This is it. The last chapter. Hope you like.
Just a quick note before you get to the fic. At the suggestion of someone on Fictionpress, I entered my original story Jungle Witch in a contest called hidden gems on Inkitt. So anyone interested please go check it out and vote for it if you like it. Thanks.
Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans.
Ch. 14: Confessions
Raven still hadn't decided what she was going to do about the situation by the next morning. In fact, she still wasn't sure she believed Starfire. Maybe her friend was wrong. She had to be. How could she be in love with Beast Boy? Beast Boy of all people?
When Robin suggested they split up, she jumped at the opportunity to deal with The Brain. Maybe this would be what she needed to get her thoughts and emotions under control. Then she could figure out what she was going to do with Beast Boy.
The attack came and she lost consciousness for a while. When she came to, she couldn't sense Robin anymore. She could also tell that both Starfire and Cyborg were hurt. Fear leapt into her throat as she searched for Beast Boy. Surprisingly, he was the only one not injured. Though he was angry.
She remembered the attack and felt her own anger respond. It was time for a little payback. Panic set in again as she searched for the children. Melvin, Timmy, and Teether. She found them and went straight there. They were thankfully, unhurt. Deciding it was unsafe to leave them alone, she took them with her as she followed Beast Boy's emotions to the lair of the Brotherhood of Evil. If they hurt Beast Boy or any of her other friends, they would pay dearly.
To her surprise, the fight was easy. Or at least, it seemed easy to her. When it was over, she looked for Beast Boy and felt her heart stop when she didn't see him. Her eyes caught Robin and he seemed concerned as well.
"Beast Boy!" the boy wonder shouted out.
Raven couldn't breathe. Where was he? Then he came out and made on of his usual stupid jokes. Her heart started beating again and her lungs drew in oxygen. Anger came out and she slapped the back of his head.
"Ow, Rae. What was that for?" he complained, rubbing the offended spot.
She gripped his shirt and shook him as she growled out, "Don't you ever scare me like that again."
"I'm sorry," he said quickly, trying to calm her down.
She released him and drew in a few deep breaths and knew. There was no more arguing with herself. No more denial. No more excuses. She was in love with the idiot. Now, what did she do about it? It wasn't like this sort of thing came with instructions. Maybe she should ignore it. But she wasn't so sure she could.
"Rae, are you alright?" Beast Boy asked her with concern.
"I'm fine." She sighed and let her shoulders relax for the first time since the Brotherhood had begun their attack. "Just very tired."
"Let's go home then," Robin suggested.
Nobody argued with him.
The other heroes stayed with them for a few days but slowly everyone began to return to their own lives. Raven continued trying to decide how to deal with her feelings for Beast Boy. Everything and nothing had changed because of her realization. She was prone to being irritable and spent long hours meditating. Beast Boy spent a great deal of his time pulling her out into the world. She let him.
Maybe things could just stay the way they were? Somehow, she didn't think that was possible.
Then, a few weeks later, she sensed a change in Beast Boy's emotions. A hopeful kind of pain had entered him. She knew what this meant. He only felt it when regarding Terra. Of all the idiotic, stupid, simple, annoying...She was running out of descriptions that fit how she felt about his reaction.
She confirmed what he was reacting to by following him discretely. That's when she saw the earth mover. Something was different about the girl, though Beast Boy's appearance caused her a great deal of stress. None of that mattered to Raven. It was clear to her that it was a good thing she'd kept her feelings to herself. Beast Boy would never love her when he could have someone like Terra. Maybe not Terra specifically, but someone like her. And Raven had nothing in common with girls like Terra.
Raven returned to the tower and meditated. She'd accept the inevitable. She was good at that after all. Hadn't she been doing that all her life? She accepted who and what she was. A demon's child. A tool for the end of the world. A monster.
Days turned to a few weeks. She was doing surprisingly well at hiding what she felt from him. She didn't even avoid him. Not that she could. Beast Boy was nothing if not persistent in his need to drag her out to be with the rest of them. They were all sitting in the common room. Raven often read out there. Even if she wasn't talking, being with the others made her happy. So she'd sit there and half listen to whatever they were doing while reading a book. Right now, they were getting ready to play some game.
"Raven, why don't you come join us?" Beast Boy asked her with his big grin.
She looked at him over the top of her book. Her heart thumped in her chest. Why was this harder to ignore now that she knew it was there? Because of this, she glared at him. "No."
"Come on. It'll be fun."
"I want to read."
