"This is gonna be so sweet."
It was a dark and stormy night. And all that was on the changeling's mind was revenge. Revenge for two days of humiliation, laughter, and worst of all color changing.
"What are you doing?" A curious empath asked, almost causing Beast Boy to drop his large, pink, sloshing water balloon in surprise. When he managed to get a hold of it without popping it, he turned, shooting Raven a slight glare. "Please tell me this isn't another one of your ridiculous pranks."
"Okay, it's not a ridiculous prank", he replied, only for a viscious grin to form on his face. "It's a brilliant one." Raven rolled her eyes as he continued. "Alright, check it out. Remember how Cyborg put red dye in my shampoo and I turned brown for two days?" How could anyone forget? It only wore off yesterday. "Well, sister, it's payback time. I give you 'Beast Boy's Insta-Lube 9000'!"
Solor could only imagine what this prank was for. He had been hidden around the corner for about the past half-hour, observing Beast Boy without the green-skinned teen noticing. He tended to tune him out, his tail wagging slowly as he leaned against the wall. The only thing he heard was that something would happen when he turned the corner. Or rather, something would happen to Cyborg. Suddenly, he heard a door open, and looked down the hall. Instead of the robot, though, it was Starfire. And while he knew she could handle whatever Beast Boy threw at her physically, but emotionally…
Maybe that's why, before he knew it, his foot was crossing the wire, releasing the mechanism. And his surprise caused him to let out a yelp before he got splattered with thick motor oil. He coughed, and rolled onto his stomach, quickly spitting it out before it traveled down his throat.
"Solor!" Beast Boy cried out, running over to the sludge-covered dragon. "Dude, I-I… You weren't…"
"I am fine", Solor responded, getting up and wiping the sludge off of him.
"He was… being punished?" a timid voice said, and everyone turned to Starfire, who was staring at the sludge covering her friend. "He did something wrong?"
"He didn't. Beast Boy did." Everyone turned to the changeling, who smiled sheepishly. Before anyone could say anything, though, Solor stood up, and placed a claw on his teammate's shoulder, eliciting a loud gulp in anxiety.
"Why do you regret what you have done?" was all he asked. The silence he got in return told him that Beast Boy didn't know. "When you know why, then you may say you are sorry. And only then will I forgive you." With that, he turned, lightly flicking Beast Boy in the stomach with his tail in the stomach, making him let out an "Oof" in response as Solor walked off.
"I don't know if Solor is mad or not", Cyborg said. "Either he's so angry he can't even express it… or it really didn't phase him. Never seen him like this before."
"He rarely gets mad", Raven said. "You better pray he isn't."
Starfire, on the other hand, was fuming. "On my planet, we have a name for those who do such terrible things", she told the changeling. "You are a… A… CLORGBAG VARBLERNELK!"
Beast Boy stared at her. "I'm a what?"
XxXxX
Thunder and Lightning proved challenging that night. Thunder was almost as strong as Solor or Starfire, and his energy manipulation was enough to send Solor flying. Of course, it helped that he had wings, and he only grinned. "A worthy opponent!" He lunged, punching ferociously. Thunder, of course, had no doubt enhanced reflexes, as he was able to dodge every punch without any issue. And when Solor used his tail, Thunder had the sense to grab it. But that was a mistake; as now he had put himself into the dragon's grasp, who then used his tail to flip Thunder away, towards Beast Boy, who began to deal with the powerful teen.
Lightning, meanwhile, only needed to zap his wings, and Solor was down. Being attached to his back and spine, the dragon was temporarily paralyzed, and could not move, despite his attempts. Eventually, it would wear off, but only after Thunder and Lightning made their escape. He groaned as he managed to stand up, stretching his wings. "I'll need to be more careful", he noted, looking over at Starfire and Beast Boy. The alien was obviously still mad, and that confused him. Why was she so upset over something that happened to him? It's not like he got seriously hurt.
"Okay, team", Robin started, dusting off his arm, "we have to find those guys before they do any more damage. Cyborg, search the west side. Raven, the east. Solor, take the center. I'll take downtown. Beast Boy, you and Star scan from the skies."
