Day 1 - Unorthodox Sleeping Arrangements Vs Pining

It was a good day. A great day! And the day was so good and great because Raven actually got some genuinely good news.

Azarath lived.

Thought destroyed by Trigon, many survivors from Raven's home had scattered throughout the dimensions, hidden and safe, much like Raven herself. After some years had passed, one of them dared to return, finding a wasteland but, surprisingly, no Trigonic legions serving their lord. From there, that first traveler managed to trace events and learn of Trigon's defeat at his daughter's hands. Overjoyed, they sent out an enchanted signal, one that could be heard throughout the multiverse but only by Azar's chosen. Naturally, this included Raven. She immediately went there, finding dozens, hundreds of others making their own return. They all stopped when she arrived but, to her amazement, they didn't sneer or grumble or glare or glower... they bowed. They sang! Raven had overcome the demon within herself and her progenitor both, they said. Some of the older monks approached her and, as she stared dumbly, apologised profusely, some with very un-azarathi tears in their eyes - apparently their time in hiding had educated them somewhat.

Raven returned to the Tower and informed her friends, half-heartedly apologising to Robin for visiting another reality without even telling him, and then letting them know she would be going back to assist them with rebuilding. She was very clear, though, about one thing: she wasn't leaving the Titans. The others all bombarded her with questions but Beast Boy had only one:

"Uh... how long do you think it might take?" he asked, fidgeting all the while.

"No more than a few weeks. I'm not staying while they rebuild the entire settlement, just the monastery. Most Azarathi monks have telekinetic abilities of some kind - it'll go quickly," Raven answered. Starfire lunged forward and scooped Raven up into a twirling embrace.

"Oh Raven, I am filled with the delight you have your home back!" she squealed. Raven waited for her to set her back on her feet before answering.

"This is my home, Star. I'm doing this for Azar... for my mother. Azarath was their home," she said. Beast Boy still fidgeted, kicking at the floor when he jammed his hands in his pockets. "Don't worry, Beast Boy. There isn't any danger there." Beast Boy grinned superficially and wished her well. Raven left only a few hours later, leaving a charm with Robin that could communicate with her across the void between worlds.

Raven was right: the work did go quickly. None of them were in her league but the monks did retain their telekinetic skills, and the original foundations were still in place. On the third day, Raven felt the charm around her neck pulse, and gripped it in her hand. With a thought, it projected an image in front of her. Probably Robin asking for a report on their progress, she thought. Instead, Beast Boy appeared before her, waving frantically.

"Is this thing on? Hello? Hellllooooooooo-"

"Beast Boy! It's working, I can hear you," Raven interrupted. Beast Boy laughed sheepishly.

"Heh. Sorry, Rae. First time with a magic cellphone," he laughed. Raven raised an eyebrow and watched him levelly.

"What do you want? Is something happening at home?" she asked. Beast Boy stammered for a few moments.

"Well, no, I guess I thought I should maybe make sure this thing actually works and we can get through to you if we need to for whatever reason me might need to talk to you and so I talked to Robin and we thought I should make sure it worked. And stuff," he explained.

"Robin asked you to speak to me?" Raven asked. Beast Boy glanced around himself.

"Uhhh... yes?" he said. His eyes widened comically when, only a few seconds after, Robin's voice could be heard in the background.

"Beast Boy! What have you done with Raven's charm? She said emergencies only!" Beast Boy gulped as Robin's voice seemed to grow closer.

"Um, gotta go, Rae!" he cried, the image of him vanishing. Raven blinked at the space he had occupied for a few moments before turning to head back to her work. She stopped short when she saw she wasn't alone: a monk was with her, in fact the very monk who had been the first to return to Azarath. Originally from Earth, he was considered one of the wisest members of their order, even moreso after their reunion, though his name was rather incongruous with his station.

"Bob. Can I help you with something?" Raven asked. Bob smiled back at her.

"A friend of yours?" he asked, nodding at the charm she had used to speak to Beast Boy. She once again glanced back at where his image had stood, and nodded.

"Yes," she replied simply. Bob smiled and with a tiny hesitation, like a man still getting used to expressing his feelings.

"He obviously cares very much about you," he ventured. Raven faced him.

"Yes. He does," she answered.

"And you care for him?" Bob asked, cautiously.

"Yes. I do," Raven replied easily. Bob grinned.

"I'm so glad. I worried our lessons on emotional control had been... a step too far," he said.

"Really?" Raven asked, curious now.

"Indeed. During my time in hiding, I, like the others, was forced to confront my emotions again, this time away from the stillness of Azarath. Control, not suppression or denial, is what we should strive for. I'm glad to see you learned that lesson as well, and that you have found friends to share it with," Bob explained. Raven nodded, wide-eyed at his frank explanation, then resumed her work.

A few days later, the charm activated again: Robin, this time.

"Raven, I know you're busy but do you think you could come home for a while? There's something going on with Beast Boy..." he said. Raven pursed her lips.

"Beast Boy? Is he alright?" she asked.

"He's fine, just acting weird," Robin said.

"Weird how?" Raven asked. Robin actually smiled, though uncomfortably.

"Well, it turns out he's been sleeping in the corridor. In front of your door," he said, clearly unsure what to do about it. Raven frowned for a moment.

"I'll be right there," she said.

"Great. I'll meet you in the common r-... Oh. Hi, Raven," Robin said, now speaking to her in person. "Well... I'll show you what I mean." They left the common room and took the familiar path to Raven's room. There, by her door, was the saddest-looking green puppy she had ever seen. Seeing there was no way to preserve his dignity, Raven marched towards him.

