long time away." She replied, hugging Silkie closer. "I doubt the nervous jitters are at fault." She had a point and Robin knew that.
The boy wonder leaned back to see if they were still arguing. He could hear yelling from Garfield, pounding on… metal? And Raven's angry voice. Raven being angry was never a good thing. Something exploded, and he winced, as it proved his thoughts right.
"Raven! I'm sorry! It's not a big deal!" Was saying Beast boy. Raven answered, but her voice sounded muffled. Were they okay? Robin leaned back on the couch, a nervous feeling starting to crawl up his back. He'd known for the start that those two couldn't be together. Yes, opposites attracted, but those two were just far too different to belong together. Raven was serious, focused and very controlled. Beast boy was laid back, emotional, messy. They were like water and oil, and not intended to be mixed. But they were happy, or at least it seemed like it, so he chose not to meddle in what wasn't his business. Now, though? He wasn't sure.
"You are disgusting." Raven's voice was saying and they knew they were walking down the hallway and into the living room. Beast boy appeared first, but only a second before, because he was walking backwards, facing Raven, looking nervous and very, very worried.
"Come on, Rae! It was an accident!" "Don't call me Rae. And you ARE the most disgusting creature I've ever met." Raven moved toward the kitchen, but Beast boy stepped in front of her, his arms stretched out. He seemed to want to hold her shoulders but decided against it. She would probably get angrier.
"I didn't mean to- to gross you out!" He said, looking embarrassed and sheepish. But Raven just glared. "You are disgusting." She insisted and Garfield sighed. "Come on! All dudes do it!" She frowned, "I do not care what men do. You did it in MY bed! You are the most ridiculously repulsive man I've ever met, without any kind of control over yourself." "Oh, come on! It's not a big deal!"
She tried walking past him but he jumped in front of her once again. Every time Raven tried moving past him, Beast boy would block her way. "Leave me alone." She said, but he shook his head. "Nu-uh. We're going to talk about this. Now." She glared and, even though her eyes were fixed on her boyfriend, she knew the other Titans were looking at them. She managed to send a glare at Cyborg, who immediately turned back to his pancakes. "Pardon me, but I don't want to discuss our private life in front of others. I just want. My. Tea." The last few words were said slowly and dangerously. It certainly made the others nervous, but Beast boy didn't move.
"Come on, Rae. Don't be like that. It- it wasn't a big deal." "Not a big deal?" She repeated, taking a step closer to him, glaring. He looked nervous, but he didn't take a step back. "You. Farted. In MY bed."
There was a moment of silence in the room as the two looked at each other, Raven glaring and Beast boy gulping down his nervousness. That was until Cyborg decided to speak. "Am I the only one who thought of something entirely different?" He asked to no one in particular, but the arguing couple ignored his question.
"I want you out of my room. I do not want you there." Started saying Raven in her usual stoic voice, but managing to sound angry despite the lack of emotion. "I do not want you near me." That last bit seemed to break Beast boy's heart. In fact, the other titans could almost see it breaking through the green titan's eyes.
"Rae…" He said sounding completely devastated. But the half demon just glared at him, pushed him away, their shoulder bumping against each other, as she moved a kettle with her powers.
Raven silently worked, staring down at the kettle, still standing next to Cyborg, with Beast boy staring after her like a kicked puppy. He seemed he was about to cry.
"Pancakes?" Asked Cyborg to the two, trying to break the awkward silence, but only managing to make both glare at him. "O-Okay. I better, yeah." He moved away from the two, serving his pancake onto a plate and moving to the table.
"Please friend!" Starfire flew near the two, looking worried. "I believe gas emissions are fairly common in those who consume large amounts of bean based products." Robin sighed at his girlfriend's attempt to settle the situation. "Isn't friend Beast boy's main source of nutrients beans?" "Soy beans." Replied Raven, looking annoyed at the fact that her teammates were getting involved in her argument, "But that's not the point."
