Quality Time

CHAPTER 5: No More Funny Business

The night was long, but even longer for Raven. Despite her turning in early, she couldn't help but feel uneasy, tossing and turning through most of the night. Her pre bedtime berating of BeastBoy had served to let off some steam from the day. Unfortunately, that was all it served to accomplish. The same feeling Raven had gotten from being agitated by BeastBoy was now coming back, even stronger, except BeastBoy wasn't the cause. The irritated feeling that had seemed to weigh down her mind from BeastBoy's shenanigans was now intensified, only now it felt as though it was doubt, a heavy restlessness weighing on her chest, feeling as though an elephant was sitting on her. But, she couldn't figure out what had brought on this unexpected surge of, what felt like guilt.

Morning slowly dawned on the tower. Raven sat up sluggishly, unable to have gotten very much sleep. She squinted, looking out the window, observing the brightness of the new day spreading over the sky.

"Ugh!" Raven groaned, shielding her eyes, falling back into bed, covering her head with her blanket to shield the light. "My kingdom for a cloudy day."

Obviously, Raven was in no desire of anything bright or cheery, especially considering the rough night she'd had. Poking a hand out from underneath the protection of her blanket, she closed the curtains with the aid of her powers, restoring some degree of darkness to the room. The light no longer an issue to trouble her eyes, she reluctantly pulled herself out of bed.

After cleaning up, and a fresh change of clothes, she sat on the edge of her bed. Letting out a weak yawn, she looked over at the clock, which read: 7:19 A.M.

"What is wrong with me today?" she asked herself, rubbing her eyes, trying to dispel the drowsiness. "I'm never this tired, and I usually get up around this hour. I even went to bed earlier than usual."

Raven thought back to the night before, trying to isolate the cause of her troubled awakening, remembering her confrontation with BeastBoy.

"Now I remember," she said, still half asleep, "Well... it was inevitable I suppose."

Raven walked over to a full-length mirror, picking up a nearby hairbrush, gently brushing her hair.

"Not the most delicate way to have handled the problem, I admit," she spoke, watching her reflection, "But, he has to learn." Raven's brush strokes became firmer, becoming more awake, a determined look on her face.

She closed her eyes, remembering with more clarity some of her harsh remarks. Opening her eyes once more, she saw how hard and cold her expression had turned in the mirror. Seeing this, her change in demeanor, her face softened, almost saddened by her own reflection, wondering if that was how she looked when she nearly lost her temper with BeastBoy.

Raven sighed. "So, how come I feel like a piece of gum stuck to the bottom of somebody's shoe?" she said, in a depressed manner, hanging her head.

"No," she said firmly, snapping out of her saddened state. "Some of those things needed to be said," she reassured herself, putting down the hairbrush. "He can't act like a child forever."

Raven folded her arms, taking one last hesitant look in the mirror.

Just then, there came a sudden knock at the door.

"Who is it?" she asked, turning halfway to face the door.

"It's me," came a familiar voice.

Raven recognized the voice instantly, none other than the source of her problems, BeastBoy himself.

Raven groaned, walking to the door. She was a bit surprised that he was up this early, not to mention that he sounded awake without any trace of drowsiness in his tone, but what really surprised her was that he'd come to see her so soon after the... unpleasantness last night. Usually, whenever BeastBoy had managed to irk Raven, he'd make it a point to avoid her for a short while, letting her cool down, until he'd worked up the nerve to apologize. Maybe something she'd said had gotten through to him.