Fan Fiction ❯ Inside the Silence ❯ Wandering Thoughts ( Chapter 2 )

Note to Disclaimers: I do not and never will own Teen Titans so please DON'T sue me as I have NOTHING to give you. Struggling college student here. And I think you already know how I feel about the pairings.

{{A/N: Okie, here is my first try at a Teen Titans fic. I decided to try it cause I LOVE this freakin show! I just had to watch the episode "Nevermore" and I fell in love with Beast Boy/Raven as a pairing. And for Starfire/Robin, well, those hints are practically EVERYWHERE. Please R&R and for those of you who do not like Raven/Beast Boy or Robin/Starfire, I warn you…DO NOT READ THIS FIC! You will be disappointed unless you're open to those pairings, and will most likely want to flame me, which would be stupid because I warned you. If you want to flame me for something else, I guess that's fine. You'll do it anyway, right? Constructive Criticism is welcome, as always. Enjoy.}}

Word Coding:

'Thoughts'

"Speaking"

Flashbacks

Everything else

Inside the Silence

A cool breeze was in place as the night wore on, still young, but definitely wearing into the rest of the evening hours--the later evening hours. The moon was high in the darkening sapphire sky, which appeared slightly menacing at that particular moment with gray storm clouds. Even then, it seemed a mystery for the moon to be seen through the clouds that signaled tears from the heavens. Chatter filled the streets, the nosy bustle of people giving way to the normal party hours that dominated Jump City during the evening hours. People were strewn across the streets like various trash, most of them being druggies and hookers, which the cops dealt with. As a Teen Titan, Raven did not bother to even give them a second glance. Most of the time she walked right by them, not to be spiteful, but because their lifestyle was no concern of hers. To her side, Beast Boy seemed to agree, every now and then acknowledging the specks of human life jabbering about incessantly in the dirty streets. He didn't recognize the area at first, but he could've sword, after a second glance, that they were in Slade's area of operation. The mere thought of Slade brought back painful memories of Terra and he found himself becoming rather somber by each passing minute. For her part, Raven hadn't appeared to notice.

In actuality, Raven had taken a quick notice of Beast Boy's changing mood as they walked in silence down the filthy sidewalk. At first she wasn't sure if he would really accompany her to her destination, but when he took her hand, she figured he had no objections. The fact that he said he trusted her only further enforced her decision to have him go with her. With their communicators equipped and powers at the ready, walking through the part of town they were going through did not feel the least bit daunting. For the tiniest moment she felt somewhat bothered that she hadn't told Beast Boy where it was they were headed, but some other part of her was rejoicing in the fact that he was following her like some lost puppy. She didn't think she was being cynical, merely teasing him in the only way she really could without him suspecting her deepest intentions, not to mention her feelings. For her, teasing was the closest thing to expressing her feelings for him at such an early stage. It was, in essence, her own version of subtle flirting. Of course, the downside was--she guessed--that he was a rather clueless young man and didn't have the faintest idea as to what she was doing. At this thought, she chuckled to herself in order not attract Beast Boy's attention. But with his heightened animal senses he immediately heard it and faced her, his eyes wide.

"Was something funny?"

His simple question caught her off guard and she blanched as she picked up her pace until she had passed him. "No," she replied quietly, but she knew he'd heard her. "Come on…we're almost there."