"I think you're making a big deal out of nothing." Said the big brother of the group, his mouth full of pancakes. "You knew BB was a pig before you started dating." Raven glared at him. By the way he was chewing his pancakes, it seemed pretty hypocritical of him to be calling anyone 'pig'.
"It's not just what happened." Said Raven, pouring her tea. "It's the mess he makes on the floors, the dirty laundry, the unclean bathroom, the fur. Everything he does is chaotic. I do NOT handle chaos well."
"You knew all that before too." Added Cyborg unconcerned. Raven's eyes flashed red before she took a calming breath. "Look." She started, taking her recently poured cup of tea. "I appreciate your concern, but this argument is between Beast boy and me. I do not appreciate meddling."
"You called me Beast boy." Said a tiny voice in the room. Garfield had just been staring at Raven with the same hurt expression as before. He knew he was a pig, an animal, messy and chaotic. He knew all that, but he thought she loved him just the same. Maybe he'd been wrong? "I-" He sighed, running a hand through his hair, it'd gotten long… "What is this really about Rae?"
Raven looked surprised for a moment. He'd never been this insightful before. She sighed, looking down at her tea. Green tea… Since when had she started liking green tea? It had a weak flavor and it was far too sweet, despite it not having any sugar in it. It tasted like grass, fresh, and sometimes it was just too bland. But the color was so pretty… since when had she liked green so much?
"I don't want to talk about it." She answered before taking a slow sip. It burnt her tongue, but she didn't say anything about it. Merely frowning, before healing her tongue with her powers. She wondered if it had some sort of meaning.
Beast boy knew she'd burnt her tongue but was too proud to complain. She was always too proud and self-centered to say anything at all. And he knew exactly what her problem was. He knew why she was so moody lately, why the tiniest thing bothered her, but he also knew that she would never start taking about it if he didn't push her to it.
"Do you want to kick me out of our room?" He asked, unashamed to say anything in front of his teammates. Even though they'd never said anything about him staying with Raven, they'd known the two shared the empath's space. No one mentioned it of course, since Star already spent far too much time inside Robin's room to make it seem like a big deal for the other two. But they had seen Beast boy go inside the room at night and leave it in the morning.
"It's not OUR room." Raven said pointedly, "It's MY room. It's MY space and you're invading it with your disgusting habits, your presence and your stupid collectibles." Her voice was pure venom but the green boy didn't back off. Robin raised an eyebrow as Garfield even took a step closer to Raven. A couple of years back, the green boy would have left the demon girl alone, but it seemed he'd grown a back bone since.
"Is that why you're so angry? Because you think I'm stealing your- your-" He looked around, looking for a word, "Solitude?" Raven raised an eyebrow, half impressed that he knew the word and even used it right. "I am not angry." She said, despite the others knowing her well enough to know she was lying. "And you are taking up too much space in-" She stopped for a moment, before looking down at her tea, "In my life."
If Garfield's heart hadn't broken before, it sure did with those last words.
The other titans started to look uncomfortable. Robin stood up, looking worriedly at his two friends, but knowing it wasn't his place to say anything. "Friends-" Started Kori, but stopped as Robin placed a hand on her shoulder. She turned to him and he merely shook his head in answer. It wasn't their place.
"I'm gonna go check out the- yeah." Said Cyborg, understanding the situation perfectly. Quietly, and very slowly, the other three titans left the two alone. Starfire did look back though, unsure of what she could say to make things better. They'd been fighting far too much for it to be normal. And now it seemed things were going to get out of hand. Perhaps it was better for them not to be together, as she'd initially thought. Robin called for her and she flew in his direction, disappearing into his room.
Maybe the titans just didn't have enough faith…
There was silence between the two, with Raven staring down at her tea, unable to look at his face and Beast boy staring at her.
"Is that what you want?" He asked in a soft, broken voice. "To… cut me out?" His voice broke slightly, but he was still staring after her, his eyes fixed on her. Her hood was down, her hair barely caressing her shoulders. She'd always looked so pretty with short hair…
"That's not what I meant." Said Raven in her usual stoic voice, but feeling frustrated. What did she mean then? She bit her lower lip. Perhaps she didn't even know.
