TheAlienHeart: I know, right? They were RIGHT there lol. I don't wanna spoil anything but Raven may have a similar train of thought soon hehe and I'm soo glad that was satisfying :D
krumelmonster: Dearest gentle reader, I am SO sorry for putting you through this haha but I promise we are – and I cannot stress this enough – SO, SO close.
I Love You
"How about Animal Man?" Cyborg suggested.
Beast Boy wrinkled his nose. "That still sounds weird."
"How about Jungle Cruise?"
Garfield rolled his eyes. "Shut up, X."
"Green Shapeshifter? Green…Beast?" Starfire tried.
"Those are too literal." Beast Boy shook his head. "It needs to sound cool."
Terra narrowed her eyes in thought. "What are they called on that show? Skinwalker?"
"Skin…changer?" Damian shrugged.
This time Garfield cringed. "That sounds gross."
"But I think we're getting close." Kory said optimistically.
Beast Boy's head shot up as soon as he sniffed her scent. Raven floated inside and he beamed indiscreetly. She was much more discreet, though.
"Hey Rae, we're brainstorming names for Beast Boy! Which one do you think is best, Animal Shifter, Green Havoc or Shapechanger?" Cyborg shouted.
Raven tilted her head to the side and frowned. "Those are all terrible."
The half-robot huffed. "That's not very helpful."
"And yet, it's the truth." Nightwing pointed out fully amused.
"I'm not here to help. I'm here for…this." Raven quickly picked up the book she'd forgotten in the ops room and held it to her chest as she floated back towards her room. "Goodbye."
Beast Boy was already on his feet and happily running after her. "Hey Rae, wait up!"
When he caught up with her she was almost by her door. She stopped to look around and make sure they were alone before looking at him blankly.
Garfield smiled at her. "Can we talk?"
"Can it wait a little?" Raven asked calmly. The truth was she still wasn't sure what to tell him. She knew he probably wanted to know where they stood.
Beast Boy's smile fell. "Why?"
She sighed. "If it's about last night…"
"Of course it's about last night!" The shapeshifter grinned again. "I mean, you found a solution, we don't have a problem anymore! We don't need Limbo or-"
"We still have problems, Garfield." Raven said pointedly before turning her face to the side with a curious, distracted look on her face. Her powers were picking up on something weird.
The shapeshifter frowned, looking absolutely miserable. "Rae…" His voice was small and unsure. "I thought…weren't you happy with me?"
But she was already floating away in the opposite direction with a confused frown of her own.
Beast Boy ran after her. "Rae!?"
The empath was still aware of his attempts, so she answered him without slowing down because she really needed to know if her powers were right about this. "Yes, it was fun. You know that already."
"Fun!? It wasn't just fun. It was…Raven, can you look at me?" Garfield was outraged, but he was also becoming vaguely aware of his heightened senses, because he could hear people making out and he could sniff familiar scents now…
"Sorry, it's just…" Raven continued floating with the shapeshifter close behind her. "I thought I sensed…"
And then they turned a corner and froze at the sight. Kid Flash and Jinx were engaged in heavy petting and it was quite passionate too. Beast Boy's loud gasp startled them, making them separate hastily and flush in embarrassment and shame.
"What the…" Garfield had shock plastered all over his face.
"I-it's not what it looks like!" Jinx said quickly.
Beast Boy frowned. "It looks like you're cheating on Vic with Wally."
"Right…maybe it is a little bit what it looks like." The enchantress chuckled awkwardly.
"Are you going to tell him?" Raven asked her.
Jinx bit her lip. "I don't know. But please don't! I just…I don't know yet."
"What do you mean you don't know yet!? I'm going to tell him!" Beast Boy turned around to walk away and look for Cyborg, but Raven stopped him with a hand on his arm.
"Tell him or we will. Figure it out." The empath told Jinx, who just nodded apologetically and left as fast as she could.
Kid Flash had been looking embarrassed before, but now he just looked hurt.
"Look…I'm not proud of this…I just…" Wally was struggling to find the words.
"You really like her. I know." Raven said in a sympathetic voice.
