Disclaimer: … I think… hang on… checking my dairy… Well, there's nothing in there about owning a cartoon…

Terribly sorry, if you want the full story you'll just have to buy my Auto Biography (Joke, people, Joke). I'm flattered that most of you have liked this so far. Hopefully you'll all like this one!

Wings to Fly-Chapter 2: Feathered Hearts

All he could hear was the painful thumping of his heart. Drumming, Drumming, until it became the rhythm he breathed…

Beast Boy gave a gasp, and clutched at the daisy in his hand, bruising the green stem. Funny how he had come down here to try and feel better when suddenly everything just hurt. This sucked big time.

Terra… why'd you do it?

Biting his lip, the changeling laid the small flower at the base of his friend's statue, wondering if he should have brought more and whether Starfire would have let him take a few of those roses from last night. Sitting down on a nearby slab, Beast Boy gave a slight frown at the thought of the night before. That hadn't gone too well.

"You should've seen it, Terra…" He murmured, more to himself than the solidified girl a few yards away. "You would have loved it…" Beast Boy sighed and curled his knees to his chest, pouting a little. "This sucks" He muttered.

If he expected anything to answer him, he was disappointed. A slight crunching of rocks, a small chirp from some unseen cricket, then… nothing. The green changeling sighed again, then out of pure boredom, he began to sing. It'd been a small song, something that his mother had matched with the tune from Row, Row, Row Your Boat, crooning it to her small son every time he'd hurt his knee, or he'd been too sick to enjoy the same things as other children.

"Love is in my heart, growing everyday, I have so much love here inside, there's lots to give away…" Tapping a small fragment of rock against the concrete of his seat, Beast Boy just gazed at Terra's statue, the sad feeling that had been there since it happened, slowly sinking away. "…I feel love inside, It's there inside you too. I've got so much to give away, so I'll give some love to you…"

He trailed off, and slowly, let go of the rock and watched it drop to the ground. Love stank. Especially for the Titans. Last night proved it, what with Starfire crying so much, and Raven growling, and Aqualad frowning… The only one out them all who would have enjoyed it would have been Cyborg, but that was only because he finally found a girl who didn't mind dating a glorified toaster.

And then there was that stupid game that started it all…

Digging into his pocket, Beast Boy pulled out the slip he had caught. It was crumpled, and covered in lint and something that smelt like tofu (though it looked more like snot than it did his favorite snack), but he could clearly see what had been written on it… Nothing.

According to Star, that meant that his Ammie hadn't been there, and that made him wonder, made him question…

Beast Boy, watching as the sun pouring in from a small crack in the cave glinted against Terra's rock covered body, suddenly smiled, knowing the answer.

…I feel love inside, It's there inside you too. I've got so much to give away, so I'll give some love to you…

TTT

"So… do ya?"

Sarah blinked up as the dark shadow of Cyborg fell across her counter, and grinned. "Do I what?" She asked, knowing very well what he was talking about. A few people, namely the customers of Finger Lickin' Chicken and her fellow staff just stared, wondering why Cyborg of the Teen Titans was talking to her like he knew her.

The tall Titan raised an eyebrow, resting both of his large hands on the yellow counter and leaning across it. "You know… so, do you?"

"Do I want to go out with you?" Sarah repeated slowly, fingering her nametag in thought.

Cyborg just gave her a wink, making her laugh. "Fine," The blonde condoned as her co-workers started whispering. There was a wolf-whistle from one of the boys on table eight, but they both ignored it. "One condition: We go see Monster Truck Track tonight"

The mechanical teen sucked in his breath, cringed dramatically, then rolled his eyes. "You drive a hard deal, Sarah" He started solemnly. But the bright flash of his teeth told her he didn't mind.

TTT

Letting her cloak flap out with the sea breeze, Raven closed her eyes. She needed to remain calm. She needed to be in control. She needed complete and utter peace…

"Friend Raven," A voice hiccuped by her side. "may we have a intimate talk for girls? I am… I am most distressed, and I feel that this would not be a con-conversation initiated with…" Starfire gave a sob, and continued with a whisper, "with Robin"

Well, it wasn't like she could say no. "Sit" Raven ordered shortly, opening her eyes and pulling her cloak around her in a automatic gesture. Looking out over the sea, the Gothic waited as there was a small thud and the sound of Starfire blowing her nose. "What was it you wanted to talk about?"

She could feel the alien girl's hesitation, but then, after a moment, Starfire managed to say, "It is the traditional Ammoleela game's results that I… that I wondered whether you…"

"Whether I liked it?" Raven supplied bitterly. Starfire's eyes widened, but before she could make amends for the way her words had tumbled out, her dark friend was whipping around to face her, her face tight with control. "I wouldn't do that to you," She said, her calm voice at odds with her shaking fists. "You know that, Star. I am not like that and neither is Robin. There was simply a glitch in your game" Then Raven was turning back to the water, drawing her hood over her head, showing that she didn't want any more to do with the conversation.

