A Tameranean's Raven

Just Like A Raven

Everyone sat at the table with discarded candy wrappers littering it's surface along with a series of decorated cards. Beast Boy looked at each of his team mates with care, as if he were trying to see through their souls. Cyborg was struggling to keep a smile off his face under his best friend's intense stare. At last, Beast Boy made a decision.
"Robin!" He declared.
"Yes?" Robin questioned, arching a brow as he organized his cards.
"Do you possess any fours?" Beast Boy asked, eyeing his leader with special interest.
"I do not," Robin replied, shaking his head.
"Damn it!" Frowning, Beast Boy drew a card from the center pile.
"Why is this called the go fish when no one ever says go fish?" Starfire asked, resting her chin in her hand. Saying 'go fish' was the best part of the game in her opinion.
"Sorry," Robin chuckled, "I'll remember for next time."
"Make sure you put your whole chest into it," Cyborg encouraged. From his point of view, Starfire was right. Obnoxiously shrieking 'go fish' made the game ten times more fun. Without it, it was just another boring card game.
"Your turn." Beast Boy looked pointedly at Starfire as he shoved a sour candy straw into his mouth chewing on it loudly.
Taking a moment to examine her cards, Starfire was torn between asking for sixes or threes. So far she was in second and depending on which she asked for she could pull ahead. "Cy, do you hold any of the sixes?"
"Damn." With a sigh, Cyborg slid two cards over to the Tameranean. With a barely contained giggle, Starfire set another pair on the table. She could guess again, but who should she ask for threes? If she remembered correctly, Beast Boy had handed at least one over to Robin earlier which meant that Robin must have had one already.
"Robin, may I have your threes please?" Starfire held her hand out expectantly as Robin grudgingly placed the cards in her palm leading to the Tameranean's victory.
"I was hoping you forgot I had any," Robin pouted, watching as Starfire took the candy jackpot. Of course, she'd already had her fill and was more than eager to share with the boys. Beast Boy was exceptionally pleased by this.
"You're going to make yourself sick. Chill out man," Cyborg warned, watching as Beast Boy shoved a piece of chocolate into his mouth. Rolling his eyes, Beast Boy crammed as much of the candy into his pockets as possible.
"As much fun as the go fish was, I am ready to retire for the night. I wish everyone a wondrous sleep," Starfire yawned, stretching her arms over her head.
"I should get to bed too," Cyborg agreed. "I have to be up early to fix our antenna on the roof before the sun gets too hot."
Collecting the cards and discarded candy wrappers, Robin bid his friends goodnight. Starfire was more than eager to brush her teeth and hair and snuggle up in bed. They'd all had a long day, but it was fun to unwind with a silly card game.
Getting into her pajamas, Starfire took up her usual spot in bed, carefully positioning her assortment of stuffed animals so that she wouldn't squish them. She had her usual stuffed rabbit, having collected it from Raven's room the night the half demon left. It'd been four months now and no one had heard from her. Needless to say, Starfire spent many nights worrying over her partner, but she knew Raven was okay. She couldn't explain it by she could feel it.
Sighing, the Tameranean grasped the stuffed black bird and settled it next to her. "Goodnight Raven,"
The stuffed animal didn't reply, but that was okay. Starfire liked to think that somehow Raven had heard her, wherever she was. Doing her best to clear her mind, the events of the day caught up with Starfire and she was sound asleep in a matter of minutes.
— — —
Darkness was a friend of Raven's. It made her feel safe and secure, but despite this it did not help her. Not as she lingered in the all too bright and familiar room. A special kind of longing had brought her back to familiar territory. It was dangerous, risky even, but she couldn't help herself.
Pausing, she regarded the sleeping Tameranean with care. Starfire's nose was slightly scrunched up as she dreamed, and she held tightly to her most prized stuffed animals. It was cute and charming. Raven took satisfaction in knowing that despite all the time that had passed, Starfire was still very much the same.
For a moment, Raven regarded waking the sleeping girl, but fear got the best of her. What if Starfire didn't want anything to do with her? What if she didn't want to see Raven? The thoughts began to snowball creating a rather deadly concoction of negativity in the half demon's brain until she decided that it didn't matter. She needed to talk to the other girl. Starfire deserved a bit of an explanation after all this time.
Kneeling beside the bed, Raven tucked a strand of loose hair behind Starfire's ear before pressing a kiss to her forehead. She gently shook the Tameranean awake, not expecting much of a reaction at first. As soon as Starfire's eyes opened, she sat up in bed with a smile brighter than the moon.
