I Hope everyone in the U.S. had a nice thanksgiving! I sure did. I'm sorry, but this is going to be another long chapter. But don't worry, I promise they all won't be this long. For those of you curious to see who Raven's mystery flower-sender is, just read on! I meant to get this chapter posted yesterday, but for some reason I couldn't log in. And now, apparently the site won't upload documents for me. I love it when that happens. So without further ado, here it is.
Disclaimer: I still own nothing
Chapter 2: Errands
For the longest time, all Raven could do was stare at the flowers she had just received. She had no idea who sent them or why. All she knew was someone had taken enough trouble to buy and ship them to her. Why? As curious as she was, Raven was strangely touched. She never received mail from anyone, at least nothing this personal. She was always one to shy away from human affection. She shouldn't be feeling like this. Yet there she was, admiring them like they were some ancient treasure. It had touched a chord within Raven that she hadn't felt for some time. Someone out there thought she was worth enough to do this for. And the short, simple, yet profound message kept replaying in her head: "To the greatest girl in the world."
The greatest girl in the world. Raven normally wasn't one for flattery either, so why was she so moved? And the fact that the sender used the word 'girl' also struck a vibe within her. He didn't use 'mage' or 'empath' or 'heroine'. He just used 'girl'. Why? It could mean that whoever it was, he didn't see her as 'Raven the Teen Titan/superhero'. He just saw her as plain old Raven. Raven as a person. Raven the girl. So who would do that? Could it be someone she knew? Maybe it was someone from Titans East. Maybe it was Aqualad! But he never really seemed to show that much interest in her, even though Raven admittedly had a little crush on him when they first met, which annoyed her to no end. She knew it wasn't Cyborg, and it was painfully obvious Robin already liked Starfire. And if it were he, then things would soon get very interesting in the Tower. So who was it?
What if it was…
'No, it couldn't be,' she told herself and pushed the thought out of her head. Her emotions, which she had spent so much time restraining, were now running wild within her mind. Raven quickly concentrated on controlling her feelings before something in her room broke.
Staring at the flowers brought memories to her mind as well. One memory in particular flashed in her mind:
Malchior.
Raven cringed visibly at recalling the experience. A book went flying from her shelf across the room without her knowing. Even after all this time, it still hurt to think about it. She gritted her teeth without realizing it, and her hands balled into fists. Malchior had made her truly feel cared for her, that he understood her, that she wasn't alone. And it had all been a lie.
And now someone was trying to rekindle those feelings she had felt. Her sadness gave way to anger.
'Who does this person think he is? I can't feel that way about anyone. It would hurt too much. Don't they know that? Nobody would ever understand. They can't understand!' Suddenly hundreds of feelings raced through her like a river. Why did this happen? Why would anyone do it? It didn't bring her comfort, it only reminded her of things she knew she could never have! For a split second, her eyes flashed red.
Without thinking she angrily threw the bouquet across the room. It hit against the wall and dropped to the floor, a few petals falling off the delicate stems. Raven wrapped her arms around her knees and for a while simply stared at the fallen image of beauty before her. She fought hard to keep the tears from falling.
'I'm stronger than this. I won't let it hurt me. Not anymore,' she thought to herself. But she knew she couldn't stop it. No matter how hard she tried. A fresh wave of loneliness swept over her, and for just a brief, terrible moment, Raven felt small and weak. She couldn't believe a simple gift like what she had just received would bring about so many conflicting feelings. 'I will not shed tears over this.' After her father's defeat, she was now free to feel emotions, but she was still afraid of them.
Then a new memory resurfaced. One that had also remained with her through the years. An image of Beast Boy in her doorway flashed through her mind. She recalled that day after Malchior's betrayal. And it was there he said the words that had permanently etched themselves into her mind.
"You think you're alone, Raven. But you're not." Those simple words had affected her more than she, or he, would ever know.
"You think you're alone…but you're not."
A new feeling came over her, one, strangely enough, of relief. Slowly, Raven slid off her bed and approached the flowers that lay on her floor. Carefully, she picked them up and examined them. A couple petals had fallen out, but other than that it was unharmed. The empath searched her room and found an old vase amongst the many items she had kept. She didn't know why she had it. It was an antique she had picked up a while back for its aesthetic and historical value. She never dreamt she'd actually use it for something like this. After filling it with water in the bathroom, all while making sure no one would see her, Raven set the flowers in the vase and placed them on her window sill.
After taking a moment to look over her work, she sat on the floor near the window and rose into the air as she drifted off into her meditation. As she chanted her steady stream of words, one thought flew across her mind.
'I wonder who sent them?'
Beast Boy nervously paced his room. For the last hour all he could think about was the fight he and Raven had gotten into.
'Oh man. I'm so stupid!' he scolded himself in his mind. 'Why did I have to get into a fight with her? And today of all days!'
A loud rapping on his door shocked him out of his thoughts. By the knocking alone he could tell who it was. He ran over to the door, dodging scattered piles of junk littered about, and slid it open.
"What's up, Cy?" he asked, trying to sound cheerful.
Cyborg grinned down at him. "Just wanted to know if you were ready to come out. Or are you still 'pouting'?"
Beast Boy's cheeks turned a light shade of pink, now feeling even dumber than before. "Um, I'm good," he squeaked. He mentally scolded himself again for being (and sounding) so stupid.
"So, what do you want?" he asked, trying to change the subject as quickly as possible.
"Just seeing if you'd cooled down, that's all. Besides, I'm a little bored. Starfire's in her room and I think Robin's hiding."
"Uh, maybe you could work on the T-Car a bit?" Beast Boy suggested sheepishly.
