A/N: I do not, and probably never will, own the Teen Titans.
I cannot believe this story is almost at 10,000 views. Thank you everyone!
Review Response time!
Eli: I'm glad this is so high on your list. I doubt I'll have kidnappings in this story, simply because that type of mystery isn't my style. But still, both ideas were good. Don't discredit yourself just because you think someone might disagree with you.
Fourteen: Of course. Who doesn't love a good car chase? (But how come in the movies, you almost never see airbags going off?). Unfortunately, there will (probably) be no love triangles because I'm going to end up throwing in other characters and mixing continuities. You already saw how BB was the one to turn Jinx into a hero instead of KF. And to be fair, once you see someone in a certain light for long enough, it's hard to see them any other way.
Derekctomlinson: Technically, he can't because they're now on a team together.
Eris: We'll find out. And for the most part, the cubicle will just contain tools, components, and anything else he might need to fix and repair a car.
frog31791: Yep. That's the main plot of this story.
I hope you enjoy the chapter!
Chapter 18:
The green teen was having a rather peaceful sleep. There were no dreams tonight, just the lack of consciousness and awareness. But that didn't mean he couldn't be awoken. A loud yelp brought him from his slumber, and immediately scanned the room. "Owww." a recognizable voice moaned. Adjusting his eyes to the dark, Beast Boy could clearly make out the intruder that was sprawled across the floor. "What're you doing in here?" he questioned. "Sorry, I was looking for my room and got lost." Jinx explained. "Yeah, it'll take a while to get used to this place." the changeling offered as he hopped down from the top bunk. "Why are you even up this early?" he asked while walking over to a light switch. He turned on the lights which enabled the sorceress to see what she had tripped over. Basically everything within a few feet of the door. "I was thirsty and went to get a drink." the pink haired girl explained. "C'mon, I'll show you the way." he offered as he stepped into the hall. Her room was close to the others, just a hall down. "Thanks. Sorry for waking you." Jinx apologized. "Eh, not the earliest I've been woken." he replied with a shrug. "Have a good night." he said before heading back to his room. "You too." he heard her reply, followed by a door hissing shut.
The short trip back to his room was uneventful for obvious reasons. No one in there right mind would willingly wake up at this ungodly hour. But then again, he used to wake up around this time for his training sessions. Maybe he wasn't in his right mind? "Nah, I'm perfectly, one hundred percent sane." he muttered to himself. He was about to open his door when a soft noise caught his attention. He froze and listened. Nothing, nothing, something. It was coming from...Raven's room. He walked over to her door and put his ear against the metal surface. He heard it again. It sounded like a whimper, maybe a sniffle. "Raven, are you ok in there?" he asked. He was met with only silence and a few more whimpers. "Raven?". Still no response. "Rae, I'm coming in, so don't say I didn't warn you." he said before hitting the button to open her door. When he stepped in, he wasn't met with anything out of the ordinary.
He could hear his teammate better now, and could make out some unintelligible mutterings. He walked over to her bed, where the empath was lying on her side. Her face was covered with beads of sweat, and her expression was a combination of fear and determination. He put both of his hands on her top arm and gently shook her. "Rae, Rae wake up.". She didn't wake, but she reached out and grabbed his arm with both hands, which turned into her hugging his arm as if she was holding onto a tree in the middle of a terrible storm. "Raven, wake up!" he nearly shouted. She remained asleep, her grasp on his arm never wavered or faltered. He tried to pull his arm away, but her response was to only hold on tighter.
He let out a sigh, and went through his options. They were narrowed down to turn into something small and escape or stay here for the night. Remembering all that she had done for him, he was more than willing to return the favor. He carefully lifted the covers and crawled under. Before he was able to pull the covers back up the pale skinned girl had pushed herself against him. Her sweat was dampening his uniform, and her legs found their way around his. Slowly and carefully, he wrapped his arms around the girl, and he felt her lean further into him. Her whimpers quieted and her mutterings slowed, but it was clear her nightmare was still affecting her. An idea came to mind, and he softly sang.
"Unaweza kupanda miti mpaka utaona jua. Unaweza kufuata mto mpaka maji yasipite. Lakini mdogo, wakati mwingine unahitaji tu mtu.
Kunaweza kuwa na mawingu meusi angani. Unaweza kuhisi kutokuwa na tumaini, kama vile haupaswi hata kujaribu. Kumbuka tu, mdogo, ni sawa kulia.
