Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans.
This fic takes place after Beast Boy's fight with Slade. I thought it was an amazing scene and I think there should have been more following it.
Plus, there's not a whole lot of Cyborg/Beast Boy friendships out there.
So this is my take on more. No flames. MINORRRRR BBxRae.
It's a longish one-shot, so be ready.
"She doesn't want to see you anymore..."
Beast Boy closed his eyes and flinched at the echoing voice in his mind.
'It's a lie; nothing more, nothing less.' That's what he kept telling himself. It was Slade; Slade lied all the time. He tricked others into his bidding, he used emotions... he was a general liar.
So why did it feel so truthful?
The green teenager sighed, pulling on a clean Doom Patrol uniform. He knew he'd long since disbanded from the legendary super-hero team, but he was permitted to keep enough of them since the fabric was the only known fabric to remain in-tact even after transforming into the largest creatures he knew. The clean uniform brushed uncomfortable against the teens wounds, causing him to release a hiss of pain.
His first instinct was to rub the area of discomfort- even if it was widely spread among his skin. After a second of wincing, he gathered his nerves and exited his room, preparing to go down and grab something for dinner. He'd missed it in his battle with Slade and the unknown villain he'd been called to help fight.
Walking out of his room, he did his best to walk straight and tall, yet silent and hidden. If he was caught, he didn't want to be found limping.
The floor underneath his feet, thankfully, was completely silent as it held his weight without a single complaint. He shuffled through the hallway, arriving at the main door that led to the Common Room and kitchen area. When the automatic door opened, Beast Boy wasn't too surprised to find the room completely vacant of all life.
Peering around, the hero was glad to find it was empty. He knew Robin and Starfire were probably resting up in their now conjoined room or in the Infirmary and Cyborg and Raven were probably in the Infirmary or in their respective rooms as well.
Nobody was going to be caught in the Common Room at midnight. Well, nobody except for him.
Walking over to the fridge, Beast Boy debated on a meal. He did have some leftover Vegetarian Pizza... but he also had some of Raven's tea- which was perfect for quelling his nerves. He hadn't yet told anyone (especially Raven) but he occasionally drank her tea if he was wound up or overly stressed. The herbs inside helped relax his body and remind him of a peaceful time back in Africa.
Back when he was young, innocent and not an orphan.
Letting out a nostalgic sigh, Beast Boy reached for a teabag and turned the stove to high. He made sure the kettle had some water inside before setting it on the warming burner. He could smell the very faint smell of dust burning- something no one else in the Tower would've picked up on. Only his animal senses were strong enough to pick up on hints such as that.
His taste was great, his sight was perfect, his feeling was extra sensitive and his smell was spot-on. Plus, his hearing was second-to-none.
So when he heard a voice behind him, he was utterly shocked.
"BB?"
In seconds, Beast Boy was on the counter-tops as a cat, hissing and growling loudly in surprise to being scared. The green cat took a second to analyze his surpriser before slowly getting down and morphing back into his human form.
"Cy? What're you doin' up?"
The metal-man chuckled humorlessly, yet not angrily or sadly. It was just an... emotionless laugh. "I could ask you the same thing."
Beast Boy chuckled, his with emotion, and turned to tend to the kettle. The smell of water beginning to boil (yes, he could identify a smell) wafted around the kitchen, only identifiable by the animal-instinctual man.
"I couldn't sleep, I guess," Beast Boy said nonchalantly. Something he knew would come up- he was known for his endless conversations that held no meaning.
"Any reason why?" Cyborg asked innocently. He walked over to the fridge, sleep lingering in his human eye. Beast Boy could almost tell the cybernetic-hero had been sleeping prior to this conversation; so why he was awake now was a bit surprising. Usually, Cyborg woke up only once he was fully charged and rested.
Beast Boy shrugged. "Nah. Just not tired."
Cyborg couldn't contain the snort that escaped his nose. Beast Boy narrowed his eyes in a playful, yet partial serious manner.
"What?"
"Oh, nothin'," Cyborg said. "Just, you ain't the one who'd skip out on a nap."
