Disclaimer: Teen Titans does not belong to me... although... No, it doesn't.
Note: I tried to get this chapter out as soon as possible, but I had to take special care with it... It will more understandable once it is read.
Chapter 5 - Psychology
Both arms behind his head, the green Titan lay silently on the top bunk bed in his room. His eyes were closed at the moment, but every now and then they would open and stare unseeingly at the ceiling above. After what seemed like a long stretch of time, he turned slowly onto his side, now facing the wall. Contrary to how it looked, he had managed to climb out of bed earlier that morning, but only after the other four members of the team had left to go their separate ways. He did not have to guess who went with who or where they went. It had been the same since the beginning of the case. Only this time, he had to sit out.
An inaudible sigh passed over his lips as he thought back to the previous night. He could not deny that he had felt some degree of humiliation, but more than that, he had felt even more helpless. Nonetheless, they had not questioned him further at the time, except to ask if he was certain he could not change and if he was alright. Beyond that, no one said a word about it; Starfire had just swooped down and carried him to where the fire was. (They had been all over the city within the past few weeks.) Luckily, it was only one building this time, so Raven was able to put out the fire herself. He had helped search out any survivors and rescue them from the burning structure. At least he had been able to do something.
"Then, we found another body... Not unusual... but I had a hard time looking at it," Beast Boy thought to himself as he shifted onto his back once more. "After that, we stayed just long enough to talk with the authorities before heading back here... No one said a word to me, as if they did not want to bring up the subject," he continued mentally, eyes drifting closed once more. "... except Starfire, of course."
Flashback
"Beast Boy," the alien girl began hesitantly, "how are you feeling?"
Looking back at her from his position by the large double doors, he saw her only standing a short distance away. Raven was also there, although she did not seem to be paying much attention. Although, somehow he felt that she was listening in... "I'll be fine," he stated flatly, his tone letting on that he was not certain himself. "I'm probably just tired," Beast Boy added, turning to leave for his room.
She was quiet for a few moments before murmuring, "... if you are sure, friend. I hope all is well with you in the morning." A sincere smile tugged slightly at the corners of her lips as she finished her last sentence.
"Thanks, Star," the green Titan replied before walking out of the large room. As the doors swished closed behind him, his ears perked up slightly as the Tamaranian turned to converse with the empath, but he did not think anything of it right then.
End Flashback
It had been a lie. He was well aware that his level of fatigue had not been the cause of his inability to change. In all honestly, he had not even been too tired at the time, physically anyway. The lie had just been to keep everyone from worrying, or at least Starfire. It appeared as though it had worked to some degree. They had left him to rest for the morning and no one had come to check on him.
Rolling onto his side so that he could see his clock, he noticed that it was getting close to lunchtime. The others would be back soon. Jumping down from his high bed, he left the confines of his messy room for the second time that day. (The first was when he had gone to make himself breakfast.)
As he drew near to the common room, he paused in his steps, thinking that he heard voices on the other side of the doors. The voices were hushed, but he could tell that all four must have already returned. Seeing that they were trying to be quiet, he guessed that he was the topic of their conversation. Normally, he would eavesdrop, but he just did not feel like it right then. So, he walked forward and the doors opened for him.
As soon as the others saw him, a silence fell over the group. They were gathered near the kitchen area. It seemed that it was Robin's turn to cook, since he was the one standing up by the stove. The other three Titans were seated at the counter.
The Boy Wonder was the first to break the silence, "You're just in time for lunch."
"Good, 'cause I'm hungry," Beast Boy replied, plastering a fake grin across his features as he approached the group.
Lunch was fairly quiet, compared to other days. There was no fighting or arguing. The only conversing was about what anyone had found that morning, which was very little. No new clues to add to the meager few they already had.
The identity of last night's victim had been discovered - a young girl who worked at a bar near the outskirts of the city. She fit the broad range of victims easily enough. Initially, the authorities thought that the murderer was only after females, as the first handful of victims were such. Then, a few males were found burned and stabbed. The culprit did not appear to be racist, as the victims differed very much from each other in that category. Also, several of the earlier killings had been people Raven knew from the café, but then murders began to take place at seemingly random locations throughout Jump City with no noticeable connections to each other. It had the team stumped for the time being. The case appeared to get more complex each day.
Once the informal discussion was over, the Titans dispersed for the afternoon. Robin, of course, insisted on having more research to do, and was hence accompanied by the girl of Tamaran. Cyborg went to scan some evidence that he had not finished with that morning, and Beast Boy returned to his room without saying a word. Raven remained in the kitchen to clean up and wash the dishes, as it was her turn to do so.
While beginning to move the dishes from the counter and dispose of the trash, the empath allowed her mind to wander back to the conversation that had taken place right before lunch...
Flashback
When she walked through the double doors with Cyborg, the two found that the Boy Wonder and Starfire had beaten them back. This was unusual, seeing as how engrossed Robin was known to get with his research. Forcing the thought from her mind, she moved to take a seat in front of the counter and folded her arms on top of the hard surface. Looking around, she saw that the leader of the team had already started on lunch and the sound of plates and utensils clicking together were the only noises to be heard.
