beast boy's perspective

The sun held a powerful glare against my face. I guess that was Mother Nature telling me it was time to get up.

I glanced at the clock, it read one twenty-eight in the afternoon.

"Damn, we slept in hard."

Raven shifted against my body.

"We did, I feel like staying in bed with you all day." she mumbled.

"I do, too." I kissed her hair.

Raven snaked her leg around my body and drew closer. I wrapped my arms tenderly around her.

"How are you feeling?"

"Tired." I replied.

"I'm sorry. That's... my fault."

"No it isn't, babe, none of this is your fault. You're going to have hard nights like that." I whispered gently.

"I know, but I'm kinda messing up your sleep schedule."

"It's alright, Princess. You have a lot of things to worry about. No need to worry about Grass Stain and his sleep routine."

"You're precious." Raven spoke.

"Nah, that's all you."

"You."

"You."

"You."

"Say 'you' one more time and I will delete you from planet Earth." Raven threatened jokingly.

"Then you'll undelete me, because you'll miss me." I teased.

"Will I though?"

"Of course, if you're not gonna miss me, you're certainly gonna miss the ears."

"Hmmmm, debatable. Maybe your hugs, too. And your smile. Oh, and the little fang that sticks out when you smile. And your hair because I like to play with it. And your laugh, for sure. Okay, maybe I'll miss you." Raven laughed lightly.

"That's what I thought." I smiled.

"Have you ever had a joke been told to you, but what's funnier than the joke is the person's laugh."

"Yes, Cyborg."

"Haha, well that's you for me. Sometimes when your jokes aren't funny—"

"Hey! My jokes are funny!" I pouted.

"Only to you they are."

"Aw." my spirit sank.

"I'm kidding, some of them are," she snuggled closer to me, "But sometimes when you tell those jokes, I end up laughing at your laugh more than the joke itself."

"Pffft, you're so adorable."

"Thanks, I try. Gar?"

"Rae?"

"Do you ever feel like you're in this... void?"

"What type of void? There's millions that I've felt." I stroked her back smoothly.

"This void where you're a light, you know? You have a lot of light around you and you feel light inside of you, too. But there's still that wrenching and bitter taste of pain somewhere."

"That's me all the time." I confessed.

"It really sucks because some days you don't know which side of the rope is tugging you."

"Honestly, dude."

"Yeah, I feel that right now."

"It's okay, baby, I'm feeling it with you."

Silence squirmed between our conversation.

"Are you hungry? We kind of slept through breakfast hours, but I'm sure we can catch some lunch."

"I don't really have an appetite right now, Beastie-Boo."

"That's okay. Promise me you'll eat today at some point. I know your diet has been hard since this whole thing."

"Everything has been hard."

I glanced down at Raven. Her hygiene fell back into place. Her skin regained its full color and her body became healthier in shape. Her hair began to shine again and grow in a neater pattern.

"You know, Rae, you're struggling to recover, but you're recovering. Slowly but surely." I commented.

"Thanks to you."

"No. Thanks to you."

Raven picked her head up.

Her loose, violet strands fell in front of her pale face like a curtain. A band of pink tried to hide in her cheeks. Her eyes were deep-set and peered directly into mine. They were like plum-colored pools that my soul loved to dive into. A mild, appealing smile was painted on her face.

She brushed away my bed head and rubbed her thumb over my cheek. Her tongue slid between her lips hesitantly. Although Raven was comfortable with me by now, she tended to have her shell over her shoulders.

Raven pressed our lips together.

Her tongue punched around eagerly. Her fingers slid through my hair swiftly. I placed my hands on her back, pushing up her tee a little. Our kiss was a bit more passionate than the ones we shared before.

Nonetheless, it was intimate and pure. I chuckled as Raven glided her tongue across my fangs. Her hand slid ever so patiently down my chest.

I grinned and flipped myself on top of my girlfriend.

"You're getting really good at this romance stuff." I whispered.

"No kidding." she responded in her monotone.

I nervously leaned in.

I wanted to take a slightly different approach.

I kindly kissed Raven's silver neck. She rolled her head, allowing me more access. I decorated her collarbone with kisses as well. My hand slipped down her waist again, gently holding her in place. My lower body pressed into hers. The girl let out a breathless pant as I watched sweat bud on her body.

"Phew, I think we're good." I eased up.

"Yeah, yeah... definitely." Raven breathed.

Her face became disturbed.

"I think I'm ready."

"For what?" I blushed heavily.

"Oh, hell no." Raven gave me a disappointed glare.

"What!?" I panicked.

"You're the boyfriend of an empath, I know what you're thinking."

"Ah-hehe... well in my defense, after the monkeying around we just did..."

"That's not what I'm talking about, Skinny Hulk, get your mind out of the gutter."

"Okay, okay! I get it, I went down the wrong track. Anyway, what are you ready for?"

"I want to do this really badly, but I don't know if I can do it, because I'm scared to."

"Rae, fear isn't real. Fear is a deception."

"Fear seems pretty real to me." Raven frowned.

"Shoot. I know, I'm sorry that was so stupid of me to say. I was just tryna help."

"You are helping, babe, more than anything right now. I know sometimes it is hard to find things to say."

I sighed, "You know what I think of when I feel that way? When I walk in the dark."

"When mean when you turn off the light in the Common Room and then run in here because you're afraid of the dark?" Raven stated playfully.

"I'm not afraid of the dark, hmph."

"Sure you aren't." she smirked.

"I can't be afraid of something I love." I winked.

"Shut up." Raven rolled her eyes.

"Our eyes take time to adjust in the dark. They take a minute to read certain objects and our surroundings so we don't fall or get hurt. Same thing with fear. You have to give your eyes time to adjust to the darkness and try to take the best step possible. Before you know it, you'll find the light switch and get some tofu."

"Pfttt 'get some tofu'." Raven laughed.

"Of couuurrse, Rae-Rae, ya can't go wrong with tofu. Do you get what I mean though?"

"Sort of." she became closed up again.

"Tell me, what are you ready to do?" I asked.

"I'm ready to be a hero again."