A/N - Short version: I'm sorry I'm late. Full apology at the bottom. But first, the long awaited update to my nearly-dead story! Hope you enjoy! Love ya guys!
Update: Currently looking for Beta Readers for Chapter Seven. Please PM me if you're interested! Not so much for grammar as for content! Thanks!
CHAPTER SIX
There seemed to be no escape. Everywhere she looked, she found herself surrounded. Insecurity crept in, settling in her chest, blocking her lungs. It was useless to fight, and she knew it. It seemed as though what she'd been running away from since earlier that day, had caught up to her before she'd even had a chance to hide.
From deep within the confines of her mind, her emotions waged war against her conscious self. They refused to let her withdraw into the safety of nonchalance and stoic expression, and drove her heart to beat faster, riling her nerves. She was left all alone to face the inquisitive alien sitting cross-legged before her, who seemed to know a whole lot more than she was letting on.
Raven did the only thing she could. She gulped, and offered a silent prayer to Azar. She knew it was in vain, but at least it would be a worthy battle.
"I apologize friend, does it bother you that Beast Boy and I spoke of personal matters?" Starfire asked, her innocent tone much too innocent to be believed, and Raven didn't buy it for a second. Not only that, the smirk Star was failing to hold back was a dead giveaway to her intentions.
But she didn't understand. How could she know? Starfire couldn't have figured out her dilemma from a simple slip-up in enunciation. It was highly unlikely. And the whole matter had only just begun to affect her that very morning. The only signs she'd given about it had been over at breakfast, and nothing had happened then to link the matter to Beast Boy…
Right…?
As if answering her unspoken question, memories began to seep back into her mind's eye. Beast Boy's offering of waffles and his sullen expression at her rejection. His concerned tone after the teacup's unfortunate demise. The way she'd flinched when he'd touched her…
Damn…
She hurried to patch up her mistake, and break the unbearable silence in the room, hoping Starfire's suspicions would fade away.
"No, not at all. Why would anything Beast Boy does bother me?"
Raven flinched slightly, realizing much too late the irony in her words. If Starfire noticed it, she gave no other sign apart from tilting her head and gazing at her with suspicious, gleaming green eyes.
"From your tone, you seemed upset at the fact that Beast Boy approached me with his personal matters."
It was obvious Starfire knew what she was doing, and part of Raven suspected that this was less an impromptu girl talk, and more of a well-rehearsed interrogation. It seemed knowledge had not abandoned her, and was still fighting in her corner. She used that to her advantage, and tried to fight off the Tamaranean's disguised inquisition with cold, unfeeling logic.
"Not at all. I just didn't think he'd resort to you; He tends to go to Cyborg for his personal problems." If her tone were any colder, it would have frozen the very air in front of her.
Starfire however, seemed far from put off. If anything, she seemed even more invested in her efforts, a dangerous glint in her eyes that Raven had only seem in glimpses, in the midst of battle.
"That is true. But what he wished to speak of was most… intimate." Starfire said, her voice gaining a sultry tone as she leaned forward conspiratorially. Raven involuntarily tensed, a blush tinting her cheeks, causing Star's smirk to widen a few centimeters more. "He was worried the matter would cause Cyborg discomfort, I suppose. That is why he discussed it with me."
Starfire smiled, and relaxed her posture, laying on her side as she toyed with her coppery hair, innocently and conveniently ignoring Raven's rapidly-extending blush.
Stop it! You're playing right into her hands! Besides, what do you care if Beast Boy talked with Star? About something personal? And Intimate…?
Raven chastised herself mentally, clenching her comforter with pale hands as her fingernails dug into the soft fabric. She chanted her mantra silently beneath her breath, trying to calm down her emotions, which were all but shouting at her in her mind. The last thing she needed was an unexpected outburst from her powers to confirm Starfire's suspicions.
"Well… that's good… I guess… Um, what was it you wanted to talk to me about?"
Her alien friend seemed to brighten at her words, her mischievous frontage forgotten momentarily, replaced by a look of innocent curiosity.
"Oh, yes! I have been wondering about the book that had the steam! I asked Beast Boy about this, and he seemed uneasy about the topic. He suggested I ask you."
Raven felt her blush return with a vengeance. A small part of her wanted to phase out of her room and kill Beast Boy. Or at least maim him. Still, she had a bigger fish to fry, in the form of an innocent, inquisitive alien Princess sitting across from her, eagerly awaiting her explanation to erotic literature. And what really killed her was the fact that it wasn't even an erotic novel!
But of course, the one book in her entire library that contained even the slightest bit of smut was also bound to be the only book the others showed any kind of interest in. Why couldn't she have been reading one of her old spellbooks?
"Um, it's not really… I mean…" Raven stalled, wringing her hands as she tried to come up with some sort of escape route. Fortunately, Knowledge seemed to still be on her side. Her eyes lit up as an idea quickly formed in her mind.
"You know what, I'm sure Robin will be able to explain better than I can." Raven said.
And it should provide a nice topic of conversation for those two… She chuckled in her head.
"Just remember to leave me out of it. It'll just make things more… awkward."
Starfire seemed disappointed, releasing a heavy sigh as she once again changed positions, this time flipping belly-down on the bed as she swung her legs in the air.
"Very well. I will speak with Robin on the matter of the steam in books."
Raven allowed a small smile to grace her features. The relief she felt at having evaded the awkward topic was only reinforced by the mischievous spark she got from the knowledge of poor Robin's fate. It wasn't personal, but if anyone had to endure giving those kinds of explanations to Starfire, it should be the one that would probably take away her innocence. Sooner or later.
Raven shuddered as that thought lingered for a few second longer than what was prudent. She figured it was probably Rude running her mind through the gutter again. She was starting to worry that this might become a habit with her emotion, but that preoccupation was promptly shelved as Starfire once more broke the silence with a soft voice.
"Raven?"
"Hmm?" She hummed distractedly, still trying to shift her thoughts towards something more neutral. Disturbingly enough, they shifted toward Beast Boy, and something regarding her own innocence. She would have to speak with Rude quite soon, and not so diplomatically this time.
Starfire broke into her thoughts with another of her questions, this time, sincere concerns gracing her features as she stared at her, glancing at her very soul. It was very exposing, and Raven felt herself shiver at the sensation.
"When will you accept your feelings for Beast Boy?"
Raven almost choked on her own breath, skin paling and eyes widening. Her whole body tensed, and she knew that any hopes of maintaining a casual front were ruined. She looked at Starfire, narrowing her eyes, but Raven was surprised to find that she no longer held that mischievous glare or any sort of ill-intending expressions. She simply stared with worried eyes, awaiting her answer. If only Raven knew what the right answer to that question was. But for now, she'd play it safe.
"What feelings? I don't know what you're talking about."
Raven knew what feelings Starfire was referring to. They were the same feelings she was still trying to sort out herself. But knowing those feelings were public made her feel even more uncertain about figuring it all out. It had all been so close to perfection back when the only thing Beast Boy caused in her was irritation.