As he followed her, he couldn't help but think that something was different about her at the present. She didn't seem like Raven, at least not the Raven he remembered when he joined the Titans. She seemed wiser than she had years ago. 'Go figure…it would make sense. It's been so many years since then…' His mind trailed off as they continued their steady pace, he eventually catching up to her, then passing her as she slowed her own pace. He didn't realize it at all, so lost in his thoughts of her. Behind him, Raven couldn't help but think the same thoughts, surprised at how much he had grown from the experience with Terra to where they were now. From her view, she admired his tall, lean form, which was enhanced by years of workouts with Robin and Cyborg. Most of the time she knew he didn't need it as he did enough workouts when he changed forms so often during their battles. And even though he kept his trademark smile, haircut and skin color, she knew there was something different about him, too. He was, as she would call it, debonair. Not the kind of debonair like high society would think of, surely not what Starfire's people would consider to be royal or noble--not like a prince or baron or a duke, nothing like that. But sometimes, when she would observe him, she would take note of something about him that would be considered royal but not necessarily in the stuffy way. He exuded a type of confidence and calmness that he hadn't in past years. Yet she knew he was still Beast Boy through and through, cracking jokes at the most inappropriate times. She thought it might be his way of handling situations that made him seem so confident. The last time she had seen him down the way he was at that moment was when he learned of Terra's betrayal.

Inside her heart, she felt it twist a twinge as she thought about the Earthmover. She wanted Terra to pay for hurting her friend so badly, for breaking his heart--but what could she do to heal a heart that never beat for her? Even so, Terra had suffered enough for the both of them. Her "death" had scarred the fragile Beast Boy and since then, he hadn't ever really been the same, not even to her. Sure he tried to get her to do things still, but his usual spark had dulled considerably. Clasping her hands together beneath her cloak, she looked ahead as a building came into view, a dingy, run down looking shack that she visited often. At the sight of this Beast Boy snapped out of his wandering thoughts. He gave Raven a look of uncertainty as she proceeded to enter without him. When she did not hear him, she turned back to make sure he was coming in. He looked stumped as he scratched his head at the unknown before him. When his eyes finally scanned the place, he returned them to where Raven was waiting in the doorway, cape flapping in the sudden zephyr that swished by them. "Well…are you coming inside? I'm not sure if you'll like it but…" She trailed off.

"I'm-" His voice caught in his throat as she stood there, eyes solemn and impassive as always, one hand on the door bar, other hanging limply by her side. She didn't look like Raven to him at that moment; at that moment, he only saw a dark, fallen angel where she was standing. His mind was trying to process what was happening as he had seen her in the same position many times before. Either it was him or things were different, but at seeing her there in silent mystery that was her own, he could not imagine why her beauty had not penetrated him before. He had figured he loved her earlier but for some reason, it was hitting home hard at that moment, like a hammer to the head. The creaking of the door snapped him from his thoughts for the second time that night as he watched someone walk past her into the door. She shot him an irritated glance as she remained by the door in waiting. Finally, after what seemed forever, he found his voice again enough to answer her previous question. "Yeah…I'm coming."

"Took you long enough," came her sarcastic reply. "Besides…what's the matter with you?"

As they entered the building, he immediately spotted a stage with a microphone in the middle; a spotlight pointed straight towards it. Chairs were scattered around the raised platform with tables in place, some holding candles, others holding glasses with candles inside. People were seated at some of the table while others were randomly hanging out in separate corners of the spacious room or at the bar. Beast Boy's head swiveled to face the bar where he noticed people ordering drinks, most which appeared to contain caffeine such as coffee and soda. To his side, Raven was standing eerily still as she watched Beast Boy take in their environment. He seemed genuinely shocked at where they were. Coming up in front of him, she cleared her throat to grab his attention. Beast Boy snapped to attention for what seemed the millionth time in one night. "Sorry! Nothing's wrong with me! I'm just…surprised." She gave him a puzzled look. "Oh I was just…answering your question from earlier…you know the one…um…never mind." She continued to stare at him blankly. "Oh…um…so, care to show me how this place works?"

Raven nodded and led him to the bar where a young man, looking maybe a couple years older than them, was serving drinks. "Hey. I'll have some herbal tea."

"Sure thing. And what about you?"

"Me?" Beast Boy stuttered. "Oh um…I uh…I'll have an Herbal tea too."

Raven's eyes shifted to the side. "You like Herbal Tea?"

"Well…no," he replied truthfully. "I uh…I just don't drink coffee…or milk. You know me, vegetarian all the way."

