Description:Join as the Teen Titans have team or dynamical fluff and angst. For they will encounter new enemies and old comrades. Events and stories that crept their lights off. This is the Teen Titans One-Shots.
Disclaimer: DC's not mine. This series or the characters aren't mine. I only own the plot.
(First few chapters have Robin handling the team.)
Beast Boy cannot handle himself well.
Ever since he saw the 'Familiar Face' in her school, he was beginning to regret leaving her. On his second thought, time passed by and he would let it be forgotten for the meantime. He didn't meant to forget 'her' rather, he would just move from now on, for the sake of himself.
And it didn't really helped him much. The boy still has his memories with 'her' as nightmares. Terrifying nightmares. He would wake up early, or maybe even three in the morning. He would go to the kitchen for Tofu as his breakfast and go to his room immediately just playing games rather than sleeping. He had bag under his eyes and surely the Titans had noticed his behaviour through night time.
Not only he noticed himself changing his sleeping schedule by the day, but also the whole team was concerned of their youngest member's well-being. They were trying their best to cure him out of that near depression: Starfire letting him go to a shopping spree (which Beast Boy liked abit for his fashion statements.), Robin letting him win on a basketball game, Cyborg have games with him for few hours, even Raven tried soothe him out by letting him read her books (Beast Boy may hate reading, yes, but he like having with Raven anyways).
It wasn't easy, but it lessened his pain from the nightmares he's getting. The nightmares wasn't that critical to the boy's life physically, however it just mentally broke him. Well, a little, that's for sure. But for the most part, he was showing his side of negativity. He wasn't always the kid who wants to get attention and become the most annoying member of the team, now he was utterly destroyed, heart broke, and even emotionless.
One day, he would walk up with everyone on the tower. Next, he would just eat his food and go back to his room, looking tired and pale as the Titans noticed.
And for this time, the Titans (excluding Beast Boy) were going off for out town for a mission. The thing is that they expected him to come with them for the mission, but ended up the call of "I don't want to. Go away." from their communicators.
"Must we stay for him. He seemed the sad." Starfire asked, worry laced as usual in her tone when someone important to her had problems or someone she would accidentally hurt. Starfire cared for Beast Boy. She would think of him as one of the annoying, but enthusiastic as a teenager. She remembered all the things that the boy had done for her. He showed her how to be a 'rad teenager' when she was just few days with her new friends that day. Then he would try doing pranks (not for her) and Star refused to do one of it because she saw this act is terribly wrong and not to be copied.
"Give him time, Star. He will calm as he forgets." Cyborg reassured the Tamaranean, but he would leave a sense of guilt somewhere in his voice. He was Beast Boy's best friend. He had been there to help him out of anything, despite being irritating whenever he tripped something bad.
"I'll do it." Robin raised his voice as his usual serious face looked upon the Titans.
"But, we need you for the mission." Raven complained, but not too much. She understood. She cared for Beast Boy too. All that annoying stuff making her mad, but missed all those tomfoolery. She hated to admit, but she liked Beast Boy. Ever since he said the first joke and she laughed at it, he would give her the puppy dog eyes that was not intentional either way. She felt she had a responsibility to protect him as she was older than him.
"Cyborg, you take the lead. I'm sure you guys will handle it alone." Robin replied, still defending his choice.
"Man, how about I do it? He trusts me and is my best friend." Cyborg fully regretted what he said seconds ago. He wanted his friend to be okay so that's what he's gonna do, even though he would usually now ignores them all.
"No, I'll do it. As leader, I must help my teammates to recover from any missions. You guys go out there and call us if you need back-up." Robin said firmly and... well a bit poetically, but for the sake of standing his point.
Starfire flew to the leader and hugged him and him returning the favor after being surpised for a few seconds. "Please do heal him." Starfire muttered to him. Robin hummed in response nodding also. She let go and smiled until she left with the other Titans.
"Are you sure you're gonna do this?" Cyborg asked still stubborn, but concerned. Robin once again nodded, but this time sternly. He was not impatient, just a little frustrated about his stubbornness, nonetheless he understood the situation. Cyborg was worried not for him, but for Beast Boy.
And just from that, the three Titans flew away with their orange ship out of the tower.
Robin walked off to the hallway where he could see few doors of their rooms closed. He found the youngest member's door and hesitantly knocked. He didn't really want to invade his privacy, in chance of bringing their friend back, he has to. And so he waited for anything to happen.
