Woohoo! I am feeling pumped! Another chapter in and we're halfway done! Enjoy the read! :)
Raven shifted and moaned in her sleep, feeling very comfortable in her soft bed. Her eye peeked open and she saw that it was six in the morning. She closed it once more and decided to sleep for another hour. Nobody else would dare to get up this early anyway.
CRASH.
Groaning, Raven opened her eyes and sat up in her bed. Her hair spiraled in anger as she glared at her door. Whoever was outside making noise was going to pay.
"Yo, BB, sh! You wanna wake up Raven, man? That's like asking for death wish," Cyborg whispered rather loudly outside her door.
"At least she gets to sleep," another voice muttered grouchily outside the door.
"I just figured that we get an early start, you know?"
"Dude, I don't do early."
Raven had had enough. Her eyes glowed white as the door to her room whooshed open in a start. The two boys shrieked in fear as Raven floated over to them in her leotard, an aura of anger surrounding her.
"Do you have any idea what time it is?" She growled.
Beast Boy, wearing a black shirt and purple pajama bottoms with green splotches on them, glared at Cyborg through tired eyes. "Yes, but apparently tin man here doesn't."
Cyborg gave an appalled look at the accusations thrown his way. "Aw, c'mon guys! It's Christmas! What happened to the early morning fun?" He smiled innocently.
Raven stared at him for a long moment. "Well, I'm going back to bed. Don't wake me," she warned.
Beast Boy yawned and began to sway on his feet, eyes drooping.
"Yeah, sorry, Cy, same here," he mumbled before collapsing against Raven unintentionally. Raven caught him and gave a frustrated sigh.
"Beast Boy, get off of me or I'll leave you to sleep here on the floor."
Beast Boy moaned at hearing that. "Too tiiiireed. Can't I just sleep in your room? My room is all the way down there and I fear as though I won't make it," he complained in exasperation, laying a hand over his forehead dramatically.
She dropped him and he landed with a thump. "Nobody goes in my room." Her harsh words emphasized her point before she turned to walk back into her room. However, Beast Boy was all too resilient and didn't take no for an answer. He grabbed her ankle and looked up at her with puppy dog eyes.
"Pleeeaaase? I promise I won't touch anything. I'll sleep on the floor at the foot of your bed and not say a word! C'mon, please, Raven? I only want to sleep for a few more hours." He grinned up at her pathetically.
She glared down at him. "Cyborg, could you please tell Beast Boy to—" She looked up to see that Cyborg was far gone, probably planning on their breakfast. She groaned and looked down to see that Beast Boy was now displaying crocodile tears.
She shook his hand off of her ankle and opened the door to her room.
"Just shut up and come in," she snapped, upset that she gave in so easily.
Beast Boy smiled wide with glee and morphed into a dog, calmly following her in. She climbed back into bed as Beast Boy pawed the floor at the foot of the bed and lay down, his head resting against his paws. He closed his eyes and listened intently.
Several minutes later, he heard her breath even out and could sense that she had fallen asleep. He lifted his head silently and stood up. Looking over the top of the bed he could see her angelic face resting peacefully. Morphing into a cat, he pounced onto the end of the bed apprehensively, never taking his eyes off of her. He inched forward a bit and stopped. He circled the spot beneath him and lay down, eyes closing at last.
It was a sweet rumble that had woken Raven up; like a small motorboat rubbing against her ears. Her eyes opened and she subconsciously checked the clock on her bedside. It read eight in the morning. How long had she been out? An hour or more at least. The deep rumbling finally registered to Raven and she looked down in surprise.
A small green cat was curled up next to her, its purr rolling in a rhythmic motion that could lull anyone back to sleep. Raven's eye twitched. This wasn't an ordinary cat. This was Beast Boy. Beast Boy was in her bed. Beast Boy was sleeping next to her on top of her favorite blanket and seeming to be okay with this. Her cheeks reddened in anger. No. Freaking. Way. There was no question about it. He was violating her space and needed to go.
