Disclaimer: I own nothing here...except the words and even then some of those I don't. I don't own any of the Titan characters or the song "Simple and Clean" by Utada Hikari.
It had been nearly 3 years since Beast Boy had seen Terra. A lot happens in three years. It was now Beast Boy's 18th birthday and he's in for the surprise of his life.
Morning...
Beast Boy awoke the morning of his 18th birthday with the sinking feeling that this was going to be a bad day. He blearily rubbed his eyes and looked out the small window in his room. "Great," he muttered, "rain..." He ran a green hand over his now rugged face, the baby fat of youth replaced by the hard planes of maturity, and through his shaggy darker green hair. He noted fleetingly that he had stubble that would need to be shaved off if he planned to leave his room, that and he needed to get his haircut. But the last time he had it cut he had it cut by Starfire and it had been so atrociously bad it had taken 6 months to grow his hair back.
"Ah, now you look like a frugelhag!" exclaimed Starfire cheerfully. "A wha?" questioned Beast Boy as he reached for the mirror. When he focused there was the sound of two plops, those were his eyes as they fell from his head and rolled away. "Oh my God, Starfire!" he whimpered helplessly his hair looked as if he'd stuck it in a weed whacker and then mistaken his head for a weed and tried to lop it off with no avail. "Do you not like it?" Asked Starfire her lower lip trembling as tears threatened to overflow. "Well, I mean...come on...hey," he sputtered. Starfire chose then to let out a piercing wail that sent all the other titans to see what was wrong. However when they caught sight of Beast Boy they nearly died laughing. Cyborg was the first to recover, "Hey, BB you look like a really bad topiary!" Raven smiled, but that was enough. She never smiled and it must be bad for her to grin so openly. After Robin had finished snickering, he realized how upset Beast Boy really was and sobered up. "Hey now BB, it's not really all that bad. It kind of reminds me of a Mohawk and some new neo-nazi trend. You'll be a hit with all the ladies." But not even that cheered him up. He'd held back tears of disappointment and embarrassment and had slumped off to his room. For the next 6 months, he'd worn a dark green knit hat that Robin had bought him when he wouldn't come out of his room.
Beast Boy shook his head groggily to rid him of those painful memories. It had been a hard three years. He slid himself to edge of the bed, his body rippling with the hint of muscle beneath flawless green skin. He stretched like a cat jutting out his back and then straightening up just as fluidly. He looked out the window again and though, Today's gonna suck.
He slid on dark green cargo pants and a pulled a black T-shirt over his head that displayed the words "Finch" and a melted skull in white across his chest. He surveyed himself in the mirror and grinned. Turning he flexed, he may not look like Cyborg who absolutely rippled with muscle, but he could hold his own. He stepped into the bathroom and opened the medicine cabinet to pull out his razor. When he finished with his shaving, he put on his happy grin and prepared himself to face his friends.
Breakfast...
