Disclaimer- I don't own anything.
Author's note- I agree that Speedy would be a good boyfriend, but sometimes I feel that people can drift apart, and they may get so involved in their own lives that they forget about the other person and prioritise something else over their significant other unknowingly.
Sorry for the late update guys, but I had my college entrances and finalising that took time. Hope you enjoy. Please read and review.
0O0
"I'm not sure precisely what has changed between us, whether it's trust or respect or simply the ability to see each other in a different light."
0O0
"Raven has slipped in a coma."
It took a couple of minutes for him to completely comprehend the dagger like words hanging between them. It felt like everything was going to slow and fast at the same time, he doesn't know when he got up and ran towards the exit to the roof.
Richard's words were running inside his head on a constant loop, he threw himself down the stairs. Uncaring when he fell, deaf to his friends screams, numb to everything; it felt as if he was aloof to everything but her.
Like a man possessed he got up and rushed towards her room, opening it frantically, but as soon as his eyes fell on her unconscious form, everything stopped. Numerous bandages hid her form from him, one too many wires were connected to various machines. The only sound in that room was her heart monitor beeping steadily, the only thing that assured him that she was still here with him, that he had not lost her forever.
His face was set in stone as he slowly walked over to his girlfriend, kneeling beside her he carefully took her hand in his hands and brought them to his mouth, gently kissing her knuckles.
"Open your eyes, Raven." He commanded, looking at her sleeping face with an impenetrable expression.
"Open your eyes." He repeated and when she didn't respond again, his strong facade cracked, and tears started welling up in his eyes.
"You know I cannot bare your ignorance; you know how much I need you. You must open your eyes." He sobbed, drowning in guilt about the times he called her needy or clingy when he was the one who needed her attention as much he needed to breathe.
A constant river of tears caressed his face when a memory flashed in his mind.
Roy was on edge; something was not right. 'How can she just sit there, like that?', he thought. Raven was lost in her thoughts, staring out of the window of his car. Looking beautiful as the gentle light enhanced her features, her long open hair flowing back because of the wind, he loved it when she left them open.
Her beauty would usually make him forget what he was about to say but not today. There was something else encompassing his mind. He bit his tongue, trying not to say anything.
That did not last long when he saw how she scooted further away from and curled up into herself and he just could not take it anymore.
"Alright, are we going to talk about this?"
The half demon turned towards her hell haired boyfriend, confused but unfazed.
"About what?"
"The thing that is clearly bothering you. Because something is wrong." The archer replied, sneaking glances towards the amethyst eyed beauty.
The enchantress was confused, and it showed on her usually monotone face and said "Nothing is wrong? Should there be something wrong?"
Roy met her beautiful eyes, and it took everything in him to not get distracted from the issue at hand. "You tell me."
Raven was getting even more confused, what was her boyfriend talking about. She stayed silent, well she did not know what to say, so she is waiting for him to speak and tell her about whatever was bothering him.
"Raven."
"What?" She asked confused and a bit annoyed now.
"Did I do something to make you upset or mad?" He asked farrowing his eyebrows with worry. Looking at him all her annoyance faded away, he looked like an abandoned puppy, and she was sure that if he had ears then they would be drooping now.
"Do I seem mad or upset?" She asked raising her eyebrows.
A moment of silence prevailed. "Well, No, not really but I know that something is off because- "
The half demon shook her head a bit still unable to follow her boyfriend.
"Raven, we have been driving for like an hour now and you are just sitting there quietly, silent and- "he started but what was cut off by her again.
"Am I not allowed to do that? Enjoy some peace and quiet?" She asked in her usual smoky monotone, crossing her arms over her chest.
"We don't do that." He protested, looking at her.
Raven quirked her eyebrows at him, completely lost now.
"We don't what? Know how to be quiet?"
"Yeah, we are the exact opposite, Rae. We are a loud couple."
"We? Correction you are the loud one here." She huffed, a little amused at his worked-up state. And before he could say anything she added "Due to which I enjoy some quiet time even more."
