A/N: Hmm... so it's been awhile since I've updated. And thanks to all the
nice reviewers... I'm actually continuing with this tale of very mild
interest! I'd like to thank Piezo for advertising me in his most excellent
fic, "Titans on the Run!" Thanks, bud. The least I can do is return the
favor. Go read his story. Now. Read it, it good. I'd also like to thank
Ozzy Anmudis for always inspiring me to write. Go read his story, too,
everyone. "Poor Twisted Me" is a little long, but a worthwhile read. BTW-
that stupid question I asked. The stupid answer is rejigger- it's a real
word. Even though my spell check doesn't think so... Anyways...
So here I am, with my headphones, large stack of assorted mix CDs and a rather large bag of warm gummy bears and I'm ready to rock! I hope you enjoy chapter two, "Redundance" of "Oh, My Pretty Kitty."
A cold chill ran over her spine as Raven's eyes slowly began to flutter open. Vaguely beginning to take in her surroundings, the gothic girl pulled her knees upward and pushed herself onto them. Now kneeling on the couch, she attempted to rub the grogginess from her eyes with her right hand as she stuck her left hand into her hair, using her fingers as a makeshift hairbrush. She blinked twice and turned her head to look at the VCR as a way to find out the time. The blue-green digital light blinked "12:00" at her.
Figures... she thought. Her focus was redirected to the window. Perhaps she could use the sun as an aid. She squinted her eyes at the sun's early rays. Golden yellow rays mixed with the skies sleepy gray hue told her it was early morning, but she had slept through the sunrise. Now sitting up properly and more awake, the events of the previous night came flooding back to her. It was then that she realized she had retired for the night alongside Beast Boy, but he was nowhere to be seen. The video game had been shut off, and Raven was left alone in the dim, quiet room.
What a weird dream, she mused, absentmindedly allowing her fingers to trace the mark left on her neck.
I don't understand... she furrowed her brow as her fingers memorized every detail they outlined. If I dreamt it... then why was it so real? Why did this thing show up on my neck?
Raven's thoughts were interrupted by a soft "clink!" coming from the kitchen. Drawing in a quick breath, Raven whipped her head around to identify the offender. Resolving one of her mysteries, she found Beast Boy behind her in the kitchen. His back was to her and he was fumbling around with some dishes in a cabinet. She watched the green one for a moment or so, wondering what he was up to. After a slight battle with stacking plates, he finally snapped the door shut and turned back to the counter top.
He must have realized he was being watched by something, because he lifted his head slightly in Raven's direction. She remained blankly gawking at him.
"Mornin', Rae," he smiled softly at her, continuing with whatever he was doing on the counter.
She blinked once, as if it were the only thing to bring her back to reality. She lifted her fallen hood atop her head once more as she turned away from him and responded stoically, "Good morning."
"Hey... you all right?" he grabbed his plate and began to move towards her.
"Yes. I'm just still a little tired, I guess," she rationalized her staring.
"Oh," his voice sounded closer and she became aware that he had moved up right behind her.
She looked up to face him. His one hand rested on the couch, dangerously close to her hair strewn on it. In his other hand, he held a small white plate with strawberries on it. His olive green eyes shone down into her violet ones.
For a lack of anything intelligent sounding to say, she once again simply blinked.
"Want some strawberries?" his mouth spoke the words, but his eyes danced showing a deeper meaning. They sparkled with the hope of sharing his secret with her. She knew that his words meant something other than what he said.
Again, Raven blinked. Curiosity and the memory of last night's dream subconsciously played through her mind. She gave him a tiny smile of agreement.
The green teen eagerly hopped over the couch and perched himself close to her.
"Try one," he encouraged her, and picked a berry up and held it to her mouth, "They're so sweet..."
Hesitantly, she took a small bite. The taste engulfed her mouth. A warm, buzzing feeling swallowed her as she swallowed the strawberry. Beaming at her, he retracted his hand and ate the rest of the berry. She smiled at him, noticing the boy had dripped juice from the soft strawberry on his chin. Something compelled her to reach forward and wipe it off his face.