Beast Boy stepped into their shared kitchen and smiled at his friends who were all looking a bit groggy. Robin, like himself, was growing his hair out. However, Robin's hair was growing faster and looked a lot better than Beast Boy's. Robin raised his coffee cup in a mock salute to BB, and turned to grab one for him. Pulling out Beast Boy's favorite coffee cup and filling it with the newly brewed Colombian coffee. "Good Morning Beast Boy. How's it going?" asked Robin as he handed BB the cup and rested himself against the counter again. "Mhmm," grunted Beast Boy as he took a long gulp of the hot drink and then smiled as he answered, "Much better now with some coffee flowing through my veins." "You always do love your coffee..." muttered a husky, feminine voice. Grinning and rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, Beast Boy shrugged, "What can I say Raven I'm a caffeine junkie!" He slipped himself into a seat at the bar-like counter, and took another deep gulp. "Oh, yeah, good morning Raven," he smiled watching her materialize out of the shadows in the doorway. Of all of his friends, Raven and Starfire had really grown into their own. When he first met them, they were lanky adolescents, now they were beautiful women. Only a fool wouldn't have noticed, and he Beast Boy was no fool, not to the beauty of women. Raven's normally shoulder length hair was about waist length now, shiny and beautiful as it fell off her shoulders and behind her. Her violet eyes colder than before, but she had seen plenty of tragedies in three years that had made her that way. Her pale skin smooth and perfect, but her rare smile was what made her so beautiful. White and even, her smile was that of a movie star's and only shown when she was genuinely happy which was nearly never. "Good morning Beast Boy, looks like you woke up on the right side of the bed this morning," she sighed in her usual way. Raising an eyebrow he merely shook his head and grinned, "What can I say, it seems like a nice day..." "It's the day of Beast Boy's birth!" yelled a familiar voice as it threw open the kitchen door nearly squishing Robin on the kitchen counter. Starfire came flying in...literally. Her red hair streaming behind her, when she came to a stop she was nearly jumping up and down for joy. Starfire, out of she and Raven, was the real looker. She was perfectly proportioned and beautiful to boot. Movie star good looks, but she never seemed to notice that she was. Perhaps it did occur to her, stuff like that never did sink in with her. "What are you talking about Starfire?" asked Robin, "Beast Boy's birthday isn't until the 23th...and today is the...23th. Aw, geez Beast Boy I'm sorry I didn't realize what day it was. Happy Birthday." Slightly disappointed but not letting it show, Beast Boy shook his head, "It's ok bro. It's nothing big anyway." Raven, stood up and rummaged in the kitchen for something to eat that hadn't gone bad, "Nothing big? It's your 18th birthday, at least you could act happy. You can do things like buy cigarettes, scratch tickets...hey even porn." She laughed softly at herself. Shrugging Beast Boy replied, "Nah, those things don't really interest me..." Sighing he pushed himself out of his stool and dumped the rest of his coffee in the sink as he headed back to his room, "See you guys later..." As he was leaving, Cyborg came into the room. "Hey man, Happy 18th," he said lightly punching Beast Boy on the arm. Smiling slightly Beast Boy replied, "Thanks man." He kept walking, turned down the hallway, and made his way into his room again.
Plans...
"You think he bought it?" asked Cyborg when Beast Boy was out of earshot. "I can't tell anymore, he's becoming more and more withdrawn. I don't know what's wrong," added Robin. "He bought it alright," replied Raven. "How can you be so sure, friend Raven?" asked Starfire, nearly quivering with the effort to keep what secret she had. Smirking slightly Raven shrugged her shoulders, "I just know. Years of watching him have made me an expert at Beast Boy expressions." "Then we can't lose anytime. We have to finish the party stuff. Starfire, you go find the present. Raven, you contact the guests. Cyborg, you can do the decorations. I'll get the food. Remember, we meet at Jubilee's in three hours. That should be plenty of time. Ok, Titans Go!" exclaimed Robin. "Wait," Raven quipped, "Who's going to bring Beast Boy to Jubilee's anyway when the time's right?" Grinning Robin shook his head, "I've got that under control." When all their assignments had been given they all headed out their separate ways, except Robin, he hung back and placed a special flyer in the middle of the comic section so Beast Boy would be sure to see it.
Could it be True...
Sensing they had all left, Beast Boy slowly retreated from his room and back to the kitchen. He just couldn't stand being in a room with the people that he considered his family, who nearly all forgot his birthday. It just cut deep, deeper than the other hurts he'd felt while living here. No one laughing at his jokes he could deal with, but forgetting his birthday was something else. He poured himself another cup of coffee, and sat straddling a chair backwards as he rifled through the paper. He pulled out the comic section first and started to read, laughing here and there out loud at Garfield, Beetle Bailey, and others. Flipping the page over a loose flyer went careening to the floor. He ignored it as he finished his comics, and then went on to the other sections reading Style, Business, Local, National, and Entertainment. In the Entertainment section he kept reading about this hot new artist, but they failed to mention her name anywhere. Geez, if they want people to know who she is why don't they mention her name? He wondered to himself. He stretched backward, his back muscles straining as he then stood. He bent over under the table, picked up the stray flyer from before, and scanned it. What was on it shocked him; he had to sit, his hands becoming shaky and clammy.
Tonight Only at 9:00!
Terra!
