I own the Teen Titans. #yolo
There was nothing as truly relaxing as waking up fully rested in a soft, warm bed, ready to take on the day.
Unfortunately, this was one luxury that didn't come often for Raven. Whether it be her internal alarm clock, or the blaring alarms of a crime alert, the empath found she could rarely sleep in past seven. And with the up and coming charity ball later in the day, she found she could barely sleep at all - excitement tended to do that to a person. As well as dread.
Yes, Raven couldn't be more excited, or more fearful, of what her time at the ball could bring.
She was almost, completely, one hundred percent certain that Beast Boy was starting to see her as more than a friend. But as his feelings for her became more apparent, her fear of control only grew. After all, if it was difficult for her to laugh at one of his jokes without blowing up the kitchen, how could she be expected to... hold his hand? Or... or give him a hug? Dance with him? K...kiss him?
The thought alone rattled her night stand, and she quickly chanted her mantra. Today wasn't a day to dread and fear; today was a day to embrace - whether it meant embracing the possibility of being more with Beast Boy, or embracing the changeling himself, later at the ball. Or both.
Preferably both.
Raven smiled to herself as she climbed out of her bed. With a quick look at her alarm clock, she almost groaned; it wasn't even seven yet. But with a quick reminder of today's new outlook - thinking positive and embracing whatever comes her way - the exasperated groan died before it even reached her lips. No, today was a good day.
And she should be thrilled that she had gotten up so early; it meant she'd have hot water for her shower, as well as a good hour of alone time in the common room. Unless of course there was an alert, or Robin decided to watch the news, or -
Think positive, Raven, she scolded herself, before making her way towards her vanity.
A glance in the mirror only made that task harder, though. Raven had always prided herself on her clear skin (which was thanks to her organic face wash she used every night, coupled with being part-demon and immune to most acne-causing bacteria), and she maintained her eyebrows by plucking all the unnecessary little hairs that muddled up her arch, so waking up in the morning fresh-faced was never much of a problem. But that usually meant falling asleep in the first place.
She felt the earlier-suppressed groan slip past her lips as she leaned in closer to examine her reflection; the slightly puffy, discolored bags beneath her eyes were almost mocking her - it was as if they wanted her to feel like crap today. As if her whole think-positive notion was completely pointless.
Starfire will be able to fix this, she reasoned, though she knew that it probably wasn't entirely true. The alien had insisted on makeovers yesterday, as preparation for the ball, and both girls had come to the realization that people with Raven's skin tone didn't have many options when it came to foundation. Zero options, actually.
Starfire, too, had a unique skin tone, but thanks to the over-use of spray-tans and bronzer by many young women, her and her orange complexion had nothing to worry about.
But grey skin, on the other hand...
Raven gently prodded the skin below her eye as she tried to come up with a solution. Sure, sleep-deprivation came with being a superhero, so nobody would bat an eye at her dark circles, but that didn't mean she couldn't try to cover them up.
With another unwanted groan, she pulled herself away from her vanity and quickly grabbed a change of clothes. With an exasperated sigh, she slid her door open and made her way towards the bathrooms, finding that she was no longer hoping that the alien slept in today.
"Perhaps we can make our own!"
Raven gave her excited teammate a skeptical look at her suggestion. Obviously sensing the empath's doubt, Starfire elaborated.
"I had seen a step-by-step tutorial on the internet that had repeated pinnings!" she exclaimed, but with another questioning look from her teammate, she added, "Oh, but do not fear! Robin had put the 'parental controls' in place!"
Raven sighed in relief at Starfire's assurance - nobody wanted a repeat of the first time the alien had discovered the internet.
"So, we can make makeup?" Raven asked slowly. It seemed a little too good to be true, since one of the main reasons the empath didn't wear too much makeup was due to all the harsh chemicals found in most products. And the fact that Beast Boy had gone on one of his tangents and raided the bathroom for any products that had been tested on animals, before dumping them in a trashcan and setting fire to it.
"Yes! Isn't that most glorious?" Starfire had been nothing short of devastated at Beast Boy's actions, but after his explanation, she too became wary of which brands she purchased. And because of that, she had taken quite a liking to "the DIYs".
