Meanwhile, Metallica Plays Intermission!

AN: There are so many things I want to be writing at the moment, so many ideas I'm excited to bring you all... and yet when I sit down to write them, I stare at the screen for hours and manage maybe a few sentences. Anyone out there looking to read some drafts and give me some ideas for how to steer these beasties where they need to go?

Also, I'd like to especially thank those of you who took the time to review! I know it's hard sometimes to think of what to say when you click that button down there, so thank you for doing so. It really does help motivate me to keep writing when the inspiration's not flowing.

These two don't really rate individual chapters, in my opinion; they're just little unpolished ideas that came from listening to the Big 4's most sue-happy group.

Disclaimer: Speaking of suing, don't do that to me. I don't own anything you'd want, and that includes the intellectual properties you'd find here.

—

Until It Sleeps

AN: This takes place immediately after Every Dog Has His Day.

When Beast Boy finally emerged from his room, it was nearly three in the morning. Hunger and restlessness had driven him from a sleepless bed. Even awake, he couldn't help but feel Soto's collar strangling him; he wasn't keen on finding out what dreams were slated for the night.

As he rounded the corner to the kitchen, he found Starfire perched on the counter, a melancholy look on her face as she spooned something vile-smelling and wriggling into her mouth.

"Hey, Star," he managed with a slight wave. "Can't sleep?"

The purple-clad girl shook her head. "Nor you?"

"Nah. Just too hungry or something, I guess."

Starfire swallowed and set her bowl aside, nervousness dancing in her eyes. "Are you certain you do not need to discuss... things that happened today?"

Beast Boy's snort echoed around the common room. "Pretty much seems to be the same story every time. They slap a collar on me and do what they want to me, and I'm too weak to do anything about it. Not a whole lot of discussing to do."

The Tamaranean cocked her head to the side and came down from the counter. "This has... happened before?"

Panic struck Garfield as he realized just what he had let slip. He searched for some lie to cover it up, but could find no way out. "Yeah," he said, voice turning hard. "And no, I don't want to talk about it."

One orange hand came to rest on his shoulder. "I understand your pain, Friend Beast Boy..."

Something vicious rose up in Beast Boy's chest, and he shoved her hand away. "Do you, Star? Do you really think you could understand? Have you ever had a collar around your neck, reminding you every second of every day that you don't deserve to be treated like a person? Have you tried to hold off the hunger pains for days at a time, only to beg like a bitch for your owner's table scraps when it got to be too much?"

Starfire's gasp was all the answer he needed. Now that he had started, though, the words came tumbling out against his will, each syllable as involuntary as vomiting and infinitely more painful.

"When I'd finally give up and beg... they would make me turn into female animals. They'd make me roll over so they could check, then laugh at me till I wanted to just die... and if it was a good day, they stopped there." Gar swallowed, unsure if he was trying to clear his throat of tears or bile. "I was nine years old. I didn't understand most of it then... but now that I do, I know it's a talk I'm going to need to have with anyone I ever date. 'Hey, I really like you, but you should know I'm irreparably damaged and I'm probably going to freak out if we ever get past second base.' That'll go great, I'm sure. Chicks totally dig basket cases, right?"

A tremor started in Garfield's hands and worked its way through his body. When his face began twitching uncontrollably, he covered it as best he could with a sneer. Had to redirect, fast, or he was going to fall apart right there in the kitchen. His teammate was just unfortunate enough to present a good target. "So tell me, sweetheart," he said, words dripping venom, "Do you really understand what that collar is like? Cause I seriously doubt it."

Tears streamed down Starfire's face, but at his last statement, her eyes lit up with so bright a green that it hid her scleras entirely. Reaching back to the nape of her neck, she gave a quick jerk, and her ever-present gorget came away in her hand.

There, etched into the skin no Titan had ever seen, was a band of scarring nearly two inches wide.

Gar was well-versed in forensics, thanks to his time with the Doom Patrol. With a glance, he knew that marks like those took years to make.

"Believe me when I say I understand, my friend." Starfire's voice did not shake or crack as he had expected; it was steel tempered by a note of compassion. "When the collar chafes on your neck, it is not only the skin that is torn away bit by bit; it is your identity." With that short utterance, the Tamaranean set off toward her room with long, purposeful strides.

Beast Boy stood for a moment, unable to fully believe what he had seen, but when his world caught up with reality, a tidal wave of guilt slammed into him, and he took off running for Starfire's room.

Only an arm shoved into the doorjamb at the last second kept the door from slamming closed in his face. Ignoring the pain, he stumbled into her room and fell to his knees in front of where she sat on her bed.

An eternity passed with her staring at him. He fumbled for the right words to form an apology, but nothing seemed sufficient. Still, he pushed forward with what few would come out, hoping that he could find more along the way.

"I'm so, so sorry, Star," he said, not quite able to meet her eyes. "It's just... I didn't think anyone else... what they did to me... I didn't want to believe anyone else had to go through that. Especially not you." Beast Boy sighed. "Can you please forgive me for those things I said?"

