To Claim and Possess
Chapter Three
Raven's mind felt thick and hazy when she woke up, but she had the distinct sensation of being carried. Slow and steady. Step. Step. Step. Under her right cheek she felt a familiar heartbeat thump in her ear, and around her were the pungent smells of city in the summer. Gasoline, hot pavement, charcoal, and food carts, each intertwined with the sweet, comforting smells of pine and earth and freesia. Beast Boy and Starfire. Her ears strained to grasp at threads of noises around her before focusing on the two familiar cadences.
"Stop looking at me like that… I didn't have a choice."
"Choice or no, she will be most displeased to learn that you have carried her through the city."
"Do you have a better plan, Star? I can't give her to you, and it's not like I can just turn into a pterodactyl and hold her in my talons. What if I hurt her? Or worse, what if I drop her and she falls a million feet into the bay?"
"I believe that Raven would say that you are hurting her pride more." Starfire sighed and Raven felt the unfamiliar brush of irritation. That was completely uncharacteristic for her. Starfire could usually stay upbeat and levelheaded in almost every situation, so something must have happened to seriously upset her. "And why are you incapable of giving her to me? I wish no harm on her, and she is my friend as well. I am just as capable of taking care of her as you are."
"I know that… but I can't give her to you because… he won't like it. Let's leave it at that." The arms around Raven shifted and she was pulled closer to the warm body holding her. Concern washed over her at the touch and she fought to open her eyes, but nothing happened. It was as if her body was trying to keep her from being awake, to protect her from something. Beast Boy shifted his arms again, still looking for a comfortable way to hold her. "Just let me take her back to the tower and then we can pretend this whole thing never happened."
"You promised you would discuss this incident with Robin. Do not break such an important promise."
"Yeah, I know. Besides, it's not like I have much of a choice, now do I?" There was a long pause and he groaned, the noise echoing through his chest and into Raven's ears. "Man, he's gonna kick me off the team."
"Beast Boy, Robin would never do such a thing, you are our friend and a very dedicated warrior, and we all care for you very much… however, it is most advisable that you discuss this incident with him. If not for your own sake, then for Raven's." There was a pause and Raven heard the heartbeat under her ear skip a few beats. Surprise, mixed with fear, poured into her and sent her powers into overdrive, and somewhere down the street she heard the sound of an exploding trashcan.
"She is the one that is in the most amount of danger from your reckless decision to keep these changes a secret. I witnessed the destruction that both you and Adonis caused, and saw the raw emotions in your eyes. There is something there that words cannot describe, and if she is not prepared for what is to come, she will be injured. Or worse. That is my concern." Starfire's words were sharp, and even Raven could feel the sting in them.
"I know." Beast Boy's voice was soft, almost pained. "I know. But what am I supposed to do, Star? I can't push her away or pretend that I don't need her. I can't keep myself away from her, even if it's the best decision. She has to be in my life… she has to. It's not a want… it's a need."
"It is because of you that she is in this danger." Starfire's footsteps stopped and Raven felt her heavy, severe stare nearly cut Beast Boy. "You are dangerous to her, and you will cause her pain if you are not careful." There was a long pause before she continued. "The beast promised to protect her above all else, will you do the same?"
The movement beneath Raven stopped and she was jerked around as Beast Boy faced Starfire behind him. He was shocked, making Raven's ears ring with the force of his emotions and her muscles vibrate with the surge of energy. "Wait a second, Star… are you telling me that you… spoke with him? The beast?"
"I did." There was another pause as she tried to read her friend. "Do you find this surprising? He seemed to imply that you two spoke on a regular basis. That you were aware of him as more than just an entity within your mind."
"I knew he was more than a beast. I knew he was intelligent… I just didn't know he could speak to other people or carry on conversations. I mean… you've seen him. He's a big hairy monster who grunts and growls. I didn't think he had the biology for speech."
Something deeper than concern or fear poured into Raven, and somewhere inside her, she felt her emotions start to push back. He was triggering her fight-or-flight mechanism by simply being next to her. Raven moved against his arms, but he didn't seem to notice.
"Does he look like the beast? When he talks?"
"Sometimes. Other times he appears to assume your form."
"You mean… he can walk around looking like me? Like… Invasion of the Body Snatchers?"
"I do not know what a 'body snatcher' is, but he can assume your human form."
He whined. "Aw, come on. This is the worst thing ever! I don't even get to keep myself?"
