Categories > Cartoons > Teen Titans > You Idiot...
Author’s Note: Thought or Emphasis; Flashback; Thought or Emphasis in Flashback
I do not own Teen Titans, but I wish I owned all copies of the episode “Things Change”… so I could take it out of canon!
Just one episode before, Beast Boy lead a ragtag team of young heroes and helped stop a worldwide organization of villains, the Brotherhood of Evil, ending in the reunion of ALL of the Titans for a supreme showdown. He ended his story arc fairly well, right? It wasn’t a bad ending for the series and our favorite green bean, right?
Oh no, that’s not allowed for him. At the end of his story arc, he dwelled on Terra again. Oh, wait! She wasn’t Terra, the girl Beast Boy was essentially stalking for twenty minutes was just some schoolgirl… or was she?
The question (and the episode) gnawed on my mind for a time. Then I saw episodes like “Nevermore” and others mentioned throughout this story, and my frustration grew. Eventually I forged that frustration and a scene from “The Beast Within” into this little piece.
Now that you know why I started this, it’s time to end it! Read and review.
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Teen Titans: You Idiot…
Part VII
Raven entered through her bedroom’s sliding doors with a sigh. What a hassle. Today’s lovely little diversion was a man named Camo, a villain specializing in the abilities of a chameleon; his powers of invisibility combined with 360-degree vision made for quite a troublesome opponent. It was incredibly lucky that it rained midway into the fight. The team really could have used someone else to distract him, or someone who could track him with other senses.
They really could have used Beast Boy.
Right now, after such an evening, Raven reasoned that she could also use some rest. Speaking with her teammates for the past few weeks made sleep come a bit easier, though the dream would still occur. As her violet-topped head and the same-colored pillow met, she hoped that maybe tomorrow would be better. Something within—perhaps a magician’s, or even a woman’s intuition—told her that it would at least be something different.
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While the rest of the team slept, one decided to continue his vigil in the infirmary. The metallic medic, however, felt himself drifting off. His cyber brain was working strong but his human half was so very tired. The rhythm of the heart monitor’s beeps only helped to serve as a lullaby. Maybe I’ll sleep just for a few minutes… His right eye drooped just a bit, almost sliding shut…
Then he heard something. The sound was fleeting, but the emptiness of the room allowed it to carry to his ears.
He thought he heard the sheets move.
Cyborg’s eyes looked out again into the dark room. Other than the same old monitor array, and the same green patient, nothing stirred.
The robot-man shook his head a bit. My head’s just playing tricks on me, he figured. Sure, I’d like the little guy back, and I am really sleepy. Just need a little—
There it was again, and again. This time it happened a little louder. Cyborg bolted out of his seat. The sheets definitely moved.
Cyborg almost flew to the bedside. He was watching it all.
A green index finger rose. Then the middle finger jerked; then both fingers. Soon the whole right hand rose before it collapsed.
One leg bucked.
An arm jerked.
The entire sequence unfolding before him entranced Cyborg, but one last thing broke the spell.
With a moan that broke the near-silence, Beast Boy opened his eyes.
A voice hoarse from lack of use croaked out of a mouth that had not opened to speak in weeks. “Wh-where am I?” Green eyes looked blearily toward the ceiling, seeing a blue and silver blob that clarified into an old friend, and a weak smile surfaced. “Hey, Cy.” Bits of his mind pieced themselves together. A robot, a flash… then a face flew to the forefront. “Wait. Where’s Ra… ugh.” Breaking through the darkness that he resided in for days took more energy than he could muster for a moment longer, and the formerly comatose Beast Boy now merely went to sleep.
The sole witness to the event raised the yellow and black communicator to his lips, and through the tears pouring from his natural eye, choked out the words. “Titans… to the infirmary.”
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The rest of that early morning filled with barely suppressed surprise and anxiety when the team heard the news. Everyone resolved to wait until he woke again. The anxiety only intensified as the youngest Titan woke up and saw the others. He blurrily scanned the area and witnessed each of his friends’ reactions.
Robin’s eyes widened to the point that they risked breaking his mask.
Starfire’s eyes became a familiar mixture of vermillion and verdant, but not from lack of sleep (though everyone did arrive at around 4 a.m.). She could only barely resist the urge to crush the still-healing boy in her mighty yet joyous embrace. She had a feeling she would fly strong again.
Raven, however, was silent. Cyborg glanced over to her and, as usual, her face told him nothing. Despite the nearly blank slate of a visage, he still saw that her eyes focused on the green shapeshifter as he shook his head clear. He could also see that her hands were just lightly trembling, slowly beginning to clutch onto the inside of her cloak.
Just as Beast Boy turned his vision from Starfire over to the sorceress, she pulled up her hood and quickly left the room, but not before adding for everyone—yet specifically someone—to hear.
“I’ll be on the roof.”
