Beast Boy woke up with a slight pain in his back. He wondered for a moment why but then remembered the fight that had occurred the day before with Cinderblock. He rolled his shoulder, trying to alleviate some of the pain but to no avail.
Sighing, he rolled out of bed, taking note that it was noon. He went on with his usual routine going to the bathroom then going back to his room to put fresh clothes on. He felt a little more awake as he headed for the main room for food.
"Good morning, Jump City!" He shouted once arriving there. He looked around the room to see all of his teammates were there and accounted for doing their usual things - Cyborg and Robin playing a video game, Starfire making a science experiment she called food, and Raven reading a book in the corner of windows. He felt content that everything was where it should be.
"More like afternoon," Raven quipped. Beast Boy narrowed his eyes at her.
"Fine, good afternoon, Raven," he said. He would get back to her later. But she replied anyways, rolling her eyes.
"Afternoon, Beast Boy." He, in return, rolled his eyes as well. Life as usual.
He went over to the kitchen, careful not to get in Star's way of her concoction. He went for his Frosted Flakes and soy milk, gathering the proper utensils.
"Good morning, Beast Boy! Would you like to try my planet's dish?" Starfire asked. Beast Boy looked at the blue substance and shivered.
"I think I'll-" he was cut off with a spoon in his mouth and a bitter, medicine taste in his mouth. He knew he had to swallow, but he thought alone brought bile to his throat. So instead, he sat with the bitter fluid in his mouth. He noticed Starfire staring at him with an expectant face. He faked a smile and gave her a thumbs up.
"I believe it is customary to swallow food after putting it in your mouth," she told him. He breathed a heavy sigh through his nose and did the dirty deed. Swallowing it like he would a rock - slowly but surely did it make it's way down his throat.
"Just savoring it," he said in a squeak. Starfire seemed content as she went back to her cooking. Robin owes me. Why can't we just say no? Like the PSA's on TV's with drugs! He thought of the differences between her food and drugs and determined drugs would be a better alternative. He went to the soy milk and opened it, taking it to his lips and taking a gulp to get the taste out.
"Yo, BB! We have cups for that! Stop being nasty!" Cyborg yelled at him, noticing his actions. Beast Boy turned around with a glare.
"I'm the only one who drinks the soy milk! What does it matter?" Cyborg didn't answer, so Beast Boy knew he won. Once he made his cereal, he took his seat at the couch to watch the heated game happening.
Then the alarm went off.
"Titans, go!"
"Beast Boy! Get his weapon away from him!" Robin ordered. They were chasing Red X, who had broken out of prison and stole {enter important item}. He had a real gun and was shooting at them. This was unusual behavior for him, since he normally doesn't use lethal weapons, just ones that slow them down.
Beast Boy formed into a cheetah, dashing at Red X, zigzagging to maintain not getting shot. He got very close to him, feeling the distance close between them. He shifted again, turning into a bird to be a smaller target, continuing with the rugged pattern in flight. He was almost to him when he felt something sting his side. He unconsciously shifted back to his human form, falling to the ground. He grabbed the now awful pain in his side, feeling a warmth.
"Beast Boy!," he heard someone scream. It was definitely female and he recognized it.
"What the hell," he breathed. He knows he didn't get shot by Red X as he knew his gun was pointed in a different direction. He felt someone at his side and so he looked up. It was Raven. He knew he was in bad shape by just looking at her. The funny part was, he didn't feel that bad. He compared it to the pain in his back that was still faintly there, and knew it was worse, but he didn't know what else to compare it to.
"How bad am I?" he asked. He noted that the question was hard to ask. He looked over at where Red X had ran off to and didn't see him. He looked everywhere else and didn't notice any of his teammates around either.
When Raven didn't answer, he looked back at her. Her hands were where his were, pushing, but her mouth was agape and she looked shocked. He knew it was probably worse than he felt, but he summed it up to her just seeing blood.
"Shouldn't you be going after X?" He asked. She glared at him, and he questioned why. What's her deal?
"You've been shot, Beast Boy," she said bluntly. He chuckled, but winced right after.
"No, I didn't. Red X didn't have his gun pointed at me." He almost laughed at her stupidity.
"Beast Boy, look where you're shot. There's no way Red X could have done that angle." He knew she was trying to make a point, but he was unsure of what it was. The pain was clouding his thoughts as it got worse. His eyes widened once he caught on.