"That's enough." Raven finally opened her eyes and stared up into his face, feeling her control over her powers reach their limits. "Keep it down and put me down, you're giving me a headache." She struggled against his arms and found herself in a heap on the pavement. Cursing under her breath and rubbing her sore back, she stared up at his shocked face. "What in your right mind gave you the idiotic idea that I wanted to be carried through public streets downtown?"
Beast Boy took a step back, holding his hands in front of him for defense. At least he was aware of the danger he was in. "You were hurt! And I… couldn't let Starfire carry you."
"That doesn't give you a reason to damage my reputation." Raven stood up and glowered at him from beneath her hooded sweatshirt. She glanced over at Starfire, who had taken a cautious step back, knowing full well what would happen if Raven became too angry. "Carrying me around like… like… some princess?Now everyone in the city is going to think I'm some simpering damsel in distress who faints at the sight of a monster. Good job. Idiot." She growled and looked around the street, snapping her teeth at anyone who thought they should stop and stare.
"Raven…" Beast Boy's words drifted off as he stared at her, and Raven felt the cool feeling of relief fill the space between them. She turned and looked into his eyes which looked a considerable amount wetter than they had a minute ago. He stepped forward and pulled her into his arms, crushing her against his chest. "Who the fuck cares? You're safe. It doesn't matter what people think, you're safe."
He leaned his cheek against her forehead and brought a hand to her throat, touching the tender skin there as if he was trying to wipe something away. Raven winced as pain shot through her body, and memories flooded her senses, pushing violently against her mind. They had fought. Her and Adonis and the beast. They rolled and clawed and yelled and ran like animals through city streets. Adonis had nearly killed her. He crawled on top of her and his hands had wrapped around her throat as he tried to snuff out the life in her. Over what? Possession? If he couldn't have her no one could.
"Get off." Raven pushed his arms away and took a step back, staring at him with fear. He was a beast. This was more than what happened between them last week, it was a million times worse. Beast Boy's own shock and pain ripped through her, tugging at her powers until the shop windows next to them bore the brunt of her stress. There was a shockwave of emotions that rippled the air before glass shattered and exploded from their frames, raining down on them in small, glittering shards. Starfire pulled a few innocent people from harm's way, but Raven and Beast Boy stood there, staring at each other.
How could this have happened? It was supposed to have been a day with friends, easy and normal. How had it gone so terribly wrong? Raven held her head, trying to sort through the broken memories. Adonis called her… his mate. Screamed about females and rutting. Accused her of being "marked" and being a whore. What in the nine levels of Hell did all of this mean? And what did it have to do with her?
"Raven…" Beast Boy reached out to comfort her, but Raven pushed his hand away, taking another step back. Glass crunched under her foot, reminding her of what happened when she was pushed too far.
"Please. Don't touch me." She knew, logically, that she shouldn't be afraid of him. He was Beast Boy, her friend and teammate for years. She knew more about him than he probably knew about himself. But that didn't stop her from feeling lost and confused, and it certainly didn't stop her from remembering what he said to her and what happened between him and Adonis. They were both violent, primeval beasts, capable of killing each other, and her if she got too close to either one of them.
"Raven... I..."
She swallowed and stepped even further back, still trying to put space between them. Around her she felt people staring at the exchange, curious about what was happening between the two heroes. Emotions pressed against her, curiosity, fear, concern, anger, and the building behind her started to thrum with the pressure on her own emotions. Her heart had picked up a frantic rhythm against her chest, threatening to break her ribs under the pressure. She needed to calm down, to look at this logically. So, why couldn't she stop this overwhelming feeling of anxiety? "You... the beast…"
Beast Boy winced and looked away, his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides. "I... I don't know what he said to you, and I only know I fought Adonis because Star told me, but please believe me that I never wanted any of this to happen. I didn't mean for any of this to happen. And, I never expected you to get hurt the way you did."
"The way I did…?" Raven swallowed hard and stared into his face, looking for some indication that he truly hadn't expected this, that this was a freak accident that would never be repeated. But, there were shadows in his green eyes, and Raven began to doubt him, in spite of the faith she wanted to keep. "You expected me to get hurt though?"
There was a long pause before Beast Boy responded, and Raven could feel the pain twist inside him. "I... I didn't know what would happen once the beast took over."
