Reunion
One by one Beast Boy watched as his teammates grew from family to collogues. It was as he'd always feared. They walked the same path and the Doom Patrol before them, and the ending was definite. They were younger, but almost exactly similar. So greatly that parallels hardly needed to be drawn. Starfire was Rita, the mother. Mento was a taskmaster, and Robin walked the thin line between that and good leader. Cyberborg and Robot Man, well, that one was sort of self explanatory. Finally, Raven and Negative Man were the dark, half-dead pessimists. It broke the happy-go-lucky boy's heart to watch as the same fate befell his beloved Titans.
Rita and Mento had been happily married, and Beast Boy watched teary eyed with joy as Robin and Starfire walked down the aisle. The red head had looked like a princess headed toward her prince. She was beautiful in a mermaid wedding gown with thin strappes, veil failing to hide her electric green eyes and wide grin. Robin wore a simple tux, his expression mirroring his fiancés loving glee. Raven had reluctantly been a bridesmaid, for a day trading her purple cloak for a dress. Cyborg had been Robin's best man, and Beast Boy was a green monkey ring bearer.
But the newlyweds weren't happy for long. They found superhero life left little time for love, let alone marriage. Star had always wanted to have kids, but she and Robin both knew that it would be selfish to bring a child into a world where its parents faced death every day. They had planned to retire in their early thirties and have kids. The picture of a house and two kids—a boy and girl—shattered when Starfire found out she couldn't even mother children. A rift formed between her and the husband of 2 years.
They were all older now, no longer teenagers with the dream lifestyle of super-heroism. Cyborg had matured, BB hadn't. Their friendship was on the rocks. Raven was herself, depressed and solitary. No one saw the signs until it was too late. One day in July, when the sun was shining and the birds sinning, the girl was absent from breakfast. Odd, but no cause for alarm. Noon rolled around and Beast Boy grew worried. He knocked at her door, whistling tunelessly as he waited. When she failed to answer he knocked again, more forcefully this time. The green man pressed his head to the door and listened. There was no movement on the other side, deathly quit. Alarmed he broke down the door, paling when he saw what was inside.
There she was, lying in a pool of dark blood that contrasted with her paper white skin. It seemed that had been the final straw and the team broke up. The Titans tower, standing ever vigilant on the island, was in decrepit and long abandoned. Beast Boy, hardly any bigger than he'd ever been, stayed there sometimes when the streets became too cold. His communicator was disconnected and useless, summoning only static when he vainly tried to contact someone.
He had no idea if the two lovebirds had remained married as Rita and Mento had, but if the past was repeating itself there were many problems and no communication. Garfield and Victor, their superhero names left behind, got together occasionally. But weekly visits turned monthly, then the holidays, and soon not at all.
Beast Boy sighed and braced himself with a phony smile, changing into an array of animals to impress the dwindling crowd at the circus. All but one booed him. Dull emerald eyes squinted in vague recognition and he jumped from the stage. There was something about the trench coat and fedora hidden stranger that he knew. His hands, covered by bandages.
"Negative Man?"
"Hey, kid."
Beast Boy blinked in confusion and pinched himself. "You're not dreaming." The mummy said helpfully. The younger man smiled and flung himself at him.
"It's so god to see you!" Negative Man laughed dryly and patted the others back.
"I wish the circumstances where better, where are you staying?" he asked, eyeing the boy's holey, dirty clothes. Slim shoulders shrugged helplessly.
"Where ever, the streets are better than the circus, so mostly there."
Negative Man's heart cracked to see the Doom Patrol's youngest member so down trodden and broken. "What happened to the Teen Titans?"
A harsh laugh. "If you haven't noticed I'm no teenager now. We split apart a few years back, I could be the only surviving member far as I know."
The bandage swathed man frowned and picked up the boy. Not a man, not right now. He was a boy, the same lost, scared child they'd taken in all those years ago.
"NM!"
"You're staying at my place tonight," he jiggled his arms and felt just how little he weighed, how frail he was. "And eating a real, hot meal." Beast Boy resigned himself and snuggled into NM's shoulder for warmth from the bitter winter cold.
Negative Man's home was a shabby apartment, barely furnished. While he made pancakes he coaxed the boy to tell his story.
After a while of silence he spoke. "The Doom Patrol's having its monthly meeting soon, why don't you come?" BB's pointed ear twitched.
"But—"
"Please, they'll all love to see you, besides, you're an honorary member, and you always will be. Rita's missed you since you… moved on."
His heart clenched as he recalled running away.
"I can't wait, can I stay here till then?"
"I wouldn't have it any other way."
At the mansion is where they met, everyone wearing casual clothes. Negative Man had bought his friend a purple turtle neck and jeans.
"Everyone, I have a surprise." He announced. Metno cocked an eyebrow, but made no comment. Robot Man didn't.
"Are you finally hitching up with some unfortunate gal?" the tin man laughed heartily, slapping his knee. Negative Man ignored him.
"Kid," he said, mouth twitching when Rita's eyes lit up. Beast Boy stepped out of his hiding place and sheepishly waved. His adoptive mother hugged him hard, shocked when she felt his bones sticking out and poking her.
"Hey guys." He greeted. Mento's eyes hardened and he approached the two, towering over them. Then he fell to his knees and embraced his son with his wife. Robot Man howled and scooped them all up in a group hug.
Seeing all their happy faces, Beast Boy was accepted into his family, and realized there was hope for his other one.
End
Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans or the Doom Patrol. They belong to their respective owners.
Authors note: I've been into Doom Patrol lately, reading the comics and everything. The original team's different, but I still love the Teen Titans version. So what did you think? Plausible, no way? Tell me in a review. Thanks for reading.