bbrae-week2018-blog - Tumblr blog

bbrae-week2018-blog · 7 years ago

Text

I Never Asked to be Like This

Invisibility was her superpower. Well, she supposed that technically, it wasn’t a superpower, per say. But it certainly was her specialty. Raven had a knack for blending in with the shadows. Her dark cloak and equally dark powers helped make hiding all the more easy, letting her remain almost invisible to any passerby. And if anyone did happen to notice her, she could merely vanish and teleport somewhere else, leaving the person to stare blankly at the shadows and convince themself they had only imagined her presence.

Raven peered out into the street. It was bustling with activity; business folks scurrying to and fro with their satchels and briefcases, vendors yelling into the crowds, waving about sticks with various foods, pedestrians walking dogs or strollers for a day out downtown. Raven shifted in place and heaved a sigh. She hated crowds. They were noisy, with their intrusive and boisterous emotions battering at her senses on all sides.

Crowds also hated her.

Whenever Raven left the safety of the shadows, she was visible. Her notably different attire and behavior was like a set of flares to the common folk. Crowds stared at her openly; it was embarrassing and unsettling.

But her favorite bookstore was not here in the shadowy alley, it was there, in the sunlight, tucked amid the downtown hustle and bustle. She swallowed her apprehension and struck out into the sun’s warmth.

The reaction was immediate. As always. The crowds dissolved before her, apprehension and fear thick in the air. It was a bitter taste, as bitter as the stares and whispers. Sure, people left her alone. The citizens of Jump City were well aware of their local superheroes. But while most of the team were always regarded with joy and pride, she was the one the people drew away from in fear. Raven tugged her cloak tighter about herself and hurried onward, doing her best to ignore the whispers.

She really should have teleported.

Some nights, Raven dreamed she was normal. A normal girl with a normal family and a normal life. She held normal conversations with normal people, and could walk through a crowd without hearing those horrid whispers.

“Look, it’s the demon girl.”

“I hear she drinks blood.”

“If you say her name three times in front of a mirror, she’ll appear and murder you.”

“My mom says she’s a demon and demons are cursed.”

“I don’t care if she calls herself a hero, she’s evil, plain and simple.”

Raven clutched her hair in her fists, hot tears streaming down her face. Guilt welled up within her, spilling through her thoughts and clawing at her heart. Every waking moment was spent with the guilt of her history. Her very existence was a blight upon the universe; she was meant to end it.

What good could come from that? No matter what she did, she’d always be a curse.

“Raven?”

Garfield’s voice echoed on the roof, making her jump. She shrank, half wondering if she should disappear into her room, but he was already walking towards her. Garfield sat slowly, saying nothing. Instead, he stared out into the evening sky, a mixture of odd feelings swirling about him. Raven tentatively peeked up at him.

“Sometimes, when I’m out in town, I can’t help but wish…that I wasn’t green.” Garfield met her gaze, a rueful grin on his lips. “I hear what they say about me, you know. And it sucks. But…here? Here, I feel like I am normal.”

She blinked. There was more to what he was saying, Raven knew. Sometimes, she could feel the darkness lurking within him. Similar to her own darkness. She knew Garfield had his own battles, though Raven never really thought past her own. Yet, hearing him speak and feeling the well of understanding, she felt…for the first time in a long time, Raven felt as though she wasn’t entirely alone.

The sunset colored the sky in a magnificence only known to earth. Raven felt herself smile. Neither of them could help who they were, but perhaps that was okay.

E N D

Welp, here’s the last one. Sorry it’s short and cheesy, I ran out of time and inspiration, lol. Anyway, thanks so much for reading these, and thanks to all who participated! Y’all rock!

-Kat

#bbrae week 2018 #fanfiction #day 7

67 notes · View notes

bbrae-week2018-blog · 7 years ago

Text

BBRAE Week 2018 Day 7: I Never asked to be like this

As fights go, this one had been on the easier end of the spectrum. The ‘Demon hunters’ they’d gone up against were embarrassingly deficient in terms of training and morale, and had only lasted around two minutes. The clean-up, on the other and, was the sort of pain in the ass that can only be achieved by a dozen fanatics armed with big guns that they didn’t actually know how to use.

“You okay, Rae?” Gar asked Raven.

“I’m fine,” She replied. “Not even a black eye this time.”

“I know!” Her husband chuckled. “No black eye for you, no life-threatening injuries for me; I think these guys lost their touch!”

“Scum!” One of the dispatched zealots howled, spitting in Gar’s face. “How can you bear the touch of that creature?”

“Very easily!” Gar replied cheerfully, forcing Raven to suppress a smile.

“You lie down with a demon?” The hapless fool demanded. “By choice?”

“Every night.” Raven interjected. “And not just to sleep.”

“You’ve damned him!” The madman shrieked. “Who could possibly be welcomed in the kingdom of heaven with carnal knowledge of a demon?!” That one hurt just a little more than it should have.

“I’ll take my chances.” Gar replied.

“You fool!” The self-proclaimed demon hunter hissed. “You’re soul shall spend an eternity in hell!”

“Have you seen her legs?” Gar joked. “Worth it.”

“You think she loves you?” The lunatic scoffed. “An abomination like her isn’t capable of such a thing!” That one hurt a lot more than it should have. “Run, before she corrupts your soul beyond redemption and destroys all that is good in y–”

“I never asked to be like this!” Raven howled, tears in her eyes. “You think I want to be this way?!” And with that, she teleported away.

It just wasn’t fair! She helped people every day, she cared about her friends, she loved Gar so much, but none of that could change the fact that she was a demon. It couldn’t stop people from viewing her with hatred and fear, and it couldn’t change… that. She’d only worked with the Justice League Dark for a week, and yet, months later, she couldn’t forget what she’d seen. So much blood…

“Hey there Morrigan.” Gar murmured, walking into her room. “You wanna talk about it?”

“No.” She replied curtly.

“Okay.” He sighed, sitting down next to her, the mattress sinking slightly under his weight. For a minute they sat in complete silence, Raven counting down the seconds until Gar inevitably broke it.

“It’s not just what he said.” Raven blurted out, not quite believing that she broke first.

“I didn’t think it was.” Gar shrugged.

“It’s because of that job with the JLD,” She went on. “I… saw some things.”

“So,” Gar replied. “You’re finally ready to talk about it.”

“They wanted my help because, well…” She hesitated; was it really a good idea to tell Gar about this? “Because they were tracking my brother.”