"I think you're more of a vegan Beast Boy." She grabbed her tea and started heading for an empty table.

Beast boy followed her in awe. "Yeah…I guess you could say that." As he took his seat, he saw her staring at the stage. Silence ensued again but not one as comfortable as either young friend would have wished. Being the social one, Beast Boy tried to start a conversation. "Um…Rae?" She brought her gaze back to him, her deep indigo eyes meeting his as she held her steaming tea mug in her hands. She did not answer, just continued to stare back at him. "Um yeah…Rae, how come you brought me here tonight? I know that we're not that close and all…not to mention I annoy you…" Raven blinked at him and Beast Boy gulped nervously as he looked into his tea mug, stirring furiously with his stirrer. "I guess what I'm trying to say is…or ask I guess…Rae, do you trust me?"

Taken aback by the question, Raven took a quick sip of her tea and turned away, briefly. When she returned her gaze back to him she found him hanging his head as though he'd done a terrible thing. She stared at him for a moment in wonder as she contemplated how to answer him. When he lifted his head to glance at her she held his gaze again. "We're friends. And yes, you are annoying but…I guess…it's ok. If I am one extreme, you're the other."

Beast Boy released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "Um…that's not quite the answer I was expecting but it'll do. I think I get it." He, too, took a quick sip of his tea, deciding to change the subject as he noted the atmosphere had become a little tense. "So…what's the stage for?"

"Reciting poetry…sharing stories…singing songs…this is a café." Raven looked back to the stage.

"Is this where you come then, to hang out with people like yourself?" Beast Boy knew he'd said that wrong but Raven didn't take offense to it. "Sorry, that came out wrong."

"It's ok. I understand. A lot of people tell me that. But truthfully…no, all kinds of people come here. I usually just listen though." She slid down in her chair the slightest bit. "Now, I have a question for you."

Beast Boy was all ears. "Yeah?"

"Why are you here with me tonight? You're so attached to Cyborg and Robin…it's just strange."

He leaned back in his chair, too, sliding down until he was eye level with Raven. "I guess…I know I was interested in knowing more about you Rae. In all honesty…Star has Robin, Cyborg has his gadgets…and me…I have no one. Besides…ever since we went in your mirror…I feel like I have to know you."

At first Raven felt defensive, as if Beast Boy was trying to trick her into revealing something about herself that she wasn't comfortable sharing. But as the minutes past, she found herself curious as to why he wanted to know her on a deeper level. "I see." He looked hopeful all of sudden but Raven shook her head. "I can't Beast Boy. I just can't."

His face fell in a matter of seconds. "But…why not? Rae…I just want to be a better friend. Why won't you let me in?" She shook her head again, saying no to him. He felt his face grow hot in anguish at her refusal, at her rejection. "I just want to be your friend Rae! How can I ever talk to you when you do not trust me? How can we be friends when you don't trust me?"

Her eyes flashed pure white as she pushed her chair back in a malicious manner, her teacup turning black and crashing on the stage. People screamed around her, running for the exit to the café as tables and chairs glowed black; the objects flew into the air above them. "I said I can't. Why can't you understand me when I say that?"

Beast Boy, not having realized the tables and chairs floating above them from Raven's rage, ploughed head on into the argument without a second thought. "I would if you let me know why you can't! You don't even have the decency to let me know why! You never tell us anything! I wouldn't have gone into your mirror if I did not worry or care about you Rae! I need you to tell me things! I need you to tell me because I care about you Rae!" At his last comment Raven dropped everything around her, the tables and chairs landing randomly about the room as she floated away from him, fists clenched in anger at her outburst. Thinking it was somewhat safer than before, Beast Boy ventured to ask her something. "Rae…are you…feeling all right now? Rae I-"

