The voice had been calm and low, but the effect it had on Beast Boy was to make him do a start in surprise, send his perspiration glands into overtime, and set his heart beating at twice its normal speed.
It was Raven. With evident nervousness he turned to see her pouring herself some herbal tea which she had kept warm in a samovar.
"Yeah. L-L-Late," he stuttered.
"I hear you're writing a fan fic. I'm pleasantly surprised." And here she took it upon herself to sit on the stool next to him and look at the monitor with interest. "Mind if I read over what you've got so far? I always enjoy reading, and perhaps I could give you some pointers. And by the way, it's easier to talk if you close your mouth first."
"Oh! Sorry! Close . . . mouth. Yeah!"
"Well? Do I have permission to look at your opus? I know art is a very personal thing and I won't look unless you give me permission." She was still using that flat, low, unemotional voice as she sipped her tea next to him.
For some reason the thought of Raven reading about Henry's unrequited feelings for June disturbed him. "I . . . I don't know. Maybe you should wait until it's posted at . . . "
She gave him The Stare. "You cannot resist me!"
"It's true! I cannot resist!! Read it!! Read it!!! Only please let me live!!!" he pleaded, head down and banging on the counter with his fists.
"Woah. Chill Beast Boy, I was only kidding. You really mean it? Is it okay if I see what you've written?"
"Might as well." Beast Boy sounded like someone who thought the world was about to end.
Raven had to draw a little closer to Beast Boy to read his story on the screen (which you may be sure made him even more uncomfortable) but read it she did. The story was simplistic, the grammar was bad, the formatting non-existant, but the deep pain expressed was obvious. Raven blushed a little as she concluded what he had written.
"So, you think that Henry is in love with his co-worker? Aren't they, like, brother and sister?"
Beast Boy was too despondent to reply, his head in his hands.
"Ooookay. Well . . . if he feels that way toward his friend, why doesn't he tell her? Does he not trust her enough to confide in her?"
Beast Boy was still in The Position. "You know why," he told her from behind his hands.
"But if June is truly his friend he can tell her. I'm sure she never intentionally put him under 'her evil spell,' and if she did she's not a good person and isn't worthy of him."
"Hey," Beast Boy said, suddenly lifting his head to look at Raven in a way that now made her nervous. "I didn't write that anywhere in the story. At least I don't think so. Hmmm . . . "
"Oh well, never mind!" she said, blushing with discomfort at the thought that Beast Boy might guess where she got the phrase. "Whether you put it in those exact words or not, that's the basic idea that comes through."
"Yeah. I guess it is." Then he looked Raven right in the face. "That's what it feels like, you know."
"You're . . . sorry?"
"For poor Henry," Raven said quickly. Then she adopted a friendlier, more normal, and less "Raven-ish" tone of voice. "You know what I'd do if I were June?" she asked.
"Wh-What???" Beast Boy asked in alarm.
"Well, if I had inadvertantly put a close friend and co-worker under 'my evil spell,' I'd definitely want him to tell me."
"You . . . you would?"
"Of course. I would never want to cause a friend pain like that. I would want to know so I could try and make it right."
"M--Make it . . . right?" Raven kindly made no comment on his sudden stuttering problem. "How?"
Raven thought for a moment. "Well, even if--if--I couldn't return his feelings, my feelings of friendship would compel me to do all in my power to see him through his crush until he was over it and could be happy again."
"Oh." Beast Boy's response was so soft it could barely be heard, and he looked at the floor.
"But you know? I don't know for sure that I wouldn't return Henry's feelings. Who knows? Even if I didn't share them at first I might be so touched and flattered by his devotion that I would begin to see him in a whole new light."
Beast Boy suddenly looked back up, joy gleaming in his eyes, which had obviously been tearing. "Then . . . then there's hope??? Um, for Henry, I mean," he added quickly.
"Of course. June isn't an unfeeling monster. She just hasn't understood. But whether she is ever able to return Henry's feelings or not there is one thing I am absolutely certain of."
"Yes . . . ?" Beast Boy asked with anxiety in his quiet voice.
"However their relationship turns out in the end, I am absolutely positive that June would never, ever, ever in a million years lose her friendship for Henry, or be angry with him, or 'hate him,' as you fragile males are so fond of saying."
"And . . . she wouldn't look down on him?" Beast Boy asked timidly.
"Never. He is too good a friend, and anyone who would be so cruel with another's heart is not worthy of one's devotion."
"And she'd still . . . respect him? I mean, even after learning she had him so zapped that he can't sleep at night and . . . " Beast Boy stopped abruptly.
"'June' would respect and admire him even more, regardless of how things work out in the end," Raven assured him, this time giving him a small smile without the least reluctance.
Beast Boy thought he would float right off the stool.
Suddenly he yawned as the stress-generated adrenaline which had been keeping him going all day left him. Now he could barely keep his eyes open.
"Better turn in for the night and finish your story tomorrow," Raven advised.
Beast Boy's smile and voice exuded such peace of mind that it was touching. "Yeah. I'll save it and get back to it after forty winks."
"Good. Good night, Beast Boy." And Raven got up to get herself some more tea. But she suddenly stopped and turned back to him.
"You know, I was headed out to this little coffeehouse to listen to some poetry. They really just get going in a big way this time of the night. Wanna come with?" She knew that Ingrid Third was one of Beast Boy's favorite cartoon characters and that she sounded just like her if she tried to.
Suddenly every trace of fatigue was gone from Beast Boy's face and body. "Disco!" he said, trying his best to play along.
"I'll just head to my room right quick to get my cloak and we'll be on our way. It's nice and dark and quiet and I promise it will help relax you."
Beast Boy just nodded, too happy for words. Raven gave another barely visible smile and left to retrieve her cloak.
"All right, BB! Go Beast Boy! Go Beast Boy! It's your birthday! It's your birthday!" And it certainly felt like it.
In no time at all Raven was back, wearing her cloak. "Ready to go?" she asked him invitingly.
"Boy, am I!!! I mean, uh, sure, I don't mind or anything," he corrected quickly. And when he joined her she put her arm on his shoulder. And contrary to what he might have feared, he didn't faint or chortle like a fool or shoot into the sky like a rocket.
Suddenly Raven stopped. "Beast Boy, your computer! Better shut it down," she suggested.
"Yeah, you're right!" he said, this time with more confidence than he had shown before. And he took returned to the computer and . . . simply flicked it off.
"Beast Boy! Your story! You forgot to save it!!!" Raven exclaimed in horror.
Beast Boy just smiled as he looked at the blank screen. "No, that's all right," he said. "I don't really need to write that story after all."
END