Cyborg shook his head. "Nah, the car's fine. And even that gets boring after a while. I was wondering if you could go for a few rounds of Super Monkey Ninjas 5?" He flashed the changeling a wide grin. Actually, he was bored, but there were also a few questions he wanted to ask the grass stain.
Beast Boy's gaze shifted downward, and he placed his hand on the back of his neck. "Not now Cy, I don't really feel like it."
"You sure? I mean, you've never turned down that game before. Oh, wait, I get it. Are you just afraid of getting your butt kicked this early in the day?"
The shape-shifter shot the metal man a dirty look. "Get my butt kicked?! My butt?" he shouted.
"You heard me."
"I'm not scared of you, tough guy! I said I just don't feel like it!"
Cyborg raised his hands defensively while trying to force back a grin. "Alright, alright. Suit yourself. Just didn't think you'd be chicken enough to back away from a challenge.
Beast Boy, now fuming, stood on his tiptoes so he was closer to the metal man's face. "I'm not scared of you! And Beast Boy doesn't back away from any challenge! You're on, battery boy!"
"Sweet! Let's go!" He and the changeling rushed toward the common room. Cyborg was congratulating himself on the inside. After being around Beast Boy so long, he'd become pretty adept at playing off his emotions.
"YEEEEHAAAW! Execute the mega punch of doom and YOU'RE DOWN!" Beast Boy shouted at the top of his lungs. He watched as Cyborg's character fainted on the screen and he threw down his controller in triumph. "Oh yeah, I beat you again!"
"Yeehaw, you did," Cyborg mumbled. Actually, he was letting Beast Boy win this time, but he didn't tell him.
Meanwhile, BB hopped up on the couch and started doing his victory dance. "HA! How'd you like that? You think you can take me? You'd need an army to take me! You playing with me, you playing with the best!"
"Alright, knock it off!" Cyborg ordered. True he had let Beast Boy win, but the victory dance still bugged the heck out of him. "First of all, you got lucky that time. Second of all, that is the worst Al Pacino impersonation I've ever heard!" Beast Boy only stuck his tongue out at him. "Come on, let's go again!"
"You're on, losah!" BB mocked.
They went through another round, Beast Boy's eyes narrowed and remained fixed on the screen.
"So, just out of curiosity, what do you think Robin's going to do for Star today?" Cyborg asked in the midst of their playing. Starfire and Robin had already left, so it was safe to talk about them in the tower.
"I dunno, take her out to the carnival and get her some mustard-flavored cotton candy?"
"Yeah, something like that," Cyborg replied with a smirk. A brief moment of silence passed between them.
"So, you gonna give Jinx a call?" Beast Boy asked devilishly.
"Yeah," Cyborg mumbled while still focusing on the screen. Suddenly he realized what Beast Boy had just asked. "Wait-what???"
"HA! You said yes! You're gonna give her a call!" Beast Boy teased.
"No man, I wasn't listening to you!" Cyborg protested.
"Boo-yeah! I knew you were gonna call her! Everyone, Cyborg's finally got a girlfriend!"
"Shut up! I don't like her!"
"Yes you do!"
"No, I don't!"
"You don't?"
"Right," Cyborg said crossly.
"Oh, okay." Beast Boy paused. "Wait, are you saying you don't like girls?"
"No! I-"
"Everyone, Cyborg doesn't like girls!" Beast Boy shouted.
"I do like girls! Now shut up!" Cyborg shouted, now thoroughly irate. He quivered with a desire to wrap his hands around the green teen's neck, but managed to restrain himself. He instead banged his head with his own hand, wondering just how he'd gotten himself in this situation. Things definitely weren't going as planned.
"Calm down, big guy! I was just messing with you," Beast Boy said defensively, though he still wore his annoying toothy grin.
Cyborg merely growled under his breath. He decided to exact a small amount of satisfaction by knocking out Beast Boy's fighter on the screen.
"Hey!" the changeling groaned.
"Serves you right."
There was a moment of silence as the two waited for another game to load. Once it was done loading the two characters started dueling again on screen.
"So anyway BB, done anything special today?" Cyborg asked him.
Beast Boy's eyes narrowed, but he remained focused on the screen. "Uh…look, I told you Cy, I don't have anything planned for today." He pressed a button and his fighter blocked an oncoming punch from Cyborg's character.
Cyborg grinned evilly. "You sure man? You didn't sound too certain there." Cyborg had his fighter launch another punch at Beast Boy's computer character.
Beast Boy glared angrily, but refused to look away from the screen. "I told you man, I'm not! What more do you want me to say?" He blocked Cyborg's attack again and readied his character for a kick.
Cyborg dodged it and instead landed a blow on Beast Boy's fighter.
"The truth."
"I told you Cy, I'm not doing anything! I don't like anyone, and I don't have any stupid valentines! Now LAY OFF!" He shouted loud enough to surprise even himself. From the way his face felt, he was sure he was turning red. Ignoring this, he threw a punch at Cyborg's fighter, who wasn't able to block it.
Cyborg's character rolled away and got back to his feet.
"Alright man, calm down! I was just curious. You know, you're getting pretty defensive for something you didn't do."
Cyborg threw a kick that Beast Boy blocked just in time.
"I didn't do anything! I know why you're doing this, you're just trying to distract me, but it's not gonna work!" He blocked another attack from Cyborg.
"Oh really? I think it's working just fine." He launched another attack. Beast Boy suddenly found himself on the defensive.
"I did nothing!"
Cybog's grin widened and he threw a flurry of punches and kicks at Beast Boy who worked furiously to parry them.
