Beast boy was excited. He was not just excited; he was intrigued. Robin did bring someone home with him, and Beast boy just had to ask the question that was burning in his mind since he learned why she was with them.
"So, what's it like having a bounty on your head?"
"Dude, you don't just ask someone that!" Cyborg admonished him with a whack to the back of Beast boy's head, making him groan.
"What?! I was curious. I never had a bounty on me."
"That doesn't mean it's okay to ask."
"It's fine, Cyborg," the newcomer started, shifting her attention to Beast boy. "It honestly feels like just any other day in Gotham."
"Except you are now on the other side of the country."
"Except that," she relented.
"Guys, leave Batgirl alone," Robin interrupted as he swept back into the room with a tablet in his hand. He didn't pay either of the two guys any attention as he sat right next to Batgirl. Their elbows were practically touching with how close he chose to sit next to her.
"Come on, Robin!" Cyborg tried to defend himself. "We weren't bothering her."
"Yeah. We were just being cool, dude."
"Well, be cool while you ensure the tower security is working properly," the leader deflected. "We've been away for a whole weekend now. Anyone could have tried to get past the firewalls or the likes."
Cy shrugged in acceptance before heading to the elevator, but Beast boy stayed. He wanted the last word.
"You just don't want me stealing the new girl."
"Sure, Beast boy," robin lamely responded, his eyes never leaving the screen he busied himself with.
"Ladies love the ears," Beast boy said, wiggling his eyes at Batgirl, who met his gaze with a small smile, one reserved for children and lackluster jokes.
"Name one girl who does, and then, and only then, will I spare you the truth," Robin countered.
"STARFIRE!" Beast boy hollered throughout the tower.
A moment later, the floating girl appeared in the common room with a mustard sandwich in hand as she smiled at him.
"Yes, Friend?"
"Say you love them," Beast boy demanded.
"I love them," she paused, uncertainty crossing her face. "What is it I love, Beast boy?"
"That doesn't count," Robin immediately remarked as he continued to stare into his device.
"I think it does, bird brains."
"What is it, I love?" Starfire asked again.
"His ears," Batgirl responded. She then smirked, "Personally, they remind me of a Christmas elf. All pointy and such."
"Not this again," groaned Beast boy as he moved from the sitting area to escape them. He faces this same slander every winter, about how he should be an elf, that all he needs is the red outfit, or that he has the ears for it.
It was a joke beaten dead but cruelly still beaten at like a bird and a crowbar.
"I think they are cute," Starfire admitted, flying closer to him to look at his ears.
"Ha! See? Ladies love them!" Beast boy cheered.
"She said they were cute, not that she loved them," Batgirl shot him down, watching his mood deflate.
"Same difference," he tried to argue back as he fought for even the slightest win.
"You know, where's Raven? Usually, she has you thrown through a window by this point?" Robin asked, looking away from his tablet for the first time.
"I don't know, dude. Not my ears, not my circus," Beast boy responded.
"Really? You usually always seem to know what she's up to," Robin commented as the two met each other's gaze and forced Beast boy to concede and look at his feet.
That was the thing. Robin was right. He did know where Raven was.
She was in her room, likely meditating or drinking her third cup of tea for the day. She would only not be there if she was in the kitchen making more tea. Which she wasn't yet.
"She is her own person," the green teammate tried lamely. His eyes flickered over to the elevator. She was only two floors and some steps or so away, locked behind her sliding doors. A small distance that he had to remind himself that it was not worth the effort to travel.
"A person you usually are pestering."
"Oh well."
"I am still confused…." Starfire commented, not following the change of conversations. "How are ears being cute the same and different from being lovable? The same means they are alike. Different means opposite. I do not understand your language, no matter how many words I know."
"Robin, that's on you to explain. After all, I'm going to join Cy in making sure the tower still works," Beast boy said as he briskly escaped, heading for the elevator.
"Why am I always fixing your problems."
"You are the leader. Nice meeting you, Batgirl!" The changeling waved to her as he hit the call button for the elevator and waited for it to arrive. "Cya dudes around."
"Later," Batgirl responded, watching him go. She turned her attention back to Robin and Starfire, who was nodding her head to Robin's explanations of the English language.