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The young woman waited, closing her eyes and chanting her phrase as the black sky lightened to a navy-blue. The calm breeze lightly skated across her now uncovered violet hair.
Azarath Metrion Zinthos…
Azarath Metrion Zinthos…
The light shaking in her hands soon subsided. She would see him and then she could end the strange feeling.
Azarath Metrion Zinthos...
Azarath Metrion Zin-
She halted as the elevator to the roof whooshed open.
“Um, hey,” a sheepish voice slipped out.
Her eyes snapped open, but she continued to look into the distance.
“Cyborg told me to come up. I told him I figured you wanted to be alone.”
“It’s fine,” she said with a remembering sigh. The boy was never one to try to read between the lines. Now that she actually wanted him around (if only for this), he was not even sure if he should have come. She nearly chuckled at the irony.
Though she still did not turn her head, Raven heard the soft stumbling footsteps of the ex-Doom Patroller as he made his way over. At the end of his journey, Beast Boy lightly sat near the edge of the roof, making sure not to jostle any sore spots.
“Cyborg says I’ve been out for a while, for—what did he say?”
“Twenty-four days,” Raven muttered without hesitation.
“Wow.” Beast Boy’s jaw slacked a bit before giving a chuckle. “I’ve got a lot of TV to catch up on.” The shapeshifter let off his trademark fanged smile.
Just then, he noticed a sound he had not heard since he had gone into Raven’s mind, this time barely audible, brief, and therefore from the real Raven. “Did you just… laugh?”
“I suppose it had to happen sometime.” Truthfully, it had been so long since she heard a joke from the changeling that she did not remember how to prepare herself. There was also the fact that she almost… missed it.
Before she could continue with that, the empath forced herself to focus on the matter at hand. “Beast Boy…” She finally said his name after so long. Her magic did not seem to slip away from her mental grasp. At least, not yet. “I need to know something.”
She truly looked at him for the first time since his reawakening in the infirmary. He wore the same old suit as always, black with purple straight down the middle. The suit hid the scars from various battles, most nearly invisible due to his advanced healing. His face was surprisingly clear and the green of his hair and skin was just as strong as the morning before the incident, again because of his “beast blood.”
Considered with his face were, of course, Beast Boy’s eyes. The light in them returned since his revival. In the light were the happy memories of his families, both biological and super heroic. It was the same light he had when he was with the team on movie night, or after a victory against one of their foes—or when he saw that after the near end of the world, Raven really did come back.
She knew that just under the shirt, however, were bandages covering the aftermath of what he did to keep her alive today. She kept that in mind as he turned to her and his face slightly grimaced from the pain. Violet orbs staring into verdant ones, she asked the question.
“Why did you save me?”
His eyebrows raised in surprise. Sure, the question made sense, but he was still not ready to answer. Indeed, he had only been awake for a few hours; he was still trying to walk straight, let alone think about something like this. “Well…” He looked out to sea, focused on the horizon in contemplation. “I don’t know exactly. The battle’s a little fuzzy in my head, but I do remember seeing you. All I know is when that thing pointed at you, I just moved. I also remember that I was… you know… before I blacked out.”
She definitely remembered that; it was the last thing she remembered from the incident. “Yes, yes, I know. You used it to save me… again.” The cloaked Titan’s urge to know grew stronger as she slightly rushed through her words. “But what I want to know is, why?”
“Um, I think it’s because… uh, because…” Again, the ex-comatose teen tried to think back, focusing his brainpower more than he ever did before. He knew that his Man-Beast form was the strongest in his arsenal, and he knew that he never usually intended to tap into it since the first time he transformed. It was almost as if something guided him, telling him when to use it, maybe his conscience, maybe instinct or the primal side itself. That only happened once before…
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Beast Boy’s mouth gaped in surprise and fear. Slade’s army of demons, each nearly formless and seeming to be made of the Earth’s own lava, swarmed about the now-foursome as the Titans launched a last stand against Trigon and the prophecy. The foreboding sky was black with a crimson haze, a reflection of the intergalactic monster’s power as well as the flames left behind by Slade’s warpath.
He really wished he did not ask, “You and what army?”
Yet he recognized that this was not the time to be afraid. Any fear, any doubt, he would let loose on these creatures in front of him. Just behind him was his home—as well as his friend.
He saw her tears just a few hours before, when she witnessed the end begin. He heard her messages of hopelessness. Yes, her father was the incarnation of evil, the source of all darkness. Yes, he conquered multiple worlds before his imprisonment. Yes, he chose Raven as the one to help him annihilate the universe. But when that door closed to her security room, as her face hung in sadness and she clutched onto that penny, he made a decision.
He felt the beast within spike in power just a bit. It wanted out. Maybe it would get its use after all. His body’s flesh began to shift, claws and teeth growing with his conviction.
If they want her, they’re gonna have to go through me.