Whatever fear was inside her quickly dissipated at the confession, and was replaced by burning anger. She pushed herself forward, feeling her emotions reach out for him. "You knew the beast was inside you, looking for a way out, didn't you?" Beast Boy tried to respond, but he stumbled over his words, and ended up looking away from her. She closed her eyes and fought for sanity in all of this, fought for some kind of civility. "You knew that something was going to happened to me, and yet you didn't think it was important to warn me?"
"I couldn't!"
"Couldn't?" A black tendril of power wrapped around him before Raven could stop herself. The onlookers suddenly seemed interested in other things and they moved away from the group on the sidewalk. Even Starfire placed more space between herself and her friends. Raven gnashed her teeth and growled. "What do you mean you couldn't?"
"I didn't want you to be afraid of me!"
The air instantly stilled around them, and Raven could feel the tension snap instantly. Her powers receded back into her body and she took a step away from him. "Afraid of you?" She swallowed hard and stared at him, trying to keep all of her emotions from jumping out at once. He frightened her sometimes, but it wasn't necessarily his fault. She couldn't blame him "Why would I be afraid of you? You're my friend."
"I… I've seen that fear in your eyes before, Raven. When we first ran into Adonis four years ago and he attacked. When you first saw the beast inside me, I saw you tremble and shrink away from me. Did you know what that did to me? It broke me. I wouldn't have been able to handle that again." Beast Boy found the courage to look into her eyes again. "It was the worst feeling in the world to know that I scared you. You, Raven, who is half-demon. I scare you. I didn't want that to happen. I'll admit that it was a stupid decision in keeping this to myself, but I couldn't stand the idea that you would hate me because of the beast."
"Hate you?" Raven felt the anger leave her almost as quickly as it entered. He was afraid that she would hate him? She wasn't even sure how to process that information. Raven knew she could be mean sometimes, and knew she could get angry with him for being annoying, but hate him? Fear him? That would never cross her mind, ever. "Beast Boy, I don't know what to say. Why do you think I would hate you? This isn't your fault, I know that."
He looked at her, but didn't say anything.
"I'll admit, you frighten me." She felt his eyes move to stare at his feet. "You can't fault me for that, after what happened and what I saw from both you and Adonis. You have nothing but raw power, and I know what power does to people. But, I scare you too. And don't tell me that I don't… what's important is that we don't let that fear control who we are."
His eyes met hers again and he sighed, leaning back on his heels. "Can you promise me you won't let your fear for me control you?"
Raven jerked a little at that strange and enigmatic question. "I can promise I'll try."
That wasn't the answer he had been hoping for, and he looked away frowning. Thank goodness for Starfire's tact. "Raven... this is new to all of us. Including Beast Boy. We must be patient and hear Beast Boy's side of the story before we make assumptions and decisions…" Starfire's lips pressed down into a frown and she turned to look at the small crowd that had gathered around them, shifting under their curious stare. "And perhaps this is a discussion that would be much better had in a private location?"
"Yeah…" Beast Boy rubbed the back of his neck and gave an awkward smile to a group of middle-aged women who were inching closer to him. "I'd rather not air my dirty laundry all over the sidewalk, if you don't mind."
"Your clothes appear relatively clean…" Starfire's face turned red as soon as the words left her mouth, and she shrank back a little in shame. "I have misunderstood a colloquialism… did I not?"
Beast Boy chuckled and put a hand on her shoulder. "Yeah, but it's okay, Star. You're only alien."
Raven stared at the sight of his hand on her shoulder, feeling something sour rise into her stomach. She pushed the feeling back into submission and moved away from them, rolling her eyes. "Your jokes are still awful."
Beast Boy chased after her, with Starfire in tow. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means your jokes are terrible and you should feel terrible. And, I don't want to hear them." She stopped and looked back into Beast Boy's face, seeing the fear start to melt away under their regular interactions. He looked relieved almost, that there was some normalcy that could be found between them, after their fight with Adonis, and even after his confessions. It was proof that she didn't hate him, and things could go back to the way they always were.
"Awe, come on, Raven! You love my jokes!" Her threw an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close to him. He smiled at her sour expression, as if nothing strange had happened between them.
Raven sighed and pushed his arm off her shoulders, glaring. "It doesn't matter how many times you say it, Beast Boy, it's never going to be true." She started back down the street, feeling the two of them trail behind her.
"But I'll keep trying."
"Please, spare me."
His fingers wrapped around her wrist and Raven suddenly felt herself being pulled against him again. Her own pulse thudded through her ears and he smiled against her hair. Why did he have to keep holding her like this? "Thanks, Rae… for… everything. And for not giving up on me."
