A/N: I won't say I don't hate Terra (because 13-year-old me would never forgive me). But I kind of wanted to do something to close this door as the BBRAE relationship starts to take roots (ha). She wasn't his person! But she still deserves to have a decent life, so this won't be a completely hot mess of bashing. (But I couldn't help with the self-indulgent Terra sees them in love moment of my dreams.)
In summation – Real love needs a foundation, of which Rae and BB have plenty. Enjoy the quintessential "How do fix a problem like Terra" chapter.
Also have to give out a shout to Azaranthian666's story "Tectonic" as a huge inspiration for this chapter (have you read it? It's amazing) as well as that I've adopted the head cannon that it would be Cyborg or Starfire or really anyone else besides Raven that would talk to him about Terra. Because whether she admits it or not, she's jealous. ^_^.
Chapter inspired also by the song "Where I Stood" by Missy Higgins.
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Disclaimer:
I own not the things! Not the Teen Titans and not the songs.
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(Some time ago)
Beast Boy sat at the edge of the roof holding a glistening box, ironically in the shape of a heart.
"Hey BB what's up?"
Cyborg took a seat next to him, and as soon as he saw the box he knew where this was headed.
"I feel guilty Cy." He couldn't take his sad, puppy dog eyes of the mirrored surface. "Actually, I don't even know what I feel anymore."
Cyborg smiled down at his friend.
"It's a beautiful box B, but it's empty."
Beast Boy looked up, tears brimming the edge of his eyes. How one kid could have so much heart the half robot would never know.
"I don't doubt you cared for her B, and you did everything you could. But she's not your person."
Months ago, a statement like that would have had Beast Boy up in arms, anger rolling off him along with harsh words. Now he just looked sad and broken, as he acquiesces to the idea his best friend might be right.
"Part of me feels relieved, relieved that she doesn't want to remember me or come back...and I hate myself for it. But she never wanted to be a superhero, did she?"
"No."
They sat in silence for a few moments as the words settled around them.
"You're going to really fall in love one day B, and it's going to be amazing. And it's going to be someone that can love you the way you deserve to be, or she's gonna have to answer to me."
Beast Boy let out a small chuckle.
"It might be harder; it might take more work, but it won't be a battle and it won't be a fight. This empty box looks pretty, but real love is going to have soul, it's going to be alive and full. It's going to have foundation; you could even say roots. Kinda like that plant y'all are trying to grow over there."
Beast Boy smiled, his mind taking him back to that day.
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"They mislabelled this plant"
"What?"
"This plant, it's the wrong subspecies. The genus and species are right, but this is the wrong subspecies.
Beast Boy glanced over at Raven, and felt his entire chest tighten and his heart start to flutter. With utter adoration he watched her furrow her brows at this supposed offense. How was she even this smart.
"How would you even know that?"
"This is one of my favourite plants! You can use the dried petals in a spell" She glared at him. All he could do was smile back at her. Laughing he grabbed her arm and attempted to pull her away from the display.
"Let's go complain right now."
"BEAST BOY! Absolutely not! That's so embarrassing"
Seeing her suddenly flustered he laughed even harder, deciding to link his arm over her shoulder and pull her into him so he could whisper in her ear.
"Should I steal a seed?"
"What?"
Before she had a chance to really respond, or even her slight blush to fully dissipate, he morphed into a pocket gopher and took off into the enclosure. Being careful not to dig up a hole that's too conspicuous, he burrowed under the earth only to come up moments later holding two deep purple bulbs. Suddenly human again she saw him sneak them into his pockets.
"Well in this case I guess they're called bulbs" pointing to the paragraph on the wooden sign offering more details regarding the blood red flower with the stark white stamen.
"Beast Boy! That's illegal!" Raven was fully red now. Why was getting her this flustered so satisfying.
"You're not gonna turn me in are you Rae?" More wagging of those goddamn eyebrows.
"I guess we could call it research?"
"Or even a little gift for saving the city"
"Robin said were not supposed to accept any…"
"Blah blah blah yes but he's not here is he? I won't tell if you won't."
He smiled at her, all fangs and hot energy. She smiled back, all closed lips and cool containment.
"Fine".
What Beast Boy hadn't noticed was the blue eyed blonde, neatly tucked away in a group of her peers, also at the Botanical Gardens for a school field trip. But she noticed them and couldn't keep her eyes off the pair as the voices of her girlfriends faded into white noise.
"Oh my god is that Raven and Beast Boy?"
"Omg I knew they were dating! I knew they were in love I KNEW IT"
"Jesus Sam calm down…but you're right, there definitely looks like something is going on."
What Terra really noticed was the way her first crush was looking at the demoness beside him. The girl that never quite learned to like her, despite what she said on the surface. Terra had felt her sting of jealousy from the very beginning.
This girl was now sitting in her old spot, right under his warmth. A spot right in the sun. But the heat coming off of him was much more than she remembered experiencing and even from the distance she knew he never looked at her the way he was looking at Raven now.
Her first reaction was anger, then sadness, then unbridled jealousy. But as she rode the waves of feelings coming up, she came to the radical understanding that while right now it might feel like Raven stole her spot in the sun, she might have stolen it from her first.
She smiled along with her friends, coming back into the present moment.
"They look happy."
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Beast Boy smiled back at Cyborg, a few tears rubbed away with his hand.
"I did care about her, but I was meant to be a superhero wasn't I?"
"You were" Cyborg smiled brightly.
"And one day I'll find someone who can be okay with that, that won't be afraid to be next to me". He stood up.
Taking a deep breath, he said goodbye to her for real this time. The little heart shaped box was tossed off the roof and into the sea below them. They sat for a few moments longer before Beast Boy asked
"Hey, how about we watch a movie?"
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A/N: Okay so I promise the next couple chapters will be the actual plot, the actual ticking clock and the actual conflict! It's just buried in all the fluff. (whoops) Also this is 100 percent a reference to the episode of Brooklyn 99 when Jake looks at Amy when she gets upset about the typo in the crossword 3.
XO ES2.0