This time is was the Tamaranian who chose to break the silence. "Should I go see if our friend is feeling better?" It was directed at Robin, of course, who turned slightly from where he was standing in front of the stove to look back at her.
"Not yet," he said, his tone making it seem as though he was slightly distracted. "Regardless of what he told you, I doubt him being tired is the reason for his loss of power. He's been tired before and has still been able to change." There was a noticeable pause before he continued, "I think this is something we need to address... but he won't give us straight answers."
"Of course he won't," Raven voiced, hands folded neatly under her chin as she directed her violet gaze toward the other three.
"But why?", the redhead asked, her voice laden with obvious concern. "We only wish to be of help to him."
"He probably feels that it would be too embarrassing," Cyborg commented from Starfire's left. "You know how he likes to feel useful...He doesn't like to admit when he's helpless. I mean, who does?"
"He's not helpless," the violet-haired female replied with a firm tone.
"Raven's right," Robin spoke up, fully turning to face them. "He can help it but he doesn't know it."
"I believe the problem is in his mind," the cloaked Titan responded, a serious expression on her face. This was not the time to make any remarks about his lack of having a brain, as they so often liked to tease him about.
"That would explain his behavior recently," the half-robot stated, glancing down at the counter's surface.
"So, we should try to make him feel better, like cheer him up? All this badness does seem to be making him so sad," Starfire replied with her hands set neatly in her lap. Her tone had yet to lack in concern or sincerity.
"I'm afraid that it's not that easy, Starfire," the masked Titan answered, his tone laced with disappointment. They were close within the tower. So, when one teammate was upset or depressed, the rest of the team felt it to some effect.
"There is obviously something bothering him, and he won't get any better until he learns to deal with it," Raven voiced a bit edgily. Normally, it would not have been any of their business, but they really needed to pool all their resources on this case. His absence would be felt.
The Tamaranian fidgeted with her hands and looked around at the other three Titans present. Tentatively, she asked, "But can we help him?"
Before either of the two males could answer, the other female Titan spoke up, "This isn't something I would normally volunteer for, but I will try." When she noticed the expression on the others' faces, she frowned ever so slightly and added, "I am experienced in issues that deal with the mind."
"Alright then," the Boy Wonder replied, going back to fixing lunch. No one said anything more since, at that moment, Beast Boy entered the room. All four hoped that he had not heard any part of their conversation...
End Flashback
As she thought back through those few minutes before lunch, she finished putting away the dishes and turned to head to the roof in order to meditate. She was still unsure why she had volunteered to help, that was something she needed to look into before she said anything to Beast Boy.
–
The room was consumed in darkness, with the exception of the glowing red digits on a digital clock. They read 2:09 p.m. It was the middle of the afternoon and he was just waking up. Thanks to the lack of windows, the sunlight outside was not a problem. Although it was dark, he knew that the room was scarcely furnished; just a simple bed, night stand, dresser, and small desk were the only furniture.
"Why am I so tired?", he thought silently. "It feels like I've been up all night... Maybe I'm coming down with something..." Sitting up in bed, he ran a hand through his short brown locks, debating whether or not he felt like getting up just yet.
"Finally, you're awake," a low voice spoke through the blackness of the room
"W-who's there?", the man answered shakily, eyes searching the darkness in vain for the owner of the voice.
"Fool, you know very well who I am," the voice came again, a bit more threateningly than before. It was definitely masculine and familiar, but he could not quite place it.
"I-I do?", he questioned, his own voice was growing more and more timid each passing second. Thinking he heard the sound of footsteps drawing closer, he jumped slightly and gripped the edge of his blankets tightly, knuckles quickly growing white.
"Of course," came the response, which was then followed by a momentary pause. "... and you also know exactly why I'm here."
The man's eyes started roaming around wildly, trying to pinpoint the source of the footsteps, which he was convinced were coming ever closer. "What do you want?", he ventured further, although quite hesitant to do so.
"Nothing much, for now," was his answer. There was a noise like that of paper being shuffled around before the sound of footfalls began to grow more distant. "Just go back to sleep," the voice drifted one last time through the blackness before falling silent.
A moment or so later, the form of a man crept from a darkened room and headed down a nearby hall, a folded piece of paper tight in his grip.
–
The air was warm against her exposed skin as she floated a few feet above the ground, legs crossed and eyes closed. Her cloak floated noiselessly in a light breeze as it passed by her and continued on its way. She failed to notice much of this, seeing as her thoughts were occupied with more pressing matters. All she wanted to do was find a few answers, but her emotions were still stubbornly keeping them from her conscious knowledge, to an extent.
"Why did I even offer... I can barely stand to be in the same room with him for too long," Raven thought mentally, her outward facial expression never altering. "We're on the same team, and he has been there for me in the past..." She shook her head, wondering over the reasons she was supplying for herself as excuses. "This is ridiculous... We are friends, and there's nothing wrong with wanting to help a friend in need, is there?"