A moment of silence prevailed and just when the dark-haired beauty thought that the topic was over, the archer said "Okay, but if it's only that…. I just feel like there is something wrong."
She exhaled audibly "Roy, there is nothing wrong. We are fine, you are fine, and I am fine. Okay?"
The archer was not convinced.
"I get the peace and quiet, but you have not touched me once since we got in the car."
Raven turned to fully look at him now, a questionable look on her face.
"What?"
"You're normally way more affectionate when we're driving. You're always somehow touching me."
"Okay, then maybe I'm just not in the affectionate mood today and would just like to sit here enjoying the ride while being content."
"Bull, we are an affectionate couple, always have been. Which I dig, obviously."
Raven couldn't help but narrow your eyes a bit at him.
"You seem to have many opinions on what we are as a couple."
"And I'm right."
"What-okay, whatever you say, Roy. It's nothing. I'm just tired and just want to sit back and relax for the rest of the ride." Raven huffed.
The archer glanced over at her form. The demoness was curling up on the seat.
"Raven."
"Roy. For the last time, nothing is wrong and I'm- okay, feeling content right now."
"Content?"
"Yes, exactly."
"But if that was true, I'm pretty sure that you'd be touching me either your hand on my thigh or on my arm like usually."
"God, Roy. Please, we're fine. Okay, I love you. -"
The amethyst eyes beauty reached over placing a chaste kiss on his cheek before settling in, trying to get comfortable.
"Now, let's just relax."
The red-haired man wanted to. He wanted nothing more but... He squirmed in his seat.
"Are you kidding me!? I can feel your eyes piercing into my skin." Raven could feel his nervousness rub off on her, making her slight annoyed.
"Sweetheart, it's just- "he knew if she was not annoyed before then she surely was now.
"Didn't we just park this conversation?"
"You did."
"Roy, please... Can we not?"
"I'm just saying that if everything truly was great and everything- then you'd be curled up to me, touching me somehow and you're not- "he tried to defend himself to her.
"Oh my God, is that what it'll take for you to shut up?" She said losing her monotonous composure.
"What?"
"If I put my hand on your thigh, will you kindly let me relax and enjoy the rest of ride in peace and quiet?"
"Yes."
Roy was dead serious. He answered promptly.
"Okay, then I'll do that then."
"Great."
The archer was grinning at his girlfriend.
"Great!"
The enchantress huffed out loud.
"I swear if you say one more -"
"Just do it."
She scooted closer so that she could reach out her left hand out and place it on his strong and firm thigh.
"There! Are you happy now?"
"Very."
Raven rolled her eyes a bit and leaned her head backwards resting her eyes. The empath felt her boyfriend's larger hand covering hers, gripping it firmly.
"You're a piece of work, you know that?"
The mistress of magic looked at him, catching his sheepish smile. Roy brought her hand to his lips, kissing the back of her hand.
"And just think, you could've saved yourself a whole lot of time and trouble if you'd just given me your hand to begin with." He said with a huge grin adorning his face.
The emerald eyed man rubbed the back of her hand that was now placed back on the top of his thigh. On its rightful place.
She grumbled under her breath. Still, the demoness couldn't stop the small smile on her lips as he gripped her hand tightly in his.
This memory brought a fresh wave of tears in his eyes. He did not know how much time had passed since he entered the hospital room, he was numb to everything but the feel of her warm hand in his. Guilt clouded his mind, fear was coursing through his veins when he felt a warm, comforting hand on his shoulder pulling him out of his reverie.
When suddenly he felt to arms encircle him and he silently turned and saw his speedster friend, kneeling on the ground with worry etched on his face. Something broke even further in him, the archer rested his forehead on her hand and sobbed out "You were r-right, it wasn't-t her…, she was nev-ver needy." The flash protégé held his friend silently offering him his strength and support.
"It-t is my fau-ult…s-she is in a coma-a and that is my fault." A broken man whispered to his friend. Wally just held his friend silently, offering his strength and praying that Raven wakes up soon.
