Falling Up
A Teen Titans FanFiction by Jake McDonald
Opening Notes: Another side story taking time away from Cantata, I know. Understand though, that I'm writing some really heavy stuff for chapter nine in that story, so I needed a break for some slightly harmful fluff, Japhith style. No excessive gore in this one, and not too much cursing, but there is some sexual content. I just don't feel right giving it a lower rating than my other stuff.
This one is a delightful little romp. It'll be a few more chapters, that I'll write later, but this one I just wanted to post tonight. Nervous Raven was fun to write, and the little bits with her stream of consciousness in the narrative make this a unique little piece. Have fun with it. I did. :)
Standard Disclaimers Apply: I don't own Teen Titans, and I don't own Batman, and I don't own the Gamestation 2 (Beast Boy does though) and I don't own a lot of things, but I do own my own car. That's something, anyway.
Chapter One: Falling Up
Part One: Raven and Robin
It wasn't so much what he had said, but how he had said it.
"Hey Raven, you wanna' go see a movie or something?"
They had been sitting in the living room of the Tower, channel surfing in his case, and reading a book in the corner in her case, while the rest of the team were all absent. Beast Boy was holed up in his room with his new video game system, and Cyborg was doing system maintenance on all of his hardware. Starfire was observing Tra'lgrat, the Tameranian Day of the Dead, celebrated by sitting in quiet contemplation and thinking on the sacrifices of those that had gone before her in her noble warrior race.
So it was that they were alone, the only one's in the Tower with nothing to do. Crime had been slow in Jump City, without even a peep from any super villains lately, leaving the Titans with more free time than usual. On this particular hot summer day, they had so little to do, that they were bored silly.
At least the two of them that were doing nothing were bored silly.
Robin had been flipping channels for a half hour, and she had re-read the same page of her book seven times because her mind kept wandering away from it. Then he had just up and shut the television off and turned to her. His voice hadn't sounded bored, even though she knew he was looking for any kind of entertainment. He had sounded... interested. Like he actually wanted to take her out.
Take her out?
No, he just wanted to go see a movie with a friend. It wasn't like it was a date. They had been living together for almost three years and he'd never shown any interest in her at all, save the time when she'd been in his mind and formed a connection with him. Or the time he had saved her when Slade had come back from the dead and marked her with the symbols. Or all the times after then that he had reassured her that they were going to be okay...
So maybe there was a little something there, but it wasn't enough to base a relationship on. They worked together, they shared a living room and a kitchen, and that was it. Sure they were friends, but dating inside the team could only lead to bad endings. They were only seventeen after all, and wouldn't find true love this early in life. When they broke up, it was sure to be nasty, and that would drive the Titans apart. No, they couldn't have a relationship, it would be-
"Raven?"
She jerked her head up, finally looking away from her book and at him. Blinking, she realized she'd been over analyzing a simple question from a friend. "What?" she asked as if she hadn't heard him.
"Must be a good book, huh?" he smiled that lopsided grin of his and arched an eyebrow.
She sighed and snapped the tome shut, "Actually no. It's a pretty boring read." she set it aside on the low table she levitated next to and put her feet back on the ground, "What was it you wanted?"
"I was just wondering if you wanted to go see a movie or something. There's nothing on the tube, we just ate an hour ago, and I've already gone over every open ended case we have on file." he shrugged, "I'm bored, you're bored... you wanna' go out?"
There it was again. That tone, and that look. He looked interested. What did that mean? She decided to test the waters, just in case.
"You want to take me out?" she arched her own eyebrow, cool as ever.
He shrugged again, "If that's what you want to call it, sure. I'll even pay for your ticket and popcorn."
Of course he was cool as ice. No nerves at all. He was Robin the Boy Wonder after all, trained by the best in the world, no super powers to his name, and he still out did all of them most of the time. They would all hate him for it if it wasn't for his expert ability to be good at everything he did and not make a single person jealous or crazy with envy. He was good, and brave, and kind, and noble. Everything a team like theirs could ask for in a leader, and everything a girl could ask for in a boyfriend.
So why was she hesitating? Okay, one more test.
"Sure." she nodded, "It's a date then." and she smiled.
She never smiled. Not often anyway. His reaction would help her gage his interest and-
"Alright." he smiled back and nodded, "You want to go in uniform, or do you think we should change?"
Damn. He was still playing it cool. She'd have to take it up a notch, "Let's change. I don't feel like wearing a dark cloak out in this heat."
He chuckled, "Try wearing an aluminum/fiberglass weave body suit."
"No thank you." she replied as they walked for the elevator and the residence level, "I prefer something that breaths."
"Like spandex?" he asked with a poke of her shoulder, indicating her leotard.
She ducked her head a little to hide her sudden blush and growled at him.
He just laughed as they stepped onto the elevator.
Ten minutes later, Raven stood in her room wondering exactly how things had gotten to be like they were.
She had started digging through her civilian cloths to find something to wear, and had picked out several different outfits. She had started trying them on, only to realize that they would look a little different in the bright California sun then they would in her dim room, so she had opened the heavy drape that kept the sunlight out and moved her mirror over closer to the windows.
Now she was staring at herself in the mirror, confused as to why she even owned the cloths she was wearing. The black t-shirt hadn't gone with any of the sandals she owned (and she wasn't wearing closed toe shoes on such a hot day), so she had switched to a sky blue baby-t to go with the light blue flip flops she owned. The shirt was tighter than the t-shirt had been, and it definitely accented her curves more, but it wasn't as if her normal uniform was any less tight than this shirt was.