Suddenly, a small voice in the back of her mind spoke up, saying, "... but that's not the only reason you volunteered and you know it..."
A slight frown crossed her delicate facial features, and she answered, "What are you implying?"
"You know exactly what I mean," the voice replied in an amused tone, as if she were teasing the empath.
"I assure you that I do not," Raven responded sternly.
"You don't, or you don't want to admit that you do?", it asked with mock naivete. The last part of the sentence was much more a statement than a question.
"I don't have to answer you," the Titan retorted. Then, she paused. "... why am I having this conversation with myself?"
Sighing inwardly, she pushed the "talk" she had just had out of her mind, or at least, that is what she tried to do. Somewhere within herself she knew that the voice had been right; she did not want to admit anything. This held especially true when it came to the identity of the new and elusive emotion. Wait, was the emotion really new?
Without warning, her eyes opened and she found herself staring out over the currently calm waters, not blinking right away. It could not be her, could it? She did not want to answer herself this time. Feeling herself beginning to shake slightly, she quickly stood up and began to head back down to her room. At one point, she heard a window somewhere crack. Perhaps, she had done enough meditating for the afternoon... After all, she had provided an answer as to why she offered to help Beast Boy. That should have been enough to satisfy her mind for the time being.
As she made her way down from the rooftop, Raven still found herself thinking over the last question that she had asked herself. "No," she thought silently, "I thought I had seen the last of her a long time ago... I don't want to see her again, not after what happened last time... I don't want to feel that kind of pain again... I won't let myself..."
–
A swishing sound was heard as the cloaked Titan entered the large common room and noticed Beast Boy channel surfing once again. It seemed that he had decided to finally come out of his room that day, for something other than eating. Instead of going right into a conversation, she made her way over to the kitchen area to make herself a cup of herbal tea. She had yet to have any that day as it was.
While standing in front of the stove, she decided to speak up, "I guess since Starfire is out for the afternoon, I should ask if you are feeling any better." After all, she could not act much differently than she did at other times.
Still flipping through the different stations, he turned his head slightly to the side to look over at her. "I guess. I was only tired, anyway," he replied, shifting his gaze back to the television screen.
"I doubt that," she remarked, turning the knob on the stove to the right temperature setting..
Immediately, he pressed the mute button and quickly returned to looking toward his teammate. "What's that supposed to mean?", the changeling asked defensively.
"Exactly what I said," Raven responded, moving to retrieve a cup from a nearby cupboard.
"I was just tired," he gritted out. "How many times do I have to tell you that?" His eyes had narrowed a bit, but more in suspicion than anything else.
"You may have been tired, but I don't think that is the only reason for your lack of ability," she elaborated in her usual straightforward tone.
"What are you getting at?", he questioned snappily, eyes searching for some kind of answer as she turned around to face him.
Standing beside the heating stove, she gave him a plainspoken response. "I think you're having a hard time dealing with this case, and it's affecting you physically."
Leaning back against the couch, he redirected his line of vision to the noiseless screen in front of him. "And how do you figure that?", he asked, his tone having lost its previous edge.
"I do have experience in dealing with the mind, Beast Boy," she replied easily enough, knowing that he knew what she said was true.
There was silence for a few moments and then the kettle let out a shrill whistle, letting her know that the water was hot enough for her tea. Returning to making her beverage, Raven added, "When the mind cannot accept something, it uses defense mechanisms to cope with it instead." That said, she finished what she was doing and started to head out of the room at a purposefully slow pace. After all, she had managed to take note of the fact that the other Titan had yet to turn the sound back on.
"Hey... uh... Raven?", the male teen called out after her, head turned to follow her steps.
"Yes?", she responded, pausing where she was to look back over at him.
"Do you think... you could... uh...," he stammered hesitantly, having trouble finishing what he wanted to say. "... help me... ya know... cope?"
Allowing a rare, small smile to grace her lips, she nodded in affirmation. "I think I can do that," she said aloud.
"Thanks," Beast Boy replied, feeling himself return the smile. "Wait... Since when does Raven smile at me?", he questioned himself, but he soon brushed that aside... even if it was only for the time being.
–
Note: That's Chapter 5! What do you all think? I hope the wait wasn't too long... but I wanted to make this chapter just right... I hope I succeeded...
Tammy Tamborine - I think I provided you with a bit of the reason why Beast Boy can't change in this chapter, and I hope you enjoyed the update. Thanks so much for your review!
soraoathkeeper - Thank you! I try my best to keep all of the characters in-character to the best of my ability... I appreciate your review!
TDG3RD - You guessed right! His inability to change does have to do with his current mental state, although there are still some specifics that I have yet to mention. That'll happen next chapter. Thanks for all of your reviews!
dl316bh - Wow, I was flattered by your review... I'm glad you like the story so much, and I hope the update is to your liking! Thank you for the review!
Note: As always, please R&R!
