Yo! Another daily dose of Playing Santa! (I'm not really a huge fan of the title, but it's decent enough). Here you go!
"So whaddya say?"
Raven saw Beast Boy's arms spread wider apart as he stood behind his brand new moped, a hopeful smile across his face.
"Pass," Raven curtly replied.
His smile was wiped clean and he clasped his hands together pleadingly.
"But pleeaaase? C'mon, I just want to make it up to you for what you got me."
"You already did with your gift for me, remember?" Her brow rose.
"Yeah, well, it wasn't enough. Look, I'll drive you to wherever you like and get you something, my treat." He lay his hand across his chest and batted his eyes at her.
"Beast Boy, you must have spent every last cent getting me that gift, which, as I've told you, you really didn't have to, but I would rather you not treat me to anything."
The changeling pondered for a moment before his eyes lit up. "Tell you what, I'll drive you to that new library across town, you know, the one you've been dying to use your new card on?" He bounced his eyebrows suggestively at her.
Raven rolled her eyes. He was right though. A library had just opened up and it was said to be very good. She hadn't gone because she didn't have the time and she also didn't have a library card for it. But now… how had he even known that a new library just opened up? It wasn't as if he was even into that kind of stuff. She decided not to ponder it.
"Fine," she said, walking over to the bike nonchalantly. Beast Boy fist pumped the air and sat in the front, keys in the ignition.
"You just want an excuse to go show it off," Raven told him as she sat behind him.
He looked back and grinned at her. "That too."
The moped started up and Beast Boy floored it, causing Raven to yelp and grab onto him for dear life. The changeling laughed and sped off across the dock into town, loving the wind whipping past them.
Raven's cloak flew behind her and she wrapped her arms tighter around Beast Boy's slim waist so as to stop her from flying out. She didn't tell him to slow down, though, for she was secretly enjoying the cold breeze in her hair and the heat emanating from Beast Boy, balancing the temperature out so it wasn't uncomfortable. Beast Boy was also relishing the feel of Raven's arms around his waist and he blushed, thankful that she couldn't see him.
The moped flew downtown and out of sight, causing onlookers to stare as the two superheroes made their way to the library on this Christmas day.
The sun began to set as all five titans were hanging around in the common room with an enthralled Starfire chatting up the room. She was currently in the kitchen whipping up who knows what while her boyfriend conversed with her as he lowered the music playing on the stereos.
Beast Boy and Cyborg were playing the new videogames Cyborg received from Beast Boy. They were in a heated battle with one another and bantering their usual. Raven sat on the opposite end of the couch nearest to Beast Boy and was reading her new library book, the amethyst stone her green companion had given her was fastened onto her cloak as a brooch, which Beast Boy noted to himself looked beautiful on her.
This went on for a while until Cyborg took a break from the game to whip up a special Christmas dinner for them. Beast Boy went to go help him and when seeing the turkey Cy had brought out, he looked even greener than before. He threw the vegetarian cookbook at his robotic friend.
Raven ignored the argument in the kitchen, used to it, and went to go set the table. Starfire announced that the Tamaranian dish she had prepared was ready to consume. Everyone grimaced. Cyborg and Beast Boy looked about to decline when they caught Robin's stern look and decided to not disappoint the princess this one time.
Raven was feeling content when everyone began eating as soon as dinner was ready. She couldn't recall having a better Christmas than this.
After dinner, Robin flushed as he told everyone that he and Starfire were going out tonight to check out the sights downtown seeing as how the whole town was lit up in Christmas decorations. Starfire giggled and said it was a date. Cyborg smiled smugly and told them to have fun, but not too much fun. Robin scowled and took Starfire by the hand to lead them out.
Cyborg turned to the other two and said that he was taking the T-car out for another spin and to get her fixed up.
"You guys wanna come?" he asked.
Raven declined politely and Beast Boy wanted to race him on his moped. Cyborg laughed at this and said, "No way is your moped going to beat my baby!"
"Wanna bet?" Beast Boy challenged, raising a brow.
Raven watched them run out, shaking her head at their childishness. With the tower empty, she decided to take the opportunity to read some more. Making herself a cup of tea, she took her book and sat down. A half hour later, she grew tired of reading and set it down, now wishing that there was some kind of noise to focus on.
She swept her eyes around the room vacantly until they landed on the grand piano still left carelessly off to the side of the room near the windows. She rolled her eyes. Well that was a smart place to put a piano. She stood up and walked towards the glossy appearance of the piano, running a hand along it smoothly. She smiled and paused, ears trying to detect the noise of approaching footsteps. There were none.
Pleased that the tower was still unoccupied, she took a seat before it, and stretched her fingers along the keys. A melodious scale resounded and she took her hands back only for a moment. She took a slow breath and then began playing a piece she learned long ago when she was a child. None of them knew, but one of the methods that helped keep her emotions in check was by playing the piano. There was only one piano in existence in Azarath and it belonged to the monks that taught her. It was more archaic than this one, but the functions were the same.
She was a fast learner and it quickly became a success in harboring any unrestrained emotions she had. She had always enjoyed the sound of peaceful piano music. This went on for years until she left for Earth; then she stopped altogether. The only reason she never told the other titans was because she never felt the need to. It was just something that never came up.
Raven closed her eyes as she allowed the sweet tune of the song to invade her senses, causing a deep yearning in her heart. It had been a while since she had played and when she first saw the piano Cyborg had brought here, she had to hold herself back from playing it right away. Why didn't she play this sooner?
