Nightmare
Full Summary: The Titans take a trip to Steel City to visit the Titans East. They leave Raven and Beast Boy in Jump City to make sure everything is okay. Raven has a nightmare and Beast Boy comforts her.
This oneshot is dedicated to Mad Muser who gave me the idea. Thank you so much for your review!
Beast Boy sighed as he counted the cracks in the living room ceiling for what seemed like the millionth time. Outside the Tower a storm raged and rain pored down from the skies. The power had gone out and now they could only use the lights.
'They' meant him and Raven. Robin, Starfire, and Cyborg were in Steel City where it was sunny and warm. And not poring down rain. He sighed again
"If you do that one more time…" the dark girl on the end of the sofa said looking up from her journal. Beast Boy rolled his eyes and put his hands back behind his head. He was sitting on the coffee table looking up at the ceiling. He was bored. B-O-R-E-D. Bored. Bored, bored, bored and did he already mention bored?
"I'm bored." he announced. Raven looked over at him then went back to her writing
"You said that five minutes ago." she reported
"Well I'm saying it again."
"Joy." Raven replied in her monotone. Beast Boy rolled over onto his side to look at the girl. Her hand moved gracefully over the pages writing… something
"You don't like me much do you Rae?" she looked up and glared at him
"It's Raven."
"You didn't answer my question." Raven sighed and closed her book and put it and her pen in the folds of her cloak
"I don't like it when you keep sighing and telling me your bored. After repeating it fifteen times, I am all to well aware that you are bored."
"So… you like me just not the way I'm acting." Raven smirked and stood to make herself some tea
"You're not as dumb as you look, Beast Boy." the changeling smiled then he frowned thinking over what the girl had said
"Hey! Was that an insult to my intelligence?" he asked walking into the kitchen and sitting down at the bar
"If you can't figure that out then maybe you are as dumb as you look." Raven replied. Beast Boy held up his hands
"Okay, okay. Enough of insulting the innocent shape shifter. And do not say another word." he said pointing at her sarcastic smirk
"Or you'll what?" Raven asked leaning against the counter and propping her head up on her hands. Beast Boy's mind searched for a witty response, then he grinned
"Or I'll tickle you until you laugh your guts out!" he said standing. Raven cocked an eyebrow looking slightly worried
"You wouldn't." Beast Boy moved around the counter so he was standing in front of her. He wiggled his fingers
"Would I?" he questioned. Raven crossed her arms and gave him a smug look. He grinned showing off both of his white fangs
"You're dumber-." the rest of the sentence never left her lips. Beast Boy leapt at her and started tickling her sides unmercifully. A snort escaped her mouth then a giggle. Soon she was laughing uncontrollably and they were back in the living room. She was trying to shove his hands away but he kept chasing her around the sofa until he caught her again
"Beast Boy!" she giggled "Stop it!" she laughed trying to get her breath back. Suddenly without warning Beast Boy was lifted into the air and thrown across the room. He gave a cry as he hit the wall. Raven ran over to him and helped him sit up. He rubbed his head groaning
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to."
"Calm down Rae. No big deal. No broken bones or anything." Raven drew her hood over her head and disappeared into the floor. Beast Boy made a grab at her but missed. He stood and brushed himself off sighing. He wished for a moment that Raven wouldn't run every time her powers got out of control. If she'd just talk to someone maybe she'd…
In the kitchen the kettle whistled shrilly. Beast Boy screamed and turned into a turtle, drawing his limbs into his shell which spun around on the floor for a few seconds until he realized what the noise was. He got up and turned off the stove. After a moment of consideration he got two cups and pored some of the brown liquid into each of them.
He carried the cups down the halls to Raven's room. He couldn't hear anyone moving or talking in there but he knocked anyway
"Hey Raven, I brought you some tea." silence. His ears drooped and he set it on the floor beside the door "Well I'll just leave it out here if you want it. Night Rae."
Raven wasn't in her room. She wasn't on the roof, in the kitchen or in the main room. She wasn't in the Tower at all. She wasn't in her enchanted mirror. She wasn't really anywhere. She was in a trance. The outside world fell away as she calmed her mind and emotions until they were at the very back of her brain.
She came out of the trance just in time to hear Beast Boy tell her good night. She sighed and opened the door hoping he'd still be there. Instead he was gone and there was a cup of steaming tea sitting outside. She smiled to herself and picked it up before disappearing back into her room. She set the cup on her dresser then began to undress for bed. She hung her cloak up in her only half filled closet then traded her leotard for a sheer black tee shirt with a very low neckline and a pair of short shorts.
Raven looked at herself in the mirror for a moment then slid under her blankets and tried to go to sleep. But the incident from earlier kept her tossing and turning.
Beast Boy was sitting on his top bunk attempting to play with a yoyo. It wasn't going very well so he tried a paddleball. The stupid ball hit him in the face
"I guess I could go to sleep." he decided. He jumped to the floor without a noise and paused at his desk. The cup of tea was still sitting there, steaming
"No harm in trying it I guess." he took the mug over to a large pile of clothes and as he kicked them around looking for clean pajamas, sipped the warm liquid. It warmed his stomach and sent a pleasurable feeling all throughout his entire body. He drank the whole mug quickly and set it down having found some clothes.
He pulled on the black flannel pants and a white undershirt. He glanced at the clock and groaned slightly. It was almost midnight and he wasn't a bit tired. Well he'd spent about two hours in here being bored. He glanced at the tea mug and decided to go back to the main room and get some more.
He passed Raven's room on the way and noticed that the tea was gone. He smiled to himself and continued on his way.