"Leave me alone." She threw him a distasteful glare as she ripped part of the ceiling off with her powers and left him standing in the middle of broken concrete and moonlight. As she flew through the night air, Raven felt her emotions welling up inside so powerfully she thought she might faint. Gathering her strength, she concentrated enough to smother them until she reached Titan Tower, particularly Rage, who was just itching to break free. In her mind, Beast Boy's words echoed repeatedly as they had from their previous argument. Shaking her head, she landed on the top of Titan Tower where all was silent. 'The others must not be back yet.' As she stepped inside, she saw that the living room was unoccupied. Taking a quick glance at her watch, she saw that it was getting late and most likely everyone would be arriving home soon, including Beast Boy whom she did not want to see. As if in response, she heard the door being opened then slammed from the entrance. She raced up to her room before anyone would have the chance to talk to her as she slid into bed, not wanting to think about what had just taken place at the café. But as she slept, for once, Raven could not escape the haunting words of her teammate.

She knew she would wake in the morning with the same feelings, and the very awkward silence that she wished to avoid would be in place. The other Titans would question them, bug them, harass them until they told; she would become seriously aggravated and things would explode. She was still thinking to herself when she heard footsteps traveling down the hallway, four pairs of feet to match them. She listened intently when three pairs passed right by her room, pausing only for a fraction of a second by her door. She knew it was Robin, Starfire and Cyborg; but the fourth pair stopped right on front of her door, unmoving. Without thinking she tensed, knowing well that the person outside her door was Beast Boy. At the sudden known on her door, Raven sighed and buried her head under her pillow as though she'd heard nothing. Again came the knock, this time more insistent. With an annoyed growl she sat up. "What do you want Beast boy? I'm trying to sleep."

"Um…it ain't BB. It's me, Cy. Lemme in girl."

Raven felt her cheeks on fire as she realized what he mistake would cause once she let him in. "Wait a minute. I don't let anyone into my room."

"Then we'll go down to the livin room." She heard Cyborg tap his foot in impatience, the thudding heavy from his metal foot on the softer padding of the carpeted floor. "Come on….it's already real late and we got stuff to do tomorrow."

With a reluctant motion of her head, Raven went through her door. Cyborg followed close behind her as they descended the staircase for the living room where none of the other titans were. Inside the comfort of the bleak living room, Raven set her book aside and waited for Cyborg to speak. He decided that staying in the darkness suited Raven and did not bother to turn on his armed flashlight. "Well, what did you want to talk about at this hour Cyborg? It seems a little late, don't you think so?"

Cyborg let out a small laugh. "Yeah, sure, I do. But you know what? This needs to get talked about." He smiled at her even though no light shone through the room, not even moonlight. "What is goin on with you Rae? You been actin strange ever since this mornin. Is somethin goin on that we should know about?"

"It's just one day Cy," Raven countered. "And no...nothing is going on, as you so bluntly put it."

Feeling that she did not want to address the issue in the first place and that delving deeper might anger her, Cyborg felt that it was time to end their conversation. He knew she wasn't interested in speaking anymore. With a curt wave of his hand Cyborg was gone, leaving Raven in the middle of the room on the half-circle couch. Se blew out an exasperated breath as she headed back towards her room where she knew sleep would finally await her. Halfway through her meditative walk to her room she heard a distinct yawn followed by sleep talking coming from down the hallway. 'Beast Boy?' Her automatic thoughts of him peeved her as she scowled to herself, not wanting to accept the fact that she was indeed, and at least, "in-like" with the green changeling. Cracking her knuckles in irritation and nervousness, she quietly closed the door to her room, knowing that whatever tomorrow would bring her, it would definitely be something that she was not going to enjoy.