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Then everything clicked. He did not need to use his brain to answer this one; the answer lied somewhere else. It was the same reason he used the Beast then, and less than a month ago. It was the same reason that it did not hurt her in the first place, and the same reason he never would. It was because…
“Because I care about you.”
The spell-caster could only let her jaw slack as his words hit her. A weak “You…” managed to slip out. He… cares about me?
She looked into his eyes again; the spark was still there. This time, though, there was something else. It was strong and true. The emotion she felt coming from him carried unfamiliar warmth. His face held no impish grin, no poorly hidden prank. He was dead serious.
“You… care about me.” She repeated, this time aloud, just to make sure it was true.
“Yeah. I do.” Suddenly, Beast Boy’s face faltered as he finally blinked, breaking eye contact. Raven sensed a wave of something spike from him: nervousness. He began to stutter as his eyes found much interest in the elevator and the rest of the roof. “Y-yeah, w-we all do! Me, Cyborg, Starfire, even Robin, and all he cares about is fighting crime, heh heh!” A weak smile crept across his mouth with that uneasy laugh. “Oh yeah, and Star does too.”
The laugh died quickly as well as the grin. He glanced away to the early morning skies. The blue continued to brighten in these early hours, a testament to summer days. His voice quieted down with his next words. “If… if you were gone, we’d be destroyed, you know—wh-what are you…”
The green teen’s voice disappeared as a sudden warmth covered his body. His conscious mind was starting to melt away, but he somehow got his arms to wrap around the one hugging him. Now a bit pressed against her, he smelled old ink and jasmine, and felt… other things. Fortunately, Raven could not see the heat rising to his face, though she may have felt his intense heartbeat. The only thing he could hear, outside of his heart pumping, was the nearly silent but fervent words, “Thank you.”
Suddenly she went slack. His body could barely react to the sudden weight on his shoulders. “Uh, Raven?” He pulled back from the hug, only to see Raven’s distant gaze. She was not here right now. He lightly shook her, thinking something was wrong. “Raven?”
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“Raven, look out!” The menacing red glow fell into her vision. She handled the robots that had her in a lock, but the laser was too close. She closed her eyes, waiting for the inevitable. No…
The next sight she witnessed was the Man-Beast, its bloody chest barely rising and falling, the body slowly morphing back into the team’s most lively member.
Now here he was, still and silent.
Beast Boy… No…
Raven’s mind fell into a haze as something within began to take over. Her eyes, now starting to glow white, saw the two-toned machine barely three yards away, its energy nearly gone, a hand disfigured, and its body sparking with loose and frayed wires.
“You.” A voice colder than ice echoed from the half-demoness. “You hurt him.” Her right arm reached out, her palm wide, and a raven’s talon made of black magic lashed forward to smother the minion.
A pale hand sharply closed, and the dismembered robot was now a compact ball of circuits and scrap metal.
She turned her head again to the rest of the battlefield, seeing Cyborg fight his last few dozen enemies. The ghostly white glow darkened to ominous red. A black aura surrounded the empath, complete with talons covering her normal hands. Raven, now with anger in control, made a resolution: anything sharing the face of that robot would die.
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“Raven? Raven, wake up!”
Her mind slowly moved back into the present. “I… I see…”
“Raven, are you okay? Speak to me!”
Beast Boy’s attempts to shake her awake began to irritate her. “I’m fine, I’m fine, just let go.” She harshly pushed him away.
He sighed in relief, though he admitted to himself, he did not exactly wish to break away from her that abruptly. “Whew. You were gone for quite a few seconds there. I thought I’d have to call Cyborg to take you to the infirmary.” Whether that was a joke or not, neither Titan knew.
“Like I said, I’m fine. It’s nothing. I’ve just… had a question answered.” She looked at the horizon, the skies changing yet again, now with an orange tint beginning to form.
Beast Boy wondered what exactly the question was, whether it was the one before or entirely new, but he let it slide. “Hmm, okay.” Then a thought came to him, and a light smile graced his visage. “So,” If she wanted to ask something, it was only fair that he get to ask a query of his own. “Did you miss me?”
A moment of hesitation surfaced. Should she tell him about the recurring dream since the start of his coma? Should she tell him about the buried memory that just now arose, showing her retaliation for the near-loss of her—well, she supposed she could admit—her friend? Should she tell him about the tears she shed after seeing him in the infirmary? There had to have been something she could say.
“It was… quiet while you were away.”
A smug smile made its presence on the changeling’s lips. “Yep, I knew it. You can’t live without me.”
Raven saw it and her eyes rolled at his remark. That stupid grin of his. She was pleased, though, that she did not have to try that scenario.
