Chapter 4- Sympathy for Sickness (I wonder)
Disclaimer: I still don't own Teen Titans. Or any of the characters, or anything else, except the plot.
YAY the LONG AWAITED Chapter 4!!!
AnNoUnCeMeNtS TiMe!!!
To those of you who reviewed: Thank you very much! I was really impressed how many of you liked the last chapter. All of your ideas, will once again, try to be incorporated into the story if it makes sense. Oh, yeah. Another review by SuNsHiNe10!! Happy day… Anyway, gracias to you people!
Happy Halloween~ Los dias de los muertos!
I know that I promised that this chapter would be very romantic, but I miscalculated in my story organizer and outline. Sorry! Next chapter will be cool, but this will be the one of the least fun chapters of the story. Sorry, once again. But, if you liked the last chapter, you'll most probably like this chapter. ^_^
Story time!
~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~~*~~*~~
Sympathy for Sickness
Fall came and went quickly. It eventually ended its reign, and the seeds of winter were hatching slowly, day by day. They introducing still, cold nothingness to the world, stirring up worried murmurs among the citizens. The sun was taking a nice vacation to the other side of the world, leaving the city of the Teen Titans to a frosty, and seemingly endless fate. The breezes, no longer were appreciated, for the hot winds had been long gone. Instead, they became stronger every growing minute, seeming to snicker a mischievous laughter, as it brought sickness to households. The civilians of the cities grew colder, and colder as the climax of winter crept closer. One fateful day, a blizzard struck the unprepared city. Sweeping clouds of snow and hail thundered into the city in a whirlwind of winter's fury. The snowstorm had no mercy, breaking windows, and toppling buses. When the weather anomaly was finally finished, the city was blanketed with snow, like a particular room stuffed with feathers. The winds had taken their icy revenge. The cold of winter reached a certain tower, and the snow snowed in five teens. Their shelter was wrecked, leaving them helpless against the rage of winter…
Four Titans sat huddled next to a small fire in their gigantic living room, cowering in the cold. Sitting cross-legged next to each other, the teens desperately tried to find warmth in the shelter of the Tower, but their efforts were in vain. The chilly winds seeped through obvious cracks in the walls, showing the Titans what winter meant being stranded on an island in a giant "T".
"Cyborg, d-didn't you in-install a h-h-heater in th-this tower?" coughed out Robin, a large blanket covering his cold body. His cape was covering his neck like a scarf for extra protection. Cyborg sat across from him, he too, extremely frigid with the cold.
"I really thought I-I d-did," he shivered in response.
"Well, you did it perfectly," came the sarcastic reply.
A small breeze crept through to the team, and they wimpered again, their skin erupting in goose bumps. "My parts are getting sore!" With a small cough, Robin said, "We're all cold, Cy."
"I have had enough of this nonsense," said Raven, her eyes becoming a pale white. A black shield of mental energy arose and formed a bubble around the four kids, and warmth immediately flowed into their bodies. "Phew," said Cyborg. The heat thawed out the team by giving them a few precious moments of total warmth. The teens sat in silence for a while, relaxing in the mental bubble.
"Why did you not do your circle of warmth sooner, Raven?" asked Starfire. "Yeah, good question!" agreed Robin, rubbing his arms and trying to warm them.
"I can't hold this bubble for long," replied Raven, her eyes still bright. "It will only be a matter of time before it collapses. Everyone let out a huge groan, and Robin keeled over in mock fainting.
"Robin! Are you okay?" asked Starfire anxiously. She frantically shook his shoulder. "Robin!"
Robin sighed, and propped his head on his arms. "I'm fine, Star. No worries. I was only pretending." Starfire gave him a relieved smile, and took his hand her hers, and closed her eyes with a merry grin. Cyborg rolled his eyes, looking up at the ceiling. Starfire nuzzled Robin's shoulder in happiness.
Suddenly, the crackling black energy bubble broke, letting cold air overwhelm the Titans once more. Raven dropped to the floor, her energy temporarily drained. "Are you okay Raven?" asked Starfire tenderly. Cyborg peered over the heap of "gothness".
