I've literally dreamt of writing fanfics and putting up disclaimers. I can't even own the Teen Titans in my dreams. How sad is that?
Sometimes Beast Boy wondered if the world was out to get him. He wondered if he had done something so completely horrible in a past life that the universe decided to send a butt-load of bad-karma his way. Maybe he had been a mass-murderer, or committed tax fraud.
There was no way one person could have such bad luck - at least, not without a good reason.
He was absolutely fantastic at video games... at least until he was pitted against someone else. Then all of his skills vanished, and he was always rewarded with second place. He also did great during training. He'd morph and shift beautifully, knowing exactly what animal to be at exactly what time. But then he'd be on a mission, and screw it all up. He also considered himself quite the ladies man... when he was alone, practicing his lines in front of a mirror. But then he'd go out in the world, smile at a cute girl, and she'd either laugh in his face or act like he wasn't there.
Was the green really that unappealing?
He was always depicted in the tabloids as a very sought-after bachelor, but when he was faced with the girls who had said that, they'd giggle and smile and nothing would come from it. It was as if the idea of dating a green superhero was attractive, but the actual act was absurd. And that only fueled his idea that he was destined to be alone.
His track record with girls was laughable. Terra seemed like a perfect match for him - cute, smiley, not afraid to break a nail. But of course she just had to have all those "control issues" and conspire with one of his worst enemies and attempt to kill him and all of his best friends. And that was a bit of a deal-breaker.
There were also several civilian girls he approached - and that never ended well. They'd seem excited to meet him, but shy away from any attempt he made at getting to know them better. Sure, they were fans, but they didn't exactly act like fanatics when in his presence. He couldn't even count how many times he had been turned down.
There was also his first crush. He blamed it on never really talking to girls before meeting her, and he'd deny it if anyone ever asked him. It was embarrassing, and cringe-inducing, and made him want to bury his head beneath his pillows and pretend the world disappeared.
He wasn't even sure why it happened. It had to have been bad judgement on his part - there was no other explanation. He saw a girl, actually talked to her, and then ended up forming a team and living with her.
And even after he realized she was a complete and utter pain in the ass, the crush lasted months.
He blamed the Doom Patrol. Mento never let him interact with kids his age, so when he finally met a girl who couldn't have been much older than him, that little unexplored part of his brain went into overdrive, and he had loss any and all common sense.
How else could he explain having a crush on Raven?
Nothing ever came of it - obviously. He eventually found his senses, and realized what a terrible idea it was to like her. She was moody, and cruel, and sarcastic, and everything he never imagined he'd like. It was just a spur of the moment decision; he saw a girl who happened to be not unattractive, and she talked to him as if he wasn't completely incompetent. Well, at least, at first. But then when the insults came, he found he still liked her. Her remarks reminded him of being back with the Doom Patrol, and eased a bit of his homesickness. And by then, she had forgone her cloak several times and proved that she was really not unattractive, so the crush lasted a bit longer.
But he got over it around the time Terra showed up, and he hadn't revisited those thoughts in years. There was no point, really. He was Beast Boy, and Raven was Raven, and the thought of them together was hilariously absurd.
And despite their new arrangement, those old feelings remained buried beneath all of his other painfully embarrassing memories. There was no point in digging it all up - she had made things perfectly clear. They were nothing more than friends, and their situation was nothing more than a convenience. He had no reason to look deeper into it - because there was nothing to look for.
So when Robin sent him and Raven out on a mission together, and some low-life criminal punk flirted with her, he had no reason to be upset.
Red-X was notoriously annoying - despite the fact that he wasn't even Robin anymore. It was like the suit turned anyone who wore it into some cocky, egocentric douche. It was a cursed object, really.
Usually the dude would hit on Starfire - another curse of the ensemble must have been finding the alien attractive. Not that she wasn't - Beast Boy knew his teammate was a pretty girl, but he was so not attracted to her. It would be a little too incest-y for his tastes.
But anyway, the dude usually hit on Starfire and drove Robin insane. But Starfire was restricted to the tower, and Robin was with Kid Flash on the other side of town responding to a different alert, so it seemed Red-X decided to try his usual tactic on the changeling and half-demon.
He must not have been aware of Raven's dislike of being flirted with, because the horribly unmanly squeal that slipped through his lips when she captured him with her dark energy didn't seem intended.
Beast Boy watched in amusement as she pulled the villain closer, her glare unwavering and his panic unmistakable. The criminal was scrambling for a way to escape, frantically clawing at the ground. Sadly, he remembered his ability to teleport, and took advantage of it right as Beast Boy went to apprehend him.