She had switched from a ankle length skirt (also black, didn't match the shirt or shoes) to the only thing she could find that really made the ensemble stand out; cut off denim shorts. They rode a little high for her taste, but then, she wore a leotard most of the time, so it wasn't anything Robin hadn't seen before.
Leaving her hair as it was, she looked at herself and frowned. Holding out a hand, she levitated some make-up over to herself, and left it floating in the air around her head. Carefully applying light hints and shades around her face in blues and violets, she stepped back and looked again. The make-up accented her natural features without making her look like a clown. She grabbed the last tube from next to her ear and put on a light color lipstick to make her mouth look less obvious. Nodding in satisfaction, she followed the make-up as she returned it to her vanity.
Picking up a necklace, she put it on. It was an amethyst set in white gold, surrounded by blood red garnets. Small, but tasteful, and it matched her eyes perfectly. Frowning, she realized that she was standing in a brightly lit room, wearing clothes she would normally abhor, jewelry, and make-up. To top all of it off, she was primping in her vanity mirror.
But what the hell. It's not like it was going to become a habit or anything.
Nodding at herself in the mirror above her vanity, she started for the door. She looked sexy, confident, and ready to hit the town.
Stopping several steps from the door, she turned and levitated the make-up she had used into a small brown leather purse that was sitting on her bed and then levitated that into her hand. Reaching out with her powers once more, she pulled her ID, and a small wallet to her out stretched hand, and deposited those in her purse as well.
Turning back to the door, she took a deep breath and let it out. She wasn't going out there to impress Robin.
She wasn't!
She was just going to a movie with a friend, and she wanted to know what his feelings for her were. She wanted to make sure he wasn't going to try and start something because she couldn't return those feelings. That would be bad for the team, and with the nature of her powers, she couldn't let her emotions get out of control like that, and-
There was a knock at her door, "Raven?" she heard Robin's voice call, muffled by the steel door, "You just about ready in there?"
"Yes." she called back and fought down the nervousness she was suddenly feeling. They were just going to see a movie for crying out loud.
So why did she suddenly feel like teleporting to Starfire's room and asking if she looked okay?
"I'll be out in just a minute, Robin!" she said and walked quickly to the wall, creating a black void to walk through. Stepping out of the other side of her portal, she found herself in the pinkness that was Star's room.
Starfire herself floated in the middle of the room, her eyes shut and her legs in the lotus position, just as Raven had taught her. The dark haired girl smiled at the meditating alien and took a step forward, "Um... Kori?"
First one of Star's eyes opened, then the other popped open as well and she gaped at her friend, "Raven!" Star flew forward and circled her slowly, taking in every detail, "You look... warm!"
"You mean hot?" Raven blushed.
"Yes! I am sorry to have once again mutilated your Earth slang." Star bowed slightly in mid-air, "But you look very nice!"
"Yeah... you think so? I mean..." Raven trailed off and blushed again, "I mean... you think I look okay and everything?"
"Of course, friend Raven!" Star smiled and nodded, "You have always been quite attractive. I am glad to see you wearing such brighter colors!"
"Yeah... just... going out and I thought... you know." Raven stepped back towards the still open black portal, "I'll just let you get back to meditating then, and I'll see you later."
"Where are you going?" Star asked as she flew back to the middle of the room and took up the lotus position again.
"Um..." Raven knew Star had a crush on Robin. She also knew that you weren't supposed to date your friend's crushes. But this wasn't a date.
So why was she so nervous all of a sudden?
"RobinandIaregoingouttoseeamovieandit'snotadatesodon'tfreakoutokay?" Raven paused for a moment while Star looked confused, "Bye!" she waved and ducked back through the portal.
The door to Raven's room swooshed open and she stepped out quickly, letting it close behind her. She was just shutting her purse as she walked further into the hall way, and wasn't looking up. When she did, she saw Robin and stopped.
He was wearing cargo pocketed khaki shorts, and a plain looking dark blue t-shirt. A hemp necklace hung about his neck, and he had leather sandals on his feet. His mask was still in place, and his hair was still spiky, but that was all that remained of the young hero.
Oh, and he was gaping at her.
"What?" she asked, bending one leg at the knee and trying to hide behind herself, "Should I change?"
"No!" he almost shouted, then seemed to find his cool again, "No, you look... good." he swallowed hard, and held out his hand, "You look really good, Raven."
She blushed a little, and stepped forward, taking his hand, "Thanks. You don't look half bad yourself."
"Just some old stuff I threw on..."
"Yeah, ditto."
They stood like that for a few moments, smiling at each other, holding hands, standing only a foot apart.
They Raven realized what they were doing and she stepped away and dropped his hand, "So um... what movie are we going to go see?"
"I thought we might catch the latest Mungo Van Blam flick."
"Ah yes." Raven chuckled, "Monkey Fury Fist Part Seven."
"Looks good doesn't it?" Robin grinned.
"It looks about as good as the last six were." Raven rolled her eyes as they started for the elevator that would take them down to the garage, "How about we see something less like what we do at work. How about something like... Caustic London Romance."
"A chick flick?" Robin sounded exasperated, "Come on, Rae!"
"It's not a chick flick, Robin, it's a romantic comedy. You like comedy. And besides, you're taking me out. The girl gets to pick the movie."
"Since when?"