Her hand hovered above his, ready to strike, but then hesitated. Beast Boy had rolled over and nuzzled his face against her arm, purring softly. It was as if a candle had burnt out. Her anger immediately disappeared and her chest fluttered unintentionally. She could not help reaching out and stroking the top of his head. Beast Boy hardly seemed to notice.
It was like she was unable to control her movements anymore, her emotions taking over. She scratched behind his ears. Beast Boy purred louder and nuzzled deeper. She internally grimaced. Her emotion, Happy, was probably having a field day right about now. She had to admit that though this was Beast Boy, he looked, dare she say, cute at that moment. She scratched lower, petting down to the tip of his tail. What she did next shocked her.
She scratched his inner belly, feeling how soft the green fur was. The purring grew and he rolled onto his back so as to let her scratch there, a smile etched onto his cat face and fang poking out slightly. She wasn't sure if he was still dreaming or not, but nevertheless she continued to rake her fingers through his fur. She could feel happy start overshadowing the other emotions as she began scratching underneath his chin. Beast Boy craned his head back, purring loudly and joyously.
Stop. Stop it. Now. Raven pushed her emotions back relentlessly and ceased all movement towards Beast Boy. She tore her hands away and Beast Boy's purring softened as he flopped back onto his side, curling into a ball. Her hand balled into a fist. She desperately needed to meditate to keep in her emotions, but first this green creature before her needed to go before she did something horrible to him.
She removed the covers off her and moved out of bed, the cat still sleeping. She glared at the figure, more upset at herself than at him, but also upset he was daft enough to think sleeping in her bed as an animal was fine and dandy with her. Grabbing the scruff of his neck, she lifted him up and swiftly chucked him out her door, knowing he'd land on his legs unless he was a poor excuse for a cat as well.
Beast Boy did in fact land on his feet, only pretended to be asleep after she was done scratching him. Guilt overwhelmed him as he ran on all fours back to his room. Okay, so maybe falling asleep on her bed was a really bad idea. He should have known it would have ended like this. Although, he had to admit that he expected worse; a lot worse. He definitely hadn't expected her to actually pet him, which both baffled and enthused him. Ears lowering, he realized he'd have to apologize for that later.
Right now, however, he'd have to start wrapping her gift.
"Merry Christmas!"
Everyone in the common room greeted each other with bright smiles later that morning as Cyborg served them breakfast. After a small argument between Cyborg and Beast Boy about the food, everyone gathered near the tree filled with gifts. Once everyone was settled, Cyborg stood up and clasped his hands together.
"Okay, so whose turn is it to play Santa this year?"
"I believe it is friend Beast Boy's turn this year, is it not?" Starfire piped up in her bubbly personality.
Everyone agreed and Beast Boy proudly took his place at the base of the tree. He passed a gift around to everyone, telling them who it was from. There was much excitement going around as they opened their gifts. Cyborg gushed over Raven's gift for him and she smiled at the tears of joy in his eyes when he opened the BBQ pit and studied its features. He also received spare parts for his car from Robin, twenty bottles of Cy-BQ Sauce from Starfire, and brand new videogames PLUS a cookbook on how to cook vegetarian food from Beast Boy. He gave his friends bear hugs in appreciation.
"Who knows, green bean, maybe I will use this to my advantage," Cyborg told Beast Boy, holding up the cookbook. Beast Boy's eyes sparkled with hope.
"Really?"
Cyborg grinned wickedly. "Yeah, like for this." He smacked the changeling against the head with the book.
"OW! You know if you didn't want it, you could have just told me so," Beast Boy griped as he rubbed his noggin.
Cyborg laughed. "Just kidding."
Robin had opened up the utility belt and hair gel from Raven, specially designed weapons from Cyborg, and new state of the art training equipment from Beast Boy (said to be signed by the Bat). He thanked everyone genuinely before another present appeared on his lap.
"Love Starfire," Beast Boy smugly stated.
Robin colored and took the gift in his hands. It was small and light, neatly wrapped in red, green, and yellow paper. Starfire sat next to him and smiled. He carefully unwrapped it and opened the small box. Inside was… a necklace. He took it out and held it up. It was a simple black band that would clasp behind his neck. What caught everyone's attention was what was hanging off of it. It was a small, round priceless jewel encased in a silver ring. The color of the jewel was black, but when he held it up to the light, it reflected many different colors, which left him in awe.
