Fan Fiction ❯ Tea With a Hint of Honey ❯ Chapter 1

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

Raven sat on top of the roof of Titan Tower meditating. Reaching deep inside her mind, she shifted thoughts around. Focusing on one at a time to resolve any problems.
“Raven!”
She growled quietly as she opened her eyes. Beast Boy stood in front of her. “What?” she asked in a grave tone, warning him that if it wasn’t important, she was going to strangle him.
“Uh...” he said, backing away slightly. “The pizza’s here.”
Raven was silent for a moment. Then she stood up. “Let’s go.”
Beast boy grinned. “Alright!” He started walking behind Raven and almost ran into her when she stopped.
“Why did you stop?”
“I don’t like people behind me.” She answered.
Beast boy changed into a rat and crawled past her feet then appeared in front of her. “All better.” he said grinning.
Raven shook her head and they started down the stairs.
“Friend Raven, you are joining us in the eating of pizza? How glorious!” Starfire said as the two walked into the living area.
Raven walked past Starfire and to the stove where she had put water on before she went on the roof. She poured the hot water into a cup with a tea bag in it while the others swarmed around the pizza.
Beast boy glanced over Raven. “If you don’t hurry, your not going to get any.” He called.
“I think I’ll pass on this one.” She said, turning back towards her room. Beast boy frowned and turned back to the pizza, taking a piece and wrapping it up for her. Once he finished, he dived in with the rest of them.
~*~
Raven sat on her bed, buried deep into her book. As she turned the page, a knock came at her door. She ignored it, knowing that if she remained quiet that whoever was there would go away.
“Raven?” came the uncertain voice of Beast Boy.
Sighing she walked over to the door and opened it a crack. “What do you want?” She asked in her monotone voice.
Beast Boy held up a slice of pizza that he had rewarmed in the microwave before bringing it to her. “Hungry?”
Before she could answer, her stomach growled at the aroma of the pizza that came through the door. Beast Boy smiled and handed it to her. “I think your stomach answered that question.”
Only years of practice kept her from blushing. “Thanks.” she responded, shutting the door behind her.
Beast Boy stood outside of the door for a moment before slinking away to his room. He plopped down onto the lower bunk of his bed, eyes staring at the bottom of the top one. “Why can’t I ever get so much as a smile out of her?” he muttered in the dark, “I bet she would be really pretty.” he trailed off as he fell asleep.
~*~
Beast boy suddenly woke. Bolting straight up, he bumped his head on the upper bunk. He looked at his clock which flashed 3:00am. “Why the hell did I wake up so early?” he mumbled to himself as he rubbed his forehead. He was just about to lay back down when he heard a beautiful voice coming from somewhere in the tower. Slowly crawling out of his bed, he left his room in search of the voice that all but called to him.
He walked into the lounge, looking around but the TV was off and no one was in the room. Puzzled, he closed his eyes and focused on the soft voice that floated to his ears.
‘The roof.’ he thought as he started heading towards the stairs that led to it. Reaching the top of them, he paused before opening the door. The voice had grown louder and knew that the answer to who was singing lay beyond the doorway. Slowly he opened the door and what he saw amazed him.
Raven stood on the middle of the roof. She hovered a few inches of the ground and a soft, light blue glow surrounded her body. The sweet sound that had waken him, came from her throat. Beast Boy stood, staring at her.
The song she was singing was not in a language he recognized but the emotions that surrounded her emitted a sadness that made him want to take away all the pain she was feeling. Slowly, it changed into something different. Something he could not distinguish, but his heart swelled with love for her. As her song slowed and came to a stop, the glow that had shrouded her before dissolved and her feet gently touched the ground.
Beast Boy quickly left before she noticed that he was there. Racing back to his room, he stood by his door, waiting for Raven to pass. Once he heard her go by, he jumped up onto his top bunk. Laying back, he stared at the ceiling, the scene played through his mind and her voice resonated in his ears. Beast Boy felt restless and found that he couldn’t sleep. Crawling back down from his bed, he found a notebook and pencil and sat at his desk.
He hadn’t told anyone but he did use his brain for writing and drawing. It was one of his passions but he never showed anyone his creative side. They would never believe that he, Beast boy, the guy who never took anything seriously, could write poems and draw his fellow titans.
He opened his notebook to a fresh page and closed his eyes for a moment. Ravens secret performance resurfaced in his head and he got to work.
~*~
Robin walked into the lounge and was surprised to find only Cyborg and Starfire in the room. Glancing at the clock on the wall which read 10:23, he turned to the two that sat on the couch eating cereal and watching Saturday cartoons.
“Where’s Beast Boy?” he asked.
Cyborg shrugged. “He hasn’t come out today.”
Starfire looked at Robin with concern in her eyes. “Perhaps he has fallen ill?”
Robin shook his head. “He might just be sleeping in. Lets leave him alone till later.”
At noon, Raven walked through into the lounge looking very tired. She yawned and set a pot of water to boil on the stove.
“Afternoon Raven.” Starfire said as she floated over to the half awake girl.