"You haven't been out on many dates have you?" Raven arched an eyebrow at him.
"Whereas you date around so much." Robin grinned at her as they stepped on the elevator and he punched the button for the garage.
Raven glared at him, "I'll have you know that I've been out with a couple different guys I met down at the coffee shop."
"Oh..." Robin smiled even wider and leaned against the wall of the lift, "Should I be jealous?"
"Shut up, Robin." Raven fumed, "They were both very nice guys, and they treated me well. They let me pick the movie, and where we went for dinner."
"Oh, so now I'm buying you dinner too?" Robin waggled his eyebrows, "You know what they say about when the guy pays for dinner and the movie?"
Raven leaned forward, grabbed a handful of his shirt and pulled him closer so that they were practically nose to nose, "We'll see if you get any desert at the end of the night, Boy Wonder."
There was a beep as the elevator reached the garage level and the doors opened. Raven walked out, putting one foot directly in front of the other so that her hips would sway, and glanced over her shoulder at a thoroughly ruffled Robin. She smiled a little smile, "You coming?" She stepped up to his motorcycle and picked up a helmet, "Hmm?"
Fifteen minutes later they came to a stop in a parking spot of the Jump City Cinema. Raven pulled off her helmet and jumped off the bike, laughing the whole time, "That was great!" she said as she tried to stand on wobbly legs, "That was... fast!"
"Glad you liked it." Robin pulled off his own helmet and set it on the bike with hers. Clamps shot out and held both helmets in place so they couldn't be stolen, "So how about this movie, huh?"
"Sure!" Raven laughed again, "Let's-" they both jumped a little as the window of a car next to them exploded. Raven stopped and stared at it, while Robin started looking around for gunmen.
"Don't bother looking Robin..." Raven took a deep breath and calmed herself down. Continuing in a much calmer voice, she said, "It was me."
"You made the window of that car explode?" Robin pointed at it, "But you weren't mad!"
"Mad, happy, depressed, frightened," she shook her head, "it doesn't matter. Extreme emotions make my powers go wild. The bike ride was great, but I should be exercising more control."
"Well... okay..." Robin nodded and stepped over to her, "Let's go get tickets, huh?"
Raven nodded, sure she had ruined the date. Outing. It wasn't a date, it was an outing.
As they walked over to the theater, Robin poked her shoulder, "You were really that happy?"
Raven blushed, suddenly feeling that maybe the date wasn't ruined yet. Outing. The outing wasn't ruined yet, "Don't let it go to your head."
"That was price gouging." Robin shook his head as they walked slowly down the hall of to their theater.
"You get all your cash from one of the richest men in the world, Robin." Raven looked at him like he was crazy, "What do you care about how much it costs?"
Robin lowered his voice and leaned down to talk in her ear so no one would hear him, "Bruce gives me enough to get by on, not enough to blow it all on overpriced popcorn."
Raven pushed him away, even though she was honestly enjoying the feeling of his breath on her ear, "It barely made a dent in that wad of yours."
"Well... I don't get out much."
"None of us do. Not enough anyway." Raven shook her head, "This down time is really welcome."
"Yeah... it's nice to not have to save the world at least once a week." Robin smiled, "Batman wouldn't know what to do if crime dropped like it has in Jump."
"Well, you're not Batman." Raven said. She took a slurp from her soft drink and started to push open the doors of the theater. She stopped and looked back over her shoulder to see Robin standing back a ways. "What?" she asked.
He looked at her with a strange expression on his face, "You're right." he nodded, "I'm not Batman."
Raven smiled at him, the meaning of what she'd just said completely lost on her, "Yeah. Let's go on in, the previews are starting."
He walked over, took her hand, and they stepped into the theater.
As they walked back across the parking lot two hours later, Robin nodded at her, "Okay, so it wasn't that bad."
"Oh, you laughed the whole time. Not that bad..." she shook her head with a small smile, "You liked it. Admit it."
"Okay, okay!" Robin held his hands up defensively, "I liked it."
The sun was starting to set casting everything in golden hues. As they reached the bike, Robin pulled out a remote and hit a button. The clamps holding the helmets in place snapped back down, and they each picked one up.
"So," Robin asked as he gazed into her eyes, "where to for dinner, my dear?"
Raven felt butterflies in her stomach as he said it, and she looked away to hide her blush, "There's a great Italian place down the street. It's not far, actually."
"I was hoping you'd suggest Italian." he grinned, "I could really use a huge plate of ravioli."
"With all the pizza we eat you'd think we'd be sick of Italian." Raven shook her head as they climbed on the bike.
"When you're a teenager," Robin said, stuffing his helmet on his head, "you never get sick of Italian."
Raven took another bite of her salad and made eye contact with Robin. She'd been doing it a lot, trying to draw him into staring at her longingly. The only problem was that his mask made it impossible to get a read on what he was feeling. She gave up and let him continue with the story he'd been telling.
"So this wacko has me pinned right? I mean, there's no way I'm getting this beam off of my legs, and he's got a gun to my head. He's like, half a second from blowing my brains all over Gotham City. So what does he do?"
"He starts monologing." Raven chuckled.
"He starts monologing. I guess he thought long and hard about why he wanted to call himself the Grater and starts waving that cheese grater around like it's a deadly weapon, never mind the nine mil in his hand. He's going on with this whole story, not even looking at me, and totally gives me time to reach into my belt and toss a freezer grenade at him."