Raven also knew that her defenses were failing. Her monotone was cracking, and her entire body seemed to be twitching randomly as an odd warmth spread throughout her chest. And somehow, Raven got the feeling that Starfire knew just what was happening. Maybe it was the glint in her friend's eyes, or the small, knowing smile on her face. Or maybe it was the waves of certainty and accomplishment that were radiating off of her that were practically smothering Raven's empathic sense.
"Raven, there is no shame in having such emotions."
"I don't have any emotions. Least of all for Beast Boy." She spat out his name as if it held a bad taste in her mouth, although quite the opposite was true. At the same time, her mind ached with conflicting thoughts. Her emotions seemed to feel indignant at her denial, though which denial, she wasn't sure.
Starfire smirked. "For an empath, you seem rather blind to your own emotions, Raven."
She wasn't going to lie. That one had hurt just a bit. Not because it was a low blow. But rather because Starfire was right. With all her training in empathic abilities over the years, she still couldn't figure out her own feelings. It drove her mad, but she'd never admit it. Even if her best friend saw it as plain as the nose on her face.
"There is nothing going on here," Raven said scoffing, trying to keep her words calm and neutral. Still, the irritation in her tone was clear. "I don't know what you're talking about. Beast Boy is a friend, just like the rest of you. I feel the same for him as I do for you, or Cyborg, or Robin."
A small silence filled the room as she contemplated the words that had almost unconsciously slipped past her lips. There it was again. That small sensation of something gnawing at the back of her mind, like there was something wrong just under her nose, but she still couldn't see it. Starfire narrowed her eyes to look at her once more with a look that she'd seen even the Boy Wonder cower under. Raven's mouth was suddenly dry, even if her face remained unchanged.
"I expected better from you."
Raven just scoffed and rolled her eyes, pulling her knees closer to her as she sat huddled on her bed. She agreed with Star. She expected better from herself as well. But it was too soon. She hadn't had time to meditate and sort out her problem.
"Spare it." Raven said wearily.
"I am most serious. Perhaps you can fool the boys, but you should know not to try and hide your emotions from me."
Starfire's bright green eyes bore deeply into her own. Raven had been on the receiving end of Starfire's glare very few times, but it was never a pleasant experience. She could practically feel the energy from her trying to burrow its way into her head and instill guilt and doubt. It was a worthy challenge, and Raven glared back as hard as she could. They spent the better part of five minutes simply sitting cross-legged across from each other on Raven's tumultuous comforter.
Finally, it was enough. Guilt and doubt had been thoroughly instilled into her mind, and Raven could handle it no more. Her body tensing, she prepared herself for the pain that was sure to come.
"I think you should go." Raven watched as Starfire slowly floated down unto her mattress, and her smile faded quietly away to be replaced by a heartbreaking expression of anguish. She wanted nothing more than to confess her stressful situation and allow herself to be comforted by her friend. But she wouldn't allow that. She couldn't allow that.
Starfire finally deflated, and with a defeated façade, stood from Raven's bed, leaving her once more alone amongst her dark anguish. Raven couldn't bear to look at her friend in the eye, feeling both ashamed and guilty for her treatment of the only one in the tower who seemed to care.
"Very well, Raven. I shall leave." Starfire spoke in a soft, hurt voice. She was driving the guilt card through the roof, playing it for all its worth. But Raven had already hit her threshold. Starfire's act couldn't possibly make her feel worse than she already did.
As Raven fought back the screams of her emotions from within, Starfire paced slowly towards the door. Raven knew she was deliberately taking her time, testing to see if Raven snapped. To see if she repented at the last possible second, if only to add to the drama. But Starfire could keep walking for decades, because Raven wasn't planning on confessing a thing.
What was there to confess?
But her emotions weren't allowing her that escape, and guilt washed over her yet again, tying her stomach down and beating it to a pulp. Starfire had reached the door, and was pressing the button to whisk it open. As she sat there alone on her bed, her emotions fought with all their might to be released, wrestling for control over her tongue to scream out, "Wait!"
The door to Raven's room opened with a whisper, and revealed a seven-foot tall cybernetic man with an upraised fist and a stunned expression. Both girls froze, some more than others, at the sight of Cyborg attempting to knock on Raven's door.
Immediately her mind raced with horrible thoughts. How long had he'd been standing there, deliberating on whether or not to knock? Had he overheard their conversation? No, of course not, the door was several inches thick. But he was a cyborg, surely he could have adjusted his hearing or something? Did he know? Know what? About Beast Boy. What about Beast Boy?
"Umm… Am I interrupting…?" Cyborg said, finally breaking the tense silence that had seemingly dragged on for minutes.
Instantly, Starfire brightened, that dangerous gleam returning to her eyes as she once more floated in midair.
"Not at all, Cyborg! I was just leaving. I'm sure you and Raven have many interesting things to discuss." Starfire said, much too joyously to be considered straight talk. Raven narrowed her eyes at the red-haired alien smirking in the doorway, while Cyborg simply scratched his head in confusion. With a flash, Starfire was gone, racing off to who knew where, and Cyborg was left frozen in place halfway into Raven's room.
The last thing he'd expected was to interrupt one of Starfire's notorious girl talks. It was a well-known fact that messing with her precious earth custom was punishable by severe glaring and a time-out in the closet. Beast Boy had learned that the hard way over the years.
Still, his knees almost groaned in relief as Starfire simply waved him off and floated down the hall with a suspicious smirk on her face. Anything was better than one of her glaring sessions. Still scratching his head in confusion as his CPU raced to make sense of the situation, his human brain turned towards the one person who might reach a solution before him, and who was now glaring at him from within the murky confines of her room.
"Umm… What was that all about?" Cyborg asked.
"Never mind. What did you want, Cyborg?" Raven said, her voice carrying a sharp edge that he doubted was aimed at his interruption of their girly talks. He'd heard that tone several times, and usually aimed at the resident troublemaker of the Tower, which immediately reminded him of his original purpose. It only took a few nanoseconds, and he had switched over from concerned roommate, to stern big brother mode.
A quick scan of the room revealed that the only object capable of withstanding his weight was an antique-looking armchair that seemed to have been restored to its former 16th century glory. With a slow and steady pace, he carefully ignored Raven's hanging question, and made his way toward the chair, carefully avoiding glancing in her direction. He had to establish the proper atmosphere, and that he was in charge of this particular discussion. Otherwise, it was a moot point.
The door slid shut behind him, cutting off most of the light illuminating their surroundings. He didn't mind, his cybernetic implants more than making up for the lack of light as his eyes adjusted in 3.8 nanoseconds. More than enough time to spot raven closing her cloak tighter around her in an obviously defensive move.
He sat down carefully, measuredly, ignoring the creaking of the wood beneath his titanium-alloy frame. He'd have to ask Raven for the chair's secret some other time, but for now, he focused his attention on gazing at her with sharp eyes, and analyzing every detail she had to offer, from posture to biometrics.