“You have a brother?” Gar asked, surprise colouring his aura.

“Half-brother actually.” Raven corrected. “Seven that I know about, probably a lot more.”

“And I’m guessing your half-brothers don’t share your keen sense of right and wrong.” Gar said.

“They’re sadistic monsters,” Raven confirmed bluntly. “And one of them was loose.” She shuddered at the memory. “He’d been on a killing spree. There wasn’t even any reason for it; he was just killing people because he could.”

“I know where this is going,” Gar began. “And I’m stopping it before it starts.” He laid his hands gently on either side of Raven’s head and looked her dead in the eyes. “Listen to me; you aren’t your brother. You’re not your brother, or your father, you’re Raven.”

“Raven the half demon.” She whimpered. “It’s only a matter of time until I lose control; evil is just a part of me.”

“Okay honey,” Gar began, and somehow ‘honey’ calmed Raven down, just a little, through how utterly mundane it was. “I’m about to go in a seriously lame direction with this, so bear with me, alright?” And with that, he took out his communicator and typed furiously. “This,” His communicator displayed a picture of a huge, red-skinned man with horns broken down to stubs and a massive stone fist. “Is Hellboy.”

“Gar, that’s a comic book character.” Raven pointed out.

“Hey, I said bear with me, didn’t I?” Gar had that twinkle in his eye that told Raven that this was either going to be incredibly stupid, or astonishingly insightful. “Hellboy’s the son of a demon and a witch, and he’s a hero. Even though he needs to hide away from the world, even though there are people who think he’s going to cause the apocalypse, he still saves people. This,” The screen now showed an image of a katana-wielding young man with messy black hair, wreathed in blue flames and with little horns and fangs. “Is Ren Okumara. He’s the son of Satan, and he’s a hero.”

“And an anime character.” Raven muttered, more to herself than anything else.

“The organisation he works for don’t trust him, but he still saves people. He’s been insulted, attacked, even threatened with execution, and he doesn’t care. And this,” An image of a black-skinned figure with huge horns. “Is a Tiefling. They’re a playable race in Dungeons and Dragons.”

“Seriously?” Raven demanded. “You’re using D&D to support your argument?”

“I know,” He shrugged. “It’s stupid. But it’s what I’ve got, and I’m using it. Tieflings are the descendants of demons. Or devils. Or daemons.”

“It sounds like your game has too many types of demon.” Raven quipped.

“Look, that’s not the important part; they’re the descendants of demons, and they have no alignment restrictions.” He looked smug.

“I’m sorry, but was there a point to all this?” Raven asked, genuinely confused.

“I was kind of hoping I’d come up with one by the time I finished.” Gar chuckled nervously. “Best I can offer right now is that, to me at least, half-demon never meant evil.” He smiled warmly and lay a hand on her shoulder. “The way I figure it, you have the same choice as anybody else, it’s just… more important for you.”

“No.” Raven intoned simply. “No, this is not happening. I refuse to be swayed by an argument that uses Dungeons and Dragons as its linchpin!” She had to fight back the laughter she felt welling up; the whole thing was just too absurd.

“It’s a metaphooor!” Gar whined, pushing Raven over the edge and causing her to succumb, allowing a burst of laughter to escape. “Not my best work?” He asked jokingly.

“Not really.” Raven confirmed. “But I understand what you’re trying to say.” She rested her head against his shoulder. “You’re telling me that you believe in me.”

“Not quite,” Gar corrected her, kissing the top of her head lightly. “I’m telling you that I believe in you, and so do thousands of geeks.” He wrapped his arms around her, and she let herself melt into the love radiating from him. “All over the world, there are people just as geeky as me, and as far as they’re concerned, all that ‘inherent evil’ crap is barely enough to slow you down. And as long as people still read comics and watch anime and all that other geeky crap, they’re going to look at you and see someone who’ll always be better than where they came from.”

“And what about you?” Raven asked. “How much do you believe in me?” She didn’t need to ask. She was an empath; she could feel his unshakeable faith in her fill the room. But she asked anyway.

“Enough to fall in love, take a bullet and propose.” He answered simply. “And even more than that.”

“Then that’s all I need.” Raven whispered as she wrapped her arms around him, content to stay like this until the next time someone needed her help, the next time she’d give it her all, even if people hated and feared her. After all; she couldn’t let Gar down, now could she?

#bbrae week 2018 #fanfiction #day seven

71 notes · View notes

bbrae-week2018-blog · 7 years ago

Text

BBRae Week 2018 - Day 7

I Never Asked To Be Like This

Cyborg flinched as he watched Beast Boy throw himself into mortal peril. Upon entering the room and seeing her, he had sneaked up behind her and thrown his arms around her waist.

“Hellooooo Rae-Rae!” he sang. Raven snarled and shook him off, turning to glare at him. He smiled sheepishly and scuffed his boot on the floor.

“I have told you of my stance on personal space before. More than once, have I not?” she said.

“Mmmmmmmmyeah,” he admitted with a shrug. “I was just so happy to see you.” Raven sighed.

“You see me every day, Beast Boy,” she said, sternly. He shrugged again.

“I’m always happy to see you, Rae,” he said, matter-of-factly. Raven continued to glare at him… then her frown softened. Then she smiled.

“You’re lucky you’re so adorable,” she said, before carrying on her way and leaving the room. Beast Boy smiled with a faintly reckless look in his eyes, and then laughed out loud. Cyborg stared open-mouthed at him.

“You’re ‘too adorable’? ‘TOO ADORABLE’?! What the fudge, man?” he cried. Beast Boy strutted past him.

“What can I say? I never asked to be like this, but I’d be an idiot not to use it.”

THE END

I ran out of time to develop this into a longer story, but I still enjoy the idea. I hope you did too.

-Jack

#bbrae week 2018 #day seven #fanfiction

80 notes · View notes

bbrae-week2018-blog · 7 years ago

Text

BBRae Week Day 7: I Never Asked To Be Like This

Raven sat in her signature armchair in the Titans Tower common room, staring blankly at the book hovering before her without truly seeing the words. Her chin rested in a palm as she hunched over listlessly, posture masking the torment of her mind, nearly overwhelmed with a torrent of thoughts and feelings that she struggled to push down, to quench. It almost made her long for a time that she wasn’t bothered by things such as emotions, undaunted by sentiments and the like.