Kid Flash exhaled heavily and leaned against the wall. "Yeah…"
Beast Boy wanted to judge him, but he just looked too miserable. "Wally…"
Then suddenly they all jumped at the loud noises coming from the training room. Lasers and bumping and crashing and screaming. Raven teleported with Beast Boy and Kid Flash got there in a heartbeat. They watched in horror as Supergirl held back a very aggressive, very violent, absolutely deranged Superboy.
"What is wrong with you, Connor!?" Kara glared at him as she flew in front of people to defend them from his attacks.
Raven noticed some people were hurt, including Arauto and Bumblebee, so she rushed to their side and started healing them. "What happened?"
"He just attacked everyone out of nowhere." Karen frowned. "He would have killed me for sure if Kara hadn't stopped him."
Raven turned her attention to the Kryptonians and narrowed her eyes. Something is…off.
"Kon-El! Stop this right now!" Supergirl punched him to the other side of the room. "What are you doing!?"
"That's not Kon-El." Raven whispered.
Kara turned her head towards her at once and Raven realized she'd heard her because of her super-hearing. Then she suddenly wondered in horror if the Kryptonians had heard all her private conversations from the last few days not to mention last night, but she quickly pushed those concerns away because a possessed Superboy was very violently charging at Supergirl again and the training room was absolutely destroyed – soon it would be the entire tower.
Raven's soul-self detached from her body and entered Connor's. She saw the presence possessing him and focused on expelling it. Kara Danvers fought him while the empath struggled against his invader in a harsh spiritual battle. Raven grunted in pain from where she was floating and dark veins appeared all over her skin. Her eyes started turning black. Beast Boy watched in horror with no idea what to do.
This body does not belong to you.
The empath summoned white magic. The dark veins faded away. "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!"
A dark mass left Connor's body and he fell to his knees, panting heavily. Raven's body also collapsed – or it would have if Beast Boy hadn't caught her.
Supergirl slowly walked towards her cousin. "Kon-El?"
Superboy put a hand on his head and grunted. "Shit. D-did I hurt anyone?"
Connor looked up and his confused eyes met Kara's relieved ones when she realized he was himself again. She ran to hug him and reassure him everything would be fine.
Beast Boy gently but urgently shook Raven in his arms. She was breathing and she was warm, but she hadn't opened her eyes yet. "Rae!? Wake up, please!"
The others had run to the training room as soon as they'd heard the commotion.
"Beast Boy? What happened?!" Nightwing asked when he saw Raven's limp body in his arms.
"Connor was possessed." Supergirl stated seriously.
"By Eclipso." Superboy hissed sinisterly. He hated feeling out of control. It made him terribly angry. He softened his face before looking at Richard's shocked one. "She cast him out."
Connor had planned to tease Raven about last night, because he had heard a lot of moaning before he left to go satisfy his own urges, but now he couldn't do it anymore.
"And then she fainted." Bumblebee added, frowning in concern.
Starfire held Terra's hand while Nightwing helped Beast Boy lower Raven to the ground.
The empath started hearing voices before she could open her eyes. They sounded extremely loud in her currently sensitive ears.
"Maybe you should try CPR."
"She's not dead, you idiot."
"How long does it take for someone to wake up after passing out?"
"What if she doesn't wake up?"
"What if Eclipso's possessed her now?"
"Well then I guess we'll all die."
"Who the fuck is Eclipso?"
The empath frowned and grunted.
"Oh my God she's alive!"
"We already knew that, moron."
"Raven, are you still you!?"
"Blink twice if you're evil now."
Raven's blurry vision slowly revealed a bunch of eager faces crowded above her as she opened her eyes. She deepened her frown when they came even closer to inspect her.
"Can you get off of me?" The sorcerer murmured grumpily.
Nightwing smiled. "She's herself. Let her breathe, move."
Dick pushed people away to give her some space and Garfield smiled gigantically as relief filled his heart.
Raven slowly sat up and held her head in her hands. "That was intense."
"Do you know why Eclipso possessed Connor, Raven?" Richard asked softly.
"I didn't see much. He's really powerful." She shook her head.
"He calls himself the Wrath of God." Supergirl nodded.
"Wait…God as in, God?!" Beast Boy squeaked.
"Well, Clark calls it The Presence. Eclipso's supposed to be a manifestation of its Wrath, but I think he's gone rogue. He's usually contained by…well, this." Kara picked up a black diamond from Connor Kent's pocket. "The Heart of Darkness."