"Uh huh. Sure. So tell me, what did you give her? A card? Chocolates? Perfume? Maybe a bouquet of flowers-"
Finally, Beast Boy was sent over the edge. "I DIDN'T SEND ANYBODY ANYTHING!" he shouted furiously and almost at the top of his lungs. Suddenly he realized what he had done, and his angry red face became one of embarrassment and shame. His own humiliation was only increased when he saw his character fall over and faint on the screen. He gave a sad groan as the word 'Knockout!' flashed on the screen mockingly. Cyborg meanwhile threw up his arms in victory.
"Boo-yeah! It worked! I knew it would distract you! You are so easy, man!" He grinned widely down at the changeling, but it faded when he saw the look of genuine sadness on the changeling's face.
"Uh, Beast Boy?" he asked.
Without saying anything, BB dropped his controller, got up, and left the room. Cyborg stood there dumbfounded, his arms still up in his stupid victory pose. A loud groan escaped his mouth a few seconds later. Now he felt guilty and stupid for provoking Beast Boy the way he did. He knew it'd get to him, but not like that. Maybe he shouldn't have done what he did.
But it wasn't a complete waste. Now Cyborg had no doubt in his mind where the mysterious package came from. Not that he didn't doubt it much in the first place, but still a little more evidence couldn't hurt. Nevertheless, that still didn't stop him from feeling bad. There was only one thing to do now.
Cyborg took a breath and knocked softly at Beast Boy's door.
"Go away," he heard the changeling say behind the door.
"Look BB, open up. I'm sorry, okay? Can we just talk?"
No answer.
"Look man, I'm really sorry, okay? I didn't know it'd hurt your feelings that much! If it makes you feel that bad, I'll lay off. If it's making you think about Terra, I swear I'll never do it again. Just come out, alright?"
Almost as soon as he finished the door slid open, startling just a bit. Beast Boy looked up at him sadly. The hurt on his face was plain.
"Look man, I'm sorry," Cyborg said again. "I was being an idiot, okay? I wasn't thinking."
Beast Boy waved a hand to silence him. "It's okay, Cy. What you said back there just…"
"Is it Terra? If what I said made you think about her, I-"
"No, it's not Terra. It's something else." He paused and rubbed the back of his neck with his hand.
"Beast Boy, is there something you wanna tell me?" Cyborg asked him softly.
The changeling shifted nervously.
"Look, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to."
"No, it's that, well, I…" Beast Boy was having a lot of trouble speaking at the moment. Finally, he asked, "Cyborg, can I ask you something?"
"Dude, of course you can. That's what friends are for."
Beast Boy smirked a little but still remained serious.
"Look, what if I were to say, hypothetically, that I liked someone else besides Terra?"
"Uh huh," Cyborg didn't want to say anything just yet.
"And suppose that I really liked her, and wanted to tell her, but I couldn't?"
"Why so?"
"Well, it's kinda complicated. Like, let's just say I still felt bad about Terra, and wasn't sure about moving on just yet. And this other girl, well, what if I thought she didn't like me, or hated me more than anything else, and was scared to tell her how I felt? What if I felt that she would only hate me more if I told her that I really liked her?"
Cyborg let out a sigh. "That's pretty complicated, BB. Why are you so sure she hates you?"
The changeling frowned. "It's just the way she acts around me…and around others."
"You sure she's just not trying to hide her feelings for you, too?"
"I doubt it."
"Well, you never know, dude. But just out of curiosity, is she pretty?"
"Very! I mean, yeah. But that's not all there is. She's smart, and she's funny, and she's brave…" Beast Boy's cheeks started turning a rosy pink as he spoke.
Cyborg could have stopped, but for someone reason, he found playing matchmaker pretty amusing. He merely nodded understandingly.
"I see. Anyway, what's this about telling her how you feel?"
Beast Boy twiddled his thumbs. "So let's say I was scared to tell her, but really wanted to. So what if I decided to do something else to tell her how I feel, without actually telling her?"
"You wouldn't be the first, if that's what you're thinking."
"Well, I know, but…"
"But what? What's your point?"
"The point? Oh yeah, the point. Well um, the point is… Yeah, you gotta have a point. The point is, um, the point is…" He finally gave up and sighed. "I don't know, Cy. I just don't know if I did the right thing."
Cyborg put a hand on BB's head and roughly rubbed it through his hair. "Look man, if she really means that much to you, whatever you did is fine. You don't have to rush these things if you don't want to. You don't have to admit your feelings for her yet if you're not ready."
The grass stain managed to smile weakly at his teammate. "Thanks, Cy."
"Anytime man, anytime. Though if I were you, I wouldn't wait forever, or who knows what might happen." He removed his hand and put his hands to his metallic waist. "So, you up for another round?"
Beast Boy looked up at him with his eager battle-ready smile. "You're on!"
As they rushed downstairs, Beast Boy decided to give Cyborg a dose of his own medicine.
"So Cy, I have a question. Are you ever gonna talk to Jinx ever again?"
"What? Dude, I don't like her like that."
"Dude, it was so obvious you liked her last time you were together! You even dated, didn't you?"
Cyborg looked up nervously. "Um, well sort of. But I was just going undercover."
"Sure, but I mean, didn't she like you?"
The two had now reached the common room.
"Look man, even if I did, there are two things: One, she's a villain. Well, sort of. And Robin would freak out and go through his stupid 'gung-ho leader' act on me if he found out. And two, she already has Kid Flash."
"Alright dude. But still, I mean, I'm no expert, but don't give up on her just yet if you really do like her."
"Speak for yourself, you little-" Cyborg paused suddenly and his eyes widened.