Starfire gulped, and started again, her voice trembling. "You have misunderstood my meaning… I wondered whether you would… you would… do… I wondered whether you would complete the game with… with Robin…"

Raven's shoulders tensed.

"It is… unusual for the game to be… incorrect. And what we… participated in last night was merely a shortened version for the entertainment of our guests. You must complete it to see… whether Robin is truly to be your… Havingrop" She managed to catch the sob, but Raven could still hear the heavy grief in Starfire's voice.

Mouth firm, Raven glared out over the ocean, wishing that she had never ventured from her room. Starfire was wrong. Her game was wrong. There was no way that she, Goth Queen of the Teen Titans, could be destined to be with Wonder Boy Robin! It was wrong, all wrong, all…

Then why did you keep the flower?

She blinked, and her arms loosened from the fold she had had them in.

Flowers and the men that gave them had always ended badly for Raven, but there had been something about the rose, something about it's soft pink petals and firm stem that had made her hold on to it long after Robin had fled to the safety of the Training Gym. The delicate thing was now tucked away in her room, but even under the protection of her powers, the petals were starting to fall. Still, Raven had spent most of the night before sitting in her bed, watching as it glowed slightly, reflecting the light from the shield around it.

Why had she kept it?

Because you wanted an Ammie, no matter who they were. Answered a cold voice. You wanted to be the anomaly. You wanted to be different from them. You wanted him. You wanted Ro-

Raven twitched violently, stopping the last thought. Instead, she tried to think of Aqualad's dark eyes, his glossy hair, his tall frame… and instead she got Robin's mask, Robin's cape and Robin's smile.

"What is a Havingrop?" She asked quietly. Starfire gave a sniff, then answered in a tone just as soft, "A sweetheart"

Thump, thump, thump… Raven's heart sped up, taking over everything until it was all she could hear. Thump, thump, thump…

TTT

Aqualad watched in silence as Robin pegged handfuls of rose petals out onto the water surrounding the T-Tower. The famous teen leader had been acting like this all day, and frankly, Aqualad thought the wonder boy's tantrum had to end.

"It could be worse," He suggested, sliding down onto one of the larger rocks by the shoreline and trailing his hand in the cool water. A few stray petals floated past, and catching a few, he pulled them out of their watery grave. "You could have been paired up with Wilderbeast" Letting the small mementos from the evening before drop from his hand and continue on their path through the harbor, Aqualad gave a small smile. "I think it would take more than… what do they call it? Lipgloss to make him appealing"

Robin scowled, and just dumped the entire box of leftover flowers into the water. "That's not the point. You have no idea how much Starfire had wanted to do this! She had spent weeks preparing for it, weeks planning, and then, come the night, it doesn't even go the way she wanted!" He sighed, the anger from his face fading. Slumping his shoulders Robin just shook his head, watching as the colours from the low sun reflected onto bay. "Star spent the entire time after that crying" He muttered softly, fist clutched. "It's not fair. She does so much for all of us, and we can't even get one tradition right"

Aqualad turned his dark eyes from the water, frowning. "That doesn't mean you can blame it on Raven" He said, the clip in his tone only giving a slight clue to the resentment he felt. "She only did what you asked her to; don't ignore her just because a trick wind played up"

"I'm not ignoring her!" Robin defended, clearly uncomfortable. A green gloved hand shot up and ran itself threw his black hair. "I'm not" He mumbled, his face slightly tinged.

That just made Aqualad's frown deepen. "You are. Starfire is not a child, Robin, for however much she may act like it. She knows you both better than that. It may be a tradition, but you're not bound to Raven for forever. Just let all the fuss blow off, then things will be back to normal" His words were meant to be reassuring to the both of them, but something about them made Aqualad feel uneasy.

Atlantians were, by nature, a superstitious people. Love was love no matter the form. A soul mate… A soul mate was something that had to be treasured, to be counted as a gift. If Starfire's Tamaraen tradition was true, then Robin should have been counting himself lucky that he had even received a name.

Right now, however, all the Boy Wonder was doing was showing Aqualad that he belonged back in a nursery with the other children.

Before he could express these thoughts to his caped friend, Robin turned to him, face grim. "I'm sorry that you've had to go through this trouble, Aqualad. I've noticed the… attention you've been playing to Raven lately, and I'm sorry that you haven't had the chance to follow up on that" He scuffed the metal cap of his boots against the rocks, watching as the rough ground crumbled underneath them.

