BBRae: Like No Other

Chapter 1

CW: teensy bit of a gore mention

Raven couldn't sleep.
No matter how much she tossed and turned, she was never able to doze off. So, pulling back her black comforter and slipping on some socks, she made her way to the kitchen to brew some tea. If there's one thing you learn about Raven, it's that she adores tea. Herbal tea, black tea, fruity tea; you name it, she's tried and loved it.
as she stepped into the kitchen, she saw a shirtless figure illuminated by the fridge light, the only source of light other than the moon.
Raven cleared her throat, and Beast Boy pulling out fruit from the fridge, stopped and turned to her.
"Oh, hey mama, what's up?"

"Why do you have four trays of fruit?" Raven eyed Beast Boy.

"Why are you up so late?" BB countered, setting down his food.

"Touché. I'm getting some tea, I couldn't sleep." Raven brushed past Beast Boy, and went to boil water in a kettle while BB sat on the counter, swaying his legs softly and eating.

"Yeah, me neither. I won't assume the same for you, but I had a bad dream and couldn't go back to sleep."

Raven hummed sympathetically, "Not exactly. I just couldn't get to sleep, and I end up grabbing some tea late at night when I can't."

"Huh. I think I might have to start doing this more often. I like the night, it's peaceful, and it's nice to not have a bunch of noise all the time." Beast Boy said.

Raven snickered a bit, "Gar, you're usually the one making all the noise."

"Wh- yes, and no."

"I think it might just be yes." Raven's tea finished steeping and she smiled over the rim of her mug before taking a sip.

"D'you want to talk about your nightmare?"

"Uh, well. It was about you." Garfield suddenly got fidgety, staring down his fruit like it had cut in front of him in line. Raven's brows raised, but she was quiet, giving him the time he needed to start.

"We were in a really bad fight, and we were all worn out. Cy had gotten his arm ripped, Robin's staff got snapped in half, and Star had gotten blasted I think. It was down to me and you fighting two different people, and you had gotten hit. Right in your forehead, where your crystal is." Beast Boy pointed to her forehead, where the crystal sat. BB rubbed his face slightly, then continued, his voice thickened slightly.
"Um, so it got hit, and you went down really bad, like, crater-around-you kinda bad." Beast Boy paused as Raven hoisted herself up on the counter next to him and picked up her mug again.
"I had gotten to you first, and, well your entire face was, gone." Beast Boy stopped speaking, his hand over his mouth as he recalled the still-fresh nightmare.
"It was horrible, Rach. It was so bad." Raven sighed lightly, before hopping off the counter gingerly and pulling Garfield into a hug. His head landed on her shoulder, one arm holding onto the counter and the other wrapping around her shoulder. Raven hummed softly, massaging his hair.
"I'm here, Gar. That's never going to happen. I promise you. I will always be here, and I will always be your friend." Raven felt slightly dissatisfied as the last word left her lips, and hung in silence, before Beast Boy's soft sobs broke it. And unbeknownst to Raven, BB had also thought about her last word.
After they had pulled apart, and Raven reassured him again everything was fine. After she had grabbed her mug, and after she had ruffled his hair. After she stole a strawberry slice, and after they had both headed to their respective rooms, The last word Raven had said was turned over like a river stone in both of their heads.
Friend.
Objectively, yes, Garfield and Rachel were friends.
But they didn't want to be.