"Uh, Cy?" Beast Boy asked.
The metallic man looked down at him. "Dude, I just remembered something." He frantically made a rush for the door.
"Hold up!" Beast Boy called after him. "Dude, where are you going? Something wrong?"
"No, uh, I just remembered I had to get something. Sorry, but I gotta go now! I'll catch ya when I get back!"
The large bionic teen dashed into the elevator, leaving Beast Boy alone and in a rather awkward state.
"Well, that was fast," he said to himself. Well, maybe it was a good thing after all. There was something he needed to do. He gulped and cracked his knuckles and set out to complete his task.
"Uh, hey Raven, you there?"
Beast Boy knocked on her door to could get her attention. She didn't answer. Either she was meditating and didn't hear him, or she just plain didn't want to talk to him. He hoped it was the former. She might have been meditating, but he didn't here her familiar mantra, and a soft sound of footsteps confirmed that she was in there.
"Come on Raven, can we talk?" There was still no answer. "Look Raven, I'm sure you're still really mad at me, and I know you probably hate me right now, but could you at least answer me?" No luck. Maybe she really was still angry. Beast Boy sighed in defeat and started to walk away, when the sound of Raven's door sliding open made him stop. The mage stood there in the doorway, looking at him inquisitively.
"Yes? You want something?" She folded her arms and gave him an emotionless stare that made him sweat-drop.
Beast Boy nervously rubbed the back of his neck as he tried to find his words again.
"Look, uh, Raven, I um…I just wanted to say sorry for earlier today. I-I was being stupid. And uh, I'm sorry I ruined one of your books." He nervously glanced up at her to see her rolling her eyes. This made him even more timid and he lowered his gaze again.
"Look, uh, I'm really sorry, okay? I won't do it again, I promise. Look, if there's anything I can do to make it up to you…I'll even buy you a knew one-" He was cut off when Raven cupped his chin so he was looking up at her.
"Beast Boy, it's okay," she said, withdrawing her hand. "I forgive you."
For a moment, the changeling was too stymied to speak. Normally it took a little more begging and groveling, usually accompanied by some physical pain on his part, to earn her forgiveness. And there were other times when she'd only be satisfied by throwing him out a window or flushing him down the toilet.
"Uh, thanks," he said nervously. Raven took a step back and continued to stare at him, an awkward silence passing between the two.
"So uh, that's it? Just like that?" he asked her.
"What?"
"Well, normally it's a little harder to get you to forgive me. I was kinda expecting you to at least yell at me or give me the cold shoulder or something."
"Do you want me to?" she asked with eyebrow arched.
"No! It's just that, um, I guess I'm just not used to it, that's all."
"Well, it's just a book, Beast Boy. It can be replaced. And lucky for you it wasn't one of my rare books. Then you would have had to do a lot more groveling. That is, after being thrown out the window a couple times."
Beast Boy smirked a little at seeing the old Raven resurface. Not that he minded not being yelled at, of course.
"So uh, what brought this about?" he asked, referring to her unusually quick forgiveness.
"Well, let's just say I'm in a good mood. And I did a little thinking while you were in your room 'pouting'. So why don't we leave it that? Or I could always throw you out the window, if that'll make you feel better."
Beast Boy quickly waved his hands in defense. "No thanks! I'm good. So uh, we cool?"
Raven rolled her eyes. "Yes, we're 'cool'." Just then, Raven noticed something strange. She had just become aware of the fact that she was no longer looking down at Beast Boy.
"When did you get as tall as me?" she asked with an almost invisible smirk.
"Huh?" Beast Boy looked at Raven and realized he was now eye-level with her. Actually, he stood about an inch higher than she did.
"Dude…"
"Well, I'll be. Beast Boy, you've grown. Guess I can't tower over you while I'm yelling at you any more," she said sarcastically.
He had changed. He was finally going through his growth spurt, and in no time Raven would be the shortest member of the team, a fact that surprisingly she didn't mind. He also wasn't as scrawny as he used to be. He wasn't buff in any sense of the word, but his muscles had filled out a little, as if he had been working out… Wait, was she thinking about how he looked?! She immediately shoved these thoughts out of her head and decided not to point it out. The last thing he needed was something to increase his already-huge ego.
"Dude, I'm tall! I'm tall!" He threw up his hands and started dancing around. "Boo-yeah! Go Beast Boy!"
"Alright, that's enough," she said in an annoyed tone.
"Oh, sorry," Beast Boy said and he stopped immediately. Raven expected him to leave at this point, but he still stood there.
"Hey Raven, I don't want to bother you, but can I ask you a question?" he asked meekly.
Raven rolled her eyes. "Sure. Why not?"
Beast Boy blushed. "Remember last year, when, when I was all depressed over Terra and wasn't talking to anybody?"
Raven nodded calmly, but was a little surprised at the irony; this being the second time today that incident had been brought up. "Uh huh."
"Well, I just thought of it today…"
'What a coincidence,' Raven thought.
"…and I was just wondering something." He paused. "Why did you do it?" he asked bluntly.
Raven looked at him surprised. "Do it? What do you mean?"
"Why did you talk to me when no one else did? Why did you help me?"
Raven found herself unintentionally glancing at the floor. "Because I'm your friend, Beast Boy. That's what friends do. Why, were you surprised?"
"Well, yeah. No offense Raven, but you were the last person I expected do that. I mean, everyone else in the tower seemed to want to stay away from me and give me my space. But you didn't. I mean, not only did you actually talk to me willingly, you tried to comfort me when I was feeling miserable. I guess I'm just not used to that from you."
