Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans or anything DC related.
(A/N: Spoilers for 'Cyborg the Barbarian')
Helping
The room was silent as the door opened. It was always silent in his room. It wasn't that the owner of the room didn't like music or TV, but he simply didn't listen to or watch either while he was in his room. He rarely used his room for anything other than maintenance or recharging. The light from the corridor cast a huge shadow in front of him, and Cyborg looked down at the shadow. He noticed how human his shadow looked. How normal it looked. He sighed, shaking the thought from his head. Why was he thinking like this? He thought that he had gotten rid of these feelings a long time ago. The moment he joined the Teen Titans, in fact.
He had had momentary lapses, but most of the time, it didn't bother him. More recently, however, he had been pondering the subject more and more. Ever since he was taken back in time by a prehistoric witch. Ever since he met Sarasim. He walked over to the history book that Raven had given him and looked at the picture of the prehistoric woman inside. He ran a hand over the page, as though he would somehow be able to reach out and touch her. He closed his eyes and frowned. Letting out a low growl, he stormed to the other side of the room, looking out the window.
His logical, scientific mind berated him. It was ridiculous, really. He had only known her for, what? A few days? Hardly enough time for any serious feelings to grow. And yet, here he was, sadly looking over an ancient history book, pining after a woman long dead.
"Ridiculous," he murmured to himself, turning away from the window and walking over to his computer. He was about to switch it on when he wondered why. It had become instinct to him to simply walk into his room and turn on the computer. In all honesty, he had come here wanting to get away from the technology that surrounded him in everyday life. He looked down at his mechanical hands and smiled bitterly.
Not much chance of that, is there, Vic?
A strange feeling crept inside him, and Cyborg suddenly whirled on his heel, slamming his fist into the wall. Yelling in frustration, he turned again, this time his fist colliding with his computer, sending it flying across the room. It smashed upon impact with the wall, sending circuit boards and microchips flying. The feeling left as quickly as it had come, and Cyborg stood completely still, his breathing slightly laboured from the sudden exertion. He took a deep breath and sat down on the chair that sat in front of where his computer had once been. He sat back and ran his hands over the top of his head, the sensors in his hands detecting the difference between the smooth, cold, metallic side of his head and the slightly softer and more malleable skin on the other side.
There was a knocking on the door, and Cyborg didn't respond at first. He was considering remaining silent, but the knocking continued.
"Cy? You okay, dude?"
Cyborg sighed. If he didn't answer, then Beast Boy would assume that something was wrong, and would most likely fetch the rest of the Titans. Cyborg pushed himself out of the chair, and walked over to the door. He opened the door and looked down at his concerned friend.
"Are you okay? I heard some yelling and smashing and stuff."
Cyborg's face remained impassive. "Yeah, I'm fine. The computer's just actin' up again," he said, adding a small laugh and a smile to the statement, hoping that Beast Boy would put it down to Cyborg being his usual, over reacting self. Beast Boy raised a sceptical eyebrow. Beast Boy tried to see into Cyborg's room.
"Are you sure? 'Cause-"
He was cut off by Cyborg's arm blocking his path. "It's fine, BB. You don't need to-"
But Beast Boy had already turned into a dog and waltzed into Cyborg's room. Cyborg growled in frustration as Beast Boy transformed back into human form. He saw the remains of Cyborg's computer, and he looked over at his hulking mechanical friend.
"Whoa dude! What'd the computer do to you?"
Cyborg closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Like I said, it was actin' up."
Beast Boy gave him a 'yeah right' look, and looked around the room. He saw the open book on the table and walked over to it. "Who's that?" he said, pointing to Sarasim.
Cyborg walked over and closed the book. "No-one. Look, man, I really appreciate you comin' in to check on me an' all, but I'm fine."
Beast Boy raised an eyebrow.
"Really," Cyborg added, picking up the book and putting it on a nearby bookshelf. He looked at the other books on the shelf, and noticed that they were all text books on machinery. He only just then noticed how out of place the history book looked in his room in general. He turned to find that Beast Boy still hadn't left.