Raven laughed and took another bite. After chewing and swallowing, she arched an eyebrow at him, "You had some wild times back in Gotham. How do you think Jump compares?"
"Well," Robin grew quieter, "I work with a team out here, and I don't have someone constantly overshadowing me... that's one of the major reasons I came out here to form the Titans... to get out of Batman's shadow. Be my own hero, you know?" she nodded and he continued, "It's been... hard out here. On my own, away from the life I used to know... I've got my very own arch enemy now, and I'm way more serious than I used to be..." he perked up, "I've got a great team though, and you guys have made this city my home." he winked at her, "And the girls are tons prettier."
"Stop it." Raven tossed a crouton at him, "Don't say things if they aren't true.
As her conscience screamed at her, she told it to shut up. Yes she was baiting him. Yes she was fishing for a compliment. So what? She was testing the waters, after all.
Robin took the bait, exactly like a predictable male, "Don't sell yourself short, Rae. You're a good looking girl."
"Really?" she told herself that she's been looking for that response, and that it shouldn't mean that much.
It did.
"What's my best feature?"
"That's a loaded question." Robin shook his head.
"Come on!" she grinned at him, "I'll tell you if you tell me."
"Alright, alright." Robin smiled and leaned back, "I'm not going to lie to you and tell you that I never notice your body. You've got all the right curves in all the right places, Raven." she leaned back as well, telling herself it was more comfortable, and that she wasn't giving him a better look at those nice curves, "But let me be up front with you." he shook his head and got that quiet, contemplative look again, "When I'm looking at you and you look back at me... all I can see are your eyes. I'd never met anyone with violet eyes before I met you. You have the kind of eyes guys fall into and don't get back out of."
Raven had to work hard to hide her blush. Now that she hadn't expected. Him being attracted to her body she could understand. Him being attracted to the fact they shared a special bond she could understand. But falling into her eyes?
"Anything else?" she managed to choke out.
"Well, we can't forget your personality. That's what really holds you once you meet someone."
"Oh, now you're being sarcastic." Raven huffed, "I'm not exactly a social butterfly."
"I'm not kidding!" Robin leaned back in and smiled at her, "You're funny, in a sarcastic, moody kind of way, and you really know people. Sure you're a bit quiet, but that's part of what makes you a good person to talk to. You know how to listen, and you're not afraid to speak your mind."
"Stop... embarrassing me..." she blushed madly and tried to hide her face, "I didn't ask you to run down why you want to date me-"
"But you were wondering if I did." Robin cut her off. She peeked through her fingers at him and gasped, "What?" he laughed a little, "Did you think I couldn't figure that one out? Detective, remember?" He leaned in a litter further and whispered, "Want to know what, though? Maybe you should be wondering if I want to date you."
She lowered her hands and smiled sadly as her blush faded, "Robin... we can't-"
"I know." he leaned back again and folded his hands over his stomach, "It would unbalance the team, and if we broke up... it could get messy."
"You wouldn't want to date a dark creepy goth chick anyway..." Raven shook her head, "You need someone like Star-"
"Kori is my best friend." Robin said firmly, "I know she's got a crush on me... I'm not blind. But really... she's a great friend, and I love her, but I couldn't date her."
"Sometimes it's your best friend who makes the best lover."
"And sometimes it's someone else." Robin reached across the table and caught her hand, "When we were back at the theater... when you said that I wasn't Batman... I realized that you're right... I'm not." she blinked at him, her hand warm in his, "He always drummed into me his personal ideals. That you can't have a relationship in our line of work and still be an effective weapon. But he's wrong... it's him. He can't do it. He can't take that stress."
"And you can?" Raven looked up at him, willing her eyes not to look hopeful.
"I don't have to... it should be a joy, Raven, not a burden. I'd like to share that joy with you."
"Are you..." she almost gagged on the words, "... asking me to be your girlfriend?"
"Yes."
She shook her head, "No."
He blinked at her, "No?"
"No." she repeated and smiled weakly, "I'm sorry, Robin, but it would screw with the team too much, and it would end badly, and then things would just fall apart... I understand if you don't want to do anything like this again, or if you want to replace me on the team, but-"
"I don't want this to affect our friendship, Rae." he cut her off, "You're right anyway... we shouldn't..."
"Friends then." she squeezed his hand, "Nothing more."
"Sure." he wasn't even trying to hide his disappointment, "Friends."
The rest of their meal passed with quiet chit chat, and the occasional laugh. As Robin walked up to pay the bill, she stood from the table and started to follow him. That look of disappointment was still etched on her mind, and being completely honest with herself, she felt the same way. But they couldn't. They just... couldn't.
As she caught up to him at the front of the restaurant, they heard a rumble from above. Glancing out the door, Raven frowned, "The weather didn't say anything about a storm tonight."
"Sudden squall." Robin shrugged, "Let's go before-"
With a flash of lightning, the rain started to come down in buckets.
"Great." Raven mumbled as they walked to the doors.
"Let's just get this over with." Robin pushed open the door, and without looking back at her, dashed out into the rain. Raven took a deep breath and followed him, feeling hurt by his refusal to look at her. As they ran, thoughts poured through her brain.
They pushed each other away for the sake of the team. For the sake of the city. Because it might end badly. Because Starfire might not approve. Because every social force told them not to.
They always did. They always thought of others before themselves. Because that was who they were. Because that's what hero's did. Because that's what they were supposed to do.
But it wasn't fair.
