I think I rambled enough in the last chapter to last for the rest of the fic so I'll just get started with two small notes:
Note 1: Rose, I believe, asked if Scorpio was hot or ugly. He is, actually, supposed to be very very hot. Like…every member of that family is absolutely gorgeous. They could be super models. Just making that clear.
Note 2: This chapter brings the return of another Adriane-Original Song! PLEASE, review not only on my story, but take the time to read and review her song as well. She's been kinda down in the dumps lately, and nearly stopped writing songs because this bitch started copying her and now she doesn't feel original and she really needs encouragement. PLEASE REVIEW HER SONG ALONG WITH MY FIC. I'm not asking you to LIE or anything, and say it's good even if it sucks (which it doesn't) but…just try to mention the song.
We'll begin in 5…4…3…2…1…NOW.
Dedication: To Adriane, for her song contribution. And the assistance in the making up of the official Platamapus cries. And for listening when I needed a friend. Luv yas chica.
Disclaimer: The song Confusion belongs to Adriane. The Teen Titans belong to DC comics and Warner Brothers. The large comic book collection stashed under my bed along with several dust bunnies belongs, thankfully, to me. -Tries to teach dust bunny to dance even though she can't dance herself- YEAH!
Scorpio kept his head level to Starfire's looking deeply into her eyes, which frightened the frozen Tamaranian girl more than anything else. But there was a different emotion growing inside of her, one that was slowly outweighing the fear. Suddenly, like a burst of sunlight after spending a prolonged period of time in a dark room, Starfire felt overcome with a profound affection for her ex-boyfriend. She threw her arms around him with vigor, kissing him greedily, her mind no longer her own.
"My dear…" Scorpio broke the kiss and nodded in the direction of the stairs. "I'm afraid we have an audience." Starfire turned to look where the blond Tamaranian had indicated. Robin stood at the door to the stairs, mouth agape and his expression burning with intense hatred and betrayal. The alien girl felt a sharp pain in her forehead as she looked at him, but Scorpio turned her head away and the pain ceased. Starfire simply shrugged, smiled, and kissed him again.
Robin could hardly believe what he was seeing. Hadn't it only been a few minutes ago that Starfire had lightly kissed him on the cheek and told him that their afternoon together had been enjoyable? Hadn't it only been a night ago that she had gratefully accepted the necklace he had given her and declared that she would love to do 'The Courtship' with him? Hadn't it only been a week or two ago that she had told him how much she loathed Scorpio for everything he'd done to her?
Then what the hell was she DOING?
The Boy Wonder could not stand watching his girlfriend and her ex-boyfriend in such an intensely fierce lip lock for a moment longer, and promptly stormed over and yanked Starfire from the embrace. There had to be an explanation, some weird, twisted reason that this was happening. He'd never do this to her and she'd never do this to him.
Right?
Scorpio, more than slightly annoyed that Robin had interrupted him, looked directly at Starfire and said, in a very quiet deadly voice, "He is trying to break us apart, my dear."
The Tamaranian princess wrenched her arm away from her captor and snarled at him, her hands suddenly alight with twin starbolts. She looked angry enough to kill, yet, for a second, she seemed to hesitate.
"Now, Starry. Take care of him now." Starfire's head felt as though it were splitting in two as she took careful aim of her boyfriend. Robin didn't move. His face was filled with defiance, but that barely managed to mask the hurt. "NOW, Starry."
Starfire shot the two starbolts at Robin simultaneously, her eyes cold, hard, and…cloudy?
"What does that little lady think she's doing?" Cyborg gaped at the television screen. Beast Boy stared as well, but he was too shocked to say anything at all.
"He…he can control it without looking directly into the eyes…" Raven cursed herself for not thinking of that before, and for allowing Starfire to go to the roof with Scorpio.
"Control what?" Beast Boy had finally found his voice, but it was weak and frail.
"After spending this much time with Scorpio, you still haven't figured it out?" Raven shot daggers at the two male Titans.
"Figured what out?"
"Ugh! You two are as bad as Robin. He hasn't been able to tell either, judging by his actions and his expression." Raven shook her head, but her eyes were burning with malice. "Now if you'll excuse me, bone heads, I have some business to take care of." The empath sunk through the nearest wall, presumably heading back to her room.
Cyborg and Beast Boy were left to ponder what Raven had meant as they continued to watch the surveillance feed with awe and a bit of fright.
The starbolts sunk into Robin's chest and quite literally threw him across the Tower roof. He now lay on the edge, silent and unmoving.
"ROBIN!" Starfire's eyes suddenly cleared and displayed obvious worry. She couldn't remember anything that had happened in the last ten minutes. How had she gotten to the roof? Why was Scorpio standing so close to her? And why, why was Robin laying on the floor, appearing to be in pain? The Tamaranian princess flew to him and landed at his side, on the verge of tears. What could have hurt him so badly that he couldn't get up? Robin still lay facedown, quite immobile, but as she bent lower to examine his wounded body, Starfire could've sworn that she heard a voice…
"So this is how it's always been…" The once motionless Boy Wonder abruptly sprung upward and kicked Starfire away from him, hitting her squarely in the chest. He had no qualms about kicking a girl at this time. In his mind he was quite justified in doing so. His back feeling as though it were on fire, Robin stormed into the interior of the Tower.