"What?" Cyborg said, his patience at an end.
"Look, dude, I don't know what's wrong with you, but I'm your buddy. You know you can talk to me if you need to, right?"
Cyborg was taken aback by the sudden show of affection, but didn't show it. He solemnly nodded. "Thanks, man. But I'm fine."
"No, you're not, dude. You don't usually just go smashin' stuff up, no matter how mad you are." Beast Boy's eyes suddenly twinkled with inspiration. "Ya know what? We need to go and do somethin'."
Cyborg suddenly felt a certain amount of dread. "Like what?"
"Nothin' crazy dude, I just meant a pizza or somethin'," Beast Boy said, his voice gaining a slightly defensive tone.
Cyborg looked away and scratched the back of his neck. "I don't know, man…"
"C'mon dude, it'll be fun."
Cyborg sighed. "All right. Let's go."
Beast Boy grinned. "All right."
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Normally, Cyborg would be enjoying this brief break from living in the Tower. As much as he loved living with the Titans, sometimes it became incredibly claustrophobic in there. Cyborg always thought it was funny that in a building as big as the Tower, he always managed to run into someone when he wanted to be alone. He didn't find it funny in a 'ha ha' way, but more in an ironic way. No-one else seemed to share the same sense of humour as Cyborg in that sense, though he suspected that Raven thought the same thing, especially when it came to Beast Boy.
However, he couldn't enjoy his pizza today. All he could see was the people staring, the people 'subtly' pointing and whispering. Cyborg didn't know whether to be grateful or angry at the people who tried to ignore him. Outside of the Titans and their associates, Cyborg had always been the subject of this kind of attention. He looked at his green friend, who hadn't seemed to notice. He was simply eating his pizza as though it weren't even there, and Cyborg couldn't help but smile.
Only Beast Boy would take you out for a 'feel better' pizza and then eat all of the pizza. The other Titans were all occupied in their own business, and weren't available to come out and enjoy. Cyborg had actually been slightly relieved, as he didn't want Beast Boy telling the others about Cyborg's 'argument' with his computer. Beast Boy was halfway through the pizza when he stopped in mid chew, a pizza slice drooping from his mouth.
"Dude, don't you want any?"
Cyborg smiled. "Don't mind if I do."
It was then a race to the final slice. This always happened when it was just Cyborg and Beast Boy eating pizza. It usually turned an otherwise calm night into several hours of war, in which Raven would usually be sucked in. Cyborg really did pity the dark teenager sometimes. She would always seem to walk in at the worst moment possible during one of their little wars. Somehow Robin and Starfire always managed to avoid their pranks and games of 'Stankball' (at least, ever since Beast Boy accidentally pulled that prank on Starfire). Cyborg laughed again, and it was his downfall, as he saw Beast Boy greedily snatch up the last slice and swallow it without chewing.
Cyborg watched his friend's face go a different shade of green, and couldn't help the laugh that burst from his gut. Beast Boy ran inside (presumably to the bathroom) and Cyborg wiped away a tear. As he looked around, his laughing slowly subsided as he saw the looks that the public were giving him. It was if to say 'how can they be having a good time?', and Cyborg didn't like it. Cyborg's good mood slipped away as his smile was quickly replaced by a bitter scowl. He wanted to yell at them. He wanted to stand up and do something to make them stop. He shook his head, hoping the feelings would go away. He hated himself for feeling this way. He was supposed to protect these people, not hate them.
Beast Boy came out and sat down next to him, patting his stomach tenderly. "Never swallow pizza whole," he said, a weak smile on his lips. He saw the look on Cyborg's face and his smile disappeared. "What's up?"
Cyborg shook his head. "Nothing. We done?"
Beast Boy blinked, taken aback by Cyborg's almost Raven-like statement. "Uh… sure. Lemme just go pay."
He got up and left to pay, leaving Cyborg once again by himself. He tried to look in some direction where there wouldn't be people looking at him. Staring at him. Judging him. Everywhere he turned, there was someone reacting to him, someone who had the same word going through their minds as they looked at him. Beast Boy couldn't get back any sooner, as far as Cyborg was concerned.
