Disclaimer: Not my characters, not my world.
A/N: Request-fic for Ankhutenshi, who asked for something featuring Beast Boy and the theme 'size.' And yes, my mind went to dirty places before it alighted here.
Continuity: Set during 'Titans Together' (Season Five penultimate episode).
Feedback: Feedback makes the Boredom Fairy put her blowtorch away.
Jitters
© Scribbler
On the way into the Brotherhood's stronghold, when the shadows seemed longer and the air grew dank, Beast Boy's elbow started to tremble. He thought it was maybe a muscle spasm, and was about to tell Jericho to loosen his grip when he realised that it wasn't actually him at all.
"Mas?"
Mas had his face in his hands, fat little fingers splayed to hide his expression. A string of muffled words worked their way free, but they might as well have stayed in his mouth, for all Beast Boy understood them.
"Uh…"
"He says he is not used to facing danger alone," Pantha muttered. "That, and he can feel his brother's fear."
"Whoa, you can really do that?" Trying to think like Robin (only without the whole gung-ho lonely hero thing), Beast Boy catalogued this information and wondered if they could use it once they were inside. "Sense Menos's emotions, I mean." Of course, Robin would never make stuff up at the last minute like this, but he was only trying to think like Robin, not be him.
"Si," Mas snuffled miserably.
"Aw, don't worry, buddy. We'll get him back. You're not alone. You've got us." Beast Boy reached out to lightly punch his shoulder, but evidently this was little comfort, because Mas just scrubbed at his eyes, lower lip resolutely tremulous.
Way to work wonders on my confidence, dude.
When Pantha spoke again, Beast Boy tensed involuntarily. She discouraged friendly banter as much as Raven did, and had the same dangerous undercurrent, but Pantha carried with her a palpable threat of violence that Raven never had. Raven was cool, composed, lenient with her emotions. Pantha was raw power, passionate and wild, with her temper firmly in the driving seat. Talking to her made him feel like she was always milliseconds away from ripping his hand off to use as an ashtray – and she didn't even smoke.
"I am thinking we are all idiots," she said bluntly, head propped on one massive fist. "We should have waited to see if any more Titans survived - "
Mas immediately broke in angrily. She replied in equally rapid Spanish.
"All right, all right – if any more Titans escaped. We are too small a group."
Herald didn't nod, but he looked like he wanted to.
Herald reminded Beast Boy of Cyborg. They had the same self-possessed manner – something to do with the brightness of the grin and the set of the shoulders. Beast Boy wondered where Cy was right now, and hoped against hope that he was still running free somewhere – Raven and Starfire, too, since Robin had so obviously been taken down already. They were all tough. They could take care of themselves against the concerted might of the Brotherhood, he was sure of it.
Well … semi-sure.
Hopeful, anyway.
"We'll be fine," Beast Boy maintained, neglecting to ask how it was Mas understood enough English to get offended by semantics but still refused to talk in anything but Taco-tongue. "Once we get in and free the others, there'll be more than enough of us to take down the entire Brotherhood. They made a big mistake, collecting so many Titans together in one place. That'll be our trump card."
"The captured Titans ain't the only ones together in one place," Herald pointed out. "This is the Brotherhood's turf. They got the home field advantage."
"And we've got the element of surprise."
"I still think we are idiots," said Pantha. "You for coming up with this plan, and me for following it." She said nothing about turning back, for which Beast Boy was grateful. Actions were louder than words, after all. "We are digging our own - "
Mas shot her a furious look.
"We are boiling our own hot water," she finished.
"Come on, guys." Beast Boy could taste the extra moisture in the air, and feel the sweat inching down his neckline. They were getting closer – though closer to what remained to be seen. Something good, he hoped. Well, it'd make a nice change. "We've got to believe we can do this. We have to believe in ourselves, otherwise we'll never win. That's how the Titans operate – we support and believe in each other. And we never give up. Ever."
"I believe in you," Jericho said slowly, creakingly, through Cinderblock's ill-suited mouth. The words were like the heavy grind of stone on stone, laborious, unwieldy – cumbersome. They obviously took a lot of effort.
For a second there was silence.
"I suppose I do, too," Herald admitted, with an impressive impression of lazy disregard, and an even more impressive glance at Beast Boy that managed to communicate exactly how much they were all risking on his plan, and exactly how easy it would be for him to get away before anything hit the proverbial fan. But I'm still here, it seemed to say, which was remarkable, given he was wearing both domino mask and a hood, and wasn't even looking directly at him. You're leading, I'm following, and I'm still here.
Mas made noises Beast Boy assumed were affirmative.
Pantha dropped her fist and let her chin fall onto her chest with a sigh. "I think I may regret this, but … perhaps you are right. Great empires can fall with but a single push in the right place, yes?"
"Right on." Beast Boy's grin was only a little strained. "Altogether, now: The bigger they are - "
"They harder they fall," the others finished.
It didn't have quite the same ring as 'Titans, go!' but it would have to do.
FINIS.