"She looks fine. Power exhaustion knocked her out cold. Her mind's on hold!"
The Teens huddled even close together, trying to create more heat, now that the bubble was gone. A few minutes later, Raven slowly rose to her feet and shook her head, rubbing her temples. "I'm okay, I'm fine," she said. "Not that anyone cares," she murmured softly.
Soon after, the teens tried to make his or her own ways of keeping warm. Raven closed her eyes, and slowly lifted off the ground in deep meditation and concentration. Cyborg asked Robin to shut off his senses, to numb the cold. Robin and Starfire hugged each other closely, and Robin draped another blanket around the pair. Suddenly, all the Titans realized an important detail.
"Where's Beast Boy?" they all asked in unison. Each Titan slowly turned his/her head to see a shivering green boy curled up by a tiny heater. He turned and faced the team. His face was pale, his posture crumbling. He rubbed his arms together furiously, as he looked back at his teammates. "H-h-h-hi g-g-g-guys," he croaked out slowly, his frozen lips forcing out a slight, weary smile. He was obviously colder than any of the other Titans. "I'm c-cold."
Beast Boy's disposition affected Raven the most. Before she knew what she was doing, she stood up and was hovering over the cold boy. "Hi R-Raven," said Beast Boy with a weak grin. "Hello, Beast Boy," she replied. Her eyes filled with a weird sense of worry as she began to help him. She spread her arms above him, and began to whisper her magic incantation.
"Azarath…Metrion…Zinthos!"
A small black protective bubble surrounded the cowering Beast Boy, just like earlier. Warmth instantaneously rushed through the shape-shifter's body, thawing him quite quickly. Raven stood erect, her arms held over the bubble, her eyes a hypnotic white. She was determined not to let the bubble go.
"Wow," marveled Starfire. "I did not know that Raven would do that for Beast Boy."
"She'd do it for any one of us Star," said Robin gingerly, taking Starfire's hand once more. "Yes, she probably would," the girl replied with a blush. Soon, Raven collapsed and Beast Boy was left to the mercy of the winter again. Starfire gasped again at Raven's sprawled body. Cyborg crawled over to the telepath and draped a coat around her body, as she was unconscious. "She'll be fine," he said with a tiny sigh. "Though she might be out for another hour because her powers were already drained in the first place." Beast Boy winced at the thought, and couldn't help feeling very guilty about her.
"Come over here Beast Boy," said Robin, beckoning him to the group. "And make sure to bring that mini-heater!" The comment brought a giggle to the unpleasant situation as Beast Boy joined the other Teens. "Is Raven okay?" he asked.
"She's fine Beast Boy. Worry about yourself for now."
"She just looks so c-cold," he said with a small frown. He got up, and laid down his blanket on her back, and carried her to the couch. The small boy lingered for a minute, in silent thought. He then returned to the circle of Titans to keep warm.
The four Teen Titans rested for a long half an hour. With no heat, it seemed like a day. The fire's flames licked teasingly at the Titans, who wished more than anything that they could be it. The tiny flares shot out of the fire, doing somersaults in the air before flying back down to the fiery hearth. Mesmerized, the Titans watched the fire keep steady while showing off its complex fiery dances in the cold winter wind.
One hour past, and Raven was still asleep/unconscious after the long bubble session. Starfire had fallen asleep, still shivering, on Robin's chest, his arms wrapped around her in turn. Cyborg, whose senses were turned off, couldn't do anything, because his senses were linked to his motor skills too. Finally, Robin spoke up. "One of us should go outside to shovel away the snow and patch up some of the holes in the wall."
Starfire immediately woke up, and said, "Ooooh! We are talking about shovels!" She squealed excitedly before turning to Robin and asking, "Right?" Beast Boy and Robin shared a knowing laugh and they replied, "Right, Star."
"Anyway, the question is who'll do it," said Robin. "I'm ready to go."