Kutakuwa na siku ambazo mende hazitaimba. Kutakuwa na siku ambazo hakuna ndege huchukua mrengo. Kumbuka tu, mdogo, huwezi kudhibiti kila kitu.
Siku kadhaa unaweza usijisikie nyumbani. Unaweza kujisikia kama uko kwenye roam. Kumbuka tu, mdogo, hauko peke yako kweli.
Unaweza kupanda miti mpaka utaona jua. Unaweza kufuata mto mpaka maji yasipite. Lakini mdogo, wakati mwingine unahitaji tu mtu."
As if by magic, Raven calmed throughout the song, and had drifted into a peaceful state. The song was called "Little One" by his parents, who had learned it from the elders of the tribe they lived with when Garfield was a child. Being forced to change lifestyles had left the boy confused and lonely, but the song had always managed to calm him when he wasn't feeling well. The sweet memories of his parents and his old home brought a tear to his eye. In his current position he was unable to wipe it away, so he let it run down his face and end on the sheets. "Sweet dreams, Rae." the green teen muttered to the girl in his arms. Minutes later, both of the heroes were once again in the land of unconsciousness.
As per usual, Raven was the first to awaken. When she had collected enough willpower to get out of bed, she discovered that she couldn't. Something, or someone, was holding her down. She did not need a long look to determine who the intruder was; she would recognize that green skin anywhere. Her mind started racing faster than she could keep up. True, she liked the feeling of being wrapped in his arms, but no amount of digging could resurface a memory of her inviting him in, or even him requesting to enter.
He had entered her room, climbed into her bed, and held her without permission.
Part of Raven wanted to forgive him right then and there and simply go back to sleep. Another part just wanted an explanation. The last part wanted to send him to another dimension, or give him a reminder he wouldn't forget. All the voices in her head were screaming. The noise, the different emotions, the confusion; it was all too much. Her eyes took a red glow and a second pair of equally red eyes formed on her lower forehead. Without a second though, Anger wrapped the violator's wrists in black bands and jerked them up, forcing Beast Boy's hands above his head. The sudden movement was more than sufficient to wake the changeling, and the first thing he saw were the four glowing eyes.
This was definitely going on the list of his "Top Ten Worse Mornings".
"You DARE sneak into my room and grope me like a pervert?!" Anger roared. Beast Boy did his best to remain calm, and hoped he would get a chance to explain. "Look, I understand you're mad, but-". He didn't get to finish. "You think I'm MAD? You think that just because we kissed once, you can barge into my room and put your hands on me while I sleep?" Anger rhetorically interrogated. "I should slice your hands off right now for touching me." she added. Beast Boy did his best to shrug, and offered his opinion. "You could, but if you did that before you let me explain, I think Nevermore would start changing again. Like last time.". Not even Anger was particularly fond of Shame, and the accuracy of his remark shook a slight bit of sense into the enraged girl. "Or, you could let me explain, and I'll go with whatever you want to do to me from there." the green prisoner offered. Anger appeared to think it over, and let out an irritated huff. "Spit it out." she ordered. "Well, Jinx got lost and I showed her to her room. On the way back I heard something like sniffs and whimpers from your room. I knocked but you didn't answer, so I came in. I tried to shake you awake, but you latched onto my arm. The only thing that I could think of was staying the night here." Beast Boy explained.
The red glow in Anger's eyes dimmed, and Raven's irises slowly became visible, red and purple mixing to make black dots in a swirl of crimson. She could sense that he wasn't lying, and could feel herself calming down. Slowly, the red glow faded until all that was left was white with two lavender irises. The empath took a few slow, deep breathes to collect her thoughts. "I'm so sorry about that. I was just...I didn't know you were in here." Raven offered her teammate. "I get it. You were confused, and when I think about it, it does look bad on my part." the green teen responded. The two sat in silence for a few seconds. "Umm, do you mind?" Beast Boy asked as he tilted his head up, pointing at the black bands still around his wrists.