Almost.

But dwelling on her flaws of the past would get her nowhere, so she quickly cut off that train of thought, instead focusing on what lay before her.

She had a decision to make.

Of course, it was quite possible that the choice would be made for her, whether by Robin, the Justice League, police, or some other party. She almost wished for such an outcome, as it would take the oppressive weight of the dilemma off of her tired, worn shoulders.

It would be so much easier for me if I was just kicked off of the team by force.

After the thought crossed her mind, she realized its selfishness and berated herself for it. If that happened, there would no doubt be conflict between other members who didn’t agree with the sentence, and could possibly even lead to a break-up of the Titans. She couldn’t allow something like that to happen, and going to others for their input or advice would only bring anguish to them as well. No, this had to be her decision alone.

With that decided, she relaxed slightly, happy to have at least one issue solved. Now she could focus on where to go from there.

As she sat, the main television screen in the room, which had been set to a random news channel earlier before the alert, caught her attention. It depicted helicopter footage of the aftermath from a large battle in her very city. Smaller craters and cracks could be seen in buildings, streets, and cars in roughly a two block radius. The most noticeable feature, however, was what the camera seemed to focus on. The tell-tale signs of a much larger explosion than the others which had collapsed several buildings directly in the center of the area, inside of which many civilian paramedics and police huddled.

The headline read, “Notorious Villain Doctor Light Killed During Battle With Teen Titans. No Other Casualties Reported.”

As a reporter appeared on the screen, the footage relegated to a smaller corner, the half-demon found her gaze locked onto the words. They swam before her eyes in a haze, screamed at her consciousness accusingly, a relentless reminder that she was-

“Raven!”

The empath started, losing concentration as her book fell to the floor before her, turning to the doorway as Starfire glided through it, followed by Robin. The alien immediately flew straight to the half-demon’s chair, emotions radiating concern, the Boy Wonder close behind.

“We returned home as quickly as possible after you did the departing,” the redhead began. “Friend Beast Boy should arrive soon as well, though friend Cyborg remained to participate in the paperwork and cleanup.”

Robin caught up with his girlfriend while running his hands through his hair, which was currently is disarray. “Star carried me,” he said by way of explanation.

Raven remained silent as they spoke, merely staring back at them from under her hood, debating between simply waiting them out or conjuring a portal to escape herself.

However, she simply sighed, resigned for now to talking to the team’s power couple as Robin continued. “I didn’t expect you to be here. I thought you’d be… I’m not sure. Not here.”

Raven decided to act, for now, as though nothing had occurred. Her teammates seemed to be doing the same. “Fascinating,” she deadpanned.

“Look, we don’t blame you for what happened,” her leader began, dashing any hope that she had of avoiding the subject. “It was an accident. You just lost it for a second there, nothing we can’t work on a fix for together.”

“Yes!” Starfire added loudly, lifting a finger in agreement. “You should not be doing the feeling down, friend Raven. This situation is most certainly not the fault of yourself.”

Finally, the dark girl responded with a scoff. “Really? How can you say that? Just because I didn’t want it to happen doesn’t mean that I’m not a ki-.”

The common room door opened once again, cutting her off as the trio turned to see the newcomer, a lithe green-skinned young man with eyes and hair to match, stride through them and pause at the top of the stairs. He quickly glanced around the room before his gaze settled on the empath, still sitting in her chair.

She froze.

Raven was no stranger to disapproval and other similar emotions directed her way due to her heritage, but she had never held much stock in the opinions of most others. Those who looked at her that way didn’t truly know her, and therefore whatever judgements they had held no weight at all. There were very few people whose opinions truly mattered to her.

And one of those people was currently staring at her with emotions clouded with anger, fear, concern, and sadness.

Disappointment.

He was judging her.

He was disappointed in her.

Her eyes began to sting with tears at the realization, and without a second thought a portal was conjured in front of her chair and she stood to stride through, cutting off her team’s cries to wait by closing it behind her.

Finding herself in her room, she reached into a pocket and withdrew her yellow disc-like communicator, staring longingly at it. The piece of tech in her hand meant more than she could have ever imagined.

It proved that, regardless of her parentage, she could strive for good. It reminded her of the position in the world that she had earned for herself. And it represented the people whom had done it alongside her, had been with her since the very beginning, had loved and trusted her, and made her finally feel like something akin to a person.

The tears almost fell as she dropped it onto her desk with a resounding thud, but she held them back.

Barely.

She then turned to the bag sitting on her bed, and felt a self of relief that she had the sense to pack beforehand regardless of what decision she ended up making as a precaution, as her teammate’s voices and knocks were heard from her door, accompanied by their jumbled, frantic emotions.

She took one last look around the room, this sanctuary that she had adopted and made her own all those years ago. Reminiscing over the countless memories it contained, good and bad, happy and heartbreaking.

But she knew that she couldn’t delay or afford any sentimentalities, and with a wave of a hand another dark gateway waited before her. With one more glance about the room, the last she would likely ever see of it, she walked through the portal.

-:0:-

When Raven exited the black doorway and took in her surroundings, she was almost surprised. She stood upon rocks overlooking an expansive body of water, stretching out to the horizon. Land accompanied it for a time before ending a short ways out, meaning that the place she stood was inside of a bay. She also knew without turning around that directly behind her towered a huge T-shaped building. One that she had for years called home.

She smiled a wry, bittersweet smile, before breathing in the air around her and admiring her surroundings once more, memorizing every tiny detail, from the beautiful way the setting sun reflected off the water, creating a stream of fire running from where it kissed the waves to the land, to the flicks of birds who were constantly flying above the water, winging around gracefully to rest upon the still surface only to take flight again, to the peculiar shape of a rock near her foot protruding out of the island into the bay.

She would miss this place. More than she could imagine. But she didn’t have a choice.

“So you’re leaving?”

She flinched at the voice, whirling around to see the very person she had ran from standing mere feet away on the rocks, emerald eyes staring emotionlessly back at her.

Beast Boy began to walk forward and she tensed in trepidation, only to be replaced by confusion as he continued right past her and took a seat on the rocks, feet hanging off the edge. He glanced back to her, his gaze questioning, along with the hint of a challenge.

Raven sighed, before dropping her bag and trudging to his side, and sitting down as well, albeit reluctantly.

“You’re leaving,” Beast Boy repeated. It wasn’t a question this time, merely an emotionless statement.

