Hello my beautiful readers! I know I've let this story just dangle in the wind, but I've had (somewhat) good reason. 1- I finished two of my MAJOR stories, almost have half-finished another. 2- I can't tell anyone no, so as a result, I did a STAR project at state FCCLA (I was grand state champion), Knowledge bowl (trivia), floriculture, agriscience team (I may have been lost about the finer details of grasshoppers, but my essay on the veterinarian career git a perfect score), parliamentary procedure (how to run a business meeting), and all school play. 3- I had some life stuff going on, like I turned fifteen on March 30, and had my first prom the day before. Because I am a total klutz, I dislocated my kneecap while dancing. Twice. Anyways, here's the chapter, I hope you guys aren't too angry with me.
She opened her door, only to find Beastboy getting ready to knock. That's twice now he's come to fetch me, She mused to herself.
"We're just getting ready to start." He flashed a toothy smile. "I was just making sure you didn't meditate too long, since you missed your morning one."
Tha-thu-thump. Her heart beat irregularly in her chest, sending a jolt of electricity to her nerves. She mentally shook herself. There was a time and a place to question the nature of her feelings for the changeling; now was not that time.
"Thank you. " She responded quietly. Anyone else wouldn't have been able to distinguish her words, but she knew he would have no trouble with his enhanced hearing.
"Anytime, Rae." He playfully swatted her shoulder. "We better get going, or Robin's gonna yell at us. I can just hear him now. 'What were you two doing? Smelling the roses? As long as there is any possibility for mistakes, you need to focus only on training! Eating, sleeping, and breathing all come second!' " Beastboy's impersonation of their leader was humorous. He raised his voice a few octaves in mockery of Robin's deep tones and dramatically paced in the hall while using 'inspiring' hand gestures.
She wanted to laugh. She wanted to snort in amusement; to let the urge flow through her until her sides hurt and the entire tower could hear the sound. But she didn't; instead, she allowed a dry chuckle to escape for a few moments.
"Yes!" Beastboy fist-pumped with a exuberant, triumphant smirk. "I made you laugh."
Feeling indulgent and confident in her control, she gave a gentle smile. "Come on."
"Whoo Hoo! And a smile, to boot!" The green teen grabbed her wrist and hauled her towards the training room. The strangely pleasant fluttering of her stomach and desire to smile again had nothing to do with her companion, nothing whatsoever.
Beastboy pushed open the door with his shoulder as they jogged in, and raised his arm victoriously while still holding her wrist. "Dudes, today is a once-in-a-lifetime event! Raven laughed at one of my jokes." He finished proudly.
"That is most glorious, friend Beastboy!" Starfire excitedly cheered.
"Aw, Rae, you ain't going soft on us, are ya?" Cyborg teased.
"No," She muttered. The embarrassment she was feeling was no doubt finding its way to her cheeks. Just to be safe, she leaned back further in her hood, partially obscuring her blushing face.
"Now, what kind of joke could make Raven crack a smile, let alone laugh?" Robin questioned from behind them.
"Ah- I mean, hey! Robin, I didn't see you there." The changeling chuckled weakly.
"Nevermind. Alright team! As you may know, Titans East was recently attacked by a new villian, who refused to reveal its identity, and were temporarily robbed of their powers. The villian, of course, escaped. In order to prepare, we must practice figting without our powers. I am already somewhat used to this method of fighting, but we all have room for improvement. To practice, we will have a tournament. The first matches are Beastboy against Cy, and Star against Raven. Winners play winners and losers play losers. I will compete against the winner of you four. As for rules, no guns, lasers, knives, energy manipulation of any sort, shapeshifting, flying, or other weapon. You may use you natural speed, agility, weight, and strength, although please try to avoid a actually hurting someone. To win, you must keep someone pinned for at least one minute. Any questions? No? Alright, Star and Rae, you go first."
She slowly crept to the ring, mentally preparing herself for total defeat. As she passed, she could hear Cyborg whisper to Beasboy. "So what was that joke, anyways?"
"It was an impression of Robin; I'll show you later." He grinned wickedly.
"Alright everyone, if you are wearing gloves or any kind of a cape, it's best that you take them off, so they don't get in the way. " Robin announced, pulling off his own offending articles as he spoke.
Hesitantly, she unclasped her cloak and tossed it out of the small arena. I hope BB enjoys the view. A voice in her mind purred. She glanced about, catching a glimpse of the green teen absentmindedly conversing with Cyborg. She shuddered, acutely aware of how exposed she was without her cloak. Where did that thought come from? She wondered to herself. Returning her attention to the task at hand, she noticed that Starfire had already discarded her gloves, and charged as soon as Robin uttered the word, "Go."
She instinctively wanted to jump out of the way, but forced herself to wait until the last minute before ducking underneath Starfire's outstretched arms.
