Can I ask for the rights to the Teen Titans for my birthday? Even though it's not my birthday yet? Is that okay? :P
Trying to figure out Raven was a lost cause, and Beast Boy was slowly realizing that. He knew that she was bound to be unpredictable, but her random mood swings were getting a bit ridiculous. She'd go from content, to angry, to somber, to sometimes even giddy. It was a bit unsettling, but somewhat understandable.
Starfire wasn't getting any better, but she also wasn't getting any worse. Cyborg was completely stumped, and Robin was torn between being a good leader and being a good boyfriend. She didn't seem to be contagious, and her symptoms weren't obvious, so letting her get back on the battle field seemed plausible, but Robin didn't want to chance anything until they knew what they were dealing with. Meaning Starfire was stuck in the med-bay, and Raven needed a new outlet for her emotions.
And for some strange reason, she chose Beast Boy.
Don't get him wrong - he was pretty ecstatic that she had thought of him. It confirmed that they were getting closer, which was all he really wanted. But now she was relying on him even more, and that was a bit overwhelming. And kind of confusing.
The first time it happened, he thought he had been dreaming. It was past midnight, and he had finally gotten comfortable as he snuggled into his bed. His body was tired, yet his mind was racing, so he was having trouble falling asleep. But right when he began to drift off, his door hissed open.
Sitting up immediately, his eyes took a moment to adjust to the lighting, and he saw something that he never thought he'd see.
Raven was standing in his doorway, a thick blue blanket wrapped around her in place of her cloak. He could see the bottoms of her pajama pants peek out from under the fabric, and he almost chuckled at the sight of her fuzzy white slippers.
Thankfully, he kept his composure as he sat up straighter, grateful that he had decided on wearing a shirt to bed. Not that he had anything to be ashamed of - the extra training was getting him pretty fit, and he was a few crunches away from a full-blown six-pack. But he didn't think Raven would appreciate him being half-naked.
He watched as she slowly made her way across his room, stepping over piles of clothing and maneuvering around stacks of comic books. She eventually made it to his bed, and he could make out the disgruntled expression on her face as she stood in a sliver of moonlight. Her eyes were a dull amethyst color, but still breathtaking. Her mouth was set in a frown, and her brows were furrowed slightly as her hair pooled around her face.
He was a bit taken aback by how beautiful she looked in that moment, and he suddenly became very self-conscious. Why was she coming to him? What did he have to offer that nobody else possessed? He wasn't anything special - he was freaking Beast Boy. The little green twerp of the team.
His pity-party was cut short when she suddenly sat beside him, and he quickly returned to the real world. She hadn't said anything, but he just knew that she wasn't here for a quick makeout session.
The silence that settled between them was broken by his door hissing closed, and after a few more moments, Raven let out a quiet sigh.
"Can... can we talk?"
Beast Boy wasn't expecting the softness in her voice, nor the pleading look in her eyes, and he found that he couldn't speak. Nodding instead, he was surprised when she scooted closer to him.
"I know this isn't what we agreed upon," she began shyly, tucking a few strands of her hair behind her ear, "but with Starfire sick, and Robin or Cyborg always by her side, I just didn't know who else to talk to."
"I understand." His voice cracked slightly, and he wanted to curl away in embarrassment, but thankfully Raven didn't comment on it. Instead, she climbed over his legs, earning a squeak of surprise from the changeling. Again, she paid no mind to it, and settled herself on the other side of him.
"You don't mind if I lay down for a while, do you?" she asked quietly. Without waiting for an answer, she began to fluff one of his spare pillows, and set it beside his. She then laid down beside him on her side, before grabbing his shoulder and pulling him down next to her.
He willfully complied, though the whole situation was beyond surreal. As he settled beside her, she immediately gravitated towards him and nuzzled her head against his shoulder while lying her arm across his chest. He took the initiative to wrap his own arm around her shoulders, hoping that it would be more comfortable for the both of them.
A few moments of awkward silence passed between them, before it became too much for him to handle. Clearing his throat, he waited for her to take the hint and begin speaking.
"Don't tell me you're getting sick, too," she deadpanned, her breath tickling his collarbone.
He let out a snort of amusement, before replying with a quiet "no."
"Good. I don't think I could handle it if the both of you were," she admitted dryly.
Beast Boy smiled at her confession, though he could feel the air around them getting heavy. He wasn't sure what she wanted to talk about, but something told him she wasn't there for a little chit-chat.
"What did you want to, uh, talk about?" he asked hesitantly. He felt her stiffen beside him, before she exhaled slowly.
"Anything."
"Anything?" he repeated quizzically. Raven was never one to talk for the sake of talking, so he was a little put off by her answer. There had to have been a catch.
"Well, nothing stupid, obviously," she snapped, before bringing herself closer to him.
He felt a small chuckle rise in his throat, though he did pretty well at suppressing it. Searching his mind for anything she'd deem as suitable conversation, he let out a low whistle.
