Bored out of her mind, Starfire stared at the thing that the nurse called a 'cast'. She had said it helped mend broken bones. She raised her eyebrow at the hard fiberglass covering her left arm. It was a bright pink and was tight enough to not slip off, but loose enough to where it almost allowed normal circulation. But, the nurse called 'Betty', who had short brown hair and a chubby body, said it would mend her broken arm in a few weeks time.
Before the medication, the pain had hurt like nothing she had ever felt before. Her arm had broken in seven different places from the shoulder, which had been knocked out of socket, to the wrist, which had flopped at an odd angle before the cast was placed.
She lay back, cringing slightly as her skin pulled tenderly at the stitches across her skin. Come to find out, a piece of glass had slid through her flesh, in between the bone, and needed seventy-eight stitches. That pain had almost rivaled her broken arm, but she couldn't understand why the pain suddenly seemed so much more pronounced. Before, if she had been hurt, it was easier to deal with. The pain could easily be quelled after being inflicted, but now, even with the painkillers, her wounds still throbbed painfully. After the wreck, it seemed as if she had suddenly become weak, that the pain seemed to intensify with every breath she took. She was mulling it over when Robin walked it, a bouquet of red roses held timidly in his hands.
He smiled, some of the embarrassment at his romantic act of purchasing flowers fleeing, and watched her study her cast with a slight pout. He glanced up at her eyes, surprised to find them human. They were white were they should have been, but the iris still as bright green and innocent as ever. Her skin was tan, with no underlying orange tint, and her cat-teeth were gone, replaced by slightly uneven white human teeth.
He was positive she had no idea of what had happened as he poked randomly at the pink cast. His gaze was drawn to the swab of cloth placed above her right eyebrow, which now arched completely over her eye. The doctor had said that she had busted her forehead when she hit the back of Cyborg's seat. He flinched slightly, knowing that she must have been in a lot of pain when she finally woke.
Losing interest in her cast, Starfire glanced up, her eyes landing on him. They softened when they slipped over the roses at his side. A large smile graced her busted lip as he walked closer to her. She had needed two stitches for a piece of glass that had lodged itself inside her lip, promising a scar that would always grace her beautiful face.
She sat up slowly, eyes trained on every move he made. "Robin?"
He sat down next to her, pulling the old hospital chair closer to her bed. He laid the flowers down on the nightstand, hands fisted in his lap as he settled down. She still watched him, right hand resting over the hot pink material. There was a pregnant pause as he searched for something to say. Her eyes, still hazy from the medication, crinkled slightly at the corners as she watched the emotions race over his face. With a muttered, "Screw it," Robin reached out to take her hand in his, rubbing her bruised wrist with his thumb lightly. "Yeah?"
She shivered at the soft slide of his voice. Starfire let her eyes drift down to his hand, skin calloused and warm. Maybe Robin would know as to why the pain was so hard to endure now. He usually knew every answer to her questions. Pleased with knowing she would receive an answer, Starfire leaned down closer to him. His eyes lifted at the sudden movement.
"Robin, why is my pain so noticeable now? Before the crashing of Cyborg's 'baby', physical pain was easier to endure. Now, it seems as if it has duplicated from its original form. It hurts to even breathe, despite the medication I was previously injected with. Why is that? You seem to always know what is wrong, so maybe you know if I am damaged?"
He licked his lips, picking idly at the dry skin as he tried to find the best way to explain her predicament. "Starfire," he started softly, eyes trained on his hand, so pale against her own. "...When we wrecked...something happened and..."
She looked at him with innocent green eyes. "Yes, Robin? What happened after the 'wreck' as you call the destruction of Cyborg's transportation? Did something unusual happen?"
He smiled at her innocent junction of words. She had definitely kept her usual thinking, despite the loss of her alien powers.
"Starfire, when we wrecked, you...," Robin sighed, hands tightening ever so slightly against hers. He was beating around the bush and he knew it. Starfire deserved to know what had happened. So, with a deep intake of breath, Robin lifted his eyes to hers and said, "Starfire, for reasons unknown, when we wrecked, you lost your powers." She furrowed her brows, which were now normal, arching delicately over her eyes.
