Chapter three
The ride home was a quiet one, Raven nestled between Beast Boy's huge eagle's wings. He felt rather uncomfortable with her sitting up there, mainly because he had never really had to carry anyone before. She had a dreamy smile on her face, though Beast Boy couldn't see it. When they reached the tower, he perched and waited for her to get off. She slowly slid off and he turned human. She hugged him. He was surprised, but hugged her back. "I've never felt anything so soft as your feathers." She whispered into his ear, and he grinned, blushing. Raven laughed. "And I don't think I've ever heard you speechless!" She smiled, taking her arms off of him. Beast Boy laughed. "Yeah, well. There's a first time for everything." He said. "And Beast Boy..." "Yes?" "You can let go of me now." He blushed, realizing he hadn't stopped hugging her yet. "Oh, yeah." He smiled sheepishly, taking his arms off of her.
"Yo, Robin!" Cyborg called. "I think I found something!" He yelled. Robin ran over to his side. You could hear Bumblebee pounding on the door, yelling to let her in. "What is it?" He asked. "See this link? It's supposed to be like this. That means the cure must be this. So if you can find something with the same ingredients as that, we've got the cure!" Cyborg smiled, tucking his arms behind h.is head. Suddenly the door swung open and a very angry Bumblebee standing in front of it. "Okay. You come here, Cyborgie. You're grounded!" She yelled. Cyborg screamed like a little girl and hid behind Robin. Robin pulled his arms off of his cape and shook it straight. "This lover's quarrel I'm NOT going to be involved in." He said, walking out the door and closing it behind him without another word. "Well?" Aqualad and Speedy asked. "Well... he's found the cure. He just doesn't know what it is yet." Robin said. The two boys shrugged and went back to Beast Boy's video games. Beast Boy and Raven walked in. "Beast Boy, come here." Robin called. Beast Boy let go of Raven's hand and ran to Robin. "What?" He asked. "Cyborg has almost found the cure. I'd like it if you went and helped him find it, since Bumblebee is kind of... punishing him, and I've been helping him all day." "Sure." Beast Boy replied, surprised it was such an easy request. He was expecting "Throw out your tofu. It's expired." or something similar. Robin nodded. Walking to Cyborg's room, Beast Boy noticed it was very quiet inside. Opening the door, he found Cyborg tied up and gagged, with Bumblebee on top of him, filing her nails. Beast Boy's eyes widened and he turned on the light. "Bumblebee! What did you do!?" He yelled. Bumblebee gave him an angry look. "He's being punished." She said. "For what?" Beast Boy asked. "Different things." Bumblebee said. "Well... I need to do... homework with... Cyborgie," Beast Boy gulped. "Oh, OK." Bumblebee untied him immediately and left the room, calling, "I'll be back with cookies!" Beast Boy sighed. "Glad that's over." He said. "Dude, how did you do that?" Cyborg asked. "I don't know." Beast Boy answered, shrugging. "Can we get on with this?" "All right. Do you know anything made of these ingredients?" Cyborg asked, showing him. "Yeah, 'course I do." Beast Boy shrugged again. "What? Well, what is it?" Cyborg asked frantically. "Tofu." "TOFU?!" Cyborg yelled. "Why?" Beast Boy asked. "That's supposedly the cure!" Cyborg said. "ROBIN!" Robin walked in after a short notice. "What?" "Tofu is the answer!" Cyborg said triumphantly. "Told you it wasn't useless." Beast Boy mumbled. "That's great!" Robin said. "Now we have to give it to the girls and see if it works." He thought aloud. "Can we wait until Bumblebee makes the cookies?" Cyborg asked. Robin gave him a look.
