Chapter Text
Disclaimer: I do not own Raven's Home, That's So Raven, Disney, any of their affiliates, characters and/or settings portrayed in this story. This story is for entertainment purposes only.
AN: This story picks up from Raven's Home Season 3 Episode 6, but only for the first few lines. From there it will more than likely not follow the current storyline on Raven's Home as I intend to make this a Chrave/Femslash fic. The rating is currently mature (M). Although the story is not there yet, as this will be a slow burn, it will eventually get there. Reason for the slow burn is I want it to be realistic. Raven and Chelsea have been friends for a long time, so it'll take time for them to explore their new found feelings for each other to become something more throughout this fic.
Italics are thoughts/flashbacks/emphasis in a sentence.
"...I was just so focused on defending my rep, I guess I got carried away." Booker shrugged.
"Well, I'm sorry that they hurt your feelings Booker, but when you focus so much on what you want to do and stop listening to the people who love you, that's when…" Raven looked around the boys' room.
"...teamwork just crumbles…this room is fantastic." She finally noticed the changes made by Chelsea.
"You're just like your mother, aren't you?" Raven asked with slight guilt and sadness in her voice.
Booker quickly picked up on the change in his mother, "What's wrong, ma?"
"I just need to listen to Chelsea more, that's all."
"Rae?" Chelsea's voice rang through the living room, bringing Raven out of the trance she was in.
"Are you alright?" Chelsea asked noticing her best friend had been a little out of it all evening since dinner.
Raven softly smiled, "Yeah, was just thinking."
"Bout' what?" Chelsea asked as she came and sat next to Raven.
About you. Raven thought.
The redhead patted her best friend's thigh encouraging the brunette to continue.
Raven's breath hitched at the action. Something that she found was happening more often whenever Chelsea got close to her.
"I…" Raven trailed off.
Chelsea furrowed her eyebrows at her friend's hesitation.
"It's nothing Chels. Just tired. You ready for bed?"
Chelsea nodded in agreement. It had been a long day.
Chelsea was the first to get up and held out her hand for Raven. The brunette found herself smiling again as she took it and they headed towards their bedroom.
Chelsea excused herself to go put on her pajamas and brush her teeth. Raven sat on the bottom bunk and went back to having her mind's wheels turn, remembering how Chelsea had always been like that. Caring, loving, supportive. No matter what the circumstances, Chelsea would always find something positive in every situation.
It was the little things Chelsea did that Raven had started to take for granted. The big things too. Heck, as of late, everything Chelsea did Raven took for granted. Practically a lifetime of always having Chelsea's love and support had become something Raven expected and somewhere along the way she started to forget to be appreciative of it.
Sure, she did things for Chelsea too, but they were friends...family. Family takes care of family. Yet somehow Raven had taken every opportunity to remind Chelsea of how much she was helping and doing for her. Maybe it was that Raven had only recently started to get used to being on her own after her divorce, but no matter what, money was always tight. She worried that when Chelsea and Levi sought refuge and reassurance in her, she wasn't going to be able to provide it, but instead of maturely conveying that to Chelsea, she had thrown cheap shots...and Chelsea just took it with grace.
Chelsea walked back into the room and found Raven daydreaming yet again. She was going to question her once again, but thought better of it as it seemed Raven was working through something and wasn't ready to discuss it.
"Rae?" Chelsea caught Raven's attention.
"Bathroom's all free for ya."
Raven thanked Chelsea and headed towards the bathroom to go through her nightly routine. A few minutes later she was back in their room, lying on the bottom bunk.
"The boys' room looks great, Chels." She spoke. Although her voice was low, against the background of the now dark and quiet apartment, it carried heavily.
"Thanks, Rae." Came the mumbled reply.
Raven could tell her best friend was probably a few minutes away from nodding off.
"Chels I…" Raven trailed off again for what seemed like the hundredth time tonight.
"Is it the storm?" Chelsea asked as she stifled a yawn.
"Huh?" Raven asked.
Chelsea giggled, sounding more awake now, "The storm?" She asked as she peeked her head from the top bunk down towards Raven's.
