A/N:
Eli: According to the original comics, his father used a machine that reversed his evolution to that of a monkey that could survive sakutia for 24 hours so the virus could run its course in his body, but he turned green due to a "bug in the system". I don't remember the exact wording, but that was basically it. Other sources (to my knowledge) say it was the disease, given it turns infected creatures green while others may say it was a serum his father used in a rebooted story line.
And I understand you have your own ship tastes (I for one just don't understand DamiRae) but this will be a CyJinx story. If you don't like it, you don't have to follow. But if you continue to follow with the story I promise you will find out why this isn't a CyBee or Flinx story. It will probably take a while, but I have some rough ideas that will end up explaining a few things.
Eris: I don't actually know what I have to say about that. He was a dragon, but he was also a magical being, so there's a chance that spells and magic were involved. And if he was a naturally occurring dragon, that would place dragons (and by that logic other mythical creatures) in the Red, meaning he probably could have used them in the series. I really do like the idea of BB using those creatures, and probably will use it in another fanfic. But for now I'm going to stick to the consistency of this story that BB can't use mythical creatures, or at least not yet, and hope that you are ok with that line of planning.
Derekctomlinson: Do you have any examples? I know some animals have traces of metal. Anything with bones already has metal. (Calcium is technically a metal). Not to mention zinc and iron in blood.
New chapter starting up! (P.S., later on there's a brief mention of a not-so-pleasant subject).
Chapter 21:
Raven was just a few steps away from the door to the commons room when they opened for her green teammate on the other side. "Oh, I was just about to get you. We ordered pizza for an early dinner." the changeling explained. "Thanks. But, can you come with me for a second?" the empath requested. "Sure." the changeling replied. The empath led her friend back towards her room and stopped halfway. "You remember how Timid was acting up as Shame?" she asked. "Yeah. Is she back at it?" the green teen replied. "No it's...someone else. I think you might be able to help." Raven explained. "You need me to go back in your mind." he stated. Raven nodded and awaited his answer. "Sure. Let's do it after dinner." her teammate offered. "Thanks." she said, then followed him into the kitchen.
"What kept you two?" the cybernetic teen asked. "Just talking." Raven replied. "What were you talking about?" Starfire replied. "Stuff." was Beast Boy's response. Realizing they weren't going to get any information out of the two, Cyborg and Starfire joined in and ate. The team had gotten halfway through the second pizza when the TV came to life and the screen filled with static. "What the?" was all Robin was able to mutter when a familiar, annoying voice filled the room. "Titans! It is I, you greatest nemesis, Control Freak!". Suddenly, the fat, orange haired man's head filled the screen. Instinctively, the team formed a battle position around the television. "You shall now face your doom, for I hav-". His rant was suddenly cut off as the mute symbol appeared in the lower right corner of the screen. "For someone with access to reality warping abilities, he sure could learn to use something that can't be muted." Beast Boy stated.
Half a minute went by, and eventually Control Freak finished what was supposed to be his monologue. The green teen unmuted the television and spoke. "Sorry, the speakers cut out, can you repeat everything after: 'You shall now meet your doom.'?" he politely requested. "Sure. Ahem. You shall now meet your doom, for I-". Beast Boy once again cut off his rant, and the six heroes started giggling. This was not missed by Control Freak, who finally noticed the mute symbol. He ripped it off like a sticker on the inside of the screen and crumpled it up like a sheet of paper. "Just for that, you're getting a heap of spoilers." the orange haired slob spit out. From the inside of his coat he pulled out what appeared to be a sheet of paper with scribbles and notes that were barely legible. "Jeez, Erik needs to take a penmanship class or two." he mumbled as he flipped, rotated, and scoured the paper for anything that could be read.
"Who is this 'Erik' you speak of?" the alien girl questioned. "I'll tell you who he is sweetie. Erik, or 'Annonmyous' on FanFiction dot net, is the one writing this story. And he really needs to start actually planning these chapters rather than do them on the fly.". The six just shared confused glances and decided as a whole not to speak of the subject. "Hold on, hold on. Maybe a different page.". The Titans just sighed and sat down. Control Freak pulled another sheet from his coat and read the hieroglyphics that was Erik's writing. "Ah! Here we go!" he exclaimed. "Apparently he plans to incorporate...'Youmr Juslim'? What even is that?". The viewers just threw back their heads and waited for something to actually happen. The villain's attempts to translate the writing yielded no results, but eventually something made sense. "Ooh! looks like I return!" he declared, glad to have finally found something. "Wait, this is just the plan for what's happening now. I don't return at all!" he exasperatedly shouted. He finally returned his attention to the Titans, who had zoned out a while ago.
"Hey! Did you really ignore my attempts to spoil the next few chapters of the story?" the villain asked. "Well, it doesn't help that we don't even realize that we're not real." Cyborg responded. "Fine, fine. Where was I, where was I?" he spoke to himself. "Oh yeah. You shall now...you know what, I don't feel like it anymore. Maybe tomorrow." he said, and the TV went black. The six heroes blinked several times in an attempt to discern whether or not the entire ordeal had been real or some sort of hallucination.