He walked along the halls on his way back to the room trying not to spill his tea or burn his hands
"Dang this stuff is hot!" he muttered to himself. Suddenly there was a scream and he heard glass shattering. He dropped the tea and ran for Raven's room. He turned into a fly, slid under the door and returned to a human on the other side. He looked around wildly.
Raven was huddled in a ball on her bed. Her blankets were pulled up around her neck like she was cold. But sweat was running down her face. Her eyes were scrunched shut tightly. Beast Boy hurried to her side and touched her shoulder
"Raven?" a whip of black power reached out of the girl's chakra and pushed him away violently. He staggered trying to fight the black magic away
"Don't. Leave me alone." Raven whimpered. Suddenly her eyes flew up but they were blood red all around "Shut up!" she screamed. Her eyes went back to normal and the whip flew back into her forehead. She fell back into her pillows huddling in her blankets. Beast Boy got to his feet and approached the bed again
"Raven, are you okay?" the girl's eyes opened slowly as if she was afraid. When she saw it was only him she… hugged him!
"Beast Boy, I'm sorry. Did I break anything?" she asked in a rush. The changeling shook his head to clear his brain
"Uh, I think you broke some light bulbs." he didn't tell her about attacking him. She would just make him leave "What was that all about anyway?" Raven sat up and pulled her blankets closer around her as if trying to block something out
"I… I had a nightmare."
"Uhuh." Beast Boy said sitting down on the edge of the bed "You want to tell it to me?" Raven looked away but he lifted her chin with one finger
"You always want us to talk about our problems Rae. Time to practice what you preach." the girl stared at him angrily but his green eyes just let it flow away. She sighed in defeat
"I was dreaming about my father. I know that he's gone and everything but I just can't help it. I spent my whole life trying to get away from him… Anyway, I was fighting him and loosing. Badly. Then he started going on about how I was a pawn. I had no purpose and no one could ever care for me. Then Mal-" her voice caught in her throat for a moment "Then Malchior appeared and started mocking me. He kept saying that my emotions would kill the Titans if I didn't get better control of them. Then Trigon started talking again and said… something about my mother. How she was stupid and an idiot for getting lulled into that cult. I snapped. I wanted to kill him. Once wasn't good enough for that bastard." Beast Boy sighed and patted her hand
"Look, Raven. You know that none of that is true. You do have a purpose. And all the Titans really care about you. I don't know how we'd even manage without you. You're always watching out for us or healing us after some fight. As for Malchior." Raven noted the growl in his throat as he said the dragon's name "He's a lying dragon who lied and used you for his own satisfaction. And your emotions aren't going to hurt anyone. You have much more control over them than ever before. When we first met you could barely twitch your mouth into a smile without shattering a light bulb."
"Ya," Raven whispered managing a small, weak, smile "I guess I forgot about that." Beast Boy smiled at her and covered her hand with his
"You gonna be okay now?" Raven looked around the room for a moment then nodded
"Ya… Ya, I will." Beast Boy smiled and stood
"Goodnight Beast Boy." Raven whispered sleepily. Beast Boy smiled as he opened the door
"Night, my Raven." he whispered.
Going back to his room he felt as if he was flying. He lay on his bunk bed with a happy, almost deranged grin on his face. Maybe there was hope for him and Raven. Maybe… a deep snoring sound filled the room as the changeling drifted off to sleep. The storm was letting up and the moon was peeking out from behind the clouds.
The next morning the other Titans returned to the Tower. Beast Boy was already up in the kitchen making something over at the stove
"Yo BB! We're home!" Cyborg yelled in his ear, after sneaking over behind him. To his surprise the changeling merely rubbed his ear in annoyance
"Dude, some of us have sensitive ears." Cyborg's mouth dropped and Starfire giggled behind him. Robin just grinned
"How'd you hear me?" he demanded. Beast Boy grinned and flipped a pancake into the air
"I heard you. Metal shoes make a lot of noise on a tile floor."
Cyborg sat down at the table muttering to himself. Beast Boy just laughed and piled pancakes, tofu bacon and tofu eggs onto his plate. He was poring syrup over the whole mess when the doors opened and Raven floated in, with her hood down and her nose in a book as usual
"Morning Rae." he said smiling brightly at the girl. She looked up with a ghost of a smile on her face then looked out the window
"Why yes it is." she replied. Beast Boy rolled his eyes and pointed at the stove with his fork, which he hadn't used yet
"I made you some tea. Help yourself." Raven smiled and pored herself a mug. The other three Titans watched them in confusion. Usually by now the two were yelling at each other
"Hey Beast Boy?" Raven said walking over to him with a small smile. He turned in his chair, then his whole face turned bright red as the girl pecked him on the cheek "Thank you." she floated out of the room quietly leaving three stunned Titans and one stunned changeling.
Beast Boy's hand touched the spot she had kissed his face filled with shock. Then he jumped off the chair yelling and whooping like a wild animal
"Yes! Yahoo! Go Beast Boy!" he yelled spinning in circles and doing some kind of victory dance. Starfire soon joined him even though she had no idea why he was doing it.
The remaining two boys looked at each other in confusion
"Did I miss something?" Robin asked
"I think we both did buddy. But hey, if ya can't figure it out join the celebration."
"That's not how it goes." Robin protested but Cyborg was already dancing with his friends. He shook his head and joined them as well.
Raven watched the chaos from the ceiling where she had stuck her head in. She smiled and got to her feet to walk down to her room.
So the grass stain wasn't that bad.
