It's been a while, right? So I'm back with the next installment of the Love You Universe. This year seems to mostly center on Bumble Bee and to a lesser extent Cyborg and Changeling. Don't worry, each Titans West will get their chance to shine before I end this series.
If any of you have read my Glee fics, you'll see some crossover action.
Enjoy and review!
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Bumble Bee turned when she felt a tap on her shoulder. No one was there. She frowned and kept walking. Suddenly she felt something beside her and a split second later, an arm slung over her shoulder.
Instinctively, she stomped, elbowed then kicked. She turned towards her "attacker" in defense mode. "Changeling?!"
The green man groaned. "I heard of stinging like a bee but this is ridiculous!"
She set her hands on her hips. "That's not funny! You scared me!"
"I scared you?! I'm scared of you now!" He got up massaging various body parts.
She glared at him before waving a hand. "Come here."
He limped over. "Are you taking me to get the first aid kit?"
"No." She touched her hand to his face and closed her eyes.
He looked at her in confusion until the sensation of cooling water swept over his body. Then soothing heat like from the sun followed. She let him go and opened her eyes. He stared at her in shock. "What was that?!"
"A healing spell."
"Did Rae teach you that? It didn't feel like her healing. Wow! All the pain is gone! Pain I had before is gone!"
"You're welcome." She started off down the hall.
"Hey!" He caught up to her. "I didn't know Rae was teaching you magic."
"She's not."
"Is Jinx cuz I thought you still weren't talking?"
"No and we're not. No because we're not."
"Then how do you know a healing spell?" He was confused.
"You ask a lot of questions, C."
He could admit that. "You're not answering any."
"Why do I have the misfortune to be caught by you?"
"Hurtful. But I was looking for you. Where've you been?"
"I've been walking."
"Walking? Walking where?"
"Throughout the tower, Changeling." She sighed.
"Why? What are you looking for?"
"I'm not looking for anything. I don't know if I'll be put on bed-rest again so I'm getting in exercise where I can. Besides, I hate being cooped up in the tower since I'm on maternity leave."
"Why don't you hang out with the other girls?"
"Raven would rather stay in your room, Star does too many girly things and I'm not talking to Jinx so I'm stuck by myself. But I enjoy my own company so I'm fine wandering the halls alone."
That sounded incredibly lonely and isolating to him and he felt bad for her. "I'm sorry."
"Alone, Changeling." She stopped at the end of the hall and turned around.
"No. You need company and I'm going to give it to you. I've just the thing!"
"Why do I feel like I'm about to regret this fully?"
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Changeling moved his hands from in front of Bumble Bee's face. "Tada!"
She blinked as her mouth fell open. "You did this?!"
"Uh huh!" He grinned happily.
Her bottom lip stuck out as her eyes filled. "Oh, Gar."
"Don't cry!" He panicked.
She started sobbing. "It's- so- beautiful!"
"Um… okay?" He remembered her tears from the first time she was pregnant. Here we go.
She went inside the room of the second floor and marveled over the decor. Artwork was on every wall (some made by Raven's powers, others framed drawings done by local artists Changeling knew) and the curtains to the window were a lacy white.
Shelves were built to hold cans of paint while there were two rolling chairs, two stands, two desks, two high stools and two easels set up in the middle of the room. Well technically the desks and rolling chairs were by the windows. On both stands were empty palettes.
There was a sink and counter by a wall leading to the door and on that wall were three pegs that held white apron smocks. A long counter ran against the wall with the shelves and laid out was all the art supplies Changeling owed.
"You really like it?" Changeling closed the door behind them.
"I do." She stood in the middle of the room and looked at him with soft eyes. "Why though?"
"Because I know things are a little rough for you right now. You're basically going through this pregnancy alone and you're raising two sons separate from their father. Everyone else has someone helping them through it, sharing it with them.
It's not fair and it's got to take a toll on you. Art is very threadiputic and now that I know we share a love for it, I thought I'd help you."