{{Scene Break}}

Across the hallway, Beast Boy was evading sleep. 'Or it's evading me,' he thought as she tossed and turned for what seemed to be the hundredth time in five minutes. The fact that sleep would not welcome him was distressing enough; but the fact that he couldn't sleep because his thought were still focused on Raven made it even more unbearable. 'Does she even think of me half the time? Or am I just crazy?' The night's events were still fresh in his mind, only now they were a festering type of fresh, the kind where something went wrong and the thoughts began to decay. He shook his head to try and rid himself of her image as he had in the morning but it would not budge. It was as though she was calling to him from a far away place, pleading with him not to forget her like everyone else did. As he slumped back onto his bed in defeat, he pictured her as she was during their rendezvous; calm, welcoming-at least for Raven-and almost completely human, at least in some aspects. 'Something about her tonight had been very different….more appealing than usual.' Beast Boy gave a small shout of utter defeat as he tried to stop reasoning with himself about her sudden change. 'This is Raven we're talking about…she doesn't just change…unless it was under my nose.' Over the past three years he had practically ignored anything that had to do with the changes in Raven or anything concerning the gloomy Goth woman because she had been right about Terra, and once again, he had been wrong.

At first he thought it was stubborn pride. But soon he realized it wasn't just that; it was also the fact that some part of him, a part he chose to ignore because he was not one who dwelled on bad thoughts, knew that Terra was strange that night they went out. When Slade had cornered them and revealed Terra for who she was at that particular moment, he felt Raven's words echo through his mind in a booming voice, like she was admonishing him for not listening to her. When he'd abandoned Terra and returned to Titan Tower, he remembered the look on Raven's face, as though she was ashamed for being the one that had to see it, to see him. She appeared almost afraid of what he would say to her. In fact, he'd said nothing, only threw her a glare of something resembling hate as he stalked off into his room where he would wallow in his misery at Terra's betrayal. 'Sometimes I guess I really am a fool…' His thoughts ended abruptly when he recalled what had happened that evening. For him, it was one of the strangest happenings and perhaps the start of Raven's change, but he was too caught up to even notice it. He closed his eyes as that evening relived itself in his mind.

That evening she had come to him, alone, and slightly vulnerable, or as vulnerable as she could get. He had turned into a vicious Anaconda to try and brush her away, his anger surfacing from underneath his battered interior of pain and heartache. She seemed to sense this and did not press him to share with her or welcome her. She simply stood there, her face impassive as always; however, her hands were outstretched, as if begging him to let her in, to see who he really was. He had snapped at her numerous times after that, not believing she could understand him at all, not believing she would even try to understand him. Yet she continued to stand there, not reaching out more or less than she had before, her eyes darting between him and the floor. It was only then, when she brought her gaze back to the floor for what had to be the tenth time, that he felt himself changing back to his human self. Once he'd reverted he stood before her as she was before him, helpless and at loss of speech. His mind was whirling with thoughts that did not seem to have placed themselves correctly in the scheme of things that were going wrong or right. For lack of better speech, he spoke the only thing he could think of in such a moment. "Raven?"

As if by magic her head shot up to see him, to look him straight in the eyes. It hit him like a ton of bricks, the sight of how hard she was trying to control her feelings. In her eyes he could see her power struggle as she stared at him, the rest of her face blank but her eyes fighting not to tear. He imagined her eyes as a dam breaking, and the river overflowing-it suited her, he thought. "I'm sorry."

Her words hammered at his mind like nails. It shattered his horrid thoughts of her prediction. 'She's…sorry? But…why?' His logical mind was wondering why she was apologizing for something that was out of her control while his heart was condemning her for being right about Terra. Instead of asking why, he just continued to stare at her, only mouthing silent questions with his gaping mouth.

She seemed to understand his pleas as she closed her eyes to regain control of her surging emotions. "Look…Beast Boy…I'm sorry. I didn't mean for it to come true. I would never…you have to understand…we're a team…you're my friends. I did it for the team. I never would have wished for it. I never did." When Beast Boy did not give her anything but a hard glare, she figured he did not believe her. She took a step back, not from fear of what he could do, but at what he was communicating to her through his face. "I'm serious…Beast Boy…I never-

His next action surprised her more than anything she'd experienced in years of being with the Titans. "No Raven."

