AN: Inspiration always strikes at odd moments. Light RaeRob in this introspective piece about the Teen Titans.
Red is Robin's colour. Robin has always been the passionate one, the strong one, the one who sets the line and leads the Titans into their endless quest to protect Jump City. Robin, however much he refuses to believe it, has always been governed by his emotions. While they never overcome him in the heat of battle (for Robin has always been an impeccably trained warrior), his mask has never done anything to hide the strong passions that lurk in his hidden eyes.
Red is the colour of Robin's blood. Out of all of them, he is perhaps the most vulnerable, the most mortal, the most real. While he has occasionally maligned his lack of superpowers, perhaps it is Robin's normalcy which allows the rest of the Titans to realize that normal may not be all it's cracked up to be.
Red is the dominant colour of Robin's uniform. While the other Titans has occasionally teased him about the sharp contrast of the many colours of his outfit, Robin believes himself and his perceptive Raven to be the only ones who will ever understand why he dresses in such bright colours. He understands the darkness of his own mind, perhaps almost a twin to Raven's own, and has never denied the fact that he himself might be the singularly darkest member of the Teen Titans (perhaps second to Raven). Wearing what his fellow bird occasionally refers to as a "Traffic Light" uniform reassures him that despite all the inner demons and voices that plague him, his exterior is still that of a hero's. He is still a passionate fighter for the light, whose darkness will never completely overtake that part of him. While Richard may belong in the dark recesses of the rich and reclusive, Robin will never allow that part of him to compromise his alterego.
Red is Robin's colour. Robin has always secretly liked to stand out in a crowd, to be the one who catches the eyes of others. Red is the colour of passion, of mortality, of being, of Robin. Red will always be Robin's colour.
Orange is Starfire's colour. Starfire, while still not completely familiar with the customs and traditions of earth, has always felt a strange, lingering affection for the team of superheros she has fought alongside for so long. Starfire has always considered herself the one who will pull her fellow warriors out of the darkness they fall into, to light up those dark and dusty corners of themselves that they often retreat into. Orange is a sweet, tingling brightness, but never too overpowering, like Starfire aspires to be. She understands there are always times she needs to back away and give the others their space, but it has been long enough now for her to know when to intervene; to, however unwillingly, force some cheerful brightness into the eyes and hearts of her fellow Titans.
Orange is the colour of Starfire's Pudding of Friendship. While there has never been any requests for Starfire to make that particular pudding again (after the last one sent the four other Titans retching to the washrooms), Starfire has always made the Pudding of Friendship for herself, if only to calm the small voice that had been awakened after she had been sent to the future by Warp. The Pudding has always stood as a physical symbol of her promise to herself that day. She would do everything within her power to keep the Titans together, because divided and alone, they would crumble to pieces. Her friends would never be privy to such a fate if there was still strength within her muscles, and righteous anger in her veins.
Orange is the colour of Starfire's skin. While not all Tamaraneans are coloured such a rich shade, Starfire has always considered it to go well with the other aspects of her figure. She has never been ignorant of the labels that members of the media have given her group, have given her. She knows that while many citizens of Jump City consider her the "beautiful" Titan, it has never been her own opinion. Her skin, unlike that of the other Titans is a resilient orange. She had, many moons ago, realized herself as being the most durable of the Titans, and as such, had always made an effort to cushion their falls, take their blows, protect them from the inevitable poundings of a superhero life. After all, Starfire would never be so selfish as to allow her friends to be hurt while she could prevent it.
Orange is Starfire's colour. Starfire has always sought out the good side of people, the brighter side of situations, and the better side of life, but never forced her own light onto others who did not desire it. Orange is the colour of friendship, of protection, of love in the knowledge of others. Orange will always be Starfire's colour.
Yellow is Terra's colour. Terra has constantly felt it necessary to put up a mask of cheerfulness around others, even those most important to her. She has always felt far too ashamed of justifying her phantom fears by revealing her cracked and scarred person to those who seemed to love her for who they saw her to be. Terra had always felt judged, maligned, hated by those who had been exposed to the full force of her power. But it was in meeting the Teen Titans, in meeting Beast Boy, where all her fears came to a head. They must never know of the darker side of her, of the tarnished part of her being. Yellow would be all they would see, because she knew it would be all they'd ever want her to be.
Yellow is the colour of Terra's powers. If there was one wish Terra could have in this life, it would be to be a normal girl. Her powers have always been a curse to her existence, the crack in her perfect porcelain, the one thing that has caused her former friends to turn away in disgust and horror. Terra's powers have never brought her anything but pain and anger, until the day she met Beast Boy and the other Teen Titans. Their acceptance of who she was and what she could do seemed forced; fake. Her powers were a blemish on her being, and she could feel their scalding looks of shame and disgust whenever any of them even deigned to talk to her. In those seconds when she could delude herself into believing that perhaps the other Titans saw past those incontrollable powers and into the real Terra, she was almost happy. But in the next second, she feels the call of the earth again, and realizes that as long as she is Terra the geomancer, she will never be allowed to be truly happy.
