AN: So I was rewatching part of Betrayal, and this occurred to me. I'd post a link, but FF's rulers, in their infinite wisdom, have also apparently disabled copying and pasting. You can look it up under "BBxTerra, Asking Terra Out" on Youtube.
Disclaimer: I don't own either of these two, but my ideal arc for them is similar to the show's, with perhaps a bit more angst.
—
Trust
—
Terra watches Beast Boy yelling at the mirror, hides a smile behind a gloved hand as his imagination transforms him into characters he'll never be— and that's for the best. She much prefers the real person to any paragon of romance he might envision. Still, it's an entertaining performance… and if she's honest, she finds it more than a little flattering that this boy's gotten himself so worked up over her.
A snicker almost blows her cover at the words "total goober," but she clamps it down just in time. The mirth dies down, though, when she sees him collapse to the ground with a cry of frustration. His next words barely reach her ears, but they do… and they break her heart.
This boy, this sweet, silly, remarkable boy, can't see all the redeeming qualities in himself, can't believe that he would ever be worthy of Terra's attentions.
As if she were, herself, something remarkable.
She knows she's not; she's had that drilled into her for years and years in a past she and her brother varnished over together with lies about a fairytale kingdom. Every child in an orphanage is long-lost royalty, yet not a single one of them is special.
But Beast Boy believes she is.
In that moment, Terra makes her decision. She knows it's for the wrong reasons, but she hopes she'll find the right ones along the way. Need drives her: not a noble need, but a selfish one— the compulsion to preserve the one person who sees something worthwhile in her. Still, she's going to save Beast Boy; hopefully that will count for something.
He's a masterpiece; she's known that all along. But she's not pulling him from the fire for his beauty. No, it's only after having realized his value to her that she's decided to save him.
Because Terra is selfish, and she knows it.
And now it's time to live up to her nature.
The changeling's shriek of surprise when she clears her throat almost sends her into a fit of laughter despite the gravity of the situation. "How long have you been standing there?"
A thousand responses come to mind, but none that won't invite more questions. Instead, she opts for one of her own. "Wanna go out?"
His response is just as predicted, and he's so adorable as he tries and fails to hide the enthusiasm that draws her to him in the first place… but again, he ruins it with a question. "Why didn't you just knock on my door?"
I've set up a link to all of the Tower's monitoring systems, so Slade will know if we go out the main entrance. Not a chance. I don't want the other Titans to know we're abandoning them to their deaths. No better. Finally, she plays a card that jabs an ice-cold knife into her own stomach. "Do you trust me?"
Part of Terra hopes that he'll say no, that he'll demand an explanation, even as she knows he won't. He wants to trust her, and she's knowingly exploiting that.
If they survive tonight, he'll be ruined for life. She knows this for a fact. And she's doing it anyway.
His eyes shine with innocent, misplaced hope. "More than anyone I've ever met."
The knife twists.