Raven leaned forward to undo the bands when a certain memory came to mind. She stopped her movements, and looked at her friend with a devilish smirk that did not put Beast Boy at ease. "You know, I never did get you back for that night." the empath stated. Her captive didn't need to think too hard to remember what she was talking about. He opened his mouth to protest, but anything he was going to say was cut of by another black band covering his mouth. The violet haired girl climbed on top of him and slid her hands down to his sides before returning the favor he had given her so many nights ago. His body jerked and squirmed, and she could hear his quick breathing through his nose. It was obvious that he wasn't as ticklish as her, but she could still get the appropriate reaction.
After a few long minutes she figured he had enough and let the magic bindings fade. When the green teen finally caught his breath he decided to voice his complaints. "That wasn't fair. I didn't restrain you or gag you." he said. "Yeah, but it was fun." she replied, quoting him. He just rolled his eyes and sat up, which caused Raven to fall backwards. "If you need to start your daily routine, I can leave." Beast Boy offered. Raven nodded and opened a portal for him. "Thank you. And again, I'm sorry for what happened." the empath said as her friend walked through the portal. "It's cool. Just watch your back." he replied with a smirk before the portal closed. Inside his own room, he flopped onto the bottom bunk and felt himself falling asleep for the third time within a few hours. All in all, this morning wasn't actually that bad.
"What was that supposed to mean?" Raven asked herself when the portal closed. "I'm so scared. What's he going to do? Come up behind us and hug us?" Affection mocked inside Raven's head. "Actually, he's probably going to try to pull a few sneak attacks on us." Knowledge replied. "He just better be careful." Anger threatened with a crack of her knuckles. Raven just sighed at her emotions' antics and made her way to the kitchen.
"You're up late." Robin greeted upon her entry. "I know. Something...popped up." she replied. "Anything you need help with?" the leader asked. "Don't worry. I dealt with it." Raven responded as she filled a kettle with water. The rest of the morning proceeded as usual, except Beast Boy wouldn't be the last one to arrive this morning.
The doors to the commons room hissed open, allowing the entry of a pink haired girl. At the sight of the former foe, Robin prepared for battle, but was stopped by Beast Boy and Cyborg. At their intervention, the Boy Wonder froze as the previous day returned to his mind. He bashfully sat down and rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry. Force of habit." he offered the new Titan. "Yeah, I didn't remember joining either." Jinx replied as she walked over to the fridge. "I have some extra ham and bacon if you want." Cyborg offered. "Sure. Thanks." the sorceress replied before sitting at the table. The metal man slid a plate filled with meat in front of the girl, who began chowing down.
Eventually, Beast Boy and Cyborg found their way to the Gamestation. Ironically, Cyborg had chosen a racing game, and they were about halfway through the first race. They were neck and neck, and Cyborg went to push his friend's car off the track. In a surprise move, Beast Boy hit the brakes, and Cyborg's car flew off the course right in front of his target. The green teen resumed the race, and ended up beating Cyborg with an embarrassing lead. Cyborg slowly turned to his teammate, and Beast Boy could have sworn he heard metal creaking and groaning. "What? Did you really think I could drive a real car but not a virtual car?" the changeling asked with a chuckle. "That doesn't count. Let's go again." Cyborg demanded, and Beast Boy was more than willing to humor his request. The second race ended with a similar result; Beast Boy won, and Cyborg requested another game. By the fourth race everyone, even Raven, was watching with intense interest. The finish line was coming into view, and Cyborg had a small lead. He was sweating and gripping the controller a bit too tight to be comfortable. On the other hand, Beast Boy seemed relaxed and pressed a familiar series of buttons that rocketed his car into first place just in time to cross the finish line. The metal teen was fuming, and Jinx could have sworn she saw smoke coming from his systems.
"Gee Cyborg, maybe you should learn how to drive." Beast Boy joked. He burst into laughter and handed his controller to Robin, who took it and proceeded to win two races and lose three against Cyborg. "Speaking of, you do realize we need to use the Apex until Cyborg can build a new T-car?" Robin asked. "Yeah, but I drive." Beast Boy replied. "Excuse me, but I wasn't here when this happened. What's going on?" Jinx asked. "The T-car was destroyed by Doctor Light. The Apex is what B calls his car." Raven explained. "Yes, and he is a very experienced driver." Starfire added, which earned a soft grumble from Cyborg.