Her heart rate and blood pressure certainly revealed much more than what her cold, neutral posture did. With her cloak draped around her, she almost reminded Cyborg of a child pretending to be a ghost under a blanket. Except Raven's ghost was considerably scarier. Still, he knew he was at an advantage, with her body temperature skyrocketing, and the other subliminal clues her body couldn't hide. She was emotionally unstable, and as hazardous to his health as it was, it was also when she as most likely to discuss anything personal with him.
Cyborg exhaled slowly, marking the beginning of the conversation. It was all part of the plan. He knew she wanted to interrupt, to say something, probably to kick him out of her room. But for now, the ball was in his court. Now he just had to handle it with careful precision.
"So…"
"So…" Raven echoed. Her face betrayed no intentions, but he could tell she was nervous. She was trying and failing to hide her tapping fingers beneath her cloak. Placing a heavy foot on his knee, he leaned back, careful not to overexert the chair's capacity, and settled into a more relaxed, yet equally imposing posture.
"What happened?" He said.
Raven twitched. The first superficial sign she'd given since he'd walked into the room. Normally, he'd feel victorious at this point, but something told him this wasn't his average big-brother scolding session. She knew the game. She'd been a recipient of his infamous chats plenty of times, and he had to hand it to her, she was the most challenging rival.
He knew her strategy like a play-by-play. She'd play the silent statue card, giving away nothing, and waiting it out until his patience wore thin and he'd leave. But he always managed to at least sneak in a hard truth or a difficult sentiment to leave her thinking afterwards. It was the best he could hope for with Raven.
That, and leaving her room in one piece. His shoulder never really recovered from the last time his arm was thrown into the harbor. The joint still smelled like seawater.
Finally, she reacted, shifting slightly on her bed and clutching her cloak closer to her lithe frame.
"I have no idea what you're referring to."
Cyborg sighed. He rubbed his eye with a heavy hand, applying just enough pressure to soothe the organic ache that had started to build up as usual, but not enough to hurt. His robotic eye simply observed Raven as her blood pressure increased slowly.
"Come on Rae, you know how this is gonna go down already. Just do us both a favor."
She froze for a second, her glare intensifying, and he recognized this tactic as well. Feigned offense. She'd close up, offer nothing in return, but if he played his cards right, she'd drop the act. It was tricky, but not impossible. A subtle smile graced his face before disappearing beneath his cold, stern mask.
"I'm afraid I do not know how this is going to go down. Care to enlighten me?"
Her monotone wasn't nearly enough to hide the sharp sting of her words clearly meant to insult him and drive him away. It hadn't worked the last dozen times, it wasn't going to work now.
But the situation was more delicate than before, if Beast Boy's broken state was anything to go by. Though he was reluctant to put everything on the table and risk losing everything, Cyborg opted for the open approach, and went straight for the root of the matter with a weary, but sincere, tone.
"Look. I know B can be difficult at times, and kinda thick-headed. But whatever he did, was it really that bad?"
Her reaction sincerely shocked him. Her biofeedback was off the charts. Elevated heart rate, a sudden spike in blood pressure, dilation of her pupils, even her hormones…
But as rapidly as she'd seemingly collapsed, she'd built her defenses back up, and retained her cold demeanor.
"He invaded my privacy. Again. And he betrayed my trust. Again."
"Fair enough," He replied, holding his hands up in defeat, "But the fact that he had no ill-intentions should count for something don't you think?"
Raven narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing him, probably wondering what game he was playing. This time he made no effort to hide his victorious grin. She was playing into his hands and she knew it.
Game.
"And how would you know what his intentions were?" She asked, doubt evident in her tone.
"He was trying to apologize for whatever made you blow up at breakfast earlier."
"But that had nothing to do with…" Raven froze, her eyes widening as the realization of what she'd begun to say hit her like a freight train. Cyborg simply smiled.
Set.
"Look," Cyborg said, rising from the distressed armchair with a distinct air of finality, "all I'm saying is that the poor guy feels awful. Maybe you could cut him a break. I mean, if anything, he's sincerely sorry, even if he doesn't know what for."
In the resulting silence, Cyborg counted his steps towards the door as he waited for the inevitable. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six.
"Fine." Came the breathy response from behind him. He didn't need to turn around to see what shape Raven was in for her to collapse like that. He almost felt a pang of guilt, but remembering Beast Boy's sullen state, he felt like it was a necessary evil.
With his mission finally accomplished, he knew he could rest easy that night and not have to worry about the new up-and-coming Titan couple in the tower causing chaos and mayhem this time around.
"Good. Oh, and if you still want those waffles, he left them in the fridge for ya. Top shelf on the left, next to the milk."
He wasn't sure if he imagined it or not, but he would have sworn a tiny, almost sub-sonic d'aww had escaped Raven's lips. He wouldn't bet his life on it though. He figured he should probably quit while he was ahead, and blame the noise on interference or some static phenomenon in the hall.
Match.
The rest of the day went on as usual, or as usual as things could be in Titan's Tower. For Cyborg, that meant spending four hours underneath a two-ton chassis trying to figure out how to sustain an engine large enough to propel his latest pet project.
His latest baby, whom he refused to name as of yet, would be his flagship creation. In his mind, he'd envisioned it as a home away from home. Something that would meet absolutely every one of their needs, without sacrificing comfort or peace of mind, and that could function as a home away from home even in the harshest of conditions.
Robin said it looked like an RV.
But what did Robin know about advanced engineering? Cyborg vented his pent up frustration with their illustrious leader on a rebellious lug nut that refused to stay in place. Over the clanking of metal and his own muttered curses at the defiant piece of the would-be engine, he never heard the garage door slide open. It wasn't until he felt the trolley on which he lay being pulled out of from under his baby that he reacted.
By the time his head emerged from under the half-finished vehicle, his sonic cannon was armed and whirring, aimed at where he'd calculated his intruder's face would be. However, all he saw were the unblinking stares of the ceiling lights staring down at him. He blinked a few times before his gaze shifted slightly upwards, where he saw bright green eyes staring down at him with a mischievous gleam. Upside down, of course.
"Hello, Cyborg. I hope I am not interrupting anything of importance." Starfire said, her smirk speaking more than her words. Cyborg sighed and twisted in order to stand up from his crawler, ignoring the groans of protests from his mechanical joints. He made a cybernetic reminder to himself that he was due for an oil change. And a day off from the chaos of his fellow Titans.
"No Star, 'course not. What'd you need?" Cyborg said, stalking over to his workbench to wipe the grease from his wrench, keeping his robotic eye fixed on the suspicious alien girl orbiting around him. He recognized the motion. It meant she was nervous. His body instinctively created a restore point. Just in case.
"To be the honest, I require your assistance for a mission of most importance." She said, practically singing the words out of sheer joy.
Cyborg couldn't help but feel his mood lighten a bit as Star floated a few feet higher in the air. Still, something was off about this mission of hers. Cyborg made as if he were considering her request as he sat at his desk, distractedly rearranging wire filaments, but his internal processors were racing to predict the outcomes.