“Hey, the sun’s coming up!” Indeed, it was. After a troublesome afternoon and an eventful night, Raven finally saw a new morning. The sun’s presence painted the sky in calm reds and yellows. Unlike the dark sadness that once seemed to hang over the Tower for almost a month, this dawn displayed hope for the future. Because of Beast Boy’s selfless act, she was able to see it.
“It’s beautiful.”
“Yeah, it is.”
“And Beast Boy?”
“Yeah?”
“Just so you know: we care about you too.”
“Thanks, Rae.”
“My name’s not… whatever.”
---------------------------
Raven walked into bedroom with a gentle sigh, this one of content. She had not slept since about 3:30 am, but she somehow found energy to go to the party in Beast Boy’s honor.
She had to admit, the cake was delicious. It was in Beast Boy’s colors, purple with green trim that matched the words, “Welcome Back, Beast Boy!” The frosting was, of course, non-dairy.
She saw the shape-shifter’s face explode in glee when he got his presents. Apparently, while Cyborg waited, he ordered the latest edition of the Ninja Monkeys video game—Raven did not even try to remember the number (it was the 7th). Robin got him a card and a DVD of some movie involving monkeys and cops. It was strange how, despite the bite of a certain monkey starting a chain of events leading to his “condition” today, he seemed to like them in all kinds of media.
Yet that reaction was on a different level from the one he gave when he got Starfire and Raven’s gift. When he got the box he immediately tore it apart, but what happened next shocked everyone in the room.
Beast Boy was speechless.
He stared at the purple book in front of him, titled “Memories of BB”, and flipped open the pages. In it were pictures of the team joker on various days and in many ways. Some featured himself or the team in Egypt (when the Titans came to help Hotspot, and Beast Boy wanted to take pictures), some with him and honorary Titans (there were five, such as his meeting with Wonder Girl, who he was surprisingly calm around), others with him and Terra (the green teen quickly flipped past these pages).
The photo that really made him smile the deepest, though, was one featuring the Titans’ first day with the Tower.
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Reflected light gleaming from the many windows, the massive T in the background seemed to shine with a pride in its own construction. No one could foresee the damage it would take from threats and surprises such as the Hive graduates’ invasion, demonic forces, and even the antics of a Robin from another world. For now, though, and hopefully for a long time, it would serve as a symbol of protection to the residents of the city a boat ride away, as well as a great home.
Robin took a strong stance in the center of the group; though newly a leader at the time, his masked gaze showed anticipation for adventures with his team—his team, the thought that brought out a formerly rare smile onto the picture.
Starfire stood in her light-purple civilian clothes, close to his left side, her face an orange sun radiating with happiness for her new home. While she would miss her friends and fellow people on Tamaran (though she would be reunited one day), a hand on Robin’s left shoulder indicated that new bonds would certainly be formed on the planet Earth.
Cyborg, arms folded with a casual smile, hung coolly to her left. Behind that smooth façade, however, even he was brimming inside with happiness. Since the accident that claimed his mother’s life and left him changed forever, he kept a strained relationship with his father, who paid for the tower’s creation. That was the past though, he figured. He did not need high-tech equipment to sense that out of this motley group of ex-sidekicks and misfits, a new family would be born.
Beast Boy was on Robin’s right, and that day he somehow managed an arm around Raven’s shoulders in an attempt to get her into the picture. Raven’s smile was reluctant; Beast Boy’s smile then was just as vibrant as it was today.
Beast Boy felt the same as Cyborg did, that soon-to-be-familiar grin filled with hope. Both of his previous families may have been taken by tragedy (though one he would later find out still survived), but these… dudes would be his third try. Not to mention, for some strange reason, he wanted to know more about that girl who was… well… a little creepy.
Raven’s light smile masked a bit of apprehension about the entire situation. Maybe she should have left. It was only a matter of time before… before things would get worse. Yet, something told her that the Teen Team—she hated that name, Robin said they would work on it—could help her make up for what would come.
Besides, the green kid was a little funny.
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Recollection poured into everyone’s minds; like the dawn, it was the start of something new. A good feeling swarmed through the quintet huddled around the book of memories.
Thanks to that surge of happiness, Beast Boy would eventually add a new picture to the album.
In his excitement and gratitude in getting the gift, he immediately grabbed the nearest person and kissed them on the cheek.
It was Raven.
Of course, Robin just happened to get a picture of that little moment on his digital camera. and Raven was sure that Cyborg would never let the two “lovebirds” live it down.
Raven now looked at a copy of the little square memory in her hand—Cyborg figured she would want to remember this. I can’t believe I didn’t get back at those boys for this. Staring at the sight of Beast Boy actually kissing her—she still could not quite accept it—she felt slight warmth rising on her face.
She shook her head and cleared it away. Oh no. Azarath no. I can’t… never!
Yet she saw the photo again, and a chuckle escaped. You just keep bothering me, don’t you? She put the little thing away in her dresser before something else happened.