"No, I'll go," said Beast Boy getting up. Starfire and Robin looked at the boy in confusion. "Why?" they asked in unison. "Because Raven needs the heat, and I will get it for her," he replied with a stern look. "And nothing's going to stop me." Anyone could see that there was no changing his mind.
"Don't be stupid Beast Boy," said Robin, also rising to his feet. "You're the coldest of us all. How will you keep warm?" But Beast Boy was already on his feet and heading to the door. "Watch me," he said.
With that, Beast Boy turned into a polar bear to keep warm. The polar bear's thick Arctic skin held fast against the winds of winter, and Beast Boy was content. Now why didn't I do that earlier? he asked himself, a little giddy. He was no longer cold, but he felt very sick. It's probably just the Forgiveness Pudding from last night, he thought with a chuckle. Little did Beast Boy know how right he was. At that moment, the Forgiveness Pudding was swimming around in his stomach, creating chaos, and making the shape-shifter very, very ill. He ignored the feeling, and went outside, grabbing a shovel on the way out. He poked an arm in, and shut the door after him. Robin and Starfire stared blankly at the door. "Oh boy," said Robin. "Oh boy."
The green Polar Bear set to work instantly, lifting up piles of snow and hurling them off into the distance. Again and again the shovel hit the white snow, sending bits of ice flying everywhere. Robin and Starfire watched from the Tower's windows as Beast Boy cleared a small path in front of the door. They watched until the bear went to the other side of the tower to patch holes and clear snow. Within a couple of minutes, the Titan's Tower was completely crack free, and the fire's warmth slowly spread through the Tower. Suddenly, Beast Boy's sickness was further activated by the cold. As his vision slowly became blurry, he saw something purple sticking out of the ground. It was a flower, of some sort. Trying to focus his bad Polar bear sight, he reached down to it. Suddenly, the Polar bear reverted back to human form, and the cold Beast Boy clutched his stomach as he fell into the piles of snow, warmth leaving his body as fast as lightning. With his last bit of strength, he plucked the last flower of spring, and tucked it into his belt. Then he doubled over, and fell once more, leaving his own mind at the mercy of the snowstorm. He lay there, pale, and unconscious, as the cold began to enter his body.
Inside the shelter of the Titan's Tower, heat spread instantly to the farthest corners. The heat woke the sleeping telepath. She opened her eyes and blinked before standing up, shaking her head groggily. She pulled down her hood, and turned to stare at the three other Titans. (One of whom was turned off). The other two Titans stared at her before yelling out a triumphant cry.
"Raven! You are alright!" said Starfire, rushing to the telepath and giving her a big hug. "Hey Raven," said Robin.
"Starfire. Get off of me, now," said Raven coldly. Starfire released her grip on Raven, and skipped back over to Robin. Raven pulled up her hood, her face now shadowed in the shade of her hood. Her eyes shone with a sigh, and she walked over to the window. "Someone's been shoveling," she stated. "And it's no longer cold in here." At that exact moment, Raven's legs weakened, and she fell to the floor, her eyes white. In a flash, Robin and Starfire were over to her, helping her get up. They didn't know that Raven had received another "Psychic letter," or warning. She had seen Beast Boy falling into the snow, unconscious. "Where..is..Beast..Boy?" she asked, a very menacing look forming on her face.
"He went outside to shovel snow, why?" asked Robin.
"In his condition? You let him?" Raven practically yelled. A glass vase full of flowers exploded in the far end of the living room. Starfire fled to clean the mess. Without another word, Raven sped out the door, her cape blowing in the wind. She ran through the thick snow, the freezing substance seeping into her boots. Her hood was blown off, and her cape was beginning to fall. But Raven did not care. Taking flight and levitating, she searched from the sky around the Tower, until she found Beast Boy's sprawled figure lying in the snow, his shovel next to him. Her eyes widened, and she let out a small gasp. Her reactions brought a wave of energy through her arms, and Beast Boy's shovel exploded. Raven took no notice of it, and gently returned to the ground. She knelt down in the snow to look at the shape-shifter.