"Raven!"
"Shh," Raven warned, glancing wearily at the door.
"You are back?" Starfire asked expectantly, moving to envelop her companion in a hug.
"No, no I'm not," Raven sighed. Despite the melancholy tone to her words, she melted into the hug. She'd missed this sort of physical contact. Being all alone had a way of wearing a person down. Unfortunately, the hug didn't last nearly long enough for her liking.
"What do you mean?" Starfire frowned, her expression becoming guarded.
"I still have work to do. I'm getting better but...I need more time. I just, I really missed you," Raven admitted, her voice hitching in the middle of her last sentence.
"I've missed you too," Starfire insisted, her hands settling on either side of Raven's face. Beautiful green eyes scanned the half demon for any sign of despair or worry but there were none. At least not right now. "You can stay here as long as you'd like. The others will be pleased to-"
"I have to be gone by morning," Raven interrupted. "I'm sorry, but...that's how it has to be for now. It's for your safety."
"I see," Starfire nodded, pursing her lips for a moment. The Tameranean took Raven's hands in her own and let her thumbs travel over pale knuckles.
"Look, I know you deserve better than this. I wish more than anything that things could be like they used to. If you don't want me here I can g-." Raven didn't get to finish her sentence. She was interrupted by a firm and passionate kiss that left her brain short circuiting. It'd been an impossibly long time since she'd kissed Starfire, and it was as good as she remembered it.
"Do not apologize. I am glad you are here," Starfire insisted, settling her forehead against Raven's. "I have missed you more than you could possibly know."
"Well, I'm here now." Raven promised, feeling the sting of tears in her eyes. "We can do whatever you'd like. It doesn't matter to me. Just...make it count."
"There are a lot of things I would like to do, but the first is that I want to hold you," Starfire admitted. She pulled Raven into a tight hug, taking in the familiar scent of peppermint and tea. Just getting to hold Raven and feel secure again almost made her cry. She'd spent many nights wishing she could spare the half demon a single hug, and now she was finally getting the chance to do so. She didn't want to let go, but she also wanted to kiss Raven until she couldn't breathe and completely forget herself.
Raven on the other hand, was just glad to be loved. She'd forgotten how good it felt to be tucked away in warm arms with a gentle heartbeat sounding firmly in Starfire's chest. The Tameranean was incredible and everything about her was absolutely wonderful. Despite her alien strength, Starfire was impossibly gentle. It was this gentleness that drew Raven in. She was used to hard and cruel environments with harsh people.
"I love you," Starfire whispered, pulling back to study Raven yet again. She'd nearly forgotten how beautiful the half demon was.
"I love you too Star, always," Raven promised.
— — —
Starfire couldn't sleep. She could hear the clock above her door ticking the seconds away and drawing morning near. If anything, it was a warning and the reason she lay awake. Sure, it would catch up with her tomorrow, but that was a problem for future Starfire.
Raven was sound asleep, her head resting comfortably on Starfire's shoulder, one arm pinned between them and the other draped across Starfire's stomach. It seemed like the first good sleep Raven had in a while which was unfortunate for the Tameranean. Quite frankly, she wanted to kiss her partner awake but if Raven needed the sleep then she'd let her rest. In the meantime, Starfire would study the half demon eager to memorize all of Raven's features.
The ridges of her ribs pressing against pale skin, the slope of her hips, the angle of her collarbone, the dip where her sternum ended, and the rise and fall of her chest. Starfire even went so far as to memorize the small bruises she'd left behind along Raven's neck, shoulders, and chest. She could get away with leaving evidence behind. Raven didn't get that privilege. The Tameranean didn't want the boys pestering her about her nightly activities and Raven didn't want them to know she'd visited.
In a way, Starfire wished she could be completely and utterly alone with Raven. She didn't want to be quiet or subtle about certain things. Not when her affections burned as deeply as they did. In all honesty, there was an ache in her chest that would only be satisfied if she could physically meld together with the half demon. Otherwise, now matter how tightly she held Raven, there was still too much space.
With a sigh, Starfire lay there in the quiet, content with tracing delicate shapes along Raven's bare body. She could stay like that forever, but Raven's peace was momentarily interrupted. The half demon frowned in her sleep and her hands balled into white knuckled fists. Something was upsetting her, that much Starfire knew.
Carefully, the Tameranean managed to lace her fingers with Raven's and press a kiss to the sleeping girl's forehead while whispering soft reassurances that things were okay. It took a minute or two before Raven finally relaxed, but when she did she instinctively nestled closer to her partner. Nuzzling her face into the crook of Starfire's neck, Raven stilled seeming to have returned to whatever peace had previously occupied her.