Star turned on her heel, and once again reached for her, as if to pull her into a bone-crushing hug. There was no evading this one, so instead, she practically leapt into her potentially fatal embrace and braced herself on the alien's shoulders. Her momentum was enough for her to wrench her body into a handstand. She precariously teetered for a moment before swinging her legs downwards and away from Starfire.
She'd be lying if she said that she wasn't proud when she heard Beastboy whisper to Cyborg, "Wow, Rae has got some skills."
Beastboy, Beastboy, Beastboy. It was like she couldn't kick him out of her thoughts, and she didn't like it one bit.
That's because you know you love it. The same voice jeered in her mind.
Shut up! She growled back at it.
In her brief lapse, which couldn't have been more than a few seconds, Starfire recovered and lunged for her arm. Swallowing her pride, she dove into a summersault between Star's legs and managed sping to her feet.
Almost guiltily, she stuck her foot out and tripped her friend as she turned to face her. Her attempt was futile, though. Starfire easily turned her fall into a tidy cartwheel and sieged both of her wrists in one hand. With her extraterrestrial strength, she easily lifted her and held her out at arm's length. The grip on her wrists was like unyielding titanium. Her feet dangled a good foot off the ground and she was too far away to hope her thrashing would land a blow.
"That's enough! Starfire is the victor." Robin announced, long after she had already exhausted herself from struggling and simply hung limp as a rag doll.
The alien gently set her down and smiled brightly. "That was a wonderful battle! You are a most worthy opponent, friend Raven!"
"Cyborg, Beastboy, it's your turn."
As he passed, Beastboy gave her a reassuring pat on the back. "You did a good job."
There was no competition between the two. Cyborg immediately pounced on Beastboy, smashing him to the ground and restraining his arms. Even if the green teen had been able to escape the initial onslaught, he had next to no chance of victory. Beastboy had definitely put on more than a few pounds' worth off muscle mass, but the strongest human bodybuilder in the world wouldn't be able to move Cyborg. After a few moments of flailing, he accepted his loss and waited for Robin to announce Cy as the winner.
"Raven and Beastboy are next."
She entered the arena once again, and circled her opponent. Beastboy smirked, before popping his knuckles and staring down in horror. "Hey, Robin! Can I put my gloves back on?" He pleaded.
"No, Beastboy."
"But-"
Their leader angrily cut him off. "I said no! Now get started."
Does he not want to touch me? Do I disgust him? That same voice whimpered in her thoughts.
Pull yourself together! She hissed back. She made a mental note to never miss morning meditation again; the hour or so of extra sleep was not worth battling with her emotions for the rest of the day.
Taking the initiative, she feinted to the right and slipped under his guard, successfully putting him in a headlock.
It was understatement to say she was surprised when the changeling willingly dove forward and landed right on his face. Smugly, she tightened her grip and adjusted her position so she was straddling his back, her shins planted firmly on ground on either side of him.
With a jerk, he broke her grip and used his hands to rear up and off the ground, consequently sending her tumbling backwards. She was lucky, and recovered her wits before he did, and was able to scramble to her feet and prepare for his next attack.
He rushed towards her again, as if to encircle in a warm embrace. She pulled the same move she used on Starfire, but unfortunately for her, this opponent had anticipation. Just as she had successfully pulled her body into a handstand on his shoulders, he captured her wrists.
She allowed herself to fall backwards, in hope of knocking him off balance or breaking his grip, but he let go and pivoted on one foot to align himself with where she lay on the ground.
He nudged her legs apart and rested on his knees between them, one hand firmly holding her thigh in place. His other hand pinned her arms above her head, effectively ensnaring her.
She violently thrashed, and finally realized his motive behind wanting his gloves. The more she struggled against his vice-like hold, the more his claw-like nails tore at her skin.
"No need to be so feisty, sweetheart." He whispered in her ear.
In shock, she stopped moving and stared at him in slack-jawed disbelief. He took full advantage of her sudden compliance and hefted her from the ground, crushing her body to his chest in a bridal style.
Heat burned her cheeks as she blushed. In that very compromising position, she realized she might as well been naked for what her skin-tight leotard left to the imagination. Her side completely pressed into the firm muscles of his chest, and there was no space for her to flail. Something hot and wet dripped down her leg and forearms, but her mind refunded to process it.
"Beastboy wins!" Robin declared, and the green teen unceremoniously set her on her feet.
"Whooh! I'm not the weakest." He gloated. "You sure do put up a good fight, Raven." He glanced about. "Rae? Where'd ya go?"
It was too late. She had already sprinted out the door, powers be forgotten, and a trail of crimson blood was pooled on the white flooring.
"Dammit! I should have just let her win." He muttered. "Raven! I'm sorry! Please come back; I didn't mean to hurt you! You can throw me out the window or use me as a punching bag, if you want! Rae!" With that last plea, he raced for the door to search for his wounded friend.
Yay! Chapter done! Y'all better appreciate it; I stayed up to one in the morning to finish it. Please let me know what you think in the reviews! (Ps, reviews give me the warm and fuzzy, I-need-to-write-more feeling!)