Ball Games 7 - Take Your Time
Read on, weary traveller and see what befalls our pair of protagonists next... and stuff.
Raven awoke feeling refreshed. Odd really, seeing as the had awoken in the middle of night and shared a conversation that was by turns embarrassing, deeply personal and flirtatious. Pushing her sheets aside, she rolled out of bed and made for her bathroom, performing her daily ablutions. As she dressed again, she caught sight of herself in the mirror. She rarely bothered with mirrors. Conventional ones, anyway. The memory of Beast Boy's reluctant admission came back to her: he had dreamed of her. The knowledge brought a flush of anxiety and a trembling excitement she couldn't quite name. Her reflection blushed back at her and she reached for her cloak. She exited and walked toward the common room. To her surprise, she could hear voices behind the door. When it opened before her, the entire team were there, variously making or eating their breakfast. Robin, having just finished eating, gestured toward her with his coffee cup in greeting.
"Morning, Raven. A little later than usual. Everything okay?" he asked before taking a sip. Raven ignored him and turned to the clock on the wall.
It read 10:00.
"I... slept late?" Raven questioned. Perhaps that midnight conversation had had an effect after all. She glanced at Beast Boy who was very deliberately avoiding her gaze. And Cyborg's. As Raven walked toward the kitchen, Starfire darted in front of her holding out a cup of her tea. Raven took it with a hint of surprise. "Oh! Thank you, Starfire."
"You are welcome, Raven, though I only delivered it. Beast Boy made it for you." Raven glanced at him again, seeing his blush even as he resolutely watched what he was doing. Cyborg practically vibrated in his chair, causing Raven to select one that was not next to him.
"You're just in time, Raven," Robin said distractedly, holding the paper. "Beast Boy's been making waffles all morning." With that, Beast Boy appeared behind him, holding a plate of the aforementioned waffles. He silently deposited them in front of Raven, smiling nervously at her.
"Thank you," she said simply. The green man only nodded before returning to finally make waffles for himself. Raven wondered at his behaviour for a moment. Of course: they hadn't yet decided or even discussed how they might behave in front of the others so here he was, trying (a little too hard) to present an image of normalcy. The gesture was nice, if a little pointless considering Cyborg had caught their private chat the previous morning. She continued to watch him as she ate until her private musings were interrupted by Starfire, who had landed in the seat between her and Robin.
"Raven? Why do you stare at Beast Boy? Has he offended you again?" she said. Raven almost laughed. Then she decided this was a perfect opportunity to be open with the others and possibly have a little fun at Beast Boy's expense.
"Why? Well, Starfire, I do believe I am objectifying him." There was a spluttering sound as Robin almost sprayed his paper with coffee. Cyborg was now shaking so hard he almost appeared blurry. Starfire considered Raven's words.
"You are 'checking him out', yes?" she asked. Raven nodded casually. Starfire grinned. "And what is your conclusion, Raven?" Raven tipped her head side to side as if she was considering.
"He's pretty hot, I guess," she answered. There was a clang as Beast Boy dropped a utensil on the floor. Raven smiled - she could sense his behaviour was less to do with shock or embarrassment and more that he was struggling to contain his laughter. Robin twitched.
"You... like Beast Boy?" he asked, incredulously. Raven placed a finger on her chin, again pretending to consider.
"Well, it's a shame about his personality... but he's cute enough for me to put up with it."
"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAA!" That was it. Beast Boy erupted into laughter, clutching his stomach. "Come on, Rae," he said eventually. "You're killin' me here! If you wanna tell 'em, just tell 'em." Raven smiled and took a sip from her cup.
"Beast Boy and I have recently discovered a mutual attraction. We're seeing where it leads us. Speaking of which... " She looked out the window. "It seems to be a nice day for a walk. What do you think, Beast Boy?" she asked. Beast Boy quickly swallowed his breakfast before marching to her side, holding out his hand.
"I think I should stop thinking and get to walking. Join me?" he said. Raven wordlessly took his hand and stood, the pair leaving with their heads held high. Robin shook his head in amazement. Suddenly, Cyborg uncapped the salt and spilled it all over the table. Before Robin could comment, he started writing in it with his finger. When he finished, he crouched so that only his eyes were visible over the table. Robin read his writing.
"'I always knev' Knev? What's knev?" Cyborg stood back up, stared at his writing and made a small correction before crouching and peering over the table again. Robin re-read: "'I always knew'. Again with this, Cyborg?" he sighed. Starfire munched her breakfast, staring at the exit with a whimsical smile on her face. After leaving the tower, Raven and Beast Boy had flown across the water to Jump City. Raven had planed on heading back to the park but Beast Boy veered off. Sensing his mood was jubilant, she followed silently. Eventually, he touched down further down the coast, though the view of the sea was blocked by tall trees. Transforming back to normal, he grinned at the still hovering Raven.
