Okay, okay. Calm down. I'll get chapter ten up sooner or later. Anyone want some amazing Robin on BB sex? ;D
---James.
I knew it was only a matter of time before he slipped up and showed us were he's been hiding. And now that we know, we can go after him. We can catch him, lock him up, and this time, for good. Preparations for the haul out to Gotham aren't easy. There's packing, navigating, just simply getting there, but I'm sure, almost certain, we can do it.
Cyborg patches up the T-car so we can drive non-stop to New York. I don't want to take the risk of stopping and falling victim to one of Slade's tricks, or anyone else's, for that matter. We're going out with one objective, and I'll do anything to make sure we meet it.
I decide to pack light, not that I'd need a lot anyway. I stuff a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt into a knapsack, as well as a pair of socks, and toss it onto my bed. We won't leave until morning, but my nerves are end. On fire, really. I can feel the anxiety and anticipation running through my veins and I just want to fight. I want to prove to Slade that he can't win. Not against me, and not against the Titans. He will go down, hard. And I'll personally make sure he doesn't get back up.
With all this... aggressive thinking, I'm shocked when I hear a knock against my door. I instantly hope it's not Starfire again. I really don't want to repeat this morning. It was a pointless exchange, really. It wasn't my fault I was thrown into a coma all willy nilly, and it's definitely not my fault that she doesn't feel close to me anymore. I have nothing to do with that. Suddenly, I feel a pang in my chest, like my heart is trying to break free from my ribs. It's an odd feeling, and familiar, but the second knock on the door keeps me from thinking too much about it.
When I answer the door, I cool down a bit, seeing that it's only Raven. But I can't relax too much when I look at her face. Her expression, what I can see of it behind her concealing hood, looks serious, like she's got something important on her mind. She pulls her hood down onto her shoulders and stares bluntly at me, not faltering for a single second. "May I come in?" she asks, quietly, and I know this is a private matter.
I step aside and let her enter the room, not that I could say no, anyway. As odd as it seems to the people who actually know, Raven and I are close. Not that kind of close, but brother and sister close, if you have to put a name to it. All the Titans are like family to me, but there's something about Raven that I can always count on, good days or bad days. Life or death.
"What is it, Raven?" I ask, walking into the room and leaning against the desk. Slade's mask stares roughly at me in the corner and I can feel it watching with it's hollow eyes. I snatch a pillow off the bed and pass it nonchalantly over to the spot, covering it's gaze. It only halfway helps.
"Did you notice him?" she asks, looking at me from under her eye lashes. My mind goes blank, and I don't understand.
I think for a moment. "Notice who?"
She gives me a look that resembles one she'd give me if I'd asked my own name. She holds her hand out, measuring up at about five feet, "About this tall, total loudmouth, green. Can't really miss him."
I cock my head and bite my lip in thought.. Why would I be concerned with Beast—oh. I suddenly feel like a total jackass. Not just a normal level, either, but five times that. How could I forget about him? This morning, and then this afternoon... how could I not remember something like that? How could it slip my mind?
I sigh and rub my forehead roughly, jogging my memory. "No, I didn't. But I should have. What did I miss?"
I feel terrible, like I've misplaced something important, and now all I can do is wait for the punishment that follows. Great. Simply perfect. I wonder to myself if he's mad at me for not paying him any attention. I wonder if he still plans on talking to me. It wouldn't be the first time he took an oath of silence against me with just about every right.
Raven shuffles to my side and lifts herself onto the desk to sit on it. I face her, crossing my arms. She shrugs and gives me a stare that could very well be looking into my soul, which she has a tendency of doing to people.
"He didn't look... good," she said, "This afternoon, whatever I interrupted on, I'm almost positive he had that on his mind. Have you mentioned it to him since then?"
Truth is, I haven't. It hasn't even crossed my mind for a second, and that's my mistake. A really, really bad one. I feel guilty, like my heart just turned to stone. Forgetting something like this, it wouldn't surprise me if I suddenly had that terrible ability. My stomach feels like it's filled with lead, and I swear I feel sick. I take a deep breath and shake my head, taking a seat on the corner of my bed. I rub the palms of my heads over my face, and make a note to mentally beat the shit out of myself when I don't have Raven's prying eyes looking over me. "I haven't. It... didn't even cross my mind."
It's silent for a second before Raven says in a quiet tone, "Well, before we leave tomorrow morning, it wouldn't be a terrible idea to bring it up to him." She hops down from the desk and readjusts her hood onto her head as she walks to the door. She stops just before she gets there and passes me a sympathetic look, "I'm not great with these things, Robin, but Beast Boy really cares for you. And you should be very, very careful with that." I swear I hear her add, Don't hurt the poor guy, but I don't see her lips move.
I nod a thanks and smile weakly up at her, "You're not the first to tell me that."
Returning the smile half-heartedly, she says, "And I won't be the last, I assure you," before leaving my room silently and leaving me to my thoughts and concerns.
I was so geared up about taking down Slade, piece by piece. I was ready to thrust myself into battle without a single care besides showing him what he had in store with me. But now, I can only think of one person. The little green teenager at the end of the hall that I made love to this morning.
…
Honestly, I'm trying not to take this personally. I know how Robin gets with Slade, and it's not like I shouldn't expect him to get into total obsession mode when he finally turns up. But for some reason, this time, it caught me off guard. For some reason, I thought Robin would still take an interest in his personal life, but clearly, I'm crazy. He told me once that "we're heroes, we don't have personal lives," and I have a sickening feeling that he's right. Isn't he always?