Yellow is the colour of Terra's hair. Back when she was still Tara the girl, her hair had been the envy of the town. It was perfectly straight and a brilliant blonde, and she had always considered it her best feature. Some days, she would sit there for hours, washing and cleaning and brushing her hair. Those days are long gone now. Terra never spent so much time on something so petty. Whenever she called on her mystical powers, she could always feel her scalp tingling with the energy, her hair flowing in the yellow aura that served as her powers. Sometimes, in those moments, she could close her eyes and pretend that her hair was simply flowing in the wind, rushing by as she rode in a car with her friends. But when her eyes open, she can feel the call of the earth in her mind, the rocks and dirt that flow and move to her call, and she realizes that as long as these powers flow within her, Terra will never be a normal, happy girl.
Yellow is Terra's colour. Terra has always felt it necessary to keep herself safe and distanced from others with a bright, cheerful shell that blinds anyone who moves too close. Yellow is the colour of depth, of hiding, of hidden darkness beneath the surface. Yellow will always be Terra's colour.
Green is Beast Boy's colour. After the freakish accident and recovery that had given him his metamorphagus abilities, green will always be his colour. Beast Boy remembers the rustle of green grass in the humid African winds, the comfortable peace that pervades the savannahs, and has never allowed himself to let go of that image. While he has always known he was an extraordinary person, if only because of his powers, he has never seen it as his life's bane. The green of his eyes, of his skin, only brings back peaceful memories of his past, a calm that he carries with him through his daily life as a Titan. When Beast Boy realizes that he has taken himself or something else far too seriously, he retreats to the depths of his mind. The green savannahs that he has long come to associate with innocence and peace are always there to welcome him, and every night he sleeps with this green tranquility imprinted in his eyes.
Green is the colour of Beast Boy's eyes. When he had first looked into the mirror after his transformation, he had seen only the striking emerald colours of his new eyes, and idly wondered to himself how many other beings in the world could boast of such unusual depths. Beast Boy has never seen this change in his life as a burden, but rather, as an opportunity. His parents had told him long ago that he had been the most curious child they'd ever known, even when he was a baby. This new change, these new abilities, only gave him new opportunities to expand his horizons, to meet new people and see new, exciting things that he would've never had a change to if he had been a normal boy. Green is the colour of optimism, in Beast Boy's eyes, because he knows that each new occurrence, good or bad, is simply a new chance, a new opening for him to move and explore and learn new things.
Green is the colour of Beast Boy's hair. Somehow, he has always seen his strangely coloured hair as something people would notice first, despite the fact that he had similar coloured eyes and skin, as well as being a metamorphagus superhero. This self-consciousness was a old, familiar part of him, and the new changes in his appearance had only given it a new window to manifest itself. Beast Boy always hated having people stare at his hair, at his face, and the questions that would inevitably follow. The best way to distract them, he had learned, was to divert them with a few well-aimed jokes that would have them either laughing or leaving quickly. He had always been a quick learner, and learning how to hide the self-conscious part of himself became much easier after perfecting his joking routine. In the end, Beast Boy knew he would never admit that he hid behind his jokes, his comic nature. After all, there were some things that were never meant to be shared.
Green is Beast Boy's colour. Beast Boy has always fairly reveled in his strange colouring, something that sets him apart and makes him different, special. Green is the colour of individuality, of curiosity, of serenity in the midst of self-doubt. Green will always be Beast Boy's colour.
Blue is Cyborg's colour. Cyborg's machinery has always given him a lingering blue tone, and even in the darkness, cast an eerie blue glow to him and those around him. He knows that his preoccupation with machinery and all things electronic is hardly healthy for a normal male, but he's anything but normal. The accident that had made him more of a robot then a human being has also given him an eternal preoccupation with all things mechanized. The other Titans don't understand, but generally leave him be. Cyborg prefers it that way. He has never felt fully comfortable in the presence of normal, whole beings after his accident, and his machines will never judge him on what his body looks like. He never forgets the lingering stares or the hastily aborted questions that trailed in his wake after the surgery, and it is because of that that he shies from the spotlight even now. The machines will always understand him better, especially now that he's just one of them. The unassuming blue glow of the monitors in his room lulls him into a sense of tranquility. There will be no searching glances, no horrified glares when he is in his mechanized sanctuary, surrounded by the endless glowing blue.
Blue is the colour of Cyborg's sonic cannon. Every night, he spends at least an hour inspecting his arm for signs of damage, carefully calibrating the weapon in case any insomniac villains go bump in the night. More then any of the others, Cyborg knows he is vulnerable. Without Robin's trained knowledge, Starfire's inner flames, Terra's geomancy, Beast Boy's metamorphagus powers, and Raven's mystical abilities, without any real human capabilities, he is simply a machine. All machines eventually become obsolete; wear down and breakdown. He cannot, will not allow this to happen. His sonic cannon is his pride and joy, something that gives him his own "powers," which allows him to belong to the Teen Titans, to this group that he has come to know as his family. Perhaps, more then anything else, Cyborg fears being shunned and abandoned. And while he understands that the Titans will never abandon him simply because his sonic cannon ceases to function, a small voice inside of him tells him that the day he can no longer blast back villains and Sladebots with his cannon arm is the day that he will no longer have a place among the Titans.