"Who said I haven't given up on you?" She stared up into his smiling face and gave her standard, deadpanned expression. Behind him, she could hear Starfire's amused chuckle, and she pushed Beast Boy off her. "And I told you this morning to stop with the touchy-feely crap. Jeez."
"You like my touchy-feely crap, admit it."
"As much as I like a hole in my head. Now, shut up." She put her hands on her hips and stared at him. "We have to get back to the tower, because I seem to remember Starfire saying that something along the lines of promising to talk to Robin about all of this."
His face fell and he pushed past her, exuding the sticky air of guilt and defeat. "Yeah… yeah… don't remind me."
Raven rolled her eyes and followed him down the street. This should be interesting.
)O(
"Would someone please explain to me what the hell is going on?" Cyborg stood outside Robin's office looking from Starfire to Raven and back again. Starfire looked away, as if caught doing something naughty, but Raven just stared at his face unblinking. Cybrog rolled his eyes and leaned against the wall. "I go out grocery shopping and come home to find Raven's been attacked by Adonis and the whole tower town up in arms about Beast Boy over… what exactly?"
"Not my place to tell." Raven turned and looked at the door, knowing she couldn't hear the conversation inside, but she could feel the push and pull of emotions from Robin and Beast Boy. Anger, sadness, confusion, betrayal, and a million other emotional hybrids that Raven didn't have names for. What in the world were they talking about? "You'll have to ask Beast Boy for that information."
Cyborg shook his head and groaned. "I don't know what kind of problem he got himself into today, but I know better than to go sticking my nose into it. Robin looked like he was going to strangle the remote when BB said something to him. Nope, I am staying out of whatever that is."
Starfire opened her mouth as if she was going to say something, and then decided against it. She sighed and started toward the stairwell, shoulders hunched and gait slowed. "I do not have the indication that I will be any use here. Perhaps I should go make dinner… I believe we will need some kind of sustenance after today."
Cyborg paled and glanced down at Raven, eyes wide. "Is she serious? Her idea of cooking is throwing food into a bowl with mustard! It's worse than yours."
"I know." Raven's stomach turned as she remembered Starfire's last attempt at cooking. The nightmares still haunted her, being chased by glowing orange Jell-o molds. She shook her head and waved him off. "Go after her, before she decides to cook and we all get food poisoning again. Like last week."
He paled again and started chasing after her. "Hang on a sec, Star! Let me help you! Remember, raw shrimp is not edible and should not be mixed with popcorn!"
"Raven."
Raven jerked and turned around to look into Robin's frowning face. She could almost see the emotions rolling off of him like heatwaves. Whatever they talked about must have really gotten him worked up. "And what would you like, Wonder Boy?"
His frown deepened and he opened the door to his office a little wider. "Can you come in here, please? We'd like to talk to you."
"We?" Raven rolled her eyes and started moving toward the door, feeling strangely like she had gotten caught being mean on the playground and was now being called into the principal's office. She stepped into the room, and nearly choked on the volatile energy there. It was as if the room was filled to the brink with both of their emotions. Any more angry words between each other and Raven thought she might burst. She kept her face blank and stared at Robin. "So, what do you want?"
He looked over at Beast Boy and waved his hand, as if urging him to start talking. "Anytime you want to join in on the conversation, you can join. This is all about you and her anyway."
"Seriously?" Beast Boy seethed and snapped his teeth at his leader. "You really want me to talk about my problems in front of you? Are you crazy, dude?"
"You already told me what was going on, who cares if I hear it again?" Robin rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest, still keeping his frown permanently sewn onto his face. "Besides, you're going to need a mediator in all of this. Do you really think she's going to be able to handle this news calmly?"
Beast Boy jerked and winced as if he'd been hurt, and Raven felt his pain ripple through the room. "That was low, dude. Too low."
"It's the truth, Beast Boy."
"Look, I don't care if I need a mediator or not, Boy Blunder. I'm not telling her in front of you!" Beast Boy pushed at his shoulders, but Robin didn't even react. Beast Boy snapped his teeth again. "Just let us figure this out on our own. We don't need a mother hen looking over our shoulder every second."
"Really?" Robin snarled. "Because keeping it to yourself was working so well."
"Seriously, you're starting to piss me off."
"Get over yourself, I'm doing this for the good of the team!"
"Good of the team? Why? Because I'm some scary monster that needs to be locked up?"
