Ball Games 8: Certainty

Confessions flew in the last chapter, which tells us we are nearing the end. Let's see how we get there.

Robin watched curiously as Beast Boy walked in. Raven wasn't with him. The green hero gave him a polite wave and headed to the window, staring at the sea but not really looking. Robin stood cautiously, slowly walking toward him, seeing that the changeling wore a smile. He ended up standing beside him, following his gaze out to the horizon.

"How's Raven?" Robin asked. Beast Boy responded without turning.

"She's fine. Just meditating." Robin quirked his brow at that.

"Meditating? Did something happen?" he asked. Beast Boy sighed - he understood Robin's protectiveness but wasn't sure how much he was willing to reveal.

"Nothing bad. Things just got a little emotional, knocked her a little off-balance, you know?" he said. Robin nodded, seeming to understand the shape-shifter's desire for privacy. They stood for a long moment in silence.

"This is all news to me so I hope you don't mind me asking: how are you guys doing?" Robin said. Beast Boy's smile vanished.

"It's pretty new to me, too. I only realised I was interested on the night of the Ball, just days ago. So I told her and she gave me a chance. Now... things are very, very real." Another long pause. "I... I told her, yesterday, that I was falling in love with her," he admitted. Robin regarded him then, turning to face him with wide eyes (if you could see them).

"And what did she say to that?" Robin asked, hesitantly. Beast Boy's face lit up and his voice trembled.

"She said we were falling in love with each other." Robin couldn't help but smile back - he remembered the feeling when he and Starfire had exchanged those words for the first time. Still, he was troubled.

"Wow... Listen, Beast Boy. This is all moving really quickly..." Robin started. Beast Boy's grin faltered.

"What are you saying?" he said.

"I'm not sure. I just want you both to be careful," Robin said.

"With what?" Beast Boy asked.

"With each other," Robin finished, placing his hand on Beast Boy's shoulder. "I'm not saying it's a bad thing, just that it's unusual. I'd hate for it to blow up in your faces." Beast Boy nodded grudgingly. He hadn't been especially eloquent but Robin was just looking out for the pair of them. Unfortunately, a seed of concern had been planted in Beast Boy's heart - he needed to talk to Raven before it grew.

Raven herself had just completed her meditation but had not yet sought out Beast Boy. Instead she went looking for another to talk to. A friend she often went to for advice and solace. She knocked lightly on the door and it opened, revealing a pair of bright eyes - one with warmth, the other with electric red light.

"Hey, Rae-Rae!" he enthused. Indeed, Raven could already see his childish excitement growing.

"Please, Cyborg, remain calm. I need to speak with you," Raven said. Cyborg's grin dimmed a little, mild concern in his eyes as he invited her in.

"What can I do for you, Raven?" he asked. Raven sat on the only chair in the room, one he kept there for visitors... well, Raven actually.

"You are obviously aware of the new relationship between Garfield and myself," she said. He nodded, grinning again. She couldn't help but smile back for a moment. "What you may not know is how far things have progressed in these last few days. This morning... he said he was falling in love with me," she said. This got a reaction.

"He said that?" Cyborg said, mouth agape. Raven nodded. "What did you say?" he asked. Raven failed again to suppress a smile.

"Essentially, that I was growing to love him in return," she whispered. Cyborg squealed a little, Raven eventually calming him down enough to keep listening. "The problem is... well, the problem is that there is no problem! We've been together for half a week and already talking about love... My head tells me I should be concerned but..." she stopped and sank into thoughtful reflection.

"But what, Raven? You came here to talk - so talk." Raven sighed nervously.

"My head says all these things: it's too soon, it's moving to fast, we're just getting carried away. I don't know what to think!" Raven looked up as a marge metal hand engulfed her own, immediately feeling better in the sight of Cyborg's friendly smile.

"Thinking is good until you let it get in the way of feeling, Rae. Right now, try not to listen to your doubts. Try to tell me what you feel. Try to tell me what your heart says, not your head." Raven stared at him for a moment and then looked at the floor. When she looked back up she was smiling, her eyes shone with her emotion.

"In my heart, I know it's real. I've never known love like this before... but I know it's real. It's true. I love him, Cyborg. I love him." She laughed a little at this. The metal hand moved from her hand to her shoulder. Cyborg's eyes glittered.

"Permission to freak out," he said, formally. Raven smiled, genuinely.

"Granted."

"YYYYYYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH! WOOOOOOOOOO!" Cyborg laughed and picked up the demoness, spinning her around like a child. "I always knew, Rae-Rae! I always knew!" he laughed. Raven, back on her feet, regarded him with curiosity.

"You always knew? What do you mean? Last week we were nothing more than friends," she said. Cyborg shook his head as if she was an errant child.

"This eye does more than just see, y'know. It's capable of seeing a lot of things and, for months now, I've been picking up signals from the pair of you. Whenever you're in the same room, your body temperature raises slightly, your heart rate increases and pheromone production increases. You've been in denial, Rae. You both have." Raven stared at him, astounded.

"But... how didn't we notice?" she asked. Cyborg shrugged.

"In your case, you're so used to suppressing impulses, biological and psychological, you might not have even noticed a new one in the bunch. Beast Boy's just a dumbass." Raven giggled but still shook her head in astonishment.

"I think... I think I need to speak to him," she said. Cyborg nodded with perhaps a little too much enthusiasm. "Alone," she amended, causing him to huff in disappointment. She gave him a another grateful smile and left the room. Cyborg's voice followed her down the corridor.