They were people too, after all, not just super hero's. Not just the Teen Titans. They were Robin and Raven, living breathing, people, who had feelings, and thoughts, and attraction. Why shouldn't they?
She slowed down and stopped running altogether as she came to a realization. They were running from each other. They were just giving up because a few things might not work out right. Because it wouldn't be perfect. Because it wouldn't be easy. Because it might not be best for everyone involved.
Robin stopped as well when he stopped hearing her foot falls and turned back to look at her. She stared at him and for once, she was sure he was looking at her eyes.
"Why are we running?" she yelled over the sound of the rain pounding down, "We're already soaked!"
"I guess you have a point..." Robin walked back to her and flipped his hair out of his face, "A little water never hurt anyone anyway.
"I mean, why are we running from each other?" she stepped closer to him and spoke into his ear, just like he had done back at the theater, "I like you Robin. I... really like you. And I know you like me, and we're worried about what other people are going to do or think about that? Who cares?" she was shouting now, and he took a step back from her, "Who the hell cares? We're friends, Robin! Nothing can change that! So what if we want to date? We'll still be friends, but we'll just be better friends. If it ends up not working out, then hey, we tried, and we failed. We'll still be friends though! I'm not going to give up on you because I don't like your morning breath!"
Robin arched an eyebrow, "Morning breath?"
"Shut up." she ordered, and started walking towards him. He backed up as she walked forward, listening to her rant, "I say we should go for it, and the rest of the world be damned. We should do something for us instead of thinking about the rest of the world first. We should be selfish, and we should just do what ever the hell we feel like doing." he bumped into the motorcycle and she leaned into him, "What do you say Robin?" he looked down at her face, and saw that tears were glistening at the corners of her eyes, "What do say, Richard?"
He just smiled and kissed her. She melted into him, and he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her up off the ground. Turning, he deposited her on the motorcycle and she wrapped her legs around him, deepening the kiss. Her fingers tangled in his hair, and his hands gripped her back and shoulders.
They stayed like that for a long time, making out in the rain.
The doors of the elevator at Titan Tower opened to the residential level and Raven and Robin stumbled out, still making out as they went. Raven giggled into his mouth as they somehow made it down the hall to her door. There, she pinned him against the wall and started kissing down his throat, licking at the rain water and the sweet taste of his skin.
"We should get out of these clothes..." he murmured as she nibbled at his neck.
"How can a girl pass up that kind of offer from the Boy Wonder?" she asked, snaking her hand up under his shirt, which was plastered to his body. He pulled up on her shirt as well, pulling it off and tossing it through her door as it opened.
As they stood in the hallway, hands exploring each other's bodies, her topless and him with his shirt half off, one of the doors further down slid open very quietly and green eyes topped by red hair peered out to see what the noise was.
If the two lovers heard the gasp of their friend, they chose to ignore it and just moved into Raven's room as she started trying to undo Robin's pants.
Part Two: Beast Boy and Starfire
Beast Boy stepped out of his room with a huge yawn and stretched. Fourteen straight hours with his brand new Gamestation 2 and he was getting hungry. He needed some food if he was going to beat Super Ninja Fury 5. (Limited edition with bonus levels!)
As he walked down the hall, his hyper sensitive hearing picked up three distinct noises. The first was the hum of electronics in Cyborg's room. He knew the robotic Titan was doing his hardware diagnostics today, so that wasn't a surprise. The second was a muffled sob from Starfire's room. She was doing some strange alien thing today, though so...
Checking his watch, he saw that it was half past one in the morning. She'd be done with the Day of the Dead or whatever it was. So why was she crying?
Listening hard, he made out the last sound, coming from Raven's room. It was kind of a... moan? No, there was a grunt right there, and that sounded like someone getting slapped...
"The hell..." he decided to check on Star once he figured out what Raven was up to. Walking silently over to her door, he noted that the electronic lock had been activated. Leaning in, he listened carefully.
"Uh!" There! That was Raven, "Yeah... just... right there..." Beast Boy leaned away from the door, his eyes widening. That was definitely Raven's voice, but it sounded like she was doing something most un-Raven like.
Listening again, he heard a second voice, "Shit... uh... Rae that's... oh God..."
"Robin?" he whispered as he stepped back, "No way..." at least he knew what Starfire was crying about now. He turned to go comfort her, but then his body turned back. His brain told him not to, but his body seemed to have different ideas. Suddenly, he found that he was a fly, and that he'd flown through the AC vent in the hall way, and taken the left turn he needed to take to get to the vent on the wall of Raven's room that over looked her bed.
"Why am I doing this?" he asked himself, "Why do I want to see what they're doing? I'm not a pervert. I'm not a voyeur."
Regardless, he found himself peering through the vent into a darkened room, lit only by the moon and star light that poured through the open windows, casting everything into silvery shadow.
There they were, Raven on her knees with her face down on the bed, her back arched and her hips pushed up in the air. Robin behind her, moving slowly, drawing gasps and moans out of Raven's lips. Sweat glistened on both of them, despite the cool temperature they'd been keeping the Tower at since it had grown so warm outside.
Robin had removed his mask, and as Raven pushed herself up on her hands, his eyes went wide and he pushed into her deeper. She smiled a predatory smile and looked back at him, "You like that?"
"Hell yes..." he replied, moving slightly faster. Bringing back his hand, he smacked her bottom and she yipped a little. Giggling, they continued.
Beast Boy backed away form the vent. After all of that, he needed a cold shower.