Robin's eyes flashed, but Raven silenced him before he could respond. "Robin!" She saw his lips forming the movement to say "yes" and she knew that would break Beast Boy's heart even more. "That's enough from both of you. Look, if Beast Boy doesn't want to talk to me in front of you, then maybe you should leave us alone. He's not going to hurt me, and I think I can figure out my own problems without a mediator. Let us just have some time alone and we'll let you know what happened… okay?"
He grumbled under his breath and headed for the door. "Whatever." He moved towards the door and walked into the hallway. "But I'm not responsible for cleaning up his blood off the floor."
She rolled her eyes. "If you need to mediate, then why don't you go keep your girlfriend from making the shrimp, mustard, and Jell-o salad she did last week, okay?"
His face paled and he bolted out of the room in the direction of the kitchen. Raven smiled and closed the door behind him. "That'll keep him busy for a little bit."
Beast Boy's ears fell and he dry-heaved a little. "Star isn't really cooking dinner tonight, is she?"
"She has it in her head that we are going to need sustenance."
"Oh, god… I can't even think about what she did last time…" He blanched and dropped his head in his hands. "The kitchen smelled like an old seafood market for a week, and I was stuck eating soy bars in my room until it went away. Ugh." He sighed and looked up into her face, his normal color returning. "Sorry you had to see all of that, by the way. Robin is in an extra foul mood today, because apparently – and I'm not naming any names – someone told him about the reason there was a lack of report for last week's mission." He stared at her, raising an eyebrow.
"He wouldn't drop it this morning, Beast Boy. I either told him, or he annoyed me for the rest of my life." Raven sat down in a folding chair next to him and sighed. "You would have done the same thing too, so don't go pointing fingers at me."
"Yeah… you're probably right." Beast Boy spun around in Robin's swivel chair, staring at the ceiling. "He can be such a bastard when he wants to be."
"It's part of his charm."
"Is that what we're calling it now?"
"I guess so…" Raven looked over at him and chuckled, feeling the tension in the air begin to unravel. They might not have a lot in common, but when there was tension between them, they could always break it with their shared annoyance of Robin's personality. Raven gave him a small smile. "Look, I know he wants you to tell me… something, and to be perfectly honest, I have a million unanswered questions about both you and Adonis. But… if you're not ready to tell me, I don't want to force you. It's not my place to tell you what to do. "
"That's not it." Beast Boy looked over at her and sighed, spinning the chair around for a little longer. "It's not that I'm not ready… and it's information you need to know… it's just that I'm just scared of what you'll think after I tell you. Robin is actually right, although don't tell him I said that. I need to tell you what's going on."
"And what is that?"
"You know that my beast has made a few appearances in the past week, right?"
"I was there for several of those incidences, unfortunately." Raven crossed her arms over her chest and watched him. "And?"
"Well, part of the reason he's been around a lot is because he's trying to protect something, and I…" His words died on his lips, and he sighed and leaned back in the chair, his head hanging over the back. He stared at the ceiling for a long moment before deciding to continue. "Can I ask you a really serious question, Raven?"
"That's unusual for you… but go ahead."
"Does your demon side ever make you do terrible things?"
Raven jerked slightly at the audacity of the question, but she refused to back down. If this was going to help answer her own questions, she would answer his. "That's a hefty question for the afternoon. But… you know the answer to that. You've seen the demon side of me more times that I can to count, and you know what it can do, even to my own friends. What brought that up?"
"Well… I have a demon side too… only he's a little less evil and a little more animalistic."
"I know… I had the unfortunate opportunity to run into him on several occasions." Raven could feel the tension return to the air, and she swallowed hard. Where in the world could he be taking this? Yes, his beast was stronger than usual, but that shouldn't have anything to do with her. Did it have something to do with Adonis? "Exactly what does this have to do with me?"
Beast Boy didn't answer her right away, but continued on with his questions. "Your emotions, the other Ravens, they take over you, don't they? I mean, I've seen Happy push through on occasion. And, I know that sometimes, when Rage gets a hold of you, it's hard to tell where she begins and you end. Sure, you get all super-powerful-freaky-Raven, but you lose a part of yourself in the process… right?"
"Yes… and?" Where was he taking this?
He sighed and glanced over at her before returning his stare to the ceiling. "My beast is kind of the same way. He's like a parasite inside me, giving me strength and power, but he also takes a lot from me. He takes away some of my choices and sometimes I feel that he takes away parts of me."