"Can I help you, Beast Boy?" she said, arms folded across her chest. The puppy looked up at her and exploded into frantic celebration, running and jumping around her feet while yapping and whining. Then the puppy shifted into a green boy, just as frantic and with a grin almost too large for his face.

"Rae! You're home!" he cried, lunging forward and catching her in a sudden embrace before quickly remembering himself and withdrawing. "I mean... Hey, Rae, back already?" he said with forced nonchalance, though the illusion was almost immediately broken when he couldn't restrain his grin, still bouncing on his feet.

"I am. But not for long. I only came back to..." Raven trailed off, suddenly and keenly aware that Robin had vanished. What should she say? Any idea she might have had about confronting Beast Boy's behaviour vanished as well. "I came back to confirm a few things. With my books. In my room." Smooth, Raven, she thought to herself. Still, Beast Boy was too elated to doubt her.

"Cool, cool. Are you uh... almost finished back there? With the rebuilding?" He asked, transparent in his worry. Raven, stepping toward her door, answered over her shoulder.

"No, I wouldn't say so. Another two or three weeks work, at least," she said. He stopped in his tracks and fidgeted.

"O-oh..." he said, and no more. He waited while Raven pretended to consult one of her books and followed her back to the common room. The others were there and had made her a cup of tea with a few pastries to choose from: they knew how to tempt her into staying a little longer. Rolling her eyes but with a hint of fondness, she sat and selected one of the delicacies, taking a sip of tea before having a small bite. She could tell they wanted to ask about Beast Boy but, with him standing there, they kept quiet. Not that Raven could have told them anything anyway. They asked polite but bland questions about the progress on the monastery and she answered just as politely and rather more succinctly. Half an hour later, she stood and declared she was ready to leave. The others stood with her. She conjured a portal.

"See you in a couple of weeks," Raven said, halfway through.

"Later, Rae-Rae!" Cyborg cried.

"Be sure to check in," Robin said.

"Farewell, Raven!" Starfire chirped, looking to her side at Beast Boy. Who had disappeared. Raven hadn't seen him leave and was oddly irked that he had left before saying goodbye. However, she had already started to step through the portal, and was on her way. Only minutes after she had returned to Azarath, Raven was back at work. On his way to his own work, Bob stopped by to speak to her.

"Ahem. Friend of yours?" he said. Raven turned to look at him with a frown of confusion on her brow. Quickly, her gaze followed Bob's line of sight. Just behind her sat a very guilty-looking and very green puppy.

"Beast Boy?!" Raven said, incredulously. "You followed me. Why?" Silence. "For goodness' sake, at least be yourself while I'm yelling at you." The puppy morphed into an equally guilty-looking boy, toeing the ground with his boot and refusing to meet Raven's eyes.

"M'sorry..." he mumbled.

"I didn't ask for an apology, I asked why you followed me. For that matter, tell me why you've been camped outside my room while I've been gone. Don't give me that look, of course they told me. Well? What do you have to say for yourself?" Raven shouted. He only stood there, seeming to shrink into himself. Raven suddenly felt remorseful and struggled to find some gentler words when another monk walked toward them, smiling rapturously.

"Oh, wonderful! This is my favourite emotion," he said, eyes closed. "I thought I might never sense it again after coming home." Raven looked at the obviously distressed Beast Boy and back at the monk in distaste.

"That's your favourite emotion?" she asked. The monk nodded distractedly, humming wordlessly in agreement.

"Mmm. And love is always different for each person, so it always feels fresh and new. Glorious," the monk said, finally opening his eyes. His smile fell when he saw Raven staring at him, one eye twitching, while Beast Boy glared at him, aghast and pale. Raven's mouth started to work, though her voice was faint and tremulous.

"Did you say luuuuh... did you say luuuuuh... did you say luuuuuuuuuuuuuuh..." she tried without success.

"Ah," the monk said, backing away. "I see I have overstepped. My sincerest apologies," he mumbles, turning around and almost jogging away. Bob winced as the two teenagers did everything they could to avoid each other's gaze.

"Um, Beast Boy, is it? Perhaps I should send you home," Bob suggested. Surprisingly, Beast Boy recoiled from him and stepped closer to Raven, who flinched when she saw him.

"No, I... Rae, don't send me home," Beast Boy said, circling around and daring to look her in the eye. However, Raven turned on the spot to hide her face from him. "Dammit, Rae! Would ya just look at me?" he cried. Raven froze for a moment, then he saw her shoulder sag visibly. Slowly, laboriously, she turned to face him. She realised her mistake now: she had made an effort to tune out her friends most powerful emotions, more to preserve her sanity than their privacy, and clearly this included some very potent feelings Beast Boy felt for her.

"Well? I'm looking," Raven said, aiming for intimidating but sounding shy and uncertain.

"What that guy said... listen, you don't have to deal with any of that, okay? Just please - please - don't send me away," he pleaded, his voice cracking. Raven, watching him critically, located that mental barrier she had put up, that door to the more passionate emotions of those around her, and she dared to open it a crack. She actually rocked back on her heels when Beast Boy's affection washed over her, muddled and mixed but very, very strong.

Beast Boy loved her.

"What to do...?" Raven muttered to herself.

Raven hovered near a tower of the emerging monastery, her mind carefully rebuilding it from the raw matter around her. Beast Boy was nowhere in sight but, if you took a closer look, you would see she wasn't alone.

Her hood, cast back from her head, contained a very small, very content and very green puppy, asleep and at peace.

-Jack