Solidarity?
Chapter 5
December 29, 2004
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The sweet, heavy scent of freshly prepared Chinese food seeped from the brown paper bag and infiltrated Richard's senses as he climbed the stairs to his apartment. The unmasked boy wonder sighed deeply as his feet tread another flight of stairs. The night had been anything but good… well, except for one thing. But that one thing caused him more frustration than pain.
What made matters worse was that another shadow creature had attacked his friend, and due to the damage inflicted upon that rickety old building he friend was now out of work; AKA: the play had been canceled indefinitely. Needless to say, when Garfield received the news he was less than enthralled.
But that wasn't the end of his night, oh no… it got much, much worse. He had to kiss her. His stupid, blasted hormones had to best of him and take control of his actions. He kissed Raven. Robin's mouth had infiltrated the sacred temple of another superhero's… and he enjoyed it. In fact, if it weren't for Beast Boy's untimely awakening, he would probably still be making out with the dark woman… and liking it.
'Why me…?' He whined silently. 'Why does God hate me so much? Enough to make me get excited around a dark, depressing, masked superheroine…?' He reached into his pocket with his free hand, and pulled out the blue scrap of material that was her mask. He had nearly discovered the truth of her identity, but alas, Beast Boy's stupid body chose to wake up at that exact moment.
'Oh well… what can I do now, but wait for Raven to show herself again?' He thought sadly as he reached his own floor, and shoved the mask back in his pocket. Smiling slightly he knocked on Beatrice's door, hoping she was home. After all, Chinese food was never good the second time around.
"Hello?" The door opened, and the thin, sickly looking girl appeared in the doorway. Her eyes looked a little red, as if she had been crying, but then again… it could just be from lack of sleep.
"Hey there, Bea," Richard said, offering her a smile. "I come bearing sustenance; care to join me for Chinese take-out and a soda?"
A small smile worked its way across her mouth and she nodded slowly. "I'd like that." She followed him into his own apartment, where he placed the bag on the table and went to find the soda, which was hiding somewhere in his apartment.
"I wasn't sure what you liked," Richard said, his head currently buried in his mini-fridge, "So, I just got a quart of beef lo mien, is that alright?" He pulled out two cans of soda and set them on the table.
"That's fine, I'm not picky." Beatrice plopped down in a chair and sighed deeply, looking rather sadly at the food on the table. Richard turned around and watched carefully as several different emotions passed over her soft face, and finally ended with 'upset'.
"Something wrong?" He asked, handing her a pair of chopsticks and a bowl.
"Not really…" She said softly, setting the items down and opening her can of soda. She looked at that sadly too, and then took a sip. "I'm just a little depressed."
Richard smiled slightly. "Not eating does that to you. So eat up, you look like you need it." He pushed the box in her direction and let her fill her bowl. There was a moment of silence before he spoke again.
"Gar told me about the theater, I'm really sorry you lost your job…" He said carefully, hoping that wasn't the root of her depression. He watched as her face kept its stony expression.
"I don't care. I was being paid below minimum anyway… I just had to do it for school," She said nonchalantly, as if the whole deal didn't really matter in the end. She passed the box back towards him and shrugged. "They'll just give me some other low paying assignment I have to complete for a grade. I hate internships…" She popped a piece of beef in her mouth.
"Then why the long face?" Richard asked again. "I mean, I know you must be tired and all… but, something's bothering you. I can tell." He watched her for a long while as she chewed her beef and looked at him thoughtfully. It looked as though she was trying to decide what to say to him, or even to say something to him.
"I was kissed today."
Richard coughed slightly, surprised at her bluntness. Suddenly a bell went off inside his own mind and he stared at her carefully, trying to see if her characteristics matched up with those of Raven. But, they kept coming up negative; Raven was snide and rude, where as Beatrice was friendly and nice; Raven had a colder air and treated Robin like crap, where as the air around Beatrice was more approachable and she treated Richard nicely. No, there was no way that Beatrice and Raven could be one in the same. It was completely laughable.
"By who?" he asked, after taking a sip of his soda.