The half demon's breathe fell gently across Starfire's skin, and try as she might to stay awake, she couldn't. Sleep was inevitable no matter how much she tried to fight it off. Shifting ever so slightly, Starfire made herself comfortable, shuffling her legs together with Raven's and wrapping her arms tightly about the other girl. Once properly situated, it didn't take her long to fall asleep.
In most cases, Starfire remembered her dreams, but this time she didn't. Maybe that's because she didn't dream at all. Perhaps she was too mentally and emotionally tired to do so. Whatever the case, it didn't really matter. She slept undisturbed for some time until she grew cold.
Frowning, she tried to get a sense of things only to realize that Raven wasn't next to her in bed. A brief panic set in before she spotted the half demon urgently pulling on her clothes and shoes as if she'd overslept when the sun had yet to grace the horizon.
"Raven?" Starfire asked, sitting up and flicking on a lamp so that her partner no longer had to fumble in complete darkness. "Why are you leaving so soon? It is not morning yet."
Raven glanced up seeming not to have noticed the light. She opened her mouth to speak but Starfire wasn't finished yet.
"Is it because I hurt you? I did not mean to burn you. I did not know my powers would act up during-"
"No, it's not that," Raven assured, pulling on her long sleeved shirt to hide the red hands prints decorating her back and shoulders. "It doesn't hurt too bad. It'll heal pretty fast."
"Then I do not understand. Can you not stay a little longer? Do you have to go?" Starfire asked, feeling tears prick at the edges of her eyes. She knew Raven wouldn't stay. The half demon had warned her after all.
"I don't have good control of myself in the mornings," Raven explained, lacing up her boots. "It takes me a while to sort myself out and find some semblance of balance. It's easier for me to make a mistake after letting my guard down. I don't want to take that risk."
"But you are fine," Starfire frowned, "are you not?"
"Right now, yes. I'm perfect, but things can change rather quick if I'm not careful," Raven sighed, running a hand through her hair. She glanced at the window as the first few bits of sunlight crested the horizon. With a pained expression, the half demon moved to sit beside Starfire, pulling her into a bone crushing hug.
"Do you really have to go?" Starfire whispered, her voice cracking ever so slightly. "I do not want to be lonely again. You are the only person who makes me feel whole. I need you."
Raven pulled back from the hug quite suddenly, her eyes flashing red and her teeth cracking open drawing out a pained whimper. Taking a shaky breath, she pressed the heels of her palms into her eyes as her hands trembled.
"You...have to be careful with your words," Raven warned, a red tinge making its way up her finger tips. For a moment the half demon struggled to breathe until she fell into some sort of concentrated rhythm. Slowly, she returned to herself, but her eyes were already tired again, as if that inner fight alone had drained her of any energy she possessed.
"I am sorry," Starfire apologized, her expression one of worry.
"It's alright," Raven promised, taking a moment to compose herself. "Trust me, I would love to stay but...as you can see I still have some work to do. I'll try and be back by Christmas but I can't make any promises. I just need more time. I know that's hard on you and I know it's a lot to ask."
"I understand," the Tamereanan assured, but it didn't cure her sadness.
"Hey," Raven smiled thinly, gently taking Starfire's chin in her hand, "I do love you. You know that?"
"I love you too," Starfire smiled. Sparing the green eyed girl one last passionate kiss, Raven glanced outside yet again. The sun was visibly emerging now. It was time for her to leave.
It wasn't easy. Every part of her wanted to stay and spend the day being lazy in bed with Starfire, but that couldn't happen. She was still a danger to herself and others. So long as Pride threatened to emerge on her own, Raven couldn't afford to be around other people but that didn't mean she would completely ignore Starfire. She would keep an eye on the Tameranean even if it meant staying a great distance away.
And she did. There were days when Starfire woke up to small presents left on her nightstand. They were ridiculous little things but she knew who they were from and it made her smile knowing that Raven was still thinking about her. One day there had been an intricately carved black Pegasus left on the nightstand. Something most likely found at a festival. How Raven had acquired it, Starfire wasn't sure, but she set it on a shelf with all of the other gifts.
It amused her knowing that Raven left things for her. In reality, the half demon wasn't all that different from her feathery counterparts. They too liked to leave presents for people they trusted and loved. Starfire assumed it was a bit of cosmic irony at play, but she was okay with it. So long as Raven was around it meant that one day she might return and Starfire was willing to wait no matter how long it took.