Aqualad shrugged his shoulders, picking up a small pebble and flipping it over and over again. "There'll be other chances if it's meant to be"

Both boys fell into silence. "Where do you think Beast Boy is?" The water based teen asked suddenly. He needed to get away from the Boy Wonder's drama. "He said that he would show me how to play that 'Ninja Onslaught' today, but he's been missing since this morning"

Robin's eyes widened slightly at the interruption from his thoughts, then just shook his head. "I have no idea" He admitted. With a side on look at the other boy, he offered casually, "I'll play it with you, if you want"

But Aqualad was already standing, brushing the dirt off his legs. "No thank-you" Robin cringed slightly at his distant voice. "I'd rather go for a swim, if you wouldn't mind. Now, if you'll just excuse me…"

The Masked Wonder watched feeling slightly rejected, as Aqualad performed a neat somersault and dived into the water, swimming underneath the trail of rose petals that were floating around aimlessly. "You've done it again" Robin muttered to himself, standing up as well.

With a heavy lurch of his stomach, he moved off to find Raven.

TTT

It was cool underneath the waterline. Cool and quiet, giving Aqualad the time he needed to think. Staying in the sunlit shallows, he floated along, absentmindedly listening to the squabbling of a pair of nearby minnow while trying to figure out how he could give the Titans the space that they needed to sort out the problem that had arisen.

But… that just led back to his problem: He didn't want to leave Raven. Not while Robin was in such a dramatic mood and Starfire was weeping. The others, Beast Boy and Cyborg wouldn't be a help; Beast Boy kept disappearing and Cyborg was in love. They wouldn't be there if Raven needed someone to distract the emotional alien or the sulking leader. In Atlantis, privacy was everything. Aqualad understood that, and he understood that Raven needed it like she needed air. With him, she'd be able to have that, while still enjoying the company of a friend.

A small jolt ran through him at the thought of Raven coming to stay with him and grimly, Aqualad dove deeper. Girls had never been an important thing in his life. And now…

He needed to clear his thoughts.

Oi, Fishman! Are ya gonna help me out with tackle breath over 'ere or wot?

It wasn't until one of the minnows that had been stalking him bit his toe that Aqualad snapped out of his reverie. Still, while he tried to help the small fish win back the seaweed that his friend had stolen, the teen hero couldn't help but think of Raven's glimmering eyes.

TTT

Dipping her hand into the cool water, Raven glanced at the flock of pigeons behind her. Titans Island had rarely dealt with guests of the feathered kind, so it was always a surprise to see real birds, and not the Beast Boy variety.

Sitting down on the smooth rocks, the Gothic just listened to the soft cooing from behind her, feeling as though she might finally have the chance to breathe. Just as she was settling in, there was the telltale crunch of boots, and in a flurry, the birds took off, flapping past Raven and sending her hair flying as they made their way across the pink edged sky. She frowned, but kept her vision towards the sea, knowing perfectly well who was behind her.

"Raven?" Robin's voice was hesitant, soft. "Raven, can we talk?"

If only she had a holiday for every time someone asked her that. Still, the Titan witch turned, giving him a chilly glare. "Is it important?"

He coughed, then there was a scrapping sound as he slid down next to her, his eyes going out to the harbor. "It is if we're ever going to work well together again"

Raven raised an eyebrow. "You make it sound as if it's the end of the world-surely you don't really believe that we're destined just because of a slip of paper, do you?" Looking at the teen leader in a mixture of amusement and something more bitter, she murmured, "It was a fluke Robin" Half cast demons don't love. "A mere trick of the wind" Affection weakens. Raven stayed silent for a moment, not trusting her thoughts not to leak out into words, then said as supporting as she could, "Besides, you still have Starfire"

Robin ducked his head as she said it, muttering about how they were just friends, but the Gothic girl next to him could clearly read the embarrassment on his face.

I think you've found your Ammie, Raven.

Aqualad was wrong.

I think you've found your Ammie, Raven. Over and over, those words were haunting her, making the Gothic's stomach clench. I think you've found your…

Still blushing, Robin looked down at the ground. "It's not that," He muttered defensively. "It's just…" A quick glance up at Raven, and the Boy Wonder took a deep breath and started again. "Starfire's taking this thing seriously. Apparently, on her planet, most people find the ones they're going to… marry… by the Ammoleela tradition. Her parents were set up this way, and her grandparents, and their grandparents before that. She won't listen when I tell her that it doesn't matter"

The silence that fell between them was so thick that Raven could have sliced it in half with her powers. Instead, she toyed with the edge of her cloak, waiting.

