Fragrant Soul
Another long chapter. No Terra bashing in this one either. Read and Review.
I've updated early. XD For my fans. Don't expect me to be able to update this fast all the time. XD Sorry, all. But I usually get uninterested with a story after awhile, or have trouble writing chapters (like chapter 4 right now, darnit )
Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans, the comic(s) nor the show, nor anything else Teen Titan's Associated.
Chapter Two: Hangovers Are a God's Blessing
Sitting in the kitchen, Raven awaited her pot of tea to brew. The day had hardly even burst into light when she awoke. The night before, she knew everyone got home late, so she decided to be as quiet as she could. A sleep-deprived Robin was bad enough, without the fact that Cyborg had a fridge with a pack of beer down in the garage.
Raven assumed the Boy Blunder, and the Tin Man got drunk on their night out, while Beastboy, Terra, and Starfire were only high on endorphins(1). They probably went everywhere last night, showing Terra the new layout of the city, and what had changed. The changling probably clued Terra in on everything that happened since she'd been in her stoney state.
Vaguely, Raven wondered if Beastboy informed Terra about the 'Beast' within him. She sure as hell knew that the green-haired teen had showed off his green and black moped to Terra. Probably even took her for a ride, and showed Terra all the tricks he could do on it.
Glancing over at the tea pot, Raven remembered how happy Beastboy was when the rest of the Titans presented him with that moped on his sixteenth birthday. Raven had suggested it, so Cyborg and Robin took about a month or two to design and build it. Then Raven and Starfire painted it, and gave it an insignia to show it was Beastboy's.
She remembered how bright his eyes seemed to get as that goofball smile formed on his lips. He had jumped around, yelling happilly. He even grabbed Raven, her being the closet girl to him, and swung her around in an attempt to relieve all his happy energy in a sort of oddball dance. Then he said 'Thank you' about sixteen hundred times to the rest of the Titans before hopping onto his ride and taking it to Jump City via the tunnel under the water that surrounded the Tower.(2)
A few times, when Starfire and Robin were out, and Cyborg was working on something important, Beastboy convinced Raven to go on a moped ride with him. Most of those times he showed off a new tricke he had learned. Maybe a simple wheelie, or something complicated that Raven didn't even know you could do on a moped.
"Good morning, friend Raven!" Starfire had entered the room, while Raven had been looking through a comic that had been left in the kitchen. It was really only something to look at while her tea brewed.
The red-head took a seat across from her friend, and once Raven looked up, Starfire smiled cheerfully. Somewhere in the depths of Raven's brain, a thought rang out, 'It should be illegal to be that cheerful in the morning.'
"How was your night of restful sleep?" asked the sunny Starfire, as she fiddled with a button on her red pajamas. Robin had given her them as a present one year. Small little worms that gave a semblence to Silkie were spread out across it, all smiling their idiotic smile.
"Fine, Star." Replied Raven, carefully folding the small comic book closed, and putting back in the middle of the kitchen counter, "How was the celebration last night?"
The green-eyed teenager giggled, and relayed the night to Raven. They had stopped at the pizza parlor for pizza, everyone had gotten a small individual pizza due to everyone's different tastes. Then, the Titans dragged Terra to a club, where they danced for awhile, before the blonde convinced them to go to the Pier, where they rode all sort of rides. Then, nearly falling over from giggles and laughter, or in Cybyorg and Robin's case from alcohol, the five made their way back home, and parted to seperate beds. Save for Terra and Beastboy who still wished to catch up a bit more.
Throughout this whole retelling, Raven nodded, and kept quiet. Only the gods knew what sort of 'catching up' Beastboy and Terra did. Quite frankly, Raven didn't want to think about that lest she break something with her powers, unintentionally.
"Friend Raven, may I ask you a question?" Piped up Starfire. After the red-head had told the story, a deep silence fell over them. The only sounds that broke thorugh this silence was the small sound of the oven heating the tea, and the creakings of the tower, which accompanied every home.
