AN: A slightly different version of this chapter is going to be posted on A03 if you'd be interested in a longer, more –intense- version. The whole story is posted over there under the same name and pseudonym; this will be the first chapter with any difference.
'Ta-da!' announced a certain green-skinned superhero as he held up his sign. It depicted a raised, clenched fist; three letters blocked out underneath in bold. A little blob of black paint had been smudged when he flipped it around to show the others.
"'Oh…' He added, when he realised that the others had already left.
"'You're so unobservant,' snorted Raven, 'They've gone to set up for training.'
This produced a groan. Beast Boy placed his sign back down on the table, beside those that were already complete – 'say his name. Don't forget it's not the only one.' at the top of the pile,' and lent over to watch the purple haired empath draw a matching symbol beneath her own lettering. 'Silence only favours the oppressor' it read.
For once, Raven hadn't even managed to form any quip or comment when Starfire had begun pulling out pots of paint and glue guns this morning, merely staring at her blankly as she piled it all onto the counter. And then the news had come on, and it was without any spoken agreement that they each knew exactly what they would be making.
Although Victor was the only black member of the team, it wasn't difficult for each of them to identify with the issues at hand. Starfire could too easily recall the way she had been treated by val yor, the slur by which he had called her. Her friends had stood by her then, and they would stand beside Vic and every other person affected now; it had nothing to do with their duty or powers – it was to do with their humanity.
But by the beeping of their communicators, it was duty – or rather Robin's importunate training regime – that called them now.
In line with their daily routine, the titans once again found themselves in the shadowy lower levels of the civvie gym. Cyborg, Beast Boy, Raven and Starfire all formed a loose semi-circle around their team leader at the far end of the room as they listened to his instructions. A wrestling exercise was decreed, and the half-demon automatically grimaced. Long-distance activities were always more suited to her particular skill set.
The former boy wonder announced the first pairing, and said grimace deepened. Starfire V Cyborg – and she knew exactly what would happen next. Sure, she would have a chance to fight each of her teammates but Robin would always go last, after observing and critiquing the others performance - which then left the next round to be her and Garfield. She had no qualms against training with him, of course, but such exercises tended to leave her a little…clouded. The earlier on it had to happen, the greater her disadvantage in the remainder of the session. She briefly wondered if this was something the blue-eyed vigilante had picked up on, and shot him an icy glare just in case.
'Powers?' she asked, anticipating a resolute 'no.' However - as his bizarre acceptance of 'relax now, train later. ' this morning had demonstrated - Robin had finally begun to mellow into this quarantined-holiday, and she was pleasantly surprised by his off-handed shrug and response of 'As long as you keep it close-contact.' He clapped his hands together, Starfire and Cyborg each took their stance upon the large, blue, mats, and Raven and Beast Boy plopped themselves down on to the closest bench.
As both had quite an offensive approach, a fight between Star and Cy was always a dramatic one, yet already distracted by what she knew would be coming, the Azareathian found that she wasn't particularly interested in her friends grappling today, and watched the interaction without any real focus. She frowned once more, this time at the sports leggings her fiery-haired friend wore, though she didn't appear to be any restricted by them as she lunged towards the broad, metal, figure opposite her.
Personally, Raven hated the tight fabric, so instead she wore her usual leotard – without the cloak and belt. Like Star, Grayson also wore regular sportswear, but like Raven, Beast Boy was dressed in his usual attire – shift-proof, she assumed. Most clothing brands didn't accommodate for Vic's larger, angular bulk so he tended to not bother dressing his metal frame, but it could've been said that he wore his usual dress, also.
Though not pondering the potential restrictions wardrobe might impose, Beast Boy also found himself inattentive to the match. He tried to rectify this and refocus of the two tussling in front of him, but all it did was procure further worries of how soon it was going to be him and Raven out there. Pulling and pushing and grabbing and rolling and each vying for the upper hand. It should be entirely innocent, like the match he was watching now, it was entirely innocent…except for the way her touch burned his skin. Close-contact proposed entirely too much of that.
He prayed that she wasn't listening to his emotions right now, and then that if she was, it would be how hopelessly stressed he was at the current moment that was predominate, despite how strong the underlying cause was. Shifting uncomfortably, he dared to sneak a glance at her face. Her lips were slightly downturn, but she didn't appear to be disgusted or down-right furious as he had expected.
Okay, this is going to be fine. Get in. Pin her. Get out. Easy-peasy.
But he knew he was only doing a bad job at fooling himself. He had a horrible, grating feeling that this was going to somehow go wrong. He just knew he was going to open his mouth and fall down a hole, and Raven would rip his throat out. Oh well, he thought, at least my last view would be a pretty one.
'Time!' called Robin, and the bench might as well have been ripped right out from underneath him.