Raven stared at the pot, her eyes sliding in and out of focus. “What time is it?” she asked in a drowsy voice.
“It is the time of lunch.” replied Starfire.
“I’ve never seen you sleep in late, are you alright?” Robin asked from the couch.
Raven nodded as she poured her tea into a cup. She glanced around the room, noticing that it lacked a certain member. “Where’s BB?” she asked
Robin shrugged. “He hasn’t come out of his room yet. I think I’ll go check on him.” Walking down the hall, he reached Beast boys room.
“BB?” he asked, knocking on the door. When no one answered, he quietly opened the door, examining the room. He found Beast Boy asleep at his desk which surprised Robin.
He crossed the floor and gently shook Beast boy awake. “BB, are you alright?”
Groggily, he sat up and looked at Robin. For a moment, he didn’t register what he saw then it came to him full force. He quickly closed his notebook and looked back at Robin. “Something wrong?” he asked
“Its 12 and you hadn’t come out of your room, we were worried.” he replied.
Beast boy stretched. “I woke up at 3 and couldn’t fall back to sleep.”
“Oh, I’m sorry for waking you..”
Beast boy got up. “Don’t worry about it. I needed to get up anyways.”
They walked into the lounge in silence. Beast Boy saw Raven and quickly avoided her eyes. Reaching into the fridge, he pulled out some carrots and munched on them happily.
“Beast Boy, you seem happy today. Did something happen to make you so cheerful?” Starfire asked.
Beast Boy shook his head and turned to the TV. He plopped down onto the couch and was soon stuck in his mindless zone.
Raven took her book and sat near Beast Boy. He snapped out of his trance and moved away from her. Noticing this, Raven looked up. “What?”
Beast Boy didn’t meet her gaze, instead he got up and headed back for his room. Robin stopped him before he could leave. “What’s wrong Beast Boy?”
He shook his head once more. “Nothing, I just remembered I left something in my room.” He squeezed by Robin, aware of the 3 pairs of eyes on his back before the door closed.
Beast Boy took out his notebook and examined the poem he had wrote. It was short but to the point. “I wish I could show Raven but I don’t know if she would be very happy with me.” he mumbled. Then a thought struck him. He didn’t have to sign the paper. ‘But how could I give it to her?’ he thought. ‘Her book! I can slip it in there when no one is around.’ excited about his plan, he copied the poem onto a smaller slip of paper. He had just finished when the alarm went off. Making sure he waited till everyone else left, calling to Robin that he would catch up, he crept out of his room and spotted Ravens book on the table. Opening it up 2 pages after her book mark, he slid the paper into her book. ‘That way, she will have no idea who did it if she doesn’t get it till later.’ he thought as he took off after the other Titans.
~*~
Exhausted and slightly bruised, They returned to the tower. Raven healed her injuries and made some green tea before she picked up her book off the table and retreated into the privacy her room, burying her nose back into her book. After a few pages, a small piece of paper fell out of it and she picked it up. It read:
~*~
She sings like a Robin
But that is not my longing
She shines like a Star on Fire
But it is not she that is my desire
Books and Magic are her strengths
To be with her, I shall go to any lengths
Dark and secretive is she
But in my heart she will always be
It is my Raven I confess
To whom my love I must profess
~*~
Reading it several times, Raven turned the paper over looking for a name. Her mind realized that whoever had written it, heard her sing. She wasn’t sure if she should be flattered or enraged that someone had heard her and didn’t say anything. She quickly closed her book and took off into the lounge. When she entered the room, all the Titans sat on the couch watching another one of Beast Boys’ horror movies. She calmly sat down on the couch and in turn, looked at the others.
‘I know it’s not Starfire, she would have come out and said something. Besides, the note says that they love me..’ her eyes wandered to Cyborg. ‘I don’t think that it would be him. I don’t think Cyborg is the kind of guy who would write poetry. Besides, he likes Jinx. Robin likes Starfire.’ Her eyes wandered to Beast Boy and she held back a snicker. ‘Yeah right, BB and writing.’ Raven sighed inwardly, defeated. She leaned back against the couch and stared at the poem in her hands.
Beast Boy glanced over at her and felt his stomach lurch, she held the poem in her hands and he wished that he could tell her that he had done it. She looked completely puzzled and frustrated at the same time. Sighing he turned back to the movie which was coming to an end. He didn’t know what to do.
Raven curled up at the end of the couch as they put in the next movie. Cyborg had taken Beast Boys spot so he had to move down next to Raven. Gulping he sat down next to her, forcing himself to look at the screen and not at her. After a while he was unable to keep his eyes to the screen, he glanced over at her and what he saw made his heart pound.
Raven had fallen asleep. Her face, which was usually hard, had softened. He wanted to reach out and stroke her cheek softly and take her in his arms.
Robin noticed that Beast Boy wasn’t looking at the screen and followed his gaze to Raven. Robin smirked and poked BB’s back.
“Hey, you might want to bring her to her room. She needs the rest.” he whispered, making sure no one overheard him.
