Flick

There was a height chart on a wall in the gym that cataloged all the growth spurts Titans had throughout the years. It wasn't really necessary to have there- all information about them was kept on file in the main computer. Instead, it was a bit more for entertainment and novelty. It was fun to see how much they each grew over the years, especially in comparison to one another.

The height chart was always a bit of a sore subject for Beast Boy.

From the day the height chart started, it was his secret goal, his master plan- to surpass Cyborg in height. The half man, half robot always had the upper hand- literally, whenever he would hang Beast Boy's tofu or videogames just slightly out of reach. He knew that one day, he would have to exact his revenge. He then eventually grew older, and realized that not all dreams could come true (at the age of 16, he was 5'5" when Cyborg was 6'2"), so he eventually dropped that plan, much to his disappointment. He hated losing with a passion.

At 13 years of age, his preoccupation with height had more to do with standing next to his male teammates. He stood at a measly 5'5", while Robin stood at a good 5'9", and Cyborg at exactly six feet. There was a lot of good-natured teasing at his expense, but the complex about his height never really set in until he reached the age of 14, when suddenly girls were much prettier than he ever cared to notice, and when a blonde haired beauty with sparkling blue eyes surpassed him in height.

Sometime after that ended up not working out, to say the least, he noticed when his scary (yet somehow oddly attractive) violet-haired teammate standing at 5'4" flicked his forehead in annoyance. With that, his new goal was born.

He remembered well when he achieved that goal. He did not like to lose, and he did not give up, even if it took him years to win, he had to win. This was normally a trait associated with Robin, but Beast Boy could sympathize with the utter annoyance that came with knowing you did not achieve what you had set out to do. Personal victories were very important to him. He remembered every time he successfully morphed into a new animal. He remembered when he finally beat Cyborg's high score on Mega Monkeys, he remembered when he finally beat Robin at sparring, and he could never forget when he finally managed to fully eat one of Starfire's traditional Tamaranean meals, no matter how much he'd like to. This achievement he would never forget.

It was a bit after his 18th birthday. Raven was walking down the hallway toward the common room, book in hand. It was a nice, quiet morning, with the Titans all relaxing on the couch, with the exception of Beast Boy, who had not yet woken up. She passed by his room when suddenly the doors slid open and he stepped out. She looked at him out of the corner of her eye- what was he doing? Was he smirking? At her?

"Morning," he said cheerfully.

"Morning." She replied a bit suspiciously as she continued walking.

He stopped her however, suddenly gripping her wrist and forcing her attention on him. She spun around and he gripped her other arm, walking toward her until she was backed into the wall. In this position, with his body pressed too closely to hers, it was easy to see how much he towered over her now. He was now finally a tall 5'9", while she remained a petite 5'4".

She knew she could, and probably should, have just pushed him away. She struggled in his grip and her eyes glowed a menacing white, but she quickly found these tactics were suddenly lost on him. There was no expression on his face, and he did not speak or flinch, and she, for one second, faltered, and stopped struggling, taken by an odd and sudden curiosity of just what the hell he thought he was doing. Just for one second.

And in that second, he released one her hands to bring up his own, and curled his thumb against his index finger.

He then flicked her hard on the forehead.

There was a pause, and she then sent him flying across the hall, but for the rest of the day, he sauntered around the tower, as triumphant and confident as he ever had, even with a giant bandage stuck on his head. Victory sure was sweet, and being tall was awesome.

This was a bit wordier than I would have liked it to be. No offense to anyone short, of course, but being tall does have its advantages :P

Reviews and constructive criticism are always welcome~