Raven nodded her head in agreement - making her own foundation would not only guarantee that she'd find a match for her skin; it'd also mean that she wouldn't be using tons of strange chemicals. And that was a win-win.
"Let's do it."
Starfire stared wide-eyed and mouth-agape at her teammate's answer, and before Raven could fully regret agreeing to this craft project of sorts, the alien grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her from the room.
"And we just need the root of an arrow! Perhaps Speedy would know where to find this ingredient? Should we gift him with the call?"
Raven suppressed a snort of amusement as the two titan girls continued through the market. The team had passed by the boardwalk attraction dozens of times, but she was pretty sure only Beast Boy had ever actually checked it out. The shops were cute, and had a bit of an old-school hippy vibe - meaning it was the perfect location to find ingredients like arrowroot powder and green clay. But it also had quite a bit of thrift shops, which were full of cute, vintage clothes and used books.
Which meant the girls had unknowingly stumbled into shopping-spree territory.
"I sincerely doubt Speedy would know anything about arrowroot powder," Raven smirked as her eyes lingered on a particular store with its display window full of books. "Well, at least I hope not. Otherwise I've completely misjudged him as an unworldly douche, and owe him an apology."
Starfire let out a giggle as she reread the list of ingredients for homemade foundation. "Am I incorrect to assume that you have done the forgiving of him?"
"Am I still finding hair-gel residue on my meditation mirror?" Raven replied, mentally chanting her mantra to keep herself from reliving the anger she felt when she discovered the vain hero primping with the portal to her mind.
Starfire merely giggled again, before gasping. "Oh! That dress! I must purchase it!"
Raven watched in confusion as her redheaded teammate sprinted towards a small, quaint store with a rose-gold sequin dress on display. She let out an amused sigh as she followed the alien, noting that they might not be able to make the foundation in time for the ball. With a quick glance at her communicator, she saw the time was nearly eleven - meaning she had only eight hours until her under-eye circles would be up close and personal with her green teammate.
As she went to slip the communicator back into the pocket of her oversized hoodie, it began ringing loudly. She pulled it back out with a sigh, before flipping it open, only to be greeted by the smiling face of her date.
"Morning Rae!"
Raven was momentarily at a loss for words as she tried to figure out why Beast Boy needed to call her.
"Good morning to you, too..?"
She watched the small screen as the changeling chuckled nervously, and she could barely make out his faint blush.
"Any particular reason why you decided to call me?"
Beast Boy's nervous chuckling only became more sporadic, and Raven cursed her powers for not being able to sense his emotions through the communicator.
"I, uh," he began sheepishly, looking away at something off screen, "I was just wondering where you went. You a-and Starfire. Where you and Starfire went."
Raven suppressed a smirk at his quick save as she glanced around.
"The Boardwalk Market," she deadpanned, feeling a swell of affection stir in her chest as Beast Boy's eyes lit up.
"Really? I told you you'd love that place!" he exclaimed excitedly as his image on the screen shook. "I mean, if you ignore the smell of rotting fish and focus on the little shops, anyways. Like, have you seen that vintage-y video game place? It had everything. Oh! And the magic shop? I think we all know where Mumbo gets his props!"
His excited rambling went on a while longer as Raven continued strolling down the boardwalk. Beast Boy had tried getting the whole team to go with him once, but when he refused to take them to the Famous Fish Shack for lunch, Cyborg had opted to stay home. Everyone else had been on board, until Robin and Starfire had gotten into another lover's quarrel, leaving Raven the lone teammate to accompany the changeling. And that had been a time when her crush on him really started to surface in her mind, meaning she was extremely susceptible to random bursts of dark energy. So naturally, she had declined his offer by insulting his intelligence.
She had regretted it then, and found herself still regretting it now. If she hadn't been so scared of hanging out with him one-on-one, she would have discovered this place sooner. Plus, she would have gotten to see the excited, cultured side of him - a side that was somehow making him even more attractive. Who knew that learning of his passion for vintage-anything would make her like him more.