If Starfire had come to him, it meant Robin wasn't involved, otherwise she wouldn't have come alone. And if Robin wasn't in the loop, it meant it wasn't something he'd approve of. Which meant something morally ambiguous or at the very least underhanded. Which meant the price to pay would be severe if Robin were to find out.
It took him 2.8 seconds to come to the conclusion that whatever Starfire was about to ask of him, would not be something enjoyable. At all. A spark lit up his face as he accidentally crossed the wires of his custom-built CPU chip. He silently cursed, hoping it wouldn't mean two more months of work to rebuild the thing from scratch.
"Alright," Cyborg said, twisting in his chair to face his exuberant friend, "What's this mission of yours, and what's it got to do with me?"
Starfire simply flashed her wide smile, and did her best to appear as innocent as Cyborg knew she was not.
"I have noticed that our friends Raven and Beast Boy have been acting the strange for some time…" Star began, eerily reminding him of how the Boy Wonder usually started his team meetings.
"An animal shape-shifter and demonic princess have been acting strange? Define strange."
Star's façade dropped for a split second, her face contorting into an expression of annoyance the likes of which usually adorned Raven's face. Cyborg simply sat back on the bench and crossed his arms, silently preparing himself in the possible event of Starbolts. Probability was up by 12.4 percent.
"What I meant is that they have been acting strange around each other," Star continued, still floating in circles. At least it wasn't pacing. Cyborg hated pacing. "I believe they have the feelings for each other, but they are afraid of facing the truth. I wish to help them by doing the matchmaking with them!"
Starfire punctuated her thrilling battle plan with a mid-air pirouette, looking at Cyborg with hope clearly written across her face accentuated by an eager smile. Cyborg however, could only hope massaging his temples would be enough to prevent the headache that was soon to come.
"Star, I don't want to burst your bubble or anything, but there is no way I'm getting myself in the middle of that. Nuh-uh, it's got drama written all over it." Cyborg said, his heart sinking a bit as he watched Starfire visibly deflating.
"But, we must help our friends! They are too stubborn to accept their feelings otherwise!"
"Pot, meet kettle."
"I am… what?" Starfire asked innocently, her head tilted in curiosity. Cyborg stifled a chuckle by clearing his throat before continuing in a more business-like tone.
"Never mind. Look, all I'm saying is that getting involved is a surefire way to make things messy. It's best to let these things work themselves out, Star. I mean, look at you and Robin. You guys are fine now, and we let you do everything on your own."
Starfire crossed her arms, floating back a ways towards the T-car, Cyborg supposed in order to try and hide the blush in her cheeks.
"This is not the same. Robin and I were young, and I did not know human mating rituals as well as I do now."
"Mating… rituals?"
"That is was you call the seduction of a member of the opposite sex, is it not?" Starfire asked, and this time Cyborg had to fight back the instinctive blush that spread on his cheek.
"Yeah, well, most of us just call it dating." Cyborg shuffled his feet. Sometimes he missed manly counseling.
"I see…" Star said, settling down on the hood of the car. Cyborg chuckled and rolled his chair towards where Starfire had sat down. The girl had grown emotionally since she'd first arrived on earth all those years ago, but she still somehow managed to maintain some of that alien naivety that made her who she was.
"Well then," Starfire said, a smirk once more adorning her face and lighting a fire in her eyes, "We must make Raven and Beast Boy do the dating!"
"Whoa, what do you mean, we?" Cyborg asked, holding his hands up as though a gun were being pointed at him. Figuratively.
"Please Cyborg, I cannot possibly achieve this without your help, and Robin will not approve of this plan." Star pleaded, clutching her hands in front of his face in a begging gesture.
"For once, I agree with bird-brain." Cyborg said, standing from the chair and heading towards the garage door, "Trust us, Star, it's best to let this play itself out on its own."
The door slid open and Cyborg stood at its side, waiting for Starfire to leave. He wasn't kicking her out. But it was necessary for her to understand that his decision was final. It was with a heavy heart that he motioned towards the hall leading to the elevator, but it was part of his job as level-headed big-brother to all, to make sure that things stayed within a certain level of normal. As odd as that seemed for a superhero team.
Starfire, however, made no move to head for the door. Instead, she folded her hands over her lap, and stared at them with a melancholy expression. Something about it made Cyborg's drivers skip a beat.
"I had hoped it would not be necessary to do this. Please believe me when I say I have no other choice."
Starfire slowly floated up towards him, and tapped a few buttons on her wrist communicator. Cyborg silently cursed himself for having taught her how to use the blasted thing. He knew it'd eventually come back and bite him, but he hadn't pictured it would happen like this. He knew what was happening before it happened, and he only hoped it wasn't too bad. For everyone's sake.
A holographic screen emerged from the communicator on Star's wrist, and began to play a short video clip of him behind the wheel of his car. At first nothing happened. But then he started humming. It was innocent at first. What Titan never hummed their theme song? But the problem began when he began to ad-lib the lyrics.
Cyborg covered his face with one hand while he waved Starfire off with the other.
"Enough. Just, make it stop."
Starfire shut the video down, but no longer did she seem regretful about the blackmail. If anything, the victorious grin on her face made her look more like her sister. He considered telling her that, but that would just be cruel.
"How did you get that?"
Starfire's smile widened.
"It was a gift from Beast Boy, for my birthday. He told me that if someday I required a favor from you, that this would help convince you."
He narrowed his eye, silently coming up with ways to deal with the green imp later. But for now, the real menace was standing before him, and he knew she wasn't messing around. Still, he figured he should test her bluff. After all, hacking a communicator was as easy as basic arithmetic for him.
"So how's this gonna go. Either I help you or what, you show this to the Titans East? The Hive?"
"YouTube."
Cyborg blanched. Now that was a low blow. Even if he managed to track it down and delete it, once it was in the internet, it was there forever.
"How…"
"Robin helped me. He even offered to share it on his wall, I believe it's called?"
Cyborg gulped. Robin had several friends on the Justice League in his network. If that video made it all the way up to the top brass…
"Okay, okay, fine, you win. Damn, girl, I didn't think you had it in ya'."
Starfire simply smiled and flew right past him, humming their theme song.
"I shall explain the first step of my plan tonight. See you at dinner, friend!"
And with that, Starfire flew off down the hallway, probably already hatching some other diabolical plot in that twisted Tamaranean mind of hers. Cyborg shuddered. Who would've thought that the best blackmailer in the tower had been Starfire all along?
Wiping his hands on a rag hanging off a hook on the wall, Cyborg made a mental note to pummel Beast Boy for giving her that video after all the matchmaking was over. He tossed the rag over his shoulder, and giving his half-finished creation one last look, set off towards the gym to blow off some steam, humming a familiar tune under his breath.
"When there's trouble you know who to call… Call Cyborg!"
Of all the places in Jump City, Chinatown had always seemed like the easiest place to hide in. At least for Beast Boy. After the sun set over the harbor, the city nightlife began to bustle, and suddenly, nobody noticed who they bumped into anymore. Not that they would have particularly noticed Beast Boy.