"Beast Boy…" she said softly, a tear falling through the snow. No! thought Raven quickly. I can't let this happen! Not now! The psychic took Beast Boy gently into her hands, as she flew back to the Tower. Holding Beast Boy in her arms, she looked at his small, pale face, and felt a wave of grief fall through her. The snowy winds clashed with each other, sending torrents and showers of snow into Raven's face. Mumbling her magic words, yet another mental shield of black energy protected them as she flew through the air. Finally, they ended up at the front door of the Tower. Robin and Starfire held the door open, as Raven, still holding Beast Boy, walked in. Without a word, she lay him down on the sofa, like he did to her, and laid a blanket over him. Starfire looked miserable, as did Robin as they walked, hanging their heads in shame over to Beast Boy.
"He needs a doctor," said Raven. Robin instantly was at the phone. Starfire hung her head, and she sadly bobbed through the air to her room, very heartbroken about what she had done. Raven tended to Beast Boy as Robin made the call, and she whispered to him, "I won't let anything happen to you."
Robin overheard her, but didn't say anything. He hung up, and said, "The paramedics are on their way." Raven said nothing, a sullen look resting on her pale face. Her heart was miserable, even though she knew that Beast Boy was going to be fine. The telephone grew white, then exploded in Raven's wrath. Cyborg and Robin flinched.
Not giving him time to breath, five plastic cups took to the air from the sink and were zooming towards Robin at an intensely high speed. The Boy Wonder dodged the first two with ease, then whipped out his staff to deflect the other three harmlessly to a soft landing on the sofa. Whew, he thought as he retracted his weapon and stored it in his belt.
Cyborg inched slowly away from Raven, afraid that some other object would be flung his way. He felt bad about leaving Robin to Raven's wrath, but he fled the room anyway.
********************************************************************************************
The metal man retreated to his room and flopped down on the bed, stretching his arms. So, he thought. Beast Boy and Raven are really at it! "Those two little suckers," he smirked. The titan rubbed his head. "Beast Boy has got SOME work to do!" Raven's not gonna be easy! No siree…Heh, maybe ol' BB can think of something to impress her. Maybe I don't give the little guy enough credit. Ah, what am I thinking? Beast Boy couldn't get a plate to fall in love with him! "Heh."
But deep down inside his heart, Cyborg felt sorry for Beast Boy. "Ah, I'm going to regret this," he said with a small sigh. "But I had better help those two. They're going to need all the help they can get!" With that he pulled back his covers and took a nap, plugging in his power to the outlet in the wall. "Tomorrow…"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Five minutes later, an ambulance arrived to take Beast Boy away. The four Titans watched in sadness as the paramedics hauled Beast Boy into the car and zoom off towards the hospital. Only a small cloud of dust was left as the ambulance sped off.
The Team stood for some time, absorbing Beast Boy's departure as best they could, but it had affected one Titan way more than the others. "I can't take it!" said Raven. She levitated off the ground and began to speed off to the hospital. Before taking her leave, she shot a look at Robin, who nodded.
Starfire and Cyborg began to pursue her, but Robin stopped them.
"She needs some time with Beast Boy," he said knowingly. He looked off into the distance at Raven's figure, her cape blowing in the snowy wind. I hope she doesn't get too sad and angry and blow up the hospital, he thought, worried about the patients. "Actually, on second thought," said the Boy Wonder. "Maybe I should tag along to help just in case something explodes."
They nodded, and the remaining two Titans returned to the tower. Starfire seemed to shrink away from the boys, and as soon as they reached the tower, she had rushed to her room.
"What's got her?" asked Cyborg.
Robin shrugged, but he said, "I'll go see before I leave." The Boy Wonder chased after Starfire, leaving Cyborg all by himself in the room.
*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*()*
Starfire walked slowly to her room. The portraits on the wall seemed to glare at her as she took a walk of shame. It is all my fault that Beast Boy is sick, and Raven is sad. It is all my fault! The tall alien girl wept quietly as she entered her room. She sat in her favorite chair, and hugged her giant bear close to her heart. Her favorite stuffed animal seemed of no comfort to her, and she lay down on a desk, covering her face and tears with her arms.