"I have no idea how I even got that." Superboy frowned at the odd-looking gemstone. "I remember some weird-looking magician…"
The Titans sighed loudly. Dick raised an eyebrow. "Mambo?" When Connor just nodded, he rolled his eyes. "Yeah, he's full of tricks."
Supergirl frowned in concern at the diamond in her hand. "Well, he's free now. And this was forged in Apokolips, so I think Darkseid might have his loyalty here…"
"So…one more legendary evil entity for us to fight. Great." Damian said sarcastically.
Raven got up slowly and pushed both Garfield and Richard away when they tried to help her. "I'm fine. I fainted, I'm not invalid." She wiped her cloak then pulled Supergirl out of the room with her. "Kara, tell me everything you know about this Heart of Darkness."
They actually moved to the Hall of Justice a few days after that. Hearing about Eclipso and Superboy's possession, the Justice League felt it was time for some supervision. Beast Boy was absolutely star-struck, but he wasn't the only one.
"Man, we're in the big leagues now!" Garfield whispered to Cyborg, who nodded emphatically in agreement.
"Nightwing. Robin." Batman greeted both his sons in an affectionate, but contained manner. "So Damian, it seems you enjoyed being a Titan after all."
Robin shrugged. "Ah, it's okay."
Dick ruffled his little brother's hair, making him grunt and Bruce smile.
"Looks like the whole Batfamily is here." Batgirl joined them.
Bruce nodded. "Let's make sure it stays whole until this ends."
Richard was about to agree when he noticed Raven leaving. "Rae, where are you going?"
"To find somewhere quiet to contact Dr. Strange." The empath said as she held Stephen's amulet and the Heart of Darkness in her hands. "Unless someone else wants to battle Eclipso, it's obviously on me. But he's stronger than me right now so I need help. You guys can strategize against Darkseid. There are plenty of you."
"No wait Raven we should-" Superman called after her, but she was already gone. He sighed and turned to Nightwing. "Is your team always this unfocused?"
"Let her do her thing, trust me." Dick shrugged. "She's not wrong."
Bruce nodded and told everyone to gather round. "Tell us what you're thinking, Richard."
"Alright. So, I think we were able to keep the Radion a secret." Nightwing spoke in a serious voice. "I mean, unless Eclipso learned it from Connor…"
"He didn't." Superboy said quickly.
"Good. Cyborg's made Radion bullets and bombs. I think the Kryptonians and the Amazonians should take the lead on Darkseid. Maybe Donna could help Kory with Blackfire…"
"No, focus on him. I'll handle my sister." Koryand'r said confidently.
Nightwing didn't love that, but he knew her well enough to know when she'd made a decision. "Well…Clark, Kara and Connor, you drain power from the sun, right? Kory can absorb energy too. How about Sun-Dipping before the fight? Make it your most powerful versions."
"That's dangerous." Clark stated pointedly.
"But…it might be necessary." Richard said.
Krypto the Superdog jumped on Superman to show his approval by licking his face.
Nightwing chuckled. "Right, I forgot about one very important Kryptonian. Krypto's in."
"Oh that is the most adorable lovable alien sweetheart ever!" Starfire squealed as she hugged the dog, who licked her excitedly in return. The other girls – and Beast Boy – gathered round to pet him as well. He loved the attention.
"What about Kryptonite?" Batgirl asked cautiously. "Not to be a buzzkill…"
"I could protect them. I've made Clark immune to Kryptonite once by using a spell…though I've never done it for these many people." Zatanna pondered. She smiled when Krypto barked. "And dog."
Dick nodded. "I thought about that and Raven can help. I already talked to her about it and she said it'll definitely work."
Aquaman skeptically raised an eyebrow. "What if it doesn't?"
"It's not like we have a better plan." Barry Allen whispered to his Atlantean teammate.
"If Rae says it will work, it will work." Terra said pointedly.
That got her a gigantic grin from Beast Boy and a grateful look from Richard.
Zatanna chuckled. "Well it's certainly worth a shot."
"So what will the rest of us do?" Barry frowned.
"You'll be busy fighting alien armies, Flash." Diana smiled slightly. "But you can always help keep Darkseid busy while we try shooting at him."
The Flash stretched out lazily. "I suppose. Wanna help me, Wally?" He glanced at the red-haired, excited boy beside him as they high-fived.