"What?" Her astonishment at his actions had been quite evident. "I mean…I know I've been-

"Horrible to me, yeah, you have," Beast Boy replied as he turned away from her, tears welling up in his eyes. "But we're a team…like you said. We'll never work well together if we're not getting along, right?" He flashed her a brief smile, the first of many that would not reach his eyes. Raven had nodded slowly as he went on. "Besides…what Terra did was of her own free will. No one made her do it. I'm sure Slade persuaded her…but in the end…she chose to do it. And now…she's not here…she also chose that path too. It's no one's fault…least of all yours Rae." His kind words cut through her like a knife. 'Why is he being so nice…why? I don't deserve it!' She loathed herself at that very moment. She had accused him of so many things and he had still forgiven her. Beast Boy could see the guilt written across her eyes as she gaped at him as he had her. She didn't want to believe it, he realized. 'How cam I make her realize I'm telling the truth?' Various thoughts rushed around his head but one stood out from the rest. 'How can I make her believe me when part of me…doesn't believe me?' She looked a bit apprehensive as he took a step towards her, still buried in his own thoughts. "I guess this means-

"Do you trust me Beast Boy?" Raven voice cut through his sentence.

He blinked at her in puzzlement. "Yes…of course I do Rae, you proved how trustworthy you were tonight." Some spitefulness crept into his tone and she winced. Beast Boy shrugged it off. "What does that have to do with-

"Well," she began muttering to herself more than to him. "I guess we can at least keep that…even if you don't forgive me."

"What are you talking about Rae? Of course I-

"I'll just be going now." She whipped around to make her hasty departure.

"Wait Rae! You didn't let me finish!" He ran after her, grabbing her arm. When she did not tense at his touch, he slowly enveloped her in a hug. Only then did she tense, but he was determined to make her understand. "I forgive you Rae…I forgive you."

By the time he finished recalling the event, he had the dopiest smile on his face, his eyes glazed over in slight happiness. 'That was probably the only time Raven let me hug her, willingly...I wonder why she did, too.' He felt his heart beat a little faster at the discovery that he had thought of Terra and not been saddened to the multitude he had before. Just the thought of the Sorceress was enough to calm him. As the flashback began to fade from his mind, he felt his eyelids become rather heavy at the sudden sleep that decided to finally welcome him. All thoughts of Raven faded as well, but not from his subconscious mind where they were kept locked up until he awakened the next day. Tonight, he thought all dreams of her would leave him, not haunt him as they did many nights. A decent night's sleep is what he craved, and for once, he was sure he was going to get it. His head hit the pillow with the softest of thuds; sleep had finally arrived.

{{Scene break}}

Starfire was quietly sipping her customary cup of mustard at the table when she heard a sudden noise from upstairs. Her green eyes widened, on alert at the intruder inside the Titan Tower. 'But I thought Robin said intruders cannot enter Titan Tower.' With all the access codes and various security systems located throughout the T-shaped building, Starfire was sure that it must have been one of the other Titans, most likely Raven. 'Friend Raven is usually the one who drinks tea in the early morning hours.' She glanced at the digital clock sitting above the stove. The bright green letters shone with the time: 2:30 AM. Yet the fact remained that the young tamaranian woman was not tired and had thus ended up in the kitchen for a late night drink. She heard footsteps approaching the kitchen and awaited the arrival of Raven. But the person that entered the kitchen was her least expected guess. She flushed a dark hue of pink as Robin entered the kitchen, went straight to the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of milk, which had not been consumed by the blue fuzz that lived with their food. He didn't appear to have noticed her, mostly due to the fact that she was hidden in the shadows cast by the darkened room.