The alarm went off, bringing the six out of their conversation. "Is it Light again?" Raven questioned. "No, it's Cinderblock. He's robbing the Jump City Bank." the leader explained. Instinctively, Raven teleported the group to Cyborg's now empty cubicle. "Sorry." was all she said before teleporting them to Beast Boy's cubicle. Jinx hadn't seen the green car up close, and let out an impressed whistle. "We have a problem. It only seats five." the changeling stated. "I can do the flying above." Starfire offered. The green teen nodded, and the other five piled in. The doors to the outside opened, and performed a quick three-point turn before speeding out, followed closely by the alien girl.
It was then that the other five discovered Cyborg and Beast Boy had very different driving styles. While Cyborg opted to slow down and take turns slow, Beast Boy would simply drift through them at whatever speed he was currently going at. Also, Cyborg wasn't one to take risks with his "baby", and would often take the safer routes. On the other hand, Beast Boy seemed perfectly fine with taking risks, some of which were very close calls. More so, he seemed to be having fun with his driving. Either that, or he enjoyed scaring his friends. Finally, they came upon a straightaway that led directly to the villain. Beast Boy stopped the car, and four of the occupants got out. "Raven. You and the others need to get to higher ground. I'll make the first move, but you'll know when it's your turn." he almost ordered. "Wait, we need a-". Robin's protest was cut off by screeching rubber as Beast Boy flew directly at the stone behemoth. Raven decided to go along and teleported the team to the top of a nearby building, where Starfire soon joined them. "Friends, what is the plan?" she asked. "Apparently, just attack when he lets us." Robin replied.
Cinderblock had heard the roaring engine and burning rubber and had turned to the source. Upon seeing the green car charging at him, he bent over a picked up a large chunk of tarmac that he then threw, only for it to be avoided. Mere seconds before impact, the car veered off course. The five on the building watched in amazement as Beast Boy started driving in donuts around the fiend. The twin cannons aimed upward and peppered the goliath with photon blasts. After the driver had pulled four full donuts around the behemoth, he sped off. "You're up." he said into his communicator, and the other five attacked. The stone giant was quickly taken down and recovered by the authorities. Once the paperwork had been filled out, the five heroes made their way to their friend. "Yo B, can I drive back?" Cyborg requested. Beast Boy simply hummed the Jeopardy theme for a few seconds before replying, "No.". "C'mon man, please?" the metal man practically begged. "Sorry, but do you really think you can handle this?" Beast Boy questioned as he sat down in the drivers seat. Cyborg's face filled with disappointment, and he and the others piled in.
Luckily for the passengers, the ride back was smoother given the lack of need to hurry. Once they were inside the garage, most of the heroes returned to the commons room, but Beast Boy and Cyborg stayed behind. "Can I at least look under the hood?" the metal man requested. "Fine." Beast Boy conceded. He popped the hood, and Cyborg quickly scanned the design. "Wait, are those-" Cyborg started. "Yep. Uranium batteries." Beast Boy finished. "But how did you get them?" Cyborg asked. "Like I said, I have connections." the green one replied. "There's also a gas tank in the back, so it has a back-up power source." Beast Boy added. After fifteen minutes of looking, Cyborg had enough and closed the hood. "Man, I'm so sorry I ever doubted you." he said. "Well, I did have to keep this hidden until necessary." Beast Boy replied.
The two friends joined the others in the kitchen and started making lunch. The six ate with idle chat, mostly Jinx catching up on recent events. Beast Boy and Raven were the first to finish their meals. "Meet you down there." Raven said before teleporting away. Beast Boy nodded and made his own exit as well. "What's that about?" Jinx asked. "For a few weeks now, B has been teaching Raven to be 'creative' with her powers. Sort of like how he uses his partial morphs." Cyborg explained. "Huh." was all she could come up with. "Trust me, I did not expect it to last this long. I thought she would have given up after the first day." the cybernetic teen added. "The thing is, he's good at thinking outside the box. He gave me a few tips for new tools." Robin stated. "Yes, and tomorrow we shall have visitors from my home planet to give him some new forms." Starfire said. The pale girl was rather shocked at the sudden developments of the goofball she had known when she was the Hive Five leader. "Glad I quit fighting you guys when I did." she muttered.