He floundered for exactly three minutes – the entire length of his friend's feedback and when, too soon, it came to him stepping on to the mat; his shoulders rolled back, and cool, cocky calm took over
'Hiya, Rae-Rae.' No teasing comment, no obnoxious joke, just one lazy smirk, and Rae-Rae's cheeks were that gorgeous shade of pink once again. She glided from her perch on the stands (making a face at the feel of supple mat beneath her) and then smoothed her features into neutral as she made eye contact. Amethyst and Emerald.
'Hiya, BB.' She returned, revelling in the confusion and then – even better- the minute droplet of fear it procured; like cool water trickling along her spine.
She could feel the eyes of her teammates on them, ready to watch everything with the focus and scrutiny of which she had been lacking, but then Garfield shifted into offensive, and everything else disappeared.
He cocked his head slightly, waiting for her to adjust her own stance in response. She didn't; she stood straight and still before him, hands loosely at her sides. She hoped she looked bored. And then he lunged. Last second, a black hole appeared beneath her, and she disappeared; reappearing behind him as his hands clamped down on air. It was her turn to lunge now, and she latched onto him with her legs as she used her unexpected weight to topple him forwards. The hope that she'd managed to surprise him enough for this to be over already was short-lived, knowing how quick his reflexes were. Instead, she twirled away from him, returning to her strategic relaxed indifference at the edge of the mat before he could curl his hands around her ankles and reverse their positions. Garfield Logan thrived off a response. This whole thought process barely took a few seconds, but she moved even faster.
It carried on like this for a short while, Beast Boy lurching towards her, her vanishing each time. Once, he attempted to transform into a snake, wrapping himself around her legs to bind her. She simply used her own powers again, encasing the light creature in her black cast and tossing it back to the other side of the mat. It momentarily distracted her from her neutral mask and she allowed a smirk, maybe her powers could give her the upper hand in close-contact after all. Another time he transformed into a mouse, right as she lunged for him, and she hit the ground hard. That time it wasn't so funny.
The pair were moving quickly, but it felt like a slow start. Neither of them could land a solid hold, it was just a game of cat and mouse, as it always was with Beast Boy. Constant back and forth; slipping through the others fingertips. Both of their breathing was slowly becoming heavier, though still steady. She could see his pupils rapidly dilating and contracting, the hairs on the back of his neck and across his arms standing to attention as adrenaline flooded them both; as he began to tune into his gifts. It was fascinating, but he was just playing with her. Good!, she thought, because this time – this time, she was playing too.
His eyes ghosted over the length of her figure and he settled once again into his offensive pose; she caved, lowering into a defensive position, and felt a bubble of excitement when she did so – she was finally behaving the way he wanted her too.
The way he was poised reminded her of her match with (soon-to-be) Nightwing a few days ago, and she knew he was about to imitate his move – using his height against hers. Raven wasn't quite sure when she had become the shortest member of the Titans, but she was certainly beginning to resent it, and rapidly so. It went exactly the same way as before - a sudden palpable fizz of anticipation. He went high, she went low. The whisper of fingers over her shoulder, her own already latching around his wrist, twisting it behind his own back and shoving him forward. Only this time, her momentum was used against her.
Beast Boy didn't look it, but he was significantly more solid than Robin, and Raven had had to push much, much harder. He turned quickly, grabbing the back of her knees before she had a chance to steady herself, and brought them forwards, causing her to fall flat on her back. She tried to kick out, but the movement was too sluggish, and all it did was give him a better hold, this time his rough fingertips sliding down to dig into the flesh of her calves.
She wanted to escape, create another portal and come out on top once more. But he was much, much too close, and the cloud was already closing in. By the entrance, the wall lights sparked. The adrenaline coursing through her was far from dissipating, in fact, it was definitely renewed, but she felt her body beginning to relax against her own will; the warmth pooling in the bottom of her stomach. Amethyst and Emerald suddenly felt far, far too intimate. And it was very, very hot. They ought to invest in some fans or something.
Somehow, he always smelt faintly of the forest, a subtle scent of pine and musk, as though he had been traipsing around with the deer just that morning. She supposed it was feasible that he had.
It was then that she noticed – where he was looking, the expression on his face. Her stomach gave a little flip of apprehension, but the overruling response was panic. Garfield Logan was staring directly at her, or more specifically at her lips, wide-eyed and biting nervously on the corner of his own. And their entire team was watching.
He began to lean in, and then paused. His grasp on her lessened.
Raven took advantage of the lull.
She pushed herself up onto her elbows, palms flat against the ground. In the brief reprise, she had regained a little strength, and she used the entirety of it to propel herself forwards, flipping the pair of them over. Now, it was him on his back. Her palms pinned his shoulders to the ground.
Suddenly, it was her eyes on his lips – that stupid, lone fang, and she was leaning in. Everything seemed to slow, as though it took several minutes and not seconds until their lips were just a few centimetres apart, their breath stirring the space between them.
'Time!' The voice was squeakier than it should've been, but she was just about sure that it belonged to Cyborg.