A small smile graced her pale face as her head hit the pillow. Her last thought as she drifted to sleep:
You idiot…
END
I do not own Teen Titans, but I wish I owned all copies of the episode “Things Change”… so I could take it out of canon!
Just one episode before, Beast Boy lead a ragtag team of young heroes and helped stop a worldwide organization of villains, the Brotherhood of Evil, ending in the reunion of ALL of the Titans for a supreme showdown. He ended his story arc fairly well, right? It wasn’t a bad ending for the series and our favorite green bean, right?
Oh no, that’s not allowed for him. At the end of his story arc, he dwelled on Terra again. Oh, wait! She wasn’t Terra, the girl Beast Boy was essentially stalking for twenty minutes was just some schoolgirl… or was she?
The question (and the episode) gnawed on my mind for a time. Then I saw episodes like “Nevermore” and others mentioned throughout this story, and my frustration grew. Eventually I forged that frustration and a scene from “The Beast Within” into this little piece.
Now that you know why I started this, it’s time to end it! Read and review.
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Teen Titans: You Idiot…
Part VII
Raven entered through her bedroom’s sliding doors with a sigh. What a hassle. Today’s lovely little diversion was a man named Camo, a villain specializing in the abilities of a chameleon; his powers of invisibility combined with 360-degree vision made for quite a troublesome opponent. It was incredibly lucky that it rained midway into the fight. The team really could have used someone else to distract him, or someone who could track him with other senses.
They really could have used Beast Boy.
Right now, after such an evening, Raven reasoned that she could also use some rest. Speaking with her teammates for the past few weeks made sleep come a bit easier, though the dream would still occur. As her violet-topped head and the same-colored pillow met, she hoped that maybe tomorrow would be better. Something within—perhaps a magician’s, or even a woman’s intuition—told her that it would at least be something different.
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While the rest of the team slept, one decided to continue his vigil in the infirmary. The metallic medic, however, felt himself drifting off. His cyber brain was working strong but his human half was so very tired. The rhythm of the heart monitor’s beeps only helped to serve as a lullaby. Maybe I’ll sleep just for a few minutes… His right eye drooped just a bit, almost sliding shut…
Then he heard something. The sound was fleeting, but the emptiness of the room allowed it to carry to his ears.
He thought he heard the sheets move.
Cyborg’s eyes looked out again into the dark room. Other than the same old monitor array, and the same green patient, nothing stirred.
The robot-man shook his head a bit. My head’s just playing tricks on me, he figured. Sure, I’d like the little guy back, and I am really sleepy. Just need a little—
There it was again, and again. This time it happened a little louder. Cyborg bolted out of his seat. The sheets definitely moved.
Cyborg almost flew to the bedside. He was watching it all.
A green index finger rose. Then the middle finger jerked; then both fingers. Soon the whole right hand rose before it collapsed.
One leg bucked.
An arm jerked.
The entire sequence unfolding before him entranced Cyborg, but one last thing broke the spell.
With a moan that broke the near-silence, Beast Boy opened his eyes.
A voice hoarse from lack of use croaked out of a mouth that had not opened to speak in weeks. “Wh-where am I?” Green eyes looked blearily toward the ceiling, seeing a blue and silver blob that clarified into an old friend, and a weak smile surfaced. “Hey, Cy.” Bits of his mind pieced themselves together. A robot, a flash… then a face flew to the forefront. “Wait. Where’s Ra… ugh.” Breaking through the darkness that he resided in for days took more energy than he could muster for a moment longer, and the formerly comatose Beast Boy now merely went to sleep.
The sole witness to the event raised the yellow and black communicator to his lips, and through the tears pouring from his natural eye, choked out the words. “Titans… to the infirmary.”
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The rest of that early morning filled with barely suppressed surprise and anxiety when the team heard the news. Everyone resolved to wait until he woke again. The anxiety only intensified as the youngest Titan woke up and saw the others. He blurrily scanned the area and witnessed each of his friends’ reactions.
Robin’s eyes widened to the point that they risked breaking his mask.
Starfire’s eyes became a familiar mixture of vermillion and verdant, but not from lack of sleep (though everyone did arrive at around 4 a.m.). She could only barely resist the urge to crush the still-healing boy in her mighty yet joyous embrace. She had a feeling she would fly strong again.
Raven, however, was silent. Cyborg glanced over to her and, as usual, her face told him nothing. Despite the nearly blank slate of a visage, he still saw that her eyes focused on the green shapeshifter as he shook his head clear. He could also see that her hands were just lightly trembling, slowly beginning to clutch onto the inside of her cloak.
Just as Beast Boy turned his vision from Starfire over to the sorceress, she pulled up her hood and quickly left the room, but not before adding for everyone—yet specifically someone—to hear.
“I’ll be on the roof.”
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The young woman waited, closing her eyes and chanting her phrase as the black sky lightened to a navy-blue. The calm breeze lightly skated across her now uncovered violet hair.
