Title: Hey Jealousy

Author: Blair Lebeau, SocialButterfli

Summary: When a stranger named Derek appears at the door of Titans Tower seeking refuge, it leads to friendship, romance, and not to mention trouble. It seems to follow Derek everywhere he goes, and when he gets the Teen Titans sucked into it, Robin begins to believe that maybe Derek isn't what he seems. Is Robin onto something, or is it just the result of a little thing called jealousy? RobStar BBRae

Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans, which you already knew, but I can't afford to be sued so I'll just say it anyway.

Chapter 4 – An Impossible Choice

Beast Boy tried to get up the courage to knock on Raven's door but was failing miserably. He should have known not to push it with Starfire; Robin was always overprotective of her. Lucky guy, he could be protective of the one he loved because Starfire would never notice it, being naïve as she is. Beast Boy, however, couldn't even try it. Raven would catch on in a second and hate him for the rest of their lives.

Wait, why would he want to be protective of Raven?

He knew why, he just didn't want to admit it. He loved her. He knew it was stupid, because he wasn't even sure if Raven could love. And if she could, it wasn't likely that he was the one she'd chose to show her affection for. (Raven showing affection, impossible, right?) There wasn't a more unlikely couple, and he knew it. He, the ever-joking and never serious Beast Boy, didn't have a snowball's chance in hell of being with the mysterious and apathetic Raven. But he couldn't help it. In the beginning he had been able to ignore it. But as time went by, his feelings for her grew, and it got to the point where his love could be overlooked no longer. Why? Because in comparison to this, his crush on Terra seemed only that: a crush. Perhaps if she had not betrayed them, or if she had lived, his crush would have escalated into love. But it was not so, and his feeling for Raven were stronger than anything he had ever felt before. And these feelings were sure to be his doom.

Knock knock. Beast Boy cringed at the sound of his knuckles on her door. There was no going back now. Not a second went by from when he lifted his hand from the surface did the door slide open to reveal a pissed looking Raven. But Beast Boy didn't notice her expression. He was too busy staring at her uncloaked body. The black leotard that she wore underneath seemed skimpy and very not Raven without her trademark blue cloak. It revealed her pale, shapely legs and molded nicely around her chest. Beast Boy practically had to remind himself not to drool.

A sharp, searing pain sliced through his brain, leaving behind a headache. He staggered backwards, too surprised to yell. Raven smirked.

"What the hell was that for?" he asked, clutching at his head.

"Partly for waking me up, partly for staring elsewhere than my face." Beast Boy's green face tinged pink. "Now do you want to tell me why I'm up?"

"There's this guy," Beast Boy stammered, embarrassed at being caught. "Looks like he got into a fight or something. Apparently he wants to tell us his story, and doesn't feel like telling it a million times, so I was supposed to come get you to come out and hear it with us." Raven yawned.

"Like I care who this guy is," she said in her monotone voice.

"Well, whoever he is, he's seriously pissing Robin off," came Cyborg's voice as he marched towards the two. "Apparently there might be a connection between this guy and Starfire, and currently he and Robin are having a staring match. It seems like our boy Robin is feeling a little jealous."

"In that case, I think I'm interested," Raven said, never one to pass up conflict. The trio made their way back into the kitchen, where Starfire was babbling on about something no one could understand and Robin and Derek were locked in glare combat.

"We're here," Cyborg announced, not a fan of the obvious friction. "And we'd like to hear your story." Derek broke the glare to look at the three Titans and smile.

"Of course. Have a seat." Derek retold his story. When he was done, Cy, BB and Rae looked at each other, as if to figure out what each other thought about this guy's story.

"Dude...." Beast Boy finally said.

"The downfall, huh?" Cyborg asked. "Hmm, we could use people who cause the downfall of an enemy around here. Maybe you should stay a while, and we can try to help you out." Robin tensed at this. Cyborg was kidding, right? There was no way Derek could stay here.

"Do we have room?" Robin asked, sharply, not about to let this stranger in so easily. "I don't think we have room." Raven sighed, finding Robin's immaturity pitiable.

'Robin, we are the Teen Titans,' she said into his mind. 'Whether we like someone or not, we have to help them. It's what we do. You're our leader. You have to control your emotions.'

Robin knew Raven was right and she brought him back to his senses. Starfire would be his downfall as a leader and Teen Titan, he realized, if he didn't get his act together. He looked at her, took in her beauty, and realized that getting his act together was an impossible feat. How else could he remain sane around her? The answer was he couldn't. Which left only one choice: he had to stay away from Starfire.

Which was easier said than done.