She replied, just as unfeeling. “Yes.”

“Why?”

“Garfield, you know why,” she answered wearily. “I’ve been warning everyone about how dangerous I am since we met, and no one listened, and now someone is dead.”

“Yea, Doctor Light. Big loss there,” the changeling scoffed.

Raven shot him a disgusted look. “Regardless of who it was, I just killed someone. A life was ended, because I wasn’t strong enough to remain in control of myself. And who’s to say that next time it won’t be an innocent bystander? We were just lucky that the houses I demolished were already empty. Or what if it’s Star, or Robin? What if it’s you? I can’t…” she trailed off, unsure if she could maintain her cold, even tone if she continued.

Her teammate turned to her, fixing her with his bright green gaze, imploring her with his eyes. “Rae, that won’t happen. You’d never heard us. You’d never hurt me.” He paused, before adopting a bittersweet smile. “Well, other than when you toss me through walls or into the bay.”

Raven ignored the attempt at humor. “You say that like I have a choice in the matter.”

“Well I think you do have one, at least more than you say, but one thing that you definitely have a choice in is whether you run away and leave.” The green teen’s voice had grown stern, hardened, almost as if he was lecturing her. As if he knew better than her. As if he understood her.

“Yes, I can chose between putting my family’s lives in danger or not,” she growled in response, returning his gaze with a glare.

Beast Boy shook his head in disappointment. “Raven, your demons will always catch up to you eventually. I just want to see you stand up and face them instead of running away. Fight them. Beat them. You’ve done it before with Trigon, why not again?” His emotions began to spike as he spoke, attacking her with wave after wave of concern, sadness, and disappointment.

The anger rushed out of the dark empath as quickly as it had come, replaced only by hopelessness and despondency. “Because this time, the demon I need to defeat is myself.”

“So what?!” He exclaimed. “You can beat anything, you’re you!” He said it so convincingly, as if that were all the evidence he needed to prove his point.

“You don’t think I’ve tried?!” Her voice rose as well, emotion fueling it. All around, rocks began to be consumed by a dark aura, unacknowledged by both teens. “If I didn’t think I possibly could have kept control, I never would have come here in the first place. But I was wrong. I’m too weak.”

“So you’re going to run away,” her teammate replied, tone derisive. “Because that takes so much strength.”

She bristled once again. “I am prepared to leave behind all that I enjoy and love, just for the well-being and safety of people like you! Don’t you dare try to judge me,” she hissed back.

“It takes more strength to stay and fight for those things,” Beast Boy countered. “So in that case I guess you’re right. You are weak.”

Raven starred at the changeling in shock, a look he returned with a challenge in his eyes, raising his chin in defiance. He had never spoken to her in such a… scornful way before. The emotions she detected from him were similar, still centered around that terrible sense of disappointment. Disappointment in her. As if this were all her doing, her fault.

Like she was in control of this. Like she had a choice. Like she wanted this.

Raven stood up, staring down at him furiously, eyes stinging. “I never asked to be like this, Beast Boy!” She all but yelled at him, his expression never wavering. “You think I enjoy pushing down my emotions and feelings, not allowing myself to feel, not allowing myself to live, all just so I don’t kill those around me?! You think I want this?!”

She was cut short when the green teen stood as well, now returning her angered look. “And do you think you’re the only one who hates what you are?!”

Her breath caught in her throat, surprise overwhelming her rage for a brief second. “What are you-.”

“Do you know why I’m a vegetarian?” His voice was more controlled now, but expression and emotions still reflecting anger, hate, though she didn’t think directed at her.

Bewildered by the sudden change of topic, Raven merely stared back at him, caught off guard. “Because you turn into those animals, and it would be like eating yourself…” she retired into silence uncertainly as he began shaking his head.

“Didn’t think so,” Beast Boy continued bitterly. He turned away, looking out to the water once more, still standing. “Sure that’s a part and what I tell everyone, but more of an excuse than anything. When my parents died and before I met the Doom Patrol in Africa, I was given to my uncle, Galtry. When he looked at me, all he saw was a freak. However, I was a useful freak. He kept me as an animal, locked in a cage and collared, and forced me to do his dirty work for him with my powers. He starved me and hurt me. Until finally one day when he beat me worse than usual, I snapped. My animal instincts took over, and I…” this time it was his turn to trail off, suffocatingly strong self-disgust reigning over his other emotions and nearly overpowering her before she could force it down.

“That’s why I don’t eat meat,” he finally finished.

“Garfield,” she began softly, though was unsure of what to say. All previous hurt, uncertainty, and anger were forgotten. So instead, she merely reached for him, hesitantly placing a hand on his shoulder, which was shaking nearly imperceptibly. The shudders wracking his body seemed to calm slightly when she made contact with him. Or at least, she hoped they did.

“I never asked to be like this either, Rae,” he murmured. “But I’m still here.” And along with the words came more emotion, this time a deep-seated caring, along with affection.

Love.

Raven was nearly floored by the influx of feeling, but was distracted by a harsh cracking sound. She glanced away from the changeling to see that her powers had been wreaking havoc on the island, large rocks breaking off and falling into the water below, cracks running the surface, her black magic encasing it all.

The sight merely strengthened her resolve and she moved to back away, to leave him, but Beast Boy’s hand placed over hers, still on his shoulder, brought her pause. “Look around, Rae. What do you see?”

She snorted. “More proof that I need to leave before I hurt anyone else.”

“Really?” He replied. “Because all I see are some rocks breaking. Tell me, when have your emotions ever damaged something important? Your communicator, one of our vehicles, or even Cy himself? He’s practically made out of electronics, and you’ve never even blown one of his fuses.”

“I don’t know if he has any fuses,” Raven muttered halfheartedly, but he was not to be deterred, turning to look her in the eyes once more, his emerald gaze now flooded with emotion.

“Rae, you have more control over this than you realize. And even if you didn’t, I’d still accept any risk I needed to if it meant you’d still be a part of my life,” he told her, voice strong with conviction, heated by caring. “Because even if you never asked to be like this, I don’t want you any other way.”

After he finished, Raven simply stared at him silently, and him at her, emotions jumping between their eyes, their bodies, their souls. Trust, caring, love. It was overwhelming for the empath, and she was swept away in the tide, lost in a weightless yet unshakeable pressure of sentimentality.