Starfire was shocked at such a display of anger. What had she done to deserve it? Robin had kicked her away from him. Tears were now pouring down Starfire's reddening face, her mind more confused than ever before.
"The time has come…" Starfire whipped around, but Scorpio was no longer where he had once stood. In a wave of uncertainty and sorrow, the Tamaranian princess took off after Robin, racing down the stairs at top speed.
Beast Boy and Cyborg had, in a matter of minutes, rearranged the couches and tables in the living room to form something of a barrier against what they knew they were about to face. The Changeling peaked through the slit between the dinner table and the arm chair to check for signs of trouble.
"Nothing yet, Tin Man." The half robot was busy attempting to tape several sheets of newspaper to a bookcase and a wooden chair in order to bridge the gap between them.
"Nothing?"
"Nothing." But Beast Boy had spoken too soon, apparently, for as soon as he had voiced the last syllable of reassurance, there was a loud bang of a door opening and the familiar but strangely heavy stomps of a pair of steel toed boots coming down the stairs. "Uh oh…here it comes…"
"Robin, why did you…why are you…?" Starfire's delicate feet lightly danced down the stairs her voice weak and unstable. It was quite obvious that she was crying.
"WHY THE HELL DO YOU THINK?" Robin unexpectedly roared, his entire body tense with his potential wrath.
"What did I…I do not understand how…"
"HOW WHAT?"
"I…I do not understand, Robin! What have I done to-"
"YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHAT YOU DID!"
"I DO NOT!" Starfire was now yelling, a particularly unusual occurrence. "I AM COMPLETELY PERPLEXED AT WHY YOU ARE SO VERY ANGERY WITH ME, AND YOU WILL NOT TELL ME, SO HOW SHOULD I KNOW?" Robin was suddenly very quiet.
"…How could you not know?" Robin swiftly rounded on the shoddy fort that Beast Boy and Cyborg had compiled, barking, "AND WHY THE HELL IS ALL THE GODDAMN FURNITURE PILED UP LIKE THAT?"
Scorpio floated through the long hallways of Titans Tower, attempting to locate his room, a near impossible task in the maze of a building. He was still acutely astonished that Starfire had been able to break free of his grip on her mind on her own this time. Over the years he had become quite an accomplished mind controller. Scorpio marveled at the simplicity of all his plots over the past week. Paying that man at the mall to hit on Starfire hadn't been quite enough for the cretin, but a simple reach into the mortal's mind convinced him full well, and even got him into the part a bit. Getting Kitten out of the jail had been just as easy, if not easier. It was simply a matter of wiping the minds of each of the guards who he happened to pass, not a particularly difficult task. Erasing his picture from the surveillance camera as he broke the petite blond free had been slightly more challenging, as it required extensive hacking into the Titans Database, but from there he could instantly link to all police files and surveillance tapes and erase his image, as the Teen Titans were allowed instant access to all. Scorpio was quite positive, however, that his final plan had been the most brilliant of all. Convince Starfire to be infatuated with him for a short amount of time (only a few minutes was be all that would be necessary) and be sure that the Titans were watching. Robin would become furious with her, Starfire (if she ever snapped out of the trance) would remember nothing due to a quick mind wipe, they'd have a huge argument, and Starfire would, if not come running to he, Scorpio, for comfort, at least be resentful of her dear Bird Boy. Judging by Starfire's thoughts at the moment, paining him though it did to look without eye contact, his plan was working rather well. It would've been nice if he could've controlled her a little longer though. Scorpio was a bit too preoccupied with his thoughts of the chaos he'd caused to notice a dark and livid figure appear behind him. This dark figure swiftly threw her hand out and sent a wave of dark magic at the Tamaranian boy, much to his surprise.
"How dare you…" Raven's voice was deadly and her eyes glowing white as she lifted Scorpio with her powers. "How dare you do such an evil, appalling thing?" The blond alien's eyes were wide. He'd never seen the empath quite so angry before, and quite frankly, it was rather frightening. Raven flicked her wrist viciously, throwing Scorpio into the wall behind him with a crash. "We let you stay here, despite everything you've done to Star, we fed you, and we gave you too much freedom for your own good…" The empath's eyes were turning red and…was that another set of eyes above her own? Scorpio felt his back throb as he was thrown into another wall. When Raven spoke again, her voice was deeper, as though two voices were talking as one. "I could kill you now, but death's too good for you." With a final, savage toss, Scorpio landed head-first in his room. "You will stay there if you value your pretty boy face." The door closed with a bang.
Outside, Raven breathed slowly and managed to collect her thoughts; calming her rage and making the upper two of her four red eyes disappear. She had to shroud the room. The whole room. It would be difficult, and possibly painful, but for the sake of her friends, she had to do it. There was no time to look up fancy spells in her room or search for bottles of sand that might already be broken. She had to act now, and quickly.