Thankfully, though, his sack of stolen goodies was left behind, and the two titans were able to return the items to the ransacked store.
"Well, that went pretty well," Beast Boy mused as the two excited the jewelry shop.
Naturally, Raven shot him a glare.
"He escaped, Beast Boy," she deadpanned, directing her sights back to the road in front of them. "Again."
Beast Boy rolled his eyes fondly as he sat down on the curb. "He always escapes, Rae," he laughed, shaking his head in amusement, "but I think he'll think twice before calling you 'cute' again."
Raven let out an irritated growl as she lowered herself beside him, her eyes fixed on the flashing red and blue lights in the distance.
"I liked it better when he flirted with Starfire," she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.
The changeling nodded in agreement. "Me, too," he blurted, before feeling his face flush.
Raven shot him a sideways glance, her eyebrow arching skeptically, and Beast Boy frantically scrambled for a way to amend his reply.
"Y-you know, 'cuz Robin always gets so... so angry and red, and it's r-really funny," he added awkwardly, expertly avoiding eye contact.
He could feel her eyes lingering on him as she regarded his answer, before she finally turned away. Letting out a relieved sigh, Beast Boy wondered where the hell that had come from.
Sure, in retrospect, the criminal flirting with Starfire did piss him off a bit, but Robin's reaction always lightened the mood and lessened the tension. So when the villain decided to hit on another teammate, and nobody had a Robin-reaction, the anger was left to stew inside. And sure, Raven's initial reaction was entertaining enough, but the fact that nobody else came to her defense left a bad taste in Beast Boy's mouth. He knew that he couldn't have defended her; it would have raised way too many concerns within Raven. So the fact that the dude had essentially gotten away with hitting on the empath didn't sit well.
So, naturally, he liked it better when Red-X flirted with Starfire, too. But rather than explain his reasoning to his teammate, Beast Boy kept his mouth shut and waited patiently as Raven recalled the quick battle to the authorities, and apologized for neglecting to apprehend the villain.
Again.
He also remained silent when Raven debriefed Robin back at the tower. Their leader was visibly upset, though he kept his cool long enough to thank them for doing their best.
But Raven apparently took that as sarcasm, because when the two of them left the room to head back to their own bedrooms, she decided to vent her frustrations out loud.
"He just acts as if he's the only one who even tries on this team - and that is completely absurd!"
Beast Boy nodded in agreement, still feeling slightly awkward as he idly thought about what he had said earlier. He really hoped Raven hadn't misconstrued his words.
"And it's not like he's ever been able to capture Red-X, either," she continued, her monotone sounding strangely calm, though her furrowed brows giving away her anger. "In all honesty, it's his fault that the guy is so difficult to catch. If he had trusted us in the first place, this suit wouldn't have even existed - or at least not be so advanced."
Beast Boy nodded absently, still lost in his own thoughts. But as they came across Raven's door, he noticed that she had neglected to stop.
"And did you know Robin is still trying to sneak into the med-bay to see Starfire? I mean, he recites protocol over and over again, and talks about following the rules and never hiding anything, and then he goes and pulls a stunt like that? He could literally die from whatever the hell Starfire has, and yet he can't even stay away from her for more than two days. She's had to call Cyborg down almost every night! She's more concerned about the rule-breaking than he is!"
Beast Boy felt his heart clench as he listened to Raven vent. He knew that Starfire loved Robin and would do anything to be with him, but the fact that she was ignoring her own needs in favor of their leader's health was quite admirable. And then hearing that their leader was being a total idiot and disregarding Cyborg's warnings was pretty shocking. Everything was backwards.
But what was even more shocking was the fact that he and Raven had reached his room, and she was still venting to him.
"I just can't even deal with him right now," she mused, seemingly unphased by Beast Boy's confused expression as the two of them entered his room. "This tower is just filling up with so much negativity and sadness, and it's really getting to me. I can't even properly express half of my emotions anymore."
Beast Boy watched as the empath walked towards his bed, before climbing in and reclaiming her usual spot. She still seemed completely unaware of the strangeness of the situation as she stared absently at the bottom of his top bunk.
"I'm really grateful that you're still being so cooperative in putting up with me," she mused suddenly, shaking Beast Boy from his stupor.