Raven raised an eyebrow, and waited for Starfire to ask the question. Licking her lips nervously, Starfire pressed her lips together, she opened her mouth to ask her question, but was interrupted by the gentle keening of Raven's teapot.
The violet-haired girl quickly stood up, using her powers to take the teapot off the oven top and onto the counter while she turned the stove off. Still using her powers, Raven popped the small device, that made the teapot keen, out of the teapot's funnel, and poured herself some tea into a small blue teacup.
Picking up the cup in both hands, she blew gently on the light green herbal tea, before taking a sip. Then, she glanced up at Starfire as she leaned back against a counter, and asked, "What did you want to ask, Starfire?"
The red head picked at the counter, her head bowed, as she tried to decide how to ask her friend this question. This was much more tougher than Starfire had assumed it would be. Yet, she was of a warrior race, and she had a brave heart. So, taking another deep breath, Starfire glanced up to Raven, and asked, "Do you like friend Beastboy more than just in the ways of friendship, Raven?"
Gripping the teacup in her hands tightly, Raven's heart jumped. 'No.' echoed through her head, 'No.' But, her heart echoed something different. And when your heart speaks, it speaks over the brain, overplapping it, overpowering it. 'Yes' trilled her heart.
Yet, Raven vocalized a question, to answer Starfire's own question, "What do you mean?"
Starfire's open look, changed. Slowly, her features hardened into an irritated glare. "You know what I mean, friend R--" Starfire was interuppted by the horrible sound of retching, coming from some young man who had just entered the hallway. "Oh!" The red-head exclaimed and jumped up from the counter, and rushed into the hall. The young man in question was most probably Robin, and Starfire was rushing off to help her 'love' in his time of illness.
"Thank God for hangovers." Whispered Raven, closing her eyes as she set her teacup down onto the kitchen counter. Her hands shook a bit, from embarassed fear of being found out, and from a slight confusion. Once her hands ceased their shaking, she grabbed the teapot again and refilled her teacup.
Just as she was thinking of going back her room with her tea, the green changling wandered into the kitchen, clad in only boxers. Raven's eyes widened a bit, despite the fact she had seen Beastboy in boxers before, however it was when he was the stringy green bean of a teen, instead of a lanky, lightly muscled young man. She averted her eyes as the green teen ran a hand through his hair and yawned.
"Wass'p, Rae." Slurred Beastboy, still trying to shake the sleep that clung to him. He grinned a bit at Raven and walked up to her, leaning against the counter besides her, "Man, you should have seen the stuff Robin barfed up. The guy shouldn't drink, really. Some boy wonder. He always whines for Star when he's hung over too."
Raven snorted in disgust and glared up at Beastboy, "Do you think I want to hear about hangover vomit while drinking my tea?"
The green-haired teenager looked embarassed and laugh, "Oh, yeah, right. Sorry, Rae. Didn't mean to make you lose your..thirst?" Raven couldn't really lose her appetite, seeing as she wasn't technically eating something. So, appetite just didn't sound right.
She sighed, and shook her head, then picked up her teacup again. She attempted to take a sip of it without gagging. Thankfully, she found out the small conversation about morning vomit didn't affect her ability to drink her tea. Slowly, she lowered the cup from her lips and glanced up at Beastboy, "So, how was your night out on the town with Terra and the others?"
A goofy grin fell over the green teenager's lips, as he replied, "It was great! So much fun. You shoulda been there, Rae. I bet you would have even cracked a smile from all the fun."
Teasingly, Beastboy prod Rae in the side, and to this she actually jumped, spilling most of her tea on the floor. The boy eyed Raven oddly, Raven never jumped, she was never surprised. Maybe he hit a nerve or pressure point that made her move? However, she didn't look up, or give any reason for her surprised just, she just stared down at the puddle of green tea.