"What do you mean?" There was a slight tint of panic to her voice as she sat up completely, eyes troubled even as she forced herself to think that she had merely misunderstood him. It is the medication. You are twisting his words so you misinterpret what he is really trying to say.
He sighed softly, the leader in him pushing his way past his affections for his friend. "You're human. As far as I know, you can't fly or shoot star bolts from your eyes or hands. You don't have your super human strength. You're just like I am. Human." At the lost look, Robin softened. "Star, we didn't want to believe it either. Beast Boy and I didn't want to believe what Cyborg was saying. He did a full body scan. He said there was no trace of alien blood within you. There was no demonic blood within Raven, either. Something…something happened to make you lose your power, but I swear to you, Starfire, we will do everything in our power to find out why."
Her eyes watered and heavily as she fell back against the pillows, the sudden movement jerking at her broken flesh. Her side felt like fire was nipping at the sewn up skin, but she was too worried at the loss of the powers she had grown up to control. Her whole existence thrived on her alien powers. Why would they need her if they were gone? Panic caused her voice to break as she asked, "But, how can I be human if I was never human before?"
Robin shrugged and shook his head, watching numbly as tears slipped across her cheek.
He stroked her hand, watching the emotions skitter over her eyes. Confusion followed the trail of tears, flanked immediately by pain, then joined roughly by flaming fury. She scowled deeply, the movement pulling at her slit lip as she faced him. "Did someone steal them? Is it even possible? Or did the wreck trigger something within me to lose everything I worked so hard to control?" He shrugged, hating himself for not being able to give her any answer.
"I don't know. After all we deal with day after day; there's no telling what happened. There are so many possibilities, so many ways this could have happened…"
Ripping her hands from his, she slammed her palm down on the bed, causing Robin to jump slightly. He swore that if she had her powers her eyes would flame with energy. "I want them back," she growled, barring her teeth to get her point across.
He smiled at her attitude, and lifted her uninjured hand to his mouth to press a kiss against her palm. She glanced at him, surprise replacing anger. A light red blush stained her tan cheeks, her eyes glowing with pleasure.
Robin chuckled as he linked his fingers with hers once again. "Whatever happened, Starfire," he added, tone doused with promise, "we will figure it out. And you will get your powers back. This I promise with my life."
Starfire glanced at him, cheeks still tinged pink, and smiled. "I know, Robin. Things will work out for the best, of that I am sure." She let her eyes drift over their linked hands. "It is just a matter of how to get it back."
Raven cracked open her heavy eyes, her side throbbing as if a drum were being played in her body. She blinked, eyes aching at the bright white walls that greeted her vision. She growled slightly. Everything was bright and happy and cheery and she hated it. Raven glanced at the down quilt covering her body. Even the bloody sheets she was laying on were a bright, happy blue. She stared at the walls, her head pounding at the happy colors and an angry ticking throbbing on her forehead. Why was everything so goddamn bright?
When Beast Boy walked in, he found her glaring at the wall as if it were him making a stupid joke. He grinned, a huge black bear propped against his hip. She didn't notice he was there until a huge stuffed animal blocked her view. She glanced at the animal, then at the green teen holding it. She found herself softening as he grinned widely.
She studied the patch above his eyebrow, then at the thin scratch below his right eye. Raven tried to sit up, feeling that she owed him that much for visiting her, but found that lying down was painful enough. She cringed as her ribs shouted profanities at her for even breathing.
Beast Boy dragged a chair up, the legs screeching across the tiled floor. He sat down slowly, cringing at the loud noise he had unconsciously caused. He sat the bear down beside him, busying himself by arranging it to his preference, but never letting his eyes make contact with hers.
With a raised eyebrow, Raven snapped her fingers to gain his attention. He jumped, his eyes snapping to her face. "What is wrong with you? I can't look that bad," she managed to say, fearing that it was indeed the case. Unfortunately, Raven didn't have the energy to lift her hand to find out if this was the reason Beast Boy wouldn't make eye contact with her.