"Starfire," he breathed. "I don't know what to say." He looked up at her and smiled.
"Please, let me explain," she said lightly. "This is a necklace that has been passed down by many Tamaranian rulers. It symbolizes great leadership, bravery, and strength to those who possess it. I was passed down with it when I was very small, and it was quickly forgotten soon after, but the history still remains. Robin, I want you to have it. You deserve to wear this jewel for your amazing leadership to our team."
Robin could not believe what he was just given. It paled so much in comparison what he got her, and he had never been more thankful than to have her in his life. He unclasped it and tied it around his neck with a smile.
"I'll always wear it, Starfire. Thank you."
Starfire squealed in delight and gave him a bone crushing hug. "Oh, you are most welcome, boyfriend Robin!" He squeezed her back.
"I think it's time for Starefire to open her gift from Robin," Beast Boy interrupted with a smile.
Starfire took the larger gift and opened it.
Inside held a set of stunning emerald earrings, necklace, and bracelet to match. Starfire gasped and held them up, a tearful smile on her face.
"Oh, Robin, they are most beautiful! I thank you!" She swooped down and kissed Robin on the lips sweetly. Robin melted and grinned back at her.
"Pfft. And Robin was worried that I spent too much on the piano," Cyborg whispered in Beast Boy's ear, who snickered.
Starfire opened the rest of her gifts. Clothes and hair accessories from Raven, tickets to the zoo from Beast Boy, and Zorka berries from Cyborg—apparently he "knew a guy". She hugged all of her friends, who gladly returned the favor.
Beast Boy received a karaoke set from Starfire for future parties, newly released films from Robin, and a collection of comic series he had been trying to get his hands on AND a book on different ways to cook meat from Cyborg. He promptly threw the book at Cyborg's head as his friend bust out laughing. And Raven? Wait, where's the gift from her?
He searched underneath the tree for any hidden presents but found none. He frowned, disappointed. Usually she'd get him videogames or a book on how to tell funny jokes. But there was nothing. Huh, maybe she decided not to get him anything this year.
His ears drooped as did his mood and it was then he heard someone clear their throat behind him. He turned around to see Raven with her arms crossed, a handkerchief held loosely in her hand.
"Uh…" he said, puzzled.
"It's not here," she quickly remarked, a light blush fanning across her cheeks. He stood up to face her.
"Then where—?"
"Turn around," she dryly commanded.
He gulped and turned on his heel. It was then that his vision was covered in darkness as he felt cloth against his skin. She tied the handkerchief to the back of his head and turned him back around. He instinctively held his hands out to be his eyes.
"Raven, what—?"
"Cyborg will guide you." She simply said. The changeling's curiosity was peeking. He felt a metallic grip on his shoulder.
"This way, princess," Cyborg chuckled and led him towards the garage.
Beast Boy, thanks to his highly trained senses, knew exactly where they were, but he pretended to not know just for the sake of being blindfolded. He stumbled and Cyborg stopped him.
"Ready?" Cyborg's voice echoed throughout the garage. Beast Boy nodded. The cloth dropped and he blinked his eyes a few times to get used to the intrusive light.
Beast Boy nearly fell to his knees at what his eyes laid on. It was the most beautiful moped he had ever seen in his entire life. His jaw released and he tried not to drool, hearts dancing in his eyes. It was perfect. It was magnificent. It was stupendous. And it was all his.
He shuffled slowly to it, a hand reached out to touch it. He ran his hand over the handles, the seat, the wheels, and the BB emblem designed on the side of it. He could feel tears well up in his eyes. Raven. Raven had just given him this… perfect gift.
He turned back to see Raven with a ghost of a smile on her face. He couldn't help but smile back.
"Rae… you… you got this for me?" He asked emotionally.
She shrugged. "I figured that after asking it for so many years you deserve one of your own." Her monotone voice didn't hide her amusement.