"I'm s-sorry, Beast b-Boy," she cried. She didn't notice a figure walk into her room.
"Now, now Star, it's not all your fault," said a comforting voice. Starfire looked up. It was Robin. He smiled, trying to help, and bounded over to her.
"Y-yes it is," she said, tears streaming down her small face. "I gave him my Forgiveness Pudding that was bad, and I let him go outside when he was sick!" The girl rested her head in her arms, and turned away from the Boy Wonder. "It was all my fault," she murmured between sobs.
"Star, it was my fault too, okay? We all make mistakes, and Beast Boy is going to be fine. He just got a little sick from the pudding," said Robin truthfully. "He will be fine, it's not like he was a fatal illness." Starfire looked up at him and stopped crying. She dried her tears and embraced her best friend in a hug. "I cannot help feeling partly responsible," she sniffed.
"It's alright, Star. I'm responsible too, remember?" said Robin, hugging her back. The winds began to howl outside, and the snowstorm halted. The last bits of snow toppled from the light blue sky, landing in feet of snow.
Starfire pulled back from Robin, and smiled. He smiled back, and all was well. Outside the window, a squirrel popped its head out of a tree nest, and scampered lightly across a branch, sending more snow down to the earth. Starfire was amazed at the sight. "Wow," she said. The alien moseyed over to the window and watched as the squirrel pawed away the snow that was collected on the branches. Robin smiled, and left Starfire to her own devises. Good old Starfire!
The Boy Wonder burst out the door of the Tower, and hopped in a boat to ride to the shore. "Now I have to see if the patients in the hospital are alright. I hope nothing's happened yet!"
Before long, his boat skidded on the shallow shores of the cold beach. Somersaulting out of his boat, Robin dashed through the streets to the hospital downtown.
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
A lonely Raven stepped onto the slippery ground, and started for a building ahead. She was headed for the hospital, where Beast Boy was being taken care of. She whispered her famous incantation one more time, and levitated herself above the busy roads to the hospital across the streets, her cape blowing in the now calm winds. Her lips were dry, and motionless as she landed in front of the hospital doors. The girl walked through, her heels clicking across the marble floor. She didn't need to ask where Beast Boy's room was; she could feel his mind. As she traveled to the elevator, it was as if the doctors there could sense her conflicting emotions, and her intense worry about her friend. But do I think of Beast Boy as more than a friend now? she asked herself. Maybe we'll find out today! her mind answered. "Ah, shut up," said Raven to herself.
The psychic made her way up the floors to Beast Boy's room, taking obnoxious glances from patients and visitors alike. It wasn't everyday that they saw a teen in a cape and leotard enter a hospital. But Raven did not care the least. She had never cared, and wasn't about to care now. Besides, she was trying to keep her emotions from blowing up the hospital itself. It seemed to her, that lately everything was exploding, fueled by her powers, no actually emotions. But why so many emotions? Raven asked herself. So many at one time. Anger, sadness, and maybe even, love? It was almost too much for one girl to handle, which might have been one of the reasons why she had gone to see Beast Boy.
Raven stopped walking in front of a door. Room 22. That was Beast Boy's room; she knew it deep in her mind and heart. She hoped Beast Boy was okay. As she reached for the doorknob, a nurse stepped out, pushing the door open. The nurse hurried away down the hall, leaving Raven alone with the patient inside. The telepath closed the door behind her softly. Taking her time, she removed her hood and turned to face the patient. It was Beast Boy, his eyes closed in sleep. His arms a beige color, his face slightly white, but it was easy to see that there was improvement in his condition. He lay covered in hospital blankets, his face buried in his pillow. I small puddle of drool had escaped his lips. Raven couldn't help but giggle. Breathing out deeply, she quietly walked over to his bedside table and began to talk to him, letting out all of her emotions and thoughts, conducting them to a sleeping Beast Boy like she would a psychiatrist.