It had been a week since it was decided that Derek would stay and the Titans would help him, and Robin found himself loathing the newcomer more and more each day. His plan to block out all thoughts and encounters with Starfire was difficult, and every time they came in contact he had to break away quickly or lose his mind. He saw her being hurt by it, and that killed him. Not to mention make him want to kill Derek. He was ignoring and hurting the one he loved just so he could keep his cool all for this stranger? And Robin still wasn't sure he trusted Derek. With the way he was making moves on Starfire every chance he got, Derek seemed to be nothing other than a sneaky, conniving son of a bitch. And Robin despised him in every sense of the word. Derek was without a doubt stealing his thunder and becoming more and more liked by the Titans every day. And Robin couldn't help but feel like Derek was taking his friends away from him.

Robin spent a lot of time alone now that Derek had come along, mostly in the training room. It was there that Starfire, full of questions, found him.

"Friend Robin, might you be able to take a break and talk to me?" she asked. Robin stopped his vigorous routine immediately, his body reacting to the voice that he hadn't heard in so long but yearned to listen to every day.

"Uh, er, I'm kind of busy, Starfire," he said, searching for any reason to get away from her. But he didn't really want to, in fact, he wanted to go right up to her and....

"Please, Robin, this is what I wish to talk about," Starfire said, and Robin detected a twinge of sadness in her voice. She sat down on Cyborg's press bench. "You always seem to be so busy, and it's like you never have time for me anymore." Robin couldn't resist anymore. It was all he could do to walk slowly over to her, not to break into a run and scoop her up into his arms and carry her off into the sunset and....damn, Robin, get a hold of yourself.

"I'm sorry, Star," he said, sitting next to her. The press bench wasn't very long, so the two were close together, and Robin's pulse heightened as he felt her thigh pressed against his. She was so close, so close, he could just pull her into his lap and kiss her right then and there. But he would not and could not. Although he couldn't help but put his arm around her. She leaned into him, making him seize up.

So this is why Raven has to meditate, he thought, unable to keep his emotions to himself. It was killing him to have her so close up against him but having it only be platonic. His thoughts certainly weren't platonic.

"I wish to know why we haven't spent much time together," she said. "You are my best friend, and I am saddened when I'm not around you." Robin's breathing almost stopped completely. She liked to be with him, but he was only her best friend. Oh, this was tearing him apart.

"I've been busy," he said, repeating his lame excuse. "I should never be too busy for you, I'm sorry...." He pulled her closer to him in a hug and she squeezed him tight. He didn't mind going without oxygen for a few seconds just to have her hold him.

"Am I interrupting something?" came the inopportune voice of Derek. He was leaning against the door in a carefree way that was undeniably alluring. His colorful bruise had most nearly disappeared and the swelling was down completely. Starfire broke the hug, much to Robin's dismay, and looked towards the charismatic teen.

"Derek!" Starfire smiled brightly. "I did not expect to see you until tonight."

"Yes." A slow smile spread across Derek's face. "Did Starfire tell you that we're going on a date, Robin?" In a second Robin was on him, punching that smile off his face, crushing him, destroying him....in his mind, that is.

In reality, Robin looked at his newfound enemy, and then at Starfire. "Is this true?" Something that might have been regret and possibly sadness clouded her face. In truth, when Derek had asked her to see a movie, she hadn't thought of it as a date, but only a friendly outing. She and the rest of the Titans had watched movies together numerous times and it hadn't been considered romantic. But now, as Derek talked about their friendly excursion by using the Earth word for fernardslepan, Starfire found herself unable to correct him. Derek was her newest friend, and she didn't wish to displease him. But what about Robin? Although Starfire was sure her best friend didn't feel for her the way she felt for him, she didn't want to cut off any chance of him feeling that way for her in the future because he thought of her as "taken" by Derek. She found herself faced with a situation she didn't know how to handle. Much like the first time she had laid eyes on Derek.

"Of course it's true," Derek snapped, saving Star from answering. Derek and Robin shared a mutual glare.

"I wasn't asking you," Robin replied hatefully.

"Ooh, touchy, touchy." Derek smirked. "Well I'm outta here. Star, you coming or what?" Starfire looked between Derek and Robin. She may have been naïve, but the girl wasn't stupid. She could sense that if she chose one over the other, the other would be offended. And Starfire hated to offend people. She had to choose between her newest friend and her best friend.

And she had to choose now.

Ooh, whom will she go with? I'm sure the suspense is killing you. Bwahahahaha! Review or never find out who she chooses!

Sneak Peak: A Titans outing leads to bits of fluff for Starfire and Robin and Beast Boy and Raven. Poor Cyborg, he couldn't bring his car. My next fic (which will be the sequel to "Heart's Desire") is totally going to have someone for the poor guy. Yeah, I said someONE not someTHING. Get that? T Car drives away sobbing hysterically Yeah that wasn't weird at all.

Blair