Unbeknownst to Beastboy, Raven was controlling her emotions that were swarming her mind. Wisdom telling her to just tell the boy already, Happy giggling at how funny this scene was to her, Timid informing her warilly that Beastboy had Tera and wouldn't want her, Brave shouting at her to go for it, while Gross just burped. It was all so confusing, but she got her emotions to calm down in a few moments.
Once that was done, she reached over and grabbed a rag that was folded by the sink. Just as she kneeled down to wipe up the mess, Terra entered the kitchen and greeted Beastboy. The violet haired girl didn't bother to look up. Terra started to skip over to the green changling, her arms flung out wide for a hug. Again, so much cheerfulness in the morning should be outlawed. And karma agreed with Raven.
"Terra! You might want to ca--" Beastboy began, but his warning wasn't able to finish itself. Terra skipped right into the tea, and karma felt a wave of accomplishment. Terra let out a yelp of surprise and slipped forward, crashing against Raven and knocking her head against the counter with a dull bang. Raven's head, as well, was smashed against a cabinent with the horrible sound of skull smashing against wood.
"Raven! Terra!" Beastboy kneeled down by them as he called out their names, eyes wide and fear racing through his viens. Both girls laid in a heap on the ground, unconscious. Blood streamed from small little cuts on their forehead. Starfire came rushing in, exclaiming she hear Beastboy yelling, and gasped when she saw Terra and Raven sprawled on the floor, both unconscious.
"Terra slipped in the tea and ran into Raven! We gotta get them to the infirmary to make sure everything's okay!" exclaimed Beastboy, near hysterics as he leaned down and picked up Terra. Starfire nodded, and picked up Raven. Both Beastboy and Starfire were fearful at how limp the two girls felt in their arms. Yet, they both hurried them to the infimary, where Starfire treated their wounds while Beastboy ran to rouse Cyborg.
"Well, the good thing is, Terra and Rae will be okay." Said Cyborg, rubbing his forehead, wincing as a headache rang through his head, "No brain damage or anything as far as my scanners could pick up."
Starfire and Beastboy sighed in relief. Robin was still in the bathroom, heaving sacrifices to the porcelian God that lived in the bathroom. Terra and Raven still remained unsconscious, however. That was the only thing that bothered Beastboy. If they were okay, wouldn't they have awaken by now?
Sighing, the green boy wonder sat down in a chair between the two beds and waited. Starfire stayed by the blinking monitors, making sure the screens were confirming the girls were okay. Cyborg, meanwhile, had stumbled out of the room, and back into his bedroom to sleep his remaining hangover off. No one tried stop him.
Closing is eyes, Beastboy leaned back in the chair and sighed. Hopefully, this morning wasn't a sign of what was to come for the rest of the day. If so, he would be so high strung he might likely snap. He didnt' want to see Raven or Terra hurt. Both girls were close to him. Of course, Terra was closer, but Raven had been around him the longest.
She was there for him when he turned into the Beast, and before that he was there for her for the whole Malchior incident. In fact, both him and Raven had been there for each other for so many things. The memory of Raven hugging him sent a small warmth to his cheeks, nothing noticable against his skin, thankfully. Slowly, he opened his eyes halfway and gazed at the wall opposite of him.
'Come to think of it, Raven's been there so much.' thought Beastboy, smiling slightly at that thought, 'Ah...that's just her way of showing she cares I guess. We all are there for each other, in the end.'
His pointy ears twitched at the sound of someone starting to wake. He glanced over to Terra, and smiled. 'Finally, one of them is waking.'
Slowly, Terra's eyes opened, but there seemed to be something odd about them. They were tinged with dark purple. As if she was under water, Terra slowly sat up, and gazed at her hands then looked down at herself. Her eyes were wide, and her mouth was moving without voicing any words.
"Terra?" Beastboy blinked and started at the blonde, as she seemed to examine herself with silent horror, "Are you okay?"