The Hot New Artist Everyone's Talking about!
Only at Jubilee's
Tickets: Adults – $ 10.00
Seniors- $7.00
No one under 18 will be admitted!
Then he looked at the picture, the blonde girl who was singing her heart out was no doubt his first and only love Terra. She'd come to be a titan, but ended up running away after she thought he'd told Robin her secret. He'd loved Terra from the first day he'd seen her, and after all these years, his love was the same if not stronger. "Terra..." he whispered, his hands shaking as he looked at her picture. "God, you're beautiful now..." And she was, just like Raven and Starfire had bloomed in the last three years, Terra had become a beautiful woman. Her blonde hair was long and to her waist like Raven's, her smile was genuine and happy, and it tugged at his heart. Her eyes were a sparkling, clear, crystal blue. He took a deep, ragged breath, and tried to steel himself against the sudden onslaught of feelings that were suddenly washing over him. It was as if some dam had broken and they were all flooding back. All the emotions he'd locked away when she'd left were suddenly coming back full force. He quickly checked his watch, 7:00. Damn, I have to hurry! He ran out of the kitchen, the flyer still clutched in his hands. He ran into his bedroom and started to rifle through his clothing. He needed something that said, "Here I am Terra! It's me, Beast Boy!" Growling in frustration he started to rip things out of his closet. "No, to bleak. No, this won't do either. Not good enough! Why don't I own a decent set of clothing!" Growling deep in the back of his throat, it sounded primal and aggressive, he finally reached his dark maroon dress shirt and a pair of dark blue jeans. "This'll do, "he muttered as he roughly pulled on the blue jeans. He shoved his arms into the shirt and quickly buttoned it as he tried to brush his ragged dark green hair. He looked at himself in the mirror and decided that there was nothing else he could do to make himself look any better, and the fact that he was green would make him stand out in a crowd. He checked his watch and saw that all his digging in his room and taken longer than he'd expected and it was now 8:30. "AH! I've got to go!" He raced out of his room, slid down the banister of the stairs that led to the garage and hopped on one of the T-bikes and then took off, all that was left was a trail of smoke and the smell of burning rubber.
It had been nearly 3 years since Beast Boy had seen Terra. A lot happens in three years. It was now Beast Boy's 18th birthday and he's in for the surprise of his life.
Morning...
Beast Boy awoke the morning of his 18th birthday with the sinking feeling that this was going to be a bad day. He blearily rubbed his eyes and looked out the small window in his room. "Great," he muttered, "rain..." He ran a green hand over his now rugged face, the baby fat of youth replaced by the hard planes of maturity, and through his shaggy darker green hair. He noted fleetingly that he had stubble that would need to be shaved off if he planned to leave his room, that and he needed to get his haircut. But the last time he had it cut he had it cut by Starfire and it had been so atrociously bad it had taken 6 months to grow his hair back.
"Ah, now you look like a frugelhag!" exclaimed Starfire cheerfully. "A wha?" questioned Beast Boy as he reached for the mirror. When he focused there was the sound of two plops, those were his eyes as they fell from his head and rolled away. "Oh my God, Starfire!" he whimpered helplessly his hair looked as if he'd stuck it in a weed whacker and then mistaken his head for a weed and tried to lop it off with no avail. "Do you not like it?" Asked Starfire her lower lip trembling as tears threatened to overflow. "Well, I mean...come on...hey," he sputtered. Starfire chose then to let out a piercing wail that sent all the other titans to see what was wrong. However when they caught sight of Beast Boy they nearly died laughing. Cyborg was the first to recover, "Hey, BB you look like a really bad topiary!" Raven smiled, but that was enough. She never smiled and it must be bad for her to grin so openly. After Robin had finished snickering, he realized how upset Beast Boy really was and sobered up. "Hey now BB, it's not really all that bad. It kind of reminds me of a Mohawk and some new neo-nazi trend. You'll be a hit with all the ladies." But not even that cheered him up. He'd held back tears of disappointment and embarrassment and had slumped off to his room. For the next 6 months, he'd worn a dark green knit hat that Robin had bought him when he wouldn't come out of his room.
