Chapter 5
"Uh, Beast Boy? You may want to stop doing that. You'll get brain damage. That is, if you don't already have it."
Beast Boy smacked his head against the tabletop a few times before keeping his head down. "Cyborg, what is wrong with me?"
Cyborg hovered over Beast Boy's desk. "Let me get a pencil and paper." He smiled a goofy smile.
Beast Boy looked up, unamused. "Your sympathy needs some work."
"Oh, come on. Lighten up, BB. You're looking too much into this."
Beast Boy replaced his head down on the desk. "Why did I hug Raven? Terra would kill me if she saw what I did and said."
"What, so you have a thing for Raven now?"
"No. Well, I don't know. I don't want to talk about it."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah. I feel like being alone now."
"Sure." Cyborg left Beast Boy in his room to think. When he opened the door, Terra stood looking all anxious.
"Cyborg, what's going on?"
He held up his hands. "He just wants to be alone."
"What did Raven do to him? I saw her powers go out of control and heard a table bang against the wall." Terra tried to look past Cyborg, but he was far too massive. "Come on, Cyborg."
"Just let him be for an hour or two."
"I have a right to know. I'm his girlfriend."
"Terra..."
"Fine, I'll just go see Raven and see what she has to say." She started to walk away until Cyborg held her back.
"Alright! Go in already!" Cyborg let her pass.
"I don't have to talk to you and I'm not going to. So please leave me alone."
Robin tapped his foot and crossed his arms. "You lost control when Starfire asked about liking Beast Boy. Anything you want to tell us?"
Raven stared blankly out of her room. "Starfire's just oblivious and Terra doesn't know what she's talking about. I lost control because I was mad. Nothing more."
Robin leered at Raven. "Is this something we should be worried about? Do you normally lose control when you get mad?"
"I'm done talking." Without giving Robin a chance to reply, she closed the door. Raven had a massive headache and just couldn't handle talking anymore. She laid down flat on her bed and closed her eyes. All she could think about was Beast Boy hugging her and making sure she was OK. She wrapped herself up into a ball trying to imagine what it might be like to hug him back.
"Raven? Are you there, Raven?" Starfire's voice traveled down the hallway and through Raven's door.
Raven was getting tired of so many interruptions but she opened her door reluctantly. "Yes?"
"I did not mean to anger you, Raven. Would you like to talk the girl talk?"
Raven sighed. "Not particularly."
"Terra, um, hi. I just want to be alone for a little while."
Terra jumped up onto the bed and sat behind Beast Boy. "Doesn't a neck rub sound good right now?" She began to gently massage his neck and shoulders.
"Terra, not now. I...oooh." The neck rub was making him feel better and slightly turning him on, but his conscience was baring down on him as well.
Terra whispered into his ear. "Where else would you like me to massage?" She slipped her hand down the front of his suit and rubbed his chest.
Beast Boy abruptly stood up.
"Beast Boy, what's wrong?"
"I've got a lot on my mind right now."
"And what's that supposed to mean?" Terra stood up next to him. "Does it have to do with Raven?"
Beast Boy was silent.
"It does, doesn't it? You better tell me."
"I think I have feelings for Raven." Beast Boy looked over at Terra who had a blank expression on her face.
"I knew it! I knew it!" She started beating on his chest. "I knew it! I knew it! I knew it!" As she was pounding on him, she couldn't help but cry.
"She ran away again?" Robin paced back and forth in the front room of Titans Tower. "This is getting really out of hand." He walked over to Beast Boy. "Do you have any idea why Terra ran away?"
Cyborg, Starfire and Robin all looked intently at him. He twiddled his thumbs and looked around the room before fixing his eyes on Raven, who was sitting not that far away. When she noticed him looking at her, he quickly looked down at the floor. "I...don't know."
"It's pretty late. We can't really go looking for her now. Unless you want to, Beast Boy."
Beast Boy was too exhausted to think or move. "I don't know. I don't know."
Cyborg patted Beast Boy on the head. "Are you gonna be OK, bud?"
Beast Boy gulped and barely let out a reply. "I don't know."
"Well, I suppose we better turn in." Robin motioned to the others to leave. "Don't worry, Beast Boy, we'll find her." On his way out, Robin looked back at him. "I'm sorry, Beast Boy."
Starfire followed close behind, while Cyborg patted Beast Boy's shoulder and left without another word.
Raven was about to head out when Beast Boy grabbed her by the arm. "Beast Boy, what are you..." When she looked over at him, his eyes were bloodshot and welled with tears.
"Stay...please."
Raven wasn't following what he said. "Beast Boy, I don't understand..."
"Just...stay here for a few minutes. Please." He dragged her over to the couch. "Just...stay. Please."
Raven had never seen Beast Boy this vulnerable. "S-sure, Beast Boy." She cradled his head in her lap and stroked his hair.
This was by far the hardest chapter for me to write. It kept turning into nauseating teen melodrama, and I swore I'd steer away from that approach. I must have wrote and erased what I had 50 times before I got something I was satisfied with... and it still has some eye-rolling moments. But if I wanted to continue, it had to be done. Besides, I'm trying my darndest to keep up with writing this story through all the tiny holes in my schedule.
Whew! I'm beat. I'm gonna go take a nap...
-KTF