"Are you sure you don't want a recording of this magical mom-"

"Alone!" she repeated. She took the stairs to the roof.

Beast Boy had gone to Raven's room, looking for her, finding no sign. Before he could check anywhere else, his communicator beeped. Speak of the devil's daughter...

"Raven!" he said, pleased to see her. She was smiling as well, if less excitedly.

"Garfield... we need to talk. I'm on the roof. I'll see you shortly," she said and immediately vanished from the tiny screen. Beast Boy's stomach plummeted into his boots. Those were never good words... a little concern had stolen its way into his mind after chatting with Robin, what if Raven had experienced similar thoughts while meditating. What if she wanted to slow things down? What if she wanted to take a break?! His thoughts raced to worse and worse outcomes until he stood facing the roof access door. He steeled himself and stepped into the sunlight. Raven's smile immediately calmed him, though his fears needled him still.

"You wanted to talk, Rae?" he asked. Raven flinched at the obvious tension in his voice.

"Are you alright, Garfield?" Raven asked. He clenched his jaw a moment.

"Well... 'we need to talk' is usually code for 'I'm gonna tell you something you don't wanna hear' so... if we're over, just tell me. I promise I won't hate you." Raven gasped.

"Wh- NO! No, nothing like that! Code? I'm sorry, Garfield, I had no idea!" Raven said, rare expressiveness in her voice. Hearing that, Beast Boy's heart leaped and his smile grew.

"Well! Okay then!" he said. "So what did you wanna talk about?" he asked again. Raven regained her control and spoke.

"I've been thinking about... us. How quickly things have progressed. And I don't have a problem with it. But I did have a problem with me not having a problem, confusingly. Anyway, I needed some outside advice... so I went to Cyborg," she confessed. Beast Boy groaned.

"Cyborg?! He didn't fangirl all over tha place, did he?" he asked, resignedly. Raven thought and eventually nodded.

"A little. But it turns out he had solid evidence for 'always knowing'." At Beast Boy's confused expression, Raven related Cyborg's explanation regarding their subconscious responses to each other. Beast Boy's jaw practically hit the floor.

"I've been into you for months? Months!?" Beast Boy cried. "Awww man... he's gonna be totally smug now," he grumbled. Raven giggled, getting his attention and bringing a mirthful smile to his lips. "It'll be worth putting up with him if all this got me that giggle, Rae," he said, laughing while Raven cleared her throat and went a little pink.

"Anyway, I thought you should know all of that. And one more thing: 'falling' doesn't describe it any more, Garfield. I love you. I know it now as surely as I know my own name." Garfield stared at her, not even attempting to hide his wonder. He took her hands in his and stared into her eyes.

"I've never been 100% sure of anything, Rae. Not anything. I've always had a doubt in the back of my mind, big or small. Until now. I'm certain about you, Rae. About us. We're in love. I'm sure of it," he said with a smirk. Raven beamed at him, the depth and beauty of her smile almost causing Beast Boy's heart to stop. They moved closer and held each other, simply desiring and enjoying the closeness of the other. Several minutes later, Raven spoke into Beast Boy's ear.

"So we're in love. What should we do?" she whispered with a hint of suggestion in her voice.

"Well," Beast Boy started. "We have love. According to the song, we get married next and then I show up with a stroller." Raven chuckled at the joke but still blushed at the implications.

"I was thinking more short-term, Garfield," she said, dryly. He pulled away a little to look her in the eye.

"Make out?" he suggested.

"Make out," Raven confirmed. Their lips joined and they were lost to the world. Some time later (they honestly weren't sure how much time), the couple returned to the common room, hand in hand and comfortable in their bliss. To their surprise, they found Starfire attempting to console a tearful Robin. When she saw them, Starfire gave them a helpless, pleading look.

"Friends! I do not know what has happened. We were watching the television device when Robin suddenly burst into the tears and has done so for ten minutes now. He has so far been unable to articulate why!" she said. Robin, seeing them himself, tried again.

"I'm... I'm... I'm... I'm... I'm just so happy!" he wailed, descending into tears. Raven, attempting to sense what was wrong, suddenly stiffened and glanced apologetically and Beast Boy and Starfire, then returning her attention to Robin.

"Oops..." she mumbled. Seeing their confused expressions, she elaborated. "I might have accidentally transmitted my own emotions through the bond I share with Robin. Clearly he was... unprepared for the onslaught." Beast Boy stared at her, wide eyed. Starfire returned to comforting her boyfriend. "It should be over soon, I've already closed the connection," Raven assured her. They left Robin with Starfire and headed to the kitchen.

"So that was weird," Beast Boy said, Raven nodding her agreement. "But nothing's taking the shine off this day!" he said, taking her hand again and gazing into her eyes. As he leaned closer, his communicator beeped. Only it didn't. Instead it issued a recording of Cyborg singing words to the familiar tune:

Cyborg always knew, he always knew!

Beast Boy's warm smile dissolved into irritation. Raven suppressed a smirk as Beast Boy checked the message - a single image of Cyborg grinning. He sighed and looked back to Raven, pouting.

"Can we just go make out again?" he asked, sullenly. Raven smiled, perking him up.

"Certainly, Garfield."

THE END

And there you have it. A fluffy end to a fluffy story. I hope it pleases. Read, enjoy, review! Contact me here or on tumblr, I love to hear from readers ^_^

-Jack