Azarath Metrion Zinthos…
Azarath Metrion Zinthos…
The light shaking in her hands soon subsided. She would see him and then she could end the strange feeling.
Azarath Metrion Zinthos...
Azarath Metrion Zin-
She halted as the elevator to the roof whooshed open.
“Um, hey,” a sheepish voice slipped out.
Her eyes snapped open, but she continued to look into the distance.
“Cyborg told me to come up. I told him I figured you wanted to be alone.”
“It’s fine,” she said with a remembering sigh. The boy was never one to try to read between the lines. Now that she actually wanted him around (if only for this), he was not even sure if he should have come. She nearly chuckled at the irony.
Though she still did not turn her head, Raven heard the soft stumbling footsteps of the ex-Doom Patroller as he made his way over. At the end of his journey, Beast Boy lightly sat near the edge of the roof, making sure not to jostle any sore spots.
“Cyborg says I’ve been out for a while, for—what did he say?”
“Twenty-four days,” Raven muttered without hesitation.
“Wow.” Beast Boy’s jaw slacked a bit before giving a chuckle. “I’ve got a lot of TV to catch up on.” The shapeshifter let off his trademark fanged smile.
Just then, he noticed a sound he had not heard since he had gone into Raven’s mind, this time barely audible, brief, and therefore from the real Raven. “Did you just… laugh?”
“I suppose it had to happen sometime.” Truthfully, it had been so long since she heard a joke from the changeling that she did not remember how to prepare herself. There was also the fact that she almost… missed it.
Before she could continue with that, the empath forced herself to focus on the matter at hand. “Beast Boy…” She finally said his name after so long. Her magic did not seem to slip away from her mental grasp. At least, not yet. “I need to know something.”
She truly looked at him for the first time since his reawakening in the infirmary. He wore the same old suit as always, black with purple straight down the middle. The suit hid the scars from various battles, most nearly invisible due to his advanced healing. His face was surprisingly clear and the green of his hair and skin was just as strong as the morning before the incident, again because of his “beast blood.”
Considered with his face were, of course, Beast Boy’s eyes. The light in them returned since his revival. In the light were the happy memories of his families, both biological and super heroic. It was the same light he had when he was with the team on movie night, or after a victory against one of their foes—or when he saw that after the near end of the world, Raven really did come back.
She knew that just under the shirt, however, were bandages covering the aftermath of what he did to keep her alive today. She kept that in mind as he turned to her and his face slightly grimaced from the pain. Violet orbs staring into verdant ones, she asked the question.
“Why did you save me?”
His eyebrows raised in surprise. Sure, the question made sense, but he was still not ready to answer. Indeed, he had only been awake for a few hours; he was still trying to walk straight, let alone think about something like this. “Well…” He looked out to sea, focused on the horizon in contemplation. “I don’t know exactly. The battle’s a little fuzzy in my head, but I do remember seeing you. All I know is when that thing pointed at you, I just moved. I also remember that I was… you know… before I blacked out.”
She definitely remembered that; it was the last thing she remembered from the incident. “Yes, yes, I know. You used it to save me… again.” The cloaked Titan’s urge to know grew stronger as she slightly rushed through her words. “But what I want to know is, why?”
“Um, I think it’s because… uh, because…” Again, the ex-comatose teen tried to think back, focusing his brainpower more than he ever did before. He knew that his Man-Beast form was the strongest in his arsenal, and he knew that he never usually intended to tap into it since the first time he transformed. It was almost as if something guided him, telling him when to use it, maybe his conscience, maybe instinct or the primal side itself. That only happened once before…
----------------------------
Beast Boy’s mouth gaped in surprise and fear. Slade’s army of demons, each nearly formless and seeming to be made of the Earth’s own lava, swarmed about the now-foursome as the Titans launched a last stand against Trigon and the prophecy. The foreboding sky was black with a crimson haze, a reflection of the intergalactic monster’s power as well as the flames left behind by Slade’s warpath.
He really wished he did not ask, “You and what army?”
Yet he recognized that this was not the time to be afraid. Any fear, any doubt, he would let loose on these creatures in front of him. Just behind him was his home—as well as his friend.
He saw her tears just a few hours before, when she witnessed the end begin. He heard her messages of hopelessness. Yes, her father was the incarnation of evil, the source of all darkness. Yes, he conquered multiple worlds before his imprisonment. Yes, he chose Raven as the one to help him annihilate the universe. But when that door closed to her security room, as her face hung in sadness and she clutched onto that penny, he made a decision.
He felt the beast within spike in power just a bit. It wanted out. Maybe it would get its use after all. His body’s flesh began to shift, claws and teeth growing with his conviction.
If they want her, they’re gonna have to go through me.
