Unpleasant Realization.
…
Starfire sat cross-legged on her bed. She smiled contently to herself as she put together a small photo album of her friends. She sighed happily, staring at the photographs and the memories they held, when her door abruptly barged open.
Startled, Starfire jumped, causing pictures to scatter everywhere. "Raven, what's wrong?!" She asked in alarm.
"I have had it with him!" Raven yelled stomping forward. "He wants me mad, well I'm mad." She said angrily.
"Who?" Starfire asked.
"Who else, Beast Boy." Raven huffed.
Starfire shook her head and sighed. "What did he do this time?" She asked as she began to pick up her scattered pictures.
"He's getting worse." Raven began, as she put her fingers on her temples, trying to sooth her aggravation. "He knows how I feel about touching and personal space. He knows it upsets me. It's like he's purposefully trying to aggravate me." She said through her clenched jaw.
"I'm sure that's not true." Starfire said, sitting back down on her bed, shuffling through the photos she had just picked up.
"Really?" Raven glared at her. "Because on Monday he hugged me just because he won a video game. Wednesday, he put his arm around me, twice! Thursday he was playing with my hair? And today he put his hand on my waist!" She said angrily. "These aren't just his friendly little affections. He's trying to piss me off!" She determined, crossing her arms.
"You don't think you're a tad overreacting?" Starfire said gently, as she continued to put her album together.
"Are you telling me you don't notice it?" Raven asked in surprise.
"Oh, I notice it." Starfire smiled. "I just think you are getting the wrong impression from it."
Raven gave her a questionable look. "What do you mean, I'm getting the wrong impression?"
Starfire bit her lip as she giggled to herself.
Raven immediately noticed the action as she narrowed her eyes. "What aren't you telling me?" She asked, walking over to the alien.
Starfire continued to look at the pictures in her book. "I don't think he's trying to upset you, Raven." She said putting another picture securely in the album.
"What else would he be doing?" She asked suspiciously.
Starfire smiled knowingly. "I think he likes you."
Raven blinked… "No…"
Starfire giggled again. "Oh, I think he really likes you." She said staring at some of the pictures of them together. "He's always trying to get close to you. Sit next to you. Impress you. You see him as being pestering and annoying, but I see him trying to get your attention." She said as she looked up at Raven with a smile.
Raven let out a long sigh at the realization. "Great…" She said pinching the bridge of her nose. "What am I supposed to do now?"
Starfire's expression softened as she looked at her adoringly. "Maybe give him a chance." She suggested excitedly.
Raven immediately turned to her. "You don't really expect me to date him. Do you?" She asked harshly, with a tone of slight revulsion.
"You two would make such a cute couple…" Starfire gushed adoringly, clasping her hands together and putting them to the side of her face.
Raven lowered her hands in a repetitive motion. "No… No. I am putting an end to this right now." She said heading towards the door.
"Come on Raven." Starfire pleaded from her bed. "Give him a chance." She padded the empty spot beside her. "Come sit. We can discuss more on matter." She encouraged.
Raven ignored the offering. "I will let him down gently." She assured her before leaving the room.
…
Raven walked down the hall, repeating in her head what she would say to him. She knew he could be quite sensitive at times. So, she wanted to do this delicately, as to not hurt his feelings. Despite him aggravating her, he was still her friend.
It wasn't long before she spotted the changeling down the hall and rushed over to him. She wanted to do this fast in hopes of causing as little damage as possible.
"Beast Boy." She began as she approached him.
Upon hearing his name he turned to her, a friendly smile gracing his features. "Hey, Rae." He greeted.
"I need to talk to you." She told him sternly, getting straight to the point.
His smile slowly turned into a smirk. "I couldn't agree more."
She took a deep breath before speaking. "Look, it has come to my attention that you might have developed non-platonic feelings towards me." She addressed stoically.
He tried not to laugh at her use of fancy big words. "Oh really…" He said giving her a noticeable once-over.
She couldn't help but roll her eyes. He was flirting with her, she recognized this now.
"While I'm flatter, I just think we should be friends." She told him, simply. Letting him know how she felt towards the matter.
He slowly leaned closer towards her, a gesture she wasn't fond of.
"You sure about that?" He asked, the smirk still playing on his lips.
She narrowed her eyes at the gesture. "I am trying to be understanding here. So, I would appreciate it if you didn't test me." She said glaring at him.
"Maybe I want to test you." He said leaning in even closer, forcing her to back up against the wall.
She took a deep breath, trying to control herself. This was clearly his way of dealing with rejection, and she didn't need to make it worse by blowing up at him.
"Putting aside the fact that the feeling is one sided. We have a good thing going on, a nice friendship. Do you really want to mess that up with a relationship?" She asked him, trying to reason with him.
"Kiss me." He suddenly said in a soft voice, as he began to lean in close to her.
Her eyes widened and she couldn't help but scuff. "I am trying to be nice. I'm trying to be calm. I am trying to be understanding. And take your feelings into consideration. But you are really pushing me to my wits end!" She said angrily as her powers began to engulf her hand.
It was a warning that he needed to take it seriously.
"So, consider your next move very carefully." She told him, holding her hand up to his face, threateningly.
"You're so sexy when you're mad." He told her softly, and before she could detonate on him, unleashing the full extent of anger, he leaned in and kissed her…
Her eyes went wide with shock and rage. But before she could inflict her power onto him, her black energy unexpectedly seemed to subside into her hand as she reluctantly lowered it back down to her side.
She was so mad, so outraged. She didn't like to be tested, and that was exactly what he was doing. But even though it pissed her off, she respected him for it.
Now instead of being mad with him, she was just mad at herself. She was mad for letting it go this far. She was mad for not standing her ground. But most of all, she was mad for enjoying it.
A simple act, a kiss. Something she always assumed she was stronger than succumbing to. But at this moment, that proved to be wrong.
He pulled away and her eyes opened, without her realizing she had even closed them. He smirked at her, and all she could feel was annoyed. Annoyed at him, and annoyed with herself.
"So, what do you say me and you go catch a movie later?" He suggested, his flirtatious smirk still adoring his features.
She glared at him. The disappointment she felt in herself showing in her expression. "I still think we should just be friends." She told him, crossing her arms indifferently.
"Maybe another kiss will change your mind." He playfully suggested.
"I'm serious." She told him, though her mind was no longer so sure.
"Okay." He said with an accepting shrug. "I guess I just have to try harder…" He finished, slowing turning as he walked down the hallway.
She rolled her eyes. "Great." She huffed dreadfully.
But the feeling of dread wasn't as strong as she expected it to be. Just a second ago she was so sure on how she felt towards the situation, on how she felt towards him. But now, she wasn't sure how she felt towards any of it.
...
