I can't seem to find inspiration for "Hell on Earth" so have this little filler of a story.
Dick Grayson found it his duty to wake up before his teammates. Every morning he'd rise at 8:00, take a morning shower, get dressed, and style his hair, a very crucial part of waking up, then he'd make himself breakfast and find ways to keep himself busy in the tower. Sometimes, if he felt the need to, he'd make a schedule in this time, sometimes he'd get a head start on training, organize his crime files he had sprawled throughout his room, do a security sweep throughout the tower or maybe just relax and watch some T.V.
This particular morning, he awoke with the feeling that something was wrong, but what it was he couldn't say. He leaned up against the kitchen counter, looking up at the ceiling as if he expected the answer to come crashing down, but after a good five minutes with no answer, Dick began to wonder if it was just paranoia setting in. As much as he hated to admit it, there were times when it tended to take over. Maybe this was just one of those times? He did his best to repress such feelings but to no avail, and he hurried to the rooms of his teammates.
A quick peak in Starfire's room, he found her laying in her pink circular bed, her pet worm Silkie in a smaller version of it on the ground, giving off a slight buzz of a snore. Robin smiled to see that she was okay and hurried to Ravens room.
He knew Raven didn't care for people in her room, so he made his glance quick just to see her floating above her bed, and that nothing seemed disturbed, a few books on the floor, but nothing to cause panic, and so with that he stepped back out.
If something was wrong with Cyborgs systems, there would be an alarm going off on one of the many monitors on the walls of his room, but through further examination, Robin figured everything was in order. His knowledge of computers would never match up to Victor's, but his skill level was high enough to see that everything was okay.
All seemed well so far, all was left to check was Beast Boys room, but Robin knew Garfield was more likely to be found sleeping than any of the Titans. Although...now that he thought about it, something did seem off to the youngest Titan's usually playful demeanor yesterday. He wasn't as enthusiastic as he usually is, and didn't seem to crack any jokes the other day, which, he had to admit, he had mixed feelings about. Robin made his way to Beast Boys room and took a look inside. It was too dark to see anything, not so much as the blinking numbers on an alarm clock to provide any light. He could see Beast Boys bed in the distance, and immediately took notice as to how the blankets had been sprawled about to show that the bed was empty, it's owner nowhere to be found. Robin stepped out and made a beeline for the security console in the living room.
The sun was beginning to rise, ever so gradually, covering jump city with a beautiful shade of yellow-orange. The glorious light reflected from the surface of the water surround the team's headquarters. On the edge of the giant T-shaped building sat young Garfield Logan, taking in the view, his usually happy face, expressionless. Pointed ears twitch at the sound of a door opening behind him, and he turned to see Robin make his way through the door leading to the roof. "Hey, Rob." He flashed him a weak smile, and turned back around, embracing his knees. "Beast Boy." he greeted. "I thought something happened to you. Your room was empty when I checked in on you. I checked the cameras and found you up here." Beast Boy sat motionless, paying him no mind. "I'm sorry." He said finally. Robin raised a brow. "You alright?" he sat down next to him. "You've been acting strange lately." There was a beat of silence before Either of them spoke. "It's my Moms birthday." Said Gar finally. "My real Mom." He looked at him and back at the rising sun. "She would've been 37 today. I remember when we used to wake up really early in the morning and we used to wait for the sunrise, it was my favorite part of the day." The Titans never really spoke about family. They had met Starfires father as well as Ravens though Ravens father proved to be more than a little bit of a handful. All and all family wasn't really discussed. Robin had never talked about his and neither had Cyborg, this was the first time Robin had heard Beast Boy talk about family. "We used to run an animal sanctuary, her and I back in Africa. It was really pretty there, less buildings and more...y'know, wild." He gave a sigh and let his legs dangle over the edge. "I wonder how it's doing now. I'd fly there...but my arms get tired and the ocean's pretty big...I doubt I could reach it by myself." He gave a Robin a playful smile. "I guess it's pretty pathetic, a big hero like me getting all home sick like a little kid." Almost immediately after hearing that, Robin furiously shook his head. "No no no no no no, it's perfectly normal. You miss your Mom, who wouldn't?" Beast Boys green eyes widened a little as Robin moved over closer to him. "I miss my Mom too. She had pretty dirty blonde hair and blue eyes, and she always wore her hair up in a braid." His voice lowered and he looked at the oceans surface. "I miss her everyday." The boys thought back to their mothers and they good times they both shared with them. "What would they think about us now?" Gar asked. "My mom thought I was going to be an actor, but that seems more like a dream now." Robin flashed him a smile. "I think you would make a great actor, Beast Boy." Gars eyes lit up. "You really think so?" "Yeah." He chuckled. "I don't see why not. Join local theater, take some classes, you'd be a natural." Gars excitement grew, his joyful demeanor returning. "And I could be in movies! I could make my own movies!" He placed him hand on his chest. "I don't mean to toot my own horn but...I am a pretty talented screenwriter." It felt good to have the old Beast Boy back, to have him sad for too long would throw the whole team off balance. robin was glad to have him back and was happy he could provide some sort of comfort.
The boys remained there until the sun was complete to rise. After that, they would head downstairs to meet the others. The group would head out for brunch to celebrate Marie Logan's 37th birthday.
Yesterday was my Dad's birthday, and so I dedicate this little story in his memory. Happy birthday, old timer.