Raven wasn't really afraid of storms. She actually slept very well through them. It was Booker who didn't like them and would usually sneak into their room when one did hit. The brunette hadn't even noticed the bad weather they were experiencing.
Raven playfully rolled her eyes at Chelsea, "Now you know I am not the one that's scared of a little thunder."
Chelsea chuckled at the response, because she knew that sometimes that wasn't entirely true.
"I'm surprised Booker hasn't made his way in here already." She stated.
"Yeah. They've been in bed for a few hours now. Probably hasn't realized."
"Well, I guess it's good. He'll sleep through it." Chelsea mused.
"Yeah, maybe I can get a little re...AAAAHHHH!" Raven jumped when lightning lit up the night sky and the boom of thunder quickly followed.
Chelsea sprung up at the same time as Raven, partially due to the weather they were experiencing, but more so due to Raven's scream.
"Wanna cuddle?" Chelsea asked the brunette. Raven looked very shook up.
"I mean...if uh...if you want to." Raven advised. She hoped that Chelsea wouldn't pick up on the hitch in her voice. As of late, having Chelsea near her own body was a bad combination.
Raven closed her eyes and said a little prayer that she could control her breathing when she heard Chelsea rustling above her, clearly making her way down in order to lay with Raven.
Chelsea shook her head in amusement at the way Raven's voice had hitched. It was a good thing the brunette wasn't afraid of thunderstorms.
"Scooch over." Chelsea advised.
Raven did as she was told and Chelsea snuggled close under the covers. The women settled in for the night.
Chelsea started to talk to Rae about something she had read earlier that day. Nothing life changing. Just Chels being Chels and trying to make sure she helped Raven take her mind off of the weather.
Little did the redhead know that Raven's mind was no longer on the weather outside their window, but instead on the light heated breaths that would tickle against her neck everytime Chelsea would speak.
She swallowed thickly several times and could swear her heart was beating a mile a minute. She again closed her eyes and sent up a silent prayer that Chelsea wasn't picking up on any of this.
The redhead continued to speak, but her sentences were becoming shorter and shorter. Eventually, her voice trailed off as her head grew heavy against Raven's shoulder.
"Chels?"
"I'm awake. I'm awake." Chelsea stated.
Raven smiled, "It's okay. I'm okay. Let's try to sleep a little." She whispered.
"Kay'." Chelsea responded, more asleep than awake.
Raven looked towards the woman, whose head had somehow now made its way onto her chest.
Raven readjusted herself to accommodate Chelsea. The brunette's right arm was underneath Chelsea's head and her left hugged the woman while she absentmindedly traced circles into the redhead's own arm. Eventually Raven's hand slowly made its way up towards Chelsea's face and into red locks.
The brunette carefully took in Chelsea's features while her hand gently massaged Chelsea's scalp. Raven's eyes drifted over the curve of Chelsea's chin, her nose, her cheeks, those soft lips. She smiled as she gently brushed back some red locks from Chelsea's face.
The redhead was beautiful. Raven had always known this, but lately, Raven just felt different when she would look at Chelsea.
She stopped herself as her finger itched to reach out and trace the lips she had just been appraising.
"Chelsea, I'm sorry for earlier...and for my behavior lately. You know I love you, right?" A disappointed smile appeared on Raven's face when there was no response from the redhead.
She watched soft breaths escape those same delicate lips she had been admiring earlier, and for longer than what would be considered "normal" for friends.
The finger that she had stopped just a few minutes ago, once again made its way to the redhead's face. This time she didn't stop its movements as it slowly glided over cheekbones, a nose that crinkled at the touch, which Raven found was something she wanted to see again, and eventually, over those beautiful, delectable lips. She gently traced over them a few times before taking that same finger and placing it over her own lips.
She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. Her senses were instantly filled with hints of mint, probably from the toothpaste Chelsea had used.
After a few minutes she opened her eyes only to once again silently appraise the redhead that was now completely asleep over her chest. She continued to do so for some time until her own eyes grew heavy with sleep.
"Night Chels." She whispered and placed a soft kiss to the redhead's forehead.
Maybe tomorrow she could tell Chelsea how she was feeling.
Maybe tomorrow.