Beast Boy smiled wider than he ever had and bounded over to her. Raven didn't have enough time to make her escape as he scooped her into a huge hug, lifting her off the ground and spinning around while shouting to her, "Raven, you're the best! Thank you!"
Raven reddened and chocked out, "No problem, now will you let me down before I send you to another dimension?"
He laughed nervously and set her down before zipping over to his moped once more. The others watched in hilarity at what had happened. Robin turned towards Raven.
"Raven, you still have to open your presents. Let's go back inside and see what you get."
Raven agreed and led the way. Robin leaned towards her and muttered, "Just how much was that thing anyway?" Raven groaned.
Cyborg walked over to Beast Boy, who was still inspecting his new gift, and whispered into his ear. The green boy's ears perked and he jumped into the air, racing towards the exit and yelling, "Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Cyborg shook his head smiling.
Raven began to open her gifts. Robin had gotten her a set of meditative herbs so as to help one soothe the mind in case of headaches. She gratefully thanked him and opened Cyborg's next. He had taken the liberty of getting her a very special enhanced library card that she could use anywhere in the city if she wanted to. She felt very happy at his gift and thanked him as well. Starfire's gift consisted of, as she guessed, clothes that she could wear if she ever wanted to go out somewhere special and not want to be in uniform for once. She smiled and thanked Starfire, who giggled and hugged her.
She looked around at her feet to search for Beast Boy's gift, but didn't see another present. Bemused, she looked up to see that Beast Boy was already holding it out for her, grinning nervously and blushing.
"Heh. Sorry, here, Raven."
She took it, eyeing him suspiciously, and observed the small gift. It was wrapped messily in newspaper and there was tape holding it together in several places.
"Let me guess. Hand wrapped?" She questioned, giving Beast Boy a knowing look.
His smile vanished and he looked unamused. "Alright so I didn't have enough time to have a professional wrap it. At least I wrapped it."
She shook her head at his answer and then proceeded to open it. Her brows shot up at the beautiful wooden box that was in her hands. It was skillfully carved into multiple unique designs and the colors displayed on it were purple, black, and dark blue. A dragon snaked around the edges and other mythical creatures danced along the sides. Painted on the very top of the box was a dark violet raven.
Raven caressed the sides of the box in amazement before turning towards Beast Boy.
"Beast Boy, it's—"
"Open it," he said, thumbs twiddling in a nervous habit.
There was more? She looked at the front and noticed a clasp on it. Her fingers unclasped the lock and she opened the hatch. She couldn't help her eyes widening at the sight.
There in the box on a velvet cover was a stone. What astonished her about this stone was that it was shaped in the form of a raven, shining a bright amethyst color. It was meticulously crafted and smoothly sanded out. It wasn't connected to anything, but the presence itself made her catch her breath. She carefully picked it up to feel the weight of it. It wasn't as heavy as it looked and it seemed to glimmer in the light. It was mesmerizing, and she realized this was the best gift he had ever given her.
Starfire let out an "Ooh!" at the sight of it and the other two admired it as well.
Raven looked down at the box in her hands before her eyes sought Beast Boy's green ones. Before she could say anything, Beast Boy cut in with a stammer.
"Y-You can, uh, use it as a brooch for your cape if you want. O-Or as a necklace. Whatever you want, really." He smiled sheepishly at her, scratching the back of his neck. "I hope you like it."
Raven placed the stone back into the box and gave him a rare soft smile. "It's beautiful, Beast Boy. Thank you," she said wholeheartedly with a tinge of red to her cheeks. Beast Boy lit up at this.
"You deserve it," he replied back, which caused another flutter to reach her chest. A throat was cleared that caught their attention.
"Alriiight! Now that the two of you are done flirting…" Cyborg ignored Raven's death glare, "I'd say it's time to party!" He whooped and whipped out his new BBQ, smiling.
"Who's up for a good old barbeque?"
Everyone smiled.
I feel like Robin is a huge cheapskate, but love makes him a hypocrite so I really enjoy writing his character. Stay tuned for chapter four!
Starfire: On my planet, we have a name for those who do such horrible things. You are a... A CLORBAG VARBLERNELK!
BeastBoy: I'm a what-bag?