I can't even begin to imagine how long he'll be in Gotham with Cyborg and Raven. You know, I don't usually question Robin's tactics, but to me, it seems like getting some guys from Titans East to come babysit the Tower would seem a little more reasonable than making Star and I stay behind. What if someone, or something, attacks? What are an alien and shape-shifter going to do when a fifty million pound pile of rocks causes trouble, or a giant glob of acidic goo gets loose around the city? And, not to mention the fact that Cinderblock and Plasmas aren't even close to the top of our Tough Bad Guys list. I don't even want to think about someone more powerful than those two attacking us. Oh, starbolts and a fucking eagle. Real scary, let's retreat.
Though, things could be worse. Things could be a lot worse, so really, I'm just complaining over spilled milk.
I lay on the bottom bunk of my bed and pick at the mattress above me. Sadly, all I can think about is how badly I want to get up and go talk to him, to make things right. But I know that I'll just get in his way. He's probably off preparing for the cross-country trip that he plans on trying to accomplish in just three days, worrying about what he's going to do once he gets there. Me being all up in his space isn't going to calm him down. It would probably just send him even more deeper into his frustration.
But I can't stand it any longer in here. I throw myself off the bed and slip into a light jacket. I don't know where I plan to go, but anywhere at this point is better than the Tower. The atmosphere in this place is too thick to even think. Besides, a little walking never killed anyone.
I pass the garage on my way out and let Cyborg know where I'm going: out.
"When do you think you'll be back, B?" he asks with a small, unhappy look on his face, "Thought we could maybe hit a few rounds on the Gamestation before we leave tomorrow." Leave it to Cyborg to always find a way to brighten up my mood.
I throw him a smile and nod, "Sounds awesome. I'll be back before it gets too dark."
And with that, I leave the tower, and fly my way across the water. My feet in the dock hard, and for a second I lose my balance. I steady myself and look around the harbor. Some party. It's completely deserted except for a single boat at the very last pier. I hope the city isn't that unoccupied.
Thankfully, it isn't, and I blend into the crowds around me. I didn't bother to check the time before I left, and I wasn't really into wearing watches, but I figured it was sometime around six o' clock, give or take thirty minutes. With it being mid-October, it'll get dark soon. So much for alone time.
I know the park will be closing soon, but I head there anyway, and submerge myself in the tree-lined sidewalks. I could easily spend the night up in a tree as a squirrel, a bird, but the more I thought about it, the more I really had my heart set on whopping Cy's butt in Gamestation. Plus, being out late without an excuse for the team wasn't a great idea. It was something all of us used to do a lot, but every since... well, you know, none of us do that anymore. It worries everyone, and when the rest finally find you, no one really has good words to say to you.
With a sigh, I collapse on one of the park benches. I'm tired suddenly, and I don't know why, because I haven't actually done anything. Unless you count this morning's midnight rendezvous, I've basically been a bum all freaking day.
Just when I think I've nearly fallen asleep on the bench, I hear the screws in the seat creak as added weight is applied next to me. I open an eye to see who my new bench buddy is, and inhale quickly when I finally register who it is through the slowly growing darkness.
"Hey, Robin," I murmur, sitting up a little straighter, and keeping my eyes towards the ground, "All packed up and ready to go for the trip to New York?"
He doesn't say a word, but I can feel his eyes on me, and after a moment, I feel him scoot closer. Part of me just wants to submit and forget that I'm supposed to be sort of mad at him, but another part of me, the clearly more stubborn side, wants to keep him at an arm's length and make him "pay" for this afternoon. It should be pretty obvious which side has a better chance of winning.
"Beast Boy, about earlier... I didn't mean to—"
I shake my head, "It's okay, man. Don't worry about it. I completely understand. Slade gets your attention first, 'cause of him being a total homicidal psycho and what not. I get that."
He just stares at me and places a warm hand on my knee. Instinctively, a zip my jacket up a little farther, trying to seize my shivers. After a moment, I let my hand rest on his. "You know it's not like that..."
I nod. "I know."
I'm not sure he can get any closer, but he does, and I can feel the warmth of his body radiating off of him. It's intoxicating, and I can barely keep myself from diving into the comfort of his arms. But I sustain myself just long enough to look him in the eyes.
"I don't want to take anything away from you..."
He scoots back a little, like he's shocked, and his hand tightens around my knee, "Beast Boy, what could you possibly be taking away from me?"
I swallow hard, "I know about you and Starfire. I know you two have a past." It kills me to say it out loud, to admit it. The words fill my mouth with a bad taste, and I want it to go away.
Silence.
"That's exactly what it is," Robin whispers into my hear, "A past." Before I can say anything in response, his lips are on mine, and just like the first time, it's amazing. I let my arms wrap about him, and he allows himself to do the same. We sit there and simply absorb each other for what seems like forever. I don't open my eyes until we break away, and by that time, I see that the sky is almost pitch black.
"We should get going," I say, and kiss his lips quickly. "You need sleep before you leave tomorrow."
I start to stand up, but before I can get too far, he wraps his fingers gently around my wrist and pulls me back onto the bench, his eyes connecting to mine. I turn to him and stare. He reaches up and brushes the lanky hair out of my eyes and kisses my forehead, "Sleep with me."
I'm taken aback at first, lost for words, but after a moment, I nod. I promise him I will, after I totally kill Cyborg's virtual butt.
