A Normal Life
Author's note: I hope you enjoyed Chapter one. I'm trying really hard to keep everyone in character. Hopefully, I'll get more into the plot with this chapter. I hope I'm going slow enough for those of you that wanted a longer story.
Disclaimer: Like I said before "I own nothing"
Chapter 2 – "Exploding Furniture and Jimmy Stewart"
In the kitchen, Beast Boy was trying to eat his dinner, which interestingly enough, didn't have any tofu, or soy in it. He'd made a dinner for two, hoping to win Raven over. He never expected her to turn him down so quickly. He looked across the food he made; vegetarian lasagna, a fresh garden salad, and baked apples for dessert. He'd really pulled out the stops for her, and she didn't even want to come out of her room. He sat at the table with his chin in his hands. He looked at the single candle in the center of the table with disgust. 'What was I thinking?' Silently he smothered the flame with his fingers. 'Why would she want to eat dinner with me?' He asked himself as he sat in the dark.
In her room, Raven was beginning to get hungry. 'I can't go down there now. He'd know I lied...but I'm starving.' Raven wrestled with her thoughts for a few moments more when her stomach settled the entire argument by growling. She started to leave her room, but before she left, she glanced back, unsure of herself. When she looked back, a picture caught her eye. It was the only picture she had of the entire team. They were all sitting on the couch. Beast Boy had been the one to set the timer, so in a last ditch effort to get on the couch before the picture was taken; he'd jumped into Raven's lap as a cat. The surprise she'd shown that day was recorded perfectly on film. Beast Boy, in cat form, was completely unphased by Raven's surprise. His cat face just looked directly into the camera, completely confident. She smiled a little at the memory, and turned off the light.
As Raven made her way down the hallway, as she got closer to the kitchen, she could hear someone talking. As she got closer, she could make out actual words, "What was I thinking? I must have been stupid to think that I could win her over like this. Now what?" As the last comment was made, Raven had just got to the doorway of the darkened kitchen. She flicked on the light. Surprised at the food laid out on the table, she couldn't help but ask, "What's the occasion?" Beast Boy jumped as the light was turned on. The changeling turned to see Raven standing in the doorway. He was a little embarrassed. 'How much did she hear?' Still slightly stunned, he fumbled for words. "I-I...I made dinner, but you said you weren't hungry...so...I-"
"You made dinner?" Raven asked, a little taken back at the thought that Beast Boy could cook. "Why?"
"Well...it is Christmas Eve, and I thought you might be hungry...so I-I made dinner..." Beast Boy was terrified of what she'd say. He was afraid she'd take it wrong, and get mad.
"That was...really sweet of you." Raven said. She was struggling to keep her emotions under control, but it wasn't every day that someone actually thought about her enough to make her a special dinner. "So, is it too late to eat with you, or have you already eaten?"
"No, I haven't eaten yet...I didn't really want to start with out you...so I..." Beast Boy said stumbling. He was surprised that she seemed to like the idea of him cooking, but he was even more surprised that she still wanted to eat with him. She sat down, and she put a little vegetarian lasagna on her plate. "What's this?" She asked.
"Its vegetarian lasagna. I hope you like it. Its one of my favorite foods."
"I didn't think you ate anything except tofu, or soy." Raven replied.
"There's actually a lot of good Vegan recipes out there, but since Cyborg doesn't hardly ever let me cook after that one breakfast with the tofu eggs, I hardly ever get to try them out. Vegetarian lasagna is my specialty though." Beast Boy said as he watched Raven take her first bite. He was relieved when she smiled and said, "This is really good." It was something Raven had planned on saying even if it had tasted horrible, but she was quite surprised when she realized that it tasted great. "Wait until you try the baked apples." Beast Boy said. 'Maybe tonight will turn out better than I thought.'
The two began eating. Raven knew that he was watching her, but she was afraid to look at him. She was doing everything she could just to keep from blowing up her lasagna. After a few minutes of silence, she knew she was going to have to say something. "I didn't know you could cook so well."