He only made it seven inches before he turned back.
Robin stroked Raven's hair where she lay on his chest, completely spent. They were both still breathing hard, and he found that his limbs felt like they were made of lead. Reaching out and fumbling at her night stand for a few seconds, he found her communicator and flipped it open. Checking the time, he saw it was 2:36 a.m.
"Wow." he said.
"Hmm?" Raven made a noise of inquiry, her face still buried in his chest.
"We just had sex for three and a half hours." he shook his head, "That's crazy."
Lifting her head, Raven gave him a weak smile, "Let's do it again tomorrow, okay?"
"Sure." Robin wrapped his arms around her and rolled her off of him. She flopped to the side and grabbed him about the chest.
"Stay here tonight?" she mumbled into his shoulder.
"Of course, Rae. I'm not leaving this bed for anything right now."
"Good." she slurred out, half drunk from sex and sleep, "I wont have to kick your ass then..."
Robin laughed a little and held her tighter. After a few moments, he realized she was fast asleep.
"Sleep well, my beautiful Raven." he whispered, and kissed her forehead.
Starfire looked up as a knock sounded on her door. Glancing at her clock she saw it was just past 2:30 in the morning. Who would be bothering her this early?
Then again, she was up, so why shouldn't whoever was knocking be up?
Then again, she was the only one in the tower who'd just had her heart broken...
The knock sounded again, and she sighed, "Who is it?" she asked.
"Um... it's me, Star." Beast Boy's voice sounded though the door, "Can I come in?"
Starfire looked down at herself. She was wearing a sheer silk nightgown, and nothing else. It dropped down to her knees, but the way she was sitting on her bed, it rode up to her thighs. She blinked and frowned, "Yes, Beast Boy. You may enter."
The doors slid open and Beast Boy stepped in, wearing sweat pants and a plain white t-shirt, "Hey. I heard you crying a little while ago. Is everything alright?" he looked concerned.
Star arched an eyebrow at him and sniffed once, "I have not been shedding tears for almost an hour now."
"Yeah, well... I was all smelly from being holed up in my room all day and I wanted to take a shower before I came over here and invaded." he laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head, "There's no stink like a smelly Beast Boy, right?"
Star just stared at him.
"Okay!" he threw himself forward and fell on her bed at her feet. She let out a small, "Eep!" and backed up a little so he wouldn't be able to see up her nightgown. He let out a ragged sigh and folded his hands in front of himself, "I couldn't help it! I had to go look! I had to see if they were really... well... you know..."
Starfire froze and looked down at Beast Boy, "Who is they, and what were they doing?" she asked, fearing the worst.
"Um..." Beast Boy sat up, "Raven... and Robin?" he winced and held his hands up defensively. When no starbolts blasted him back out into the hall way, he looked over his hands and gave a nervous chuckled when he saw her eyes boring into his, "And they were uh... having sex. In Raven's room."
Starfire's mouth dropped open and she stared at him for a full minute. Then she seemed to regain her focus and looked at him like he was highly contagious, "And you watched them?" she sounded freaked out.
"I couldn't help it! I had to see if they were really... you know... doing it." he threw himself back down on her feet, "Forgive me Star! Please!"
Starfire, her dignity forgotten, pulled him up and looked at him imploringly, "Please, Beast Boy... did it look like... they were enjoying it very much?"
"Um..." Beast Boy looked around for a moment, as if searching for anyone who might be listening, "Yeah... they were really into it. Spanking and everything."
Starfire dropped him back to her bed and flopped back as well, "Oh no! So I have no hope of getting Robin back by way of better sex!"
Beast Boy felt his blood pressure rising as he stared straight forward, right up Star's nightgown. She even had her legs spread slightly and her knees bent up. It was... perfect.
Slapping himself and sitting up quickly, he grabbed his own head and shook it, "Man! What the hell is wrong with me lately? First I'm watching Raven and Robin having sex, then I'm looking up Star's skirt! What's next? Live feeds from HIVE girls locker room?"
Starfire squealed and flew back off the bed, crossing her legs, "You were looking up my skirt?"
"Aw shit." Beast Boy braced himself as Starfire hurled a starbolt at him, blasting him off the bed and back into the wall. Silkie woke up from where he was sleeping in his own bed, and made a noise of displeasure.
Sitting up, Beast Boy rubbed his head, "It was an accident Star! And it's not like you helped by laying the way you were!" he stood up and walked back over to the bed, "Can we please just talk like normal people here?"
Starfire flew over to him, grabbed him and threw him back down on her bed. He watched in horror as she quickly yanked off her nightgown and hovered over him, naked. His eyes grew wide and he began to stutter incoherently as he took in the full glory of her super-modal body.
"Am I not attractive?" Star implored of him, "Do I not 'do it for you?'"
"Dah... umb... graa..." Beast Boy gripped the sheets to keep himself from reaching out and touching her.
"Please! Friend Beast Boy! You must make love to me and tell me if I am desirable!"
Later, Beast Boy would just shake his head and lament a golden opportunity for wild sex missed, but right then, his mind snapped into focus, "What? Star, no!"
She floated down to the foot of the bed and let her head drop into her hands. She sobbed once and wailed out, "You do not think I am attractive either!"
"Star... Kori..." Beast Boy sat up and crawled over to her, nervously wrapping his arms around her slim, bare frame, "I'm not saying you're unattractive, or undesirable. Any straight guy in his right mind would want to get with you... but... I can't... not like this." he squeezed her, "I think you're very beautiful, and I think you're a great girl, Kori, but I wont be a Robin stand in."