"Azar help me," she breathed, closing her eyes in deep concentration. The empath began to chant; quietly at first, but soon her mantra became loud and powerful. "Azarath, Metreon, Zinthos…Azarath, Metreon, Zinthos…Azarath, Metreon, Zinthos…Azarath…Metreon…ZINTHOS!" Black power crawled from Raven's hands to the door, and from the door to the adjacent walls, and from the walls to the depths of the room within. It was slow, tedious work, and consumed all of Raven's concentration. She could feel her magic working it's way through the room, inch by inch, her hands and head throbbing with the intensity it took to concentrate that hard. Focus…keep your mind…focused. Don't loose yourself in silly thoughts…don't fail your friends in this…don't think of Beast Boy…
As if possessed by some sort of inner demon, Raven was suddenly thrown back by her own dark powers, hitting the wall and sinking to the floor. It was all she could do to keep from crying out as pain shot up her back and stung in her head. Why? Why did it seem that whenever she pushed Beast Boy away her powers shorted? Why was it that-
Raven's eyes shot open with a sudden realization, her head clearing in an instant. Instead of picking herself up, the empath sunk deeper into the floor and out of sight, almost grinning at the prospect of what she was about to do.
Beast Boy and Cyborg remained silent, hoping that if they didn't answer the fury fueled accusation, Robin would either think they weren't there or get too anxious about the roof incident to care. It appeared to have worked, as the Boy Wonder once again reared on a frightened and tearful Starfire.
"Why?" His voice was deadly quiet now. "Just tell me that. Why did you do it? How could you do it?" Starfire was silent. "Answer me."
"I…I do not even understand what you are saying!" Starfire sniffled, biting her lip and wiping her ruddy cheeks with the back of her hand. "I cannot even remember…"
"You can't remember?" Robin seethed, teeth gritted. "How convenient." The two male Titans hiding in their fort felt a pang of guilt. They had mercifully been passed over, but Starfire was the one getting lashed in their place.
"I speak truth, friend Robin! Why do you not believe me?"
"BECAUSE I KNOW WHAT I SEE! MY EYES DON'T MAKE THINGS UP FOR ME!" Robin had gone back to hollering once again.
"WHAT DO YOUR EYES MAKE UP FOR YOU? WHAT? YOU WILL NOT TELL ME MY OFFENSE, SO HOW AM I TO KNOW-"
"BECAUSE YOU COMMITED THAT OFFENSE!"
"HOW IS IT THAT YOU COULD EVER BELIEVE THAT I WOULD DO ANYTHING TO OFFEND YOU?"
"BECAUSE I SAW IT WITH MY OWN EYES!"
"YOUR EYES LIE!" The argument was getting louder and louder, each Titan fighting to dominate the other. Nevertheless, tears continued to pour down Starfire's cheeks.
In the middle of all the frenzy, Raven rose from the floor, wincing as the yelling flooded her ears. All noise ceased, however, when the raging couple noticed the empath's sudden appearance.
"You..." Raven aimed a sharp look at Robin. "Stop yelling at her. I don't have time to explain, but stop." The Boy Wonder was about to raise protest, but thought better of it and shut his mouth. The empath's violet eyes panned the room, her gaze finally falling on the fortress of assorted objects. "Beast Boy! Get out here." Timidly, the Changeling poked his head out from behind his safety zone. "Front and center." Raven's voice was snappish and Beast Boy decided that it was not the best time to ignore her. He stumbled forward to face her, Cyborg now assuming his previous position of merely watching from behind the makeshift wall.
"Beast Boy, if you don't answer this question honestly, I will personally rip your head off, understand?" The Changeling nodded, unsure of what this was all about and not certain that he really wanted to know. Raven, on the other hand, was feeling rather bold, looking the green elf directly in the eyes, knowing what she was about to ask and who she was about ask her question in front of. She didn't care anymore, though. What other people thought didn't matter to her anymore. "Beast Boy…" The empath suddenly choked on her words. Now that she was actually face to face with him, the question seemed much more difficult to voice.
"Rae…? Are you okay?" The whole room was watching, but Raven took a deep breath and let the words tumble out of her mouth, determination burning in her eyes.
"Do you love me?" It was as though time stood still. Cyborg's mouth had dropped open and stayed that way, and even Robin and Starfire had stopped shooting daggers at each other to stare in awe. Beast Boy didn't say anything at first, but instead simply gawked at Raven, then slowly nodded his head again. "Say it, Beast Boy. I need you to say it." Raven's voice was pleading, as though her life depended on his next words.
"I love you, Rae." In a rush that was a mix of adrenaline and love that seemed so shoot through the empath's veins like fire, she had moved her hand to the back of his head and pulled him to her; kissing him deeply, passionately, almost desperately. Beast Boy was initially surprised, but the feeling faded as he wrapped his arms protectively around Raven's waist and returned her affectionate gesture. He'd wanted this for so long, so very long, but as suddenly as it had started, it was over. The empath broke away, her face apologetic.