Garfield let out a growl, running a hand through his hair in desperation, almost pulling it. She was truly going to make him go bald before time, "Then what did you mean?" He asked, raising his voice. Yes, he was emotional, and his instincts didn't make it any easier. The beast was messing with him, telling him to protect his mate, keep her from leaving, keep her safe and beside him. But how could he fight when it was Raven herself who didn't want to be safe and beside him?
"I don't know." That was the most honest answer she could give him. Raven sighed, before taking a sip of her tea. Weak, sweet and bland. Was Beast boy just like this green tea? Perhaps the comparison wasn't missed by him. She heard him move around her, until a chair was pulled and he was sitting right in front of her, across the table. He was staring at her and she still didn't dare to look up. Would he be heart broken? Was he angry?
"I'm getting really tired of this." He said and she smiled bitterly. Apparently he was both. "No one is making you stay." Was her answer, and she regretted them as soon as she said them.
"DAMMIT RAVEN!" He slammed his hand on the table and the dishes on it jumped, as well as the empath. She'd felt his sudden anger, knew his powers were taking over, hard to control and erratic as hers, but with the host being far less suitable to contain them. She glared, looking into his eyes for the first time. The sudden rush of emotions hit her. He was indeed heart broken, confused and far angrier than she'd first expected him to be. And yet, she still felt the same waves of love she'd felt from him before. Why?
"Is this how it's going to be from now on? With you pulling away every time things start going right? Because I'm DAMN tired of it." She was unsure of what to reply back. She was tired of it herself and she knew she was the problem here, but she was too damn proud to admit it.
"You don't have to stay." She insisted, her words betraying her thoughts. Don't leave. "We both know I'm not going anywhere." Was his answer. She couldn't hide her surprise this time. Her eyes widened and she almost dropped her cup of tea, staring into his eyes, knowing he was dead serious about it too.
"I love you Raven." Her surprise turned into a glare, "I know. You don't have to-" "I love you Raven." He repeated, interrupting her. It seemed the more he said it, the angrier she got, "Stop." "I love you, Rae." She could feel the tears behind her eyes, but she didn't cry. She couldn't cry. She never let her emotions run her like that. And sadness was dangerous. It was the worst of emotions. Anger she could deal with. Anger leaded her to do bad things, but at least she moved, she was active. Sadness could eat you up, slow you down until you can't move. That's what she feared the most. And no one could sadden her as much as the man staring at her right now with so much emotion she could almost touch it.
"I want you out of my room." She said in a monotonous voice, though for a moment there, he almost heard it break. He nodded, despite the request being unreasonable to him. "Okay." She hadn't expected that. It made her look away, finding comfort at the sight of weak green tea. "And I want you to take your things with you. I don't- I'm tired of blowing up your things and you getting mad at me." "Okay." "I want the comics out. And I want you to clean the fur." "Sure."
She looked up at him again, before her eyes widened again. He was smiling. Why was he smiling? "You have no intention of moving out, do you?" His smile only widened. "Nope." It was her turn to get angry. But she merely sighed in frustration before taking another sip of tea. Funny, it didn't taste as sweet anymore. "You need to clean after yourself." She said, and his smile widened. "Okay."
They kept quiet for a moment there, with Raven slowly sipping her tea and Beast boy staring at her, wearing the same smile. How many times was he going to have his heart broken by the same girl? Maybe he truly was a masochist. The same had happened with Terra, accepting everything and anything, refusing to see the big problem before him because love just blinded him. Ah, this girl, this tea sipping empath, was going to break his heart someday. And he wouldn't have it any other way.
"We should get rid of your bunk bed." She said suddenly, and his eyes widened in surprise. "Why?" He asked, unsure if he should. Was she going to throw him out of the team as well? Did she have such power? "Since you don't need it anymore, I was thinking we could leave the room open for new addition to the Titans. Or perhaps you have better plans for it?"
