Going to college and having a job is no fun, but I'm not sure if it's to blame for my lack of inspiration with my writing.
I can't seem to finish any of the stories I've started...so I decided to take pieces out of each of them and make them work by themselves.
I've seen another writer do this and I thought it worked out nicely. I hope this'll get me out of my current writing funk.
ENJOY!
Concern
"..Raven?"
She stopped as his hand came to rest on her shoulder, glancing back into his emerald green eyes. She hadn't expected him to be up so late...she didn't believe he'd noticed how tired she had been lately...and she certainly didn't think he would confront her.
"If something was really wrong you'd tell me, right?"
His voice was soft, but Raven inwardly winced as she felt the emotions behind his words.
Insight
"I didn't know you liked sunsets, Rae." Beastboy commented as he came to stand beside her on the roof.
She glanced over at him. "You sound surprised."
He shoved his hands in his pockets and grinned sheepishly.
"Yeah, I guess I always had you pegged as a sunrise kinda girl."
She stared at him thoughtfully.
"How so?"
He shrugged and looked ahead at the setting sun.
"I guess 'cause I always think of sunsets as being sad, ya know," He explained. "I mean..it's the end of the day...and everything starts getting dark and it just seems kinda lonely to me."
Raven reflected on his words.
"I guess that would suit me then."
He turned his head toward her, marveling at how beautiful she looked against the light in the distance.
"No, I don't thinks so," he told her.
She didn't look up at him, but her hands clutched nervously at the end of her cloak.
"Why not?"
"Because..." He gave her his normal care free smile. "You're not an ending Raven...you're a beginning."
Games
"Okay Raven," Beastboy said with an almost evil smile. "Truth...or Dare?"
"...Truth" Raven replied, sounding bored.
"Who's your favorite titan?" Beastboy immediately asked.
Raven blinked before narrowing her eyes ever so slightly.
"I refuse to choose favorites among my friends," she replied, the slightest hint of annoyance in her voice. "I think of you all as equals."
"Raven, Raven, Raven," Beastboy replied shaking his head with a smile. "If you aren't going to tell the truth then you may as well pick Dare."
Raven was slightly surprised at first, but soon narrowed her eyes at him again.
"Are you trying to say I'm lying?" she asked.
"Just admit it Rae," he told her with a sly smile. "I'm your favorite".
He leaned forward slightly and wiggled his eyebrows for effect; Raven fought off the blush that threatened to form on her face and looked away.
"Dare" she finally said.
Enough
"You're not going to tell me, are you?"
Beastboy didn't look up.
"Don't you already know?" He asked quietly. "I mean...you're an empath, right?"
"If it was really that easy, why would I even bother asking?"
He looked up, still frowning.
"Raven,." He swallowed, feeling close to tears. "I'm sorry, okay."
She was surprised, but didn't let it show much.
"Why?"
She walked closer, so that she was now beside him, though he was still seated.
He looked down, almost ashamed.
"The fight..you got hurt..," he paused. "It was my fault..I should of done..done something."
"None of us could have anticipated his attack." She stated taking a seat beside him. "You did everything you could."
"I know," He replied, closing his eyes. "That's what bothers me most."
Routine
"Morning, Rae."
The girl in question looked calmly up at him, her smile concealed behind the mug of tea she was just sipping.
She lowered the cup and nodded toward him. "Morning."
After a moment of silence, Raven raised an eyebrow up at him.
"Up early again?" She asked, though she was starting to get use to the change.
"Yeah," Beastboy laughed some and used his fist to knock gently on his head. "It's like I have an alarm clock wired into my head or something."
Beastboy smiled slightly and started walking toward the fridge; he would never tell her that he had actually been setting his alarm. Raven lifted her cup for another drink, watching him; she would never tell him that she knew.
Goodnight
"Sweet dreams, Rea."
Raven froze near the door, knowing lately she had found herself jerking up in bed, plagued by vivid images of earths destruction.
Still, she could sense the sincerity in his words, and she found herself grateful.
"You too...Gar."
Surprises
Almost immediately after his lips touched her skin did he pull away, looking more shocked at himself then Raven did...both blushing.
"I...um...I gotta go," he said, dashing away down the hall toward his room.
Raven stood there in her door way for a moment...bringing a hand up to her cheek and absentmindedly touching the spot he had kissed.