"Thanks. When I was 14, I had a job at a catering company. They thought my appearance was a little...how should I say this...Green. They thought I'd scare away customers, so I wasn't allowed to serve the food, so I had to cook. I learned all sorts of recipes from the senior chef, but I don't use some of them because it involves cooking meat." There was a long silence again...this wasn't going as well as Beast Boy had wanted. He really wanted to steer the conversation toward their relationship, but he couldn't think of anything to say, so he said the first thing that came into his mind. "Do you think that after this trip Robin and Starfire will get together?"
Raven was little confused at why Beast Boy seemed to want to talk about someone else's relationship when their own relationship was in undefined territory, but she went along with it anyway. "I dunno. Maybe. I wish they'd just hurry it up. This charade of them pretending they don't care about each other is beginning to get on my nerves."
"Yeah, you're right...if two people have feelings for each other...then they should say something..." Beast Boy said looking Raven square in the face. She knew exactly what he was referring to. He wanted to know how she felt, and this was the best time to do it. She could feel something welling up inside of her as she tried to speak, suddenly, that something found a way out. The overhead lamp exploded. "I'm sorry! I-I didn't meant to! I-you, it just..." Raven said, stumbling through her words. This was so embarrassing. "Its okay Raven. It was an accident. It happens." Beast Boy said. "So, what were you going to say?" Raven was put on the spot. She was terrified. What if something else blew up? There was only one way to avoid the question. "I...was going to ask if you wanted to watch a movie." Raven said, barely able to contain her powers. Beast Boy's face fell. It seemed she didn't like him at all. "Sure I guess."
The two grabbed their baked apple desserts and took their place on the couch. Beast Boy began flipping through the channels...it seemed the only movie that was on was "It's a Wonderful Life". "Is this okay for you Raven? I know this isn't really your kind of movie" Beast Boy said. "Yeah, this is fine" Raven said. Beast Boy was actually wrong. This was exactly her kind of movie. She loved old movies, and "It's a Wonderful Life" was actually one of her favorites. She used to watch it every year. "I love old movies. Things are always so much simpler when they're in black and white." Beast Boy said. This confession really surprised Raven. She never really thought of him as the old movie type. After they'd finished their baked apples they were already about a half hour in, and Raven was getting a little tired. It was well past 11:00, and she was getting extremely tired. Being so tense while sitting next to Beast Boy was really taking a toll on her. Jimmy Stewart's face was beginning to blur as she closed her eyes. Unable to hold her head any longer, it fell to Beast Boy's shoulder. Suddenly she felt something touch her shoulder. Groggily, she realized that Beast Boy had put his arm around her shoulders. For some reason, nothing exploded, and nothing melted. It was like he wasn't even touching her, but he was. It was wonderful, like he was cradling her. It was almost like she didn't have powers at all, she could just be herself. Beast Boy hadn't even realized she was awake. He couldn't help but smile. This is what he wanted. Everything he could possibly want or need was lying in his arms with her head on his shoulder. Raven wanted more than anything to tell him just how she felt, it finally felt like the right time. She sat up and his arm slid off from around her shoulders as she turned to face him. Raven looked him straight in the eyes. She couldn't do it. What if something exploded? What if he didn't feel the same way? Beast Boy looked at the pale girl as the light from the TV glinted across her face in the dark. He'd never seen anyone so beautiful. Before he even thought about it, he began to lean toward her face, concentrating on her attractive lips. Raven could see him lean forward in the dark, and she knew what he was going to do. She wanted to stop it before she went to far and hurt him, but she couldn't, it was like he was pulling her to him. Moments before their lips touched, the cushion that Beast Boy had been sitting on exploded in a cloud of feathers, and Beast Boy was rocketed into the air. He landed behind the couch in a loud thud. "Oh my gosh! Are you okay?!" Raven asked him as she looked down at him from the back of the couch. "I think so..." He said rubbing his head. "I am so sorry." She said. "I-I have to go..." Raven jumped off the couch and ran to her room.