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The car ride back to the Tower was quiet. Very quiet. Which was too quiet for Beast Boy. He looked over at his friend, who had an impassive look on his face once again. Beast Boy almost grunted in annoyance. He had taken Cyborg out for pizza in hopes of making him feel better, not worse.
Maybe I should just leave this stuff to Raven, Beast Boy mused, crossing his arms and looking out the window. His frown deepened. No. He wouldn't toss this to someone else. Cyborg was his best friend, dammit. If anyone was going to help him through whatever was bothering him, it would be Beast Boy. He looked over at his friend again and took a breath.
"So," he said, nervously at first, before his voice built in confidence, "you wanna do anything else?"
Cyborg looked at him out of the corner of his eye. "I'm okay, man."
"Yeah, but I'm kinda bored anyway, so I thought that maybe we could… do somethin'."
"Like what?"
Beast Boy mused for a moment. He really had no idea what he and Cyborg could do. He toyed with the idea of going to see a movie, but there wasn't much on except for chick flicks. And Beast Boy was not going to take Cyborg to see a chick flick. The other Titans thought they spent too much time together as it is. So did the media, for that matter. If a paparazzi caught them going to a chick flick, they would never live it down. And Beast Boy's sex appeal to the ladies would go out the window like so much tofu. He didn't like the thought, so he thought about the different things they could do.
They had already had pizza, so… Beast Boy's eyes lit up with inspiration.
"How 'bout we have a night on the town?"
"I dunno man," Cyborg sighed, shaking his head.
"C'mon… with the T-car, the ladies'll be all over us. You know you want to show off this baby," Beast Boy said, stroking the interior of the car.
Cyborg remained silent for a long time before responding. "All right, man. But nothin' too crazy, okay?"
Beast Boy raised three fingers, putting the other hand on his chest. "Scout's honour."
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Later that night, Beast Boy was the center of attention on the dance floor, his break dancing attracting a whole host of onlookers. At least, Cyborg assumed it was break dancing (or at least some version of it he wasn't familiar with). He had no idea that Beast Boy was so… elastic. His arms and legs were twirling wildly, and Beast Boy himself looked slightly frightened at how fast he was going. Cyborg stood back, leaning against the bar. He hoped that he could blend in better than Beast Boy could. That was probably the only reason he agreed to come out with Beast Boy; the lights of the dance floor made his luminescent blue circuitry blend in, at least to the extent that people didn't notice him as much.
Cyborg wasn't even sure if the crowd knew who Beast Boy was. Between the flashing lights and the speed at which Beast Boy was spinning, they probably didn't even notice his green skin or pointy ears. Cyborg turned around and ordered another drink. He could probably pass for the legal age and get some alcohol, but he decided that he was depressed enough, and that Beast Boy was crazy enough without introducing alcohol into the mix. When he turned back, he could no longer see the dance floor, his view blocked by the crowd in front of him.
His drink arrived, and he felt gladdened that the bartender didn't seem to care in the least about who he was. He looked at Cyborg as just another customer, and it made Cyborg feel a little bit better that at least someone didn't see him as some half metal monster.
"Hey, Cy!"
Cyborg turned to see Beast Boy approaching him, followed by two attractive girls. He turned to look at them. "You see ladies? I told you Cyborg was with me."
One of the girls giggled excitedly, and Beast Boy turned to Cyborg, a grin on his face. He winked, and Cyborg wanted to punch his lights out. He really didn't feel like doing this right now, especially the part when he would have to answer all the questions that they usually ask. One of the girls whispered in the others' ear, too shy to speak for herself. The other girl nodded and looked at Beast Boy.
"Is Robin with you?"
That was usual question number one. Cyborg and Beast Boy were fine to the girls, as long as they were kept at a distance. Beast Boy paused for a moment.
"Uh, no."
The girls looked slightly disappointed, but Beast Boy quickly recovered. "But hey, why would you want him? He's taken anyway-" he quickly slapped a hand over his mouth, realising that Robin may not appreciate that particular piece of information becoming public knowledge, especially since he didn't think it was true himself. Cyborg rolled his eyes and sipped at his drink. The sooner Beast Boy made an ass out of himself, the sooner they could go home.