"Okay, I think that's it for now." Dick concluded.
Raven came back hours later by just appearing out of thin air, startling over half the people there. She was visibly tired and she held the Heart of Darkness in her hand – it was glowing brightly, encased in fluid colorful energy.
"Raven." Batman greeted her first. Most of the Justice League wasn't that comfortable around her, but he didn't mind. She gave him a quick nod in return.
"Well? Did you contact him?" Nightwing asked expectantly.
"Yes. Wanda and Illyana helped too. We used Limbo to work and combined our magic to make a much more powerful prison." She tossed the Heart of Darkness to Zatanna, who immediately caught it. "I could use some help cursing and trapping him though, if you're up for it."
Zatanna admired the unfamiliar magical vibes emanating from the artefact, then smiled up at Raven. "With pleasure."
The empath nodded at her and then looked down when she felt something sniffing her legs. "Is that…a Kryptonian dog?"
"Raven, say hello to Krypto." Clark Kent said kindly.
The Titan sorcerer eyed the dog suspiciously. Krypto sat down and looked up at her with adoring eyes, wagging his tail. Her expression softened and she smiled slightly. "Hello, Krypto."
Clark and Diana exchanged a somewhat relieved look. They've had their doubts about this one. Her bloodline was…questionable, at best. But at least she liked dogs.
Later that day, Starfire walked around the Hall of Justice looking for her best friend. She needed to talk about Blackfire. "Kara? Have you seen Raven?"
Supergirl bit her lip. She knew exactly where the empath was because of her super-hearing. She didn't usually tell on people, but she wondered if she should make an exception. She really liked Starfire, they had a lot in common. She liked Raven too now, especially after she helped Connor. And Raven was struggling a bit at the moment and Kory could probably help. They seemed really close. "Well, she's kinda having a private conversation…"
"Oh, okay then. I'll find her later."
"…but I actually think she might need saving."
Starfire took Cyborg with her because she figured this private conversation had to be with Beast Boy. It seemed they were both too caught up in whatever they were saying to either sense or sniff the alien and the half-robot, so Kory and Victor actually got close enough to hear them.
"I told you, what I said before is still true. This is distracting and it nearly got me killed." Raven sounded slightly annoyed.
"But I will never let that happen again. So what if you get a little distracted? Why does everyone get to make mistakes but you!? I know this time the price was too high, but…I'll get better; I'll do better. I have been! It's not your job to be flawless, that's why we're a team! We won't fail you again. You can do what you want to do!"
"Even if I believe that, I still don't know what I want to do."
Beast Boy's voice became strained. "Did the other night mean nothing to you? Do I mean nothing to you?"
Starfire and Cyborg exchanged intrigued and concerned looks in mutual understanding they were officially eavesdropping on this conversation. There was a short pause before someone spoke again and they held their breaths.
"I didn't say that."
"Right but you won't tell me what I mean to you!"
Raven sighed loudly. "Why do we need to discuss this now? We need to prepare for th-"
"Because I need to know what we are to each other!"
"But why, Garfield? Why do you need to define and label this so badly?"
"Because that's what people do, Raven! I just need to know what I mean to you and I need to know right now." Beast Boy said firmly.
Starfire and Cyborg raised their eyebrows at each other in shock.
"So this is an ultimatum then." Raven sounded annoyed again.
"Yes, yes it is. Either you want to be with me or you let me go. Just tell me right now either way. Just make a choice do you want to try this, yes or no?"
"Well if this is an ultimatum and you're making me decide right now and it's either all right now or nothing then I'd have to say no."
Beast Boy's voice suddenly lost its demanding tone entirely. "Okay, you know what? Just think it over some more. Take your time and everything."
Cyborg rolled his eyes and smiled while Starfire suppressed a giggle.
Raven sighed again. "What about Flamebird?"
"Oh, that's over. I ended things after we got together again."
"I didn't ask you to do that."
"I told you I don't want anyone else. And we can be together now! And you don't have to be in love with me or anything, just give me a chance. I'll be anything you need me to be!"
"Gar, that's not…there's just a lot to consider, okay? I mean, just because we can have sex without endangering the world, that doesn't make it simple. Relationships involve expectations and obligations and resentments and fights. All kinds of…intense feelings. I don't know if I can handle that."
