A Tameranean's Raven

Confrontation

A gentle knock sounded at the door, and Raven knew immediately who it was. She'd grown used to it now. At first, it had been rather alarming, but now it was a common occurrence. With a sigh, the half-demon slipped out of bed to ease the door open. Starfire stood there expectantly in pajama shorts and a crop top from one of Cyborg's old t-shirts. Her green eyes were stained with tears and her bottom lip trembled.
"Bad dream?" Raven asked.
"Yeah," Stsrfire nodded, bashfully tucking her hair behind her ears.
"Okay. Come on." Stepping aside, Raven let the Tameranean into her room and closed the door behind them. Starfire made her way over to the unoccupied side of the bed, opened a drawer to Raven's bedside table and pulled out a stuffed rabbit. It was something Raven had gotten ages ago and kept around specifically for the alien girl. It was the only normal thing about the half-demon's room.
Getting into bed, Starfire eagerly nestled under the covers as Raven joined her. Once situated, Raven felt Starfire move closer until she was effectively wrapped around her pale counterpart. Starfire was impossibly warm, and it often led to Raven kicking off the sheets in the middle of the night, but winter was setting in and she no longer minded all that much.
Tucking an arm about Starfire's shoulders, Raven let the other girl hide her face in her neck. Silence settled between the two for some time before Raven mustered up the courage to speak.
"Is it about your sister again?"
"I miss her," Starfire admitted, a fresh set of tears rolling down her cheeks and staining Raven's night shirt. "I know she does bad things but I see her in prison and...it hurts. They aren't nice to her, you know. It scares me."
"I'm sorry Star," Raven sighed. She didn't know what it was like to have a sibling, or what that type of bond entailed, but it clearly meant a lot to Starfire. "I wish I could help but I can't."
"I know," Starfire sniffled, hugging the stuffed rabbit tighter. "I just wish she knew how much I loved her."
"I'm sure she knows," Raven promised, letting her thumb trail down Starfire's arm. "You can't change her though. She's made her choices."
"What about you though? You're different," Starfire noted, looking expectantly at her counterpart. Letting out a sigh, Raven thought carefully for a moment before answering.
"I am, but that's because I wanted to be. Your sister, she's okay with who she is. I didn't want to be like my father. I fought to be who I am today. It wasn't easy. It was painful but I had you and the boys to help me," Raven explained.
"You're right." Starfire wiped hastily at her eyes, letting out a sigh. Her warm breath tickled against Raven's neck, but she didn't mind. Sure, her relationship with Starfire was a bit convoluted now. It had been for some time, but that was okay. They were young. They were still learning and growing together. They had time.
"Get some sleep Star," Raven encouraged, running a hand through Starfire's red colored hair. The other girl gave a small smile before closing her eyes and nestling closer to Raven.
The half demon stayed awake for some time, watching Starfire sleep. The orange skinned girl was impossibly peaceful, and the shadows of the night somehow suited her. Her eyes flitted about behind her eyelids every now and then, and on occasion her lips would part as if she wanted to say something. It always amused Raven.
Content with the way things were, Raven closed her eyes and took her own advice about getting some sleep.
— — —
Starfire was the first to wake. There was a loud knock at the door. Glancing at Raven she realized that her companion was still fast asleep. What time was it? It couldn't be too late could it? Getting out of bed, Starfire ventured to the door and opened it. Beast Boy stood there with his fist raised mid knock. His eyes widened in surprise as he took in Starfire's half awake form.
Her crop top had ridden up threatening to expose her chest, her shorts were askew on her hips, and her hair was a wild mess. She offered a hesitant smile. Beast Boy was rarely speechless.
"Star?" Raven groggily shuffled over to the door and peered down at Beast Boy. She adjusted her night shirt which hung halfway off her pale shoulders and fixed the poor boy with a scowl. "What do you want?"
"It's almost lunch time. I wanted to see if you were alive," Beast Boy stammered, his eyes flicking between the two girls. It was amazing how opposite they were. Starfire stood with a smile and expectant expression. Raven was half slumped over on the doorframe wearing a frown. "Uh...long night?"
"More or less," Raven shrugged, offering a yawn in reply. Her gaze settled on Starfire's top, and she gently adjusted it so it sat properly on the Tameranean's frame. "We'll be there in a bit."
Nodding, Beast Boy turned curtly on his heel and left. Starfire was more than eager to get dressed for the day. She never liked to miss a meal with the others, it was one of her favorite parts of the day. Raven on the other hand was tempted to crawl back into bed and sleep.
"Raven?" Starfire asked, catching Raven by the arm before she could slip back into bed. "Thank you for keeping me company last night. You are indeed special to me."
"Anytime Star. Family business is tough. I get it." Raven offered the other girl a rare and genuine smile. This only made Starfire's smile grow as she slunk off back to her room to get ready for the day. With a sigh, Raven grudgingly got dressed, and prayed that nothing in Jump City would go wrong. She wanted a nice and quiet weekend for once.
After taking a five minute break to meditate and find her emotional center for the day, she grudgingly ventured out into the light and to the kitchen. What she didn't expect was for three sets of eyes to be watching her intently while Starfire happily devoured a hearty sandwich.
"Take a seat," Robin encouraged, gesturing to the only open spot left.
"Okay." Frowning, Raven joined the others at the table. Cyborg seemed like he didn't really want to be present and Beast Boy was doing his best to avoid eye contact.
"We need to discuss room rules again," Robin began, his eyes latching onto Starfire. "I was told that the both of you have been quite intimate as of late."
"Just say the word 'sex',Robin," Cyborg sighed, shaking his head.
"What?" The question came out harsher than Raven meant it to, but she couldn't help it. Then it hit her. "Beast Boy!"