Down in the training room, the two Titans were sparring again. Unlike usual, Raven seemed to have the advantage this time. Beast Boy was expertly dodging and avoiding her attacks, but she had been getting better at being unpredictable, and managed to land a blow that knocked her teammate down. "Did you get the license plate of that truck?" Beast Boy joked as Raven helped him up. Raven actually giggled quietly, much to the pleasure of her teammate. "Today we will try something new. I'm going to have you focus on phantom feelings." he explained. "Isn't that when amputees feel the limb that isn't there?" Raven questioned. "Yes, but I meant with your powers. Picture a stereotypical sword from a movie in your mind, and imagine how it would feel if you made it with your powers.". "Are you sure it will work?" Raven asked. "No, but it's worth a try." the changeling replied.
"Hey guys, mind if we use the room?" Robin asked. The rest of the team had appeared behind them. "Do you mind?" Beast Boy asked his student. She just gave a shrug. "Sure thing." he replied. The four teammates made their way around the room, choosing various exercise machines that best fit their styles. "How long have they been a thing?" Jinx asked the metal teen. "What do you mean? They're not dating." he responded. "Are you sure? They seem really close." Jinx retorted. Cyborg had to admit, his two friends had been getting along much better recently than they ever had. He made a mental note to keep an eye on the two. "Well, yeah, but they're just friends." Cyborg said as he watched the two in question. Raven had generated a construct that resembled a sword, and could tell Beast Boy was complimenting her. Maybe Jinx was right.
"Ok team, there's something we need to do quickly." Robin called out. The team gathered around him, and he explained. "With Jinx on the team, we should develop new battle strategies that incorporate her skills. But first, we need to find out where she stands." he started before turning to the sorceress. "You can choose your opponent, but it'll be a no powers match." he explained. "O...k." Jinx replied. She scanned through her new team and tried to determine who would be the best opponent. Starfire was too strong for her, even without her starbolts and flight. Cyborg was also out of the question given his strength. Robin would easily beat her in a fight. She wasn't even going to consider Beast Boy. Her legs stung at the thought of going in the ring with him again. That just left on option. "I guess I'll take Raven." she decided.
"Very well. This will be a typical match. You win by either forcing your opponent to submit or pinning them for five seconds.". Jinx and Raven stepped into the middle of the room and took their respective combat stances. "Begin." Robin ordered. Jinx was decently versed in martial arts, but rarely used them given she could just hex her opponent. She rushed Raven, but didn't count on Raven to be as good as she was. Robin's combat lessons gave her an advantage in close quarters fighting, but Jinx's natural agility and flexibility evened the playing field. The two traded blows and dodges for over five minutes. In the end, Raven got lucky and landed a kick to Jinx's stomach. Robin didn't even need to count; she would be down longer than five seconds.
"Are you ok?" her opponent asked. "Yeah. You ever consider taking up kickball?" Jinx joked through clenched teeth. Raven just scoffed and placed her hands on Jinx's stomach. The blue glow emerged for several seconds before she let her hands drop. "Thanks. Again." Jinx offered. "No problem." the empath replied. The rest of the team closed in, and the two focused their attention on Robin. "That was very good. You show potential, Jinx. And you did great as well Raven." he praised. "I'll go formulate a few plans. The rest of you can go back to what you were doing." he said before leaving.
Raven returned to Beast Boy's lesson, but that wasn't his exact focus at the moment. "Good job." he said as he held out a fist. Raven gave him a raised eyebrow, and he bashfully started to lower his fist. Quickly, Raven bumped her fist against his, and proceeded to pretend it didn't happen. Beast Boy gave an amused exhale at her ways and went back to the teachings.
On the other side of the room, Cyborg's jaw dropped, and Jinx just gave him an I-told-you-so look.
A/N: I hope you enjoyed this longer than average chapter. Again, an awkward transition, but I didn't want the chapter to get out of hand. The translation for the song is as follows:
You can climb the trees until you see the sun. You can follow the river until no water runs. But little one, sometimes you just need someone.
There may be dark clouds up in the sky. You might feel hopeless, like you should not even try. Just remember, little one, it's ok to cry.
There will be days when the bugs do not sing. There will be days where no birds take wing. Just remember, little one, you cannot control everything.
Some days you may not feel at home. You may feel like you are on the roam. Just remember, little one, you are never truly alone.
You can climb the trees until you see the sun. You can follow the river until no water runs. But little one, sometimes you just need someone.
The Swahili version is what I got when I typed this in Google Translate, so it will not be perfect. Also, I am not good at writing lullabies. I hope you all have a safe day!