Blue is the colour of Cyborg's machinery. The surgery that had implemented the Cyborg part of him to his battered human remains had numerous translucent panels that gives off a bright blue glow. Beast Boy had once jokingly told him that the glowing parts had always made him the easiest to locate of all the Titans in the dark, and Cyborg has never forgotten that remark. In his mind, the light had made him something solid, in the murkiness in which he tried to quantify his life. Raven had always been the one who he silently protected and supported, who opened up to him while waxing and fixing his cars. Beast Boy had always been the one who he teased and laughed with, the one who he argued with on a daily basis (but knew he'd protect if it came down to it, the sucker). Starfire had always been the one who came to him for advice of the Earthly nature, a torrent of questions that only stopped when she inevitably had a craving for some Tamaranean pudding that he quickly left her to eat on her own. Robin had always been the one who had seen him as the solid rock for the group, who was the most grounded and realistic of the team, and had always come to him for strategic advice or simply a workout session. Perhaps it was in his role to the other Titans on the team that he could find his purpose. After all, Cyborg would never turn away a teammate or a friend in need.
Blue is Cyborg's colour. Cyborg has always seen the blue the permeates his figure as something inevitable, and after Beast Boy's comment, as something which gave him a palpable presence in a group of extraordinary people. Blue is the colour of quiet acceptance, of power and insecurity, of hope and solidity in a world of chance and shifting things. Blue will always be Cyborg's colour.
Purple is Raven's colour. It tints the depths of her inscrutable eyes and nearly every aspect of her room. Raven has never found herself worthy of any other, brighter colour, because her darkness, her difference, will one day be the end of the world. She has known from the day she was old enough to comprehend that she was a cursed being, a half-demon, doomed to wander the earth in a search for redemption. This was what had first brought her to the Teen Titans. Before she became a member, she had always worn black robes. Black was a sign of darkness, of the absence of any good or innocence. Still, the day Robin had convinced her to wear a purple cloak, she had seen new opportunities for herself, a new way out of the darkness that had been enforced upon her since her birth. Purple was hesitant light. It allowed her to hold on to the small glimmer of hope that had fluttered in when she began to protect Jump City as a Teen Titan; the hope of redemption, of finding a place for herself in this hostile world.
Purple is the colour of Raven's shoes. While self-levitation had been the first power that had awoken in her, Raven has always enjoyed walking on the ground without any magical aid. The other Titans had found that more then a little hard to believe, considering the strength and extent of the powers she commanded, but Raven had never really felt the need to tell them the reason behind her preference. She had always felt a need to anchor herself in things, whether it be meditation, prophecies, or simply a sense of purpose. While the others had always seen Raven as someone grounded and stoic, that was perhaps the farthest from the truth. Raven, as well as the other Titans, knew from experience that her powers were wild and untamable, something that needed to be calmed and grounded in daily meditation. What they would never know is that the powers themselves had this wild facet rooted in her personality. Raven's mind had a propensity to drift from one thing to another frequently, and she had spent much time over the past few years training herself to avoid that particularly dangerous activity. Walking on solid ground gave her mind something to focus on; putting one foot in front of the other. Nothing was ever quite that simple in her own life, and as such, Raven had always taken unusual pleasure in being able to feel something solid and unchanging beneath her, no matter the chaos around.
Purple is the colour of Raven's cloak. The monks of Azarath had long ago adopted that particular piece of clothing in an effort to hide themselves from the prying eyes of those around them. Raven had seen great necessity in doing the same thing with herself even as she first came to earth. The curious, scornful gazes of Earthlings had rather unnerved her, and she had been told by Cyborg (admittedly, on their first meeting), that her purple eyes were rather unsettling to the average person. Wearing a full-body cloak allowed her to hide every individual aspect of herself from prying eyes around her, and allowed her to stay in the darkness, where she felt safe. Hiding in the folds of her cloak was for both her own protection as well as the protection of those around her, especially the other members of the Titans who had seemingly grown on her over the past years (her masked leader in particular). As Doctor Light knew from personal experience, there were hidden parts of herself that she rather symbolically hid behind her cloak, and for good reason. Being the half-demon daughter of Trigon had made a part of herself into an uncontrollable monster, and Raven had always felt ashamed of her heritage and what it made her. Hiding everything underneath her cloak seemed like a workable solution to keep anyone from seeing the real, horrifying Raven. After all, Raven would never knowingly endanger anyone she loved or cared about.
Purple is Raven's colour. Raven has always thought herself to be a hopeless, irredeemable being destined to end the world as everyone knew it, but her fellow Titans had given her that small glimmer of hope which allows her to live, to breath, to look forward to another day. Purple is the colour of hesitant hope, of veiled light, of hiding the depths of one's soul. Purple will always be Raven's colour.