Disclaimer: Oh, poop.
Wow. Chapter eight. This has come a long way. I'm having fun. Enjoy the eighth chapter. Wee! Well enjoy!
In regards to Titans East: Gasp! I actually got close to tears after Cyborg decided to...to...ahg! I can't wait to see part two. If I'm mistaken and there isn't a part two, I think I might scream.
Hey, I have quite a few chapters written. I'm wondering if I should post two chapters instead of onetomorrow or whenever I got the chance to get online again. What do you guys think?
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Raven walked into the dark, very messy room quietly. The sobs were coming from Beast Boy's bed. She walked over and floated up to get to the top bunk, where she sat on the edge of the bed. "Beast Boy?" she asked.
Beast Boy was crying very hard. His body was shaking with the forceful sobs, and it was obvious that he was still asleep. He didn't respond when she spoke. "Beast Boy?" she asked again. She placed a hand on his shoulder and shook him gently. "Beast Boy!"
He shot straight up in bed and looked around wildly, his sobs halting for a moment, and then his head dropped to his chest as he started crying again, though clearly ashamed with himself. Raven's hand returned to his shoulder, and he jumped, large frightened eyes staring at her; he hadn't noticed she was here, because the room was dim.
"R-Raven?" he managed to stammer between sobs. She nodded.
"Yes," she said. He looked down at his sheets again, trying to stop his tears but with little progress. She watched him struggle to stop crying for a moment. "It's OK Beast Boy, you can cry," she told him softly. The large, wet, green eyes raised and looked at her for a moment as tears continued to seep from them. Raven slowly leaned forward and wrapped her arms around the sobbing changeling in a hug. He returned the embrace slowly, collapsing against her, still shaking with sobs in her arms. He made several attempts to apologize for crying, but his sobs drowned out the words.
Raven wasn't exactly sure what Beast Boy was crying about, but she guessed it had something to do with Terra. She was slightly taken aback, since she had never seen him cry before, but she didn't show it. She just continued to hug him and stroked his messy olive hair gently with one hand, surprised at how soft it was.
Eventually, Beast Boy's sobs ceased and he drew back, slightly embarrassed. Raven dropped her arms from around him. He was still shaking. "Maybe you should lie down," Raven suggested gently. He did, lying down on his side and watching her above him.
"Why were you crying? What happened?" she asked after a moment. Beast Boy took a shaky breath.
"I was-" he began, his voice wavering on every syllable. Raven realized then that he was still crying quietly. He sniffed several times. "I had a dream…about the night Terra died…but it was worse. Much worse. I didn't see everything when it really happened. I just saw her after. I don't know if what I dreamed was what happened to her…besides how screwed up everyone was. But it was awful…and you were there and you…went away…and I was all alone…everyone left me…and….and…" he was unable to go on and started to cry a bit harder.
Without a word, Raven nervously slid herself under the covers and wrapped her arms around her crying teammate. He seemed a bit surprised, but he returned the gesture, crying as quietly as he could into the shoulder of her leotard. "I'm not going to leave you," she said softly, surprising even herself at how gentle her own voice sounded. He gave her a tight squeeze.
Raven had never seen Beast Boy so vulnerable and small. He was always smaller than she was, but here, curled up against her and sobbing, he seemed so small and helpless. Beast Boy was a Teen Titan. He was more powerful than even himself knew. And yet at this moment he was as powerless as a kitten. He was upset, he was her friend, and for the first time she could remember, she was the only one there to comfort him. She stroked his back uncertainly and he was surprised for a moment but did not draw back. Her tenderness took him by surprise. Raven had never seemed to him to be the kind of person who could be so desperately comforting.
Eventually, Beast Boy's cries died away. He was exceptionally glad that she didn't let go of him when he stopped crying. He wondered how she knew that he needed her right now, how she seemed to know he had stopped crying outside but not inside. She was still stroking his back gently, and he gave a small, accidental purr of gratification. Raven laughed softly once, but quickly stopped, worried about hurting his feelings. She couldn't be sure how he would react to anything in this state.
She looked at him and saw that he was looking back, the clear emerald orbs staring into her own fierce violet ones. She drew him a bit closer and tried to look away, but the deep green eyes held her stare paralyzed. She couldn't recall ever being quite this close to her teammate, especially not for this long. She could feel every angle of his body against her own, and yet she was not pulling away. Normally, Raven attempted to get as far away from every person (especially Beast Boy) as humanly possible. She hated human contact, and she would usually draw away immediately at the touch of another. But instead, she did quite the contrary and pulled him even closer, as though she were rebelling against herself. Their faces were barely an inch apart now. Beast Boy decided to be bold and snuggled her closer against him, and she didn't protest. Faces only centimeters apart, now.
Slowly, very slowly, still watching those astounding jade eyes to see if he was going to do anything, Raven moved forward very slightly. So slightly that it was barely even noticeable. And then a little more. Beast Boy didn't draw back at all. Raven began to feel very, very strange. They were so close now. Any closer and the consequences could be disastrous. His breath seemed to be very hot against her lips, and she became aware that she too was breathing heavier than necessary, but could do nothing to stop it. She moved forward a bit more. Her lips were tingling as they paused only fibers away from Beast Boy's, and then they brushed for a fraction of a second before Raven drew back. Nothing exploded. Nothing imploded. The universe didn't come to an abrupt halt.
She moved forward once more, slowly, extremely nervously, and their lips connected for a second once more before Raven pulled hers back. She was furious with herself for not being assertive enough to go through with it and furious with herself for trying to, when she knew perfectly well that her powers could go out of control at any minute. But she gathered herself in spite of this and tried again. Only this time, Beast Boy moved forward too, and their lips united forcefully. They both pulled back, slightly awkwardly, and then Raven finally positioned her lips against his and did not draw back, kissing him nervously, squeezing her eyes shut. Beast Boy returned the kiss timidly, slightly nervous to be kissing someone like Raven. They both gained confidence and the kiss became less and less shy and more fervent. Beast Boy held Raven tighter in a desperate attempt to get her closer to him and she squeezed him back.
Beast Boy had forgotten his depression for the moment. He had forgotten Terra, forgotten the other Titans, forgotten the entire world, forgotten everything in existence but Raven, the dark, mysterious girl who never showed the slightest interest in him on a normal day and he was secretly slightly afraid of. He could feel nothing at the moment but powerful attraction. The reason she was here was forgotten to him for the time being, all that mattered was this completely blissful moment.
And then Raven broke the kiss, gasping for air. Beast Boy was slightly stunned by her actions and now that they were over, they stared at each other in confusion, something like fear in Raven's eyes. They both struggled to catch their breath and then stared at each other again, astounded by their own actions, daring themselves to do more. And then Raven dropped her head and rested it under his chin, and they were both silent.
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Aww. Uh…sorry. I'll get the next chapter up as soon as I can.