Cruelty watched as the Titans left, keeping a careful eye on Serenity. He had seen the look the other Aspect sent him earlier and knew he wouldn't be treated gently if he put a foot out of place. Not that Serenity could do anything to him, he might be able to boss around the other Aspects but Cruelty was determined to break out from under his thumb. At least for the time being.
He sidled away from Contempt and Doubt, the moaning of the later getting on his nerves. His fingers itched, the small beads of blood he pulled from Raven during the fly over the city licked clean. The smell of pain and iron was already fading, leaving him craving more. Cruelty was no impulsive beast though, he could show patience when needed. Especially if it meant hunting a greater prize.
Just as he was closing in on his target the lift doors opened once again. Cruelty felt the spark of emotion from the emerging Aspects and flashed his fangs in a smile. Perfect.
He watched as Serenity was distracted talking to the newly arrived Patience. The gentle, cuddly beige Aspect did not concern him. He was far more focused on his hanger on. The long, gangly acid green form of Envy making their way over to Greed. The two Aspects most comfortable together.
"Yo" said Cruelty as he drew closer, one small ear twitched towards the gathering of Aspects by the computer consoles, making sure they were still distracted.
Envy turned to him, sneering on sight. "What do you want?"
"Nothing, nothing. Just saying hi. What makes you think I want anything?"
"You never just want to say hi" said Envy. Greed was giving him his own guarded look, spindly hands still for once, though his fingers continued to twitch.
"Well, I just thought you might want to hear a little idea of mine."
"See, you always have a scheme going. Fuck off somewhere else" snarled Envy, waving away the smaller Aspect. Cruelty bit his lip, feeling the burn of pain and letting it sooth his irritation. Patience, he needed patience.
"Fine, have fun being pushed around by Serenity then. Once Charity's back in control you won't get a say anymore anyway." He turned to walk away, counting the seconds. Three, two-
"Wait" said Envy. Cruelty revised his expectations, that had taken less time than he thought. "What do you mean pushed around? We're not being pushed around."
"Oh really, so you weren't just brought in by Patience like a stray misbehaving cat? Greed here didn't have to give up everything he got cause Charity overwhelmed him."
"My stuff" mutter the spider armed Aspect, lamenting.
"Don't you want to find out what it would be like to be free for once? To get what you want for once? Do what you want for once? Don't you want to know what it's like to not be ignored and pushed aside all the time? Having to submit to all those goodie, goodie feelings and thoughts. Never doing what we really want. Never being what we really want."
Cruelty could see he had their attention, identical green eyes focused on him. He spoke slowly, quietly, treading softly closer until her was whispering in their ears. The power of their attention sent a zip of pleasure down his spine and over his tongue.
"We're the real Beast Boy. The things he feels deep down. So why shouldn't we do what we want?"
Envy sucked in a deep breath, nostrils flaring. Cruelty could practically feel the want radiating from the boy. Envy was always one to desire more. Tempting him like this was almost too easy.
"You don't have long to think about it. Ravens figured out the ritual. Soon we're going to merged once more. And then it's back to the dark corners and the thrown away thoughts. Forever."
Envy narrowed his eyes and Cruelty knew he had him. He trailed off, letting his words stew in the other Aspects head. Envy's very nature would do the rest for him. Would make the Aspect desire more than what he was. The ever-present jealousy building to bitter contentment.
"But" muttered Greed, Cruelty's narrow cat like eyes snapping to him. "Don't we need to merge? Wont we break apart if we don't?"
"Do you feel like you're breaking apart," said Cruelty. "Bloodlust was killed, and nothing happened to us. We didn't even feel it. Look at us! We have our own bodies. Don't you feel alive? Can't you feel the blood through your veins, the air on your skin? Do you really think we're going to just fade from existence? With our powers?"
"So, what are you suggesting?" said Envy once Greed fell into a contemplative silence. The Aspect clutching a decorative cushion close and running his spindly fingers over the thread.