"You can, I know you can. Is that all that's holding you back!?"
"It's more than enough. You're not thinking about this. What if I break your heart? I probably will, you're very high-maintenance."
"Well I'm fine with that! Break my heart, please! Just do it as my girlfriend!"
Kory covered her mouth to fight back a squeal and Victor just smiled wider.
"Don't you get that a version of this that doesn't end badly is highly unlikely? What if I get mad at you and accidentally kill you?"
"You're not going to do that. I'm not worried!"
Raven's loud and frustrated grunt was a cry for help and Starfire decided it was time to step in. She shot Cyborg an apologetic look before clearing her throat and opening the door, making both Titans inside jump slightly.
"Uh…friends?" The Tamaranean asked softly.
"Kory!" Raven straightened up at once.
"Sorry to interrupt but I kind of need you, Rae."
"Yes, of course." The empath said gratefully, rushing to Starfire's side and leaving with her.
Cyborg slowly entered the room, shooting Beast Boy a guilty look.
"How much of that did you hear?" Garfield grimaced slightly.
The half-robot sat down next to his friend. "Oh, we heard enough."
"I suppose you think I'm making a complete fool of myself by hopelessly groveling."
"Well…" Cyborg smiled slightly. "Groveling? Yes, for sure. But I don't know if it's all that hopeless. I noticed I didn't hear her deny liking you. I heard a whole bunch of excuses."
Beast Boy's face lit up.
"But…" Victor frowned. "You need to chill, man. It's Raven, if you push too much you'll just scare her off."
Garfield sighed and stared at the ceiling. "I know. It's just…I have no idea how she really feels because she won't tell me and it's agony!"
"Well, I can't believe I'm saying this, but…I think she really likes you." Cyborg chuckled at the shocked expression on the shapeshifter's face. "Just don't be so eager. Be patient."
Meanwhile, Raven could sense how anxious and troubled Starfire was. She had been rambling about how powerful Blackfire was right now and how impossible it would be to defeat her for a while too.
"And it's like, ever since we were kids she's been the source of all my insecurities and I feel like I will never truly become who I'm supposed to be if I can't beat her an-"
"Kory." Raven interrupted her friend's escalating crisis and made her look at her. "Stop. Listen to me. You can beat her. You will beat her. You don't need tricks. I know you can do it and it won't matter how powerful she is. Trigon was much stronger than me. You are better than Blackfire. You are braver than her. You are kinder than her. Your core is much stronger than hers. Your motivations are purer and your spirit is higher. That's your white magic. Everything you just told me, use it. Focus and refuse to lose. Don't let her oppress you again. No trick can save her if you do. She doesn't stand a chance."
Starfire looked at Raven the same way Raven had looked at her when Kory stopped her own breakdown a few weeks ago: absolutely moved by every single word. She smiled genuinely at her best friend, feeling her heart lighter. "You know what? I think you're right."
"I usually am."
When the girls were heading back to the kitchen, they heard voices down the corridor.
"But Jinx, I don't get it! When we're alone you seem so much happier. I've liked you since I met you and I thought you liked me too. What did I do wrong?"
"Wally, I can't talk about this right now. Just forget me, okay? It was a mistake."
When Jinx turned the corner and saw Raven and Starfire standing there, she seemed taken aback. She quickly collected herself, but they could tell she was upset.
"Jinx, are you okay?" Kory asked kindly.
"Yes! Of course I'm okay, why wouldn't I be?" The enchantress spat out.
Jinx rushed down the corridor but Raven put a hand on her arm to stop her.
"Because you like him more than you like Victor and that's why you're not with him, isn't it? It scares you." The empath whispered.
Jinx stared at her with wide, horrified eyes and hastily pulled her arm back before running out.
Starfire frowned. "What was that about?"
"Kid Flash and Jinx kissed, maybe more than once."
The Tamaranean gasped loudly. "Should we tell friend Cyborg?"
"No, she should tell him. If she doesn't, Beast Boy will."
The next few days were tense. All the drama and extra training were taking a toll on everyone. Beast Boy reluctantly tried to give Raven some space by continuing to brainstorm new name ideas with the others. Starfire and Raven meditated together more often than ever and Terra usually joined them. Zatanna and Raven worked on the Kryptonians' protection spell and the binding curse for Eclipso. Everyone else trained to be at the top of their game.