"What about Raven? Surely she needs you-?"
"Rae loves the idea. She said that it'd keep me from bugging her to death."
"Are those her words?" She smiled.
"No." His ears drooped. "She used bigger ones."
Bumble Bee chuckled. "So we're going to create art in here."
"Yeah. I thought we'd start out with something easy." He went to the counter and retrieved two somethings from the cabinets beneath it. He came back and put them together.
"A vase of flowers?" She came closer.
"Yeah. It's as basic as you can get besides a bowl of fruit." He shrugged. "How about you add your special touch?"
She touched a petal and the flowers began opening up and blooming.
"Alright!" He dragged over another stand and set the vase on it. "Let's grab a smock and get to painting!"
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"Thank you."
It'd been quiet for half an hour so Changeling was surprised by the words. "Huh? Oh. You're welcome. For the studio, right?"
"Yes. But also for being here for me. Being so insightful and caring and considerate. I haven't had a friend like that in a while."
"I hope you know you can rely on us. Star is definitely in your corner and although Rae won't take sides, she's here for you, too. I'm definitely here for you. Cy's being a butt."
"I just wish I knew what I did to make him distrust me so." She licked her lips as her eyes filled but she blinked the tears away and continued adding detail to her painting.
"I think he's scared."
"Scared of what?"
"Scared to hope that he's not as broken as he thought."
She looked at him but he was adding shadows to his painting. "I can understand that."
"Can you?"
"Yes." She turned back to her work but didn't touch the canvas. "I felt broken. For a long time. For a really long time."
"Since when?"
"I think it started when I was little. I was just so different than everybody else." She started working again.
"You?! But you're so perfect!" He blinked at her in surprise.
"I'm far from perfect."
"But you always know what to say and do. You never worry about looking stupid." He set his brush in a cup of water and selected another.
"Is that your worry? Looking stupid?"
"Amongst other things, yes."
"Well I'm going to let you in on a little secret. I'm a nervous wreck. I used to be so freaked out about people noticing me that I always tried to be invisible."
He stared at her. "What?!"
"Mmm hmm." She nodded.
"But you're so confident!"
"I had to learn it. Like you had to learn your sunny disposition."
The corner of his mouth twitched. "Good point."
"A lot of it was taken care of by my friends."
"The insightful friends."
"Yes." She smiled. "The six of us were as thick as thieves. They were like my sisters."
"What were their names?"
"D, Marcy, Mar, Big A and Car."
"Those are some strange names."
She giggled. "That's what I called them. Their names were Daisy, Marceline Anne, Mari, Anna and Carly."
"Oh. That's six names."
"Marceline Anne."
"One girl?"
"One girl."
"Hmm."
"She was the one to teach me the healing spell."
"She was a witch?"
"Part. Her mom was one and it showed up in her siblings differently. For her, she was an elemental witch."
"Elemental?"
"All the powers of the elements. If it's found in nature, she has control over it."
"Wow."
"Even as a three year old, she was very powerful and it grew as we got older. She should be crazy powerful by now."
"Did she teach you a lot of spells?"
"Not a lot. She always was pushing herself to break new boundaries and in turn we each did. It's how I found out I can make fire."
"You can make fire?!" His jaw dropped.
She set aside her brush and clapped her hands together to rub them together really fast before pulling them apart. Yellow, blue and white electricity ran back and forth.
She concentrated and added more power. Her palms ran with orange flames to her fingertips until she moved her hands slowly. Then she turned them and removed one. In her hand was a ball of fire.
Changeling was dumbfounded. "You made fire!"
"Yup." She went to the sink and washed her hands.
"I can't believe you can make fire! Is that why you like Hot Spot so much?"
She laughed and came back to sit down. "I like Isaiah for his personality."
"So tell me more about your friends. What were they like? What'd you do for fun?"
"Well we got in trouble a lot, following our fearless leader-"