"This is most complicated."
"You should hear about: Buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo. Now that is the English language at its prime," Batgirl offered up.
Beast boy did not want to hear about that as he hit the "close doors" button inside the elevator over and over again. Only weirdos cared about such "prime" English-ing. What he cared about was getting some bro-time with Cy. He knew that he had taken the given days off to see his Father in Metropolis at S.T.A.R. Labs.
The doors opened to the Computer Womb of the tower. This was also known as Cyborg's other baby, just like the T-car. Almost all of it went over Beast boy's head as it was way too complicated, but he knew how to power on a monitor, at least.
"CY!" He called out upon wandering a few feet in, not seeing the robotic human in the near vicinity.
"Back here," his best friend's voice called from somewhere far back behind a panel of wiring, glowing lights, and other devices that looked expensive.
Beast boy made his way over, passing an array of buttons that he was all too eager to push. He knew better than to push them, though. Been there, done that, after all.
"What are you fiddling with back here?"
Cyborg was behind the systems of the monitor. He glided his fingers over ports and wires as he searched for this or that. It was all lost-on Beast boy.
"My dad gave me this idea while we were talking. It made me realize that if I reroute some of this cable management and change some of the inputs over to route here or there, I can decrease the stress on the system by a decent amount."
"Nerd."
"Why do I even bother explaining it to you, pea-brain?"
"Because we are best friends," the green one replied.
"Speaking of, Batgirl and Robin seem pretty close on that couch."
"They were both trained by Batman. It would make sense."
"I mean, like close-close," the robotic one emphasized.
"Ohh. Honestly, as long as they shut the door and Febreze the room once they finish, I won't care."
"Why would they need Febreze, wait, never mind. That's gross, man."
"Just being honest," Beast boy held his hands up in surrender, earning a chuckle from his friend.
"So, how was your alone time with Raven?"
"Uh, you know how she is."
Cy gave him a side eye, picking up on the hesitance of Beast boy, who was trying not to say anything revealing. So, something happened while everyone was all away, the cyborg reasoned.
"You try to kiss her or something?"
"You know how she is," Beast boy doubled down on, now looking away at some wires as if they were much more interesting.
"Which side of the tower did you fall out of?"
Beast boy let his head fall as he stared at his feet. Cy always knew what was up.
"West, by the rocks."
"Ouch. You all right?"
"Tired of trying to be there, dude," Beast boy began to vent, happy he knew his best friend would listen to whatever he said without worrying about sharing details. "Feels useless half the time. In the other half, I'm getting hurt. What is the point of being her friend if she bullies me? I'm getting tired of it all."
"I bully you."
"Yeah, but it's clear we are friends, and it is all in good spirits. We don't actually seek to maim the other by dropping them from varying heights on a regular basis."
"You two are friends, though."
"Are we? Or are we just teammates?"
"That bad, huh?"
"Not even the candy trick worked. She just yelled at me. She pretty much called me a worthless hero. Also, I took some basic pain relievers from the med bay for next time you do inventory."
"Want me to talk to her?" Cy asked earnestly, turning from his work to meet his best bud's eyes.
He was everybody's big brother here on the team. He was the oldest and usually the most understanding of things. He was the best of them, in Beast Boy's opinion.
"To what end? She already made it clear. I think I am just going to step back from her. I'm not her jester or keeper. Not anymore."
"Don't take this the wrong way, but I'm glad you are doing this. Raven is a complex 'complex character,' right?" Cyborg began as he went back to work.
"Sure."
"I mean, we have both literally been in her mental landscape. I just… how do I say this?" Cy paused and looked around for a moment as if choosing his words carefully. "I don't think you could do anything to make her like you, or anyone for that matter.
"With how she regulates herself and her powers, if she is going to like anyone or anything, it will have to come from her own choice to do so. I think stepping away and letting her see what is missing is the best thing for you to do if you want to be friends with her," he paused, a grin on his face as he continued. "Or even date her."
"Dating her?" He squealed. "She'll kill me long before she even thinks of me like that."
"But I thought the ladies love the ears," Cy quipped back.
