(A/N) Wow…people actually read this thing. Sweet. OveractiveMind, that was a nice use of Al lyrics. Anyway, there was only one question in the reviews, so I'll answer that here. Yes. And with that…all right, all right, the question was whether or not I was going to use Raven's emotions in this fic. Of course! I love the idea of a rainbow of Ravens to toy with. I've been reading all the transcripts of all the episodes, taking notes of course, just so that I can get Raven done as correctly as possible. It's not too hard, just kind of tedious. Anyway, for anybody who hadn't figured it out yet, this story is more about character development than action. It will have action, just that it won't be the focus. Character development is what I always thought fanfics were for.
Secondary note – The rating was changed just to be safe because of upcoming story events.
Disclaimer – I don't own the Teen Titans, some guy with lots more money than me does. Lucky punk.
Tamed – Chapter 3 – Deep Green – Where our heroes dig into the thoughts and intentions of one another and Robin as well.
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"Why Robin?"
Beast Boy slouched a little in his chair, getting himself comfortable for the talk they were about to have. "Because he's a pretty good chunk of your answer." Seeing that she was listening carefully, he continued. "Robin has had major training in psychology and logic from his years with Batman. He used that training and still does to make the team stronger and closer. He normally doesn't tell anyone 'cause he says that they would resist the idea of being manipulated or guided into mindsets and actions that would best help the team. He's got all of us figured out pretty well, so he just says or does things to get the domino effect going that gets him the end result he thinks will help us the most. He makes mistakes, and his own personality gets in the way sometimes, but he's pretty good at getting everything to turn out like he plans."
Raven's frown showed she didn't like the idea of Robin playing her and the other Titans off of one another. "How come you know about that, but none of the rest of us do."
This question made him squirm a little, but his mouth opened to answer anyway. "'Cause he told me what he was doing almost right after I joined the Titans." Watching Raven's eyes go wide he pressed forward, though cautiously. "He told me that I got to know because I was a little too random to be kept in the dark about it and it still work. He told me why each of us were in the Titans, well…he told me the reasons besides our powers and good guy attitudes. He said that I was mainly there to keep everyone from getting so uptight that they would fight…and I mean a real fight, not just yelling and stuff. I help Cyborg blow off steam by playing video games with him, I listen to Starfire's weird stories and talk to her so that Robin isn't the only one, I keep Robin from forgetting that he's a person who needs to have fun sometimes…it's all about making sure we don't get too stressed and take it out on each other. Each of us is on the team to help balance out the others."
"What about me? You said what you do with everybody else, so what are you supposed to be doing for me?" She didn't feel as upset as before seeing that Robin hadn't done anything malicious. It was actually a smart idea, but her curiosity had gotten her, so she just stared at Beast Boy, waiting for her answer.
"Well…" He didn't want to make her mad and he didn't want to go back on his promise, so his brain froze for a few seconds. He would just have to tell her. "Uh…I'm supposed to be kind of an annoyance, but not on purpose! I don't try to get you mad, I'm just supposed to include you in as much as possible and I end up bugging you and I don't want you to think I'm doing it just 'cause Robin said so, he just sort of encouraged me to not give up on including you and trying to get you to smile and laugh and I really just don't want you to do anything to me right now, so please let me finish with all the rest of your question. Please?"
The pure speed he had just said everything, and all in one breath at that, made Raven laugh very slightly in spite of herself. "You don't have to worry Beast Boy, I'm not mad. You don't really annoy me. It's just that…before we got rid of Trigon I couldn't always choose which emotion to feel. I repressed all of them and when one would start to bubble up I got worried and Trigon's influence over me would turn that into anger." She waited to see if this calmed him down. It did, but not fully. Not wanting her friend to be afraid of her she looked down, smiling a little. "Besides, part of me likes your jokes and that you want me to be a part of everything no matter what. Everybody needs to feel like other people want them around."
Her smile had done it; the words were just a nice addition. Feeling his courage return, Beast Boy continued his explanation. "Well, since now you know what Robin was doing I can explain about here. You and I are kinda opposites. You're reserved and focused and I'm a joker who relaxes as soon as there's no bad guys around…" He laughed a little. "And, sometimes when the bad guys are still there." He liked that Raven was smiling at what he said; it had always made him feel…up. "And since we're opposites that means that we'll kind of stretch each other 'cause we'll want to do things our usual ways instead of the other's."
"So, how are we going to do that?" Her question was one of true interest. The thought that Robin and Beast Boy had put so much thought into this and the obvious work that Beast Boy had done to be ready for being the main one to tell about it all was fascinating.
"Well, Robin gave me some stuff for each of us as a kind of homework to do besides our training, stuff that's supposed to help us along the way. He gave me some pretty thick books on animals and their skills and abilities and some books that have fun animal trivia he thinks that I can use to increase how well I choose which animal to change into."
"So books for you and what did he get for me, a game station or something?" She asked with a smirk. Seeing Beast Boy reading; and not only reading, but also studying what he read would be a strange sight.
