That was quick. Hello chapter 7.
Ever since the incident, the tower had been off. It was far to quiet with Beast Boy and Raven avoiding each other like the plague and no arguments took place. Cyborg played video games alone and when Starfire asked Raven to do "the hanging out", she was left going to the mall on her own. Cyborg had a good idea of what had happened and shared his theory with the Robin and Starfire, who both agreed that the events of that Tuesday were probable causes for the strange behavior of their friends. Luckily, crime had slowed down quite a bit and when there was some, it was defeated quickly, mostly due to Raven and Beast Boy. They still worked in perfect unison and after their stalemate, they hit harder than they usually did so that the battle would end sooner and they could go their separate ways once again.
Raven knew that she wouldn't be able to hold a convincing argument if she was confronted by her friends, so she holed herself up in her room. She came out only for food and tea. After a while she only came out for food, which was around the time that the tea kettle and the box of tea bags "mysteriously disappeared" from the kitchen. When outside of her sanctuary, she put of a facade of anger, but deep down Timid and Love were running rampant, bundling together to create a whirlwind of confusion and uncertainty. Beast Boy's pain made him fight much more recklessly than normally, choosing to try and block hits rather than dodge them. Raven had taken it upon herself to shield him more than she usually would because she believed his pain would be her fault. That was the revelation she came to with the increased writing in her journal: that whatever happened, she couldn't bear to see him in pain. This idea was the source of her confusion. She believed with all her heart that she could only hurt him if they were together, but now she saw that with her refusal to open up she was hurting him just as much. It was all very complicated and so she locked herself away in her room, like she had when she had first joined the team. But even with a metal door bearing her name separating her from the rest of the world, she couldn't stop the intensity of his pain from seeping through to her.
Beast Boy on the other hand, thought he was hiding his hurt quite well. He was horribly wrong. He had given up playing video games with Cyborg for the past week which drew a red flag immediately and on top of that he had acted like an angry animal ever since that Tuesday afternoon. He rarely joked and when he smiled it was more of a quirk of the corner of his lips than anything else.
He'd gone through the whole episode with Terra with Raven to help him, her feelings of betrayal had been similar and she had offered her comfort. But with this, there was no one he could go to. He and Cyborg were best friends, but he probably wouldn't know how to deal with a situation like this. Robin would tell him something stupid like "dating within the team is always bad news" the hypocrite. He and Starfire weren't exactly helping the team dynamic. Starfire could at least understand Raven a bit more, but he was afraid she wouldn't understand the social barriers of the situation. So Beast Boy was left dealing with his pain on his own with no outlet or escape except for slamming mediocre villains into the ground with extra force.
One exceptionally quick fight which included Beast Boy hurling the R-cycle at Cinderblock led to increased concern from the team. Robin was mildly annoyed, but he had two extras at home in case something like this happened, so he wasn't too upset. As soon as the danger was gone and Cinderblock was secured, Raven teleported away from the crime scene, presumably to her room. Beast Boy just glared at the spot where she had just been and then stalked over to watch as the police took the newly apprehended villain in case it tried to make a break for it. Cyborg and Starfire looked at each other. The Tamaranian nodded her head. In response, Cyborg caught Robin by the arm when he passed, looking through a packet of crime reports that he had filled out. The leader looked up from his papers and tilted his head to the side.
"Yeah, Cyborg? Could it wait? I have to turn these in to the police." The robotic man shook his head.
"Rob, we gotta deal with those two now. When BB gets mad, he gets more violent." Robin slowly nodded and looked over at the changeling in question.
"Yeah, I've noticed too. So, you want me to do something?"
"We were hoping, yes," Starfire piped in. Robin looked at her and smiled.
"I'll figure something out. Cyborg, you might want to get a pizza."
"Of course… wait, why? Stay focused, bro! This is serious!"
"Cy, you know me. I've always got a plan." Robin smirked uncharacteristically and then continued on his way. Cyborg looked at Starfire quizzically.
"Do you have any idea what he's gonna do?"
"I have kissed Robin many times, but I still have not learned the language of his mind. I have none of the ideas of what his plans are."
"Fantastic. I'm gonna go get a pizza." The cybernetic man hopped in the T car and drove off to the pizza parlor while Starfire waited to give her boyfriend a lift to the tower.