"I'll explain later, I promise." Raven sunk into the floor once again, leaving Beast Boy to touch his lips with a look of confusion, wondering if that had really just happened. Judging by the tingling feeling that still danced upon his lips, the event really had taken place. That, and the fact that the rest of the Titans were still staring in silent, open mouthed amazement.
Raven rose before Scorpio's door once again. She could feel unfamiliar and powerful magic coursing through her veins, magic that was longing to be free. The empath could feel Scorpio's aura lingering in the room, on the bed if she was not mistaken. Finally at peace with herself for the first time in weeks, Raven slowly began to chant, her mind slipping into thoughts of the wonderful sensations that still danced along her mouth.
"Having trouble with your lovely unstable powers?" A scathing voice from inside the room slipped into her mind. Apparently, he could sense Raven's presence as well.
"You wish." Raven spat before continuing to repeat her spell. "Azarath, Metreon, Zinthos…Azarath, Metreon, Zinthos…Azarath, Metreon, Zinthos…" Black energy burst from her hands, rapidly spreading across the door and the wall. Raven watched with great satisfaction, ultimately pleased with this new revelation.
By admitting that she loved Beast Boy not only to he but to herself as well, and armed with the knowledge that he loved her, she had been made whole. Of all the emotions that she'd been missing, it was love. When she had become aware of this emptiness, her powers couldn't take it. Of course they became unpredictable and shorted on her so often. Without love she had been incomplete. But now, now, the empath felt so free…so able to do anything.
First, however, she had to speak with Beast Boy. As soon as Raven was satisfied with her magic barrier enforcing the entire room, she disappeared down the hall to return to the living room, seeing no apparent reason to rush.
Scorpio liked to be comfortable. He always had, and it was a safe bet that he always would. Now, as he sat in the cramped air duct that lead to his room, the Tamaranian boy felt anything but comfortable. He watched carefully as black magic spread over the vent grate, presumably the witch's magic locking him in. How fortunate that he had known to crawl into this air vent at the very last minute.
"Stupid witch…" With a final, forced chuckle (due to his considerably squished position), Scorpio twisted his body to the left and began to crawl away from his would-be prison.
"I…I'm going to my room." Robin announced, marching off.
"Robin…please…" Starfire flew after him, tears still falling. The two had become slightly more rational since Raven had left.
"Don't follow me!" Robin snarled, promptly exiting the room without another word.
Slightly more rational. Only slightly.
Starfire, completely perplexed at everything that had just occurred in the last hour or so, exploded in a loud wail and left the room through a different door, her face buried in her hands.
"I should probably go try to calm Robin down…" Beast Boy ran from the room and followed Robin through the east hallway, a look of wonder still lingering in his eyes at the recent occurrences. As soon as the Changeling was out of sight, Raven entered through the opposite door, her vibrant violet eyes sweeping the room.
"Where's Beast Boy?"
Cyborg slowly crept out of his fort, looking around shakily.
"Are they gone?"
"The raging couple? Yes, I suppose they've left, judging by the severe lack of yelling." Raven sighed with impatience. "Now where's Beast Boy?"
"He went to go reason with Robin." Cyborg now walked with confidence to the kitchen and opened up the freezer door; wrestling wit the contents inside. "I really don't see a point, but…"
"I need to speak with him. Now." Raven's voice was deadly serious, but the half robot didn't seem to notice.
"What, about your little impulsive kiss? I think you shocked him so badly that he'll be needing therapy for weeks. Not that he didn't already." Cyborg reappeared in the living room with three spoons, three bowls, and a bulging brown paper bag. "You can talk to Green Genes later. We have consolation work to do."
"You don't understand. I absolutely must see Beast Boy, NOW. I have to explain…" Raven paused suddenly, her friend's words suddenly registering. "…Wait, we? What do you mean we have some consolation work to do?"
"I mean we as in you're coming with me."
"No, I have to-"
"It can wait Raven. Starfire's your friend, and you're the only other girl in the Tower. I think you'd do a lot more good than me. I'm just there for moral support and to make sure that no one gets killed." Raven glared at him, but Cyborg chose to look away. "'Sides, Robin's pissed off. That's normal for him. Starfire's depressed. That tends to require a bit more work." The empath looked as though she were about to raise protest yet again, but kept silent. Cyborg was, unfortunately, absolutely right.
"…Fine." Cyborg grinned.
"Ready to go then?"
"Am I ever ready to console anybody?" Nevertheless, Raven slowly followed the half robot out the south hallway door.
Before they had even reached Starfire's room, they heard only half muffled sobs and strangled wails.
"…Star?" Cyborg knocked on the entrance gently. "Starfire, you in there?"
"No." Raven rolled her eyes. "She's not. The hysteric crying is only a figment of your imagination."
"Watch yourself." The words were a bit harsher than the cybernetic had intended. He knocked again, harder this time, as the sobs had become softer sniffles. "Starfire…?"