"Name one?" Beast Boy grumbled as he turned his back on his friend before slumping into a chair near the monitor.
"I think Starfire likes them."
"She just said that because I baited her."
"I've seen her stare at them before, and we've all known each other for so long. It begs the question, why would she stare at them nowadays?"
"Nah, I doubt it. When we go to the city, they all swoon over Robin before even giving us a look. Plus, I'm green. Do you know who else is green? The Grinch and the green bean giant dude. No lady likes green dudes."
"Didn't the Grinch bag the chick with the biggest gohonagawhos in town?"
"It's a movie; of course, he did, but this isn't a movie."
"Didn't you want to be an actor when you were younger?"
"Hey, Cy?"
"Yes, good buddy?"
"Things don't work out for me like that."
"Come on, man. You are not being fair to yourself. Do you realize the life you live? You are literally a walking animal. It doesn't matter which animal. You can be it. You are on a superhero team, surrounded by people who support you daily. You even have access to some of the best tech in the world, thanks to yours truly. I mean, sure, you don't have a girl hanging off your scrawny arms, but who needs that when you got everything else? Your life is a movie."
"Yeah… I guess you are right."
"I know I am."
"It's just that, when I was practically alone in the tower, it made me realize how little I have in respect to a social life. I don't need more friends, you know? It just felt like I didn't have someone I could talk to with everyone doing something for themselves."
"You were feeling lonely," Cy supplied.
"Yeah… yeah, I guess I was."
"Say, mornings, we wake up. Me, you, and some bro time. Every day that we can."
"Can't, dude."
"What are you doing in the mornings besides sleeping?" The cyborg asked, shocked.
"Me and Star, we like do this sunbathing together."
"What?" Cyborg shouted, moving to look down physically at his best friend, who just stared back innocently.
"I mean, we only just started today. However, we plan to make it a more normal thing."
"You and Starfire, our resident happy-flying-warrior-alien, sunbathe together?"
"Don't forget, she is a princess."
"Together, just the two of you?"
"What are you digging at, dude? We literally just sit up there and talk."
"Here I was, thinking about you and Raven. Man, Robin and I had it all wrong. You and Star?"
Beast boy felt himself blushing up a storm as the weight of what was being said settled on him. It wasn't like that! Not at all. They are just friends.
"Dude! We are just friends. Hell, I only just learned her name today."
"Wait, her name isn't Starfire?"
"Well, I mean, no? It is her Earth name, I mean."
"What's her non-Earth name then?"
"Koriand'r."
"Koriand'r, huh? I like it," Cy admitted after testing the name. He gave a shit-eating grin, "When the wedding happens, I better be your best man."
"What? Come on, man!" Sputtered Beast boy.
"She must really like your ears to put up with your jokes."
"I'm not having this. I'd rather learn about prime Englishing," Beast boy declared, getting up and making his way to the elevator.
"I'll stop. I'm sorry," Cyborg began. "Just stay down here, green bean. I need some help with reaching some of these wires. Usually, I'd get Raven and her small hands to get it, but I'm sure a hamster will do."
"You know, Cy, I came down here to talk about you and your trip to see your dad. How did all that go?"
"It was better," He started letting his gaze drift to a wall, his mind recalling the recent memories. "Things are definitely improving. I think the time apart has made him and I realize how important time together is. Just being there, present, not saying a word to another as we would watch a movie instead of talking about work…" he turned from his memories to his friend. "It makes you realize how much it means to be in the company of loved ones.
"He wanted me to come back more often, so we could have those moments more. I think we are finally healing."
"I'm glad. I'm happy that is happening for you, finally."
"Thanks, now hurry up and go 'hampter mode' already."
"' Hampter,'" Beast boy monotoned back as the two giggled at themselves over their simple humor.
Beast boy couldn't stop himself from smiling as he morphed into a hamster. He was glad that his best friend was home again.
He didn't like being lonely.
AN: Thanks for reading! I look forward to watching the statistics on where everyone is reading this from. Hope you have a great day.
If you wanna chat with me and fellow writers across the platform and fandoms, come join the Emerald Libray on discord. My username is the same, and my DMs are better managed than my PMs.
-Manke