"Well, I'm going to pretend that never happened." Beast Boy stated as he tossed the remote onto the couch and returned to the pizza. It had gone cool, but was still warm enough to enjoy. The others decided he had the right idea, and all were soon finishing the pizza. Ten minutes later the meal had been reduced to crumbs and small chunks of vegan cheese stuck to the box that eventually found its way into the trash. Cyborg went down to the garage to finish the new T-car while Jinx and Robin booted up the Gamestation.
"You're sure you want me to do this?" the viridescent teen asked as the two made their way to Raven's room. "Not really, but I sort of told Affection that I'd have you talk to her." Raven replied. "Wait, so she's the one who's giving you trouble?" Beast Boy asked. "Yes. You can ask her any questions you may have." the empath responded. The two arrived outside her room and made their way in. Raven picked up her mirror and sat on her bed. "Once you're finished, have one of my emotions contact me and I'll come in to form a portal for you." the empath instructed. Beast Boy nodded, to which Raven handed him the mirror to look into. For the umpteenth time recently the shadowy claw extended and grabbed a Titan before dragging them in.
Beast Boy was once again released into a free fall, but this time he let himself build up velocity. He didn't consider himself an adrenaline junkie, but even he needed a good rush every now and then. Several yards before impact he morphed into a mouse and and let his sudden drop in terminal velocity slow his descent until he was falling slow enough to turn into a bird without straining his wings. In the form of a green robin he flew over to the giant library. His arrival wasn't missed by the emotions, some of which rushed over to meet him.
"Hey B, didn't know you were dropping by." a certain pink cloaked Raven greeted with another friendly hug. "I didn't know either until just before dinner." he replied as he returned the gesture. Anger simply gave him a glare that only seemed halfhearted. "You're here to talk to Affection. She's over in the back." Knowledge offered. "Thanks Yellow." he replied before turning into a hummingbird and flying off. "Really? The best he could come up with was 'Yellow'?" Anger questioned.
When Beast Boy reached the back of the library he was greeted by a forest with a stream. There were two figures sitting beside the running water. One was wearing green and the other was wearing lavender. "Hey you two. What's up?" he asked. The two Ravens quickly turned around and Brave energetically approached him. "Just chillin'. What's up with you Grass Stain?" the green cloaked Raven asked. "Not much. Raven wanted me to speak with Affection." he explained. "Cool. I'll leave you two to it." Brave responded. She walked alongside the library and eventually disappeared around the front.
"So, what do you want to talk about?" Affection asked. "I think the issue is what you want to talk about. So spill." the green teen replied as he sat down next to the emotion. Affection was quiet for several seconds. "How do you feel about Starfire?" she eventually asked. "She's a good friend." he replied with a shrug. "Do you...see her as, girlfriend material?" the lavender cloaked emotion nervously asked. "Not really. She's nice and all, but I see her as more of a sister than a potential girlfriend. That, and if she's interested in Robin I don't want to come between them." the changeling replied. "So, that kiss really didn't mean anything?". "Nah, she was just using that whole 'kissing to learn new languages' thing." Beast Boy responded. Affection let out a relieved sigh that earned a laugh from Raven's teammate. "Were you actually worried I would choose Starfire over Raven?" he asked. "Well, I'm 'Affection'. Worrying about that is kind of my job." the emotion stated.
"Well, don't you worry. I'm not going anywhere anytime soon." the changeling partially joked and partially stated. He wrapped one arm around the emotion's shoulders and gently poked her side, earning a jump and soft yelp from the clone. The emotion leaned into him and rested her head on his shoulder. "She's worried about you." she said. "How long have I been in here?" Beast Boy asked, hoping he hadn't been in Raven's mind for too long. "It's not that. She saw a few scars. She doesn't often think about them, but that doesn't mean she's not concerned." Affection clarified. The green teen's mind froze and he slowly turned to the emotion. "When did she see them?" he questioned. "It was after the fight with the Hive. Just before you woke up." the emoticlone explained. She could see that Beast Boy was going through something internal. His arm dropped from her shoulders and he almost seemed to be having a mild panic attack. "She really didn't mean to peek. She just saw a little mark on your neck and got curious." Affection blurted.
"Who has she told?" the changeling almost demanded. His voice was wavering slightly and sweat was collecting on his forehead. "No one. I promise." Affection replied. She gently cupped his chin and turned him to face her. "Please don't be mad at her. She didn't know." the emotion begged. The green teen's breathing calmed, and eventually he regained enough composure to speak. "I'm sorry. It's just that I never wanted anyone to see them. Any of them." he explained. "Why?" the lavender cloaked girl asked. "Because they're ugly! Because they're disgusting and I can't get rid of them!" Beast Boy exclaimed. It wasn't exactly a shout, but it definitely wasn't his normal speaking voice. The response startled Affection, but she managed to stay calm. She figured there wasn't much words could do at the moment, so she wrapped the teen in a caring embrace. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to shout." Beast Boy apologized. "It's ok. And Raven would never hate you just because of some marks." Affection offered. The two sat there for several minutes, Affection just holding Beast Boy.