"I…I do not wish to see anyone at this time. I am sorry, but it would be preferable if you were to leave."
"Star, it's just us…" Raven was clearly annoyed at the prolonged amount of time this consolation-crusade was taking.
"I am sorry, friends Raven and Cyborg, but-"
"Little lady, you listen up. Either you open up this door and let us in, or I'm gonna use Beast Boy as a battering ram to bust it down. Either way, we're coming in." Cyborg grinned triumphantly as Starfire slowly appeared before them as the door opened, but the state she was in wiped the smile right off his face. Her eyes were no longer bright green and joyful, but dull, bloodshot, and still confused. Her cheeks were red and tearstained, her hair tattered, limp, and stringy.
"…And it's only been half an hour…"
"Raven…"
"What?"
"Friends, why do you wish to see me?" Starfire's voice was scratchy and wasted. Raven, her dry sarcasm often coming to play when she was most agitated, rolled her eyes.
"To wish you a Merry Christmas."
"Raven…" Cyborg gave the telekinetic the best death stare he could muster before turning back to Starfire. "We're here to cheer you up Star."
"I am not in need of cheer…"
"I don't do cheer…"
"Well to bad for both of ya'll. C'mon, we need to talk." The three entered the alien girl's room. As soon as Raven stepped in, however, she keeled over and fell to her knees, groaning as her head throbbed painfully.
"Raven?" Starfire temporarily forgot her own troubles, frightened for her friend who was in obvious pain.
"Rae? You alright?" Cyborg bent to the empath's level on the ground, concerned as well.
"Pain…I can feel it…so much pain and confusion…it hurts…so badly…" Raven closed her eyes and held her head in her hands. It felt as though a sledgehammer were making a particularly savage assault on her mind. "Starfire…your pain…it's so prominent in my mind…you're so confused…so hurt…I…" Raven shuddered, then pulled herself upright, looking slightly worse for the wear. "As an empath I can feel your pain. Any especially prominent emotions affect me, oftentimes for the worse." She shook her head. "But I can become one with the feeling…it…it doesn't hurt…so much anymore…" Taking a deep breath, she pulled herself together. "I'm sorry…I'll be fine." Starfire, now assured that her friend was not injured in any way, fell onto her bed and buried her head into her pillow. Raven chose the darkest corner in the room to lean into, which wasn't nearly as dark as she would have liked, and Cyborg lay his tools across a white dresser on the edge of the room.
"Friends…I am distressed."
"We had no idea." Raven instantly regretted her words when she heard a moan and a sob. "I'm…not really helping, am I?"
"No, you're not." Cyborg turned to give the empath a hard look.
"Look, Starfire? It's not your fault that Robin's a narrow minded thick skinned pinhead who wouldn't recognize mind control if it danced naked in front of him…in fact it did."
"Raven."
"Right, still not helping…"
"Well, that's not what I was gonna say, but…just keep your Robin-oriented comments to yourself, alright Witch?" Raven said nothing, but merely glared at her teammate. "But what's this about mind control?"
The empath sighed and slowly began to explain Scorpio's potential wrath. As she did, Starfire's sniffles became sobs all over again and Cyborg's mouth fell lower and lower.
"ALIEN-BOY'S GOT PSYCHIC POWERS?"
"I…guess you could put it that way." Raven rolled her eyes and crossed the room to Starfire, sitting down beside her and awkwardly patting her on the back.
"That's why Star kissed Scorpi-freak, ain't it? That's why-"
"I WHAT?" Starfire flew back in abrupt astonishment. "When was it that I kissed Scorpio?"
"Earlier this evening on the roof! That's why Rob's all-"
"I would never to such an awful thing! How could you even say…" But Starfire's voice trailed off as she thought about her lack of memory of whatever had occurred on the roof to make Robin so angry at her.
"She doesn't remember Cyborg. Scorpio probably wiped her memory."
"Friends, I am…truly sorry but…but…please leave…I…I wish to be alone…I…" Starfire's river of tears had returned and she sobbed uncontrollably into Raven's shoulder. The empath winced in pain. Starfire's sorrow was overwhelming, but she couldn't let the alien princess go. She didn't want the poor girl to cry alone. As Starfire clutched Raven to her, continuing to weep, the empath felt a tear slide down her own cheek as well.
"We're not going anywhere Star."
"Dude, would you calm down for like, two seconds?" Beast Boy leaned against one of the newspaper clipping covered walls of Robin's room.
"HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO BE CALM?" The Boy Wonder had returned to yelling once again.
"Well…maybe…I don't know, maybe it was a mistake."
"A mistake." Robin groaned and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, Starfire just accidentally made out with Scorpio."
"Breath, Robbie-Poo, breathe." The Boy Wonder suddenly leaped at Beast Boy, pinning him forcefully to a wall.
"You have no idea of what it's like to see your girlfriend making out with someone she's supposed to hate then having her blast you into oblivion, and I'm about five seconds away from taking a leaf out of Raven's book and chucking you out the window."