"Are you saying someone else shot me?" Beast Boy couldn't believe it. He wondered who would do that. He thought another thing. "And why aren't you healing me if you're here?"
She just stared at what she was doing, which was just putting pressure on the wound. His pain just kept getting worse. He was concerned by her face. He knew she was trying to concentrate, but what was there to concentrate on? It wasn't like she was using her powers. He decided to just shut up. His pain was getting worse and he was starting to feel dizzy. He remembered a movie Starfire watched one time where a guy got shot while running and he kept running. It explained that he had adrenaline racing through his body that numbed his pain until he stopped. Could that be happening to me?
His dizziness got worse and he noticed he was starting to lose feeling in his fingers and toes. He was getting even more worried. is mind raced as he panicked. Was he dying? He wanted whatever this was to stop.
"Rae…" He tried to speak, but words wouldn't come.
"Beast Boy?" She said, her voice raised as she said his name. "Oh, no you don't. Come on. Look at me." He did. She looked worried. He noticed every detail on her face. She peered at him while she pulled her communicator out. "Robin, where's that ambulance?"
Ambulance? What the hell is she talking about. Oh wait, for me. He tried to gulp in fear, but his mouth was dry. He continued to stare at Raven.
"It had to take care of something here." He heard Robin's voice. Raven just stared at Beast Boy, a very worried look on her face. But her face changed to anger with Robin's sentence.
"What do you mean something there? I'm covered in Beast Boy's blood, and he's passing out! I need help ASAP!"
Beast Boy's vision blurred and he heard Raven yell at Robin in bits and pieces. The last thing he saw was her face. He thought of her for a second and their bizarre relationship. He considered him dying right now. He came to the conclusion that it wasn't a bad last thing to look at.
Damn, I have the worst headache. Beast Boy thought. I wish they'd turn down the lights. He felt completely drained of all energy. He grimaced at the pain he was feeling. It was like an all over ache. He commanded his eyes to open and they did.
The first thing that met his eyes were the lights. They glared his vision to the point to it was all he could see. He grimaced. It was killing his head.
"Beast Boy?" He heard a voice. At first he thought he had died because the voice he heard was steady - beautiful even. He squeezed his eyes shut to get the fog out of his eyes before twisting his head to where the voice came from.
He saw Raven sitting in an uncomfortable looking chair with a book in her looked at him with intent and seriousness, but soft, like when he last saw anything. It was almost comforting, but he was also distracted by his surrounding. He twisted, remembering what had happened, but winced at the sharp pain in his side. Even though his mouth was insanely dry, he spoke. Raven's eyes never leaving his figure.
"What happened?" He asked. Raven looked hurt for a half second before she went back to her stare. Her face said that he'd be okay, and he believed it.
"You were shot," she said. He almost cringed at her words as her voice had gone back to monotone. He shook his head.
"No, I remember that part. Why am I here?" He clarified. She grabbed a bookmark off her lap and put it in, saving her position.
"After you were shot, you were transported by ambulance here. The bullet hit your intestines, severing them in several parts but missing your portal artery, thankfully, or you would have bleed out instantly," Raven explained in depth. Beast Boy wondered why she was using such a harsh voice. He remembered the angelic voice she used before he passed out. She's probably upset that I'm not dead, he thought, then shamed himself for doing so. She saved my life. He decided to try to lighten her up.
"Geez, Rae, you sound like a doctor," he joked. Her eyes that still watched him narrowed. She was obviously not amused. She leaned forward. Beast Boy couldn't help but stare at her, wondering if she just kept him alive so she could kill him.
"Did it occur to you that you could have died? Maybe you should focus in that instead of petty jokes," she hissed before ripping her eyes off of him and picking her book back up. Beast Boy let the silence hang for a second, but his mind scrambled for more answers.
"Raven, I apologize. You're right, it was petty, but I just woke up. Can you answer a few more questions for me?" He pleaded in his head that for once she wouldn't be stubborn and give him answers he needed. She sighed an audible sigh, and put her book back in her lap, looking straight ahead instead of at her.
"No more jokes?" She asked somewhat hopefully. Beast Boy nodded.
"No more jokes," he assured. She turned back to him nodding. His mouth opened, but his mind was still thinking of what to ask first. Finally, he spoke.
