Chapter 27
Raven awoke groggily, though as soon as she realized what day it was she was wide awake. She stared at the ceiling with a mixture of trepidation, overwhelming sadness, and strangely enough, a bit of excitement. Today was the day. Her last on earth.
Before she could ruminate on it for long there was a knock at her door. She smiled, knowing who it was.
She slipped out of bed quietly and snatched the hand mirror from her dresser, slicking a few unruly strands of purple hair into submission. She crept over to the door nervously and put a smile on her face as she unlocked the door and let it slide open.
"Good morning," she said softly. To say she was surprised to see Starfire on the other side was an understatement.
"Good morning friend!" she sang in return, wrapping her in a hug that left Raven reeling.
"Oh, uh, Starfire." She tried to blink away the startled and embarrassed look on her face.
"Yes friend! I come bearing the warmest wishes of happiness on this day of your birth!" The girl beamed at her with her typical warmth, intensified by her excitement over the day. "I thought we might share our morning meal in the new room of cooking," she suggested brightly.
"Um, sure." Raven replied, moving to grab her cloak and fasten it in its place.
"Glorious!" Starfire floated through the hallway like a mermaid through the sea, dipping and diving in sheer joy. It brought a smile to Raven's face. Starfire did that to you. "Come, it is this way," she explained, yanking Raven's arm and dragging her down another hallway.
Raven recognized the room; it was one of the many spare bedrooms in the tower in case they had a guest or an honorary Titan in town. She was not expecting the door to slide open and reveal her own surprise party.
"Happy birthday!" her friends chorused as Starfire giggled from behind her. The room, now outfitted to function as a kitchen, was covered in streamers, a banner, and an array of breakfast goodies. Raven stood there in shock, a blank expression spread across her face. She shook it off as her friends cheers died down.
"Uh, thank you," she replied, moving inside to join the others.
"We knew this whole party thing tonight wasn't really your style, so we decided to have a little party of our own," Cyborg elaborated with a grin. "We've got waffles!"
Raven snorted and rolled her eyes as Cyborg and Beast Boy raced to fill themselves and Raven a plate of steaming hot breakfast foods.
"Happy birthday Raven." Robin's voice was suddenly beside her. She turned to him and gave a small smile in thanks. "I know you're not looking forward to tonight, but I promise you everything will be fine."
Raven clenched her teeth together. "Yeah," she said weakly. She got a better look at his face as they talked. He looked exhausted and worn, and he sounded it to. "Are you alright?"
He nodded solemnly. "I will be. Don't worry about me though, it's your birthday."
Beast Boy came up and handed her a plate of waffles with a subtle wink. "Good morning Raven."
"Good morning Beast Boy." Simple words, depths of meaning.
"Alright, let's get this party started!" They all turned to Cyborg, who held a remote control and a precariously-balanced pile of presents in his arms. With a press of a button upbeat music filled the room. Starfire squealed and ushered Raven over to a chair. The others took their seats or stood around her to watch.
"You got me gifts?" she asked wryly. "Didn't you get the memo that you were supposed to make a donation?"
They all laughed. Raven looked around the table at her friends. Her family. She bit down on her lip and tried to keep herself together. Don't cry, she commanded herself, don't you dare cry in front of them. By some miracle she managed to keep the liquid in her eyes.
"Here, this is from me," Robin said, handing her a neatly-wrapped package. She gently removed the paper and opened the box inside to reveal Bose noise canceling headphones. She smirked.
"I thought they would help you meditate. Or you can just put them on whenever Beast Boy's around," he explained. Beast Boy made a noise of contempt while Raven tried to keep a straight face.
"Thank you Robin," she replied, giving him a sincere smile. Before she had time to set Robin's gift aside, another was shoved before her, this one wrapped in blue and silver. Cyborg beamed at her from across the table.
Underneath the paper was a box, which Raven opened to reveal several tissue-paper wrapped items. She was just about to comment on the excessive amount of packaging when she finally discovered what was inside. The largest bundle was a beautiful, antique silver tea kettle; the others were matching cups, saucers, and spoons. She was mesmerized by their delicacy.
"Cyborg, they're beautiful," she breathed. He gave her a proud smile, like he knew she would love them.
"I saw that your old ones were a little run-down, so I thought I'd get you an upgrade," he explained.