Roy did not realize how much time had passed, or when Wally had left. He hadn't moved from his position on the floor, kneeling beside the dark beauty. Tears had dried up and he couldn't feel his legs anymore, but he didn't move.
He sat there, cradling his girlfriend's soft hand between his rough ones. "You have to wake up soon Raven." He whispered, his eyes welling up with a fresh wave of unshed tears as he slowly looked up from her hand to her comatose state.
"If only to be angry me…just wake up. I can take your anger but not your silence. Please…" said a broken man lightly kissing his girlfriend's hand and resting his head near her, hoping that he would soon see his reflection in her deep amethyst eyes.
The archer didn't realize how much time had passed but he got up from his kneeling position when felt movement around him. In panic and somewhat excitement, he looked up at the enchantress only to sit back when he realized that the movement wasn't caused by her.
He sighed and turned and saw Garfield standing behind him, the changeling's eyes locked on his comatose friend. They both stayed in silence, looking at comatose demoness.
"I'm sorry." Came a whisper from the archer. The changeling looked at the archer in question and surprise, but the said man did not move his eyes from his girlfriend.
"I know what she means to you…" this soft whisper caused a jolt of pain in the changeling. And he wordlessly turned to look at the empath, the woman who stood by him when everyone opposed him, who understood him when he himself did not understand himself, the one who he treasured.
"I promised you…I failed." Roy said lowering his head, remembering when he made the said promise.
It was one of those days, where the sun seemed bright and lazy, birds were chirping, and waves were crashing serenely on the shore of the east tower. While Roy and Garfield were wasting the beautiful afternoon by playing video games inside.
This was one of those rare times, when the titans were needed to go for an undercover mission with almost all hands-on deck. Garfield was staying with Roy in the east tower to take care of Steel city while Starfire and Raven were staying in the west tower.
Roy had pouted at the decision of his leader for not letting his new lady love to stay with him in the East tower, the archer knows that the bat protégé did this on purpose. But then again, his cheeky remarks and suggestive grins that made the enchantress blush were probably not helping ease his friend's overprotective feelings for the demoness. He knew his childhood friend was an overprotective brother of sorts of the enchantress and that his past reputation of a womaniser was not helping his case, childhood friend or not.
But can you blame him, Raven looked so pretty when she blushed. All doe eyes and red cheeks, something very unexpected for the stoic empath.
He sighed thinking about her and that caught the attention of the changeling. Who looked at the hell haired man with an uncharacteristic serious look and asked "So you and Raven are serious now?"
"Yes, we are." Roy answered with a dopey grin.
"Are you guys doing okay together?" the shifter asked again uncharacteristically.
"Yeah." He answered again, the grin still adorning his face."
"Good." The shifter kept his controller on the couch and turned to look at his teammate with a deadly expression, projecting uncomfortable level intensity to his teammate. "I know I trouble her a lot,…but she is important to me. She is my dearest friend and very important to me."
Roy felt a twinge of jealousy ignite within him, hearing of how much important his girlfriend still holds in her ex- boyfriend and still close friend's life; but he squashed it down to hear where Changeling was going with this.
"We may not be in love anymore, but if you ever hurt her. If you ever bring a non- happiness tear in her eyes, I will not hesitate to unleash the beast on you."
Garfield sighed looking down and continued before Roy could say anything.
"I made a lot of mistakes when we were dating, and I don't want you to repeat them. Raven is so understanding and accommodating, she always puts others first and sometimes falls in the background.
I hurt her, but I want you to promise that you will treat her like your priority and not let her fall in the shadows."
Roy saw the pain in the changeling's eyes, for the woman he once loved and regret and guilt for how he treated her and made her feel. He looked at his teammate and said with a firm voice "I promise."
"Good." The shifter said dropping back in his usual joyful mood and picked up the controlled while proclaiming "Now, I will kick your ass in this game."
Roy grinned and said, "You can try." And slipped back into their game.
"She will be okay." Changeling's voice snapped him back. Roy took strength from his resolve.
"She has to be."