Beast Boy shook his head groggily to rid him of those painful memories. It had been a hard three years. He slid himself to edge of the bed, his body rippling with the hint of muscle beneath flawless green skin. He stretched like a cat jutting out his back and then straightening up just as fluidly. He looked out the window again and though, Today's gonna suck.
He slid on dark green cargo pants and a pulled a black T-shirt over his head that displayed the words "Finch" and a melted skull in white across his chest. He surveyed himself in the mirror and grinned. Turning he flexed, he may not look like Cyborg who absolutely rippled with muscle, but he could hold his own. He stepped into the bathroom and opened the medicine cabinet to pull out his razor. When he finished with his shaving, he put on his happy grin and prepared himself to face his friends.
Breakfast...
Beast Boy stepped into their shared kitchen and smiled at his friends who were all looking a bit groggy. Robin, like himself, was growing his hair out. However, Robin's hair was growing faster and looked a lot better than Beast Boy's. Robin raised his coffee cup in a mock salute to BB, and turned to grab one for him. Pulling out Beast Boy's favorite coffee cup and filling it with the newly brewed Colombian coffee. "Good Morning Beast Boy. How's it going?" asked Robin as he handed BB the cup and rested himself against the counter again. "Mhmm," grunted Beast Boy as he took a long gulp of the hot drink and then smiled as he answered, "Much better now with some coffee flowing through my veins." "You always do love your coffee..." muttered a husky, feminine voice. Grinning and rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, Beast Boy shrugged, "What can I say Raven I'm a caffeine junkie!" He slipped himself into a seat at the bar-like counter, and took another deep gulp. "Oh, yeah, good morning Raven," he smiled watching her materialize out of the shadows in the doorway. Of all of his friends, Raven and Starfire had really grown into their own. When he first met them, they were lanky adolescents, now they were beautiful women. Only a fool wouldn't have noticed, and he Beast Boy was no fool, not to the beauty of women. Raven's normally shoulder length hair was about waist length now, shiny and beautiful as it fell off her shoulders and behind her. Her violet eyes colder than before, but she had seen plenty of tragedies in three years that had made her that way. Her pale skin smooth and perfect, but her rare smile was what made her so beautiful. White and even, her smile was that of a movie star's and only shown when she was genuinely happy which was nearly never. "Good morning Beast Boy, looks like you woke up on the right side of the bed this morning," she sighed in her usual way. Raising an eyebrow he merely shook his head and grinned, "What can I say, it seems like a nice day..." "It's the day of Beast Boy's birth!" yelled a familiar voice as it threw open the kitchen door nearly squishing Robin on the kitchen counter. Starfire came flying in...literally. Her red hair streaming behind her, when she came to a stop she was nearly jumping up and down for joy. Starfire, out of she and Raven, was the real looker. She was perfectly proportioned and beautiful to boot. Movie star good looks, but she never seemed to notice that she was. Perhaps it did occur to her, stuff like that never did sink in with her. "What are you talking about Starfire?" asked Robin, "Beast Boy's birthday isn't until the 23th...and today is the...23th. Aw, geez Beast Boy I'm sorry I didn't realize what day it was. Happy Birthday." Slightly disappointed but not letting it show, Beast Boy shook his head, "It's ok bro. It's nothing big anyway." Raven, stood up and rummaged in the kitchen for something to eat that hadn't gone bad, "Nothing big? It's your 18th birthday, at least you could act happy. You can do things like buy cigarettes, scratch tickets...hey even porn." She laughed softly at herself. Shrugging Beast Boy replied, "Nah, those things don't really interest me..." Sighing he pushed himself out of his stool and dumped the rest of his coffee in the sink as he headed back to his room, "See you guys later..." As he was leaving, Cyborg came into the room. "Hey man, Happy 18th," he said lightly punching Beast Boy on the arm. Smiling slightly Beast Boy replied, "Thanks man." He kept walking, turned down the hallway, and made his way into his room again.
Plans...