She played song after song, loving the lamenting sound of it echoing in the room. It put her mind at ease and she melted into it, letting her fingers flow effortlessly along the ivory keys. She allowed the last cord to linger and went to move her hands in position for the next song.
"Wow," a voice breathed behind her.
Her eyes shot open and she jumped up, knocking the stool over. She spun around with a shout of surprise as multiple cracks erupted on a nearby computer console from her moment of unbridled emotions leaking out.
Beast Boy jumped back from her outburst, hands in the air as if at gunpoint.
"Whoa, easy, Rae! It's just me!" He smiled guiltily at her.
Raven went from shocked to angry in a matter of second, her cheeks flushing as she glared at him.
"No kidding. What are you doing here?" she seethed.
He scuffed his foot on the ground in front of him and rubbed his arm nervously.
"I got bored and came back here to see what you were up to, is all."
Raven crossed her arms angrily, still deeply embarrassed at being caught in such a vulnerable state, which was something she strived to conceal from the others.
"You still had no right to sneak up on me like that and spy on me."
Beast Boy gave her an apologetic look. "I'm sorry. I couldn't help but hear it in the tower and I wanted to see if it was you." He paused. "It sounded really good."
"Don't get used to it," Raven snapped as she stooped down to pick up the fallen stool. She placed it upright and brought up her hood, which usually signaled she was about to leave suddenly.
"Hey, wait a minute, Raven—" Beast Boy began to approach her, but she evaded him and began to walk away while muttering out, "I've got to go."
Beast Boy's ears drooped. "Oh. Okay," he said dejectedly.
Raven hesitated for a moment, guilt gnawing at her, but she forced herself to once more ignore it and continued walking. However, a certain sound caught her attention and she halted at once, her figure almost completely out of the common room. It was a sound she did not expect to hear at all.
It was the sound of a piano being played. Whirling around, she looked on in bewilderment at the sight of Beast Boy playing a simple, yet, charming song that indicated he actually knew how to play. Now extremely curious, she began to walk over to him until she was right beside him. The song had just ended and Beast Boy didn't seem to have noticed her until he glanced over and jumped.
"What?" He asked apprehensively, squirming at her slightly baffled expression.
"You know how to play?" She asked hesitantly.
Beast Boy flushed and scratched his neck once more. "I don't really know that many songs," he admitted almost shamefully. "Rita taught me a bit when I was in the Doom Patrol. Something about being a high classed gentleman in society is what she secretly wanted me to become. I wasn't really a fan of it so I stopped after a year or so, but, hey," he smirked, "I got something out of it."
Raven raised a brow. "And that is?"
"Now I can charm the ladies with it," he suggestively stated as he waggled his brows at her.
The empath predictably rolled her eyes and she swatted him in the back of his head. Beast Boy grumbled and rubbed the spot where she hit him. She motioned for him to scoot over on the bench and he did with a grin. An inch or two separated them from one another.
"So how come you never told anyone?" She asked out of sheer curiosity.
Beast Boy shrugged. "Why didn't you?"
She paused and pursed her lips. "I just never felt the need to," she replied truthfully.
"Same here… and I also just didn't want everyone to start forcing me to play and then be disappointed in the end at how little I know," Beast Boy chuckled.
"You should have a sense of pride actually knowing something as sophisticated as playing an instrument. I would have never pegged you as a music type. Next thing I know Starfire will also know how to play the piano," Raven joked.
Beast Boy laughed. "Yeah, then Cyborg will have his wires short circuited when he ends up being the only one not knowing how to play."
Raven stifled a chuckled and instead smiled. Beast Boy's eyes drank in the sight.
"You should smile more often, Rae. It looks good on you."
The words came tumbling out of his mouth before he could stop them. He blushed wildly at this and tried to stammer out an apology, even though what he said wasn't anything near to insulting. Raven actually allowed herself to redden a bit in response as she watched in amusement at him chocking out half formed words.
Up to her fill of him trying to apologize for nothing, she placed a finger on his lips to shut him up, which worked effectively. He gulped, thinking he crossed a line and also trying not to focus on the feel of her finger on his lips.
"Beast Boy, just because I'm half demon doesn't mean I'm going to send you to another dimension every time you give me a compliment. Smiling isn't really my forte but maybe you'll see it more often if you're not telling horrible jokes all the time."
She removed her finger and Beast Boy pouted when she mentioned his horrible jokes. Then he grinned boyishly at her and elbowed her playfully.
"Who knows, Rae, maybe one day my jokes will actually get you to laugh. It already got you to smile," he teased.
"Your jokes are anything BUT funny, Beast Boy," she deadpanned.
She had to admire his dedication, however, and was secretly starting to enjoy being called 'Rae'. Instead of taking it as an insult, the green teen retorted back playfully, and that was when Raven began to openly view Beast Boy in a different light; a better light. She turned towards the piano once more and lay her hands on the keys. She glanced back at him.
"So, what other songs do you know?"
Beast Boy smiled.
Writing the scene with Beast Boy playing the piano made me laugh because it just seemed SO farfetched from his character. But, anyway, it was just something I wanted to add in, build more on their relationship. Sorry for the lack of action in this story, guys, but the show is so full of action that I just wanted to deviate from that even though a fight scene would have made this story ten times more awesome. Last chapter coming at you fast! :)
Robin: *To Starfire* You broke mother's cookies.
Cyborg and Raven: *Appalled* Oooohhh...