"Hmm, I didn't realize 'talking' was a part of this thing we had," he joked.
She responded by smacking his across the chest, and he had to bite back a howl of pain.
"I don't want to talk about that, either," she growled, though he could hear the humor in her voice. Smiling to himself, he shook his head in amusement.
"Then what can we talk about? You think pretty much everything is stupid. Comic books, video games, tofu - heck, basically everything I like. You're not leaving me with many options."
He waited for her to suggest something, but she remained silent. It was then that he realized her breathing had become more relaxed, and the arm across his chest had gone limp. He lifted his head from his pillow, only to see that her eyes were shut and her lips were parted ever so slightly. She looked as if she were meditating, only her brows weren't furrowed in concentration. He had never seen her look so peaceful.
Lying his head back down, he smiled to himself as he realized that they hadn't talked much, but she seemed to have felt a little better. And that's what was important, wasn't it?
He wasn't surprised to find his bed empty when he woke up in the morning. Raven made a habit of fleeing after all of their encounters, and last night was no different. Climbing out of his bed, he quickly changed into his uniform and hurried towards the med-bay. Even though she insisted she was fine, he always checked up on Starfire.
She was sitting in her bed, lazily flipping through a magazine as Cyborg took another blood sample. It was a little disheartening to see her so bored, but if it meant she was getting better, then it was for a good cause.
Beast Boy quietly slipped into the room, not wanting to startle the half-robot with the giant needle.
"Alright, Star - I'll just take a look at this sample, and if I give the all clear, Robin'll take you off of bed rest!" Cyborg announced with a grin.
The alien's eyes lit up in excitement as she clapped her hands together. "Oh! That is most glorious news! I have been stirring in the crazy!"
"It's stir crazy, Star," Beast Boy laughed.
Starfire whipped her head around to face him, a surprised smile on her face. "Oh, hello Beast Boy! I have been anticipating your visit!"
The changeling smirked at her excitement as he sat himself on the bed beside hers. "What for?" he asked.
The alien set down the magazine as she gave her teammate a large smile. "Well, I was hoping you could tell me about yesterday's mission," she admitted with a shrug. "I have missed the action."
Beast Boy gave his teammate a small smile as he made himself comfortable. "Well, you know how much of a pain Mad Mod can be..."
Starfire had listened to him intently, her eyes shining in awe. He had forgotten how much child-like wonder the alien possessed, and how she loved stories. He idly wondered why Raven hadn't been catching her up on everything - it seemed like the perfect way to vent out some emotions, as well as satiate Starfire's craving for the battle field.
He finished his retelling just as Robin and Raven walked into the room, followed by a grim-looking Cyborg and a confused Kid Flash. Sensing they were about to hear bad news, Beast Boy immediately stopped talking.
His eyes focused in on Raven, whose expression remained blank, although he could see anger flashing in her eyes. He stood up slowly, looking between the group and his bedridden teammate.
"Uh, guys?" he began hesitantly, rubbing the back of his neck. "What's going on -"
"I need to speak with Starfire privately," Robin announced, cutting the changeling off. Beast Boy could feel the tension hanging over them, and suddenly found himself incredibly concerned for his teammate.
"O-okay?" he agreed, before following the others out of the room. Once the doors closed behind them, Raven turned around to face him.
"Don't worry, Beast Boy. It isn't anything bad," she assured quietly. Beast Boy furrowed his brows in confusion as he watched the other two head further down the hall, before he directed his sights back to the empath.
"What's going on, then? Why's Robin acting all doom-y?"
Raven let out a labored sigh, before glancing back at their departing teammates. She then grabbed Beast Boy's wrist and pulled him down the hall in the opposite direction. He allowed himself to get dragged along, unsure of why she was opting for such secrecy.
Once they were out of ear shot and eye sight, she turned herself towards him, her expression annoyed.
"Robin's being an idiot," she deadpanned, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning her shoulder against the wall.
Beast Boy mirrored her stance, his worry slowly being replaced by amusement.
"What'd he do?" he asked with a smirk.
Raven rolled her eyes in exasperation, before explaining their leader's idiocy. "Well, Starfire is only slightly contagious - to humans. So Robin is in there explaining to her why she can't go on missions until she's cured. But he happens to be human, and didn't see the stupidity in his plan. What happens if he catches this weird alien disease? He's been exposing himself to it for days now, and he thinks that he's somehow immune to it because of that, and I'm sorry, but that is the stupidest thing I've ever heard."
Beast Boy felt a pang of sympathy for his redheaded teammate, who was undoubtedly going to take the news pretty hard. But the fact that his leader was being so blatantly stupid made him crack a small smile.
"I'm sure Star will point it out to him," he replied with a laugh.
Raven nodded in agreement, though she still looked far from amused. He wasn't sure if it was because of Robin's decision, or her own problems.
"Well, at least Star will be able to talk with you, right? Cyborg won't have to take as many tests, so you guys will have more privacy, right?"