There was no response.
Getting worried by each knock and no showing of the boy, he called instead.
"Beast Boy, please open the door." Robin politely said. He isn't a threat to him. He didn't want that. He only wanted was to let Beast Boy feel secure.
This was not so at all.
"Beast Boy, please. I need to talk to you." No, he isn't giving up yet.
After a few minutes before Robin could knock one more time. He could hear... whines and groans coming inside. It wasn't clear to him until he lighted up.
He was having nightmares.
And so, the leader hacked into the door to open the lock and it did accessed. He may not admit or tell, but he was a good hacker, to say the least.
When he opened the door, he saw Beastboy laying down at the floor curled all up...
Were those tears?
Distressed he was seeing, he immediately tried shaking him out of that horrible nightmare.
"Beast Boy, wake up!"
"No... please... I-I..." Beastboy choked through tears.
He didn't know what to do. He was the leader for God's sake! He should be calming a teammate. Knowing their strengths and weaknesses. Yes, he had know that. However, the problem is that how?
How can he do it? He wasn't fond with emotions or far cry, but for his friend's mental health, he tried.
"You're okay, Beast Boy. You're not from that nightmare. You're safe. You're safe. Please, wake up..." Robin, now weakened, was shaking the stressed boy almost not hardly anymore. He kept repeating the words all over.
You're safe.
You're safe.
You're safe.
"Mama, Tati?"
Robin snapped out of his thoughts and stood up, began walking backwards falling on the ground in the process. That voice. That high pitched young broken voice. It was all too familiar for the Boy Wonder. And it made him shiver in the memory.
"R-Robin...?" A hoarse, rasped voice called him questioning.
"I-I, yeah, I'm here." Robin stuttered, still having that thought in mind.
"W-what are you d-doing here...?" Beast Boy asked trying to stand up. Robin noticed his wince and he immediately helped him to his bed, sitting him down.
"I... You were having a nightmare." It was simple.
"And... how did that affect you... c-coming here...?" Beast Boy coughed.
Well, too simple.
"Beast Boy...you... we have been wondering about you..." Robin rubbed his neck awkwardly, getting the atmosphere tense. Because Beast Boy isn't going to buy his lie. He knew it is a lie. "Robin..." Beast Boy glanced up at the older boy, almost growling to him, the look on his face he used when he was complete serious. Robin didn't seem to faze by Beast Boy was giving him. He had faced this all too well, back in his second hometown.
"... You were curled up, crying." Robin tried his best not to be mean. He didn't want too, for him to freak out. Opposition of what he expected, Beast Boy just muttered a curse, face palming himself.
"Ugh, Robin I-I-"
"Don't be." Robin cut him off walking towards him, sitting beside the boy afterwards.
The younger one hid his face out of embarrassment and yet frustration.
"Dude, you can't just barge into my room. That's invading privacy!" Beast Boy snapped. Not the kind of angry expression, though. They both knew that he used this to prevent someone from getting into more of his personal life. Honestly, the Boy Wonder wanted to shrug off the feeling, but now was the time to let it all out.
"I know. But you're privacy has already been invaded."
"By who, you mean exactly?"
"Night terrors." That confused the boy, not having know of the word that Robin replied. The older boy sighed and looked down, tried to say something about it. "Night terrors are nightmares, but have more mental issues alongside. They're kinda that make you do things from nightmares to real life, able to do what you do in that particular dream. And I supposed you had one... well until the Doom Patrol took you in." Robin explained. Ever since the Doom Patrol adventures, Robin had secretly kept tabs on who was Garfield Logan. Turns out his parents passed away by a flood and had been taken by the Doom Patrol, trained him and cared for him. Robin felt the very pain Beast Boy had when his parents died.
Beast Boy stared at the older one for a while until he tilted his head away, trying to hide his cries.
He remembered. Everything happened back in the few months. It shuddered him to think of it.
"You know... it wasn't really your fault. Terra was just insecure. As all of other children who went stray." Robin understood fully how his little friend acted back when Terra committed suicide. It was all so unreal. One day, you met up a young girl alone exploring the whole world, then next would be showing off her true colors.