She raised a pale hand and pulled her sleeve down slightly. Raven used the cuff of her leotard to remove the pink stain off his green chin. Without realizing so, she let her hand linger for a moment, relishing the feel of his soft skin. To her, it felt like hours. He looked at her hand and then up to her eyes. They were glossy and fixated on the fingers touching his skin. He lifted his own hand to rest on top of hers. Quickly catching her attention, Raven snapped her head up and promptly fell off the couch.
"Ah, fuck..." she swore compulsively as she pulled herself up into a sitting position.
Rubbing the back of her head, she looked back up at the couch. Doing a double take, she bugged her eyes out at Beast Boy, sleeping soundly on the couch. He was curled up in a familiar cat-like position and was breathing steadily, as if in a deep slumber.
Raven searched for the plate of strawberries, but they had seemingly vanished. Confused and aggravated, the dark girl gritted her teeth as she used the coffee table to pull herself to her feet.
"What the HELL is going on here?!" she demanded to no one in particular.
Receiving no response, she turned on her heels in an attempt to storm out but was stopped dead in her tracks by the sight of the television. The huge screen displayed the words "GAME OVER." Flashing fireworks exploded on the screen.
Raven stepped back and gasped.
Then... that was just a dream, too??
Worry took her over.
What's wrong with me?!
The crunch of a plate cracking within one of the cabinets in the kitchen broke the silence.
"I need some tea..." she mused aloud and wandered by instinct alone into the kitchen.
Ignoring the cracked plate, Raven moved to the stove to heat some water. She took a seat at the kitchen table and blankly watched the flames lick the sides of the kettle in silence. The steam began to sputter through the top of spout, beckoning the girl to rise from her chair.
Before she could reach the stovetop, something caught her eye. Something green was beginning to stir. She watched as the green elf innocently pushed himself into a sitting position. She felt her cheeks warm up at the thought of the dreams she had just had about him. She lifted her hood to hide the flush.
I really need that tea, she decided.
Concentrating on her beverage and not the boy, she returned to her task and pulled out a large, rounded white mug and placed it on the counter. Digging in a small wooden box next to the coffee maker, Raven pulled out a small bag and ripped the top carelessly from it. She removed the tea bag and quickly thrust it into the mug. Moving back to the stove, Raven used a stove mitt to pick up the hot metal kettle (A/N: Haha, metal kettle!!).
"Mornin', Rae!" the one she had been ignoring greeted her merrily, taking her by complete surprise.
"Aaaiii!" Raven jumped and dropped the kettle, managing to burn herself despite the mitt.
"Whoa, Rave, you okay?" concern filled Beast Boy's voice.
He moved towards the stove and picked up hot kettle, placing it back on the stove. Raven seethed in shock and anger as she smashed her burning hand into the faucet, releasing the cold, soothing water. A chill of relief swept over her as the water enveloped her hand. She continued to ignore Beast Boy.
"Eh heh..." he managed to cough out nervously. "Didn't mean to scare ya like that..."
She glanced up from her now puffy hand in the sink to her nervous (and now slightly sweaty) companion. He scratched the back of his neck in an attempt to stop the anxious bead of sweat rolling down it. He meekly raised his eyes to meet hers, but as soon as he saw the look of pain and contempt in her eyes, he immediately drew his look away.
Doom was impending. He could sense it.
"Ahhhh..." came the sound of a yawn from down the hall. Four eyes turned to investigate the noise. Robin was walking down the hall towards the kitchen clad in blue pinstripe pajamas and a navy robe. He clutched a daily newspaper under one arm, leaving his free arm to scratch his side.
"Morning, Titans!" he greeted the two cheerfully, despite his sleepy appearance. "Whoa, what happened to your hand, Raven?" his voice took a more serious tone.
"Nothing," she said calmly, although the sound of another plate cracking in the cabinet was heard. This earned another nervous laugh from Beast Boy.
Deciding not to interfere, Robin simply quirked an eyebrow and sat down at the table with his newspaper.