Beast Boy snorted and suppressed his laugh. He flipped off the stove and carefully removed the near-whistling kettle. He could see small wisps of steam escaping from the spout of the kettle, signaling its boiling point.
While holding the kettle in one hand, Beast Boy reached up and removed a cup from the pantry above his head. He set the cup on the counter and placed the tea-bag inside before pouring the scalding water into the cup. He saw the teabag release its contents upon contact with the water.
"Tea?"
Beast Boy heard Cyborg's voice and turned to face him with a small smile.
"Yeah; it'd good for the nerves," He said as if he said it everyday. Cyborg's human eye bugged a little but he kept a rather calm demeanor.
There was a silence as Beast Boy sipped his tea, feeling his nerves slowly relax slightly. Tension made its way from his body and slowly escaped back into the world around him. The wound-up animal inside slowly began to settle, as if someone had fed and cared for it.
As if Raven was helping him at the very moment.
"Man, you're a completely different person at night," Cyborg said quietly, yet loudly enough for Beast Boy to hear.
He grinned. "Well they say the moon can do that to some people."
"If the moon was out, I'd believe that."
Beast Boy paused and winced. Cyborg had a small smirk on his face, yet his human eye was full of sadness- much to his chagrin. The green shape-shifter sighed and walked over to the couch with his cup in hand. Taking a seat, he waited for Cyborg to follow suit. As he expected, it didn't take Cyborg long to take a seat opposing him.
"What's really going on, B?"
Beast Boy took a breath, ignoring the waves of pain that spread through his chest. "I... there... something happened today."
In response to his stammering, Cyborg lent forward, his human eye looking more analytical than his computerized eye. Yet, it was also filled with concern and worry for the younger hero.
"What?"
Beast Boy turned away.
"You can't do that, man. You need to talk about this," Cyborg said with minimum force. He didn't want to force the hero into talking, but he needed to release some of his pent-up emotion. It didn't take a robot to figure out Beast Boy was suffering.
"What's to say...?" Beast Boy muttered sadly. His ears were dropped and his eyes were beginning to mist.
"How's about what happened," Cyborg recommended, his features lightening at Beast Boy's sad demeanor.
Beast Boy sighed. "I can't just... how do I know I can trust you?"
Cyborg did his best not to feel betrayed. He hadn't expected the green teenager to ask such a painful question- least of all to him. They'd been the closest on the team, second only to the duo of Starfire and Robin- and those two were dating. They were the surrogate brothers; trust came naturally between them.
'So why does he not trust me now?' Cyborg asked mentally.
"You're the only one who'd know that," Cyborg said after a moment of silence.
Beast Boy looked him over before sighing. His green chest rose and fell with obvious discomfort, not lost on the half-robot.
"I met... Terra..."
Cyborg froze.
"You... you what?"
Beast Boy avoided eye contact, but spoke a little louder, trying to get his point across. "I met Terra."
"Where?" Cyborg asked. His voice held no malice, of which slightly calmed Beast Boy. He was merely curious- nothing more.
"The University. I talked with her some." If it wasn't for his downcast tone, Cyborg would've been happy to know Terra was alive once again. Somehow, she escaped from her stone-prison. That in itself was a great sign.
"What'd she say?"
This time, Beast Boy winced and when he looked away, Cyborg knew something was amiss- and it involved Terra in a bad way.
"Did she attack you?" Cyborg could barely constrain the rage from his voice. Nobody blindsighted his brother without him being there for backup. Nobody.
Beast Boy shook his head.
Cyborg settled some, but still felt the anger itch at his skin. "Did she yell at you?"
Again, Beast Boy shook his head.
"Blame you?"
Shake.
"What... what did she do?"
Silence fell upon the two Titans. Cyborg waited for Beast Boy's response before slowly extending his hand. When he was within centimeters from Beast Boy's shoulder, the green teen stood up in rage and anguish mixed together. Cyborg immediately recoiled his hand, surprised at the outburst.