"Mitch," She stated quickly, looking down at her bowl.
"What? That scraggily guy who told you to fix that light today?" Richard was slowly forgetting about his meal. He didn't want to sound like some pre-teen girl, but what had happened with Beatrice captivated him… he wasn't quite sure why. All he understood was that he wanted to hear everything she had to say.
"Yeah…" she whispered softly, still gazing into her bowl, as if it held some sort of truth. Finally she looked back up at Richard and bit her lower lip, as if ready to say something painful. He kept silent, hoping she would eventually come around, and tell him what was truly going on within her mind.
"Richard… I've never been kissed before," She said finally. "I don't know whether to say I feel violated… or to say I liked it." She picked up her chopsticks again and prodded at the noodles.
"Oh… I didn't know…" He said softly, feeling very surprised at this new information. Beatrice was so attractive… so sexy, he thought she would have at least had sex by now. But, never been kissed? That was something strange.
"Of course not," Beatrice stated curtly, still prodding at her noodles. "I didn't want you to know. Whether or not I've been kissed isn't vital to our friendship."
There was another pause, and Richard watched her carefully, trying to decide if he should continue the conversation… or let it be. After all, it did seem that Beatrice was rather shaken up. But alas, his curiosity got the better of him. "Did you like it? Being kissed, I mean."
Beatrice's face turned a bright red, and she shoved some noodles into her mouth. There was a long pause as she chewed slowly, drawing out the pause in conversation. But Richard was a patient man, and would wait for her answer.
"Yes."
"I don't see what the problem is then, Beatrice… if you like him and all," Richard spoke calmly, but his insides were suddenly burning. Why hadn't it occurred to him that if Beatrice liked being kissed by Mitch – ew – then there was a possibility that she would come 'off the market'. She could end up dating him… ew! That was just a sick and twisted thought. More importantly, Richard would never be able to lay a hand on the fair maiden… ever.
"I liked the kiss," She stated sharply, looking up at him firmly. "I never said I liked the person. He infuriates me to no end, and every time I see his damned, cocky face I'd like to punch him." She shoved more noodles into her mouth as she brooded over her lost lips.
Richard laughed lightly. "Some one should inform him of your good right hook then. Otherwise he could end up in the same situation as me." He passed more lo mien to her, which she accepted gratefully. He watched with a strange sort of happiness as the sickly girl filled her bowl again. At least she was eating now, that was a good thing.
"Enough about me," She said finally, looking up at the man across from her. "Let's talk about you… or something else."
"Oh," Richard said, feeling a little put out, "but, I like talking about you."
"And I don't," Beatrice said sharply, picking up a piece of beef. "So, how's school?" She asked, changing the subject.
"Fine." Richard shrugged calmly. "I just finished my final papers, so I'm free for the next week. I don't even think I'll go to class."
Beatrice chuckled a little and smiled up at him. "So what are you going to do? Just lay around this hell hole all day?" She asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow.
Richard counted her sly smile with one of his own. "Maybe." There was a short pause and he shrugged again, leaning back in his chair. "I've got a friend in Gotham I might go visit. I've been meaning to spend some time with him lately."
"Oh? So you'll be gone for how long?" Beatrice asked, her face showing signs of mild surprise. It looked, just for a moment, that she was upset at his departure… or maybe it was just the flickering yellow light above their heads.
"Just a few days, I've got some obligations back here," he snagged a piece of beef and watched as Beatrice's face melted into slight confusion. Richard had full intentions on telling her what those obligations were; now, whether or not they were true was an entirely different matter.
"Obligations?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "Like what?"
"You know 'Big Fish', down on Walbridge?" he asked with a completely straight face. Beatrice's face, on the other hand, had turned a bright shade of pink. She knew the place he was talking about.
"What? The male strip club?" her voice wavered for a moment, and Richard was finding it hard not to laugh at her expression.
"Yeah, well I dance there on Tuesday and Thursday evenings." He picked up some noodles calmly and munched on them happily, watching the emotions and feelings pour across poor Beatrice. She looked embarrassed, shocked, surprised, confused, and disbelieving all in one pretty façade. As much as Richard hated to admit it, it was very amusing to see her so helpless for words.