From her hiding place, Starfire relished in the fact that she could openly watch the Boy Wonder as he consumed his drink without a clue that she was there. She, although an alien, knew and had seen the changes in her teammates. She was sure that when she turned 18 that her home planet would request her to come back. And that they did. However, she had declined the request, instead stating that she wished to stay with her friends. Her secret harbored crush for Robin added to her decision, though she did not want to leave any of them. It was about that time that she realized that after so many years, Robin still had not a clue how she felt. 'But how does one goes about telling a secret of such magnitude?' At one point she recalled having asked Raven, but the Goth girl had simply stared at her in awe before blushing and sending her away. She thought to ask Cyborg at one point in time as well, him being human and all; after all, he was like the big brother she did not have. Of course, Cyborg seemed to know everything and told her to just tell Robin how she felt. At that, she had blanched and turned an interesting shade of red, which, mixed with her orange tinted skin color, made an all-together strange shade. She did not even think to ask Beast Boy, knowing full well his sensitivity to that particular subject.

Then again, where most people thought she was helplessly clueless, she was quite on the contrary when it came to Beast Boy's infatuation with Raven. Starfire sensed something strange between them ever since Terra arrived, as if Raven had come to life and realized what was happening-not that she didn't already. It just seemed like she was in even more of a bind to unleash her feelings when the Earthmover entered their lives. Starfire frowned. 'Then again…she did betray us…poor Beast Boy…poor Terra.' And even though Terra had hurt them deeply, especially Beast Boy, Starfire could not find it in herself to be angry long enough-she was fashioned that way, her friends had said on many occasions. So now, as she was gazing at her team leader in awe, she began to realize just how much she'd progressed since her come to earth. Her mind practically drowned in the changes that took place around her. Just looking at Robin made it obvious. His ebony hair had grown longer, going just past his well-built shoulders in an almost triangle shape down his back. His trademark mask was in place, and after so many years, she still had no knowledge of his actual eyes color or what the shape even looked like. At the moment he was dressed in his recently redone suit, the one she'd seen when she'd traveled to the future but accident. The reason for him still being in it she attributed to the fact that he'd been working hard again and had fallen asleep in it; or he just forgot, which didn't happen often. In her mind it made sense since he hadn't even noticed her yet. After a minute more she decided that he needed to know she was indeed present, so she cleared her throat loud enough for him to hear and softly enough not to wake anyone else in the tower.

His head snapped to attention, the mask framing his eyes no longer drooping as it did when he was asleep. He scanned the area around him quickly, his head swiping from the left of the right of the room. "Who is that?"

"Robin, it is I, Starfire." When he visibly relaxed, she smiled. "What has brought you out of your peaceful slumber at such an early hour of the morning Robin? We're you having, as you earthlings call it, a nightmare?"

She heard Robin's low chuckle from across the table. "No, nothing like that Star. I just couldn't sleep. What about you?" He took another sip from the milk carton in his gloved hand.

Starfire gave him another small grin. "I could not sleep either. I decided to come down to the kitchen and partake in drinking my favorite mustard drink." She saw him cringe at the mention of mustard, but she had become fairly used to the fact that most earthlings did think mustard as a drink. 'But I am not an earthling.' He nodded to her as she pushed herself off the stool to place her cup in the sink, which always seemed to be overflowing with dirty dishes. "Robin, may I ask you a question?" He nodded again. "Will you accompany me to the store of food products tomorrow so that we may place more food inside the food contraption?" She heard him laugh a little as her usage of language. She knew all the proper words to use, like market and refrigerator; but for some reason, when she wanted to say them, it came out the way she'd just said. "Thank you Robin. I appreciate that you will lend me your companionship."

"Sure Star, no problem." She heard the distinct bang of the carton landing in the trashcan and Robin's footsteps walking around the kitchen. "Star?"

She jumped a little. 'I did not realize Robin was coming this way.' She felt his presence behind her and she faltered a little, leaning over the sink, pressing her fingers in the plaster-like surface. "Yes Robin? Is there something you need?"