Beast Boy gave Raven a sad look before reaching into the refrigerator and pulling out some of his tofu. Starfire was sitting in front of him. "Ew! I'm NOT eating your junk." She said. "We can put mustard on it!" Beast Boy said. "Mustard might help." Starfire pouted. Beast Boy rolled his eyes and squirted mustard on the tofu. Starfire took one tiny bite. "Gross! You eat this on a regular basis?" She said. As she spoke, a change began to come over her and she blinked. "Why is everyone staring at me?" She asked. "Do I have something on my face?" Her hands flew to her face, but Robin smiled and walked to her. "No, your face is perfect." He kissed her. Starfire blushed. "I remember now. I had that pie we found in Raven's room and then I was grumpy and mean to my friends. Please forgive me." Everyone nodded when Robin mumbled, "We all forgive you, Star." Bumblebee was next, and not as easy to please. "No tofu. Nuh-uh." She said. "But... Cyborgie won't eat his tofu, and if you eat yours, he'll eat his. He promised." Beast Boy spoke up suddenly. Cyborg glared at him. "Fine."Bumblebee took a bite. Everyone turned to Cyborg. He took a tiny crumb and dropped it down his throat. Bumblebee blinked. "You made me cook while I was under a spell? You have got to be kidding." She said. "You made excellent cookies for 'your Cyborgie'." Speedy grinned. Bumblebee blushed. "I hate you, Sparky." Cyborg's face lit up and he gave her a big hug. "Let me go now." She said. Raven came and sat in the chair for Beast Boy and grinned. "You guys are chicken. I can swallow this whole thing." She winked at Beast Boy and ate the entire tofu lump. "Ha!" Then she blinked as well and her smile vanished. She made a horrible face and ran to the bathroom. "I think she's normal, too." Aqualad said. Beast Boy's face dropped. "Yeah, I suppose so," He said.
Beast Boy knocked lightly on Raven's door. When she came out, he was surprised to find her in her black costume with wet hair, straight from the shower. "Uh.. hiya, Rae." Beast Boy grinned, rubbing his neck. "Its Raven." Raven's eyes narrowed. "Oh.. yeah." Beast Boy said. "So.. uh.. did you... like.. know... what was happening while it happened?" He asked. "Yes. It was like I was there, but I couldn't stop myself. It was weird." She admitted. "Oh." Beast Boy said. "Well-" "Beast Boy, you know... it wasn't really me you liked to hang out with." Raven said. "It was... something else. So was... the dancing... the singing... the... kiss.." She looked at the ground, red with embarrassment."Really?" Beast Boy asked after a small awkward silence. "'Cause... it seemed pretty real to me." He said, coming a little closer to her. Raven kept her eyes to the floor as he advanced toward her. "Beast Boy... I'm not... like that. I'm not... like Terra. I don't show my emotions as much as... normal... girls." "You ARE normal." He was even closer now, and leaned down a little to see into her eyes. "I know you aren't like Terra, Rae. I don't care." His eyes were on hers, staring with something Raven didn't want to see in them. She shut her eyes tight and backed up a little. "Really? 'Cause it seems like you do." She whispered and disappeared into her room. Beast Boy groaned and leaned on the door, then sat and held his head in his hands. What have I done to our lives?
"Bye, y'all!" Bumblebee called. Speedy and Aqualad smiled and waved as the Titans West flew out of sight. Starfire, Cyborg and Robin were all waving goodbye. Beast Boy and Raven were nowhere to be seen. "So what's up with you and Bumblebee?" Robin asked Cyborg, who had a dreamy look on his face. "She's... Why are you suddenly interested in my personal life, yo?" Cyborg began telling him, but stopped himself before he told anything he didn't want to say out loud. He crossed his arms. Robin laughed and put an arm around Starfire, who's shoulders he could finally reach. "Robin, would you like to go to the movies with me?" Starfire asked hopefully. "Uh, sure Starfire." Robin grinned. Starfire smiled. "How about seven?" She asked. Robin nodded wordlessly. "Okay." Starfire flew back into the tower, leaving Cyborg alone with Robin. "So you finally go out... but she has to ask you? Dude, that's weak." Cyborg said, disgusted.