"She left! She had no memory of me, whatsoever! She's completely forgotten about me, Cy! She just ran away, left me, and told me 'things change'! She... she left..."
Another silence descended among the two once again, this one filled with memories of anguish as Beast Boy recalled Terra's parting words.
"Things change, Beast Boy..."
"They don't have to..." Beast Boy whispered to himself. "They never have to..."
Cyborg opened his mouth to apologize, but quickly closed it. He knew Beast Boy didn't want his sympathies- he wanted comfort and the truth. He wanted a friend. But Cyborg also knew there was more to the story- there had to be.
"That's not all, is it?" Cyborg said in a low voice. He couldn't, no, wouldn't dare make eye-contact with Beast Boy now. Not while he was on his moment of rage-induced grief.
Beast Boy slowly shook his head.
"I also fought with Slade..." Beast Boy admitted in a quiet voice. Cyborg's human eye went wide.
"Slade?! Where?" Cyborg had every right to be shocked, worried and even a bit angry. Slade could've easily killed the Changeling if he wanted- especially if he caught him in an emotional wreak.
Beast Boy gave him an odd look before looking away again. "At the abandon amusement park."
Cyborg instantly understood his friend's downcastness. It made sense- Slade and Beast Boy had dueled before at that very same park. And that time, Terra admitted to her betrayal and broke Beast Boy's heart. It was at that time when Slade almost beat the shape-shifter. From the injuries sustained, Beast Boy had taken a beating, yet managed to successfully fend off one of the world's most feared villains.
"BB..."
"We fought again. I won. It was only a robot, but I beat him."
Cyborg heard the teen speak, but he couldn't wrap his head around what he was saying. The jovial, happy-go-lucky and rather clumsy Teen Titan known as Beast Boy had successfully beaten a Slade-bot that even the five of them couldn't beat without serious injury?
"It's not like I don't trust you man, but... are you sure it was a Sla-"
"I KNOW WHAT I FOUGHT!" Beast Boy roared, ripping at his uniform. His clawed hands shred through his gloves and ripped his uniform in three crude slices. Cyborg nearly had a heart-attack.
Beast Boy's green skin was sticky with ruby red blood that caused parts of the torn uniform to cling to the wounds. Messy bloody scabs tried to form over the wounds but kept breaking under the teen's movements. Several shards of what looked to be glass stuck out prominently from the open slices of skin. Even his hands were glass-scattered and coated in blood.
"Why didn't you tell anyone?" Cyborg asked breathlessly. Beast Boy averted his gaze, instead, staring at the floor.
"I didn't want anyone to know."
"Come on," Cyborg said, not wasting a moment. He grabbed Beast Boy by an uninjured section of his upper-arm and immediately gave him a strong and forceful tug. It wasn't enough to pull the Changeling off his feet, but it was a warning that said: 'Come-now-or-you'll-regret-it'.
Once he was sure Beast Boy was following, Cyborg lead them to the Infirmary. It was vacant for the moment, although, the smell of sterility and medical tools wafted predominantly around the air, slowly spooking Beast Boy. He pinched his nose and tried to take as much air as he could in, through his mouth.
"I was fine, Cy," Beast Boy said with a weak sigh. He knew arguing was pointless at this stage, but it didn't mean he couldn't try to weasel out of it.
Cyborg, on the other hand, snorted loudly and got to immediate work, gathering his supplies he'd need. One of which was plenty of stitching.
"You look worse than Robin did after battling Slade in his head. And he technically lost. You won. I'd hate to see what the robot looked like."
Beast Boy did his best to not wince as a flash of a memory passed before his eyes- the destroyed Slade-bot.
"She doesn't want to see you anymore..."
Shaking his head, Beast Boy ignored its words. It was only a robot. It was only Slade.
"You're going to want to lay on your stomach. This may get a bit painful," Cyborg advised. Beast Boy nodded and stripped the last of his upper-uniform off. He ignored the chill of the metal table as he laid down, face-first. He ignored the arch in his back as he felt the needle draw nearer. He even ignored the hairs that stood up as the needle bristled his skin.