"See them" Cruelty waved over to the cluster of larger Aspects by the consoles. Wisdom and Knowledge speaking over the microphones to the Titans, Serenity frowning at the data stream. The immense form of Instinct shuffling in his sleep. "They won't be able to merge us if one of them isn't there."
"You want to kill them!" hissed Envy. Cruelty shushed him quickly, waving his hands and giving a smile.
"No, no, no!" he lied. "Just…inconvenience them a little. Just enough to stop the ritual. Raven said if she didn't merge us soon then it would be too late, we would become independent. So, all we need to do is keep them from merging us for a few hours, maybe a day. And then…we'll be free."
"Free" muttered Greed.
"Free to do what we want. Get what we want. Whenever we want. No one to stop us. No one to hold us back. Anything you desire can be yours," said Cruelty.
"So, what do you want us to do?" asked Envy. Greed looked on with wide, attentive eyes.
Cruelty bared his teeth. Naive people would call it a smile.
—
Raven entered the common room to find that the Beast Boys had multiplied once again. She took a second to take in the plump beige Aspect and the lanky acid green teenager sneering at her as she started making herself some tea, mind wondering to what Aspects these new additions could be. She was so distracted by her thoughts that Cruelty was able to appear silently behind her.
Raven felt her heart jump and her hands go tense around the ceramic of her tea mug, the heat almost burning. The warnings of Serenity rang loud and clear in her head. Knowing the Aspects name added a sinister edge to the previously innocent smile. Suddenly the sharpness of those needle-like teeth seemed more relevant.
"Hi Raven" said Cruelty, bracketing her against the counter with his presence.
"Hello Cruelty" said Raven slowly.
"Awwww, you know my name. That's no fun" said Cruelty, swinging back and forth on his heels. Every sway bringing him a hairs breath closer.
Raven shook herself minutely. What was she doing? She had faced down villains and daemons and any number of things scarier than a single childish Aspect of Beast Boy.
Why, then, could she feel a cold sweat forming on her back? There was just something so disconcerting about the child, something she hadn't fully recognized before. His presence had the hairs rising on her neck, her skin itching to get away. No wonder she had been so short tempered earlier.
"What do you want?" she asked.
"Why do you think I want something?" asked Cruelty. "I was just coming to say hello. Aren't we friends? We were getting along so well earlier."
"Beast Boy is my friend" said Raven with finality. Giving the Aspect an unimpressed look. She relaxed her grip on the mug and sipped her tea, trying to act unaffected by the Aspects presence. The liquid burned her tongue.
Cruelty licked his lips, almost tasting the pain. He rocked back once more at the clear dismissal. A slow mocking smile spread over his lips.
"That's too bad" he said. "'Cause Beast Boy really likes you." He stalked over, getting uncomfortably close. Raven held her ground, grinding her teeth as he invaded her personal bubble. Forcing her to look down to keep eye contact. "But you already knew that didn't you?"
Raven gulped but said nothing. Neither agreeing nor denying.
Cruelty's smile widened, "He's so obvious about it. So overprotective. Always following along behind you like a lovesick puppy. There's no way you can't feel the way he wants you…and what do you do?"
Raven opened her mouth to say something, to defend herself, but no sound escaped. Her heart was beating frantically, the sweat cooling on her back.
"Nothing" hissed Cruelty, delighted. "You. Do. Nothing. You like it. Him following along behind you, him wanting you. Never letting him go. Never letting him in. Playing with his feelings for your own amusement."
"No" said Raven at last. "That's-that's not it."
"Isn't it?" snapped Cruelty. "Don't you enjoy it? Being wanted like that. Being chased. Doesn't it give you a rush? Doesn't it make you feel powerful?"
"No" denied Raven, louder. She could feel herself shivering.
"It hurts, you know?" revealed Cruelty, still smiling. "Every time you push him away. Every time you change the subject. Every time you make sure you're not alone together. Such a sweet little pain."
"I didn't-I didn't mean…He never said-" she trailed off. Seeing the condescending look Cruelty was giving her.