"So, uh…" Beast Boy said, laughing nervously, "…you wanna go sit down?"
The two girls nodded, and Beast Boy once again winked at Cyborg. And once again, Cyborg wanted to punch his lights out. Reluctantly, he followed. There were two couches in front of them, and Beast Boy took one, sitting next to one girl. This left the other couch free, with the other girl sat on it. Cyborg grimaced, though he tried to hide it for politeness' sake. That was one thing his mother had always taught him.
Be polite, Victor. Don't say such rude words, Victor.
Cyborg sat down next to the other girl, who was obviously not intent on talking to him. "So…" he started slowly, "…any questions about Robin you want to ask?" he said, trying not to sound too sarcastic. She looked over at him, her eyes changing slightly as she looked at him head on. Cyborg wanted to stand up and shout at her.
"What? I'm not as pretty as you'd like?"
But instead, he merely held her gaze, hoping that she would get uncomfortable and leave.
No such luck.
"Do you know Robin well?"
Cyborg tried to speak as curtly as possible; he began to wish he hadn't made that smart comment in the first place. "He's okay."
"But does Robin-"
"Dude, why are you talking about Robin?" Beast Boy interjected. "You're plenty interesting. Tell her about all your gadgets and stuff."
The girls giggled at the use of the word 'gadget', and Cyborg wanted to blast something.
A lot.
And then punch it. A lot.
And then maybe kick it a bit more for good measure. A lot.
"I'm gonna get a drink. You guys want anything?" he asked. They all shook their heads, and Beast Boy left.
Cyborg simply sat there, waiting for this night to end. The girl on Beast Boy's couch leaned over and whispered something in the other girl's ear. They both giggled. That noise was beginning to grate on Cyborg. Once they had finished, the girl sat next to Cyborg tried to speak between fits of laughter.
"Do you… even… do you have a… gadget? I mean, down there?"
They both laughed, and Cyborg gritted his teeth. He felt like he would explode. He wanted to explode. Maybe he'd take these two with him if he did. Hell, he'd like to blow up the whole city right now. But he didn't do anything. He just stared straight forward at the girl, who was becoming increasingly nervous. Suddenly, he stood, slamming his glass down on the floor so hard it shattered, sending shards of glass into the air. The people who were sat around them looked over in surprise.
Cyborg cast his gaze on all of them.
"WHAT ARE YOU LOOKIN' AT?"
They all turned around as fast their heads would allow, and Cyborg gave one last disgusted look at the girls before storming out. The girls looked at each other.
"What was his problem?"
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Cyborg walked down the street, heading to the multi-storey car park where the T-car was parked.
"Cy, wait!"
Cyborg ignored his friends' yelling, and kept on walking. Maybe he'd give up and leave him alone. He felt Beast Boy's hand on his shoulder, and he shrugged it off, immediately regretting having done so.
"Dude, what's your problem? They said you got up and left!"
Cyborg whirled on his heel to face Beast Boy. "Oh, they did, did they?"
"Yeah! What'd you think you were doing, dude?"
Cyborg smiled bitterly, leaning closer to his friend. "You might want to ask them what they said to make me leave."
Beast Boy frowned, and Cyborg turned to leave. Beast Boy grabbed him by the arm, again turning him around. "Okay dude. I wanna know now. What's going on with you today? I've had to drag you everywhere! I'm trying to help you, dude!"
"I don't want your help, BB. Not this kind of help, anyway."
"What is it, Cy? What's the problem? Why've you been so itchy about people lookin' at us?"
Cyborg's eyes widened in surprise. He was shocked that Beast Boy had been perceptive enough to see that. Of course, Cyborg wasn't exactly being subtle about it, but still… it was Beast Boy.
"I'm just sick of people staring at us all the time because we're…"
"What? Because we're different?"