Blonde, tan, and dressed in slacks and a flannel button-down shirt, he looked like one of the mannequins on a shopping mall store display. He figured Cyborg had specifically programmed the hologram on his ring to attract the least amount of attention, but he knew that if anyone looked too closely, he'd be recognized. He looked the same, sans green skin and pointed ears. Which was why Beast Boy chose to explore the town during the night, when people where either too busy or too drunk to notice an average college-age kid eating Kung Pao Tofu while walking the Market Mile.
Beast Boy tuned out the sounds of vendors hustling their wares and children screaming for sweets, and focused on his other senses. The colors that vibrated around him, the smells that filled the market, fruits and vegetables and roots and spices that could only be found in that tiny slice of the Orient nestled into the heart of the otherwise all-American city.
Still, he couldn't afford to be distracted. He narrowly dodged a bicyclist racing through the middle of the street, probably in a hurry to make a delivery. Life raced on around him, but to his sharpened reflexes, it felt as though everything were moving slower than it really was. He smiled and dug into his crispy meal, enjoying the subtle tastes of vegetables mixed with soy. It was a treat that he felt he deserved, if only to bring his spirits up, and try to keep his mind of what was really troubling him.
He spotted a bench on the edge of the sidewalk and quickly dodged his way towards the heavenly resting place, fortunately abandoned in the throng of people in a hurry to get to their next insignificant point in life. Leaning back into the bench and relaxing, he took a moment to simply watch the street. The stalls, cluttered in their messy organization, with exotic ingredients and trinkets overflowing. The people, both tourists and natives, scurrying to find whatever they were looking for, and then looking for it again at a better price. And of course, the scum of the earth, the young pickpocket that had stolen, by his count, fifty-something dollars from unsuspecting victims. Or the greasy-looking mugger who kept hidden, or so he thought, in the alley next to the souvenir stall, sizing up people to try and find his next victim.
But as much as he would have loved to intervene, he knew it wasn't his place. He was off duty. Attacking either of the criminals would only reveal his identity, and the peace he could buy with his ring was much too valuable to waste on scumbags like them. At least as long as they didn't hurt anybody. He was keeping tabs on the mugger, just in case he got violent or made a grab for the switchblade in his pocket.
When his chopsticks hit the bottom of the carton box and rose empty out of the container, Beast Boy snapped out of his trance, and tossed the little white box into the garbage can next to the bench. He leaned forward and sighed, keeping his eyes on the man in the alley.
He was doing his best to keep himself preoccupied, yet every now and then, his thoughts returned to Raven.
He wanted to puke. And not because of the smell coming from the rotisserie three stalls down the street. All those years carefully building up their relationship, all those times they'd managed to be friends at the very least, and he'd come dangerously close to throwing that all away. Hopefully cyborg would be able to help calm the waters.
I should've just left it well enough alone…
He knew it was a dangerous path, that becoming anything more than friends was unlikely and definitely problematic. But it was too rich a temptation. It had lured him towards perilous waters, and now he felt that he was close to drowning in the depths. Their friendship was already strained enough as things went.
He smiled as he thought back to those times, and they were often enough, where they'd engage in a sort of battle of wits. He'd try to come up with a witty joke, she'd bite back with a sharp retort, he'd feign offense and offer his own comeback, and so on, and so forth. If he were honest with himself, the times when they were supposedly bickering was when he was happiest. Because at least he was with Raven, and she was with him. It only saddened him it had taken such drastic measures, and the events that it took, for him to finally realize that.
But what if what he had thought was playful banter had been no more than cruel remarks? Hints towards what she really felt towards him? Annoyance.
He blinked when his eyesight shifted involuntarily, and he searched for whatever had made him snap out of his reverie. His eyes gave him an answer soon enough, when he saw the mugger was gone. He searched the crowd, but didn't spot him. Nor did he see any signs of a disturbance. Standing up, he casually smoothed out his shirt and walked across the street to the alley to try and spot the suspect.
As he made his way across the street, Beast Boy felt the hairs on the back of his neck prickle, and he turned sharply, sensing something behind him. However, he was only met with a young Asian woman who excused herself, wide-eyed, as she dodged him and continued on her way, carrying a small package in her hands, and leaving behind a wafting scent of chicken dumplings and expensive perfume.
Turning back towards the alley, Beast Boy focused on finding the would-be mugger in the alley. Focusing on his eyes, he shifted them into cat eyes, hoping the extra night vision might come in handy, and not be so conspicuous in a dark alley. It was a small trick he'd learned some time ago. Coincidentally, with Raven's help.
As he walked into the alley, fortunately unnoticed by the crowd still shuffling through the market, Beast Boy noticed nothing out of the ordinary. A few ravaged trash cans loitered halfway through the deserted place, overlooking a river of foul looking liquid that ran most of the length of the alley. It ended against a brick wall, separating it from yet another alley on the side.
With a sigh, Beast Boy stuffed his hands in his pockets and turned around to exit the depressing place. The man must have jumped over the wall, either out of fear of being spotted, or in the hopes of finding a better victim on the other side. Either way, his job was over. The local PD would have to handle him.
As he exited the foul smelling place, relieved to once more welcome the scents of fresh produce, he spotted an identical alley across the street, behind the bench where he'd been enjoying his late-night snack. He tilted his head in curiosity, much like Starfire usually did. He hadn't even noticed the alley, probably due to its lack of suspicious inhabitants. But what caught his eye was the small, luminous sing hanging on the worn-out brick wall, almost invisible over the throng of people crowding the street. Almost.
Once more he navigated the thrumming current of the crowd to emerge on the other side, once again feeling that odd sensation of being watched. He paid it no heed this time, hoping to save himself from the embarrassment of jumping at someone. At least with his holo-ring though, people wouldn't be as scared as if Beast Boy jumped them. A blond college kid dressed like he was didn't exactly scream monster like green skin and fangs did.
As soon as he entered the alley, an eerily-familiar smell caught his attention, and his heart skipped a beat. It was the unmistakable sweetness of herbal tea and honey. Although the honey was a rare addition, the tea he recognized from years of smelling it during breakfast. Sometimes right next to him, sometimes on the other side of the table, other times all the way over on the couch. But certainly always present. It involuntarily brought a smile to his face, and he walked towards the door beneath the sign.
Though it was in Chinese, a small ceramic plaque next to the door spelled out the tiny shop's name in English. It read The Porcelain Lotus – Tea Shop and Cafee. He chuckled and hoped whoever had made the little plaque didn't charge by the letter, seeing the extra e in café. He figured the owners must not have cared to check the spelling, or perhaps they simply didn't read English.
His hand gripped the wooden handle, and as he pushed inwards to open the door, his senses were flooded by a thousand different sensations. The smell of tea was only one of the hundreds of smells he could distinguish inside the shop, thanks to his sensitive nose. Along with probably another hundred that he'd never know how to identify. Despite being hidden in an alley with dim lighting, the shop was filled with people, all murmuring quietly and respectfully as a small jazz band improvised in a makeshift stage in the corner. And Chinese lanterns of every color imaginable decorated the interior of the quirky shop, illuminating the faces of its denizens in an array of shades and combinations.