"Are you sure nothing is wrong?" He asked her in a friendly tone, hands resting on her shoulders. His hands were warm but entirely masculine as they rested on her bare skin, soft from the rubber of his gloves but strong from all his training. She felt her cheeks aflame as he slowly dragged them down her arms where they settled on her wrists, circling them gently. "Star, are you all right?" When she did not answer, he turned her to face him. Her emerald eyes were cast down to the floor, as though she was trying to hide something. Puzzled, Robin lifted her chin up with one finger while his other hand traveled back up her arm to rest at the crook of her neck. Her eyes were shining in the dim lighting and he could've sworn it looked as though she was crying. Instead, he found himself completely mesmerized by her sparkling green spheres as she peered into his mask that hid everything. No words were uttered as he leaned forward, not sure what he was doing at that moment. Just then, when he was about to reach her lips, their faces centimeters apart, Starfire heaved in a large breath and hiccupped. Robin would have laughed had the moment been less intense, but he found himself not being able to move further in or back up. "Star," his voice was low and breathy as he stared into her eyes. The moment had not been lost just yet.

Starfire shivered as his grip loosened on her neck, only enough for his hand to move up to cup her face. "Robin…I…"

Suddenly something above them shattered. Shards of glass littered rained above their heads as they jumped apart. Robin quickly glanced upwards to see the light fixture had been reduced to nothing. He ran a hand through his hair as Starfire leaned down to pick up pieces of the glass. He, too, leaned down to help. Starfire greeted him with a knowing look as they worked together in gathering the harmful pieces of condensed sand crystals. "It seems Raven is having bad dreams again…or something…" He trailed off as Starfire agreed. Second passed by before he was gazing at Starfire again as she cleaned up the mess that their teammate had caused. He was still staring at her, intensely and seriously, when she paused midway through her work to look at him. She seemed to be speaking but he did not hear her. "What?"

"I asked, I was curious as to what just happened before friend Raven shattered the glass? Did I do something to upset you? Is that why you were holding me in such a manner? Is that why you were staring at me so distastefully just now?"

At her confused question he snapped from his daze, shaking his head as he regained control of his body and thoughts. 'What the hell is the matter with me?' He watched in sudden despair when Starfire hugged herself, dropping the glass pieces as though he'd just yelled at her. "Star, let me explain."

She did not let him finish. "I do not understand…why did you…why are you angry with me?" Tears shone in her eyes as she saw him raise an eyebrow at her. "Please," she begged. "I beg for your forgiveness friend Robin! I did not mean to anger you."

"Whoa, slow down Star. Who said I was angry?"

She sniffled and looked up. "I…it's just that…you were gripping my neck as though you were angry….and I thought I had upset you." Robin couldn't believe what she was saying; he shook his head. "Then you are not angry with me?" He grinned at her and she suddenly felt very self-conscious and embarrassed. "Oh…I…well, I hope you have pleasant dreams Robin. I must now return to my place of dwelling in order to receive the proper rest. Goodnight."

Robin watched as she exited. When she was clear out of view, he slumped against the lower half of the kitchen cabinets, heaving a great sigh at what just occurred. 'Man…things have been weird lately.' He pounded his head lightly with his knuckles as she stared at the forgotten mess of glass on the floor. Reaching for the nearest object, which happened to be a solitary role of paper towels, he resumed Starfire's unfinished work, assuring himself that what had just taken place was something that was not going to go without tension tomorrow-at least not on his part.

^TBC…

{{Okie…that was my second chapter…and as of yet, I'm still not quite sure where this will go, but I hope it goes well; it might not be anything with action, like fighting Slade or anything. It's probably just going to be a getting together fic. Anyway, This chapter is my favorite so far; it was UBER fun to write! In any case, please R&R. BEAST BOY/RAVEN FOREVER! WOOHOO! And ROBIN/STARFIRE FOREVER, TOO! They are just totally made for each other, those two. Thank you. Bye all!}}

+Darkkairi1+