"You think he bought it?" asked Cyborg when Beast Boy was out of earshot. "I can't tell anymore, he's becoming more and more withdrawn. I don't know what's wrong," added Robin. "He bought it alright," replied Raven. "How can you be so sure, friend Raven?" asked Starfire, nearly quivering with the effort to keep what secret she had. Smirking slightly Raven shrugged her shoulders, "I just know. Years of watching him have made me an expert at Beast Boy expressions." "Then we can't lose anytime. We have to finish the party stuff. Starfire, you go find the present. Raven, you contact the guests. Cyborg, you can do the decorations. I'll get the food. Remember, we meet at Jubilee's in three hours. That should be plenty of time. Ok, Titans Go!" exclaimed Robin. "Wait," Raven quipped, "Who's going to bring Beast Boy to Jubilee's anyway when the time's right?" Grinning Robin shook his head, "I've got that under control." When all their assignments had been given they all headed out their separate ways, except Robin, he hung back and placed a special flyer in the middle of the comic section so Beast Boy would be sure to see it.
Could it be True...
Sensing they had all left, Beast Boy slowly retreated from his room and back to the kitchen. He just couldn't stand being in a room with the people that he considered his family, who nearly all forgot his birthday. It just cut deep, deeper than the other hurts he'd felt while living here. No one laughing at his jokes he could deal with, but forgetting his birthday was something else. He poured himself another cup of coffee, and sat straddling a chair backwards as he rifled through the paper. He pulled out the comic section first and started to read, laughing here and there out loud at Garfield, Beetle Bailey, and others. Flipping the page over a loose flyer went careening to the floor. He ignored it as he finished his comics, and then went on to the other sections reading Style, Business, Local, National, and Entertainment. In the Entertainment section he kept reading about this hot new artist, but they failed to mention her name anywhere. Geez, if they want people to know who she is why don't they mention her name? He wondered to himself. He stretched backward, his back muscles straining as he then stood. He bent over under the table, picked up the stray flyer from before, and scanned it. What was on it shocked him; he had to sit, his hands becoming shaky and clammy.
Tonight Only at 9:00!
Terra!
The Hot New Artist Everyone's Talking about!
Only at Jubilee's
Tickets: Adults – $ 10.00
Seniors- $7.00
No one under 18 will be admitted!
Then he looked at the picture, the blonde girl who was singing her heart out was no doubt his first and only love Terra. She'd come to be a titan, but ended up running away after she thought he'd told Robin her secret. He'd loved Terra from the first day he'd seen her, and after all these years, his love was the same if not stronger. "Terra..." he whispered, his hands shaking as he looked at her picture. "God, you're beautiful now..." And she was, just like Raven and Starfire had bloomed in the last three years, Terra had become a beautiful woman. Her blonde hair was long and to her waist like Raven's, her smile was genuine and happy, and it tugged at his heart. Her eyes were a sparkling, clear, crystal blue. He took a deep, ragged breath, and tried to steel himself against the sudden onslaught of feelings that were suddenly washing over him. It was as if some dam had broken and they were all flooding back. All the emotions he'd locked away when she'd left were suddenly coming back full force. He quickly checked his watch, 7:00. Damn, I have to hurry! He ran out of the kitchen, the flyer still clutched in his hands. He ran into his bedroom and started to rifle through his clothing. He needed something that said, "Here I am Terra! It's me, Beast Boy!" Growling in frustration he started to rip things out of his closet. "No, to bleak. No, this won't do either. Not good enough! Why don't I own a decent set of clothing!" Growling deep in the back of his throat, it sounded primal and aggressive, he finally reached his dark maroon dress shirt and a pair of dark blue jeans. "This'll do, "he muttered as he roughly pulled on the blue jeans. He shoved his arms into the shirt and quickly buttoned it as he tried to brush his ragged dark green hair. He looked at himself in the mirror and decided that there was nothing else he could do to make himself look any better, and the fact that he was green would make him stand out in a crowd. He checked his watch and saw that all his digging in his room and taken longer than he'd expected and it was now 8:30. "AH! I've got to go!" He raced out of his room, slid down the banister of the stairs that led to the garage and hopped on one of the T-bikes and then took off, all that was left was a trail of smoke and the smell of burning rubber.