He gaped at her like a fish out of the water. But didn't she just say-? "Hold on a sec!" He said, leaning over the table, hold her hands over the cup of tea. It was warm and that was comforting enough, but he still had no idea what she was thinking.
"Is this your way of asking me to move in with you?" He asked, unable to hide his shock. Raven raised an eyebrow, "We already live together." She said and he shook his head, "Nu-uh. You know what I mean. Rae- I- Are you sure?" Raven shrugged, "No. But you're right." Wow, he wasn't sure what surprised him more: Raven asking him to move in with him or her admitting he was right about something. But she didn't say anything else as she took yet another sip.
"Why are you doing this?" He asked suspiciously, "Just a few moments ago you were freaking out because I'm a pig and now you want me to move in?" Was she volatile or what? She was drinking her tea far too calmly to be Raven, especially when they were talking about moving in together.
"I've learned we can't postpone the inevitable. Especially when dealing with someone as pushy as you are." She said and he frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?" He asked, thinking she was trying to insult him or something. Raven smiled sadly and he was taken aback at her reaction. She almost seemed to… give up?
"I love you too." She said and, as happy as those words made him feel since he never heard them all that often, it still made him nervous. "You are never going to leave." Raven added, and it only helped make him quieter. "Don't try to deny it because I know you well enough. Not that I need to. Even now, you're angry at me and still all you project is love." His gaze softened. "I do love you." He said sincerely and she smiled gently. "I know."
She took another sip of tea, before frowning down at the cup. "You should make a mix." He said, making her look up in surprise. Garfield just smiled at her. "Yeah, it's green tea, right? Add some jasmine to it. It ends up tasting pretty good." Raven blinked a couple of times. Was this Garfield saying-? "How did you-?" Garfield shrugged after she didn't finish her question, knowing full well what she meant. "You like it, so I was wondering what the fuss was about. Turns out if you mix a bit them up a bit, it doesn't taste so bad."
Raven turned her surprised gaze to her cup. A mixture of green and jasmine, eh? She smiled gently at the thought. It was as if he could read her mind. Jasmine was bitter enough to make the sweet and mildness of the green tea lessen and give a much stronger flavor to the tea. And it was just blandness and sweetness of the green tea that would let the jasmine leaves show their flavor without the bitterness take over. Were they just like that? Truly, they were far stronger and better together. She'd been right all along. Different was good.
"Hey, Rae." She heard him call and she looked up. He wasn't sitting across from her anymore, but sitting next to her. When did he-? Her thought wasn't finished because he was kissing her gently and she was kissing him back. She was melting against him, her hands leaving the cup on the table and holding his face instead, her fingers buried in his green hair. Maybe she didn't mind the green fur that much… and she had to admit, she'd read a couple of comics before and they weren't half bad… and maybe the mess was just a part of him that made him even more adorable.
"Ahem." Someone coughed behind them, forcing them to part. But Garfield kept close to Raven, holding her in place, with the only intention of continuing what he'd already started. "Get lost, dude." He said to the random person who'd interrupted them.
"Sorry." Said Robin with a slight surprised smile. "I just forgot my coffee here." Raven sent him a knowing smile. He'd left it there on purpose, knowing full well the world's greatest detective son would never make such a mistake. "I see everything's okay?" Raven smile turned gentle. Robin was always going to act like a big protective brother, wasn't he? "Everything is perfect." Was her answer and Robin smiled back.
"Come on, dude! I don't pry on you and Star." Complained Beast boy, almost jumping in exasperation. "Well, that much." Robin rolled his eyes inside his mask. "Fine, fine." He waved his newspaper at them as goodbye as he walked inside his room
Yes, perhaps all they needed was a little bit of faith in their friends.
.-.-.-
There it is. Another chapter with mushiness. Sometimes it feels like writing a comedy is not satisfying enough. I was thinking of writing a prequel on this story, since people are curious as to how they got together. And I'm interested in a bit of drama. What do you think? Should I take the leap?