Maybe there'll be a Slade lead in here, he thought optimistically.
Silence swept over the kitchen aside from the sounds of Raven pouring the hot water in her mug, Robin lazily turning pages and Beast Boy shuffling through the refrigerator. Grabbing a spoon from the utensil drawer, Raven gracefully floated across the room and sat herself down across from Robin. She swirled her spoon around pointlessly in the mug as the thoughts in her head spun out of control.
"Hey, guys," Beast Boy immerged from the large, silver fridge with a plastic carton, "want some strawberries?"
"What?" this caught Raven's attention, and she spun around quickly.
"I asked if you wanted some strawberries..." Beast Boy asked confusedly. "But it looks like you already had some." He then pointed at the sleeve cuff on her unscathed hand.
"What...?"
Raven's eyes darted downward at her sleeve.
How didn't I notice that? But that was a dream! Raven shook her head in disbelief.
She blinked rapidly as if to prove she couldn't believe it.
"I-I..." wide eyed and jaw slacked, she stuttered slightly. "I have to go!"
Leaving the boys in shock, the goth grabbed her mug and ran out towards her room. They exchanged a baffled glance, turned towards the hall to watch her run off, and then back to each other again.
"Was it something I said?" the green bean queried.
The boy wonder could merely shrug.
A/N: Yay! Another chapter... um, yeah, so this and the first chapter are basically to set up that there's a problem with Raven, and she doesn't know what it is! The plot will get rollin' next chap. The basic inspiration for this fic was first of all, the idea that I'm a lacid dreamer. I THINK that's what it's called... I dunno, my brother told me that's what it's called. It's really aggravating, because dreams seem so real and are easily remembered that sometimes, I get confused between what was a dream and what is reality. Then I thought... Raven's messed up, I'll make a story about it! Except... my dreams don't come true like that, lol. Haha... so now that y'all think I'm twisted... the theme song is Green Day's "Basket Case." Seriously, if you listen to it... it'll make sense, especially with later chapters.
Um, so I think I've neglected to make a disclaimer. Don't own it. Happy? I said it. This will suffice for the whole story, got it?
Next chap will be up much sooner than this one was... that is, of course, if I get plenty of nice REVIEWS!!!! So, uh... please review? It really makes my day!
Slan, Kelly
So here I am, with my headphones, large stack of assorted mix CDs and a rather large bag of warm gummy bears and I'm ready to rock! I hope you enjoy chapter two, "Redundance" of "Oh, My Pretty Kitty."
A cold chill ran over her spine as Raven's eyes slowly began to flutter open. Vaguely beginning to take in her surroundings, the gothic girl pulled her knees upward and pushed herself onto them. Now kneeling on the couch, she attempted to rub the grogginess from her eyes with her right hand as she stuck her left hand into her hair, using her fingers as a makeshift hairbrush. She blinked twice and turned her head to look at the VCR as a way to find out the time. The blue-green digital light blinked "12:00" at her.
Figures... she thought. Her focus was redirected to the window. Perhaps she could use the sun as an aid. She squinted her eyes at the sun's early rays. Golden yellow rays mixed with the skies sleepy gray hue told her it was early morning, but she had slept through the sunrise. Now sitting up properly and more awake, the events of the previous night came flooding back to her. It was then that she realized she had retired for the night alongside Beast Boy, but he was nowhere to be seen. The video game had been shut off, and Raven was left alone in the dim, quiet room.
What a weird dream, she mused, absentmindedly allowing her fingers to trace the mark left on her neck.
I don't understand... she furrowed her brow as her fingers memorized every detail they outlined. If I dreamt it... then why was it so real? Why did this thing show up on my neck?
Raven's thoughts were interrupted by a soft "clink!" coming from the kitchen. Drawing in a quick breath, Raven whipped her head around to identify the offender. Resolving one of her mysteries, she found Beast Boy behind her in the kitchen. His back was to her and he was fumbling around with some dishes in a cabinet. She watched the green one for a moment or so, wondering what he was up to. After a slight battle with stacking plates, he finally snapped the door shut and turned back to the counter top.