But he couldn't ignore the pain- and for the first time in his life since being abused at the hands of the two criminals that took him from Africa... he screamed.
"Cyborg!" The metal-man sighed. He knew there wasn't going to be a moment of down-time. Being sure his patient was asleep, Cyborg smiled and stopped just parallel to the door leading to the main hall.
"Night B... and just because things change, doesn't mean its bad. Look at us... we've changed but we're growin' for the better."
If possible, Beast Boy's body seemed to relax just a fraction more.
Leaving the Infirmary, Cyborg came face to face with a worried Starfire and startled Robin. Sleep was evident on both of their faces, yet they seemed alert and awakened as if ready to attack.
"What happened, Cyborg?" Robin demanded. Cyborg resisted the temptation to snort in his face and go off to bed.
"BB was a bit busted up and so I healed him up some. Just didn't react too well to the stitches I needed to implant," Cyborg explained briefly. He didn't want to explain to Robin about Beast Boy's Terra encounter, nor did he want to reveal anything. Not only did Robin have a bad Slade obsession, but he'd only press the tired morpher into a state of panic.
No, if Beast Boy wanted people to know, he'd tell them.
Robin looked at Cyborg skeptically but Starfire ended up beating Robin to any questions.
"Will he be alright?"
Cyborg smiled. "'Course! This is the grass stain after all. He'll be up in no time, so just give him time to rest and you'll see."
Starfire, not being a girl for details, smiled widely. "Oh good! I hope to see him well in the morning!"
"Yeah," Robin said, doing his best not to get crushed by Starfire. "I guess I'll talk with him then."
Robin gave one last fleeting glance toward the Infirmary before being dragged up to their room by Starfire. Cyborg couldn't help but chuckle as he watched the Boy Blunder get pulled away like a ragdoll.
"Ahem."
Cyborg felt his laugh slow down and his body turn as if possessed. And with Raven in the Tower, that wasn't out of the possibilities.
"Rae-" Cyborg began, before seeing Raven's unamused face. "-Ven. Rae-ven. That's what I... yeah... you're awake too?"
Raven continued to give her amused look, yet her eyes darted between Cyborg and the Infirmary doors. Cyborg immediately caught on- Raven may not seem like she cared, but inside those doors was probably the one person she cared most about. She was awake, here, purely because of him.
"Of course. No one, alive or dead, would've been able to say asleep after that loud racket. Now," Raven asked, her glance almost fully settled on the double doors leading to the Infirmary. "What happened?"
Cyborg pursed his lips for a moment before slowly thinking about his answer. Beast Boy trusted the information in him, and he alone. Was it right to tell Raven?
"Cyborg..." Raven began softly. "You know you can't bear this alone. We need to know."
Cyborg cursed under his breath.
"He's hurt Rae. The girl he loved betrayed him. Then, she died. He spent countless days trying to get her back... and then, when he finally gets her back, she doesn't want a thing to do with him. She crushed him, all over again. Then, he fought Slade one and one 'nd got hurt bad. But he didn't care... all he cared about was us."
Raven was silent, digesting the information provided. She'd known he was in great pain- his emotions were sailing as far as China with how powerful he was feeling. Raven would have to be a terrible Empath not to feel his anger, anguish and general pain. Yet, she didn't know it was from that.
She hadn't known anything.
"He'll be okay... right?"
Cyborg had to do a double-take to make sure he was dealing with Raven. She, for a split second, had sounded rather innocent and just the slightest bit unsure of his life.
Cyborg offered her a faint smile. "Course. This is our BB. Some things may change, but one thing won't. His liking for you," he said with a wink, causing Raven to push her hood up, "and his care for us. He'll be back tomorrow, good as new."
Raven was quiet- whether it due to Cyborg's blunt spilling of a secret or because she had nothing else to say, but Cyborg felt he had to say one more thing.
"Just cause some things change, that doesn't mean it's for the worst. Sometimes, things change for the better."
Boom. There you go. One-shot, bit long, but mixy in everything. So review! Please!