"Beast Boy," she began, interrupting him mid-sentence as he rambled about little wooden elephants.
He immediately closed his mouth as his cheeks turned a faint red color. "Hmm?" he hummed, obviously embarrassed.
Raven smirked as she tried not to focus on how cute he was being. "Why did you want to know where I am? Me and Starfire, that is."
His blush seemed to deepen as he again looked away from his communicator. "I, uhm... Well, honestly, I was, uh, just... just wondering where you were."
Raven glanced at her surroundings quickly to make sure she was still heading towards Starfire, and that nothing around her was encased in dark energy.
"Why?"
She glanced back at the screen in time to catch his eyes, before he looked away again. She was really starting to hate the limitations of her empathy.
"'Cuz I thought that m-maybe you'd like to, uh, hang out with me f-for a bit today," he replied, clearly flustered.
Raven held back her initial smile at his confession, and instead tried to play it nonchalant. "Why? We'll be hanging out later today. You are my date, after all."
She could see Beast Boy's ears lower in disappointment, and wondered to herself if she maybe played it a little too nonchalant.
"R-right. Never mind then. I'll just - " he began, but she quickly interrupted him.
"Why don't you head on over here?" she asked, feeling heat rise to her cheeks as she realized what she was doing.
Beast Boy's eyes lit up again at the suggestion. "Really?" he asked excitedly.
Raven merely nodded her head, finding that her burst of confidence was rather fleeting.
"Alright! Awesome!" Beast Boy grinned, nodding back to her. "Awesome!"
"Awesome," she repeated, giving him a small smile. She looked up from the screen again, feeling a little unworthy of the brilliant smile he was giving her. With a slightly flustered sigh, she read the name of the shop Starfire had gone into to buy the dress on display. "We'll be at Second Love's Boutique. It's right next to the magic shop."
Beast Boy let out an amused snort. "Is Mumbo in there?"
Raven rolled her eyes fondly as she hung up the communicator.
"Embrace the day," she muttered to herself, before entering the store in search of her shopping-addicted teammate.
H-hey guys. Uh... here's another update?
So, uhm, I was feeling rather writer's-block-y, and in order to get myself out of this funk, I was doing random writing prompts... and... uh... I might have stumbled across one that hit me with the most amazing inspiration for an actual non-fanfiction story that I may or may not be writing now and using up all my free time for...
But I have not forgotten about any of my stories! Nor will I ever forget about them! I know it's been forever since I've updated my other two, but I will get to them eventually! I refuse to let one of my stories die! And I'm really sorry if you're waiting on them! Please be patient! :)
Anywhoo, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. And in reference to the orange skin and spray-tan stereotype - I am an avid spray-tanner (in the winter), and I did not mean to offend anyone. I naturally have an olive-y complexion, but I turn a sickly-yellow color in the winter, so I do indulge in a spray-tan or two. I do not go overboard, btw - I've never gone past level two. So I am never orange. Turning orange is when you know you've gone too far. Don't do it, kids.
And don't believe in stereotypes! Excuse my rant, but I have stumbled upon many stereotypes and cliches since I've been reading fanfiction - whether it be nerdy-girl with glasses or vapid cheerleader mean-girls (which I see with Terra a lot - and despite my hate for her, she's always so OOC in fanfics!) I personally don't mind when authors Terra-bash - but making her a girly-girl cheerleader? She was such a tomboy in the show! And I get the whole creative-license thingy, but making her girly or whatever shouldn't automatically make her a bad person. I'm super girly, and I was a cheerleader, but I'd like to think I'm not some shallow mean girl. Please don't use stereotypes as a lazy way to make a character unlikable. (I still enjoy these stories btw) Aaand end rant. Lol
Anyways, feel free to review! Or add your own input on how you feel about stereotypes. Remember, hurtful ones aren't limited to the "nerds" or the "weirdos" of the world - and liking/being one thing doesn't (or shouldn't) get you labeled. Labels suck, yo.
Also, I don't own the Teen Titans, and my disclaimer wasn't serious. Omg I'm disclaiming my disclaimer. And this was a long author's note... Sorry!