He must have realized he was being watched by something, because he lifted his head slightly in Raven's direction. She remained blankly gawking at him.
"Mornin', Rae," he smiled softly at her, continuing with whatever he was doing on the counter.
She blinked once, as if it were the only thing to bring her back to reality. She lifted her fallen hood atop her head once more as she turned away from him and responded stoically, "Good morning."
"Hey... you all right?" he grabbed his plate and began to move towards her.
"Yes. I'm just still a little tired, I guess," she rationalized her staring.
"Oh," his voice sounded closer and she became aware that he had moved up right behind her.
She looked up to face him. His one hand rested on the couch, dangerously close to her hair strewn on it. In his other hand, he held a small white plate with strawberries on it. His olive green eyes shone down into her violet ones.
For a lack of anything intelligent sounding to say, she once again simply blinked.
"Want some strawberries?" his mouth spoke the words, but his eyes danced showing a deeper meaning. They sparkled with the hope of sharing his secret with her. She knew that his words meant something other than what he said.
Again, Raven blinked. Curiosity and the memory of last night's dream subconsciously played through her mind. She gave him a tiny smile of agreement.
The green teen eagerly hopped over the couch and perched himself close to her.
"Try one," he encouraged her, and picked a berry up and held it to her mouth, "They're so sweet..."
Hesitantly, she took a small bite. The taste engulfed her mouth. A warm, buzzing feeling swallowed her as she swallowed the strawberry. Beaming at her, he retracted his hand and ate the rest of the berry. She smiled at him, noticing the boy had dripped juice from the soft strawberry on his chin. Something compelled her to reach forward and wipe it off his face.
She raised a pale hand and pulled her sleeve down slightly. Raven used the cuff of her leotard to remove the pink stain off his green chin. Without realizing so, she let her hand linger for a moment, relishing the feel of his soft skin. To her, it felt like hours. He looked at her hand and then up to her eyes. They were glossy and fixated on the fingers touching his skin. He lifted his own hand to rest on top of hers. Quickly catching her attention, Raven snapped her head up and promptly fell off the couch.
"Ah, fuck..." she swore compulsively as she pulled herself up into a sitting position.
Rubbing the back of her head, she looked back up at the couch. Doing a double take, she bugged her eyes out at Beast Boy, sleeping soundly on the couch. He was curled up in a familiar cat-like position and was breathing steadily, as if in a deep slumber.
Raven searched for the plate of strawberries, but they had seemingly vanished. Confused and aggravated, the dark girl gritted her teeth as she used the coffee table to pull herself to her feet.
"What the HELL is going on here?!" she demanded to no one in particular.
Receiving no response, she turned on her heels in an attempt to storm out but was stopped dead in her tracks by the sight of the television. The huge screen displayed the words "GAME OVER." Flashing fireworks exploded on the screen.
Raven stepped back and gasped.
Then... that was just a dream, too??
Worry took her over.
What's wrong with me?!
The crunch of a plate cracking within one of the cabinets in the kitchen broke the silence.
"I need some tea..." she mused aloud and wandered by instinct alone into the kitchen.
Ignoring the cracked plate, Raven moved to the stove to heat some water. She took a seat at the kitchen table and blankly watched the flames lick the sides of the kettle in silence. The steam began to sputter through the top of spout, beckoning the girl to rise from her chair.
Before she could reach the stovetop, something caught her eye. Something green was beginning to stir. She watched as the green elf innocently pushed himself into a sitting position. She felt her cheeks warm up at the thought of the dreams she had just had about him. She lifted her hood to hide the flush.
I really need that tea, she decided.
Concentrating on her beverage and not the boy, she returned to her task and pulled out a large, rounded white mug and placed it on the counter. Digging in a small wooden box next to the coffee maker, Raven pulled out a small bag and ripped the top carelessly from it. She removed the tea bag and quickly thrust it into the mug. Moving back to the stove, Raven used a stove mitt to pick up the hot metal kettle (A/N: Haha, metal kettle!!).