"Different?" Cyborg yelled, taking Beast Boy aback slightly. "You call this…" he said, gesturing to machine half of his head, "…and this…" pointing to Beast Boy's pointed ears, "…and this…" he said, gesturing to his robotic body, "…different? No, BB, this isn't different! Different is having weird hair, or wearing strange shoes… but that's not us! We're not different, BB! We're… we're-!"
"What, Cy? Freaks? Is that what you were gonna say?"
Cyborg remained silent, confirming Beast Boy's question. Beast Boy nodded angrily, incensed. "I'm not surprised. I've been hearing it my entire life." He turned and stalked away angrily.
"BB, wait… BB!"
But his friend was gone. Cyborg looked down at the ground, ashamed of what he had just done. Beast Boy, his best friend, had been trying all day to make him feel better, and for no other reason than because Cyborg was his friend. And Cyborg had repaid him by-
His thoughts were interrupted as his sensors picked up a faint clicking sound coming from the shadows. He ran in the direction of the clicking, and reached into the shadows, pulling out a terrified paparazzi with a camera. He lifted the man from the ground, letting his feet dangle.
"Oh, you didn't," Cyborg growled through clenched teeth. "You did not just take photos of me and my friend. You did not just repay everything we've done for this city by taking photos of us to sell to some sleazy tabloid. YOU D-"
He stopped himself as he saw the fear in the man's eyes. The sheer terror. As if he were some villain. As if he were someone like Brother Blood. Cyborg dropped him, taking the camera.
"Get out of here," Cyborg whispered, and the man simply sat trembling on the floor. Cyborg down at him. "Go! Now!" he yelled, and the man stumbled to his feet, running away as fast as his legs could take him. Cyborg looked down at the camera in his hands and shook his head. He crushed it in his giant hands, throwing the remains in a nearby trash can.
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Cyborg sat in his room, attempting to concentrate on the blueprints laid out in front of him. Before this whole mess had started, Robin had asked him if the T-ship could be modified to work in severe snowy conditions. When Cyborg asked why, Robin had merely shrugged and said something about being prepared for everything. So, Cyborg had set to designing some extendable snow skis for the T-ship, so that it could skate along the snow (or ice, if it was thick enough) pretty safely. Now, though, he was having a hard time thinking of anything except Beast Boy and the paparazzi. He hadn't told anyone about the events of last night, and he wasn't about to.
And they weren't about to ask. It was an unwritten rule of the Teen Titans: if either Cyborg or Robin was acting strangely, you left them alone, unless you didn't value your life anymore. Or, in Robin's case, unless you were Starfire. She was either unaware of this rule or chose to ignore it, because she would always ask Robin what was wrong, and would at least try with Cyborg. With Robin, she usually succeeded in bringing him out of his funk (unless it was about Slade). With Cyborg, it was a 50/50 chance. Sometimes she could, sometimes she couldn't. And today she wouldn't be able to, Cyborg knew it. But that wouldn't stop her from trying. A knock came on the door, and Cyborg instantly knew that it was Starfire.
"Cyborg? It is Starfire. Do you wish to play the computer games?"
Cyborg smiled. "No thanks, Star," he called out. "But thanks for asking."
There was along silence. "Very well," she said, sounding crestfallen. There was another silence before she spoke again. "Then perhaps you would like to come and assist me in my garden, I am heading out there n-"
"Star, I'm fine. I just really need to work on these T-ship modifications, okay?"
"Very well." There was a long silence, and Cyborg assumed that she had gone. He looked back down at the blueprints when another knock came on the door. He sighed. "Starfire, I told you-"
"It's Beast Boy. Can I come in, dude?"
Cyborg paused. "BB, I'm working right now. Can it wait?"
"Not really," Beast Boy said, his voice suddenly no longer muffled by the door. Cyborg turned to see Beast Boy stood in his room.
"How did-?"
"A fly can get pretty much anywhere," he said, a sheepish grin on his face. Cyborg made a mental note to change the doors so that there was no gap between the door and the floor. Beast Boy fidgeted nervously, scratching the back of his neck.
"Dude, can I talk to you for a sec?"
"BB, I…" he paused, then sighed. "All right, go ahead."