"What if it was? Dude, do you know how to handle this kind of thing? Terra forgot me because of Slade. Because started when I screamed at her not to be friends anymore." Beast Boy practically yelled at Robin, now water pouring from the green boy's eyes. Robin, however, was not being immature and all-knowing. He knew he couldn't make everything right. No matter the easy-taking conversations could lead to arguments and then misunderstanding.
"Yes, I don't know how to cope with it..."
Robin moved closer to him patting the younger boy on the back, which made Beast Boy uncomfortable but nonetheless appreciated the gesture.
"But together, team and a family, we can face any problems in front of us... And even though you might hate us for telling you to shut up, we care for you, you know?" Robin tried to soften his voice. Ever since with his teachings with Starfire and Raven how to be softer and fulfilling the issues of every teenager's problems, he had tried it for good use.
And look where he was. Sounding so not Robin-with-a-serious-attitude.
"I know..." was the reply.
"Start looking from the present for once. You may never know, missions could ease your mind off the pain for a while. If you'd like to." Robin suggested, almost looking to be an order too worried about his current behaviour also.
Beast Boy glanced at him, turning his frown to a smile.
"Now, try not to get into your mind. Imagine we and the others have fun in the park, teenagers for once." Robin said, thinking the times they got out of the tower for to relax in the morning sun. The boy nodded, reminiscing the days they were teenagers for once in a while. They played volleyball at the top of the tower instead, at least that's what he imagined to be. Without Terra appearing instead, he imagined Raven mad at him and Cyborg for intentionally throwing the ball to her gesturing to play with them. Robin and Starfire would laugh at their antics and hide somewhere they could be safe from the ticking time bomb of Raven's irritation.
"Yeah... it does feel..." Beast Boy didn't finish his sentence as he thought about their party when they celebrated finished building the tower. Cyborg would be dancing with a disco ball. Starfire pulled Robin onto the dance rather than leaning on the kitchen counter. Raven would be embarrassed because she doesn't know human communication until Beast Boy did what Starfire to Robin. They were given the title 'family' after the months staying in the Tower as they would recently call it home.
Beast Boy happily chuckled at the memories, now forgetting his guilt.
Robin faintly smiled, secretly calling in the Titans communicator.
After the few hours of chatter between the youngest member and the leader, Robin felt something vibrating on his pocket.
"Hold on for a sec, Beast Boy." Robin raised his hand telling to stop, a nod that had given from the boy.
Robin patted his shoulder looking at him with his usual look, which Beast Boy didn't mind at all. Robin walked out of his room, leaving Beast Boy in isolation.
Waiting for a few minutes staying at his with boredom was making Beast Boy lack of patience. He was about to tell Robin most of his favorite animals when he was little. But now that communicator made Robin push away from him. It felt cold without anyone talking to.
Until alas, Robin texted him to go to the living room for a surprise. Beast Boy liked surprises. He always got birthday surprise from his old family making him grin once in a while, then eat of his favorite food: Tofu. As too, from the birthday surprise for Raven, that had been ruined due to her typical mood towards them.
And so the boy jumped down and ran out of the room to the particular destination.
He was surprised at the sight. The team was sitting at their couches. Starfire and Robin at the loveseat and Raven and Cyborg sitting at the three-seat couch with the remaining space was the middle part.
Robin and the others heard the door slid and looked all at the boy, smiling (excluding Raven) at him. Starfire gleefully flew towards the boy staring in shock at his teammates. "Friend Beast Boy! I am the glad you came for the movie watching." Starfire said grinning at him. "M-movie- what?" He was very confused right now. His friends never ever had the will to a movie after the 'movie incident' with Raven. It sure let Beast Boy blink rapidly, thinking this was all a dream.
His sight turned to Cyborg after the young man clapped both of his metal hands. "She meant it. We all meant for us to watch a movie." He said.
Beast Boy shook his head, grabbed Starfire and ran swiftly at the couch merely hitting Raven with his hyperactivity.
"So, what movie are we gonna watch?"
"You choose. You're good at picking." Cyborg said his hand showing him a box of DVDs. Beast Boy released Starfire and now rummaging through the box, looking for any great quality movies.
"This one!" Beast Boy picked up the selected DVD and all nodded for him to take it to the DVD player.
The Titans all relaxed at their couches and watched the movie especially Beast Boy, who was glancing at his friends every now and then. Until they all fell asleep with Beast Boy sleeping peacefully now that his friends are with him, all the way.