It was an hour before the rest of the Titans got back to the tower together. Cyborg had the pizza sitting on the table when Beast Boy walked in. He went for a piece but a green gloved hand stopped him. He whirled on Robin.
"What?!" The leader raised an eyebrow and took a step back.
"Relax, Beast Boy, I was just going to ask you to go get Raven. I'm not sure if she's eaten recently and it's not healthy."
"Why me? Send Starfire or something." He turned around but Robin grabbed his shoulder. He shot a glare at the traffic light.
"You. NOW." The leader's masked eyes narrowed at his noncompliant teammate, who shook the hand off of his shoulder and stalked out the hall. Robin looked at Cyborg who had been watching the event unfold. The Boy Wonder's tense look turned to a sly grin.
"Plan A."
Beast Boy made his way down the hall angrily. He stopped at Ravens door and knocked roughly.
"Hey, come out, pizza." No reply. He knocked harder.
"HEY. Raven, pizza. I know you can hear me!" He growled at the girl behind the door.
"Please just go away…" A small voice came from behind the stainless steel.
"Raven, Robin won't let me have pizza until you come out. If you don't get out here, I swear I'm tearing the door down and coming in after you. I'm freaking hungry."
Silence. Beast Boy slammed his fist into the door and rested his head on it as a snarl escaped his lips.
"It's not like I don't know why you locked yourself up. And it's fine, we can just forget it." His eyes drifted up to the nameplate and traced each letter with his eyes.
Dead quiet. A wave of frustration and anger took over the changeling.
"So thats it then?! You won't even answer me when I'm trying to fix things?! I just want stuff to go back to normal, isn't that what you wanted?!" Raven was curled up on the floor at the foot of her bed, her knees tucked up to her chest and leaning her back against the bed. She bit her lip as the muffled growls bombarded her door. She had to avoid him, discourage any kind of relationship. She could only hurt him. But the painful emotions that pressed through the door were chipping at her resolve.
"You know, for a second, I actually thought you liked me. YOU. Liked ME. I was a real idiot!" He pulled back from the door and his voice grew to a shout. His eyes never left the nameplate.
"It was stupid to think you could love me, I mean, can you even love at all?! You of all people knew what I went through with Terra. You comforted me. You were the one who had been betrayed before. You of all people know how fragile I really am…" His voice cracked with a sob. The tears that pricked his eyes were beginning to fall.
"I don't need this. I don't need another heartbreak. Raven, I can't… I just can't… And you're not here to help me this time!" A gloved fist connected with the "ave" on the nameplate and left the slightest bit of a dent. He pressed his forehead against the door and left his hand pressed against the name.
"I don't need another Terra. I never expected that you would end up as one…"
Raven covered her mouth as a sob wracked her body. Her own pain and his coursing through her body was unbearable, but she had to keep him safe. Safe from her. But… He was in so much pain now, because she was separating herself from him…
"I don't know why I'm telling you all this. It's not like you'd care anyway, even if you are listening." His voice had dropped to a whisper at this point and Raven stood right at the door to hear him. Her hand rested on the reader, battling with herself about whether she should go to him. He could hear her heartbeat racing.
"I do care…" A dry chuckle escaped the changeling's lips.
"So you are listening are you?'
No reply.
"Fantastic," he breathed. He sat listening to her heart beat for a moment before continuing.
"I do know that it's unlikely that anyone would ever stick around long enough to love me. I'm not fooling anyone, green, fangs and morphing powers aren't super appealing. And the ears don't help at all. It's not like I'm eye-candy or anything."
Has he even seen himself? He looks like he could be a model… The empath thought with disbelief.
"Just… Raven. You need to know something. I'm never going to stop loving you. I thought I loved Terra, but… it never felt like this. This hurts so much more. Her betrayal was what hit me the worst. This… I don't know what this is. I don't understand it, but I know I'm never letting you go. This isn't going away… you hear me? I love you, Raven. And nothing you can do can stop it. Nothing I can do can either…" He leaned back from the door and his hand slid down until it was resting at his side again. Just as his motion stopped, the door slid open and Raven launched herself at him.
Their lips met and Beast Boy was met with the full brunt of all of Raven's intensity bound together between two lips. The kiss was innocent, Raven's hands threaded though the green hair and pulled him to her while his own arms were stiff at his sides in shock. When he finally registered what was happening, he gripped her shoulders with his hands and pushed her out to arms length.