Beast Boy smiled back at her. "Kind of…it's some comic books and a couple of books that aren't at all what you normally read. Oh! And a journal that he wants you to write down every emotion you feel and what that emotion caused your powers to do…whether you were trying to use your powers at the time or not. Any kind of change from their normal effects."
"But I don't let my emotions out, how does he expect me to do that kind of stuff?" A serious look played across her face as she waited for Beast Boy to speak.
Beast Boy frowned. Was she really going to be this difficult about it already? "Why didn't you give a name to your white uniform transformation?"
Raven's eyes looked to his, then the ground, and then back to his. She would answer him; he was answering everything she asked, even the things that made him uncomfortable. "Because I know what I'm really doing. I know what's really happening when I change like that…I'm becoming…whole." Her eyes threatened her with tears and she blinked them back letting her face grow hard. "To keep Trigon from getting control of me for all these years I shattered myself. I made my emotions actual beings in my head so that I could keep a better watch over them and control them. But, it came at a price. I'm not really whole. I'm just the outer shell. To become that white Raven all the time would mean not only undoing what I did, but it also means unlearning how I act because of it. Robin called it the white clad Raven, you call it a transformation, but it's really me…just…an undamaged me." A few of the tears she had tried to lock in place had escaped and were softly dripping off of her chin. She wiped a few more away from one of her eyes when she saw that Beast Boy had come over next to her.
"Don't cry, Raven." He kneeled down beside her. "You're not a bad person, you're not some outer shell, and you're not damaged. You're just doing what all of us do. You're locking out the things that hurt."
He had placed his hand comfortingly on hers and she sniffled. She smiled up at her friend and she felt better seeing that he smiled back. He gave her hand a little squeeze and then he moved back to his chair. "Thanks, it's hard for me to face up to the fact that all those other Ravens are me." She was glad that she had such a good friend; he really did seem to know how to cheer her up. Raven finished pulling herself back together and looked back to Beast Boy. "So how do comic books and novels help me to rejoin my emotions?"
Beast Boy waited a second, making sure he had remembered exactly what Robin had told him about this part. It needed to be direct and firm. "You're not allowed to push down your emotions anymore. Not out here anyway. You have to get used to feeling them, then you'll work on keeping them reigned in, but only as much as they need to be. From now till we leave, you need to let go and just feel. The comics and novels are to help you do this in a steady, but easy pace. They're stuff that'll get some kind of emotion out of you, but nothing too strong at first."
She had stiffened in her chair. Feeling slightly panicked she asked her next question with obvious fear in her voice. "Won't that put you in danger?"
"Yes." His look pierced her through and through. "But, I came willingly. I knew what was going to be happening here. I know something could go wrong, but I think you're more important then me keeping safe. We are super heroes after all…danger just kind of comes with the job. You'll be at risk too. Just because the beast inside me has never attacked you doesn't mean it never will. Meat is meat to most animals." He hadn't said this to frighten her, just to show that they were on equal footing, but it obviously unnerved her some. "I don't think anything will happen, to either of us. Robin thinks that since you're free of Trigon that your powers won't escape, and if they do, that you'll be able to control what happens with the over flow. Trigon isn't going to be able to use you and turn it into destruction anymore. Besides, you never hit any of us with the power outbursts even when he was around. And as for the beast, there's plenty of wildlife for him to hunt. You're a bit too much of a fighter for a predator. They like prey that runs. A fight is never a good thing when looking for dinner."
This had floored Raven; Beast Boy had knowingly set himself at risk so that he could help her. And he was doing it on just his and Robin's guesses. "I'm not worried about me, I just think it's a big risk for you to take."
"I already know, and I'm staying."
He almost looks defiant, Raven thought to herself. "OK, so finish answering the question." It was the only thing she could think of to get back on the subject they were slowly plodding through.
"OK…uh…where were we?" He smiled, slightly bashful.
"You just finished laying out my ground rules for while we're here. Why not just tell me what yours are?"
"Oh, OK. Uh, I have to practice changing into lots of different animals, and get better at changing from one thing to another. Robin gave me a chess board too." Seeing Raven snicker he retorted, "He said it was for learning about planning moves ahead of time, adjusting when your plans get interrupted, and…uh…" He looked like he was trying to wrinkle his forehead tight enough to squeeze the answer out when it hit him. "Oh yeah! And so that I can learn to anticipate what someone else is going to do. It's all about strategy."
Raven's smile at watching Beast Boy struggle in this part of his briefing faded with the idea that had floated to the top of her mind. "And what about the beast?" Part of her wanted to stop calling it 'the beast'. She knew that it was a part of Beast Boy whether he liked it or not…just like her with her emotions, though some emotions more than others.
Beast Boy couldn't seem to look Raven in the eyes; his gaze kept sliding just off to her side or the floor. "Once a week I have to become that thing. If I start to get control over it then I start changing into it more often. You're supposed to keep a close eye on me while I'm changed so that I don't escape the island and so that I eventually change back. If you have to use force to make those things happen, Robin has cleared you to do whatever it takes."