Sighing heavily, Beast Boy stood up and started to pace. Her eyes were crossing just by watching him. For someone so small, he sure could move. Raven held up a hand, the other massaging her throbbing temple. "Do you have to do that? My head hurts enough in this stupid bright room. I don't need you to pace like that."
His gaze cut to her face, taking in the difference. She was pale, but no longer the gray she used to be. The chakra diamond on her forehead was gone, but what got him were her eyes. They were flashing with emotions. Emotions he could read. She was confused, shocked and in pain, but strongest of all was a shallow tinge of worry.
Raven growled low in her throat. "Tell me what's wrong." It was more of a threat than anything else, but her eyes betrayed her threat. The worry was slowly starting to gain strength. He knew she was thinking that worst, her mind forming thoughts of one of their teammates wounded or dead.
Quickly, Beast Boy threw himself into the chair, eyes dark with nervousness. He didn't know how to go about this, but knew if he didn't explain things quickly, Raven really would think that one of the Titans had been killed. †
"Raven...when Cyborg wrecked the car... something happened," he said lamely, using his hands to help get his point across.
She sat up, ignoring the pain in her side the best she could. "What happened? Was somebody hurt? Or, or killed?" Her eyes were now over powered with worry.
He shook his head rapidly, telling himself to be calm. It was what Raven needed at a time like this. He sat down, elbows braced on the arm of the chair.
He covered his mouth with his hand, slouching slightly, his long fingers tapping against his cheek. He removed his hand, starting out slowly with, "Raven, when we wrecked, something went wrong and ...well, you and Star lost you powers. I don't know how, so don't ask. This was something Cyborg said, and you know we speak two completely different languages when it comes to anything smart. You're human. And we don't know how to get them back. That's…really all I can tell you. I guess it means that you don't have any of your demonic powers, and that all that mediation you do won't help anything, seeing as there nothing to mediate over, unless you want to do it for the hell of it. So all I can tell you is…you're like me…minus the green skin, and shifting and—" Beast Boy couldn't seem to stop his rambling, but everything he said after this was lost on Raven.
Raven's mind was speeding painfully over the new knowledge. She was human? Her powers were gone? How did this happen? Could it be possible? Was Beast Boy trying to get a rise out of her? Was this some sick excuse of a joke? But one look at Best Boy's somber eyes quickly dispersed the last idea. But wait, if her powers were gone, could she actually feel without harming anyone? Could she actually be...normal? Is that what this meant? That her father no longer had any form of control over her?
Beast Boy could almost hear the wheels in Raven's mind churning. He expected her to be mad, or depressed, but when she turned to him, her eyes were soft and slightly unsure. "Beast Boy...can I...feel without hurting anyone, now that my powers are gone?"
He never thought of that. Now that she was human, she would be able to express any emotion. He bit his lip, lower fang pressing tightly against his upper lip.
He watched her, surprise flashing in his dark green eyes. He nodded his head slowly, unsure of how to answer that. "Yeah. Yeah, I…guess it does."
Raven turned away from him, eyes darting rapidly over the room as reality settled into her mind. "I…can feel…no more worrying about my father. Or hurting others. No more double thinking my feels, or consoling with myself to see if it's okay to do something I should be able to do without problems. I…won't be…under his thumb anymore." When she turned to him, her eyes were wide with shock.
And for the first time, Beast Boy saw the real Raven smile.
She didn't think about it when her mouth lifted, didn't have to think about her powers when she felt the heavy weight lift off her shoulders and slip down her eyes.
She did not even bother to brush the tears aside as she turned to him, body leaning slightly toward him despite the pain. "Do you know what this means?" She asked softly, eyes softening with each second that ticked by, until he found himself looking into the most innocent eyes he had seen next to Starfire.
He stared at her, heart galloping inside his chest. Was this the girl who hid behind her powers? Was this the girl he tried so hard to bring out? Beast Boy let out a pent up breath and let his eyes trace over every plane of her face as if he were seeing her beauty for the first time. "That you might actually be nicer to me?"