Red-X and Superboy had mostly left Beast Boy alone after being read to filth by Raven, but they weren't impressed either and he knew it. He'd been a little discouraged lately and he wasn't doing as well as before. Garfield glanced at the empath petting Krypto on a corner in the training room. She had the smallest, most tender smile on her lips as she tried to keep him from licking her face.
"So you're an animal lover, huh? That makes sense." Superboy gave her a charming wink.
Raven frowned in confusion before realizing he was referring to her preference for Beast Boy. She scoffed and rolled her eyes. Garfield took a little longer to understand it, but then he flushed. Connor laughed breezily.
"Actually…" Raven suddenly seemed focused on something else entirely. She stared directly at the shapeshifter. "You should try turning into him."
Beast Boy tilted his head and frowned. "What?"
"Krypto. You should turn into Krypto. Or, into a Kryptonian dog. He has all of Superman's powers, doesn't he?" The empath said casually before turning her attention back to the dog and holding his face in her hands. "Don't you, Krypto? Yes, you do."
Krypto licked her face happily and she grimaced, but she kept caressing him. Raven quickly looked around to realize this time there was an audience – their entire team was there for one thing. But she wasn't worried; she knew he could do it. Garfield smiled at how cute she looked petting this space dog before letting her words sink in. Oh. Right, duh. Then he felt excited and scared of failing at the same time. He didn't even notice Connor looking concerned. The other Titans stopped what they were doing and watched him expectantly.
"Okay…I'll try." Beast Boy focused on everything he'd learned about controlling his powers and on the alien dog in front of him.
And then suddenly a green Kryptonian dog was barking and Krypto merrily flew to his side to play with him. They flew around and raced with super-speed, shot lasers out of their eyes at the practice targets and carried enormous weights. Every other hero in the room cheered excitedly. Raven was practically beaming.
Nightwing smiled widely. "Well done, Beast Boy! Seriously, huge game changer."
Garfield turned human again and smiled proudly. "Man, it worked! Did everyone see that!? I can have Superman's powers, how cool is that!?" Then he turned to Connor and grinned idiotically. "Hey, I can probably even take you on now!"
Superboy scowled, but he was a little amused. Garfield was difficult to hate, especially when he seemed to hold no grudge at all for his mean attempt to humiliate him. Connor folded his arms and smirked. "Not a chance. But…that was kind of cool."
"It's more than cool, it's mind-blowing!" Garfield high-fived Starfire, Terra, Speedy and a few others, fully enjoying the praise.
"You realize what you've done, right?" Cyborg said to Raven in a playful tone. "He's going to be more insufferable than ever now."
The empath just chuckled softly and shrugged, going back to playing with Krypto.
"Thank you so much Rae, you're amazing!" Garfield beamed at her.
Raven frowned. "Why? I didn't do anything. That was all you."
The shapeshifter thought of a dozen different things to say to her, but they were all flirty and pushy, so he just continued smiling affectionately.
"Just don't use it in this fight." The empath added. "I don't think the Kryptonite protection spell would work on you."
Beast Boy whined a little, but Raven just chuckled.
"Don't worry, we're going to win. There will be other battles for you to use this." The empath said confidently, unknowingly warming his heart.
Nightwing nodded. "I definitely second that."
Beast Boy's plan to give Raven space fell apart after that. He simply couldn't wait any longer. Every time he saw her, he just wanted to kiss her and he felt like he would go crazy unless he knew she felt the same. So the next night, he went looking for her. The only stop he made on the way was to remind Jinx to tell Cyborg what happened between her and Kid Flash. When he found her, she was listening to Wonder Woman's stories about Themyscira along with Donna, Kara, Kory, Bumblebee, Terra and Zatanna. He watched her for a while. Raven's eyes were intense and focused so she was definitely interested, but that couldn't stop him now. Not even the fact that he was about to interrupt Wonder Woman could stop him now.
"Can we talk?"
Beast Boy was standing right in front of her and Raven felt a little mortified being summoned to talk in front of Diana and most of her female friends. She could feel their curious gaze on her and it made her want to disappear into the floor. But she knew it must have taken all of his courage to do this, so she sighed and stood up. "Sure."
The empath teleported them to a desert park downtown.