Starfire's hand found his shoulder once more, and he was finally able to look her in the eye. "We share a kindred pain, Friend Beast Boy. In the past, I have lashed out much the same as you did... and that is why there is nothing to forgive. This burden is ours, and none who have not carried a similar weight can ever hope to understand it."

A sigh of relief rushed past Beast Boy's lips. Summoning a weak smile, he put a hand on one knee and began to rise, only to feel Starfire's grip tighten on his shoulder, nearly hard enough to make him wince.

"Friend Beast Boy... I am embarrassed to ask this of you, but... speaking of this has awakened something horrible in me, and I do not wish to be alone. Will you... hold me? Until it sleeps once more?"

Without a thought to propriety, Garfield crawled into the bed behind her, draping an arm over her and holding her body close to his own. Together, they drifted off to sleep, comforting each other with the knowledge that they were no longer facing the nightmare alone.

—

—

Of Wolf and Man

The knock sounded once more, even more impatient than usual. Putting aside his issue of Cog Monthly, Cyborg walked to his bedroom door, knowing full well before he even left his seat who would be standing there.

Before the door had even slid open all the way, his best friend was already babbling. "Okay, Cy, I'm about to ask you to help me do the craziest thing I've ever asked you to help me do... and I need you to say yes."

Cyborg blinked. "Hold up, are we talking crazier than the bubble wrap and office chair thing? Cause that's pretty much my limit."

"Different kind of crazy. Not nearly as fun."

Scratching his head, Victor summoned up a little holographic projection of the incident in question. "I don't know that I'd call that one fun, really... you remember how it went."

The green boy sighed. "Compared to this, it's sunshine and prancing unicorns."

Cyborg instantly sobered, and the projection flickered out. "Okay, time to tell me what you're talking about. And I completely reserve the right to say no."

"You can say no, and at first you're probably going to want to, but I'm begging you, Vic. I need this."

The half-robotic teen nodded, wary.

"I need you to come out to the middle of nowhere for a couple of days with me, and make sure no matter what happens, I stay out there and don't hurt any humans."

There were a number of worrisome things about that sentence, but one in particular struck him. "Humans?"

A grim nod confirmed what he'd heard. "Yeah. I'm going to be hunting and killing animals. And I'm going to eat them."

"Raw?" Victor was aware in hindsight how idiotic the question was, but it was out before he could stop himself.

His best friend gave a little snort. "I doubt you could slather Cy-B-Q sauce on a deer's innards quick enough to avoid losing an arm to Marv."

Okay, that was a new one. "Marv?"

Beast Boy shot him a sheepish grin. "Yeah... I had to come up with some sort of nickname for the wolf-man thing running around in my head. Marv just seemed like it fit. Makes him sound a whole lot less scary than he really is, y'know?"

Victor shook his head for a moment before returning to the subject at hand. "So you're saying you need me to head out to the wilderness and watch you hunt and kill a bunch of critters, then eat them raw."

A nervous giggle wobbled its way out of his green buddy's mouth. "Did I mention that sometimes the animals might kind of still be... alive-ish? Apex predators aren't always super picky about that kind of thing as long as the prey isn't going anywhere."

A metal hand slapped to a robotic abdomen, and Vic's cheeks bulged for a moment while he tried desperately to banish that mental image. "Whoa, there. No, nononono. Not gonna happen, Green Bean."

"Please, Cy," the changeling said, placing his hands on Victor's arms. "It's the only way I can think of to keep this monster inside me under control. I've tried absolutely everything else... and you're the only one I can ask to do this."

"How about Robin? I'm sure Batman taught him how to hunt sometime."

Two green eyebrows shot up. "You do remember the other guy's opinion on Robin, right?"

Victor winced. "Starfire?"

"That's... not an option this week," Beast Boy said, turning a deep forest green.

"Why not?"

Scuffing the floor with his toe and looking down, Beast Boy mumbled something unintelligible.

"Huh?"

"She's fertile!" he shouted, then cringed at his volume. "Like, super duper give-me-babies-now fertile. I can smell it all over the Tower. And regardless of my feelings for... you know... I don't think Marv is gonna want to pass that up."

Cyborg blushed, then tried his last shot. "Speaking of that you-know, what about her?"

The changeling's glare was a perfect impression of the young woman in question, albeit in a different hue. "Cy, think about it. I can barely keep my composure around her as it is sometimes. If I let that thing loose with her anywhere nearby, it's not going to be interested in hunting. I'll probably end up floating in a black bubble humping the air trying to get to her. Not exactly my preferred way to say, 'Hey, I don't know if you've noticed, but I've had a crush on you for a really long time now.'"

Swallowing hard, Victor nodded. "Okay, then. So when do we go off on your little I-hunt-therefore-I-am trip?"

With a nervous grin, Beast Boy reached behind himself and pulled a duffel bag into view. "I packed your supplies already... how about now?"

—

—

BONUS SHOT: I realized shortly after posting those two that my version of events in Until It Sleeps doesn't match with the show's continuity. Retcon time!