Raven sighed and stared at him, spinning around in the chair. "This is great that we're bonding over our emotional and metaphysical shortcomings and all, but what exactly does this have to do with me, Gar?"
He stopped spinning and looked over at her, his was face blank but his eyes were filled with shadows. The air thickened and he sighed. "The truth is that all of this... stupidity this past week is because of me and my beast." He glanced away and looked back at her, swollowing hard. "My beast is looking for a mate and he's chosen you."
"Um... what?" Raven felt her heart fall into her stomach and her ears rang from the impact of his words. The world lurched to a stop beneath her and she almost fell out of her chair. Behind her, she could hear the newspaper clippings pinned to the wall explode and flutter to the floor. "Excuse me? Did you… just say what I think you said?"
"My beast wants a mate. Specifically, you."
It felt as if someone had punched her in her stomach, and then reached into her chest and squeezed her lungs. How was she even supposed to respond to this? To make sense of it? Beast Boy had just told her that she was being hunted as a mate. To him. Her muscles twitched as if she was going to empty the contents of her stomach at any moment. She stood up suddenly, trying to focus on the exit, which now seemed a million miles away from her. "I… I have to go."
"Go?" His anger flashed through the room like lightning and he watched her move across the floor. "So, that's it? You're just going to leave and pretend that this conversation never happened?"
"What do you expect me to do?" She turned and looked at Beast Boy, who was still watching her. Her hands and legs were shaking as she inched toward the door. "What do you want me to say? Can you even imagine what is going through my head right now? You're sitting here, so calmly, telling me that I have been chosen to be your mate, as if this is some kind of weird destiny and I should just accept it for what it is. Do you want me to be happy about it? It's okay, because it's just my fate?" Raven pulled the hood of her sweatshirt up over her face, feeling her emotions bubble up from inside her. "Did you even consider my feelings? Or what this might mean to me?"
"Yes! Of course I thought about you! Every day. Every hour. Every minute. Every second. I have always thought about you, Raven. I never wanted you to know about... this." He stood up, and she saw the ghost of fear swimming behind his eyes as he approached her. "I never wanted this for you, and I never dreamed this would happen. Believe me, I had no intention of letting this… thing try to control you, or make you into something you're not. I didn't want to control your fate; you've had enough of that."
Raven stopped the rude comments before they escaped her lips and looked away. "But I get the feeling that you're still forcing me to make this decision of being a... mate."
"No. Never." He looked into her eyes and shook his head. "I told you, I didn't want you to know about this, because I didn't want you to feel like you were pressured into something that wasn't your choice. I wouldn't have cared who you ended up with. I was content to live with the torment he created inside me, as long as I knew you were safe and happy. I never intended to tell you, because I thought you might be able to live without ever knowing."
Something inside her chest fluttered violently and she stared at him. "So, why couldn't you just let me live then? Why did you have to tell me now?"
"Because Adonis is messing with that peace I wanted for you. The beast inside me is becoming angrier and more possessive because Adonis is trying to claim you too. That's why he attacked you this afternoon. He was…" Beast Boy ran his hands though his hair and growled, and Raven could feel the push and pull of the beast as he paced the length of the room. They were both riled up and emotionally charged, one wrong move and Beast Boy would have snapped. "Essentially he was going to pin you down and force himself on you. If he claimed you first I would have no choice but to back off and let him have you. You would have been his property."
"Are you serious?" Raven could feel the color leave her face as she stared at him. "What in the hell is wrong with both of you? How did this happen?"
"I don't know why it was you, Raven. I mean... it technically could have been anyone else on the entire planet, but for whatever reason you're the choice mate." He sighed and looked up at the ceiling again, as if he was trying to piece the puzzle together. "My guess is that it has something to do with the accident four years ago. We were all pulled into that toxic goo together... maybe we were all tied together somehow. I don't know. It's just a thought." He paused and looked over at her, his eyes meeting her own. "It could have something to do with your unique genetic make-up."
"As in what? Because I'm a big scary demon, like a big scary beast?"
"No." He frowned, insulted by her comment. "Well, I guess the demon part might have something to do with it... Look, Raven, you're strong, powerful, smart, and attractive." Raven felt the color return to her face tenfold, and she looked away as Beast Boy continued. "By all accounts, you are the perfect mate for the beast, and whatever that accident did to all three of us just solidified that idea. And, because you are the Alpha Female you're only allowed to be claimed by the Alpha Male, which depends wholly on who gets you first."