"I'm sorry if you think that I've been avoiding you" Robin announced suddenly, looking at everything but the girl beside him. "I haven't. Not on purpose. It's just that…" He trailed off, and turning to her, gave Raven a desperate look. "I have no idea how to prove to Starfire that you and I…"

"I understand" Making her words soft, Raven kept her attention on her cloak. If she understood so much, why was she trembling? Focus on the problem at hand, then deal with your emotions. Pausing, the Gothic frowned. It would be hard to cajole Starfire out of a lifetime of teachings. Still…

"There may be a way that we can get out of this situation," She started carefully. Robin perked up and leaned closer, paying attention. Giving him a wary glance, Raven shifted slightly, then continued. "Apparently, what we performed last night was a shortened version of the real game. If we play the real one, and fail it, it will prove to Starfire that last night's events were inconclusive, and we'll be able to get on with our lives"

Looking out to the water, Robin's forehead creased in thought. "Do you know how the real game goes?"

Raven shook her head. "No. Not for sure. All I do know is that it's more of a faith exercise. Something that shows… our understanding and trust in each other"

Nodding, her leader gave a weak grin. "It'd take a lot to make it look like we really tried"

Managing a small smile, Raven just thought of the rose in her room. Maybe it would have been better just to have thrown it off the tower.

About to thank his normally apathetic teammate for helping him, Robin blinked in surprise as Raven's communicator went off and she answered it swiftly. "Yes?"

Robin couldn't hear whoever it was on the other side, but he watched the Gothic closely. She hesitated, then a reluctant "Yes," Before, "Is this a special occasion? Did you win that car show you entered?"

Ah, it must have been Cyborg. The Boy Wonder grinned, knowing exactly what this call was about. Raven gave a halfhearted smile, something in it making Robin's grin flicker for a moment and his heart drop. Was she unhappy? Why?

"That's great Cyborg," She replied softly. "Of course I'll be there"

There was the loud sound of Cyborg's booming laugh, then a excited buzz of words. Raven blushed, then muttered, "We're not involved", inducing another booming laugh and then the click of a finished transmission.

Securing her communicator to her belt, the Titan witch glanced up at him, then out to the dying sun. "Cyborg asked Sarah out" She said simply. "They want all of us to join them at the new pizza parlor in the city at seven" There was a moments pause in which Robin almost asked whether Raven was happy about Cyborg and Sarah, when she added, "We have to find the others. I know Star's in her room, and Beast Boy is out by Terra's statue, but I have no idea where Aqualad is"

Robin coughed. "He's swimming"

She nodded, and began to finger the edge of her cloak again.

"You know, I'm here if you want to talk" Raven threw Robin a sharp glance, but he was following the broken shards of light on the water. Damn him. Why did he think that he could solve her problems? She wasn't one of Cyborg's contraptions that could be easily fixed. What she had to say, and what he wanted to hear, were two entirely different things. So Raven just shrugged. "There's nothing to talk about"

Frowning, the Boy Wonder said nothing. Raven didn't do these sorts of things easily. Besides, she was strong. If she said that there was nothing to talk about, then there was nothing to talk about. He trusted her. He let out a deep breath, thinking about all the hassle that one night had caused. Starfire…

"We'd better get going" Robin commented, standing up and holding out his hand. "It's going to take ages to get Beast Boy in the shower, and I'm sure Cyborg will kill us if we don't have him looking remotely clean" He grinned then, and kept his hand out, waiting for Raven to take it.

It would have been easy enough for Raven to just stand up herself and walk away. But suddenly her hand slipped into his, and she let him pull her up. Robin straightened, and in a reflex, pulled the Gothic close to him.

Aware of how close they were, Raven concentrated on their entwined fingers. But she could feel pounding of Robin's heart, and the skipping of hers, making her mouth dry. Risking it, she glanced up at him, only to see that his masked eyes were wide.

I think you've finally found your Ammie, Raven…

They were so close that Robin could feel the intoxicating warmth of Raven's cloak. He stilled, looked down at the pale fingers curled with his own, and blinking, wondered why he wanted to hold on tighter.

They glanced at each other again, and then at their hands. This was…

The golden light from the sun gave Robin a shine that weakened Raven's knees, while the small breeze that had started rustled his hair. She thought of the rose, slowly dying in her room, then of treacherous pounding of her heart. This was dangerous.

The Boy Wonder shook himself as Raven pulled her hand away from his and phased back to the T-Tower in a matter of seconds. Looking down at his empty palm, he just frowned.

Why hadn't any of that felt wrong?

T

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Next chapter: Who's up for pizza, y'all? Oh, what's this, Raven and Aqualad making out? Hanging on, that can't be right… And why the hell is Robin throwing a hissy fit?