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Then everything clicked. He did not need to use his brain to answer this one; the answer lied somewhere else. It was the same reason he used the Beast then, and less than a month ago. It was the same reason that it did not hurt her in the first place, and the same reason he never would. It was because…
“Because I care about you.”
The spell-caster could only let her jaw slack as his words hit her. A weak “You…” managed to slip out. He… cares about me?
She looked into his eyes again; the spark was still there. This time, though, there was something else. It was strong and true. The emotion she felt coming from him carried unfamiliar warmth. His face held no impish grin, no poorly hidden prank. He was dead serious.
“You… care about me.” She repeated, this time aloud, just to make sure it was true.
“Yeah. I do.” Suddenly, Beast Boy’s face faltered as he finally blinked, breaking eye contact. Raven sensed a wave of something spike from him: nervousness. He began to stutter as his eyes found much interest in the elevator and the rest of the roof. “Y-yeah, w-we all do! Me, Cyborg, Starfire, even Robin, and all he cares about is fighting crime, heh heh!” A weak smile crept across his mouth with that uneasy laugh. “Oh yeah, and Star does too.”
The laugh died quickly as well as the grin. He glanced away to the early morning skies. The blue continued to brighten in these early hours, a testament to summer days. His voice quieted down with his next words. “If… if you were gone, we’d be destroyed, you know—wh-what are you…”
The green teen’s voice disappeared as a sudden warmth covered his body. His conscious mind was starting to melt away, but he somehow got his arms to wrap around the one hugging him. Now a bit pressed against her, he smelled old ink and jasmine, and felt… other things. Fortunately, Raven could not see the heat rising to his face, though she may have felt his intense heartbeat. The only thing he could hear, outside of his heart pumping, was the nearly silent but fervent words, “Thank you.”
Suddenly she went slack. His body could barely react to the sudden weight on his shoulders. “Uh, Raven?” He pulled back from the hug, only to see Raven’s distant gaze. She was not here right now. He lightly shook her, thinking something was wrong. “Raven?”
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“Raven, look out!” The menacing red glow fell into her vision. She handled the robots that had her in a lock, but the laser was too close. She closed her eyes, waiting for the inevitable. No…
The next sight she witnessed was the Man-Beast, its bloody chest barely rising and falling, the body slowly morphing back into the team’s most lively member.
Now here he was, still and silent.
Beast Boy… No…
Raven’s mind fell into a haze as something within began to take over. Her eyes, now starting to glow white, saw the two-toned machine barely three yards away, its energy nearly gone, a hand disfigured, and its body sparking with loose and frayed wires.
“You.” A voice colder than ice echoed from the half-demoness. “You hurt him.” Her right arm reached out, her palm wide, and a raven’s talon made of black magic lashed forward to smother the minion.
A pale hand sharply closed, and the dismembered robot was now a compact ball of circuits and scrap metal.
She turned her head again to the rest of the battlefield, seeing Cyborg fight his last few dozen enemies. The ghostly white glow darkened to ominous red. A black aura surrounded the empath, complete with talons covering her normal hands. Raven, now with anger in control, made a resolution: anything sharing the face of that robot would die.
----------------------------
“Raven? Raven, wake up!”
Her mind slowly moved back into the present. “I… I see…”
“Raven, are you okay? Speak to me!”
Beast Boy’s attempts to shake her awake began to irritate her. “I’m fine, I’m fine, just let go.” She harshly pushed him away.
He sighed in relief, though he admitted to himself, he did not exactly wish to break away from her that abruptly. “Whew. You were gone for quite a few seconds there. I thought I’d have to call Cyborg to take you to the infirmary.” Whether that was a joke or not, neither Titan knew.
“Like I said, I’m fine. It’s nothing. I’ve just… had a question answered.” She looked at the horizon, the skies changing yet again, now with an orange tint beginning to form.
Beast Boy wondered what exactly the question was, whether it was the one before or entirely new, but he let it slide. “Hmm, okay.” Then a thought came to him, and a light smile graced his visage. “So,” If she wanted to ask something, it was only fair that he get to ask a query of his own. “Did you miss me?”
A moment of hesitation surfaced. Should she tell him about the recurring dream since the start of his coma? Should she tell him about the buried memory that just now arose, showing her retaliation for the near-loss of her—well, she supposed she could admit—her friend? Should she tell him about the tears she shed after seeing him in the infirmary? There had to have been something she could say.
“It was… quiet while you were away.”
A smug smile made its presence on the changeling’s lips. “Yep, I knew it. You can’t live without me.”
Raven saw it and her eyes rolled at his remark. That stupid grin of his. She was pleased, though, that she did not have to try that scenario.
“Hey, the sun’s coming up!” Indeed, it was. After a troublesome afternoon and an eventful night, Raven finally saw a new morning. The sun’s presence painted the sky in calm reds and yellows. Unlike the dark sadness that once seemed to hang over the Tower for almost a month, this dawn displayed hope for the future. Because of Beast Boy’s selfless act, she was able to see it.
