Title: Touch Me

Series: Teen Titans

Summary: Raven doesn't like to be touched. Why? (Angst, bbxrae)

Chapters: Short One-Shot

Rating: T (Themes)

A/N: It took me forever to write this, even though it's short. I hope you like it anyway. WARNING: Angst. By the way, this is AU and maybe OOC. Slight BbxRae.

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Raven stood in the middle of her room, tears falling freely from the corners of her violet eyes. It was the wind against her windows that had awoken her, forcing the memories she would rather forget to the front of her troubled mind.

It was exactly ten years ago today.

The way the Azrathian monk's hands had felt against her bare flesh as he had violated her for the first time. Telling her to suppress her emotions or she would destroy Azarath, the only home she had ever known. Telling her it was all her fault, for being the demon child of Trigon. Telling her she deserved this.

She knew now that he was a liar, but the scars were deep, she had yet to forgive herself for a wrong that was not her own. Her hands clenched with rage, at the evil man who was more of a demon then she was, at herself for being weak, helpless.

To end the pain would be the easy way out, but she was not a quitter. She fought on, forging her own path in the wretched world.

Until this morning.

He had touched her; he had just reached out and grabbed her hand as she had turned to walk away. His eyes pleading with her to stay, to come into his light. She saw his aura, as pure and green as his eyes.

She couldn't stand it, no matter how much she trusted him; his hands on her flesh had undone her resolve. She had run from the room, tears in her eyes.

Ten years later and the laying of his gloved hand upon her arm…had destroyed her determination to survive. She didn't want to live in fear anymore; she didn't want to be afraid of him.

She loved him.

She hated Azarath, she hated Trigon, but most of all, she hated herself. Hated herself for never telling him, never letting him in. She needed him to rescue her from her own damnation. To stop her from slitting her throat.

She looked down at the knife in her hand then back at the door. She dropped the knife as she fled her room, the darkness not being what she needed. She knocked upon his door, once, twice, stepping back as the door slid open.

"Raven?" his voice was husky with sleep. He rubbed his eyes with his still gloved hand, and then looked back at her sobbing form. "Oh Rae!" he sighed as he stepped back to let her in.

"Gar…I need to tell you something…" her voice cracking. "Please?"

He listened to her story, quiet and intense, knuckles turning white beneath his gloves as he clenched his fists in anger. He didn't relax them even after his long claw-like nails had cut through the thin gloves and into his flesh.

"I wish I could kill him, Raven…" his voice harsh and raspy with anger, "for hurting you, he needs to die. By my hands." he looked down then, at his bloody fists. "It should be his blood."

"Gar…" her voice was weary. "I needed to tell you…I was thinking about just ending it earlier…"

"Raven!" his shocked voice filled with pain, hers as well as his. "You wouldn't really…would you?" She shrugged.

"Do you really care that much?" He just stared at her before sputtering.

"Raven, of course I care! I love you and it would kill me to lose you! Don't you see how much you mean to everyone?"

"I know…but sometimes…I'm so tired of being afraid to get close to people." She sighed. "I don't want to be afraid anymore, Gar."

"I…I'm so sorry Raven. I wish I could help you, but I don't know how." Raven looked at the floor for a few moments, staring fixedly at one spot. She slowly raised her gaze and looked at Garfield.

"Maybe there is…" She mumbled, and then more forcefully, "Touch me." Garfield jumped, quickly swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat.

"What?"

"I want the person I trust most…to make me unafraid of being touched."

"And I'm the person you trust the most?" Raven nodded. "How…I don't know what you're asking…how do you want me to make you unafraid?"

"Just…touch me. Don't let me be afraid anymore, Beastboy!" She cried, reverting to the use of his superhero name.

"Oh Raven…" he sighed, defeated. He reached out slowly, ever so slowly, and gently brushed his fingertip over her cheekbone, tilting her face upwards with one bloody hand, wincing as his blood mixed with her tears. "It'll be okay, Raven. I won't let anyone hurt you ever again."

He brushed his thumb across her lips, staring into her eyes. "I love you, Raven. Focus on that." He noticed her tremble as he continued to smear his blood onto her lips. The crimson contrasting sharply with her pale skin tone. "I love you."

He gently brought his head down, brushing his lips against hers, softly kissing her. He stilled for a moment, and was about to pull back to let her adjust when he felt her hands play with his messy green hair.

She mumbled something against his lips, something that felt oddly like 'I love you too'.

He did pull back then, staring into her eyes, licking his blood and her salty tears off his lips. "Are you afraid?" he asked her tenderly. She shook her head.

"I can't be afraid of you…I don't have it in me any more."

"I know I'd die for you, Raven. I know you'd die for me. But I want you to promise me one thing…" She looked at him, peace returning to her soul.

"Anything."

"Promise me…that you'll live for me."

End A/N: Review please! Thanks for reading.