"Welcome, can I show you to a table?" A soft, delicate voice interrupted the assault on his senses, and Beast Boy looked around to see a young girl, probably no more than fifteen, holding a menu and smiling up at him. He took one more glance around, trying to find the unoccupied table she meant, but finding none, he hesitantly agreed.
"Um, sure, I guess. Are you sure there's room? I was really just curious about the place anyways…" He stuttered. He preferred not to make a scene squeezing past dozens of people. The risk of being noticed, even here, was ever present.
"Of course! There's a table near the bar. Right this way!" The girls insisted, her cheer apparently not feigned for the sake of her customers. He had to admit, it felt nice being welcome. Even in that strange little tea shop. He followed the girl through the café, and soon realized it was much bigger on the inside, despite its inconvenient front door.
The tables in the center seemed to be for groups of friends, or meetings even, filled with buffet-like plates of pastries and non-stop tea and coffee, while along the walls, comfortable wooden booths hugged the walls, which while providing no view of the outside world, made for a perfect niche to hide away from the rest of the world.
The girl finally stopped near the end of the wall, next to a small, unoccupied bar, and an empty private booth. With a smile, she handed him one of the menus, and excused herself as she returned to her post by the door to welcome more curious visitors. With a muttered thank you, he sat himself down and flipped open the menu.
The first two pages were a list of what he figured was every possibly tea variation possible in the universe. The remaining two pages were coffee, drinks, wine, and a variety of pastries and sandwiches. Fortunately, no meat. Already he was taking a liking to this place.
When the waitress, yet another girl almost identical to the one who'd shown him to his booth, asked for his order, he figured being in a tea shop made it almost obligatory to order tea. So he ordered tea. When asked which kind, he simply pointed to one at random on the menu. Despite his blush, the girl was kind enough to smile and tell him it was a good choice. Slowly, the embarrassment of being alone in a tea shop seeped away, and Beast Boy became more comfortable, relaxing against the comfortable seat and simply taking in the sounds and scents of the peculiar place.
The waitress finally returned after a few minutes, with a glass teapot filled with strange herbs, a jug of what he figured was the hot water, and a white ceramic teacup. He jumped in his seat, straightening attentively as she smiled at him.
"So, how does this thing… work?" He asked, once again feeling uncomfortably out of place. The girls simply giggled, and placed the items on his table.
"Just pour the water into the pot, wait for two minutes, and then pour the tea into your cup. Enjoy!" She said with a sincere smile on her face, and she turned around and left, leaving him to his own devices.
With steady hands, he filled the teapot almost to the brim, and watched as the herbs seemed to take life and swim around inside the glass teapot. His tongue automatically darted out to rub the tip of his fang, though in his holographic disguise, it had probably looked as though he'd stuck out his tongue at the teapot. As he poured the hot water, he watched, transfixed, as a few of the herbs, tiny little balls, suddenly began to grow and spin inside the teapot, until they blossomed into delicate, pink flowers, floating around in the middle of his tea. The water began to take on a rosy hue, and his nostrils detected a savory, almost sweet scent emanating from the teapot, before it mixed with the resonating scents of a dozen other teapots.
He poured some in his cup, and took a tiny sip, careful not to burn himself like he'd done last time he'd tried some of Raven's herbal stuff. As soon as the tea touched the back of his throat, he had to cover his mouth not to spit it out. It tasted like grass. But not the sweet, savory, almost minty grass that he'd so often enjoyed nibbling on. No, this was dark, bitter grass that tasted like it had been stepped on by a gardener several times over. And then brewed in hot water.
Tea, apparently, was much too sophisticated for him, he thought as he practically choked back the liquid still grasping at his throat. Though he figured someone like Raven might have appreciated the tea, it was too intricate for him. Too many complex flavors mixed together. If he'd wanted to drink grass water, he'd have just boiled some grass back at the tower. It probably would have tasted better too. He chuckled to himself at his ineptitude to enjoy what others seemingly praised to no end. But his taste buds had apparently been ruined by years of junk food and coffee.
Standing from his booth, and leaving a twenty on the table, he walked to the bar and ordered a beer, hoping to wash the taste from his mouth. The bartender, yet another young looking girl, who he now suspected was related to the other two, smiled at him, and obliged, handing him a cool glass bottle filled with the delicious nectar of the gods. The gods of sports bars, at least.
Beast Boy sighed, hunching over his beer in a protective shell, and tapping his feet restlessly against the iron footrest of the bar. In the end, tonight had seemed to work against him in his efforts to clear his head. Everything had eventually led back to Raven. How he pictured her fluttering through the endless array of incense, baubles, and beads of the Chinese market. Wondering at the colors and sounds of the mystic little piece of Asia in the upper west side of the city. Laughing as he scrunched up his face after tasting the bitter concoction that he'd ordered, while her refined tastes would allow her to savor what was undoubtedly a delicious tea. It had better be, for fifteen bucks a pop.
But his imaginations were all short lived fantasies, and he knew it. Because as he knew, Raven didn't flutter, she didn't wonder, and she practically never laughed. Least of all with him. Hell, not even at him. He'd even settle for that. Another sip of the amber liquid helped erase a bit of the sting, and blurred the images a bit more, letting his sorrows fade little by little.
A sudden motion behind him made his ears stand up, and though invisible under his holographic cloak, he still paid them heed. Twisting rapidly in his bar, but not brusquely enough to warrant attention, he met the eyes of yet another girl, no, this time a woman, with fiery red hair and bright green eyes. She smiled at him with a dangerous smile, seductive but with a subtle edge that he couldn't quite place. Despite her beauty, Beast Boy chose to shift back in his seat, and put a little more distance between himself and the mysterious redhead.
"I take it you're no fan of tea, either?" She spoke in a husky voice, a miniscule hint of an accent that Beast Boy managed to detect, no doubt, thanks to his heightened hearing. Already something made him distrust this woman.
"Honestly, I was just being curious. But no, not really a big fan." He said noncommittally. Shrugging his shoulders, he turned his body back towards the bar, trying to cordially nip the conversation in its proverbial bud. The woman, however, seemed not to take the hint. She twisted towards him, making the most of her loose-fitting blouse. Fortunately for him, he'd outgrown the childish attraction towards such things. Staring straight ahead, one side of his lips curved up in a smirk. Raven had certainly seen to it that he didn't keep such habits. Last time he'd been caught sneaking a peek, he'd been three years younger, and his cheek still burned when the memory resurfaced. Magic slaps hurt.
"Well then, here's an idea. I know this great club just three blocks from here, but there's no point going by myself. You maybe want to…?"
"Thanks," Beast Boy said, standing and fishing his wallet out his back pocket, "But I think I'll call it a night. Early morning tomorrow. Here. Drinks are on me."
Leaving behind yet another twenty and a stammering redhead, Beast Boy brushed past one of the waitresses and hurried out of the restaurant. It wasn't until the cool night air hit him that he realized what he'd done. A slight tremor of guilt shook his stomach, but he braved it. The woman was just doing what everyone did on a Saturday night, but being hit on simply seemed to add salt to the wound.
