Raven sighed. Sometimes, being a hero was not easy. No, scratch that, being a hero was never easy.
Tiredly she closed her eyes and ran her fingers through her hair slowly.
Normally, Raven, along with her team-mates, was able to help every citizen who needed their help. But sometimes, fate felt it had something to say and showed it in the cruelest ways possible. Take Terra, for an example.
Though, what troubled Raven's mind was not Terra. It was something that had happened just two days ago. On the main street, just outside the bank...
An old man, turned 98
He won the lottery, and died the next day
It's a black fly in your chardonnay
It's a death row pardon, two minutes too late
The old man had just won the lottery. But apparently, there was a mistake concerning the amount of money he had won.
That bank visit would have gotten him a whole lot richer than he would ever expect to get.
But then, what happens?
A dumb, common criminal stomp into the bank with a gun, wanting to make a stick-up and by a mistake shoots the old man.
Raven frowned.
And isn't it ironic?
Don't you think?
It had happened long before the Teen Titans had even got the message about the bank robbery. The old man had died long before they even got a chance to stop it. It was rarely such a thing happened, but sometimes...
Sometimes destiny needed to prove its power to the world in hard, cold, callous irony.
It's like rain, on your wedding day
It's a free ride, when you've already paid
It's the good advice, that you just didn't take
And who would've thought? It figures...
A tear rolled down her cheek. The old man had probably been sure to die soon anyway, but that didn't mean he had to be shot in the head by some random psycho!
She rested her forehead on her right palm and sighed again.
One day, when Melvin, Teether and Timmy had come to visit the Teen Titans, Melvin had told her, how their parents died...
Mr. Play-It-Safe, was afraid to fly
He packed his suitcase, and kissed his kids goodbye
He waited his whole damn life, to take that flight
And as the plane crashed down he thought, "Well isn't this nice?"
Raven tilted her head up and glared daggers into the air.
He had always been afraid to fly, was what Melvin had told her. But then, on their 5th honey-moon, he had promised his wife a romantic vacation somewhere. And he had surrendered himself to make her happy. Said "okay, honey, I know I have been afraid of flying ever since I was born, but because I love you so much, I'm gonna fly with you anyway."
They had both known that it would be the best vacation of their lives.
Too bad they didn't think about small, seemingly unimportant screws, which held together the motor and the wing.
And isn't it ironic?
Don't you think?
Raven snarled. She could imagine how pissed off, Melvin's father must had felt deep down inside.
...Was destiny really like that?
To sit in the plane and watch the other half get thorn off with a loud roar, and then be able to do nothing but think "Well this sucks. Goodbye, cruel world..."?
It's like rain, on your wedding day
It's a free ride, when you've already paid
It's the good advice, that you just didn't take
And who would've thought? It figures...
Raven clenched her hands. Events like that reminded her that she was insignificant. - That all beings were insignificant. It was frustrating that every time mankind thought that it was somehow able to control its own life, cruel fate showed up and made every one suffer. With the worst punishment ever invented.
Irony.
Well life has a funny way of sneaking up on you
When you think everything's okay and everything's going right
And life has a funny way of helping you out
When you think everything's gone wrong and everything blows up in your face...
Suddenly another tear rolled down Raven's cheek and she buried her face in her hands. Small stifled sobs found their way out of her throat as she though about it all.
Melvin's parents. The old man. Thousands of other people who experienced irony in all its forms, both small and big accidents.
A traffic jam, when you're already late
A "No smoking" sign, on your cigarette break
It's like ten thousand spoons, when all you need is a knife
It's meeting the man of my dreams, and then meeting his beautiful wife
And isn't it ironic?
Don't you think?
All, they were proof that man was insignificant to the great power called destiny.
And what about Raven?
A little too ironic?
Yeah I really do think
She was a superhero, destined to destroy the world. In fact, she was a beast, sent from hell to cause the apocalypse. Raven's sobbing turned louder.
It's like rain, on your wedding day
It's a free ride, when you've already paid
It's the good advice, that you just didn't take
And who would've thought?
It figures...
"Raven?"
Raven's head snapped up and she looked at the doorway, tears streaming down her face.
"B-beast Boy?"
"Um... yeah. I heard you crying... is... is everything okay?"
Raven wiped her eyes. She hadn't told her friends about it yet. Her prophecy.
"I'm fine..." she sniffed, "It's just that... I'm still thinking about that old man, two days ago..."
It wasn't even a lie. The old man just wasn't the only thing she was thinking about.
"Oh..." Beast Boy looked sadly at her. "Well... that is what sometimes happens..." he whispered.
Raven nodded. He was right. That was the one big reason to why she cried.
"But it's just... he didn't deserve to die..." she started crying again. Neither did Melvin's parents. They were just humans that destiny had decided to play with.
Suddenly a hand landed gently on her shoulder and Raven looked up to see Beast Boy's green gaze giving her a comforting look.
"No he didn't..." Beast Boy said with a sad smile, "but that's irony, right?"
Raven looked away still with tears covering her face. Yes, irony indeed.
"But isn't there some way to fight it?" she thought.
"Oh, um... and Raven?"
"Yes?"
"Actually I... I thought it was such a beautiful day outside... so... so I thought you maybe wanted to come with me to the park?"
Raven blinked at looked at the green shape shifter. He was giving her a soft, encouraging smile and when their eyes met, he gave her shoulder a small squeeze. Raven smiled wryly and softly wiped away her tears with the back of her hand.
"Sure... I... I'd love to..."
Was he trying to cheer her up or...?
Yes, Raven thought as she walked with silent steps behind Beast Boy out of the living room. It truly is ironic. A super-hero, like me destined to destroy the world... has friends.
She smiled hopefully as she followed him out of the T-tower. It really was a sunny, beautiful day outside. A perfect day for a stroll in the park.
Very good, comforting friends.
... Life has a funny way of sneaking up on you...And life has a funny, funny way, of helping you out...
Helping you out...
What happens afterwards is up to your imagination. All I know is that when I imagine Raven getting comforted by Beast Boy, and they're walking away together to the last lines of "Ironic" I get a very romantic scenery in my head.
Call it friendship, call it fluff, call it philosophy, call it irony...
Call it stupid. Just review, please. :)
Oh and BTW: I do not own the song "Ironic" by Alanis Morissette or Teen Titans.
Have a happy today! (It's 9:30 p.m. in DK... soon it's time for me to go to bed... and you almost have an entire afternoon left in front of you... lucky dudes...)