Beast Boy nodded before continuing. "Those girls told me what they said to you. I'm sorry dude. I didn't know they'd be like that."
Cyborg waved a dismissive hand. "It's okay man."
"I just… I really wanted to help you out, is all. I… I should be able to this stuff, 'cause, y'know… you're like… my best bud and all."
There was a long silence between the two as they simply looked at each other. Suddenly, they both burst out laughing, falling to the floor.
"BB… that was so lame…" Cyborg gasped, the tears welling up in his eyes.
"I… I know!" Beast Boy shouted, prompting them both to laugh even louder.
"I was afraid… afraid you'd say something like 'I love you!'" Cyborg managed, before they both laughed even harder. Cyborg's face began to hurt from laughing so much. Eventually, they calmed, and the laughing slowly subsided. Since they were already on the floor, they both decided to simply lie on their backs, staring up at the ceiling.
"So… what has been botherin' you, dude?"
Cyborg sighed. "I dunno… it's just the way those people look at us… at me. I just get sick of it. Day in, day out, we go out there and risk our lives for those people. Sometimes, when we go out there, I even wonder if one of us won't be coming back at the end of the day. While they're staring at us and whispering and laughing at us, does it even occur to them how many bruises and dents and cuts and broken bones that we get? Hell, Terra died savin' these people, man. How do you not feel the same way?"
Beast Boy remained silent for a moment, and Cyborg was about to turn to look at him when he finally responded. "I used to, after Terra died; I almost left."
Surprise overcame Cyborg. He had had no clue. Beast Boy was never one to hide things particularly well. Cyborg wondered how he didn't spot it.
"And?" he asked quietly. "Why didn't you?"
"Because you guys needed me. I don't mean like my powers or anything, but… you needed me to level you guys out. Without me, everybody would be all like 'grrrrrr' all the time. But when I'm here, they're all… uh… actually, they're all 'grrrrrr' when I'm here, but they're all 'grrrrrr' at me, instead of at each other. Does that make sense?"
Cyborg smiled. "Yeah. So… what? Are you telling me that you guys need me too?"
"We need everyone, dude. It's not the Teen Titans without Raven being all sarcastic and Robin being all serious and Starfire being all happy and you being all 'Booya!' and me being all 'dude!' you know? One guy leaves, the whole thing falls apart."
Cyborg smiled again. It was the first genuine smile that had crossed his face for quite a while.
"So… who was that chick in the book?"
Cyborg had expected his smile to fade, but it didn't. It grew wider at the mention of Sarasim. "She was called Sarasim. I met her when I was zapped back in time."
"Is that why you were so ticked when we pulled you back?"
"Pretty much. The last time I saw her, she was being attacked by this big green guy. Turns out she won, though."
Beast Boy nodded. "She sounds pretty special."
"She was."
An awkward silence followed. They both chuckled nervously, and Beast Boy spoke up again. "I guess that's something else we've got in common, huh?"
"What's that?"
"We both pick the wrong women."
Cyborg chuckled. "Damn right."
"So…" Beast Boy said, springing to his feet. "…you ready ta get trashed at 'Super Zombie Kickback 5: The Ultimate Revenge'?"
Cyborg leapt to his feet. "In your dreams, little man."
They both ran from the room and raced to the lounge area, where everyone else was enjoying the peace and quiet. They leapt up and landed on the couch, bouncing Raven into the air as they landed. She landed with a thud on the floor and scowled at them before picking up her book and sitting down on a chair further away from the two and closer to Robin, who was reading a newspaper. As the Gamestation started up, Raven allowed the smallest of smiles to form on her lips. Although she would never say so, she was glad they were back to normal.
Maybe they'll have another war… she mused, putting her head back in her book as she considered the possibilities.
Robin peeked over his newspaper. "Cyborg, I thought you were going to get to those T-ship modifications?"
"Later, man! Oh, you did not just do the Kuwait Chung attack!" he said, turning to Beast Boy, who was grinning smugly.
Raven looked up from her reading. "I see they're back to normal."
Robin smiled. "Yeah. I wonder how Beast Boy did it."
