He never wanted her lips to leave his. Ever.
But they did, eventually, trailing instead to his fevered forehead. Her touch was porcelain, the tips of her fingers cool and dainty against his flushed verdant cheeks. The longer they sat, forehead to forehead, the less pain he felt. The pounding behind his eyes ebbed as the empath's steady breath continued to cross the bridge of his nose; as a loyal teammate, she was absorbing his pain.
"Are you feeling better?"
When she finally spoke, her voice sounded as raw as his throat felt. Ragged, tired, broken; everything that had been weighing Beast Boy down this evening was now carried heavily in the empath's gentle tone. Though spoke simply as always, her tone was laden with a tidal of emotion. His emotions.
Truthfully, he just wanted to bury his hands in her familiar lavender hair and let his tears fall freely as Raven kissed the pain away, but that was a selfish option. Digging a canine into his quivering lip, another wave of frustration crashed through the changeling's body. He felt bad for embedding such negative emotions into his aura, and he felt bad for feeling bad too, since it was a given that she would feel his doubled dose of guilt. Resenting his general aptitude for ceaseless expression, Beast Boy sighed, his forehead dropping in exhaustion on her shoulder.
"Sorry for all the trouble, Rae." He muttered, pressing his swollen lids closed and feeling a fresh wave of guilt for the tiny collection of tears on her thin left collar. "I really didn't mean to bring you down." A deep chuckle resonated from his chest, sending warm vibrations over his bare mattress. "You probably have the headache from hell now."
A tiny smile graced her lips. "Yeah." She was never one to sugarcoat the truth. Slender pinkies traced the pointed shell of his ears; she watched as a silvered stream trickled from beneath his lashes.. The changeling turned three shades darker, peridot skin melting to a hearty fern color. Before he began to mumble an apology, she tapped lightly over his lips in affection. "It's okay, Gar."
"I-" His voice tightened, a bundle of nerves knotting sharply against his throat. "It's not okay. I don't… don't want to hurt you, Raven." The words escaped him in choppy gasps and harden claws dug deeper into the flimsy mattress, ripping the musky cotton sheets like paper.
The sorceress heaved a long sigh into his messed hair, smoothing damp locks from his perspiring, ever-furrowed brow. "I know you think your emotions are a burden," leaning in so their lips brushed, Raven continued. "But," she took her time, each syllable punctuated with loving determination. "I know you would never hurt me."
Sleepy lids lifted halfway, asking silently what she meant.
"Oh, Gar." Returning a soft half smile, she tapped his chest with her index finger. "I don't just feel pain, you know."