Besides, he thought, the night was already waning at two in the morning, and he hadn't lied. Sunday morning was their unofficial day off this week, and he planned to take advantage of every single minute. Sticking his hands into his jean pockets to try and brave the chill that had suddenly come over him, he walked towards a nearby dark alley, hoping for some privacy where he could shift into some small animal and make his way back home.
He was a few feet away from the pitch black cover of the side street, when he spotted him. The same suspicious looking mugger from before. He was standing yet again on the very edge of the shadows of the alley, overlooking the now nearly empty street, probably still searching for a victim.
Suddenly, and unexpectedly, the mugger turned towards Beast Boy from across the street. And smiled. A chill unlike any other ran the length of his spine. He froze, watching the oily-haired man for sudden moves, waiting to see if he'd rush him, try to mug him, anything. But the man only watched him, silently, frozen, with that same hair-raising smile plastered across his pale, scarred face. Watching him with the stone-cold eyes of a killer.
Rather than pick a fight, Beast Boy looked back towards his own alley, and kept marching forward. It wasn't any of his business. And just as before, his identity held to much value to waste it on a lowlife like him. Camera phones were everywhere nowadays.
He passed the alley, and kept walking for two more blocks, never looking back. He'd have heard the mugger's footsteps if he'd followed him. But he didn't need to listen to know that the mugger wouldn't follow him. Something told him he had no interest in robbing him. If anything, that only disturbed him more.
After finally coming across yet another abandoned alley, Beast Boy quickly shifted into a bat, and fluttered off into the night, making his way across the city, before finally turning into a seagull midflight to allow his broader wings to gently carry him the rest of the way over the harbor and across the bay.
By the time he made it into the tower and up the elevator, sleep was strangling his brain, making his eyes shift focus every few seconds, and his legs too weak to do more than shuffle his feet helplessly towards his room. In a bout of silent hope, he only wished his groggy brain remembered the combination to his door, and that he'd actually gotten the right door, before finally pressing the buttons, and practically collapsing into the dark room.
At least his mission was accomplished. Raven was out of his head. If only for a while.
Raven tossed and turned, yet no matter what position she chose, her pillow troubled her neck, her mattress was too stiff, and her sheets were too itchy. Finally kicking her comforter to the floor in frustration, she turned over, and smothered her face against her rebellious pillow.
All day long she'd been sitting in her room, meditating, or at least trying to, while her emotions waged a war of attrition against her conscious mind. She had only ventured into the bathroom twice, and once into the kitchen when she made sure no one was around. She had devoured the waffles Beast Boy had left for her in a few minutes, her ravenous appetite making short work of the makeshift meal, before disappearing once again into the confines of her room. In all honesty, she had felt even stranger after eating the waffles. Why, though, she was not certain. But her emotions seemed to all have a voice on the matter. It was chaos.
Worst of all, her meditations hadn't worked. Her mind had remained clouded, and her powers had been on the fritz ever since Cyborg had barged in and scolded her like a kindergartener who'd tugged too hard on another girl's pigtails. She was having trouble with even the simplest of spell, and had only managed to levitate a few inches off the floor in the entire day. It was worrisome, to say the least. Fortunately, villains in Jump City had taken up a weekday policy of mayhem and mischief, so she figured she had at least another day to get her mind back in line, and regain control over her powers.
Flailing her arms to throw the sheets off of her body, which now for some reason felt as though they were smothering her, she lay face down on her mattress, covered only by her favorite silk nightgown; the only present she'd ever really accepted from star. The rest had too many frills and sparkles, whereas the nightgown had only a slight shimmer in its midnight-blue fabric when it caught the light just right. And it looked great with her complexion. Plus it was genuine silk. She couldn't turn it down.
But thoughts of her nightgown inevitably led to thoughts of Starfire, which led to thoughts of Beast Boy, who once again was at the core of her problems. She groaned aloud, letting her pillow absorb most of the sound.
It had been literally years since Beast Boy had last been a nuisance. Of course, he still managed to irritate her every now and again, but over the last few years, he'd actually been irritating in a, dare she say it, nice way. His pranks had grown few and in between, his jokes had evolved into sarcastic, sometimes even witty remarks that even she could enjoy at times. And he'd begun to pester her with favors and compliments, rather than grievances and childish questions. He'd also clearly matured in several other ways, though she'd tried to ignore it. She tried to justify herself by thinking that she simply hadn't given it much thought. In hindsight, it was probably because she'd been too scared to see what was going on.
Twisting around to face the ceiling, and sighing in defeat, Raven knew she had to accept two dark truths at once that night. The first being that no matter what she did, she'd never sleep comfortably that night. And the second, that her feelings, her attraction, her whatever they wanted to call it, towards Beast Boy, had started long ago. She'd just fought so hard to ignore it that she'd almost convinced herself. With a sigh, Raven lay her hands on her stomach, and closed her eyes, trying to replay memories of the last few years, except without purposefully ignoring Beast Boy this time around.
For some reason, the first moment she could think of was when he'd returned from his secretive solo-mission two years back. She remembered he'd come back differently. He'd looked almost shell-shocked. But Raven hadn't even bothered to ask how it'd been. If everything had gone as planned. If he'd been hurt, or needed someone to talk to. She had figured it was Robin's job to debrief him, not hers. How foolish she'd been. If anyone had been the problem in their fading friendship, it had been her. And that hurt her in a place that she couldn't pinpoint, making the pain that much harder to bear.
Her memories washed over her like a black tide, every snippet of an insult, every turn-down, every grimace and every snarl, filling her with guilt and shame, along with a relatively new sensation. A dark, unbidden fear that perhaps after all this time, she might very well have pushed away the one person who made her feel, as Happy had said, whole.
Her dark musings were quickly interrupted, however, when a brief whooshing sound reached her ears. A sound that she recognized all too well. It was the humiliating sound of her door being opened and her privacy being invaded. Instinctively, she reached for her sheets to cover her half-naked body while preparing a bolt of dark magic with her free hand, ready to smite the intruder to oblivion.
"What the-! What do you think you're…? Beast Boy?" Raven's eyes widened in surprise as she watched the green skinned man of her daydreams and nightmares walk into her room with a strolling gait. His green eyes shone wild against the faded moonlight streaming through her curtains. The dim light reflected off his naked torso and gave him an almost ethereal look. His body seemed carved out of the purest emeralds, his fang glinting like a weathered pearl against the captivating smirk plastered on his face.
Shaking her head clear and snapping out of her girlish admiration, Raven took notice of the several things wrong with the scenario. The first and most obvious being Beast Boy apparently willingly risking life and limb by barging into her room at half past two in the morning. The second was the way his face seemed to portray only passion and lust, and the way his stare made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. And the fact that he was wearing only a pair of purple, skin-tight briefs did not escape her attention, as much as she wished they had. Swallowing what little air she could, she did her best to regain her senses as Beast Boy slowly walked towards her bed, his piercing eyes never leaving hers.