Starfire buried her face in his chest and hugged him. He hugged back and held her while she cried. After a few minutes, he pulled back and lifted her chin up so that she would look him in the eye, "Look... I know it's not easy, but... Robin and Raven... they always know what they're doing. They don't just go off and do stuff like this without considering the consequences. They must be in love, or something."
Starfire sniffed and looked miserable, "But... I thought Robin... and Raven has never..."
"I'm sure Robin still feels very strong about you Star... but probably in that best friend kind of way. As for Raven," he chuckled, "Well, I guess she's a girl too. I mean, you both had those crazy crushes on Aqualad for a while there..."
"Garfield... do not make fun of me right now, or her. This is... very hard." Star frowned.
"I know Kori. Hey, you want to go get some ice cream and stuff ourselves silly?"
"Why don't you go get the ice cream, and I'll clean up a bit."
They looked out at her room, which was covered with tissues and empty tissue boxes.
Beast Boy laughed a little, "Yeah, okay." Standing, he walked to her door and opened it. Looking back over his shoulder, he saw her, still naked bending down to pick up a tissue box. He stared at her rear for several seconds before he finally got control of himself again and walked out, shutting the door behind him.
Beast Boy had his head in the freezer, digging out his secret stash of Fubber Berry Delight when he heard a noise behind him. Pulling himself out, his ice cream firmly in hand, he glanced over his shoulder.
A bright light flared to life, blinding him and causing him to stumbled back into the refrigerator. He held up a hand to block the brilliant beam.
"Dude! Cy! What the hell, man?" Beast Boy tried to move out of the light that Cyborg was shining on him, "That thing's bright!"
"I know!" Cyborg replied with great enthusiasm, "Just upgraded it to 3,000,000 candle power!" stepping forward, he grabbed Beast Boy by the scruff of his neck and deposited him by the kitchen table. Turning that light on with a flick of the near-by switch, he moved the hanging overhead so that it too was pointing at Beast Boy's face, like a cop interrogating a criminal, "Now why would you be up at three in the morning, stealing all the ice cream, hmm?"
"It's for Star! She's crying and sad and really depressed!" Beast Boy waved off his friend who chuckled and stepped back.
"Why's she so bummed?"
"Check this out..." Beast Boy rubbed his eyes with the back of his free hand (the other one held three pints of ice cream), "I walk out of my room and start hearing these noises, so I investigate. It was Raven and Robin."
"Yeah, so?" Cyborg arched an eyebrow.
"They were having sex, dude!" Beast Boy replied like it was the most obvious thing ever.
"What?" Cyborg's mouth fell open, "You're kidding right?"
"No way, dude! They were totally doing it! I heard them moaning and spanking and everything!"
"Man..." Cy sat down at the table, "If Star knows then I bet she is pretty broken up about it."
"Yeah. I went to check on her and she's all weepy and stuff. I'm going back up with ice cream now."
"You want me to come with you?"
"No!" Beast Boy thought about her actions just prior to his retrieval of the ice cream, "No, I think it'd be best if just I go. She just needs someone to cry on for a while."
"Okay." Cyborg shook his head, "Raven and Robin, huh?"
"I know. It'll take some getting used to." Beast Boy frowned.
"We'll talk about it as a team sometime soon." Cyborg waved it off, "Why don't you just go back to Star now."
"Right. See you in the morning dude." and Beast Boy walked back to the elevator, leaving Cyborg to shake his head and sigh.
Knocking lightly, Beast Boy called through the door as quietly as he could, "Um, Star? You still in there?"
"Yes!" she called back, "You may enter!"
Hitting the open button, Beast Boy waited for the doors to slide open, then stepped in and let them shut behind him. He shifted the ice cream to one hand and smiled around the stack at Star, "Hope you like Fubber Berry Delight!" he said with a grin.
Then his mouth fell open as his brain processed what his eyes were seeing.
Starfire was not only still naked, but she had tied her hair back, revealing slim, but smooth shoulders. She was floating above the ground near her bed, having just finished tossing the last of the tissue into the garbage can that sat next to her desk. She looked at him quizzically, "Is there something the matter, Beast Boy?"
Reaching behind himself, he hit the electronic lock for her door and turned back to her, "It's just that... well, you haven't put any clothes back on." he laughed a little and rubbed the back of his head.
"Should I?" she asked, "You have already seen me in this state and did not seem to mind before... does it make you uncomfortable?"
"Well... it's just... you see Star, you're really... really, good looking... hot. Sexy. You make me want to... um..."
"Oh!" she covered her mouth with her hands, then lowered them and flew over to him with a small smile, "You do want to make love to me."
"It's not that... it's just..." he stepped around her and backed towards the table she had set up for tea, "I don't think there's a straight guy alive who wouldn't want to have sex with you in this situation... you're a babe, and you're upset and vulnerable, and I'd feel really, really bad about taking advantage of this situation."
"I see." Star floated to the ground and walked over to him, taking the ice cream from his hands, "There is only one way to remedy this problem then."
"Yeah." Beast Boy let out a small breath he hadn't realized he was holding.
"You must also remove your clothes." Star nodded.
Beast Boy just stared at her.
"What?" Star grinned, "I have 'shown you mine,' now you must 'show me yours.'"