"But…"
"No." He had cut her off quicker then he had meant to, but this needed to be said. "You agreed to come. You were also ordered. You'll keep me on this island no matter what and make sure that the morning after I change I wake up Beast Boy. If you won't do that, then we need to tell them to come pick us up right now."
His firm tone and determined words still weren't enough for her to hold back her worries. "What if I end up hurting you?" She didn't like the idea of having to hurt anyone; one memory of Trigon was all she needed to keep far away from that path.
His smile was not one of his usual playful grins, but a stoic grimace set against a known peril. "I'm not that delicate, Rae. You didn't see it, but Cyborg told me about the fight everybody was involved in while you were missing. I took direct hits from all of them. Cy's cannon, Star's star bolts, and Robin's birdarangs and kung fu, he said I beat them pretty bad after their attacks, said it had only made me mad."
Raven's eyes went wide for what felt like the hundredth time that week at thinking that Beast Boy had bested three of the Titans by himself. She was starting to understand why Robin would want that kind of help available to the team. "So, if I have to use my powers on you, you think you'll be OK?"
"I think that if you have to use your powers on me you should keep yourself at a good altitude until you can trap me and lock me up." He paused turning introspective before he snapped out of it and continued. "Robin said that I change back after I'm exhausted or after I've got whatever that primal thing wants, but he's not totally sure about that."
Raven stared at Beast Boy, trying to figure out if everything he had just said was enough to make her comfortable with the possibility of attacking him to hold to their objectives. He had said he knew he was at risk and that he accepted that, and the logic that he used all worked out. The plan seemed like it would work. Well, it would work enough to let them try to control their inner selves. "All right, we stay. I still don't like that I'm finding out now that I might have to fight you."
Beast Boy couldn't help but smile at this. "Robin said it would be better to wait so that you wouldn't back out of the whole thing."
"Wonder boy is too clever for his own good." A slight pout on her lips as she said this. "So how did you remember all this stuff? We've been talking forever."
His giggle ended her little pity party. "Robin's been beating this stuff into me since before he even told you we were coming here. He even made these CDs that had, like, these lectures on stuff that I would need to know." His smile showing more teeth now, "I've been cramming like it's finals week in college!"
Raven let Beast Boy giggle to himself. She could see that he was just relaxing a little after having to be serious and patient with her questions for so long. She sighed to let him know he had gone on enough and he just looked at her, a little puzzled.
"What? I thought that I explained everything. There's other stuff that you haven't asked about, but all I can think of that we didn't go over at all was that it wasn't just Robin figuring out how you would act and react to stuff. I may not have done as much as him, but I helped him wherever he went wrong that I could see. Oh! And, the whole cramming thing I had to do was part of my test to see if I was ready to come out here. He was checking to see if I could actually study and keep it ready for use. He kept giving me these dumb pop quizzes whenever it was just him and me around. Kind of annoying if you ask me. And then he just kept going on and on about where to find the food, and the water, and the tea trees, and the fish, and…"
"Beast Boy! Stop. I get the idea. I wasn't asking for any more answers, I was just thinking that it's kind of late. Maybe we should get to bed. Robin probably gave you a schedule for what we're supposed to do tomorrow and…wait. Tea trees? Why was he telling you about tea trees?"
Beast Boy did a double take at her question…it seemed like an easy one to him. Maybe it was just because he had worked for almost two solid weeks at getting ready for all those other questions. "'Cause you'll run out of tea eventually and you seem to really like having your tea, so Robin packed a book that tells you how to dry the leaves and stuff and got you one of those weird little metal screen balls that you'll use instead of tea bags."
'Uninhabited' Raven reminded herself. "OK…uhm, you did really well answering all my questions, thanks, but I'm going to bed now. I need to think and sleep." Giving him the compliment just seemed like the right thing to do after all the work and obvious effort he had put in to indulge her in all of her queries.
"OK, thanks. Night, Rae."
"Goodnight, Beast Boy. See you in the morning." Raven had walked over to her door and was just about to close it when she heard Beast Boy grabbing up their dishes. She turned around just in time to see him disappear into the darkness of the trees towards where they had setup the sink and shower. "I need to thank him for doing the dishes." And, although Raven didn't like to admit it, she liked that she was being taken care of. It made her feel better about going through with everything. Having made a mental note to thank Beast Boy after breakfast, she closed her door and laid down onto her bed to think until sleep drifted over her.
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(A/N) So, I was thinking, wouldn't it be fun if in the next chapter they actually did something instead of talk! But then I realized that that would mean work and laziness is just so much easier to achieve. I like realistic goals. Yes, future chapters will have some action in them. I'm not sure when or if there'll even be a chapter that's mostly action, but I do know that there will be some. It's already in my head, might as well write it down at some point. The next chapter may or may not have action though, and the whole romance thing, well…I kind of like them staying in character. When has Beast Boy ever actually told a girl how he felt? He never told Terra, it was just kind of understood that they liked each other. And Raven? She's the queen of emotional suppression; it'll be hard for her to even think about trying out a relationship, let alone fall full on in love with someone. Though, seeing as how they're stuck on an island together, there's a chance that something will eventually happen. Possibly. ;-)