She struggled to reign in the emotions of both herself and the changeling, and formulate a proper response, not even sure what it should be herself. Finally, she found the willpower to once again make use of the English language, and turned her face downwards to hide behind her hood, though it did nothing to lessen the assault of his emotions on hers. “Thanks.” She stopped, choked with feeling. “You too.”

After another short quiet, she spoke up again. “We should get back inside.”

His face lit up, hope and joy flooding his boyish features and emotions, bringing her a warm, pleasant feeling as well, both from his expression and emotions transferred to her. “So you’re staying?!”

Raven allowed herself a small smile. “Someone needs to be around to remind you how terrible your jokes are.”

Beast Boy didn’t respond, but instead swept the dark empath up in a tight hug, pressing her to him desperately. And though she generally was against physical contact of any kind, she decided that she would allow it just this once.

And when he pulled away, briefly only to come close once again, closer than before this time, mere centimeters separating them, to gaze into her eyes one last time, noses brushing each other’s, she once again chose to let it slide, and closed the space between them. A foreign but wonderful warmth erupted inside of her at the sensation, and her eyes quickly slid closed, bringing a hand to cup his face automatically as their lips danced slowly, passionately, against the other’s. His arms slid around her, keeping her anchored to him, and she sighed into his mouth.

The kiss was languid and agonizingly slow, a gradual burning fire that eventually began to ignite between them, stoked by their passion. Raven finally allowed herself to be completely and utterly taken by his emotions as it continued, and in return shared hers with him, inundated by raw feeling. They mixed together, until she was unsure where her emotions ended and his began, and they were one as she surrended wholly to the sense of pure love.

That is, until his tongue brushed her lips, and with a deafening crash the rocks they were standing on shattered, plunging them into the waiting bay, the chill water shocking her back to reality with a gasp. And yet, when she saw her teammate’s confused, flustered expression when he surfaced beside her, sputtering in disarray, she couldn’t help but laugh.

Because they may have never asked to be the way they were, but Trigon be damned if they let that get in the way of each other.

And with that, BBRae Week 2018 is over. I hope you all enjoyed reading what I came up with, if you want more feel free to check out my Fanfic account, link in my bio. Shameless plugs aside, this was a cool first thing like this I’ve ever done, loved the submissions from other people as well. Sayonara!

#bbrae week 2018 #day seven #fanfiction

118 notes · View notes

bbrae-week2018-blog · 7 years ago

Text

Silently Pining

Okay, it’s a few hours late. But this idea began as my fic for Alone Together and then as it grew, I realised it worked better for this prompt. And now we have this epic.

It starts off a bit slowly, but I promise it’s BBRae centred.

Warning: This fic has angst. So much angst.

It was a normal mission. It should have been a normal mission. The only difference was the fact Nightwing had called in a special favour. It had been years since the original team of Teen Titans had grown out of their adolescence and decided what they wanted to do with their adult years. Robin had of course taken on the mantle of Nightwing, working both on his own and with Batman; Cyborg had joined the Justice League, and Starfire had remained behind in the original T Tower to train the next generation of teen heroes. Beast Boy had answered a call from Mento to rejoin the Doom Patrol, adopting the name ‘Changeling’ as he decided it was time for people to take more seriously. His time with the Doom Patrol lasted only a few years, but rather than returning to Jump City, he chose to take on international missions for the Justice League that were best suited to his abilities. Raven was the only Titan who left the super hero life altogether, telling the team that after everything she had been through in her short life, she wanted to take time to learn how to just live and enjoy the simple side of things; especially now that she was able to experience her emotions in their fullest. She had however, taken the communicator Nightwing offered her, promising she would always answer the call if she was needed.

That was what had led to now – Raven lying in an infirmary bed in the Justice League Headquarters. An old foe had resurfaced after lying low for nearly a decade; Dr Light had never been a serious threat to the Teen Titans, and no one thought that he could be any more dangerous after having been gone for so many years. That was why Nightwing called in the favour, Changeling was currently on a mission in the deep arctic, Cyborg was off-world and Starfire’s team was dealing with an escaped Cinderblock who was terrorising downtown. So Nightwing had pulled out his old communicator and called the person who had always been able to handle Light in a matter of minutes – Raven. True to her word, the sorceress had answered the call and arrived to take care of the problem.

It should have been a normal mission. A decade ago, the mere sight of Raven and her tendrils of dark power had been enough to reduce Dr Light to a quivering, crying mess. But ten years is a long time – a lifetime in terms of technological advancements, as Raven quickly learned upon entering the street that Light was currently occupying. It was all over in a crash of blinding light. It appeared that Dr Light had been somehow expecting the dark ex-Titan and had invented a new bomb specifically for her. Where once she had been able to surround him in darkness and fear, he had found a way to surround her with a flash so bright, it knocked the demoness from the sky, sending her hurtling to the ground like a broken bird.

As soon as he lost contact with her, Nightwing flew from Gotham to Jump City; eventually finding her crumpled body amongst the wreckage of a building. He transported her immediately to the JL Headquarters. It didn’t look good. Whatever Dr Light had done, it had broken many of Raven’s bones and caused internal injuries. The League could heal her body, but they had no idea where to even begin trying to heal her mind. Dr Light’s explosion and the extent of her injuries had put her in some sort of a coma that no one was able to explain or wake her from. Nightwing put the call out then, to all the past Titans. Raven needed them.

Changeling was the last to arrive. A week after Raven had been brought into the infirmary, and he being so deep in the Arctic, no one was sure he would even get enough of a signal to receive the message. He crashed through the door to the room Raven was being kept in. Six months alone in the snow made him look more animal than man, the effect not helped when he barked at everyone to get out of the room immediately and releasing a guttural growl when they sat staring at him in shock instead. “It’s okay. I got this.” Cyborg assured Nightwing and Starfire, shooing them out of the room. Aside from the couple themselves, he was the only person who knew the real reason why Raven had left the Titans ten years ago. And why Changeling, then still going by Beast Boy, was suddenly so happy to join his old team whom he’d had so many issues with in the past.

Keep reading

#bbrae week 2018 #day six #fanfiction

52 notes · View notes

bbrae-week2018-blog · 7 years ago

Photo

SILENTLY PINING

#bbrae week 2018 #day six #fanart

214 notes · View notes

bbrae-week2018-blog · 7 years ago

Text

BBRae Week 2018 Day 5: In Laws

I forgot to put this here since I usually just use FF.Net. Better late than never though right?