Regrets
No'
She felt like she was frozen, but her body was trembling with unbearable fear and shock. She stared with wide violet eyes at the broken and shatter wall 20 feet from her standing place. A figure lay motionless among the rubble, his green hair matted with crimson blood that matched the stains on his uniform.
'Azar no'
The room fell into an unnatural silence, only disturbed by the frantic beating of her heart. Was the battle over? She didn't know...she didn't care.
'Please...not him'
In what felt like slow motion, she crumbled and fell to her knees, using her arms to hold herself up.
'Beastboy'
She stared down at the concrete ground, her arms trembling in protest, tears forming in her eyes.
'Don't go'
Suspicion
"I believe that friend Beastboy has something he wishes to tell you," Starfire said, nudging him forward.
Raven simply turned the page in her book and nodded.
"Uh..." Beastboy froze for a second as he looked back at Starfire who nodded encouragingly.
"Ahem...uh yeah," He replied in a small voice. "I...um...fixed you some tea."
Raven visibly tensed as she looked up from her book.
"You did?" she asked, surprised.
Beastboy nodded, and after a second Raven's expression hardened.
"What did you do to it?"
Tolerance
It was hard to be in the same room with someone who emitted such a strong pulse of emotion, and Beastboy seemed to make it worse by directing that optimism straight at her; insisting on trying to make her laugh, asking her to join the others in their activities, and genuinely pleading for her to open up to them. It was unnerving, annoying, frustrating and...nice.
"Hey, Raven. You wanna hear a joke?"
And maybe someday she would be able to tell him how much she appreciated his efforts.
Company
"Mind if I join you?" came Raven's voice from above him.
Beastboy's head snapped up in attention and he straightened his posture as he looked at her. She held a steaming cup of tea in her hands as she gestured to the seat in front of him.
"Yeah, absolutely Rae," Beastboy said excitedly.
Raven gave a small nod as she sat down, sipping her tea, and seeming to find the counter top very fascinating.
However, while Raven seemed unwilling to look up at changeling, Beastboy was unable to look away from her.
Her hair fell down to one side of her face, while the other side was tucked neatly behind her ear. He almost felt the urge to reach over and tuck the rest of her hair back, just to get a better look at her face. He blushed at the thought, and instantly put his hands down on his lap.
Truths
"Does it hurt?" Raven asked softly.
Beastboy looked up from his spot on the couch, confused.
"When you change," She explained, stepping closer toward him. "Does it hurt you?"
His expression was guarded, and he hesitated before replying.
"Yeah...it does."
Raven's frown deepened and Beastboy smiled weakly.
"It's only for a few seconds though," He told her. "I've gotten pretty use to it, so I hardly even notice anymore."
Raven took a seat beside him on the couch.
"You never told us," She looked him in the eyes. "Why?"
Beastboy sighed and leaned back into the couch.
"What would be the point?" He asked. "It's not like anyone can change it."
After a few seconds of silence- Raven staring down at her lap and Beastboy gazing up at the ceiling- he turned his head toward her.
"Does it hurt?' He asked.
Raven looked back, confused.
"When you heal us." He explained, both curious and concerned. "Does it hurt you?
Assistance
"I already told you," Raven frowned. "I am not going to help you spy on Cyborg."
"We're not spying, "Beastboy protested, "We're just going to follow him around and watch his every move from a safe distance where he can't see us."
Raven lifted one eyebrow.
"You do realize that's what spying is, don't you?"
"It is?" Beastboy blinked then grinned. "Cool, I'm a spy!"
Raven sighed and shook her head.
Colors
Contrary to what people believed, Green was not his favorite color. He didn't like that everyone assumed it would be just because he was. Perhaps he would have chosen the color as his favorite if he had never gotten his powers, but he wasn't sure.
At one time he would have answered 'yellow'. It was bright and cheerful, it radiated from the sun and colored in smiles, and more-so...it had matched Terra's hair. It wasn't long before the color had dulled in his mind though, and his thoughts concerning it seemed to contrast with darker feelings of betrayal.
Now he wasn't sure how he would answer the question if anyone were to ask, but as he lay stretched out on the living room couch listening to Raven's chanting behind him, he couldn't help but think; green and purple look pretty good together.
A couple of those are from my story "Moving On' but the rest are just bits and pieces floating in my head, or parts of stories that I'm too afraid to post 'cause I know I might never finish.
Anyway...what did you think? Do you have any favorite among these?
Please review and let me know!