"So many feelings, so many at one time, Beast Boy. I've never felt this way about anyone, or anything before. How can a person feel so, so lonely, sad, and excited all at the same time?" she asked, putting her hands in her lap. "It's like a storm of different emotions, tearing your soul apart, and at the same time, giving it a peaceful energy." The sleeping Beast Boy gave a small snort in response. Raven ignored it, and continued. "And what a time it is too, right when my best friend from my home planet has been injured." She paused for a minute, remembering. "The world has never done this to me before, ever, Beast Boy. That's why I cannot handle this easily." Raven turned her head, looking outside through Beast Boy's window, looking at the birds take flight. One of them, a small red one, fell to the ground while the others took off without him. It chirped longingly as it righted itself, but none of the other birds came back. "Hold on Beast Boy," said Raven, peering out to the bird.
Opening the window, Raven climbed out and levitated down to the ground. She knelt down before the small bird, and held out a finger. The bird hopped on, and Raven flew back up to the window and into Beast Boy's room once more. "Poor bird," said Raven, grabbing a tissue and draping it over the bird's back. It whistled in gratitude, and fell asleep in Raven's hands. The bird was a blackish color, and it reminded her of something, but she couldn't place it. She stroked the sleeping bird one more time.
"Anyway, these feelings are scaring me, and sometimes driving me crazy. They fill my heart, making me want to cry out, cry out anything at all. It's like energy being stored more and more everyday into me. These…emotions. I can have emotions, right Beast Boy? I am a sane person, right?" she asked him. Beast Boy rolled over in his sleep. "Yes, and I'm so sane that I'm talking to a sleeping boy," answered Raven sarcastically to herself. Great, the first sign of insanity! Must remember to meditate later. She rolled her eyes, and added a mental note to herself. Glancing back down at the sleeping Beast Boy, she shook her head and said, "He's kind of cute like that." Just then Beast Boy opened his mouth, and his tongue flopped out to the side of his face. Raven held back a giggle, and instead, thought, oh, the irony of the world!
Raven looked down in her hands at the sleeping bird. It looked so happy, in a state of bliss. Like it had no other cares in the world. Lucky bird, thought Raven. "You don't know just how lucky you are." Raven ran a smooth finger across the bird's back, and it let out a squeaky chirp. "The sensation you receive, when you can make something, or someone else feel incredible…" She sighed. "It's sensational."
Raven proceeded to enlighten her sleeping comrade further about her thoughts. "Well, Beast Boy, it's just-it's a feeling so unimaginably wonderful, that I don't understand how it can happen to someone like me. Someone like me, Raven," she concluded.
Closing her eyes deep in concentration, she asked, "Could it really be you that is giving me these intense feelings? Could it be you who is making me feel so wonderful and silly at the same time?" The girl's pale blue eyes looked down at the floor.
"Is it you?"
Raven left it at that, and she stayed with Beast Boy for several more minutes. She put the sleeping bird on Beast Boy's night table to sleep, while she pondered and meditated. Although the psychic didn't notice it, every second, Beast Boy's condition improved, until finally, he awoke. All the color returned to his face, he sat up in his bed and wiped the drool from his mouth. Blinking several times, he said, "Raven?"
Raven swung her head around in surprise. "Beast Boy?" Before she knew what she was doing, she was embracing Beast Boy in a hug, nearly strangling the poor shape-shifter. "Urrrgle…Raven…You might want to get off my neck!" he sputtered out. Embarrassed, Raven pulled out of the hug, and mumbled, "Sorry."
"It's alright," said Beast Boy with a huge grin. He looked at the somewhat disorganized Raven, looking at her from head to toe. The faint sunlight from the window glinted from the pure crystal on her forehead, reflecting a symmetrical pattern onto the far wall of the room. Suddenly remembering an important detail, Beast Boy pulled off his covers and reached for his belt. Stuck on the other side where he had put it, was his flower. He lifted it up in the light, and inspected it before shyly handing it to Raven. "This…it's for you," he said, blushing somewhat. Raven lightly plucked the flower from Beast Boy's hand, and smelled it. "Mmm…" she said, inhaling the fragrance. "I believe it's a violet," said the shape-shifter. (But at the moment only shifting he was doing was shifting nervously on his bed). "To, um, match you."