Raven glanced at the changeling beside her nervously one last time, before steeling herself at his confident nod. She turned back to the objects before her, resigned to following through with this insane venture. In front of the pair and at the center of the half-demon’s shadowed room, a large silver brazier floated in the air, suspended there by her magic. Her hands found the matchbox beside them and she struck one, lighting it. She dropped it into the brazier, igniting its contents, which consisted of many objects she would rather not dwell on. Suffice to say that a ritual this powerful and dark required more than just a few magic words and fairy dust.

An acrid scent began to fill the air as it burned, fire spreading much more rapidly than natural. Within seconds the entire brazier was ablaze, nearly singeing the empath before Beast Boy pulled her back slightly. Her nose wrinkled at the stinging, pungent smell, and another glance at her companion showed he was also affected, even more so due to his animalistic senses. She cast a quick spell to null the affects, and received a grateful smile in response.

Raven rotated back to the fire once again just in time to see it die down just as abruptly as it had started, leaving only a dark and heavy smoke curling through air.

A feeling of confusion emitted from behind her, and Beast Boy spoke up. “Did it work?”

As if in response to the changeling’s query, the smoke, which had remained an indistinct mass above the embers rather than dissipating, began to roil and twist in a cloud, before settling slightly to resemble a vaguely sphere-like shape hovering before them, now tinged with crimson on its edges and waves, flashes of white barely perceptible within its innermost depths. As it did so, Raven releases her magic on the still-floating brazier, allowing it to fall to her carpet with a muted crash.

After another brief still, this one without any questions breaking the silence from her green teammate as they stared at the spectacle in trepidation. Eventually, a chill descended over the room, a breath of power seeping into the surrounding air, as well as an overwhelming sense of pure malevolence. Behind her, Beast Boy’s hackles rose slightly and a quiet, yet threatening growl vibrating from his throat. Despite herself, Raven felt herself tense, and unconsciously checked the corners of her room, searching for entities prowling in the darkness.

When from within the smoke he emerged, she was almost relieved for an end to the disconcerting silence.

Almost.

‘Emerge’ was a bit too strong a word as well. His arrival was felt through merely an increase in the irrepressible hateful feeling, followed by four narrowed eyes emerging in the darkness of the smoke, glowing a malignant yellow. Eyes that had plagued her for nearly her entire life, and had hoped she would never see again.

“Daughter.”

His voice was much as she remembered; deep, powerful, and containing a sinister, cruel undertone that spoke much of his true nature. However, it contained an additional sound as well. A grudging respect, as well as intense bitterness, no doubt a result of the last time they had come face to face. Namely, when he had brought about the apocalypse before she defeated him, banishing his essence to the pit for eternity and undoing all the damage he had done in her world. Her home.

“Hello father,” she responded, keeping her face and tone impassive, placing a calming hand on Beast Boy’s thigh behind her as his growl rose in volume. Now was not the time to lose control.

“Why have you called upon me? Wishing to gloat over your victory?” Trigon thundered, before adopting a honeyed tone, which did absolutely nothing to dilute the boundless evil it still contained. “Or perhaps, you’ve realized your true self, and are ready to embrace your destiny fully, and summon me once again to your realm?”

The changeling behind her moved forwards, taking his place beside her and stared the smokey apparition down defiantly. “How about you shut it and let her tell you why?”

The demon’s deep, cruel laugh reverberated throughout the room. “Ah yes, the shifter. How could I forget your team’s ever-faithful lapdog? Very well, explain yourself, girl.”

An influx of anger from her side brought the empath pause, and she quickly placed a placating hand on his shoulder. It was faint, a mere brush of her fingers against his tense form, but enough to relax his limbs and lessen his temper. However, her one anger burned bright as she glared at her father’s presence. “Well, this lapdog has a name. Garfield is why I’ve summoned you.”

Trigon’s guffaws insanely filled the air. “Garfield?! Oh, that is rich, girl. But very well, what is it you have to say, mortal?”

Beast Boy raised his chin in unspoken challenge. “I’m going to be your new son-in-law.”

Raven tensed. This was not how they had agreed they would break the news. They had a strategically laid-out plan on how and when to reveal their relationship, and Beast Boy ruined it all in seconds, even though he was the one who had been so insistent that they tell him. He had bothered her about it unceasingly for weeks until she finally caved. And here he was now, proving the reason she had been so unwilling to follow through with the insane plan exactly true.

Well, too late to go back now, she thought to herself, waiting for her father’s reaction. His eyes were shifting between the couple slowly, as if expecting one of them to jump up and shout 'Just kidding!’ Finally, he spoke. “I’m torn between surprise, as I always expected you to never find anyone at all, and disappointment, as this is pathetic, even for you, girl.”

Raven and the man beside her bristled, but she held her temper in check. The same couldn’t be said for her fiance, however. He snarled in rage at the smokey specter, pupils dilating and growing slightly in size. She couldn’t see them, but the half-demon was certain that his claws were elongating in preparation to rip apart whatever dared insult his mate.

But then, Trigon continued. His gaze turned to the changeling. “So, beast, what are you intentions with my daughter?”

Beast Boy quieted, emotions growing slightly confused by the unexpected change of conversation. He recovered quickly however, and lifted his head again before answering. “I love her, and am going to marry her.”

No sooner had the words left his mouth when Trigon’s amusement once again flooded the room. “Love,” he echoed scornfully. “Pah! Love is for weak mortals and their foolish sentiments. What else?”

“I will give life and limb to make her happy for the rest of both our lives, and will do whatever it takes to keep her. In life and in dea-.”

“Don’t make me sick,” her father interrupted. “What will you give her?”

Beast Boy paused, a flurry of emotions running through him too fast for Raven to keep track. “Well, I have a large inheritance from my parents, and I’ll continue to make more money through work as a hero, all of which will go towards making the love of my life happy.” As he finished, he cast her a small smile, which she responded to with an eye roll. The information of his inheritance was news to her, though she kept her poker face on.

Trigon’s collection of eyes seemed to roll as well, though it was hard to tell, what with them being mere slivers of light and all. “Material possessions matter little.

Her fiance now was floundering in confusion, so much so that Raven was forced to struggle not to smirk as he scratched the back of his head, lost as ever. "So if you’re not interested in material things or sentiments like love, then what are you asking?”

