Shame and Secrets
"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos"
His name was Henry Simms.
"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos"
His name was Henry Simms.
"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos"
It's not going to work, you know.
"Azarath. Metrion. Zinthos."
Dude's DEAD. Let it go.
"Azarath. Metrion. Zinthos."
He HURT us. He deserved what he got, and oh so much more...
"Azarath, Metrion... Zinthos."
I'm just bummed that we missed the Hunt.
"Azarath. Metrion. Zinthos."
I hope the others don't find out about this...
"Azarath.. Metrion, Zinthos"
Blood! WHEEEEE!!
"Azarath.. Metrion.. Zinthos"
For once, it would appear that we are not the only dark one on the team. Though it's hard to imagine Beast Boy, who seems to be as full of light and life as Starfire, to be as dark as us. Appearances can certainly be decieving.
"Azarath, Metrion... Zinthos."
I can't believe he ate someone for us. Isn't that just so sweet?
"Aza-" What?!
...
Beast Boy heard a small thump as Raven litteraly fell out of her trance. Sensing his chance to speak to her about the previous night's events, he made a bee-line for her door.
"What's on your mind Beast Boy?" Apparently she'd been expecting me.
"I'd like to talk. About last night."
"Meet me on the roof."
...
"Remember how to get there?"
"Like the movie, right? 'Second star to the right and straight on till morning'?"
"Shall we then, milady?"
"Do let's."
"I assume that's a response to the affirmative?"
"Yes, and what did I tell you about assuming?"
Raven could almost swear that she heard the green eagle chuckle as it flew off into the early morning.
Determined not to let him get too much of a head start, she followed him out to sea...
...
Deep in a darkened room, a smal indicater LED light flashes, then glows steady. In that instant, the forn that had been still as death moments before began to stir. With a yawn, the figure anounced it's consciousness to the world.
A slight rumbling from it's stomach alerted it to the reason for which it had awakened. The early stages of waking allowed only the most basic of thoughts and commands to be processed, so it walked towards the place where it knew it would find what it reqired. On the way, the fog of sleep had lifted suficiently for it to remember. To remember the joy of gain: the pain of loss: the name he ws given at birth. Victor Stone. The name it took at it's rebirth. Cyborg. He could still be caled a man. He still had the required parts. But in his mind, it was easier to think of himself as an 'it'. Easier than worrying about finding someone that would accept him for what he is, and see him for who he is beneath. Easier than dealing with his wants. His needs. His urges. Easier to just not think about it. Easier to just distract hi-itself with as many different things that it took to keep his mind off of his body and it's need to be touched. Held. Loved.
Speaking of distractions, where is that refridgerator?
Uploading to Tower security...
.. Up-link activated.
Huh. Nightwing and Star are asleep in each other's arms on the couch. Not surprising.
Where's BB and Rae?
The roof?
Those two have been the most.. interesting of the team, and these days they're spending more and more time together. Could they be..? Nah, they're to different from one another to fall in love. Besides, didn't BB tell me once that he'd given up on love? Granted, after Terra, who could blame him?
And Raven? She didn't know how to love. She told me that she'd never been shown love. I think she did alright with that Malchior guy. Or was it Rorek? She expained it once, but the explanation just confused me more, so I just dropped it. I'm still not sure why I was watching from the hidden sensors imbedded between the walls. 'Why didn't I install cameras in the bedrooms?' you ask. 'let's just say I decided eariy on that there were some things I most definately did not want to see.' I answer.
Cyborg had these thoughts before. And every time he entertained them, he could feel his mind slowly slip into madness. Not because he knew his friends weren't falling for each other, but because the more he thought about it, the more he thought they were. At first he tried to convince himself it wasn't happening. 'It'd be a sign of the Apokalypse,' he'd told himself.
Then, the world ended.
Raven fixed it, but it still happened.
'They're too different' he once thought. The next thought came un-bidden from the cybernetic portion of his mind: 'opposites attract"
And now the're secreting off into the early morning...
pause. rewind...
What? Way to confim my thoughts, guys.
...
The pair arrived at their own private Neverland just as the sun's first light broke the horizon. Mesmerized by the sight both sat speechless just watching the natural miracle that is wastd by so many. Each, in their own way, could almost hear music in it.
The majestic serenity was finally broken when the great nuclear fireball hung with enough of itself in the sky that it began to hurt to look. They looked at the sand beneath them, blinking a few times. Then their gazes settled on each other as a silent cue to initiate the conversation they both knew was inevitable. Beast Boy began.
"What are we gonna do? This isn't just going to go away. We're not that lucky."
"We can't tell the others. They'd send us to jail and kick us off the team."
"What then? Leave? I don't like that idea either. You guys are my family. Like the Doom Patrol was, untill..."
"At least the funeral was nice."
"True."
Raven hated when he was hurting so much that he lost the ability to string more than one or two words together. "New subject. Go ahead: ask me anything you want, and I'll answer the question as truthfully as I can." It was a rare treat, and he wasn't going to waste it. Hopefully it would be enough to distract him.
"Why did you come back?"
Maybe he would waste it. "Because the last thing I remembered before falling into the healing trance was a furry green blur. I had to make sure you were o.k."
"No, I mean after your 'father'... Why was Robin able to find you? I thought you were gone for good." He didn't say it tore him apart. He didn't have to. What hurt the most was that Robin was there for her instead of him. He wanted to go, but everyone else was all gung-ho for masks-and-capes to save her. What's a changeling to do?
"It was the penny."
"Huh?" Eloquent, Garfield.
"The lucky penny you gave me. I was so touched by your willingness to help me and make things better for me that I never let go of that thing until the portal almost consumed me. -Do you know what a contagion link is? There are certain schools of magik that hold the belief that the simple act of making physical contact with something leaves a portion of the soul implanted in whatever was touched: A portion equal to the frequency, intimacy, and duration of the touch. There was enough of my soul unconsciously implanted into the penny that my father was able to resurect me from it. He needed to because the portal required that I sacrifice all of my being to it, and since I dropped the penny before the portal could destroy it, he did not manifest in this world at full strength. He needed to bring me back so he could sacrifice me and get all his power back. That was why you and the others where able to hurt him. And why I was able to... send him back to where he belongs. Summoning the lost souls of my home, the souls of those he killed, I was powerful enough to get my body back to the way it was. All because you wanted to give me a good-luck charm."
Beast Boy seemed to take a moment to process all of this, then: "I like you with long hair."
"I had to cut it. The longer my hair, the stronger my emotions. And they where already bad enough, considering..."
Just then, Beast Boy inhaled sharply as if just realizing something. "I held the penny too. Does that mean there's a part of me in there to?"
"No."
"But you just said..."
"That part of you lives in me. My father thought he'd use it to gain a bit more power. It was added to my essence."
"I had noticed you had gotten a bit more agressive in your self-control methods. Is that why?"
"Yes. Also, because of it, that part of me that was you is trying to reach back out to you. This has created a bond between us that's more intimate than the one I share with Nightwing."
"No codenames here, remember? Here we're not superheroes, but just people."
"Right. Our sanctuary." She couldn't help it. She smiled at him. He really was the sweetest guy she knew.
...
When the two had finally gotten back to the Tower, they made their way to the common room to find the guys watching a show about animals attacking people. Starfire was cooking. Ever since Raven recommended reading the cookbook, she'd been getting much better.
Half an hour later, though, the Titan's proximity alarm alerted Cyborg to a visitor.
They all arrived at the door just as the small young woman reached out to knock.
It opened.
"My name is Sarah Simms. I can't find my Uncle. Can you help me? He's all I have left."