He slowly made his way towards his bed, maneuvering past his messes and regarding the half-demon skeptically. Sitting on his bed, he was a little hesitant on laying down beside her, but a quick glare from his teammate hurried him. She automatically scooted closer, though their position felt less intimate than usual. She turned to her side and hugged his arm to her, keeping her head firmly on his spare pillow. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't a little disappointed, but he'd be an idiot if he said it out loud.
"I know we still have a lot of adjusting to do, but the fact that you're so willingly here for me means a lot, Beast Boy," she continued, closing her eyes delicately.
Beast Boy turned his head to face her, his stomach churning uncomfortably. He figured that the less intimate position would be welcomed, but for some reason, he was hoping she'd revert back to full-on cuddling with him. Or at least scooting a little closer.
He watched as her breathing became even, and her face relaxed, before taking the initiative to scoot closer himself. Thankfully, she didn't wake up, but her iron grip on his arm made the quest of cuddling nearly impossible.
He wasn't sure why he wanted to get closer - he always felt awkward when she wrapped herself around him. Maybe he was just worried that she was pulling away? That she wasn't needing him as much anymore, despite what she had said?
Whatever the reason, it only fueled his earlier thoughts of being a magnet for bad-luck. Of course she'd pull away as soon as he started to get used to it. He had noticed it happening ever since Starfire's quarantine from Robin. The empath was obviously picking up on the alien's distress, and it was affecting the way she expressed her emotional release with the changeling. They hadn't even kissed in almost three days, and though Beast Boy knew it meant nothing, it didn't mean he didn't enjoy kissing her. He really enjoyed it. He liked kissing Raven - even if they remained completely platonic. He wanted to stay just friends with her, but he also wanted to kiss her.
It was confusing and annoying, and he hated it. But he also didn't hate it, and wanted it to continue. Progress, even. But now she was needing less of the benefits, and more of the friends, and even though that was what he had wanted at first, he was hoping she'd change her mind again. Because the friends part was great - but so was kissing her. And they had been doing a lot less of that.
He suddenly found his eyes zoning in on her mouth, and he watched as her lips flitted slightly with every breath she took. It wasn't fair that she could just spring this arrangement on him, and then change the rules as she pleases. She had set the rules at the beginning, but now she wasn't even taking advantage of them. Why would she act as if she was going to ambush him at all times, but then barely come to him for anything more than a quick cuddle? He was reduced to nothing more than a heated body pillow.
Sighing to himself, Beast Boy turned his head away from her and stared up at his top bunk. He hadn't slept up there since his growth spurt, and he had been seriously considering getting rid of the thing and switching to a queen. After all, the twin sized bed didn't exactly have much room for two people, but it did require them to be in close quarters. So maybe he'd get a full-sized bed. Something that seemed more mature, but at the same time required Raven to really snuggle up to him when she slept over.
Beast Boy quickly shook away those thoughts as he closed his eyes. He couldn't risk thinking about stuff like that. Last time he had slept on that top bunk, he was barely getting over his crush on the girl beside him. And even though his feelings were nothing more than puppy-love, revisiting that bunk probably wouldn't be the best idea.
So he continued to bury those thoughts above him, ignoring the fact that his analogy wasn't making any sense. Old Beast Boy slept on the top bunk. Old Beast Boy had crushes on girls he could never get. Old Beast Boy had bad luck.
New Beast Boy needed a new bed. And New Beast Boy was going to ask for a new one in the morning. And New Beast Boy wasn't going to dwell on the fact that Raven wasn't kissing him anymore, because that would only lead to thinking like Old Beast Boy.
New Beast Boy was going to turn his luck around. He was going to beat Cyborg at video games, and capture Red-X, and be content with helping his friend - despite whether or not she needed what he wanted.
New Beast Boy was mature, and talented, and helpful, and confident with being green. Because the girls were going to flock to New Beast Boy, and he'd be the one turning them down.
Feeling a smile creep onto his face, he barely noticed as Raven began to scoot closer to him, and instead fell asleep, confident that New Beast Boy was going to be totally awesome.
Sorry for the delay - busy busy weekend lol! A happy weekend, too! :D
So obviously BB is a bit confused on what Raven wants from him. He knows that they're just friends, and he doesn't necessarily like her, but he ended up liking the benefits part more than he expected. And since the tower's aura is getting all out of whack, Raven is needing different things from him. And BB doesn't know how to feel about that.
Also, Starfire isn't any better or any worse, and I plan on going into more detail on her illness next chapter. Sooo, yeah!
Anywhoo, maybe leave a review? :)