"Don't shoot the messenger!" Beast Boy pleaded, holding his hands up in surrender.
"I do not see a problem," Starfire frowned, pausing in her meal as she clued into what was going on. "We were only sleeping together."
Robin's expression hardened.
"Star-" Raven started.
"Raven, you know the rules. It'll interfere with the team dynamic," Robin frowned.
"How is this my fault and my responsibility?" Raven scoffed, leaning back in her seat and crossing her arms. "We aren't doing anything. She gets nightmares so I let her stay with me. What's wrong with that? As for the team, I have always put it first. Let's not forget what I went through with my father for all of you."
"It's dangerous to have feelings for a team mate-" Robin began, but it was Raven's turn to interrupt.
"But it was okay with Beast Boy and Tara? And when you dated Starfire? I'm not even dating her and somehow I'm in the wrong?" Raven frowned, standing up and planting her hands firmly on the table.
"You're just jealous I liked Tara and not you," Beast Boy argued.
"Maybe I was," Raven admitted, earning a shocked look from the others, "but did that stop me from helping you? No. She meant something to you so she meant something to me. You guys act like I haven't been in control of my emotions since I could identify them. I know when the team comes first and my feelings come second. It's how I live my life."
"Raven," Starfire worried, aware of the way Raven's shoulders shook in anger. "It was a misunderstanding. It is alright."
"No it's not Star." Raven couldn't help but fix her glare on Robin and Beast Boy. "Next time, try talking to me first. I'm not a liar. I'll tell you what you want to know before you make assumptions. There's a reason I prefer to be alone. No one misconstrues anything if I keep to myself."
With that, Raven phased through the floor leaving an angry silence behind. All eyes fell to Starfire who was no longer interested in her sandwich.
"What?" She asked, looking at them expectantly. "I had a bad dream. She let me stay over."
"She didn't do anything..."
"No, Robin, she would never," Starfire insisted. With a curt nod, Robin left the table and Beast Boy was quick to follow. Cyborg sat in silence with the Tameranean for a while.
"Stuff has been different with the two of you since the party. What happened?" Cyborg asked, turning his kind gaze to Starfire. "You don't have to share if you don't want to. I'm just curious. You know Robin is a little bit jealous so he's not going to be too rational."
"Robin and I did not work out. It is sad, but we learned from it." Starfire paused in thought for a moment before deciding she could trust Cyborg enough to relay what had happened at the party. "I trust all of you, but Raven is different. She is my safety."
"I understand," Cyborg nodded, clasping his hands together on the table. "I think you're good for Rae. It'll take a while for her to admit her own feelings to herself, that's how she is, but she'll get there. I'm glad you have each other."
"Thank you Cyborg," Starfire smiled, earning a pat on the head. "You are the goodest of friends."
"Awe, well, I try," He smiled, getting up and stretching his arms over his head. "I'm goin to go talk some sense into the other boys. If you need me just holler. Also...can I have the rest of that?"
"Of course," Starfire nodded, happily passing the plate over to Cyborg. He took it with a greatful smile before leaving Starfire alone in the kitchen.
— — —
Starfire spent most of the day searching for her favorite friend only to come up empty handed. Raven had a way of disappearing when she didn't want to be found. Unfortunately, that left Starfire feeling awfully alone in their shared home. The boys would dance awkwardly around her for some time after the altercation in the kitchen until they assumed she'd forgotten about it and moved on.
"Raven?" Starfire wasn't entirely sure why she expected to find Raven lurking somewhere in the training room but she found the half-demon destroying anything in sight. Dark tendrils warped around her, and inhuman noises filled the space. Starfire approached hesitantly and placed a hand upon Raven's shoulder. The other girl spun about viciously, red eyes alight with anger, mouth contorted in a sneer. All at once the demon like appearance vanished and it was Raven standing there with an apologetic expression.
"Sorry, Star. I didn't mean to scare you," Raven sighed, drawing her hood up and retreating into the comfortable confines of her cape.
"It's okay," Starfire promised, but it was rather terrifying being on the other end of Raven's unbridled anger. "I wanted to make sure you were alright. Robin was being unreasonable."
"I can't stand the boys," Raven glowered, eyeing a headless training dummy.
"Beast Boy..." Starfire hesitated, the question almost dying on her tongue before she could speak it. "Did you really love him?"
"For a long time, yeah, I did. I meant what I said Star," Raven sighed, her eyes growing sad, "he meant a lot to me. I wasn't good at showing it. Sure, I didn't like Tara. I despised her but it wasn't because I was jealous. I just didn't want him getting hurt. I didn't care who he fell in love with, that's not something he can help. I cared because he's been hurt a lot before and I didn't want it to happen again. That's in the past though. It doesn't matter anymore."
"It wasn't fair of him to use your feelings against you," Starfire determined. "Feelings are a special thing. They are respected on Tameran."
"Earth is different Star, people have a hard time with feelings. I...I have a hard time with feelings." The admission was one Raven didn't want to make but she needed to. Starfire needed to understand that emotions didn't come easily to her. Not when she'd spent your whole life pushing them away.
"That is okay. They are difficult to understand. I am here for you. Always." Starfire pulled her closest friend into a tight hug, one that Raven didn't know she needed until it happened. With a sigh, Raven relaxed and latched onto the orange girl. She let herself get lost in Starfire's scent for a moment. Then reality came crashing back and she retreated,
"Thanks Star, you're amazing."
"I am the goodest of friends aren't I?" Starfire smiled.
"Yeah, the goodest," Raven laughed. While the sound was dry, it couldn't have made Starfire any happier. With a giggle of her own, Starfire enveloped Raven in another hug and had no intentions of letting go.