Beast Boy shivered. "Okay I know you don't want to talk in there because of all the people with super-hearing but…this place? It looks like we could run into the stuff of nightmares here."
"Garfield, I am the stuff of nightmares."
The shapeshifter looked at her in surprise for a second before realizing she was technically right. "Sorry. Was that offensive?"
"Don't worry about it but Garfield, I still don't want to talk about this."
Beast Boy let out a loud frustrated sound. "Why not!? We have to at some point."
"Why? Why do we have to?"
"Because it meant something. So give me something."
"I don't know what it meant, okay?" Raven raised her voice a notch. She was getting tired of having the same conversation over and over again. "I don't know what to tell you, Garfield. I don't know what it meant. I know that's not what you want to hear, but it's all I got for you."
He was not okay with that. The shapeshifter frowned. "Well you kissed me, Raven."
The empath's eyes widened for a second before she looked down remorsefully. "I know."
"Why would you do that if you didn't change your mind?"
Raven suddenly felt annoyed again. "Maybe I was just being weak and impulsive. Did you even consider that possibility?"
Beast Boy frowned and blinked as if that was the craziest thing he had ever heard, because weak and impulsive were not words he'd associate with her. "No, I honestly didn't."
"Well, maybe you should."
Garfield shifted his weight between his feet and when he spoke again, it came out sad. "So then that's all it was to you…just impulsive sex? That's all you wanted from me."
Raven immediately softened her face and her voice. "No, I…I'm sorry." She took a deep breath and tried to find the right words. "Of course not. I guess watching you with someone else was…" Unbearable. "…hard."
Garfield folded his arms. That's not good enough. He was feeling greedy and he wanted a full admission. "So you don't want to be with me but you also don't want me to be with anyone else, is that it?"
The empath rolled her eyes tiredly. "No, obviously that's not what I'm asking for."
"Then what are you asking for?"
"What are you asking for?" Raven's voice suddenly got much higher. Her patience abandoned her. The wind got stronger, ruffling the trees' leaves as she brought both her hands to her chest. "What do you want from me, Garfield?"
Everything. I want you to be completely in love with me. I want you to swoon over me. I want your undivided affection. I am eager. I am not patient. He struggled to find words he could actually say out loud. "I want you to admit how you feel about me!"
"Well that's not fair!"
The wind got harsher.
"How is that not fair!?" Beast Boy took a step forward and boldly tried to grab her hand.
Raven pulled it away and glared at him. "Garfield Logan, stop pressuring me. You're being very demanding and I don't care for it."
"I just need to know! You know how I feel, don't you?"
The sorcerer's eyes widened again. Of course she knew. She knew what he'd meant to say on the roof that night. Fuck. "T-that…"
"All I'm asking is for you to stop torturing me and let me in! How is that being demanding!?" Beast Boy practically shouted. "Just give me something!"
Raven's focus and calm failed her. The tree swing started flying around dangerously. She let out a frustrated grunt. "For Azar's sake, what if I did say everything you want to hear, Garfield, then what!?"
The swing broke loose and flew away into the night.
Her eyes welled up. "What if I told you that I burn for you?" She cursed internally for letting her voice tremble, but she couldn't stop now. "What if I said I can't think straight when you touch me?"
A park bench exploded in a million pieces. Beast Boy's eyes widened.
Raven struggled to keep the tears from falling. "What if I said your light gives me strength and I lie awake thinking about you?" Her voice broke slightly and she hastily gestured around them as large tree branches fell to the floor. "Then what?"
Garfield's eyes welled up too and his mouth hung open looking for what to say.
Raven brought both her hands to her chest again. "What would you expect from me!? What good would that do? What would it accomplish besides hurting me?" Her voice finally got calmer and more vulnerable. "Or would you take pleasure in simply knowing you have the power to break my heart? Would that satisfy you?"
Beast Boy stood there wide-eyed, mouth agape and painfully aware of the fact he should say something, but he found himself completely speechless for a change. Raven turned away from him to steady her breathing while he tried to name his emotions internally like she'd thought him to, but there were so many emotions to name.
His chest was aching in a good way. Is that how she feels about me!? Does she mean those things!? He felt his stomach turn in excitement and his heart flutter. But there was also bad aching, because her words may have been everything he wanted to hear, but this wasn't how he wanted to hear them. She was angry and sad, but mostly she was hurting. He wanted to ask her if she meant those things, but that would be more of the exact same behavior she was complaining about.