"Come on, Rae! It isn't a walk if your feet don't touch the ground," he said. Raven smirked but descended all the same, landing lightly. He took her hand again, sparing her a glance to make sure the touch was welcome and then led her through the trees. Raven inhaled deeply - the smell of the earth and trees around her was calming and refreshing at the same time. She hadn't realised the little strip of woodland was so dense and, somehow, she could feel how old it was as well. Soon, a chink of light appeared ahead, shining through the heavy boughs of the trees. There was a short but steep incline and Beast Boy scrabbled up while Raven levitated. He pushed some foliage aside and Raven caught her breath. They had found the sea. The ground fell away before them, ending in a narrow, sandy beach that seemed to curve outward to each side of them. Beast Boy had timed their visit well: the Sun lit up the water til it looked like it shone in its own right. Beast Boy had already skidded down to the sand so Raven slowly followed. When she joined him, he was sat staring at the vista.
"Beast Boy, this is... lovely," Raven said, truthfully. Her companion grinned at her.
"Yeah, it's pretty nice. I found it once on patrol. Always meant to visit it properly. There isn't really enough sand for it to be a real beach so it gets left alone." He patted the sand next to him. Raven sat gladly, feeling the warmth of the sand. She leaned over slightly, resting her head on Beast Boy's shoulder. She felt him tense for a moment, his surprise thick in the air before it gave way to warm bliss.
"You continue to surprise me, Gar," she said. She rather enjoyed using his real name. Beast Boy rather enjoyed hearing it from her. He chuckled before answering.
"I just don't want you to get bored of me, Rae," he said. She raised her head to smile at him for a moment, slipping her arm around his and pulling herself into his side. Beast Boy's eyes almost fell out of his head: this was a new level of physical contact for the pair. He looked back at her face when she spoke.
"Whatever else you have been to me over the years, I promise you have never been boring, Gar." He grinned again. "Although..." she started, a noticeable tremor in her voice. "Perhaps it is my turn to surprise you."
"I'm still coming to terms with the fact you're willing to tolerate my company, Rae," he said jokingly. "How could you surprise me more than that?" He faltered when she smirked, a knowing look in her violet eyes. She didn't answer with words. Instead she leaned forward and placed a lingering kiss on the changeling's lips. She pulled back and smiled at him, glad to see he was smiling back, his head shaking a little in disbelief. He gently extracted his arm from her grip and wrapped it around her shoulders, pulling her even closer. She accepted the contact and leaned her head against his. Both of them had red cheeks and hammering hearts. Quietly, Raven spoke.
"Surprise!" she muttered. Beast Boy chuckled again, hugging her even more tightly. They settled and returned their gaze to the ocean, occasionally stealing a kiss. Eventually, Beast Boy faced Raven, an unusually serious look on his face.
"I need to say something, Rae. I know we said we were just seeing how stuff went but we also said honesty is key... so I gotta say something," he said. Raven waited patiently, a tiny mote of apprehension fluttering in her stomach. "I started out saying it wasn't such a big deal, I just kinda liked you and... well things have changed. For the better, I hope. I don't wanna frighten you or anything but I just have to tell you..." he stopped, looking terrified. Raven brushed the back of her hand across his cheek, a gesture that felt much more potent than she had expected. He briefly clutched the hand and pressed it to his mouth, kissing it. After he let go, she gently turned his face back toward hers, kissing him again.
"Tell me, Garfield," she whispered. He shuddered at the sound, a thrill of pleasure running up his spine.
"I'm falling for you, Raven. I'm falling in love with you." Raven stared at him, his words ringing in her ears. He stared back, looking more afraid than she had ever seen him. Once again, she stroked his face. She smiled back, her eyes stinging with a few unshed tears.
"Well... that's just fine, then," she said. A glimmer of hope appeared in Beast Boy's eyes and Raven pulled herself into his chest, her face against his shoulder.
"You mean... you mean you a-and me...?" he stammered. Raven nodded, though she didn't look at him.
"This is all so new to me, Garfield but... yes. I think we are falling in love," she said. He laughed then, wrapping both arms around her and holding her tight. He fell back, taking her with him. When they came back to awareness, Beast Boy lay in his back and Raven lay on his chest. The position was... intimate. Their cheeks flushed again. Raven leaned down and they kissed again, much more passionately than before. Before she knew it, Raven was running her hands across Beast Boy's chest, his hands on her back and in her hair. After a few indescribable moments, they pulled apart again, out of breath and with lidded eyes. Beast Boy grinned up at Raven.
"Hey," he said. She smiled back and planted a peck on his nose.
"Hey, yourself," she answered. In unspoken agreement, they stood and brushed off the sand.
"Soooo," Beast Boy started. "You wanna do something else or head home?" he asked. Raven was reluctant to end their time together... but she had little choice.
"I need to go home, Garfield. Today was... intense. I need to meditate. Find my balance again." Beast Boy nodded his understanding, though Raven sensed his own reluctance behind his smile.
"It's okay, Rae. Maybe we could both use a little time to calm down," he joked. She smiled, gently, taking his hand and conjuring a black disc to take them home. Beast Boy looked confused. "Wouldn't it be faster if we both flew? Or teleported?" he asked. Raven sat on the disc, beckoning him to join her. When he sat, she leaned into his touch again.
"Yes," she said. "Yes, it probably would." The disc took them home, perhaps taking a little more time than was necessary.
Another little ball of fluff to add to this story, though things are getting more intense now. Just to be clear, I won't be straying into citrus territory with this story and this will probably be as heavy as things get. So enjoy, review, favourite, follow - all of those lovely things! And don't hesitate to contact me here or on tumbr.
-Jack