"He didn't tell the empath he loved her. Gee, I wonder why? You would think if she knew, she would say something. But you haven't. Why not Raven? Why not just tell him you don't like him? Why let him have hope? Isn't it because you want him to keep loving you even if you don't love him back? To keep wanting you? Doesn't it make you feel good?"
"That's not it!" she snapped, loud enough to get many of the other Aspects attention. Serenity's heavy gaze fell on the two of them and the Aspect hissed. Cruelty skipped back as if repelled, holding up his hands in surrender. Raven, barely noticing this, took a deep breath. Bringing her rage under control. The plates and various mugs scattered around the kitchen stopped shaking. "You know nothing about it! And I'm nothing like you! I've never wanted to hurt BB!"
Cruelty scoffed, moving away as Serenity drew near. "Whatever" he sneered, "be in denial all you want. But until you say something, you're no better than me."
He skipped away before Raven could do anything. Serenity taking his place and watching him go with a hard, eagle like gaze. "Are you okay? Did he do anything?"
"I'm fine" said Raven, suddenly exhausted. She took another sip of her tea. Telling herself that the sting in her eyes came from the steam, even though the liquid was long cold. "He didn't touch me."
Serenity gave her a long look. Raven wished he would just go, those heavy eyes stared right through her far too easily. She wondered what Serenity would say, if she were to ask about how BB felt about her? If he would say the same thing as Cruelty or try and cover the truth? That she had been hurting him. Hurting him for a long time. All because she was a coward. All because, as much as she hated it, Cruelty was right. She did like being wanted. She did like being loved.
That a few words might change that terrified her.
"Don't take anything Cruelty said to heart Raven. His only wish is to cause suffering. Whether to others or himself doesn't matter."
"It's okay. I won't. It was nothing much" she lied.
Serenity hesitated and Raven instantly found that odd. The Aspect was far too strong, far to steady, far to dominating, to waver. The fact he had felt more disconcerting than anything Cruelty had done. "I hope you won't hold Cruelty against Beast Boy when we are one again. He's not…something we are proud of. Or something that we act on. But all the same, we cannot deny he is part of us. We are not perfect."
Raven relaxed a bit, recognizing that the Aspect was truly worried about this.
"It's okay. I know. None of us are perfect." Raven looked the Aspect up and down, and then up again to meet his eyes. She waved to the whole of his impressive figure and couldn't help the weary amusement from creeping into her voice. "Clearly, he's not all you are."
Serenity huffed, "clearly. I best go back. Staying close to Instinct is imperative with all these other Aspects running around. Don't want him getting overwhelmed. How's the ritual preparations coming along?"
"Well, but it's going to take time."
"Naturally" agreed the Aspect. He wondered back over to the collection of others, giving Cruelty, who had scurried back to the far corner with some of the other more unsavoury Aspects, a hard penetrating stare as he did so. The oil black Aspect ducked his head and turned, giving the other his back.
Raven finished her tea, washed the cup and moved to leave. She couldn't help hesitating in the doorway, looking over to Cruelty. She cursed herself for feeling shaken. She tried to keep Serenity's warning in mind, but…was it true? Had she really been hurting BB that badly all this time with her silence? He had always acted so unfazed, coming back to her again and again. His feelings as steady as a rock. Pleasant like the warmth of the sun.
Something she could rely on.
Something she had been taking for granted.
Raven shook herself and pulled her cloak up around her head. Scolding herself to put it out of her mind and focus on the ritual. She would sort it out later, when BB was back together. Now wasn't the time.
Raven comforted herself with one last thought. That Cruelty had got it wrong. Raven didn't say anything because she didn't love BB in return. It was exactly the opposite.
Narrowed eyes watched her go. Cruelty licking his lips and digging his claws into his arms, drawing small pinpricks of blood. The pain zipped through him, delighting every sense. He imagined that purple cloak smeared with blood. Tears spilling over amethyst eyes. Sobs choked with silent screams. A violent delight ran through him.
Slowly his eyes slid from his daydreams and alighted on a chained box. The fish on the front winked at him. Teeth flashed.