Domesticated
The Teen Titans sat peacefully around a couch.
Raven was calmly sipping a steaming cup of Jasmine tea, musing over whether to read a thick novel as well.
Robin was whispering mischievously with his ousted-beau Starfire while a droll National Geographic documentary spoke softly in the background about the various beasts of Africa.
Cyborg was intently focused on a multitude of tasks ranging from tinkering on his arm and other faux extremities to flipping a greasy row of bacon high into the air for the upcoming 'brinner' he had been looking forward to all day.
Beast Boy was surprisingly not harassing Cyborg about his disgusting taste in food, making snide comments about the cute pair, or rousting Raven for no reason other than to annoy her.
He was practicing, in his own semi-serious way.
The program that everyone had forgotten or at least was not paying attention to at the moment was the perfect tool for the green nature-child. Each time a new species of animal appeared on the large television screen, Beast Boy would transfigure into it as quickly as possible.
He was being strangely silent as he morphed from creature to creature, trying to control the roars of a lion or the laughter of a hyena or the hissing of a mamba as he became each one.
The others may have guessed it, but the green teen was mildly depressed. Raven had her tea, Cyborg- his bacon, and Robin had Starfire. Who did he have? Or a better question may have been: Who did he used to have?
As his ever shifting mind followed a stream of consciousness, he thought of the blonde girl with the massive blue eyes and the uncanny ability to control the earth.
Terra.
It had been years now. How long now? One, two, three? Somewhere in between, he presumed. He had lost track. As he thought of the good memories the blossoming couple had shared, he also remembered the darker ones.
Fog, shadows, orange and black, and destruction.
Don't think like that, man. It was just a mistake. He corrected himself.
His thoughts obeyed, tucking themselves back under the bed of his mind, to be forgotten and dragged out again at a later point. Yet, although the shade of haunted memories was pushed away, he reminisced again after her entombment.
She had saved him, his team, the city, and doomed Slade and stalled evil for a blissful period.
She was a hero, a Titan, his best friend.
"Terra!" he yelled as they crouched together. "We need to get out of here!"
As she shook with new freedom, she mournfully kept her head low.
"I have to stay," she whimpered out.
"What?!" he asked in crazed panic. "C'mon we gotta go!"
"No, I have to stay, Beast Boy." She instructed, pushing him away from her a little. "I'm the only one that can stop it."
"There's no time!" he begged, trying to change her mind as magma poured in and the ground quaked.
She tucked a strand of her hair behind an ear and smiled wistfully at him, it would be her last.
"There's always time," she reminded him, and quickly pulled him into a tight embrace, her tears staining his shoulder.
He returned the hug, trying not to cry as she did.
"You were the best friend I ever had."
As she pushed him away upon a floating piece of rock, he looked back as her hair began to rise with escalating power. The glow of her energy exploded and with a scream, she was gone.
In a flash of yellow, his greatest companion, his possible one true love, was encased in the thing that had made her so very special.
He visited her now and again, making sure no one had defiled her permanent tomb.
The plaque remained, the girl still stood, and after a while, they had given up on a cure as they focused on more daunting matters such as the end of the world and the collaboration of Doom.
Now, it had all passed, the city was experiencing a pax romana, a good time of peace. The Titans went out now and again to easily stifle H.I.V.E. novices or minor offenders, but usually they remained inside, a welcome break from the two hellish years.
Terra still remained at the front of Beast Boy's thoughts, always lingering in them, even though he had managed to climb over the initial hump of extreme depression and guilt.
He was still seen as the cute boy, the younger brother of the family, never taken incredibly seriously, but not completely ignored either.
He kept the mask up, too, not willing to change his persona that kept him so beloved, even when his inner emotions could not be labeled so easily.
As he kept his rapid shifting up, he seemed to have blocked out the noise of the others who had been gently calling him for the last minute.
Finally, in between morphs, he peered at his team, who were all staring at him. He let his ears open up.
"Dude!"
"Friend!"
"Beast Boy…"
"Dufus."
He stopped, bewildered.
"What?" he shrugged at them, noticing that all of their eyes had hardened immensely.
Starfire and Robin were standing, Cyborg's limbs were locked into place, and Raven had her arms folded self righteously and her hood positioned over her face.
He still had a quizzical, curious-George look plastered on, until he realized the once familiar sounds of lion roars and zebra calls had stalled and there was simply a dead silence next to him.
"Do I finally have your attention, young Titans?"