"Oh… I didn't know," she said softly, turning back to the meal in front of her. Richard lost control and suddenly began to laugh, watching as Beatrice looked surprised yet again. She watched him until his fit of giggles had subsided, and was able to talk clearly again.
"Sorry, Bea…" He said, wiping at his eyes and smiling at the poor girl. "I was only joking. I don't work at Big Fish, so you don't have to worry."
"Oh…" Beatrice's expression turned suddenly, and a sly smile worked across her face. She looked carefully at the man across from her, as if asking him silent questions. "Did they turn you down? Is your body not up to par?" She asked finally, her smile still firmly in place.
"Hey!" Richard's own smile had quickly fallen from his face, and he took on an indignant look. "I have a body that any company would just fall over themselves to get!" he said sharply.
"Oh?" She asked calmly, popping a piece of beef in her mouth. "Is that true?"
"Yes! I just don't like strutting in front of hoards of women, dressed in nothing but a thong. That just doesn't appeal to me." He crossed his arms over his chest and looked at his neighbor firmly, challenging her to say something else.
"Nor to the other women," Beatrice responded flatly.
"You like walking a dangerous line, don't you?" He asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow. Beatrice's smiled at him, showing white, beautiful, strait teeth in a suggestion of some unknown feeling or emotion. Something that neither she nor Richard could put into words.
"I like a life of danger…" she put another piece of beef in her mouth and gazed at her neighbor for a second, before returning to her meal.
Richard watched her carefully for a few long moments, trying to figure out what had just happened between them. He had the upper hand for thirty seconds, and in less than that Beatrice had struck him down with a game of wits. With any other woman, he would have been appalled and angry at her rude behavior, but with Beatrice… it actually turned him on. The way her eyes took on an almost 'come hither' look as she played games with him; it made his stomach tighten and his lips tremble with desired pressure. She had initiated some sort of game, and Richard wasn't going to back down… not if her eyes kept that same look.
"You're just jealous." Richard leaned back in his chair and smirked playfully at Beatrice. She looked up and raised a questioning eyebrow.
"Jealous of what? Your arrogance?"
"No," he smiled, then leaned into the small table, his face coming dangerously close to her own. "You're jealous of the fact that other woman may have seen me naked."
Beatrice rolled her eyes and kept a look of exasperation, but her lips betrayed her. They trembled slightly, as if they knew what she really felt.
"I want to kiss you." Richard stated suddenly, looking Beatrice firmly in the eyes. Her face paled and she jumped up from the table, looking at her neighbor in shock.
"W-what?" She stuttered carefully, eyes fluttering slightly.
"I want to kiss you," Richard stated again, getting to his feet. He approached the young woman, who now looked like a deer caught in headlights. "Do you understand how attractive you are? Do you understand that you're the sexiest woman I know? Do you understand how hard it is to be respectable around you, Bea?"
"Please… Richard… I can't kiss you! I can't!" She tried to back away from him, but the back of her knees suddenly connected with his bed and had no where else to run. She silently cursed the idiot who made their apartments so small.
"Why can't you kiss me?" he asked, his hand reaching out to caress her face. He watched as her face unconsciously leaned into his touch and her eyes fluttered shut. She wanted to enjoy this, he could tell that from her suddenly placid expression. She wanted to wake up one morning and find herself wrapped within his arms… he knew that. But why couldn't she kiss him? Why was she denying him something he'd been dreaming about since the day he met her?
"Please, Bea…" He asked softly, his hands going to her shoulders carefully. "I won't touch you if you tell me the truth."
Her eyes opened and she looked up at him, her dark pools showing nothing but utter sadness. "I'm afraid. I'm afraid of falling in love."
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SORRY! I know it's a weird place to stop a chapter, but I hadn't really had a cliff-hanger in a while so I thought I'd pop one in. (Ducks flying object) SORRY! I'll have a new chapter up soon! So, please don't worry!!
Love: Xaph!
Please Review! If you don't I'll just have to kiss you until you do!