—

St. Anger

(In the middle of Date with Destiny)

As Raven floated above the city, stretching her empathic senses out in search of any clues as to Killer Moth's whereabouts, she gritted her teeth against the waves of terror and anguish she encountered. Reluctant though she might be to wade through the emotional aftermath of the disaster on the bridge, it was the best shot she had at aiding the Titans' search. Robin was buying them time, but a few hours to search the entire city bordered on the impossible; now wasn't the moment to hold back for the sake of comfort.

The majority of the traffic in the city was as expected, but there was an anomaly fast approaching her. It was broadcasting wildly, a mix of distress and determination and... unbridled joy?

A pink, orange and red dot hove into view, and within seconds, Raven no longer had to wonder as to the source of such jumbled emotions. Starfire floated before her, eyes wild as she began babbling. There were words in English and words in Tamaranean, but they slid past the empath's ears equally as her eyes widened.

Starfire was wearing a dress, and for the first time in Raven's memory, no gorget... and it was very apparent why the Tamaranean had chosen to keep her neck covered.

"Starfire," Raven whispered, still in shock, "Is that..."

The alien bit her lip and nodded. "It is a reminder of my life before the Titans. Tamaraneans bear their battle scars proudly, but this... was not earned in battle. For some time I have carried it with me, kept my hatred for those who did this to me burning. But I now realize that there is no honor in this scar, nor anything to be gained by its presence." She swallowed, and Raven sensed the green-eyed girl steeling herself for her next words. "I wish... to begin again. Robin has been forced to go on a date with this gremplork named Kitten, and this has made me come to the sudden realization that..." the girl trailed off, hesitation in her eyes.

As an empath, Raven knew precisely what was weighing on her friend's heart, but she also knew that Starfire had to say these words for herself. Nodding gently, she kept her expression as open as she could.

After a few false starts, the words came out one by one, almost painful. "I have not come to love him yet, but I would like to try. And in order to love in such a way, I need to set my anger free. If Robin is to hold such a place in my heart, my former captors cannot remain there as well."

The sorceress set her mouth in a determined line. "I'll help you in whatever way I can, Starfire. All you need to do is ask."

With a few deep breaths, Starfire was ready. "Friend Raven, will you take this scar from me?"

Raven nodded, placing a hand on the neck of the closest person to a sister she would ever have. A blue glow suffused the area, and the process began.

Healing scars was a particularly tricky undertaking, and not only for the fact that the body already considered itself fully healed and therefore resisted the intrusion. Scar tissue was mystically tied to the memory of the wound received. Most often, this meant a mere moment of pain and a flash of remembrance. A scar such as this, though, formed by years of unimaginable suffering... it was unlike anything Raven had ever experienced.

Tears streamed from her face, falling to soak the pavement far below. Her control wavered in the midst of the torrential emotions, and fearing for the safety of the city, she shunted the excess off to the only person at hand.

The Tamaranean gasped and opened her eyes wide, realization dawning on her. She moved to break away, but Raven brought a bond of black energy to hold her still for the last few seconds of the process.

When the glow faded and the sorceress released her friend, they hung there, suspended in both space and time. Finally, the alien spoke.

"You... you felt—"

"Side effect of healing: I absorb the pain, physical or emotional. I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell the others," said Raven, trying her best to offer a smile. It undoubtedly came out wrong, but she didn't mind at the moment. "I'm sorry I had to give some of it back to you; I..." She swallowed. "I'm not as strong as you, Starfire. Not in that regard. I don't understand how you can still face the world after all that's been done to you, much less find the beauty in everything."

Starfire smiled at her, that smile that lit up any room regardless of size. "I will not lie; at times it is difficult. I did not believe I would ever find happiness again in my lifetime. But this world and the friends I have found here... you have proven me wrong, and I am glad for it."

The level of emotion was becoming too much for Raven to handle, and she permitted herself an instant of regret before she walled herself off once more. "Good," she said, voice back to monotone. "Now unless I'm mistaken, you have a prom to go to, and a boy to win over."

Nodding, Starfire moved in to trap Raven in a crushing hug, but restrained herself at the last moment and lightened her embrace. "Thank you, synahe l'ani."

As the Tamaranean pulled away, Raven raised an eyebrow. "What exactly does that mean?"

Clutching her hands to her chest, Starfire answered, "Sister of my heart."

An unfamiliar tingling shot through Raven, and tears gathered in her eyes unbidden. "I... thank you, Starfire."

The alien girl nodded and favored her with another smile, then shot off toward the harbor.

In her wake, Raven floated in the lotus position, commencing her search anew. She had expected to need considerable meditation before regaining enough composure to use her powers properly, but they seemed... almost eager to obey her. It was a novel experience, and one she filed away for future consideration, alongside a growing affection for the sister of her heart.

—

AN: There we go! Now there's no more canon-screwing. Also, Kryalla Orchid invented a word for sister for me to use in this story. My response to this was to become so giddy I couldn't write a response thanking her for about five minutes after reading the message.