“It’s beautiful.”
“Yeah, it is.”
“And Beast Boy?”
“Yeah?”
“Just so you know: we care about you too.”
“Thanks, Rae.”
“My name’s not… whatever.”
---------------------------
Raven walked into bedroom with a gentle sigh, this one of content. She had not slept since about 3:30 am, but she somehow found energy to go to the party in Beast Boy’s honor.
She had to admit, the cake was delicious. It was in Beast Boy’s colors, purple with green trim that matched the words, “Welcome Back, Beast Boy!” The frosting was, of course, non-dairy.
She saw the shape-shifter’s face explode in glee when he got his presents. Apparently, while Cyborg waited, he ordered the latest edition of the Ninja Monkeys video game—Raven did not even try to remember the number (it was the 7th). Robin got him a card and a DVD of some movie involving monkeys and cops. It was strange how, despite the bite of a certain monkey starting a chain of events leading to his “condition” today, he seemed to like them in all kinds of media.
Yet that reaction was on a different level from the one he gave when he got Starfire and Raven’s gift. When he got the box he immediately tore it apart, but what happened next shocked everyone in the room.
Beast Boy was speechless.
He stared at the purple book in front of him, titled “Memories of BB”, and flipped open the pages. In it were pictures of the team joker on various days and in many ways. Some featured himself or the team in Egypt (when the Titans came to help Hotspot, and Beast Boy wanted to take pictures), some with him and honorary Titans (there were five, such as his meeting with Wonder Girl, who he was surprisingly calm around), others with him and Terra (the green teen quickly flipped past these pages).
The photo that really made him smile the deepest, though, was one featuring the Titans’ first day with the Tower.
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Reflected light gleaming from the many windows, the massive T in the background seemed to shine with a pride in its own construction. No one could foresee the damage it would take from threats and surprises such as the Hive graduates’ invasion, demonic forces, and even the antics of a Robin from another world. For now, though, and hopefully for a long time, it would serve as a symbol of protection to the residents of the city a boat ride away, as well as a great home.
Robin took a strong stance in the center of the group; though newly a leader at the time, his masked gaze showed anticipation for adventures with his team—his team, the thought that brought out a formerly rare smile onto the picture.
Starfire stood in her light-purple civilian clothes, close to his left side, her face an orange sun radiating with happiness for her new home. While she would miss her friends and fellow people on Tamaran (though she would be reunited one day), a hand on Robin’s left shoulder indicated that new bonds would certainly be formed on the planet Earth.
Cyborg, arms folded with a casual smile, hung coolly to her left. Behind that smooth façade, however, even he was brimming inside with happiness. Since the accident that claimed his mother’s life and left him changed forever, he kept a strained relationship with his father, who paid for the tower’s creation. That was the past though, he figured. He did not need high-tech equipment to sense that out of this motley group of ex-sidekicks and misfits, a new family would be born.
Beast Boy was on Robin’s right, and that day he somehow managed an arm around Raven’s shoulders in an attempt to get her into the picture. Raven’s smile was reluctant; Beast Boy’s smile then was just as vibrant as it was today.
Beast Boy felt the same as Cyborg did, that soon-to-be-familiar grin filled with hope. Both of his previous families may have been taken by tragedy (though one he would later find out still survived), but these… dudes would be his third try. Not to mention, for some strange reason, he wanted to know more about that girl who was… well… a little creepy.
Raven’s light smile masked a bit of apprehension about the entire situation. Maybe she should have left. It was only a matter of time before… before things would get worse. Yet, something told her that the Teen Team—she hated that name, Robin said they would work on it—could help her make up for what would come.
Besides, the green kid was a little funny.
----------------------------
Recollection poured into everyone’s minds; like the dawn, it was the start of something new. A good feeling swarmed through the quintet huddled around the book of memories.
Thanks to that surge of happiness, Beast Boy would eventually add a new picture to the album.
In his excitement and gratitude in getting the gift, he immediately grabbed the nearest person and kissed them on the cheek.
It was Raven.
Of course, Robin just happened to get a picture of that little moment on his digital camera. and Raven was sure that Cyborg would never let the two “lovebirds” live it down.
Raven now looked at a copy of the little square memory in her hand—Cyborg figured she would want to remember this. I can’t believe I didn’t get back at those boys for this. Staring at the sight of Beast Boy actually kissing her—she still could not quite accept it—she felt slight warmth rising on her face.
She shook her head and cleared it away. Oh no. Azarath no. I can’t… never!
Yet she saw the photo again, and a chuckle escaped. You just keep bothering me, don’t you? She put the little thing away in her dresser before something else happened.
A small smile graced her pale face as her head hit the pillow. Her last thought as she drifted to sleep:
You idiot…
END
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