"Um… maybe Cyborg should come with me instead?" Beast Boy offered, while Starfire still ignored him.
"Cyborg can't fly."
"Oh. Yeah."
"Have fun, my little clorgbag", Cyborg teased, pinching Beast Boy's cheek.
Solor only growled slightly. Why is it that everyone seems to pick at Beast Boy? Sure, he wasn't the smartest, but it seemed ever since that prank, Starfire and Cy did the most to punish him. It didn't even happen to them, and yet they seemed to put it upon themselves to deal with it. He was about to voice his opinion when Starfire took off, prompting the green shapeshifter to follow. Fortunately, he was able to grab Cyborg. "Listen… I want you to leave Beast Boy alone."
"What? Why?" Cyborg asked. "The little booger covered you in motor oil."
"Yes. He covered me in motor oil", Solor confirmed, emphasizing the word "me". "This is between me and him; I am upset and confused as to why everyone seems to be putting more pressure on him than I."
"Simple; he messed up, and he's gotta learn that it ain't cool to do that in the Titans."
"That is what I am teaching him", Solor said, confused. "You should not be so rough on him."
"Listen, dude", Cyborg said, silencing the dragon. "It may have happened to you, but you're our friend. Just because you're the victim doesn't mean that you have to handle it alone. Everyone's got your back, no matter how much you grumble or roar about it." With that, the taller teen left, forcing the dragon to think before he began flying.
It didn't take long for him to hear the commotion. Plus, the flash of red really attracted his attention. But by the time he arrived, he was too late. Thunder and Lightning had escaped, and Beast Boy was trying to move pieces of a rock. All the while he was spouting about the prank, how he should have never done it, how he felt terrible… and finally saying that he was sorry. "I never said it, but I'm sorry."
Solor turned to his left, seeing Starfire pulling herself out of another rock pile without a scratch on her, and approached their green teammate. And what a reaction he had, turning into a kitten and jumping into her arms so that he could snuggle up with her. Again, a pang of emotion he didn't understand shot through the dragon's heart, but he ignored it. He approached the two of them, looking at the green kitten. "I am glad that you are both safe", he finally said, attracting their attention.
Beast Boy quickly jumped out of the tamaranean's arms before morphing back, looking at the dragon with a truly humble look on his face. "I am so sorry. I went too far, and you got hurt in the crossfire."
Solor smiled, and patted the titan on the shoulder. "Then you understand, and I will forgive you." Solor then put a vicious look on his face, a grin that unsettled his friends. "Next time, make sure you hit your target."
"Now we must put a stop to the evil brothers", Starfire interjected, before Solor could cackle evilly.
"I don't think they're evil", Beast Boy said, frowning. "I think they're just like me."
XxXxX
To say fighting the fire monster was easy would be a blatant lie. The only two that could get close enough to it would be Starfire and Solor, and the dragon was the only one with fireproof scales. And unfortunately, no hit with his claws or flap of his wings could help. And yet, it was Beast Boy who inadvertently saved the day. Thanks to his words, he was able to convince both Thunder and Lightning to stop the foolishness, and with their powers combined, they were able to take down their creation.
"I am sorry for my actions", Thunder said to the changeling, bowing his head. After a nudge, his brother followed suit. "You have taught us well."
"Don't thank me", Beast Boy said, motioning Solor over. "Thank the one who taught me."
Now that they weren't fighting and they got a good look at him, the brothers immediately recognized what Solor was. "Thank you, great dragon", they said simultaneously, bowing their heads. Solor at first stiffened slightly, quickly shooting a look to his teammates before relaxing when they weren't reacting.
"It was nothing", Solor said. "I am only glad that we managed to stop this before so much Life was destroyed."
They conversed a bit more, Starfire joining them, before finally the brothers rejoined in the sky, vanishing from sight. And Solor could only smile. His siblings weren't here, but now that he thought about it, in the short time he had been there, he had formed a new family.
It was nice knowing that the Titans were there for him if he ever needed them. Even if they were probably some of the most annoying people he had ever met.