"That sounds suspiciously like a paradox."
"It is."
"Great. Just fucking great." Raven fought the urge to pound her head on the wall. "So... what does this mean exactly? That I have to choose one of you?"
"No. Well... I don't know. I really don't. I'd rather not see Adonis claim you, or anyone else really. He and I don't exactly have the same idea when it comes to a mate. He will see you as property, as a thing to be possessed and owned. If you are going to refuse the beast, that's fine… but I don't want you to be controlled by him." Beast Boy fell back into the chair, his head held in his hands. "This wouldn't have ever been a problem if he had just stayed in jail."
"Okay, so let me get this straight. You are telling me that the same thing that's happening to you is happening to Adonis?"
"Yes. Or at least that's what I assume is happening, because I'm not exactly inside his head." Beast Boy cursed under his breath. "His beast is going through the same mating process as me, and he wants you as his mate."
"And you also want me as your mate."
"Technically… yes."
"I'm not going to ask you to elaborate on that." She felt strangely injured by his desire to keep distance between them. "An you are technically both Alpha Males… but whoever claims me will be… what? Super-Ultra-Alpha Male?"
"Um… sure?"
"Well, that's great." Raven groaned and leaned back against the door, trying to piece everything together without making her head explode. How did this happen to her? Furthermore, why did this happen to her? She looked into Beast Boy's eyes, but she didn't seem to find the answer to any of her questions there. "So, your beast wants me, Adonis wants me, and I… I really get no say in anything that actually happens to me."
"I was trying to keep that from happening. I didn't want you to feel pressured by what I am, or feel like because I'm your friend you have to play by these stupid rules. You don't, and I never wanted you to." He sighed and looked up into her eyes. "I just wanted you to be happy, I didn't care who it was with."
Raven swallowed hard, trying to understand what he meant by that. She kept her face blank and looked at the floor, trying to break eye contact. "So, what do we do now? To keep Adonis from staking his claim on me?"
His cheeks flushed and he looked away, fidgeting. "I have one solution, and you won't like it."
"Well, there hasn't been a whole lot that I liked about today, so why don't you give it a shot?"
"Mate with me."
Raven turned and stared at him as if he'd grown a second head. "As in… have sex?"
"Yes." He didn't even blink.
Sex? With Beast Boy? Something in her stirred with both shock and revulsion. "Okay, now you're being stupid."
"Well, that's the only option I have, other than kill Adonis or frame him to put him back in jail. And neither of those other options sounds remotely legal." He stood up and stared into her eyes, growling low in his throat. "Because, until you are actually claimed, or until we can put him back into a high security prison, he's going to smell that you are… open for business."
"Ew. Gross. Please don't make me think about that." Raven pinched the bridge of her nose between her fingers, trying to ward off a headache. "I can't believe we are having this conversation."
"Believe me, I would much rather have kept it in the dark for the rest of our lives."
She took a deep breath and tried to think about it logically, because her other options weren't exactly great. If she had sex with him, Adonis would stop trying to mate with her. But, what else would happen between them? Would it have been just a night of sex, or would it be something more? Raven looked over at him and felt her stomach twist inside her. What was she supposed to do? A million fights with Slade would have been a better option than this.
"So, if I have sex with you… then what happens between us?"
"Wait a second…" Beast Boy's mouth fell open and he stared at her. "Are you seriously considering this? I can't believe you."
"You just told me this is the only option I have! Besides murder or framing! What did you expect?"
"But I didn't think you'd actually agree!"
"It's just sex, right?"
"Not for me!" Beast Boy winced as soon as the words left his mouth and he shrank back, color leaving his face. He turned away from her and pretended to be suddenly interested in the newspaper clippings on the floor. "Never mind. Just forget I said anything."
Raven felt her breath catch in her throat at the sight of him. Was he implying that maybe there was something more than friendship between them? A hundred different images and feelings welled up inside her as she watched him. "Beast Boy… do you… are you…"
"No. I'm not." He sighed and fell back into the chair, looking up at her with a dark, blank expression. Raven frowned at the cold feeling blossoming in her heart. Why was he was still trying to keep distance between them? Weren't they... she shook her head. She didn't even know what they were, friends, or teammates, or something else.