"You'll do no such thing you pathetically dense idiot." Robin found himself encased in black energy and thrown back onto his bed. Beast Boy rubbed his neck and back from being held to the wall.
"Geez, Rob, I'm hurting in places I didn't even know I had."
Raven glided into the room, her eyes alight with anger and Robin was already getting up off his bed. As soon as he had stood up, however, the psychic punched him squarely in the jaw sending him hurdling back down.
"OW! Raven, what the hell-?"
"I did that for Starfire, because she's too nice to do it herself." Raven growled, her hands glowing with power.
"Raven…have you been crying?" Beast Boy came up beside her, noticing her strangely puffy eyes.
"I…that is…" Raven breathed slowly, deciding to answer the question. She turned back to Robin instead. "Just…stay sitting, you sorry excuse for a boyfriend, and I'll tell you what you've been too stupid to see for the past two weeks."
Cyborg watched as the unusually depressed Starfire slowly stuck another spoonful of mint ice cream into her mouth. She had already eaten five servings since the half robot had taken out the tub just after Raven had left, emptying out the entire thing with a bit of help from the half robot himself. It was pitiful, really, seeing her so…distant. He noticed that as she set down the now empty bowl, she fingered a thin silver necklace with her free hand.
"What's that from?" Cyborg asked, pointing at the accessory. "I never noticed it before."
Starfire closed her eyes, trying to keep herself from crying all over again. She wanted to rip the chain right off her neck and hurl it off the roof of the Tower, but she knew that she wouldn't. She couldn't. Inhaling deeply, Starfire breathed a single, barely audible response.
"…Robin."
"MIND CONTROL?" Robin jumped up from his bed. "What-?"
"If you had paid any attention to Starfire or Scorpio whatsoever for the past two weeks, you might have actually noticed." Raven glared at the gulping teen in front of her.
"I just…how could I have…and I didn't even give her a chance to…I…I have to talk to her. Now." Robin whacked the button that initiated the door opening sequence, but though the door slid open he was stopped by a pale hand on his shoulder.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you."
"Why not? I just acted like a moronic idiot and falsely accused her and…Raven, get off of me! I need to see her!" The empath didn't let go.
"Fine, do what you want, but you're right. You didn't give her a chance to explain. You did act like a moronic idiot. You did falsely accuse her. Go ahead, talk to her. Be my guest. Just don't blame me when she blasts you clear out of the galaxy for coming within twenty feet of her." Robin wheeled on her.
"And how would YOU, and emotionless GOTH know anything about how Starfire feels?" Robin barely had time to dodge what would have been the second punch he'd received in ten minutes. The look in Beast Boy's eyes was deadly.
"Shut…the hell…up…Bird Boy. She's not emotionless." The Changeling seemed ready to strike at Robin again.
"How do I know what Starfire's feeling? How do I know?" Raven snarled, nearly as annoyed as Beast Boy, but not for her own sake. "Because I sat with her, I cried with her. I took in her pain. As far as you're concerned, I know exactly how she feels."
"…Fine. I'll wait until tomorrow." Robin turned and fell back into bed.
"Good." Raven then spun on her heel and walked out, grabbing Beast Boy and dragging him away with her as she went. "And go stick yourself with some sedatives while you're at it you idiot…"
It was half past five when Cyborg hefted himself from the chair he sat in and collected the thee plastic bowls and spoons, one of each unused and originally intended for Raven, and decided it was time to leave Starfire to herself. It seemed as though she had cried herself to sleep, and she was probably better off that way.
"Hope you feel better Star." The door opened for the cybernetic and closed behind him smoothly.
Finally alone, Starfire rolled over and gazed across her room. She hadn't really been asleep, but merely wished for Cyborg to believe that she was, indeed, better. She seemed to have run out of tears, but it didn't stop the Tamaranian from feeling miserable. Robin hadn't just been mindlessly blaming her, she really had done something absolutely unforgivable.
…And she absolutely hated herself for it.
Raven towed Beast Boy into the living room just as Cyborg walked through the opposite hallway, a brown paper bag, three spoons, and three bowls in his hands.
"How is she?" The empath strode to her half robot friend and took the brown paper bag away to ease his load. After a quick look into the bag, she decided it was a safe bet that the empty ice-cream tub should be thrown away. Her face contorted. "How do you manage to eat a gallon of ice-cream in half an hour?"
"I didn't. I had a scoop. The rest was Star." Both Raven and Beast Boy's eyes widened at the news. "She said something about having nine stomachs so her appetite was perfectly normal."
"…Doesn't sound like a perfectly normal Starfire to me." Beast Boy walked into the kitchen and actually took the liberty to shove the bowls and spoons that Cyborg had once held into the dish washer and dump some soap into the tiny compartment in the door labeled 'soap'.
"I still don't think she's really over it, but I decided it would be best to leave her be." The half robot shrugged and sighed. "Anyways, I'm going out. The Tower feels kinda…I don't know…weird now. I've gotta drive somewhere. Don't expect me to be home for a while…I still have my clubbing date to go to with my…" Cyborg shuddered, "totally ghetto date." Without another word, he stepped into the elevator and descended to the garage.