Raven managed to smirk despite herself. "I admit Beast Boy, I'm not the most open of people, but I do have feelings. Even though I may not show it, I don't like seeing you depressed. And…I know what it feels like to be in that position."
Beast Boy frowned. "Yeah…with Malchior…"
"Mm-hmm. I knew what it felt like to have my heart broken. People who've never been there before don't truly know what it feels like until they've felt it, and I was no different. I didn't know how much it truly hurt until it happened to me. And in some ways, what Terra did to you was worse."
"Really? Why do you say that?"
"Malchior broke my heart once, Beast Boy, but Terra broke your heart three times. Once when she betrayed us, twice when she 'died', and three times when she outright rejected you in that school."
Beast Boy felt a slight pain well up in his chest as he recalled the incident.
"We both know what it feels like, and we both reacted pretty much the same way. When you were locking yourself up like that, I was really worried about you."
"Really?"
Raven nodded. "Yeah, and not just because you were depressed, but for a while…" she paused. "You reminded me of myself. And I know that's not you."
Beast Boy looked shocked as he said this. Was Raven actually being open with him for once? "Raven…"
She continued. "Besides, you were always the one coming to me, trying to get me to cheer up and everything. I figured I'd do the same for you for once. You know, revenge and all that." Both of them managed to smirk at Raven's small joke, but the empath's expression quickly grew serious. "And Beast Boy, I know I've said this before, but what you did after Malchior really meant a lot to me."
Beast Boy's smile finally reappeared on his face. "Thanks, Raven. And I know I've said this already, but I really appreciate what you did for me too. I guess I forgot I had friends too for a while, but you helped me remember. I just wanted to say…thanks. Again. It meant a lot to me, too."
"No problem," she said while smirking. She was surprised to see Beast Boy's face grow sad and ears droop yet again.
"Raven…I wish we wouldn't fight so much."
Raven found herself staring at the ground again. "We seem to do that a lot…"
"I know we're both pretty much opposites, but we're not enemies. I don't like arguing all the time over everything. I…I like it when we get along."
Raven sighed. "Me too, Beast Boy. Me too." She finally looked back up at the changeling who now stood just an inch higher than her. It'd definitely take some time to get used to this.
"I guess we both just forget that sometimes," she told him.
"Yeah. You know Raven, we should try this more often. This 'getting along'
thing."
Raven rolled her eyes, but found herself smirking all the same. "Sure. Why not?"
Beast Boy glanced around, then back at Raven. "Well, uh, I guess I'll see you later, Rae."
"Raven," she corrected, though her voice didn't carry the venom it usually did.
"Raven, right." He was about to leave but stopped and turned around. "Uh, Raven?" he asked quietly. The mage stopped in her doorway and looked back at him.
"What?"
Beast Boy's cheeks turned a light shade of pink. "That's uh…that's a good look for you," he said meekly while pointing.
Raven paused with a faint trace of shock in her eyes. She raised a hand to her hair and softly ran her fingers along one of her violet tresses. "This?" she asked softly. Ever since defeating her father, Trigon, she hadn't bothered to cut her hair. It now hung well past her shoulders and down to her mid-back.
Beast Boy nodded. "Yeah."
Raven paused and absentmindedly fiddled with a few strands of hair in her fingers. "Thanks," she said.
"Uh, you're welcome. Bye." With that, he turned around and proceeded down the hall away from her room. Raven stood in the doorway for a moment before finally going back into her room. Once the door was closed she let out a sigh of relief. When she heard Beast Boy knocking, she had scrambled to hide the flowers she had just gotten that morning. While she could have lied and said she had gotten them herself, she knew that even Beast Boy would be suspicious of that. Despite their differences, he did know her well. Probably a little too well. She decided then it'd just be best if he didn't see them at all. Plus she knew he'd never let her live it down if he ever found out she had a secret admirer. Although Raven had to admit, Beast Boy really had grown in the last year, and not just physically. Especially after the whole fight with the Brotherhood of Evil, Beast Boy had definitely matured on the inside. Sure he still had his childish moments, and often, but even Raven couldn't deny he'd changed.
Raven suddenly felt so strange. An unusual feeling came over her as she replayed their conversation in her head. It was that stupid feeling again that she had gotten occasionally before when being around Beast Boy. What was it? She also found herself briefly drifting back to Beast Boy's compliment. Instead of responding in some sarcastic way, she thanked him. She actually found herself caring about what he thought of her. Even worse, she'd almost blushed when he told her she looked good! What was wrong with her? Why was she acting this way? Maybe she wasn't feeling well…or maybe it was those stupid flowers she received that morning.
Yup, that had to have been it.
The T-Car zipped across the highway at speeds above the legal limit. Cyborg knew this, but he didn't care. As long as he didn't cause an accident, which he never did, it would be alright. Soon the car screeched to a halt inside the parking a lot of a huge store/garage called 'Jump City Autos.' Displayed over the entrance was a large sign which read 'Annual Valentine's Day Sale! Products as low as 50 off!'
As soon as the car was parked Cyborg hopped out and rushed into the store. The metal man ran through the aisles, practically running over the poor shoppers in his path. He didn't stop until he finally reached a display island near the corner stocked with a sign labeled 'All items half-off' below it were shelves lined with bottles of engine oil. Cyborg rushed forward and quickly grabbed a bottle off the shelf.
"Yeehaw! Come to papa!" He brought the bottle to his face and kissed the label. This was an offer he couldn't pass up, the store was offering his favorite type of engine oil at half-off – how could he refuse such a wonderful thing? He couldn't believe he had almost forgotten about it. That whole ordeal with Raven's flowers almost threw him off. He quickly grabbed four more of the shelf and proceeded toward the checkout isle.