Raven's eyes lit up. "It's beautiful, Beast Boy. Thank you." Beast Boy blushed a further darker color of red, and he said, "It was the last flower of spring." Raven tucked the violet safely away in a pocket in her gold belt.
Beast Boy's sharp eyes caught the sleeping bird on the table beside him. "Hey," he said, examining it. "You got a pet birdie!"
"Yeah," said Raven. "It was sick and needed shelter." The bird woke up, and hopped around the table. Beast Boy smiled and held out a green finger. The bird hopped on the "elevator" without a doubt, and Beast Boy held it up for Raven to view. "It's a raven," said Beast Boy, softly rubbing its back. The bird fluttered its wings, and dove back to the table.
"A raven," murmured Raven. She mumbled something about irony, but Beast Boy couldn't catch it. "Why don't you keep it?" he asked her.
"No." came the calm reply. "It's fine now, and it needs to be with its family."
Raven stepped to the open window, the faint sun once more was shining on Raven, its rays not penetrating her thick cape. She reached for the bird, and gently beckoned it out the window. The bird seemed to wail a mournful wail, and it took a step back. "Come on," persuaded Raven. But the black bird wouldn't leave its safety perch on the bedside table. The girl reached for the bird, just as Beast Boy tried to reach for it. Their hands intertwined by accident, Raven's pale and smooth fingers with Beast Boy's green ones. Raven gasped for a second, but then instinctively tried to retract her hand. But Beast Boy did not let go. Instead, he put his other hand on top of hers. Looking up at her for her reaction, the boy's face seemed to brighten up in a question. Raven felt her heart skip a beat. The same intense feeling that she had described earlier swept through her heart one more time, and her brain froze for a minute. His touch felt so soft against her skin; it felt so comforting and soothing. Then, with no doubt in her mind, she put her other hand across his, a sandwich of trusting palms. Beast Boy sighed a sigh of relief inside, and put on another toothy grin for his friend.
Together, they reached for the bird, and it hopped gaily into their outstretched palms. Beast Boy breathed out, and gave a relieved grin. Even Raven smiled. Hand in hand, they made their way to the window, their other two hands acting as a gentle platform for the bird. When it reached the open air, the bird flapped its wings, and soared into the breeze, leaving nothing more than a tiny black feather in the superhero's hands. The tiny raven swooped through the air, enjoying its freedom before speeding after his family. The pair of superheroes watched for a while, and then returned to the bed. Opening her hand one more time, Raven felt the tiny feather. Eying it carefully and thinking for a second, Beast Boy picked the black feather from Raven's palm, and held it up. "I'm going to keep this," he said. He tucked the feather away. "To remind me of the raven." Raven nodded approvingly. But that day, only Beast Boy knew which "raven" he was talking about.
"I'm feeling better than ever!" he said. "Good," Raven pronounced.
Just then, a call came from the hallway. "Hey Raven, Beast Boy!" Beast Boy turned to look. Robin came sprinting up the hallway. Panting, he said, "You okay, Beast Boy?"
"Yeah, I'm good," replied the shape-shifter, eying Raven out of the corner of his eye.
"Let's get out of here shall we?" she asked. Beast Boy smiled. They marched out the door, happiness flooding the two of them. As they left, only one thought entered Raven's mind.
Could I be in love with Beast Boy?
*****~~~~~******~~~~~~******~~~~~~*******~~~~~~~*******~~~~~~~*******~~~~~~~*******~~~~~
And…There is Chapter 4! How's that? Remember, updates on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday! Look for it then!
I worked long and hard on this. Please rEvIeW!
Until next time, adios y hasta luego.
(No, I'm not Spanish)
Happy Halloween!
ReViEw!