4. My Friend
The Tower. She's gotta be at the Tower.
Bursting into the common room, Beast Boy frantically scanned the area, searching for any telltale signs of the empath's presence.
Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. None of the windows were cracked. The lights were working perfectly. The couch was in its usual upright position, and his game controller was still sitting on the ground, right where he had left it earlier.
Nope. No indication that an emotionally distraught Raven had passed through here. It was just him…and a familiar half-robot seated at the dining table, munching on a beef submarine sandwich.
He sniffed the air, grimacing. With extra barbeque sauce.
"Oh hey B!" Cyborg called, taking another large bite. He held his sandwich out towards the vegetarian. "Want some lunch? It's delicious!" he teased, waving it for effect.
"Ew, no way dude!" Beast Boy replied, sticking his tongue out in disgust. Thank goodness it was hardly ever necessary to turn into a cow, or else he might be next on the menu…
Cyborg simply smiled. "Well, more for me then!" He took another bite, chewing with exaggerated necessity. "Say," he piped up through a mouthful of food, gesturing at Beast Boy's hand. "What's with the book?"
He glanced downward at the leather-bound novel. "It's…not mine," he replied sadly, reminded of why it had been left behind. "It's Raven's."
"Yeah, I figured; you're not much of a reader." Cyborg suddenly narrowed his eyes, suspicious. "Wait…why do you have one of Raven's books? Are you gonna be messing with her again, dude?"
"What? No! No way!" Beast Boy frantically responded, waving his arms wildly. That was the last thing Raven needed right now! "I just wanna give it back to her!"
"Uh huh," Cyborg replied, unconvinced. "You sure you didn't glue the pages together? Or 'illustrate' the story in the margins?"
"No! I swear I didn't do anything! Look!" Beast Boy fanned the pages of the book, proving his innocence.
Cyborg relaxed. "Alright man, just makin' sure. I know you love to pull pranks on people, and so do I. But sometimes, you take it a little too far with Raven," he chided gently. "She's not exactly the kind of person that will just laugh that stuff off."
He frowned. "Yeah…I know." But, just because she never laughed didn't mean that he would ever stop trying. Especially after what happened today.
She was a normal person too, just like everybody else; she deserved to be happy.
With renewed resolve, Beast Boy glared fiercely at his robotic friend. "Cy, have you seen Raven?" he demanded.
He shrugged nonchalantly. "No, she hasn't passed by here."
"Well, can you help me find her?" he pressed. He needed to make sure she was okay.
"Um, sure," Cyborg replied, confused. He consulted a digital readout on his forearm. "Lemme see if I can get a fix on her location." After a few moments of button-pushing, he apologetically looked back at the green changeling. "Sorry man, but it looks like she turned off her communicator. She probably wants to be left alone right now."
No, that wasn't good enough; this was too important. Grasping him by the shoulders, Beast Boy looked at him straight in the eye. "Cy, I really need to see her. Can you try something else?"
He shook his head in response. "Sorry, man, no can do. Not unless it's an emergency. Why, is she injured or something?"
"Well, no, but—"
"Is she in danger?"
"No—"
"Then you gotta respect her privacy, B," Cyborg finished, folding his arms. "She needs her own space."
Beast Boy dipped his shoulders in defeat. To him, this was pretty much an emergency. Right now, Raven needed a friend…or else she might never want to go outside ever again. Not to mention the possibility of her blowing up the whole city with her sadness…
Wait. Privacy. Her own space. His eyes lit up. Of course!
Beast Boy raced towards the exit, with only one destination in mind. "Thanks for your help, Cy!" he called over his shoulder.
Cyborg watched him go, tilting his head in puzzlement. "Um…you're welcome?"
-TT-
He eventually found himself in a darkened hallway, staring at a nondescript metal door. An all too familiar position.
Logically, there was no reason to believe he would find her here. After all, the girl had the ability to fly and teleport at will. She could quite literally be anywhere.
And yet, in his heart, he knew he was in the right place.
Three successive taps. "Raven? Um, it's me…"
Where to even begin? This wasn't about some conniving dragon masquerading as a dashing, sweet-talking wizard; it was about ordinary people…and the words of an innocent young child. It made no sense.
He took a small breath. "Look, about what happened back there…"
This shouldn't have even happened. Why in the world were they afraid of her? Here was this amazing superhero, who had singlehandedly defeated an all-powerful interdimensional demon, saving countless lives…and yet she was still treated like a monster. Like someone who should be feared. Someone who was…creepy…
He hung his head in shame. Maybe it wasn't so hard to believe after all.
"I…I just wanted you to know…that…"
That what? She wasn't scary? That she didn't instill primal fear in him every time her eyes began glowing blood red? That her magical powers didn't chill him to the bone every time they touched him?
No, he couldn't lie to her; she would never accept it. But, there had to be another truth…
"…you're not a monster, Raven. No matter what anybody else out there thinks..."
No. It was more than that; she was more than that. She needed to hear the whole truth.
"You're a good person, Raven," he said firmly. "And a totally awesome superhero. And also…"
Well…maybe not the whole truth.
"…my friend."