'Man, with this stuff, that car's going to run like a dream,' he thought to himself.
After he was done checking out, he walked out the store whistling, with items in tow, and a big grin on his face. He was just getting back into the T-Car when he noticed something across the street. The first thing that caught his attention was a patch of bright pink hair among the crowd of people. That could only be one person…!
"No way…" Cyborg muttered out loud. He couldn't believe it, and on today of all days! He was just as surprised at seeing her out in public. Forgetting about his car for the moment, he shut the door and crossed the street to catch up with her before he lost her in the crowd of pedestrians.
"Excuse me…excuse me…sorry…excuse me." Cyborg said as he winded his way through the mass of walkers, while ignoring the dirty looks several of them gave him. Up ahead he noticed her stop at a crosswalk, waiting for the light to change. Cyborg finally escaped the crowd and stopped only a few feet behind her.
"Uh…hey!" he called out nervously.
Jinx immediately spun around and her eyes slightly widened at seeing Cyborg. Her look quickly faded and she replaced it with a sarcastic smile.
"Oh, hey Sparky," she said teasingly.
"H-hi Jinx," Cyborg replied. "Uh, what are you doing here?"
"What's it look like I'm doing, genius? I'm walking."
"Oh, yeah. I mean, why are you here? I uh, didn't really expect to see you today." He was still getting over the shock of seeing her. She wasn't wearing her normal outfit however, and was dressed in something that could pass off as a 'normal' civilian outfit.
"I admit, I didn't really expect to run into your big metal butt today either." Her smirk widened when she saw him blush. "Anyway, if you really gotta know, I just needed a few things and I decided to come into town."
"Uh, okay. Cool."
"Good. I hope that's alright with you, or are you gonna arrest me for not using the 'villains only' sidewalk?"
Cyborg raised his hands defensively. "Hey! I didn't say anything, did I?! I was just asking!"
Jinx merely glared at him. "Whatever. But being in jail kind of leaves its mark on you."
"Woah, a little defensive today aren't we? Geez, I was just trying to say 'hi'."
Jinx sighed. "Relax, bolt-brain, I was just messing with you. But if you need to know, I'm just not in a very good mood today."
"Oh, I see. If I'm bothering you…"
"Nah, it's okay. I actually enjoy messing with that thick metal head of yours. So if you're not here to arrest me, why are you in town today, huh? I take it you had to pick up a few things, too?"
Cyborg glanced down at his bag then back at her and grinned widely. "Oh! Yeah, just picking up something for my car, that's all."
"I see… So any reason then why you came all the way over here to bother me?"
Cyborg glanced up nervously. "What? Can't I just say hi? I mean, we haven't talked at all in a few months. I just thought we could maybe talk for a moment and catch up with each other. That's all."
Jinx just stared at him for a moment, making Cyborg even more nervous.
She scoffed. "Alright, sure. Come on." She turned around to cross the street. For a moment, Cy was too stunned to follow her.
"Hey mechanical moron, you coming or what?" she called. Cyborg snapped out of his trance and ran up to catch up with her. The hero and former-villain walked side-by-side down the sidewalk.
"So, anyway, how have you been doing lately, Jinx?"
"I'm fine. Thanks for asking."
"Oh. Well that's good." Cyborg paused awkwardly for a second. "Um, so how's Kid Flash anyway? How come he's not with you?"
As soon as he mentioned his name, Jinx scowled and folded her arms.
Cyborg sweat-dropped. "Oh, I'm sorry. Uh, would he be the reason you're in a bad mood today?
Jinx sighed again. "Yeah, you could say that. We haven't really been getting along for a while."
"Really? Sorry to hear that. But I thought you guys were going out and everything."
Jinx unfolded her arms and looked up at him. "Um, Cyborg, we've actually been broken up for over a month now."
Both of Cyborg's eyes widened noticeably. "Really? Geez, what happened? Uh, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to."
Jinx shook her head. "No, it's okay. Yes, Kid Flash and I were dating for a while after the whole thing with the Brotherhood of Evil. And yeah, we were getting along just fine for a while. But then…things just started happening."
"What things?" Cyborg asked with concern.
"Well, for starters, a while after we actually got involved in a relationship, he and I really didn't see eye-to-eye on a bunch of things. We got into fights…a lot." She rolled her eyes and continued. "And I'd often find him talking to other girls. I didn't mind at first. I mean, he is a guy, after all. But there'd be times when he'd get a little too comfortable with them, if you know what I mean."
"Yeah, I know what you mean."
"Well, after a while he started doing it more often. When I'd talk to him about it, he'd get all defensive and say I was worrying to much and that I was being jealous for no reason. Okay, I admit I was jealous a little, but it's not like I didn't have a reason. And not only that, when he so as much saw me look at another guy, he'd get all annoyed and jealous with me! And then he'd start asking me all these questions..."
Cyborg noticed her clench her fists. He could tell Jinx was getting frustrated as she spoke.
"…Then I'd remind him about the times he'd flirt with other girls, then he'd get mad, then we'd start yelling at each other…and pretty much the cycle would repeat itself."
"Wow, Jinx. I didn't know. I'm sorry to hear that. Did you guys ever manage to talk nicely about it?"
"Oh, we would. We'd fight, then we'd apologize, kiss and make up. Then we'd act like that would be the last time it would happen."
"But it was never the last time, was it?"
"Nope," Jinx said sadly. "When our relationship started getting strained, we sat down and we talked for a long time. We promised ourselves that we'd fix things; that we'd work things out and all that. For a while, it looked like it would actually happen, but then things started going downhill again."