"Um…totally…ghetto?" Raven looked utterly lost.
"Long story." Beast Boy had to smile. "So…any reason for pulling me out here before I even had the chance to blink?"
"Look, that whole thing earlier…when I…"
"When you kissed me?" Raven found it a lot harder to talk about it afterwards then it had been to just do it the first time, but Beast Boy seemed to be willing to wait patiently. "I've been wondering why the world didn't split in two when you did that."
"Yeah…I…well…" The empath trailed off, then exhaled the breath she hadn't even realized she'd been holding. "Let's just start from the beginning…"
Scorpio gazed down into the room below him, a twisted smile playing at his thin lips. Through the vent grate, he could see Starfire laying on her bed, hugging a pillow to her chest, and from what he could pick up, the alien boy could tell she was thinking about Robin. It seemed that it would soon be time to execute the final step in his master plan.
With a final glance at Starfire, Scorpio began army crawling through the air ducts once again, the Titans Tower blueprints still fresh in his mind. Another few lefts, one right, a slight flight up, and another right would lead him right to where he wanted to go.
Starfire was indeed thinking of Robin when she heard a strange scuttling noise from above her. Looking up, all she could imagine to be above her would be the air ventilation system. Thinking nothing of the strange noises and shrugging them off to be some small malfunction in all the mechanical parts of the Tower, the princess tucked the pillow behind her head once again and truly fell asleep from pure exhaustion.
"So…you were made whole because you could admit to yourself that you really loved me?" Beast Boy looked incredulous, sitting awkwardly on an armchair, feet propped on one arm rest and his head leaning on the other. "I'm not sure I'm getting all this."
"You don't really have to." Raven chanced a smile, sitting on the couch in a particularly relaxed position. "All that matter is…is that I'm allowed to feel now. Really and truly feel, no matter how strong the emotion. Nothing can happen to me or anything else."
"That's great Raven…really great." The Changeling smiled genuinely, something he hadn't been doing very often as of late.
"It is, isn't it?" Raven closed her eyes in something of a state of meditation, but they sprung open at a sudden thought. "I…I want to show you something."
"Um…okay…" Beast Boy waited as his empathic friend disappeared into the floor and came back seconds later holding a worn book that looked as though it were written in a different language. Raven carefully leafed through the pages until she found the correct page. She pulled a small sheet of clean white paper out with some scribbles adorning what could be assumed to be the front side and handed the sheet to the Changeling.
"It's…a song I wrote. A while ago. It describes exactly how I was just before I kissed you. It might shed some light for you."
Beast Boy took the paper into his hands and began reading, suddenly lost in a familiar style of writing.
Confusion
I am the author of confusion
Trapped inside my own illusion
Done and all to your amusement
Confusion, confusion, confusion, confusion
I'm the creator of the high
So surreal, I don't know why
Want to laugh and want to cry
Confusion, confusion, confusion, confusion
I've made the love, I've made the hate
Can't go on living in this state
Too early to be too damn late
Confusion, confusion, confusion, confusion
I shaped the living and the dead
Little men talking in my head
Strangers sleeping in my bed
Confusion, confusion, confusion, confusion
Confusion, confusion, confusion, confusion
Confusion, confusion, confusion, confusion…
"Wow…um…you…have…strangers sleeping in your bed? Should I be calling the cops?" Beast Boy grinned and Raven rolled her eyes.
"It's a metaphor, dumbo. And besides, if you called the cops, they'd call you right back. We're the super heroes, remember?"
"Oh…right…" The Changeling grinned sheepishly. "Well, it's a great song. Brilliant, in fact. Just like your other ones. You should try to finish Jane Doe though…"
"I'm working on it." Raven laughed without a trace of worry on her face. "You really think they're that great?"
"You've got your own style Rae. You could probably make money off of these."
"I've been thinking about performing them at that café I went to last night. I know Andromeda could get me on the list easily."
"I'd like to see that Raven. I really would." An awkward silence settled between the two.
"Does this mean…we're like together now?" Beast Boy's eyes suddenly got wide at the sudden realization.
"Depends." Raven shrugged. "Does this mean you're asking?" There was a short pause before…
"…Hell yeah."
Scorpio had been standing over Robin's room vent grate for almost longer than he could handle. It seemed the idiot boy had spent the last four hours on the computer, looking up who knows what on the internet. But the time was near, so very near. No matter what happened, Robbie-Poo would not be alive come sunrise.
Robin shifted his weight in the chair he sat in, his eyes scanning the article in front of him. He had never known why, but research always calmed him down. The teen looked at the clock. It was half past nine, and he felt like a dead weight. Perhaps he should turn in for the night? After all, the sooner he slept, the sooner he would rise, and the sooner he would be able to straighten things out with Starfire.
Yawning and shutting off his computer, Robin clicked off the light and slouched to bed. He was asleep in seconds.