Raven looked at the two as they feverishly tapped the buttons on their controllers. "Probably something loud and stupid."
Robin smiled and went back to his reading, and Raven did the same. Suddenly, there was a loud 'BOOYA!' and Beast Boy yelled something about Cyborg cheating. At the base of the tower, Starfire looked up from watering her plants and smiled.
All was once again right in Titans Tower.
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A week later, and Cyborg was blind. Cyborg heard a door open, and felt all the more nervous.
"BB, where're we going? I've been wearing this blindfold forever."
Of course, Cyborg could have scanned through the thin material with his mechanical eye at any time, but he had decided to allow Beast Boy to surprise him. It couldn't be anything too horrific, right?
"Okay, dude. We're here."
Cyborg removed his blindfold, and looked up to read the sign above the entrance. He looked over at Beast Boy, his eyebrow raised. "This is your big surprise? I'm scheduled to come here in two days to see the kids anyway."
Beast Boy winked at his friend. "Trust me, this you'll like." He walked through the entrance, and Cyborg followed. He nodded to the receptionist, and she smiled in return, although she looked slightly confused.
"We're not scheduled for you to visit the children until Thursday, Mr Cyborg."
Cyborg nodded. "I know, but my friend here wants me to see something."
The receptionist nodded. "Yes, Mr Beast Boy as come here quite a few times."
Cyborg raised an eyebrow yet again. "He has?" He pursued his friend and walked alongside him. "Hey man, why didn't you tell me you came here too?"
Beast Boy shrugged. "I dunno. It didn't seem that important."
"Not important? Of course it's important! I mean… why?"
"Different is different. It doesn't really matter whether you're missing an arm or you've got green skin. I guess it just helps them to see someone whose different like they are, and still happy."
Cyborg almost did a double take at his small friend, wondering where this newfound maturity came from. Before he could say anything, Beast Boy pushed open the doors to the main room, and the children inside smiled in happiness at the sight of not one, but two of their heroes. They ran forwards, shouting greetings to the teen superheroes. Cyborg looked over at Beast Boy.
"I'm still not seeing anything that's different."
Beast Boy looked over at him and grinned. He tilted his head to the opposite side of the room, where a woman was talking to one of the children. She stood to her full height, and Cyborg had to resist the urge to gasp as she walked closer. She looked just like…
"Cyborg," Beast Boy said, "meet Sarah Simms."
Cyborg's jaw dropped to the floor. "Sarasim…?"
She extended a hand. "It's nice to finally meet you."
Cyborg dumbly took her hand. "Uh… how come… I mean, I've never…"
"'Cause you always scheduled time on her off days, dude. I only met her last week, and I thought that she looked kinda familiar."
Cyborg looked over at him and nodded, and Beast Boy flashed a toothy grin. Sarah looked from one to the other.
"'Looked familiar'? Am I missing something?"
"Hey kids, lemme do some animal tricks for ya!" Beast Boy said, prompting the children to roar in approval. They followed Beast Boy away, and he gave a wink to Cyborg before concentrating on the children. Cyborg smiled and looked at Sarah.
"It's nice to meet you too, Sarah. Sorry about earlier. It's just that you remind me of someone."
"Oh? Anyone I know?" she said, gesturing to two chairs.
Cyborg smiled as he sat down. "You know, you just might."
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The End.
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(A/N: I always thought that Beast Boy and Cyborg's friendship was downplayed on the show (that may change in future episodes, but so far there hasn't been much). In the comics they'rebest friends in the sense that they're almost brothers, and I wanted to get a little sense of that here.
Also, I've always been kinda ticked that Sarah Simms (a big part of Cyborg's life in the comics) was reduced to a guest starring role in one episode (and one where she wasn't even Sarah Simms!), so I tried to amend that here.
I'd like to also say that I didn't mean to offend those of you who have been reviewing regularly with my statements in the last chapter. I was talking more to the people who are reading this thing and not reviewing (I know you're out there, my hit counter says so).
In the end, I get the most enjoyment from baking the cake; the reviews are just a very nice icing.
In any case, if you enjoyed, review. If you hated, review. In general, just review.)