"Beast Boy, are you crazy?! What in heaven's name do you think you're doing?! Get the hell out of my room or I swear to Azar I'll…!" Raven said, waving her right arm threateningly, pulsating magic dancing around her clenched fist. Beast Boy however, seemed to ignore the very real threat, and simply advanced towards her, moving like a panther stalking its prey.
Before she could finish her probably-idle threat, Beast Boy grabbed one of her ankles, and with a swift but gentle motion, pulled her leg towards him at the edge of the bed, pulling her body towards him. Struggling to retain her balance, Raven shifted in mid-air and propped herself up on her hands, leaving her face to face with Beast Boy, who now gently caressed her face. Frozen out of shock and indignation, she was completely vulnerable beneath his stare.
"Shh. You can throw me out the window later, Rae. First, there's something we have to take care of." He whispered, his voice deep and husky. Her eyelids fluttered as she felt his warm breath against her lips and the smell of elm and rain filled her senses.
Without warning, he leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers, soft and explorative. Her mind seemed to simply abandon every sentient thread of logic, and froze as she stared incredulously at Beast Boy's face scrunched up against her own. It took all of two seconds, however, for lust and passion to take over her body and mind. She closed her eyes as his lips caressed her own, his scent, the scent of man and musk and wilderness, filling her senses, and the warmth of his skin magically soothing the discomfort that had caused her insomnia.
Her hands darted towards his body, and almost recoiled as she felt his skin, boiling hot and tight against his muscular frame. As his lips parted, and his tongue darted past her lips into her mouth, his hands left her face and began to trace twin paths along her neck, down her arms, and against the curves of her body. Letting go of any rational thought, she replied in kind, taking full advantage of the situation to explore every nook and cranny of his torso. He moaned into their kiss as she whisked her hands against his sides, pulling him closer to her. Raven simply reveled at the sensation of their bodies colliding, only a thin layer of silk separating their bodies from the bliss of his warm skin on hers.
She couldn't be sure how long the kiss dragged on, but by the time he pulled away, a mad grin on his face, she was certain that she could have sculpted his body out of clay from memory. Panting and out of breath, simply enjoying the sensation of sharing herself with him, she watched him with hungry, still-innocent eyes as he licked his lips, his hands drifting down towards her legs and the edge of her nightgown. His eyes drilled into hers, speaking silent words of lustful desire and forbidden promises. Her body shivered and tensed in frightful anticipation, and though her mind could form no rational thought, her body seemed to know all too well what was coming.
"What's the matter, Rae? You're not nervous, are you? You've been waiting for this all day, haven't you?" He said, his voice sultry and mocking all at once. Any other day, she'd have smacked him for that. As it was, she could barely whimper out a few ragged words between hitched breaths.
"Sh-shut up, Beast B-boy…"
Propped up on her elbows, she watched helplessly as he lowered his body, dragging it against her own and eliciting sparks of pleasure everywhere he touched. His hands massaged her thighs as his eyes drifted from her face to the only thing separating him from his objective, and her desire. With delicate fingers, he pushed the nightgown up, leaving it bunched up at her waist, and grasped her black, lace lingerie from each side of her hips. As he pulled away down along her legs, a fierce blush invaded her entire body, and she fell backwards, incapable of watching what was about to unfold. She made no move to stop it, though.
His warm breath once again graced her skin, sending a wave of goosebumps across her skin as he leaned closer, and closer. She could feel herself getting warmer, but refused to look away from the dark ceiling above her, as though he might pull away if she caught him with his face where it was. Her breathing became sharp and fast, and her fingernails clutched the bedsheets below her body as Beast Boy used his hands to spread her legs. She shuddered and gave into the thrilling sensation as Beast Boy moved closer, and laid a delicate kiss.
An involuntary moan escaped her lips as he continued his ministrations on her body, at the same time moving his hands to try and touch every inch of skin she had to offer. The room began to spin as his tongue darted out and touched her most sensitive of places, and her back arched as her hips pushed forward on their own accord.
It was bliss. It was paradise. It was perfect. And it was not stopping. Any and all thoughts of anger or rage at his intrusion had been momentarily forgotten as her body moved as if on autopilot, her mind gladly letting go of the controls this once. Beast Boy was treating her with expert care, and not once did she have to speak a word or nudge him to correct his course. He became more fierce and adventurous, openly tasting her and delving into her deepest and most sensitive of places. Their minds were seemingly one, and it was passionate and perfect and good. She was almost sorry it had to end.
Minutes, seconds, hours or days had passed, she couldn't have cared less. But a strange yet familiar sensation filled her body, surging from deep below her belly, and edging forward inch by inch, towards what she knew would be a tidal wave of unbridled pleasure.
"Don't…" She whimpered out, her body seconds away from releasing its oh-so anticipated joy.
"…stop…"
Her final thoughts were filled with a pure, blinding white light as the heavens seemed to open up and filled her with radiant warmth. Her right hand inexplicably darted down towards her lover, and grasped a thick handful of forest-green hair, holding his head in place as she mercilessly bucked her hips. Based on his passionate moaning, he didn't seem to mind, and his tongue certainly never stopped.
It lasted a split second and it lasted an eternity. And when it was over, her eyes opened.
Her heart skipped a beat as she sat upright in her bed, alone, and humiliatingly warm. She looked around and quickly spotted the clock on her nightstand staring at her with its judgmental stare.
2:47 AM
Drenched in sweat, Raven peeled off the layer of sheets from her body, and looked down at her legs. She wasn't sure what she felt when she saw no mop of green hair, but instead an embarrassing stain slowly spreading from below her. But one thing was certain, it certainly wasn't relief. Nor, was it regret.
With wide eyes, and limbs shaking from the adrenaline and endorphins still swimming through her veins, Raven sat frozen on her bed, staring blankly ahead as the reality of her situation slowly sank in. Yet another dream with the object of her confusion. And this time, ending with a bang. As she regained control over her senses, she could only bring herself to mutter a simple phrase into the abandoned corners of her room.
"Holy Azar…"
Okay, so confession time. It's not my best work, I'll own up to that. In fact, my entire writer's block was based on the fact that this chapter has been the hardest for me to write, for the simple reason that I was never able to write it in a way that satisfied me. But I've been putting it off for too long (A YEAR basically! Jeez!), and I thought it only fair to at least try to finish what I started. So I apologize if this chapter isn't up to snuff. It certainly wasn't for me. But I hope it can still be enjoyed if only to progress the story.
Oh, and another detail. I haven't totally abandoned this project over the year. In fact, I did what I've never done before, and plotted the entire story out, beginning to end. So yes, there are things that appear in this chapter that haven't been mentioned before, and there's a period of time which will act as a sort of semi-canonical backstory for this story that hasn't been fully explored yet. Not really AU, but cutting it close. If anyone's at least familiar with the comics, it shouldn't be too hard to swallow. Anyways, hope you guys will continue to put up with me, and join me for the rest of this journey.
So in conclusion, I'm deeply, terribly sorry for leaving you hanging, but I hope this at least makes up for it in part. Hopefully? See you next chapter!