"Where are the others?" He asked innocently. She looked amused.
"Did you not see the clock? It's three in the morning," she mused, pointing at the clock over the door in front of him. "They went home to rest. We've been taking shifts ever since you came here," she explained. He nodded, then had a burning question arise.
"How long have I been out?" He remembered that they went to the scene soon after he woke up, so around noon to one.
"You were in surgery a while. Cyborg stayed here for that. Rock beats paper, apparently." He wondered what she meant by that, but she continued. "They brought you out a few hours ago. That's when I arrived. Don't worry, you weren't out for days."
"Why haven't you healed me? I mean, you can still do that, right?" He questioned. He was unsure how she would react to that question. She rolled her eyes.
"The doctors wanted you to wake up on your own. They gave you some heavy pain medication and they didn't want me lowering your heart rate more than it already is. And on top of all, they had to give you some blood transfusions, so they don't know what would happen with that. Stupid bastard." She seemed generally unpleased with who ever told her not to heal him, Beast Boy noted. He could only think of one more question to ask and that he just thought of, based on something she had said earlier. "Look at where you're shot. There's no way Red X could have done that angle."
"Raven," he said seriously, "Who shot me?" She looked at him with a look that was hard to read. She looked at him with almost sympathy, but Beast Boy thought that was just his imagination.
"Turn on the news," she said, handing him the multi panel remote that was hooked up to the wall. He was very confused, but given her look, he didn't question it. She picked up her book once more, but he didn't think she was reading it based on her eyes.
He flipped the TV on, turning it to the news channel that they always watched at the tower. The headline reading "BREAKING NEWS: TITAN MURDERERS?" He gasped, looking at Raven, but she continued to look at her book. He turned his attention back to the media that seemed to be on a continuous loop.
"For those of you just joining us, reports of the local group of claimed 'superheroes', known as the Teen Titans, has concluded that the team used deadly force, resulting in the death of the criminal, known as Red X. The team states that, quote, 'We were ambushed by a second gunman while Red X was also yielding a firearm as well. Our own team member, Beast Boy, was also shot and is currently being cared for at Jump City Memorial. We hope that the public understands that what we do is serious and requires a great deal of effort and dedication,' end quote. No gun was found at the crime scene and the unknown second shooter is reported to be undergoing investigation. It is unsure what the proper authorities will do at this point, but the people seem to want action taken against these young people." Beast Boy stared in horror as he say a man who was in a blue t-shirt and cargo shorts on appear. "I think that we hold these guys in too high of power. There's a reason there is police and teens just don't understand the law sometimes."
"Bullshit!" Beast Boy screamed, holding his side and sitting up more. It hurt but the rage was far more influential on his motions. "Do they even know what we do? I mean come on!"
Another woman appeared, holding a child who looked too young to understand what was going on. "I don't need my children getting the idea that they can be some vigilante. This situation is messed up, but it's their own fault they're in it."
"What the fuck! How can they say such a thing! We have saved this city countless times, and this is our reward?!" He was in full rage at this point. He was practically snarling with disgust. He continued to rant. "This is just awful! How can they accuse us of-"
Beast Boy was cut off half sentence by a hand on his arm. Raven had her eyes on him in a warning look, but there was also a great deal of sorrow in them as well. It was enough for Beast Boy to realize what he had said and he slouched back down onto the mattress. He looked back at Raven who slid her hand down to his, grabbing it with a small amount of force. Raven was always intuitive. She always knew when things were going array. She didn't seem very motivated on this subject. Beast Boy brought both of his hands to hers, causing her to look back over at him. He locked eyes with her.
"I promise that no matter what happens, we'll stay safe. I'd bet on it if I hadn't spent so much money on the arcade," he told her. He wasn't going to give up. He knew he couldn't. Not as long as Raven was involved. She looked down at their hands with a sad look. She didn't say anything, but rather returned to staring at her book.
Beast boy knew for sure that she wasn't reading because she kept her hand right with his until he drifted his tired, aching and, now, angry body to sleep. This would'nt be the end of the Titans.
Would it?
Well, there it is! I'm very excited to write this, but please know that this will be at my pace. I may post a chapter a week, then be gone for a couple weeks. I have bad health problems, so while my time is plentiful, it is unfortunately limited on how long I can stick to a task.
Thank you all for reading and please stay tuned!