"Raven?" Starfire asked through her teammates' door. Without a word, Raven dragged the alien girl into her room and slammed her door. "Raven?" Starfire sounded scared. Raven turned the light on. "I was wondering, Friend Raven, If you would help me prepare to go on a date with Robin?" Starfire asked. "Huh? Oh, sure. Starfire... I need your... advice." Raven said tentatively. Instead of giggling and saying, "Friend Raven needs my advice! How exciting!" As Raven had anticipated, the girl only nodded and asked, "Yes, Raven, what is the matter?" "OK. Well, there's this boy I like, but he likes another girl, and the girl used to like him, but then she decided she didn't, so now the boy is still in love with the first girl, but he doesn't think he is, and he thinks he likes me so I don't know what to do with him." Raven said, all in one breath. "Oh. I see." Starfire said. "Well... do you love this boy?" Raven blushed. "I... I don't know." She replied. Starfire looked down at Raven's bed, on which she was sitting. "When he's around, do you have the butterflies in your stomach? Do you feel a lovely shiver up your back every time he touches you? When you are near his face... do you just want to throw your arms around his neck and kiss him?" She asked. Raven blushed and thought a moment before nodding and whispering, "Yes." Starfire looked into her friend's eyes. "Then you love him."
Raven helped Starfire get ready for her date. Instead of her normal uniform, she wore a red halter top with outlines of stars and a denim skirt that went down to her knees. Her hair was up in a bun that Raven had invented within thirty minutes, which looked really good on the Tameranian's oval face. Cyborg and Beast Boy forced Robin to go shopping, and he came back with a black shirt, white jacket, jeans, and some cool black sunglasses. "Wow, Star... you look.. great..." Robin said, looking Starfire over. "So do you." Starfire blushed. Cyborg rolled his eyes. "Well, I gotta go, too. I've got a date as well." He said. "With Bumblebee?" Robin asked. "Uh-huh. Y'all have fun." Cyborg called. "You too!" Starfire yelled back. The couple left, saying goodbye to the remaining titans. Raven nodded and went back to her room. Beast Boy watched her go and sat in front of the TV screen, flipping through the channels. I wish I knew what she thought of me. Maybe she hates me because I kissed her. He thought. But she kissed back! Though that wasn't really her, was it? That was... pie... He shook his head in defeat.
Raven's face was red, even as she laid on her bed all alone in the dark, thinking about Beast Boy and.. the kiss. She wasn't sure why nothing had blown up yet, but she was sure glad nothing had yet. Nothing blew up when she had feelings for Malchior. Maybe... maybe nothing would? Well, there was only one way to find out.. but she wasn't sure if she wanted to go that far. Beast Boy might take it the wrong way. But it was the only way... that she could think of. She shuddered and walked out her room slowly, wrapping her cape around herself. She could sit by him, at least, while she thought about it. But when she got to the doorway, she didn't think she could do even that. Taking a deep breath, she released her cape and walked silently to Beast Boy and the couch. "Um... can I sit here?" She asked. Beast Boy looked up in surprise. "Sure, Rae!" He said, scooting over. "It's Raven." Raven said automatically. Then when she realized what she had said, she made a face at herself. "Sorry." She said and sat beside him. Like a few inches from him. His green face had a strange look on it when she glanced at him.
This was seriously disturbing him. She never apologized! He was trying hard not to blush. She was right beside him. His hand was nearly touching hers. Talk about pressure! "Raven.." He said, turning to her. She turned her head and her purple eyes were filled with worry and torn with fear. A pillow was shivering. Her powers. He remembered. "Yes?" She asked, turning him back to reality. "Um... what do you want to watch?" She relaxed a little. "It doesn't matter to me." She replied and turned quickly away from his face. He soon noticed she was shivering as well. "Are you cold?" He asked. "Huh? Oh. Just a little." Raven shrugged it off, but Beast Boy made a face. "I'll get you a blanket. It's not that hard. You could have just asked." He left her for a moment as he got the blanket. It was purple and pretty well used, but Raven didn't care. She was surprised he could be so valiant, even if it was just a blanket. Beast Boy jumped over the back of he couch and went back to his seat, grabbing the remote. There was nothing on. Beast Boy turned it off. It was silent, which was strange since Beast Boy was there. "So..." Beast Boy broke the silence. "What's up?" It was a stupid simple question that he already knew, but it was the only thing he could think of.