Garfield felt guilty for pushing her this far, because she was clearly struggling. Maybe he was just asking for something she couldn't give him and making her feel bad in the process, and he hated himself for it. Then he wondered if he took pleasure in knowing he could break her heart. At first, he thought he did – and that he must be a monster for it. But then she looked at him again and he saw her pained face and knew he took absolutely no pleasure in it.
"N-no, that…t-that's not what I want." Beast Boy said quietly.
Raven hugged herself and whispered. "Well that's all I have right now."
And then she disappeared into the floor. He tried to stop her but she was already gone, so he turned into a hawk and flew back to the Hall of Justice. Beast Boy sniffed her, because he needed to make sure she was okay. He found her on a couch with Kory on one side and Bumblebee on the other, watching some silly rom-com movie. He exhaled in relief and walked up behind her, noticing she stiffened slightly and held her breath when he got closer.
Garfield softly put his hands on her shoulders and leaned down – ignoring the stares from the other two girls – to whisper sweetly in her ear. "I'm sorry. That won't happen again."
Raven looked up at him with curious eyes. He just smiled softly and rubbed her shoulders, so she relaxed her muscles and her face and gave him a small, grateful smile. And then he left her alone with her friends. After a little while, Cyborg walked by them and Raven raised an eyebrow at Bumblebee's burst of emotions and lingering stare. The empath had been breaking her no-meddling rule a lot lately, so she figured she could do it one more time. It was only because these people all made such bad decisions and it was getting difficult to watch.
Raven leaned closer to Bumblebee and whispered. "Tell him how you feel. He has no idea and you might regret it if you don't."
Karen stared at her wide-eyed in shock for a few seconds and then turned her gaze – but not her attention – back to the movie, feeling more confused than ever.
The final days before the battle were much less dramatic. Beast Boy decided to believe Raven felt all those things for him – though he often second-guessed it – because she wouldn't have come up with them out of nowhere. Unless those are lines from a movie or something she heard Kory say about Dick. So don't flatter yourself. Even when he did believe, it hurt, because apparently she still didn't want to act on those feelings.
But every time he felt heartbroken and about to cry, he remembered the eight months when she was gone and how he'd found her and he was happy again in no time. It was working really well. She was comfortable around him again. He hadn't lost hope, he just decided to really give her time and space. When she was ready, he would be there. And in the meantime, he was fully enjoying being part of this extremely epic event and hanging out with his friends, not to mention exploring the Hall of Justice. Right now he was going up against Kid Flash in the video-game championship they'd all decided to throw to get their minds off Darkseid.
"How about Beast Guy? Beasty?" Speedy suggested as they once again discussed new name ideas for Beast Boy.
"I don't think it should have Beast in it. I think shapeshifter represents his powers more accurately." Terra said.
"You know what? You're absolutely right." The archer smiled at the blonde, putting an arm around her shoulders.
Beast Boy grunted as he lost the match to Kid Flash. Then he put the controller down and flailed his arms around. "Yes, I think so too but the problem is they all still sound too obvious or silly! I mean, what's another word for shapeshifter? A cooler word?" He narrowed his eyes and rubbed his chin.
"Changeling." Raven spoke blankly and quietly, without removing her eyes from the pages of her book. She felt eyes lingering on her though, so she looked up quickly and surely enough, they were all staring. "Ignore me, I was thinking out loud."
"No, wait." Beast Boy whispered. "That's it!"
"I like it." Terra nodded.
"Changeling. It really rolls off the tongue!" Starfire giggled.
Damian shrugged. "It's better than Beast Boy for sure."
"Man, I wish I'd thought of that!" Cyborg slapped his robotic leg.
Nightwing smiled. "Guess that's settled, then?"
Garfield stood up dramatically. "Yes! From now on, I shall be known as the Changeling!"
Raven cringed at his theatricality, but rolled her eyes fondly all the same.
"Okay, chill." Victor said. "It will take some getting used to and you'll still be BB to us."
The Changeling chuckled sheepishly. "Fine, I'll take it."
Raven smiled discreetly. He's an idiot. My idiot.
I Love You (Billie Eilish)