Starfire cracked a single eye open, peering around her room with weary eyes. Pushing herself up with one hand, she massaged her head and tried to remember what had occurred before she had fallen asleep. The Tamaranian princess looked at the clock. 9:35 PM. She wouldn't be able to sleep for the rest of the night, of that she was quite sure. The memories of previous happenings flooded her mind in a rapid rush, and Starfire felt atrocious all over again. She had a great urge to see Robin. Perhaps not talk to him, he'd be too angry at her to consider such a request, but just to see his face.
"I am being so selfish!" Starfire inwardly chastised herself, ashamed. "I should not…I really should not be…" But despite her thoughts, the princess slowly drifted to her window and slid it open, climbing out and flying up to Robin's room window. She just hoped he wouldn't notice her watching. She was in luck though, he seemed to be asleep. He tossed and turned as though his inner demons were assaulting his mind, but that was not unusual for him. Starfire caught a glint of something silver and moving in the dark room.
What was that…?
Scorpio could tell that Robin had fallen asleep by his brain patterns. One moment, his mind was alive and functioning more things than Scorpio could keep track of, the next all was calm, if not slightly jumpy every so often by a dream wave of some sort. Quietly, the blond alien pushed open the air duct grate and fell to the floor of the room, withdrawing the sharp and shining Tamaranian battle knife from its sheath. Scorpio held it high above his head, letting it glint in the moonlight, standing directly over Robin with a deranged look on his face.
"Die…" he whispered, and brought the knife down quite as hard as he could…
AAHH! I'm so mean. Only two more chapters left! –SOB-
Hey, I just saw Mother Mae-Eye…am I the only one who thought the whole thing with Star and the X-Ray vision thingy was kinda…older than Y7 rating? I mean, that was just dirty… Haha still a fun episode though. One of those Mad Mod type ones with no point but a ton of laughs anyways.
Well, today I have a poll for you so lets begin!
Poll:
1) What's your favorite part of ExBoyfriend so far?
2) What was your least favorite part?
3) Do you have any good RobStar RaeBB oriented fics to recommend?
4) What's your favorite color?
5) Favorite band/singer?
6) Do you think Nightwing's hot? (For girls, obviously…)
7) Do you think Drake Bell (from Drake and Josh) is hot? (Also for girls…hehe)
8) Do your parents annoy you?
9) Do you have a friend you'd do anything for?
10) Do you read comic books? If so, which ones?
Well, that's it! I'd really love it if you responded in your review, that'd be such fun. Lookie! I'll give you my answers as well!
SushiChica's Poll Answers:
1)Um...I'll skip this question cuz I don't really like to comment on my own fics except to say whether a chapter came out well or not…
2) ALL OF IT! Hahaha just kidding. Well, kinda. There were some parts that turned out way better than expected, and then there were some kinda like…BLAH parts. It just happens sometimes.
3) My FAVORITE stories on fanfiction are: True Love by Twin-Lupus, College Life by Jackalobe, Normal Teenage Life by Queen-of-Azarath, Once Again, Going Home, and Complicated all by StarFireFlower, and Why Can't She Say I Love You? by StarryRavenFire. OH! And anything by JewelsFire. Her oneshots are the shit.
4) Blue. I've been drawn to midnight blue lately. Blue and black go together nicely…
5) Um…I don't really have a favorite, but I especially love Green Day (Holiday…She's a Rebel…Good Riddance…such awesomeness), Red Hot Chili Peppers (gotta love Under the Bridge and Californiacation), Goo Goo Dolls (their song Iris is SO freaking great…Acoustic 10 ain't bad either…) also Gwen Stefani, 3 Doors Down, Reliant K, The Killers (Mr. Brightside is THE SHIT…) and many many others that I wont bore you to death with.
6) YES! I will marry someone who looks EXACTLY like Nightwing. He is my number one celeb-crush type thingy. I LOVE NIGHTWING! –strange fangirl squeal- um…that was…odd…
7) Mwaahaha I don't know why, but Drake is just really really HOT. Like…he just IS. My number 2 celeb-crush. And think about it, he plays the guitar! -shudders with delight- If that's not just totally hot...(Nightwing actually plays the guitar too...hehehe)
8) My parents annoy the HELL out of me. Whether it's my dad breaking all his promises or my mother lecturing me…blegh. But I know my mom loves me. Dad's still pending though…
9) Of COURSE I do. Chelly and Molly especially. I love them to death. They've been my best friends since 5th grade and I intend to keep our friendship going for a long time.
10) DUH I read comic books. Teen Titans and Outsiders mostly. Sometimes Nigthwing.
Anyways, that's all from this chica for now. I hope you liked the chapter!
Love,
SushiChica aka Linka
PS- PLEASE REMEMBER TO REVIEW ON MY FRIEND ADRIANE'S SONG CONFUSION WHEN YOU REVIEW MY STORY! Thanks!
PPS- Hmm...-looks at clock- 1:44 AM...not TOO shabby...sorry I didn't keep my promise Rose! I'd said late Friday night...Forgive me for being one hour and forty five minutes late! -cries-