The demon let out a huff of impatience. “Raven is the daughter of Trigon the Terrible. She is a demon, and as such, has specific needs. Now, to start, will you be supplying her a steady supply of freshly slaughtered mortals to feed on, and what age will they be? The younger the better.”

“Father!” Raven cried out in irritation as Beast Boy choked on his response. “How clear must I make it that I have no interest in entertaining that side of myself?!”

“Is that so?” Trigon replied, his gaze falling to her briefly before turning back to her companion. “What of your own father? I take that as a heavy indicator of the offspring’s own merit. What does he do?”

Beast Boy bit his lip, hurt welling up inside him. Raven resisted the urge to comfort him, knowing it would only show weakness before her father, and the green teen would likely just interpret it as unwanted pity. “He was a doctor, but he died to save my life when I was a child. I was adopted by Mento in the Doom Patrol later though.”

“A selfless sacrifice and a superhero. Disgusting,” Trigon declared. “Your prospects continue to diminish, beast.”

Raven snorted. Like what you think of him matters.

“Anyways, there are more traits belonging to demons than just a thirst for blood,” Trigon continued. “Even from here I can sense many emotions from you. Affection, trust, caring, and many others which brings me to question my own daughters sanity at selecting you, but along with them is a heavy feeling of lust.” At this, his eyes glimmered brighter. “Tell me, creature, have you fucked my daughter?”

Mortification flooded the changeling’s emotions and expression immediately and he pulled off an excellent impersonation of a fish gasping for air on dry land even without the help of shifting, which Raven took as her cue to take over the conversation in his stead. As her father said, she was part demon after all, which came with a familiarity and comfort around specific topics such as this. “He has.”

Beast Boy whirled to stare at the empath, eyes bulging and his face a ruddy green-brown blush. “Rae!” He choked out in horror.

“And?” Trigon pressed.

Raven allowed herself a miniature smile of contentedness. “He’s a beast.”

“He’s big?”

“Oh, very.”

“And what of his powers? Does he use them as you rut? Perhaps for greater strength or size, or a unique position? He could even add tentac-.”

“Raven!” Beast Boy cries again, pleading her with his emerald eyes, bringing her a pleasant warmth in the pit of her stomach.

“Well, I suppose there’s that, at the very least,” Trigon muttered to himself, apparently satisfied on the topic. “However, you could do much better, Raven. Don’t you know the number of beings who would kill to have the hand of the daughter of Trigon?”

“They’d want more than just my hand I would imagine,” the half-demon deadpanned.

“Demons, succubi, demi-gods, even angels, daughter,” her father continued, as if he hadn’t heard her.

Raven sighed. It looked like there would be no easy way out of this. “Well, he’s the one I fell in love with.”

After she said it, Beast Boy’s strained and mortified expression morphed immediately into a joy-filled grin shining back at her, just as Trigon groaned in disgust. “I have never been so ashamed to be a father.”

At this, Raven turned to the smoke. “I don’t care. I am in love with him, and I am going to marry him, regardless of your thoughts on the matter. I merely summoned you now because he wouldn’t take no for an answer for the issue. I denounce my demonic attributes, and do this for myself, and my love.”

With her impromptu speech concluded, Raven turned to her fiancé, wrapped her arms around his neck to pull him close, and pressed her lips to his passionately. As she did so, a sound that was suspiciously similar to gagging and restrained puking could be heard from before them, and the chill pervading over her room lifted. When she finally pulled away from the changeling, both flushed and breathing heavily, the smoke and glowing eyes were gone.

“Well, I think that went pretty well,” Beast Boy panted, out of breath from the unexpected and heavy workout of his mouth. He then turned to the empath wit a scowl. “That was damn evil though, talking about our… stuff like that with your dad.”

Raven shrugged, feigning a disinterested, bored expression. “It was an important conversation, I couldn’t simply ignore it.”

“I didn’t ignore it either, unfortunately!” Beast Boy exclaimed, though his face quickly adopted a mischevious grin, as well as a suspicious light in his eyes that gave her a heavy sense of unease. “Although since I did hear it all, good ol’ pops did give me a good idea involving… tentacles.”

Raven paled.

#bbrae week 2018 #day five #fanfiction

52 notes · View notes

bbrae-week2018-blog · 7 years ago

Photo

BBRae Week 2018 Day 6: Secretly Pining

#bbrae week 2018 #day six #fanart

84 notes · View notes

bbrae-week2018-blog · 7 years ago

Text

BBRae Week 2018 Day 6: Silently Pining

It had happened again. That flash of emotion Raven thought she detected, a blink of hope, there and gone in a moment. Funny how something so short affected her for weeks to come each and every time it occurred.

The empath sat at a table along with the rest of her team outside of their favorite Jump City pizzeria. Though she currently was starring pointedly out at the civilians bustling about from their table, her mind was occupied by something completely different. Namely, the green shapeshifter seated, much to her chagrin, directly beside her.

She attempted to ignore him, but that was a difficult enough task on a normal day, much less sitting beside him in public. She could almost feel the warmth of his smile as he turned to her. “What about you, Rae? Who’s your favorite villain?”

Adopting an uncaring persona, Raven spoke withot turning to see him, keeping her eyes fixed on the bustling streets nearby. “Adressing me by my actual name would increase the nonexistent likelihood that I answer your moronic question.”

Though her gaze never diverted from their target, she could clearly envision his grin growing larger all the same, the mental image still sending her stomach into a frenzy of butterflies despite herself.

“Oh c'mon,” Beas Boy mock whined. “Why cantcha just answer?”

Raven made a show of rolling her eyes and sighing, ensuring not to hint at her inner turmoil. “Because I’m not interested.”

The changeling wrapped an arm about her shoulders and pulled her close. “Well what’ll it take to get you interested?” He questioned conspiratorially.

Raven automatically felt herself freeze at his touch, and the thought that he could do so so easily. A street lamp she had been inspecting beforehand shattered, and she finally directed her attention back to the others seated at the table. Thankfully, they seemed preoccupied with the conversation at hand. However, that didn’t change the issue at hand; a green arm about her shoulders which both sent shivers of warmth through her body and spikes of pain into her heart. She needed a distraction, and now.

“Hey guys, what’s going on?”

Raven had never been so thankful for a gay man in her entire life.

Greg, the young pizzeria waiter whom had been unofficially assigned as the Titans’ official server, sauntered over to their table laden with server cheesy discs, and Beast Boy was immediately diverted. The green teen had somewhat of an obsession with the college student whenever he was around. Raven suspected that Greg made him feel normal, like he wasn’t a green freak.