Surprised, Beast Boy stared at him. Afraid he had heard wrong. Robin nudged him. “Go on, you’ve seen this movie a million times.”
Beast Boy nodded slightly and gathered Raven into his arms. She must have been really tired because all she did was moan slightly and curl up closer to Beast Boy. Blushing he carried her back to her room, not noticing the smile on Robins face nor the confusion on the others.
Luckily, Raven had left her door unlocked and he set her down softly on her bed, covering her up. He couldn’t resist caressing her cheek, trailing his hand down her neck and resting it above her heart. He sighed, wishing that he could stay with her. Raven moaned and opened her eyes, startled Beast Boy jumped back as she looked at him.
Sleepily Raven sat up and looked at him. “What are you doing here? What am I doing here?” she said looking around, noticing that she was in her room.
Beast Boy blushed. “Uh, Robin asked me to bring you in here.” he said not meeting her gaze.
Raven contemplated this for a moment and removed her cloak. “Thank you Beast boy.” She picked the poem up off of the bed and reread it, as if hoping it would give her some answers.
Taking a deep breath he steady himself for what he was about to do. “What you got there?” he asked, sitting on the edge of her bed.
Raven quickly hid the poem. “N..nothing.” she stuttered.
BB sighed. “I know what it is, and I know who wrote it.” he added, lowering his voice.
“You do?!” Raven said, pouncing on Beast Boy, knocking them both to the floor. Raven landed on top of Beast Boy who’s blush grew.
Ignoring their position, Raven stayed on top of him. “Who BB? Please tell me, I’m going nuts.”
Beast Boy gave a small laugh. “I can see that.” His blush returned as she stared intently at him. “Um... I... I...” he gulped, not meeting her gaze.
Raven stared at Beast boy. “Who BB?” she pleaded. “I want to know, I have to know!”
The look in her eyes convinced him that she needed to know. “I did it.” he said in a low voice.
Raven was shocked. “Wha... what?” she got off of him and helped him up.
Beast Boy turned away from her. “I did it.” he repeated, raising his voice slightly.
Raven stood behind him, shock had spread across her face. “You... you did?”
He nodded miserably, afraid of what she might say. When she didn’t speak, he felt his heart drop to his toes. He was about to leave when he felt arms wrap around his waist and a head press against back.
Shocked, he didn’t move and Raven took the opportunity to speak. “How come you never told me that you heard me singing?” she said quietly.
Beast Boy was silent for a moment then took her hands in his, still not turning around. “I was afraid that you would be mad at me.” was his reply.
Raven nuzzled his back. “I was a little when I found out that someone saw me.” she paused. “But after I read that poem again, it went away. I never knew that you could write.”
Beast Boy nodded. “Yeah, its something I do when I can’t sleep or I’m bored. That and draw.”
Raven turned him around and smiled, which in itself was a rarity. She guided his hands around her waist and leaned against him, eyes closed. “It was beautiful. Thank you.”
Beast boy froze for a moment then held her tightly against him. After a quiet minute he spoke once more. “You know, what I put at the end... I meant it.”
Raven looked up at him. “Really?” she whispered.
He nodded. Before he could lose his nerve, he brought his lips close to hers, giving her time to pull away if she wanted to. When she didn’t, he eased his lips over hers and pulled her body close against his.
Raven knew that he was going to kiss her but she never thought it would be so sweet. She was aware of all the places that their bodies touched and his lips hot against hers. Too soon to her, he started to pull away. She whimpered slightly, not wanting to let go.
Beast boy smiled against her lips when he heard her whine and returned to her. He carefully backed her up as he kissed her again and laid her gently back on her bed, shifting his weight so that he didn’t lay completely on top of her. He pulled away and looked in her eyes, caressing her cheek.
Raven closed her eyes as his hand traveled down her neck. His body felt so good next to hers, warmth reached every part of her body and she was in complete bliss.
Beast Boy pulled away once more and laid his head next to hers, kissing her cheek. “Raven...” he said quietly.
His voice sent shivers up her spine as she cuddled closer. “Stay with me tonight?” she asked.
Beast Boy nodded and pulled the covers up around her shoulders. She cuddled closer to him as he put his arms around her, holding her body against his once more.
She looked up at him. “BB... I love you.” she whispered.
He bent down slightly and kissed her lips lightly. “I love you too Raven.”
She smiled and kissed his neck. The last thing she remembered was the sweet bliss of laying in his arms.
~*~
Beast Boy woke up at the sound of an alarm clock going off. He moaned and looked at the clock which blinked 6:30am. “What the hell?” he muttered.
Raven reached over and turned off the alarm. “Sorry, I always get up early. I must have forgotten to turn off the alarm last night. But then again, I had other things on my mind now didn’t I?”
Beast boy smiled as he kissed the girl laying in his arms. “Well, no one will be awake for another half an hour at the least. What do you want to do?”
Raven cuddled up against him and kissed his cheek. “Just talk?” she asked.
He nodded and hugged her. “I got a question, how can you drink that tea all the time? I tried it and it taste nasty.”
Raven smirked. “Add a hint of honey, It’s the only way I’ll drink it.”