Beast Boy shook his head. "Trust me, I'm not. I just don't want our team to fall apart because we had sex to fix a problem. And I don't know what will really happen between us if we actually have sex. Or mate. Or bump uglies. Or whatever you want to call it. And, I don't know what could change in you or me. What if this isn't just sex? What if it's something more? I don't want to take the chance of creating an unwanted destiny for you because we have a problem with a narcissistic asshole."
"Can we not call it 'bump uglies'?" Raven sighed and stared up at the ceiling, still trying to calm herself down. The whole conversation sounded surreal, like something out of a strange dream. She almost expected to open her eyes and find herself naked in front of a classroom.
"I guess I really didn't think about it like that… I understand your concerns, Beast Boy... but look at what the problem is: Adonis. While he's not exactly one of our 'Top Ten Baddies' he's still enough to be a serious problem." She paused and tried to offer him a reassuring smile. "And, I'm just considering it like any other spell. If I have to use a spell to fix a problem… it doesn't really matter what the ingredients to the spell are or how I get them, as long as I get the right result. So if sex is the only logical way to stop Adonis from attacking me, then maybe this is the best solution. And, if I'm going to lose my virginity, I might as well lose it to a friend."
"I cannot believe you are being serious." Beast Boy threw his hands up into the air as if defeated. "I am not having this conversation with you, Raven. That's it. We are not having sex. End of story. We'll just have to figure out something else."
"Look at the destruction he caused, Beast Boy. Look at what almost happened to me… he nearly killed me, and took out an entire park in the fight that followed. And that was just one incident… how long is this going to go on? How much destruction is there going to be, and what if someone gets hurt in the process? Or worse?"
His eyes closed and he looked away, emotions rippling through the room in waves. "So, what… we have sex and things go back to normal. Just friends? It's just one night… it's not going to change anything." He stood up and approached her, his anger spicing the air as if it were a thunderstorm. He pushed her against the door, his hand curling under her chin to bring her face closer to his. Heat and electricity crackled between them, and Raven was pretty sure that her heart had flown out of her chest a few seconds ago. He leaned down and brushed his lips against hers in a mock kiss, as his hands sliding down her side and over her hip. "It's just sex, right?"
His fingers pushed her top up and slid along the stitching of her jeans, touching her skin. Raven barely could hear Robin's desk lamp explode over the pounding of her own heart. She stared up into Beast Boy's face and forced a frown onto her lips. "Well, we wouldn't have to do this. This romance is unnecessary."
Beast Boy smiled mockingly at her, and dropped his voice low. "Clearly you need a lesson in anatomy. Because, unfortunately, not all of my parts work without a little foreplay." His tongue darted out and ran along the seam of her lips while his hands drifted to the back of her body to cup her ass. "So, this unnecessary romance is going to have to happen."
"Stop." Raven pushed at his shoulders and put space between them. She knew she must have been breathing hard and her whole body felt like it was on fire. What in the world was he doing to her, and why did she let him? Raven glared and readjusted her clothes. "This isn't funny."
"No… it's not. It's not supposed to be." His eyes darkened and he stepped away from her, giving them both space. "Now, do you see what the problem is? What would happen between us, or the team, if we just had meaningless sex?"
"Then what? We frame Adonis for a crime and throw him back in jail?"
Beast Boy shrugged. "We could."
"We're better than that!"
"So, what then? We have sex and that's it?"
Raven felt her heart skip a beat as she thought about what happened only minutes before. Could she look at him the same way without thinking about what transpired between them? Or how he made her feel? But the real question was: would she really be happy with just a single, empty sexual encounter with Beast Boy? She glanced over at Robin's desk lamp, which was an indistinguishable blob of metal and plastic. It was a physical manifestation of what happened when she lost control. She thought maybe she was brave enough to just let him have sex with her, but maybe she wasn't as brave as she thought she was.
"What kind of man are you?" Raven frowned and stared him in the eyes, trying to keep the tough, logical Raven façade. "Are you seriously throwing away a night of guilt-free sex?"
"Are you seriously twenty years old and still a virgin?"
"That was low, and you're a jerk." Raven's eyes narrowed and her hands found the door handle and yanked it open. "I'm done having this conversation."
"Good." Beast Boy crossed his arms over his chest and watched her leave. "Because I'm not having sex with you. Ever."
"Fine. I never wanted sex with you anyway!" She slammed the door closed and stared into the darkness of the hall, feeling color floor her entire body. Had she really just let those words come out of her mouth?
)O(
Thanks for reading! Sorry about the delay in getting this to you, I was fighting with this last scene for a bit. Anyway, let me know what you think!