She didn't really, but she knew she shouldn't get any closer to him than she already was. It hurt enough already to know he didn't love her. She could feel something begin to build inside of her. It was fighting it's way out and she knew she couldn't let it win. If she did, he'd learn the truth.
"But you've been reading. Come be with us for a while."
Beast Boy was nothing if not persistent, she thought as that pressure move from her heart to her lungs as if attempting to force something out. This time, she didn't bother saying anything. She just moved her eyes back to the book.
When he didn't say anything else, she looked up again. He was still smiling, but it wasn't as big. His eyes had lost that usual spark. Despite all of that, he had moved to sit with the others and let her have her way. That pressure moved up to her throat. Why was she always hurting him? She didn't mean to. But, if she didn't stay away, she'd be the one hurt. Sighing, she knew she couldn't let him stay unhappy. Even if it meant her misery, she'd never be the cause of his pain again if she could help it.
The sound of her closing her book had him looking back at her. She stood, placing the book on the couch then made her way towards the table where they were about to play. His smile was like the sun coming out. The pressure burst free.
"I love you." The words were quiet. She'd expected to shout them with the pressure inside her insisting that those words be released. But they were almost a whisper. She almost hadn't realized she'd said them out loud except for the shock that settled onto the faces of her friends. Her eyes widened with horror as she slapped her hands over her mouth. Her powers formed around her as she fazed through the ceiling to get away.
She heard him shout her name but ignored him. Instead of her room, she went to the roof. He'd look for her in her room, and she couldn't face him right now. It was so frustrating when her emotions broke free. It happened once in a while. Like when Rage came out during the fight with Doctor Light or when she suddenly laughed when Starfire and Robin found her on the roof meditating that one time. Even the haunted house thing she'd done after that horror movie. The stronger she felt about something, the more likely it was to break free of her control at least once. And she'd never felt anything as strongly as she did for Beast Boy.
"I am an idiot," she muttered to herself. "I should have left to meditate the moment I felt that pressure building up, but no, I just couldn't stand to see him unhappy. Stupid."
Maybe she should meditate now. The door behind her opened, making her stiffen. Praying it was anyone but Beast Boy, she turned. Luck was clearly not on her side today as she watch the green changling walk towards her. For once, his expression was guarded as if he was expecting a trick of some sort.
She considered opening up her senses more to tell what he was feeling, but chose not to. To have it verified would make all of this hurt even more and she didn't know if she could stand it. It was cowardly, but when it came to her emotions bravery rarely entered the picture. She'd spent most of her life running form them. Like right now for instance.
Raven said nothing, just waited. She wasn't sure what he was going to say, but it would hurt whatever it was. So, she braced herself for it.
"Did you mean it?" he asked her. "What you said?"
She looked away from him.
"Raven, please," he begged.
Wasn't that odd, she thought. He sounded almost desperate, but why? Was he worried she'd leave the team if she meant it and he had to tell her no? She'd never do that. Who'd be here to keep him safe if she left? It didn't matter if it killed her, she'd never leave him unless he told her to.
"Yes," she managed. "I don't say that word unless I mean it. You should know that since I've never said that word."
"Thank goodness," he breathed as he pulled her into a tight hug.
Her eyes widened. "What?"
"I was afraid to believe it. I mean I knew you wouldn't have said it unless it was true and the others agreed but still." He moved back so he could see her face. "I've loved you for so long and never expected you to love me back."
"What?" she repeated, still trying to catch up.
He laughed. "I love you, Raven."
What he said finally sank in and she felt something warm begin to spread through her. It wasn't until she felt a small smile form on her face that she realized it was happiness. The little bubble popped when a thought occurred to her. "What about Terra?"
He shrugged that off in a way that told her he meant it when he said, "I don't love her. I care. She'll always be my friend. But I don't love her. Come to think of it, I don't know that I ever did. Not when I compare what I feel for you to what I felt for her. I'd have died for her sure, but...If it meant your happiness, I'd be miserable. I wouldn't have done that for her."
Raven stared for a moment then threw her arms around him and whispered, "I love you."
He wrapped his arms around her as both of them let it all become real. Finally, he pulled back again. "We should go down and let the others know everything is okay. Star was especially worried about you."
Smiling softly again, she nodded in agreement. He took her hand, and as was his habit, pulled her along with him.
That's the end. Pure fluff I know, but I like fluff sometimes. Hope you enjoyed. I'm half toying with the idea of doing one like this for BeastBoy but that feels redundant. I'll think about it a little bit longer anyway.