"I should probably get going." the green teen stated. "I know it's not my choice to make, but can you promise not to be upset with her? She really cares for you. More than she may admit." Affection begged. "I can't make any promises. But I'll try." Beast Boy responded. "Please do." a soft voice replied from behind. The two turned around and saw the real Raven. "How long have you been there?" Affection asked. "Long enough." she replied, then turned to her teammate. "Are you ready?" she asked. "I guess." was his reply. Another portal opened like the last time and the two heroes jump through it to land on Raven's floor.
He just wanted to get out of there; to go to his own room and hope Raven would forget about the scars. Unfortunately, his attempt to leave was halted by a black band pinning his arms to his sides and holding him in place. "Raven, what're you doing?" he asked as he tried to break free. The empath in question walked around in front of him. "Did you really think that we, that I would be disgusted by a few scars?" she questioned. "Well, yeah. They're not pretty, and there's more than 'a few'." the changeling replied. "Can...can I see?" she requested. Beast Boy didn't answer; just gave her a questioning look. "You've done so much for me, for all of us. But we've barely returned the favor. Please, let me help with this." she tenderly requested. The binding faded, yet the green teen still stood there. "Fine. But I need to change into something that isn't one piece." he replied, then left for his own room.
Even after he left, Raven stayed where she was. She hadn't actually expected him to agree to her request. Figuring she should change as well, she walked to her dresser and pulled out a pair of shorts and a simple t-shirt. Both black, of course. She was just pulling the on shirt that turned out to be a little to short at the bottom when a series of knocks echoed on her door. She rushed over and opened it, allowing her green teammate to enter.
The door to her room, usually somewhat welcoming, now seemed rather unwelcoming. He never should have agreed to show her the scars. He had done so well at hiding them for so long. He never realized his hand had raised to knock on the door. There was no going back now, so he decided to just get it over with. He knocked three times, and was almost immediately granted access by the empath. She had changed into a pair of sleeping shorts that went down to her lower thighs and a shirt that exposed a small sliver of her midriff.
He took his cue and entered, doing his best not to stare. He had no idea why, but there was something oddly alluring about her new wardrobe. It was nowhere near as revealing as her leotard. Then again, he rarely saw her in anything so casual. He decided to wait until this was over with before he went about thinking about it. She led him to her bed and sat down. He took a seat in front of her and got ready for the big reveal.
"Are you sure you want to see?" he asked. "Yes." she responded. The green teen took a deep breath and turned his back to her. He reached up and grabbed the back of his shirt, which he slowly pulled up until the bottom had slipped over his head.
Raven gasped at the sight. He had been right, there was much, much more than a few. The skin on his back was saturated with marks. Many were small in size but large in number. There were scars that looked scarily like stab and slice wounds and others that looked like surgery incisions. There were also some that resembled the burn marks near his clavicles. The empath reached up and softly traced some of the scars with her fingers. A few were raised in the skin, but most were just discolorations.
Beast Boy felt her fingers on his back, but relished in her touch. He felt the mattress shift and saw her making her around to face him. He was still holding the shirt in a position that covered his chest and arms. She grasped the shirt and he let her pull it away. The front of his body wasn't any better. Like his back, there were marks that looked like cuts, stabs, and surgery marks covering his muscled chest and torso. There were many more burn marks, some of which were long lines that indicated he had been cauterized for some reason. This was the first time Raven had actually seen his hands. They were much less scarred then the rest of his body, but there were marks that indicated bones had been broken. His fingers had claws that were three quarters of an inch long which was probably why he always wore his gloves.
But what grabbed her attention was a long, pale green line on his left forearm that went from his wrist all the way to the inside of his elbow. She grabbed his arm and gave him a disbelieving look. "When?" was all she asked. There was no need to clarify what she meant given the worried look on her face. Beast Boy took a shaky breath and explained. "It was actually a few minutes before we all met. I had been through so much, and just couldn't take it anymore.". Fear started to fill Raven's mind. The idea that they never could have met may have been appealing long ago, but now it was a frightening prospect. "But I promise you I haven't tried ever since we met." the green teen added. There was a look in his eyes that told her he was telling the truth, but that did little to relieve the gut wrenching emotion she was feeling.
Raven dropped his arm and wrapped her arms around him with strength that matched Starfire's hugs. The weight caused him to fall backwards, but Raven's grip never faltered. "Promise me you won't try again." she demanded as she buried her face in the crook of his neck. "I promise." he offered. For minutes the two just laid there in silence. Only the sounds of breathing broke through the still air. "Hey Raven? Can you not tell the others? I don't need them worrying as well." he asked. There was no response. "Rae?". He peered around to discover her eyes were closed. "Guess I'm staying for the night again." he muttered to himself. Not that he really had a problem with that
A/N: I hope this chapter didn't trigger anyone with the mention of a suicide attempt. I know it's not a subject to be joked about, and it probably won't be referenced again. Aside from that, I hope the chapter was tolerable!