Her grin turned into a cocky smile, causing his galloping heart to come to a stumbling halt and trip over his lungs. "No, that's mandatory." Raven let out a sound that bordered between a sigh and a laugh. "It means I can be normal. I can express joy, fear, anger, anything I want! And nothing will be destroyed! I have dreamed of this since I was six and found out I couldn't feel."
She glanced at him, her eyes watering. She grabbed his hand, squeezing it as she tugged him closer to her. "Beast Boy, I can feel." She let out another airy sound. "And I love it."
He glanced up at her, a blush blooming beneath his skin. Her eyes were slightly hesitant as she stared at her hand, pale against his. When her eyes lifted to his, there was such a strong uncertainty that he wanted to console her without knowing the reason behind her emotions.
"Beast Boy," she said softly, and before he could even think as to why she seemed so shy, found himself in the warm circle of Raven's arms.
Despite the pain, she grip tightened on his neck, forehead pressed against his neck. . His hands twitched at his side, unaware of what to do. When Raven's grip seemed to grow desperate, Beast Boy let his uncertain hands wrap around her waist, careful of her cracked and broken ribs. He studied his hands on her, and found that they looked so big compared to her small body. That was a shock to him, considering he was barely taller than Raven's five foot four frame. Briefly, he hoped he hit a serious growth spurt before he turned eighteen…
She pulled back after what seemed like beautiful agonizing hours, laying her hands in her lap, a tiny hint of a blush creeping beneath her milky skin. She tucked her hair behind her ears, and he noticed that it wasn't purple, but black. He blinked, unconsciously picking up a strand and rubbing it through his fingers. It was softer than he would have imagined, almost like slipping his fingers through silk.
She watched him, wondering why he was so drawn to her hair. Then, she thought about it, her mind going over what Beast Boy had said earlier. She was human now, so that meant that she had changed in personality and looks. Right?
"Beast Boy?" He slid his gaze away from her hair, meeting her eyes, which were still violet. At least that much had stayed the same.
"Hmm?" She bit her lip, wondering if she had enough strength to look in a mirror and see what she looked like.
"Can I… have a mirror?" His brows creased as he looked around the room in search of one. She clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth, knowing that the only way to get to one was to actually move off the bed. She glanced at the door leading to the bathroom. Grimacing, she yanked the IV out of her hand and pushed the covers off.
Beast Boy watched her, and then slapped himself mentally. Dude, Beast Boy, help her. You, for the mean time, can be her knight in shining armor. Prove chivalry isn't dead. He grabbed her hand softly, helping her from the bed. She cringed as she slid down his body, leaning on him for support when the pain sliced through her. Beast Boy's hands were warm on her skin as she stumbled to the bathroom. When she made it to the bathroom door, breath heavy from the journey she had just made, she glanced down at her hospital gown with a weak glare. "Ugh, these are the ugliest things known to man."
He smiled as he helped her stand at the mirror, her weight braced against the sink.
Her eyes widened as she caught sight of herself. "Oh my God. I don't even look like my old self." He nodded, nonchalantly rubbing her back soothingly.
She pulled on a piece of her black hair, tugging on if as of to see of it was real. Her eyes snapped back to his face. "This is unbelievable." She shook her head, rubbing a temple as the ache throbbed behind her skin.
"If Star and I lost our powers, why didn't you? And why now, why at this exact day and time? Was it the wreck? Or something else?" She turned to him and made a move to sit down on the toilet, but her body was too weak. Instead, she slid against him, forehead pressed against his collarbone. She wanted to pull back, wanted to prove that despite her loss of power she was still strong, but everything slammed back into her, thousands of questions racing through her mind.
Beast Boy didn't know what to do to make her feel better. It had to be hard, having to hold everything in, then to having it all break free when the barrier was broken down without warning.
His hands were hesitating again as he slid his palm over her hair, fingers slightly fisting against the soft mane. "It will be fine, Raven. We'll figure it out and get your powers back." He said, hoping the uncertainty wasn't present in his voice, though it shimmered through his body language.
Beast Boy didn't know what to think when she stiffened against him, hands fisting in his shirt as she turned her cheek to his chest. Her voice was soft, yet hard. The fingers against his shirt tightened to the point where it was painful.
"But . . . I don't want them back."