"What the— Raven, what was that?!" He said angrily. Her eyes widened with fear and distress.
"I don't… I don't know…"
"If you think kissing me is gonna make it better, you—"
"No, no, no! I… thats not at all…"
"Than what was that?! You better give me a pretty good explanation for everything, Raven, 'cause if that was for the reason I think, we're gonna have a problem." The empath in question looked down and her hands fiddled with her cloak.
"I thought… you don't always need words to say something…" she murmured in barely a whisper. Her eyes flicked back up to his. Beast Boy's rage melted into a mixture of confusion, fear and just the slightest bit of hope.
"Keep talking." She crossed her arms.
"Its just… as you already know, my powers lash out whenever I feel too strong of any kind of emotion. So, for that reason I need to be alone. The only reason I didn't quit the team after the first week was that I somehow was able to control myself enough that I didn't destroy things every time someone talked to me…" She snorted at the memory.
"So even though I wanted to, really, really wanted to, I coud never have a relationship with you. I'm afraid of what would happen to you if I hurt you, because it would kill me if I did something to you…"
"The problem is, that by trying to hold back, I am hurting you. Garfield, I can feel how much pain you're in. And… it's killing me…" She finally met his gaze as her tears started to fall. He bit his lip and after a moment pulled her into a hug. Her head rested between his chest and his chin and it just felt… right.
"I don't understand, how do I do this?! How do I love?! The Titans are the only people who really ever loved me, I don't even know where to start…" She sobbed. Beast Boy rubbed circles on her back and hushed her.
"It's not something you try to do… I guess you just do whatever it is that shows the people you love that you care. It's not something special, you only have to go half way and then they'll… I'll meet you halfway." Raven pulled back from the hug to look him in the eyes, leaving her hands resting on his chest.
"But we can't…"
"I'm not scared, Rae, we've faced the end of the world and we came back out alive. I don't care how scared you are because I'll still be there. Let me chase your fears away. Let me show you how to love."
"I want to learn." Beast Boy pulled her back into his arms.
"Beast Boy… Gar… I love you." His grip tightened. She felt wetness drip onto her hair and she felt him shiver.
"You… don't know how long I've wanted you to say those three words. How long I hoped, dreamed even… How long I told myself I wasn't good enough for you…"
"Gar, I-I'm so sorry—"
"No, don't. Just… just say it again. Say it again, and just maybe I'll finally be able to believe it." She tilted her head back so that she amethyst met emerald.
"You don't always need words to say something," She whispered and captured his lips in a soft embrace. His eyes drifted shut and he moved his arms so that they wrapped around to her shoulder blades. After a few moments, they broke apart and rested their foreheads together. Beast Boy mouthed the words "I love you."
"To be completely honest, the green is seen as exotic and the fang is adorable."
"Come again?"
"I read it in one of Starfire's magazines. You're Jump City's most eligible bachelor."
"Am I really though?" he asked, planting a kiss on the corner of her lips.
"Funny that 'Jump City's most eligible bachelor' has only just got his first kiss…" Raven's eyes widened.
"But what about—"
"Terra? Never actually kissed her. You're the first. What do you think they'll call us?"
"They?"
"Yeah, like, our ship name. What about… 'The Chromatically Challenged Couple'?"
"Don't they already call us BBRae?"
"Yeah, but, The Triple C is easier to put in a magazine or something."
"I'll take your word for it."
A comfortable silence enveloped them.
"So, are we gonna tell the team?"
"Tell them what?"
"You know… Us?" Raven thought for a moment.
"No."
"Are you sure? I mean—"
"NO."
"Okay, okay. It's fine, whatever, Rae. Just glad you shared the secret with me at least." Beast Boy grinned. Raven raised an eyebrow.
"You keep calling me 'Rae'."
"You keep calling me 'Gar'."
"…fair enough."
Chromatically Challenged Couple is copyrighted by TheForceIsStrongWithThisOne XD
So, you guys got your fluff. I just had to load a wheelbarrow full of angst on top before it. Now the problem: I don't actually know what to do with this story now. I haven't got much of an idea where this should go next so until I figure that out, updates may take a while. So what I want you to do, is tell me what you would like to see from the story in a PM or something and with those little sparks of creativity we may be able to get a nice bonfire going. Sound good? Great. Hope to see some responses! Laterade!