"Mornin', Rae!" the one she had been ignoring greeted her merrily, taking her by complete surprise.
"Aaaiii!" Raven jumped and dropped the kettle, managing to burn herself despite the mitt.
"Whoa, Rave, you okay?" concern filled Beast Boy's voice.
He moved towards the stove and picked up hot kettle, placing it back on the stove. Raven seethed in shock and anger as she smashed her burning hand into the faucet, releasing the cold, soothing water. A chill of relief swept over her as the water enveloped her hand. She continued to ignore Beast Boy.
"Eh heh..." he managed to cough out nervously. "Didn't mean to scare ya like that..."
She glanced up from her now puffy hand in the sink to her nervous (and now slightly sweaty) companion. He scratched the back of his neck in an attempt to stop the anxious bead of sweat rolling down it. He meekly raised his eyes to meet hers, but as soon as he saw the look of pain and contempt in her eyes, he immediately drew his look away.
Doom was impending. He could sense it.
"Ahhhh..." came the sound of a yawn from down the hall. Four eyes turned to investigate the noise. Robin was walking down the hall towards the kitchen clad in blue pinstripe pajamas and a navy robe. He clutched a daily newspaper under one arm, leaving his free arm to scratch his side.
"Morning, Titans!" he greeted the two cheerfully, despite his sleepy appearance. "Whoa, what happened to your hand, Raven?" his voice took a more serious tone.
"Nothing," she said calmly, although the sound of another plate cracking in the cabinet was heard. This earned another nervous laugh from Beast Boy.
Deciding not to interfere, Robin simply quirked an eyebrow and sat down at the table with his newspaper.
Maybe there'll be a Slade lead in here, he thought optimistically.
Silence swept over the kitchen aside from the sounds of Raven pouring the hot water in her mug, Robin lazily turning pages and Beast Boy shuffling through the refrigerator. Grabbing a spoon from the utensil drawer, Raven gracefully floated across the room and sat herself down across from Robin. She swirled her spoon around pointlessly in the mug as the thoughts in her head spun out of control.
"Hey, guys," Beast Boy immerged from the large, silver fridge with a plastic carton, "want some strawberries?"
"What?" this caught Raven's attention, and she spun around quickly.
"I asked if you wanted some strawberries..." Beast Boy asked confusedly. "But it looks like you already had some." He then pointed at the sleeve cuff on her unscathed hand.
"What...?"
Raven's eyes darted downward at her sleeve.
How didn't I notice that? But that was a dream! Raven shook her head in disbelief.
She blinked rapidly as if to prove she couldn't believe it.
"I-I..." wide eyed and jaw slacked, she stuttered slightly. "I have to go!"
Leaving the boys in shock, the goth grabbed her mug and ran out towards her room. They exchanged a baffled glance, turned towards the hall to watch her run off, and then back to each other again.
"Was it something I said?" the green bean queried.
The boy wonder could merely shrug.
A/N: Yay! Another chapter... um, yeah, so this and the first chapter are basically to set up that there's a problem with Raven, and she doesn't know what it is! The plot will get rollin' next chap. The basic inspiration for this fic was first of all, the idea that I'm a lacid dreamer. I THINK that's what it's called... I dunno, my brother told me that's what it's called. It's really aggravating, because dreams seem so real and are easily remembered that sometimes, I get confused between what was a dream and what is reality. Then I thought... Raven's messed up, I'll make a story about it! Except... my dreams don't come true like that, lol. Haha... so now that y'all think I'm twisted... the theme song is Green Day's "Basket Case." Seriously, if you listen to it... it'll make sense, especially with later chapters.
Um, so I think I've neglected to make a disclaimer. Don't own it. Happy? I said it. This will suffice for the whole story, got it?
Next chap will be up much sooner than this one was... that is, of course, if I get plenty of nice REVIEWS!!!! So, uh... please review? It really makes my day!
Slan, Kelly