"I don't think... that's not..." he stuttered for a moment, "That's not fair!" he whined, "I never agreed to anything like that!" he poked her to emphasize his point.
Star's eyes widened and she took a step back, one hand over her left breast.
Beast Boy then realized he'd just poked Star in the boob.
"Aw, shit." he closed his eyes and braced for the starbolts, but they never came. Opening one eye, he saw that she was grinning again, "What?" he asked, fear creeping into his voice.
"I will refrain from punishing you, but in return, you must do as I have asked." she leveled a glare at him and stepped back. Standing with her legs apart and one hand on her hip, she pointed at him and with a commanding tone ordered, "Strip."
"Aw, man..." Beast Boy sighed and pulled his shirt off.
A half hour later, Beast Boy was still red in the face, Starfire was still giggling, and the ice cream was half gone.
Beast Boy sat next to Star on her bed, a pillow in his lap, covering the evidence of his obvious arousal, which Star kept trying to take away from him in between bites of ice cream. He had manadged to hold on to it so far, but it was only a matter of time before-
"Ha!" Star cried in triumph yanking the pillow away while he was distracted by a bite of Fubber Berry Delight. He yelped and quickly morphed into a turtle, landing on the bed next to her and glaring up at the alien girl.
Giggling, she lifted him up and snuggled his face against hers, "Do not be so afraid Beast Boy! I am not embarrassed by your aroused manhood! It makes me feel... better to know that you are attracted to me. That Robin has not passed me by because my body is undesirable to him."
Beast Boy morphed back into himself, over balencing her. She fell back with a small shout of alarm and he ended up on top of her, pinning her legs down, "Let's see if it's funny now!" he said with a grin and began to tickle her sides.
Starfire began to laugh and struggled a little bit. He knew in the back of his head that she could if she could throw a truck half a block down the road, she could easily hurl him off of her and through the side of the Tower, but it didn't bother him that she was letting him tickle her. He enjoyed the feeling of their bodies being pressed together, her breasts rubbing against his chest, her hands clutching at his back...
Her legs began to spread open and he quickly came back to himself and stopped moving all together. She quieted down and looked up at him, "What is the matter, Garfield?"
"This is going to far..." he shook his head and began to sit up, but she held him in place.
"I know you want to..." she said with a small smiled at him, "I am willing, and not just to 'get back' at Robin and Raven. I would be happy to please you as you please me." she smiled a little wider, "I believe what they say on TV is that 'it is just sex.'"
Beast Boy swallowed hard, "You want to have sex with me... just because?"
"You are a good friend, Garfield. Maybe we do not share romantic feelings, but why can we not be attracted to one another? Why can we not have friendly sex?"
"But..." Beast Boy shook his head, "You wouldn't want to do this if Robin were still available."
"But Robin is not available." she shook her head and spread her legs apart all the way, wrapping them around his waist, "Come now, Garfield. Let us join."
Beast Boy swallowed hard again, threw caution to the wind and kissed her.
Starfire's clock read 4:24 a.m. as she and Beast Boy lay in her bed next to each other, staring at the ceiling. They had pulled her sheets up around themselves, not exactly cuddling, but being near one another. The silence between them was comfortable, and Star's hand lightly trailed along Beast Boy's bare chest.
"It was good?" she asked.
"Yeah." Beast Boy smiled over at her, and she smiled back, "It was great."
"I enjoyed myself as well." Star leaned in and kissed him lightly on the forehead, "Was it... your first time?"
"Um... yeah." Beast Boy smiled shyly, "Was it yours? I mean, I know it usually hurts a girl the first time and you didn't seem to feel any pain..."
"I am not a human girl." Star reminded him, "Tameranian woman have a slightly different physiology than human women do. We are built for giving birth to large, strong babies, so we have none of the pains humans normally associate with sex and child birth."
"Oh." Beast Boy blinked, "That's good."
"Yes." Star nodded happily.
"So... it was your first time then?"
"Yes, it was." Star pulled her hand back and reached for the ceiling, stretching her arms, "I am glad it was with you."
"You're not... disappointed it wasn't Robin?"
"He made his choice. If that choice is Raven, we will simply have to accept that."
"Do you really think it's going to be that easy?" Beast Boy sat up and leaned on one arm as he looked down at her.
Her face fell and she frowned, "No. It will be a difficult adjustment... and I am not sure if I am not angry at Raven."
"Do you think... it was a bad idea to have sex?"
"No..." Beast Boy shook his head, "We both learned a little, I think. About each other, and about our selves."
"Yes... it is just... I do not think Robin will see it that way."
"What about Raven?"
"As much as I may not approve of her starting a relationship with the man she knows I love, I will not let my anger cloud my reasoning. She will understand."
"She'll blame me."
"At first, yes. But once you tell her the truth, she will be forced to understand the reality of the situation. I was willing, and in full command of my sanity. It was consensual sex between two friends."
"You think we'll ever do it again?" Beast Boy knew his voice sounded hopeful, but tried to hide the same look from over taking his face.
"Yes." Star turned to him and touched his face, "I think we will."
"Good... I mean..." he smiled stupidly, "I mean, I'd like that."
"Good. I would enjoy your company as well. Now," she reached over and turned off her bedside lamp, which was the only light left on in the room, "let us sleep."
In the living room, Cyborg drooled on the back of the couch as he slept there, an infomercial muted on the TV.
Closing Notes: As I said in the opening notes, more to come on this one eventually. Not much, but enough to tell the rest of the story. Stay tuned.