Terra's head snapped to stare at Beastboy, eyes wide, and face seeming to be pale.
"Beastboy!" She squeaked, and one of the monitors that Starfire was watching was consumed in a black aura, causing the screen to crack slightly. The red-head looked over to Raven, yet the girl had yet to stir.
Beastboy blinked, and stared at Terra, his eyes slowly becoming bigger. Her voice wasn't the same. Her voice was different, more deeper, more silky. More smooth, and not used to taking with much emotion. More like..."Raven!"
Eyes still wide, 'Terra' nodded, fear etched into her face. The screen cracked, and finally burst into small fragments of glass, littering the floor under Starfire's floating form. Starfire raced over to Raven, while Beastboy leaned over to the unconscious Raven. Grabbing the girl's shoulder, the green teenager desperately shook the girl awake.
"Man, what was that all about?" Muttered Raven, her voice very much like Terra's as she sat up. She held her head, and stared at Beastboy, cracking a grin as she said, "Did ja' get the liscense plate of the truck that hi--"
A scream erupted from Terra's lips, well, technically Raven's lips, and Terra scrambled from the bed to look down at the body she was in. Then, her eyes bolted back to Raven, who sat wide-eyed in the bed, yet seemed to have gotten some semblence of calm.
Another scream issued from Terra, and she clutched her head, repeatedly telling her this was a dream, that this wasn't real. Beastboy hopped over the empty bed and gathered the girl up in his arms, "Calm down Terra. We'll sort this out."
Tears were streaming down Terra's face as she curled into Beastboy, burying her face into his chest. He calmingly stroked her back, and rocked her back and forth, trying to stop her from crying. The other two girls heard a muffled voice asking, in a tearful voice full of terrifed sorrow, "Why? How? Why am I in Raven's body?"
Raven averted her eyes, her lips pressed together at the scene. Starfire looked from the scene Beastboy and Terra was making, and back to Raven. Gently, she put a friendly hand on Raven's shoulder, and said quietly, "Friend Raven...do not worry, everything will be alright."
Turning stoic eyes up to Starfire, Raven replied, in a calm yet shaky voice, "Yes, Starfire, I know." And desolately, she climbed from the bed she sat in, and wandered into the hall.
"I'll just wait in my room, until Terra calms down. Okay, Beastboy?" Raven called over her shoulder to Beastboy, who was still busy with Terra. He glanced up, and opened his mouth to stop Raven from leaving, but the girl had already gone before he could utter a word. Starfire stood at her place by the once occupied bed, but turned to look at the door with a melancholy look.
'Friend Raven, please, do not hide your emotions.' thought Starfire, remembering how she and Raven once switched bodies, and knowing first hand how hard it was for Raven to conceal her emotions, 'Maybe now, embracing them would be the best choice for you, dear friend.'
Meanwhile, Terra continued to sob into Beastboy's chest. Eventually, those sobs gave way to muffled hiccups. By then, Starfire had left the room, to search the 'wide net of the world' for any possible reasons about thise recent body swap. The sooner the reason was found, the sooner they could get Raven and Terra back to their respectable bodies.
A bit despairingly, Starfire wished Robin didn't currently have a hang over. He was much better at surfing the wave of information brought in by the internet than she was.
End Chapter Two
(1) Endorphins are not a drug. They are the chemical in your brain released when you are happy, Cerstas are also released when you're happy too. Just a fun fact.
(2) I'm not sure how the Titans get their vehicles to Jump City, so I just made up the tunnel under the water thing. It seemed sensible to me. And of course, it's hidden by any baddies wanting to get to the Tower.
Sorry that this chapter wasn't that good. No Terra Bashing either yet. XD Well, next chapter, Terra and Raven will probably go head to head. Stuff about clothes, and possibly Beastboy. And le gasp Starfire knows that Raven is secretly in love with BB! X3 Awwwh.