Author's note: I hope you enjoyed Chapter one. I'm trying really hard to keep everyone in character. Hopefully, I'll get more into the plot with this chapter. I hope I'm going slow enough for those of you that wanted a longer story.
Disclaimer: Like I said before "I own nothing"
Chapter 2 – "Exploding Furniture and Jimmy Stewart"
In the kitchen, Beast Boy was trying to eat his dinner, which interestingly enough, didn't have any tofu, or soy in it. He'd made a dinner for two, hoping to win Raven over. He never expected her to turn him down so quickly. He looked across the food he made; vegetarian lasagna, a fresh garden salad, and baked apples for dessert. He'd really pulled out the stops for her, and she didn't even want to come out of her room. He sat at the table with his chin in his hands. He looked at the single candle in the center of the table with disgust. 'What was I thinking?' Silently he smothered the flame with his fingers. 'Why would she want to eat dinner with me?' He asked himself as he sat in the dark.
In her room, Raven was beginning to get hungry. 'I can't go down there now. He'd know I lied...but I'm starving.' Raven wrestled with her thoughts for a few moments more when her stomach settled the entire argument by growling. She started to leave her room, but before she left, she glanced back, unsure of herself. When she looked back, a picture caught her eye. It was the only picture she had of the entire team. They were all sitting on the couch. Beast Boy had been the one to set the timer, so in a last ditch effort to get on the couch before the picture was taken; he'd jumped into Raven's lap as a cat. The surprise she'd shown that day was recorded perfectly on film. Beast Boy, in cat form, was completely unphased by Raven's surprise. His cat face just looked directly into the camera, completely confident. She smiled a little at the memory, and turned off the light.
As Raven made her way down the hallway, as she got closer to the kitchen, she could hear someone talking. As she got closer, she could make out actual words, "What was I thinking? I must have been stupid to think that I could win her over like this. Now what?" As the last comment was made, Raven had just got to the doorway of the darkened kitchen. She flicked on the light. Surprised at the food laid out on the table, she couldn't help but ask, "What's the occasion?" Beast Boy jumped as the light was turned on. The changeling turned to see Raven standing in the doorway. He was a little embarrassed. 'How much did she hear?' Still slightly stunned, he fumbled for words. "I-I...I made dinner, but you said you weren't hungry...so...I-"
"You made dinner?" Raven asked, a little taken back at the thought that Beast Boy could cook. "Why?"
"Well...it is Christmas Eve, and I thought you might be hungry...so I-I made dinner..." Beast Boy was terrified of what she'd say. He was afraid she'd take it wrong, and get mad.
"That was...really sweet of you." Raven said. She was struggling to keep her emotions under control, but it wasn't every day that someone actually thought about her enough to make her a special dinner. "So, is it too late to eat with you, or have you already eaten?"
"No, I haven't eaten yet...I didn't really want to start with out you...so I..." Beast Boy said stumbling. He was surprised that she seemed to like the idea of him cooking, but he was even more surprised that she still wanted to eat with him. She sat down, and she put a little vegetarian lasagna on her plate. "What's this?" She asked.
"Its vegetarian lasagna. I hope you like it. Its one of my favorite foods."
"I didn't think you ate anything except tofu, or soy." Raven replied.
"There's actually a lot of good Vegan recipes out there, but since Cyborg doesn't hardly ever let me cook after that one breakfast with the tofu eggs, I hardly ever get to try them out. Vegetarian lasagna is my specialty though." Beast Boy said as he watched Raven take her first bite. He was relieved when she smiled and said, "This is really good." It was something Raven had planned on saying even if it had tasted horrible, but she was quite surprised when she realized that it tasted great. "Wait until you try the baked apples." Beast Boy said. 'Maybe tonight will turn out better than I thought.'
The two began eating. Raven knew that he was watching her, but she was afraid to look at him. She was doing everything she could just to keep from blowing up her lasagna. After a few minutes of silence, she knew she was going to have to say something. "I didn't know you could cook so well."