"How so?" The pair stopped at another intersection. Jinx didn't reply until they started walking again.
"Well, he'd start going out by himself like he used to, sometimes without even telling me. He'd go out by himself or with friends of his to God knows where. I'd often have to interrogate him afterward to get him to tell me where went. As time went by he'd do it more and more often. We talked less and less and sort of drifted apart…" She sighed a third time.
"Then one night we had another fight. He got mad and went out, again. Of course, with him having super speed, I couldn't follow him. So instead of staying at our apartment I decided to go out myself. I went out to that one abandoned warehouse where everyone likes to party and tried to forget what just happened. So I'm there having a good time, when I decide to take a break from dancing." Her fists clenched again and her eyes narrowed. "I go for a drink and in the corner I see the one and only Kid Flash making out with some blue-eyed, big-chested blonde!"
"Holy crap!" Cyborg said. "What happened?"
"Well, he doesn't notice me at first, so I walk up to him and call his name. He then sees me, shoves the blonde off him and starts frantically apologizing. I start yelling in his face and he starts giving me typical male crap, saying things like 'It's not what it seems!' or 'I can explain!' And I know he was sober, cause they don't serve alcohol there."
"So, what did you do?"
Jinx grinned wickedly. "Well, after I threw my drink in his face, he stood there like an idiot, so I decided to melt and dry the cement under his feet," she said with a kind of wicked pride.
'Woah,' Cyborg thought to himself.
"I figured since he's so fast, he could deal with not being able to move around at all for a little while," she said evilly. "By the time he finally got back, I'd already decided I wouldn't take it any more. So after informing him of my decision, I packed up my stuff and left. Eventually I found another place to stay and just decided to crash there until I got back on my feet."
"Wow. Jinx, I don't know what to say. I'm sorry. I had no idea."
Jinx shook her head. "Don't be. I'm not. Well, I'm sorry things couldn't work out between us, but I'm not sorry I left. I mean, Kid Flash is a nice kid and all, and he has a great heart, but…I just don't think he was really ready for a relationship just yet. He'll always have my thanks for what he's done for me, but I don't think a relationship between us is a good idea at this stage. He's just too free-spirited. I mean, I probably wasn't ready either, but at least I was willing to try. He wasn't." Jinx looked up and shrugged her shoulders. "So here I am, all by my lonesome. No big, strong male to protect me." (Even though she was hardly one who needed protecting)
Cyborg chuckled. "Well, glad to see you're doing fine. Good to see you on your feet."
"Yup. Don't get me wrong, I was a little depressed and angry for a couple weeks after that, but I'm good now. And in case you were wondering, this being Valentine's Day got me thinking about the two of us, so that kind of got me in a bad mood. But I'm fine now. I think talking about it sort of got it off my chest."
"Good to hear. Nice to see I'm useful for something," Cyborg said while smiling widely. "By the way, if you were all by yourself, why didn't you come to us? I mean, we have room and it's free. And it's not as if we're strangers. I'm sure everyone would have been glad to have you around."
Jinx shrugged. "Well, I don't know. I guess I just wanted to be by myself for a while, and my pride just wouldn't let me come crawling to your doorstep. Besides, given my 'history', I'm not sure Robin would have welcomed me with open arms."
Cyborg shook his head. "You don't have to worry about your pride, Jinx. Nobody would think any less of you if you came to us for help. I mean, that's what we're here for. And while I know Robin can uh, be a 'Dick' at times, I'm sure he would've let you in. I'm pretty sure everyone would be willing to put your past behind you."
Jinx shrugged. "Hmm. I don't know, but thanks for the invitation anyway," she said.
"Hey, no problem. But if you ever think you want to come down, don't hesitate. Consider it my invitation to you."
Jinx put her hands on her waist and grinned. "Oh, I see. You're trying to play 'hero' with me now, huh?"
Cyborg grinned back. "Just doing my job, ma'am."
Jinx laughed softly. "You know, I gotta admit, I do kind of miss our days at the H.I.V.E. together, even if you were just undercover. Good times, sparky. Good times."
"Heh heh…yeah." For a moment their eyes met, and a shy silence passed between them.
"So, uh," Jinx spoke up, breaking the awkwardness. "You've heard my heartbreaking story. What's up with you? How have things been going at the Tower lately?"
Cyborg shrugged his shoulders. "Ah, not much. Same old stuff. Though ever since beating the Brotherhood of Evil things are a little more boring lately. Not a lot of villains running around anymore. But some 'things' happen here and there."
"Oh really? What kinds of 'things'?"
"You sure you want to hear? I mean, I don't want to bore you or anything-"
"Just shut up and tell me, you bionic buffoon. And I'd better hear every word," she teased while grabbing his arm. "Come on, we'll walk through the park. I need something to do." With a huge smile on his face, Cyborg followed.
Beast Boy was sitting the common room, watching TV and feeling rather lonely when Cyborg finally came bursting in through the door.
Beast Boy leapt off the couch and approached the metal man, who looked unusually cheerful. "Dude, there you are! Sheesh, did you get lost in the city or something? You've been gone for, like…uh, why are you smiling?"
Cyborg heard this and quickly changed his expression. "Oh, nothing. I just had to get something for my car."
"Uh huh. Sure."
"I'm not lying! Here, see?" he held up the bag for the changeling to see.
Beast Boy cocked an eyebrow. "Alright, fine. Then what took you so long, huh?"
"I was just looking around, and I sort of got sidetracked, that's all."
"Okay. Fair enough." Beast Boy turned around to sit back down. "Then I don't have to ask why you have Jinx's scent on you."