"That was very thoughtful, thank you." Raven didn't want to open her next gift, she simply wanted to bask in this feeling of warmth and celebration forever. Before she knew it though, she was pulled out of her chair and into one of Starfire's constricting hugs.
"Starfire," she gasped, "what are you—"
"My dearest friend, I have put much thought into selecting a gift that will be both beneficial and most enjoyable for us both," she said as she set Raven down. Raven didn't like where this was going. "So I have arranged a day at the spa for us both this afternoon!" she exclaimed with enthusiasm. "We will do the hanging out and prepare ourselves for this evening's festivities!"
Raven tried to keep her initial reaction suppressed. A spa? How could Starfire think that Raven and a spa would be "enjoyable?" But when she looked at Star's delighted expression she couldn't help giving in. There was something about disappointing Starfire that just seemed criminal. She tried her best to mold her lips into a smile.
"That sounds... fun. Thank you Starfire," she said as the boys snickered. Starfire seemed oblivious to the truth all four of them knew: Raven would not be having anything close to fun during their little spa date. She sighed. She would just have to suck it up.
There was only one person who hadn't presented their gift: Beast Boy. Raven honestly didn't know what to expect from him. Beast Boy generally wasn't the best gift giver as he usually lost track of time and was running around frantically trying to find something at the last minute. Raven had witnessed this first hand during Robin's last birthday. On the other hand, he was technically her boyfriend now, which by society's standards meant he had to step up his game. She was interested to see how this would play out.
Beast Boy handed her a flat rectangular package from across the table. As she took it their hands brushed and she had to try to keep her cool facade in front of the others. Letting her hair fall around her face, she slowly tore the paper off of the gift.
Raven stared at it for a few moments before looking up at Beast Boy. Cyborg immediately started laughing, though unlike Robin he didn't even know the extent to which it was funny.
Underneath the paper was a book: Cooking for Dummies, 4th edition.
Well, I didn't see that coming. In truth she was a little disappointed. She shouldn't have been considering Beast Boy's history, but she was. She didn't expect anything overly sentimental, but maybe something a little more romantic.
When she caught his eye he winked at her playfully, then gave a very pointed look at the book. She reached down subtly and opened the cover. Inside was a message.
Your real gift is coming later. Happy Birthday Raven.
Love, Beast Boy
Oh. Raven's heart instantly picked up at the prospect that there very well may be a sentimental gift. She tried to quell the blush that she could feel spreading across her cheeks. She instinctively reached back and pulled up her hood.
"Hilarious," she quipped at him, tossing the book aside casually.
"Now that we are finished with the presentation of gifts, may we now partake with the traditional song of happy birthday wishes and cake?" Starfire asked eagerly.
"I've got the cake if y'all are ready to sing!" Cyborg shouted as he leapt from his chair and towards the counter. His signature rainbow-colored seven layer cake sat in the center of the food spread.
Raven prepared herself. The cake would be tasty. The singing was a different story. They sang Happy Birthday at least five times a year and yet it never sounded any better. She supposed she shouldn't judge, as she was far from a decent singer herself, but all things considered she would expect they'd just stop trying. As they began to belt the familiar tune, she realized that would (unfortunately) never be the case.
After their perilous rendition finished to a round of cheers and applause in Raven's honor, Cyborg pushed the cake in her direction.
"Alright Raven, time to make a wish," Robin instructed her.
Raven clenched her jaw. A wish. What was she supposed to wish for? She looked around at her friends smiling, happy faces and it came to her. She closed her eyes and leaned in towards the twenty one little flames.
I wish that my friends will always be happy. I wish that they will forgive me for what I have to do, and know that I only did it to protect them. I wish that they will always remember me, and never forget the friendship we had. But I hope that they move forward with their lives, and never live in the past.
I wish for Starfire's sake that Robin learns to relax, and realizes how much more she means to him than being a hero does. I hope that Cyborg finds his own path in life, and learns to lead with all of the strength and humility he's capable of. I wish that Beast Boy... I wish that Beast Boy moves on. I wish he finds a girl who can give him the warmth and affection that he deserves, someone who gives him the love I won't be able to.
I wish all the best for them, so that my actions will never be in vain.
She opened her eyes and released a strong breath of air, blowing out the flames to another round of cheers.
She was glad her hood was still up, as it covered the tear that slid down her cheek.
Happy Birthday.