"Thanks. When I was 14, I had a job at a catering company. They thought my appearance was a little...how should I say this...Green. They thought I'd scare away customers, so I wasn't allowed to serve the food, so I had to cook. I learned all sorts of recipes from the senior chef, but I don't use some of them because it involves cooking meat." There was a long silence again...this wasn't going as well as Beast Boy had wanted. He really wanted to steer the conversation toward their relationship, but he couldn't think of anything to say, so he said the first thing that came into his mind. "Do you think that after this trip Robin and Starfire will get together?"
Raven was little confused at why Beast Boy seemed to want to talk about someone else's relationship when their own relationship was in undefined territory, but she went along with it anyway. "I dunno. Maybe. I wish they'd just hurry it up. This charade of them pretending they don't care about each other is beginning to get on my nerves."
"Yeah, you're right...if two people have feelings for each other...then they should say something..." Beast Boy said looking Raven square in the face. She knew exactly what he was referring to. He wanted to know how she felt, and this was the best time to do it. She could feel something welling up inside of her as she tried to speak, suddenly, that something found a way out. The overhead lamp exploded. "I'm sorry! I-I didn't meant to! I-you, it just..." Raven said, stumbling through her words. This was so embarrassing. "Its okay Raven. It was an accident. It happens." Beast Boy said. "So, what were you going to say?" Raven was put on the spot. She was terrified. What if something else blew up? There was only one way to avoid the question. "I...was going to ask if you wanted to watch a movie." Raven said, barely able to contain her powers. Beast Boy's face fell. It seemed she didn't like him at all. "Sure I guess."
The two grabbed their baked apple desserts and took their place on the couch. Beast Boy began flipping through the channels...it seemed the only movie that was on was "It's a Wonderful Life". "Is this okay for you Raven? I know this isn't really your kind of movie" Beast Boy said. "Yeah, this is fine" Raven said. Beast Boy was actually wrong. This was exactly her kind of movie. She loved old movies, and "It's a Wonderful Life" was actually one of her favorites. She used to watch it every year. "I love old movies. Things are always so much simpler when they're in black and white." Beast Boy said. This confession really surprised Raven. She never really thought of him as the old movie type. After they'd finished their baked apples they were already about a half hour in, and Raven was getting a little tired. It was well past 11:00, and she was getting extremely tired. Being so tense while sitting next to Beast Boy was really taking a toll on her. Jimmy Stewart's face was beginning to blur as she closed her eyes. Unable to hold her head any longer, it fell to Beast Boy's shoulder. Suddenly she felt something touch her shoulder. Groggily, she realized that Beast Boy had put his arm around her shoulders. For some reason, nothing exploded, and nothing melted. It was like he wasn't even touching her, but he was. It was wonderful, like he was cradling her. It was almost like she didn't have powers at all, she could just be herself. Beast Boy hadn't even realized she was awake. He couldn't help but smile. This is what he wanted. Everything he could possibly want or need was lying in his arms with her head on his shoulder. Raven wanted more than anything to tell him just how she felt, it finally felt like the right time. She sat up and his arm slid off from around her shoulders as she turned to face him. Raven looked him straight in the eyes. She couldn't do it. What if something exploded? What if he didn't feel the same way? Beast Boy looked at the pale girl as the light from the TV glinted across her face in the dark. He'd never seen anyone so beautiful. Before he even thought about it, he began to lean toward her face, concentrating on her attractive lips. Raven could see him lean forward in the dark, and she knew what he was going to do. She wanted to stop it before she went to far and hurt him, but she couldn't, it was like he was pulling her to him. Moments before their lips touched, the cushion that Beast Boy had been sitting on exploded in a cloud of feathers, and Beast Boy was rocketed into the air. He landed behind the couch in a loud thud. "Oh my gosh! Are you okay?!" Raven asked him as she looked down at him from the back of the couch. "I think so..." He said rubbing his head. "I am so sorry." She said. "I-I have to go..." Raven jumped off the couch and ran to her room.