Cyborg's face flushed a deep red. "No, wait! It's not like that!"
"HA! I knew it! I knew it!" Beast Boy fluttered his eyes and made kissy lips. "Cyborg and Jinx, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-"
Cyborg gritted his teeth. "Why, you little…!" He lunged at Beast Boy, who leapt out of the way and stuck his tongue out at Cyborg. Cyborg made another dash at the green teen. Beast Boy saw this coming and promptly took off. In no time, Cyborg was chasing Beast Boy around the room in circles.
"You can't run forever!" Cyborg called.
"Neither can you!" Beast Boy retorted, sticking his tongue out again.
"Wanna bet?" Cyborg made a grab for Beast Boy, who dodged it by leaping over the couch. "Dude, when I catch you, I'm gonna – oh hey, Robin! When'd you get back?"
Cyborg found himself standing face-to-face with him. The teen leader stood in the doorway with arms folded and eyebrow arched. "Just now."
"Hey Robin!" Beast Boy said cheerfully as he stood up, trying to make it look like nothing happened. "Hey Starfire! Uh, how'd your date go?"
Starfire clasped her hands together and a dreamy expression enveloped her face. "Oh, it was most glorious, friends! Boyfriend Robin took me to the fair, and then we did the seeing of movies, then we went to the mall of shopping..." She sighed dreamily and bright pink hearts started floating in the air around her head. Cy and BB just stood there, dumbstruck.
"Um, did you just call him 'boyfriend'?" Cyborg asked.
"Yes, friend Cyborg! Robin and I have something to say to you both, do we not, Robin?"
The boy wonder nodded while blushing.
"Robin and I did the discussing today, and we both decided to finally make our relationship open to the rest of you!"
Beast Boy shook himself out of his blank expression. "Wow, so you're finally dating now, huh? I mean, wow…I never saw that coming. I mean nobody would have guessed you two were more than friends…" Robin glared at the green teen.
"Well, congratulations to the both of ya!" Cyborg said happily while clapping both of them on the shoulder. "I'm sure Raven'll be ecstatic to hear this. I mean, this is big news! We should have a celebration, or something!"
"Yes! This calls for a wonderful celebration! I shall make the traditional Tamaranian xorblath dish for the occasion!!!" Starfire said excitedly.
All three boys paled noticeably. "Where is Raven, anyway?" Robin asked, wanting to change the subject.
"In her room. Where else?" Beast Boy muttered. "Look uh, I think I'll be in my room, too." With that he left the common room.
The rest of the day passed rather quickly. Most of dinnertime was spent hearing Starfire describe in detail everything that had went on during her date with Robin. Raven, like the others, was in no way surprised at hearing the news. Beast Boy found himself unintentionally glancing at Raven several times during the conversation. He hoped she didn't see. Every time she seemed about to glance in his direction, he'd immediately look away and pretend to be interested in what Starfire had to say. Probably the only good thing out of this was that he'd now be able to tease Robin mercilessly about this. Cy was a different matter however, given their quiet conversation earlier that day.
Sleep actually did not come easily to him that night. He fond himself tossing and turning in his sheets, his thoughts constantly drifting back to the dark empath.
'Man…I'm so stupid…why did I do that? I'm such a coward…why don't I just tell her how I feel?' he thought to himself.
"Who am I kidding anyway?" he said out loud to no one. "She'll never like me. She'll always see me as an annoying grass stain." He frowned and rolled over, trying desperately to find sleep. Then, another memory came flooding back to his mind. This one was of Raven hugging Robin right after their battle with Trigon. Beast Boy didn't know why at first, but every time he thought of this it made him hurt on the inside, even after all this time.
Jealousy.
"Someone believed!" Raven's speech echoed over and over in his head along with the image of her hugging Robin while smiling. Why? What the hell made Robin so special? It's not like he had ever stopped believing in her!
It was all Robin. It was him Raven had run over to in that battle when they were all wounded. It was Robin she trusted. It was Robin who rescued her from Trigon. It was Robin whom she had personally thanked afterward.
"Blue is still my favorite color. And don't get used to the smile, 'cause you're still not funny." She had outright hugged Robin willfully but still treated Beast Boy like the plague. He knew he was being jealous for no reason. Besides, Robin and Starfire were already dating. Of course he and Raven were just friends. Robin didn't see her that way. But that didn't mean Raven didn't feel something more for him…
Beast Boy gritted his teeth and pounded his fists onto his sheets. "Get a hold of yourself! Stop thinking about that!" he shouted at himself. But he couldn't, no matter how hard he tried. Then, for just one terrible moment, Beast Boy felt alone.
First of all, I apologize to everyone if you're offended by Kid Flash's character. I'm sure he's not a jerk like that in the series, and I have nothing against the Jinx/Kid Flash pairing, but the Cy/Jinx pairing though just interests me more than Cy/Bee. I have nothing against it either, but to me it's not as fun to write about as the whole villain/hero relationship. Plus, it seems to me that the creators just wanted to pair up the two black characters in the show. How original. So yeah, this is Cy/Jinx. Once again, apologies.
Well, I never said it directly, but there should be no doubt now who Raven's mystery flower-sender is. Come on, don't tell me you didn't see that one coming! Thanks for reading! Once again, the biggest decider of this story's fate is reviews. If not a lot of people read it, then it will most likely end up being discontinued, or worse, deleted. So if you want to see this story continued, just hit the 'Go' button at the bottom of the screen! Thanks to all those who reviewed the last chapter, and thanks again for reading. Once again, the next chapter should be out in 1-2 weeks. Things will also finally start picking up in the next chapter as well. Until next time!