Raven gave him a tired look, before huffing in frustration. "It won't be the same. I can't explain it, but with her being so... depressed... she's not making me feel any better. Her aura's off."
Beast Boy cocked his head to the side as he weighed her words in his head. "So, she's too sad... to make you happy?" he guessed.
The half-demon shot him a quick glare, obviously irritated by his simple translation. "I'd like to think it's more complicated than that, but yes, that's basically it," she replied dryly.
Smirking triumphantly, Beast Boy puffed out his chest dramatically. "Handsome and smart - wow Rae, you're sure missing out!" he teased.
He could see a small blush forming on the empath's cheeks, and found that she was suddenly avoiding eye contact with him. He wondered if she was still upset by how lightly he was taking their situation, but he figured that joking about it was better than being all serious. It kept it from getting too awkward.
"You are so vain," she muttered after a while, before pushing past him.
He barely caught sight of her smirk, so he knew she wasn't mad at him - but she was still opting to avoid him. Not wanting her to leave with that mind-set, he quickly spun around and called after her.
"Wait, Rae!"
She stopped mid step, glancing back at him from over her shoulder.
"What, Beast Boy?"
The green titan felt his own face flush as he realized he wasn't sure what to say.
"Uhm... Just, uh, knock next time, okay?"
He could see her eyes widen slightly as she remembered her late-night visit, and she quickly whipped her head back around and started down the hall once more.
"I'll try to remember that," she replied dryly, before turning the corner and disappearing from sight. Beast Boy stared after her for a moment longer, before making his way back towards the med-bay. He knew Starfire probably wasn't going to be in the best mood, but figured Robin might need a little help in leaving the room safely. Despite the alien loving the boy wonder to death, she never took his overbearing protectiveness too well.
Raven didn't knock, like he had asked. But he never really expected her to listen.
Beast Boy didn't even bother to sit up as he watched her cross the room, and he quickly made room for her as she neared him. But, like she had done the night before, she opted to instead climb over him.
"I like sleeping next to the wall," she explained in her monotone, after noticing the changeling's bewildered look.
Shrugging to himself, Beast Boy quickly made room for her as she placed her head upon his shoulder once more. This time, though, she was lying beside him on her back, and they both were staring blankly at the bottom of his top bunk.
"Starfire's really upset," Raven announced quietly, breaking the silence that had settled between them.
Beast Boy waited patiently for her to continue, having decided that it was her turn to scramble for something to talk about.
But the empath didn't seem to mind as she continued. "She's acting like she's fine, though - putting up a front like she knows it's for the best. She'd never want to expose any kind of sickness to civilians. But she's upset, and it's hard for me to deal with."
She trailed off tiredly, and Beast Boy wondered if she had talked herself to sleep. He was about to lift his head up and check, but her shaky sigh stopped him.
"I'm being really selfish, aren't I?" she asked quietly. "She's always there for me, but when something goes wrong for her, I'm nowhere to be found."
The changeling held his tongue as his teammate snuggled closer to him, and he couldn't decide what was worse. An angry, bitchy Raven, or a sad, self-conscious one.
"But I just can't deal with that kind of strain right now," she continued, obviously content with the one-sided conversation. "My emotions are unstable, and I've just barely gotten control over my powers. If I try playing therapist, I might only make things worse."
Beast Boy knew that it was time to say something comforting, but he couldn't think of anything that would make her feel better. But he wanted to make her feel better, and he loved that she was seeking help from him. And even though it was beyond both of their control, and he, too, felt bad for the alien, he was somewhat elated that Raven was coming to him. Did that make him selfish, too?
"I'm sure she understands, Rae," he assured quietly. It was true - Starfire was fully aware of the way Raven's powers worked, and the empath's absence was probably expected.
"I know she does," Raven confessed, her voice slightly less monotoned. "And I think that just makes me feel worse. She's a much better friend to me than I am to her."
Beast Boy wasn't sure what to say. He knew for a fact that what Raven said was untrue, but he had no idea how to back up his claims. Instead, he hesitantly pulled her closer, and felt himself sigh in relief when she didn't chew him out for it. Maybe talking wasn't what she needed right now.
"Just go to sleep, Rae," he suggested softly as he felt her snuggle closer to him. "Stressing about it isn't helping you, either."
Raven seemed to agree as she pulled her blanket around her tighter, and turned herself onto her side. As she laid her arm across his chest again, Beast Boy patiently waited for her breathing to relax before he even dared to close his eyes.
Maybe he was a little selfish when it came to certain things, but he knew he'd always put Raven's well-being before his own.
That was a little more dramatic than I'm used to (though that's really not saying much lol), but I hope I threw in enough fluff to balance it out?
Anywhoo, I just want to say thank you for all the reviews and whatnot! They really mean a lot to me, and I just love the fact that you guys seem to be enjoying this! And I know it's not that far from my usual stuff, but I am gradually making this a little more serious, so I hope it'll turn out!
Maybe leave a review? I love reading new ones! Or follow or favorite!