Of course, she thought the skin and ears and fang were cute, though that’s something she would never divulge.

Greg placed their pizzas on the table, announcing each as it was served, before turning to Robin, which reminded the empath of the alternate reason Beast Boy probably was rather fond of the waiter.

“Don’t eat too much now, Boy Wonder,” he told the caped crusader, voice dropping several octaves almost to a low purr. “Can’t ruin that perfect form.” As he spoke, his eyes unashamedly ran up and down what he could see of Robin’s body above the table as the superhero flushed.

Greg was gay, and attracted to her leader. Therefore, he represented neverending mortification for the Boy Wonder, something Beast Boy enjoyed immensely.

“Thanks for the advice, Greg,” Robin responded weakly as Cyborg and the changeling beside her tried to reign in their hilarity.

With the conversation successfully diverted, Raven was free to sort out the struggle plaguing her psyche.

Beast Boy felt nothing but friendship for herself for her over the years, despite what she may have hoped for. Yes, that friendship was boundless and steadfast, and came with caring, trust, and concern, all things the half-demon never would have thought she would receive in her life at one point. However, these things were exactly why she wished for more from the him.

And in the past, there had been brief moments where she thought that she could have it, leading from years ago up until mere moments ago while waiting for their food. Moments where that unshakeable friendship gave way to an emotion that had her shaking, though in excitement or fear even she wasn’t sure.

But then, the emotion would disappear, faster than a light flicking off. It completely bewildered her, and cracked her heart open slightly more every time, though recently she had been hoping she had numbed herself to the pain.

Apparently she hadn’t, despondency surging through her at the thought. This time the pangs of heartache were even more instense than in the past, as if they merely strengthened over time.

Overwhelmed by a deluge of misery, Raven felt her eyes sting and tugged her hood further down over her face before pushing her chair back to stand. The others paused, Greg stepping back from a protesting Robin, whom he had been trying to use as a model of peak physical performance. She avoided their questioning gazes, and merely uttered a quick “I need to meditate,” before conjuring a black portal and walking quickly through, coming out in the comforting dark and loneliness of her room.

As soon as she did, the empath lowered her hood and allowed the tears to fall silently, causing her vision to blur. Her room was the only place where she felt safe and comfortable enough to cry, even if the action still filled her with a sense of weakness and self disgust. To think that her, Raven, the only daughter of Trigon the Terrible, was reduced to crying hurt nearly as much as the green teen’s emotions themselves.

At least no one will see me do it.

Or so she thought, before a sound turned her back just in time to see Beast Boy stumble through the gateway after her before it closed. He straightened up and immediately froze upon seeing the shining trails of moisture traveling guiltily down her face. She too was paralyzed, self consciousness and grief rushing to the forefront of her mind.

“Raven,” he finally murmured with a soft voice, reaching out for her uncertainly. She recoiled in fear, and that’s when it happened again.

Through the swirling maelstrom his emotions had descended into when he rushed after her into her room, that something winked at her, this time lingering for a short time before drowning under his other sentiments. As if it was mocking her.

Mocking. Her.

The half-demon snapped, eyes bleeding a bright crimson glow and black pooling around her form. She surged forward until she was inches away from Beast Boy’s face, whose face had flooded with fear and confusion, and he stumbled backwards, falling to the floor in surprise as she towered over him.

“Don’t you ‘Raven’ me,” she snarled. “Don’t you touch me.” Sorrow-fueled rage flowed through her, shattering statues and rending books at their seams about her room, unnoticed by both teens.

“Rae, I-,” Beast Boy began, but she cut him off with a growl.

“You’ve hurt me enough already, and Azar forbid I let this carry on for another second. I won’t let it,” she hissed dangerously, feeling a sick pleasure as his emotions filled with fear, taking it as recompense for everything he had inadvertently put her through.

“These feelings I have for you are a curse,” she continued. “A source for pain and nothing else. Now if you-.” She stopped abruptly as an unexpected warmth flooded through her. After a brief reflection, she realized the feelings was coming from the changeling before her, his face now flooded with understand, disbelief, and… happiness?

As an unbridled joy bloomed on the green teen’s face, Raven found it increasingly difficult to maintain her anger at him, realizing that the situation was in no way his fault. At least, not intentionally.

“Feelings?” Beast Boy echoed in wonderment, and she was paralyzed by the realization of what she had just said. Just revealed. “You… have feelings for me?” The statement was more a question than anything as he stared up at her in amazement.

Raven whirled around to run, but in an instant the changeling has her arm in his grip. She struggled to break free, powers forgotten for a moment, until he spoke again. “I do too!” He nearly shouted, trying to reign her in. Pausing, he amended the statement. “I mean, I do for you, not me.”

The empath’s struggle slowed as she processed his words, but then renewed her efforts. “I would feel it if you did,” she replied, once again flooding with tears and a feeling of weakness.

However, that’s when the curtain was removed and a tidal wave of affection, and definitely not affection of the friendship sort, crashed into her, and she was submerged by the sentiment, drowning in it. She instantly stopped moving, staring at the changeling in shock, mouth moving soundlessly.

Beast Boy shrugged sheepishly, releasing her wrist. “Mento taught me how to disguise or hide my emotions from empaths and mind readers. I was never that great at it, but…” he trailed off awkwardly.

Raven stared back, still trying to recover from the sheer force of emotion. “So those flashes that I’ve been feeling,” she murmured, almost to herself.

With a nod, the green teen continued. “Those were my concentration slipping.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Her voice nearly broke as she asked.

Another shrug. “Probably the same reason you didn’t tell me. Scared.”

The pair stood in silence in the center of her room as she processed the new information, him no doubt doing the same. “So, what now?” She finally asked.

“Well, we did both just skip out on lunch,” Beast Boy replied, a sly smile creeping onto his face, sending her stomach once again into somersaults, though she kept her poker face on of course. “Want to go get something to eat?”

“No,” Raven deadpanned. She felt bad when his face fell tragically, but she was still slightly hurt by what he had unknowingly put her through. “But I wouldn’t say no to stopping by a cafe or restaurant during our date.”

For those who are curious, Greg is an OC I first introduced in my fic “Testing Feelings”. He’s just a side comic relief character that I like having some fun with and will occasionally show up in my stories.

#bbrae week 2018 #day six #fanfiction

69 notes · View notes