Beast Boy sat with such silence as to outdo Jericho. He seemed heavy and cold, weighed down by an invisible cumbersome blue aura of such mass and frigidity that it was fit to drive the poor green teen insane. But he sat quietly, and showed no emotion….
… at all.
Cyborg observed his friend with a long sideward glance. The bionic being's face fell, the sight of such depression in the possession of the perpetually jocular Beast Boy was too much for him to bear.
"Yo, B man! Just forget that dumbass shit-shirt! Y'know those guys just do it for money! They're leaches, just forget about it B, it's not worth your time." The large teen ranted.
"But she is…"
Cyborg fell silent at the wheel. The blue of the car's interior sunk in and the clear horizon of the deep blue sky met the window and only two things existed into becoming one… a deep, sacred azure quite.
And the tires of the T-Car rolled on in a hypnotic hum.
"Beast Boy I-" the changeling remained painfully stoic.
"Garfield, brother… talk to me man. We fought death, destruction, demons, one-eyed pedophiles, and everything else under the sun together. And if we can't talk about a fucking T-shirt, then we might be in some trouble." Victor said loud enough, but with a warm tint layered on his deep voice.
The mixture of the sincerity, seriousness, and humor in Victor's words were reminiscent of all that their friendship stood for… and the green one broke open.
"It's just that… ever since she decided to have her little 'amnesia' episode, I've been… been." His eyes wandered and shook, "God. I don't even know what I'm saying. It's just like, its worse than before. Then she was alive but dead, now she's dead but alive! She's in front of me in my dreams and I know she's out there. Hell, I could even find her if I wanted to Vic. I could see her, touch her, smell her again." He said, breaking his cold blue silence.
Vic smiled, "Well Gar, I don't know about all that touching business." He lightly mocked, a friendly warm smile on his face.
A small, weak, but honest smile drew itself on a somber green face, the changeling's eyes unfocused and grew round, "Yea, heh."
The hum of the tires accompanied by the tired, warm womb of gray silence forged by their friendship. And the tires of the T-Car rolled on.
Beast Boy's green eyes lifted and cast their dead gaze out the window of the T-Car.
They focused.
And the gray silence was broken and the warm womb pierced by Garfield's blood curdling scream, "VIC! STOP THE CAR!"
HRaven and Jericho were walking down a white, snow-covered street in the evening.
And Jericho's pants were still moist around the crotch area.
The pair had gone to a nearby gas station where Joey had tried to use the blower in the men's room to try and dry it, to little success and odd stares from other patrons.
They had then given up and had been walking down little traveled streets to avoid attention of the unwanted sort. And they had been talking, as they were now, about different things.
Joey's wet crotch.
The nice winter the City was having.
A funny movie Joey had seen, which turned into a full discussion of their favorite movies.
The rumors about Roy and Garth and how bogus they were.
Their favorite places to hang out in the City.
And many more subjects, up to the one they were at now…
'... and so then the bouncer said, "Sorry buddy, we don't take coupons!"'
Raven giggled lightly. Joey giggled breathily.
And silence engulfed the scene… cool and gray.
And the two walked on, their feet crunching the snow.
Raven looked up at the tow-head, "Y'know, Joey, I only talk this long to the other four founding Titans… and a few others." Her words lingered coldly in the air as her mind wandered in frigid nostalgia.
'I guess I should be honored that I am have been added to the list of others.' He hand-signed, smirking.
The mystic girl was shaken from her reverie and couldn't hold back a smile before it played across her soft lips.
Joey saw and smiled.
Silence.
Cool.
Gray.
Constant crunchy creation of footprints in the fresh snow by the ambling pair filled the air.
"You know, Joey." Raven shattered the gray silence in an instant, "With all of the others, I never talk to them like this."
Joey gave her a weird look as if to say 'bzuh?'
She purposefully gazed elsewhere before continuing, "I mean, people have made me laugh, and Kori and I have lively talks. But this has been different. It's like, this was the best thing you had to do."
Joey raised a fair brow, 'How flattering to us both.'
She quipped back, "You know that's not how I meant it."
'What? I find it hard to believe that the resident bookworm of the Titans reached a lack of vocabulary to sufficiently describe something.'
"You are such a smartass."
Joey's eyes widened in surprise at the vulgar comment from the small woman.
She looked back at his perplexed expression and giggled lightly.
"So, is that how it is Joey? Is this what you wanted to do with your free day? Follow me around like I've you on a leash?" she asked cynically.
Joey puzzled and pondered over the question, wanting to sound good in front of Raven. His hands merely worked on their own, like they knew what they were doing, 'Well Raven, what can I say? You do make me wet.'
Blue eyes darted down to wet crotch and this time Raven laughed out loud. The first occurrence the Joey had ever heard of, let alone witnessed.
But all shock forgotten; her laugh was a lovely one, soft, smooth and warm like the skin of a lover.
For lack of a better term: Joey swooned.
Raven took notice, "Oh my word. Joey, you're swooning."
Joey quickly stopped and hand signed in his defense, 'What are you talking about? That never happened.'
"Yes it did." Raven quipped, her voice level but playful.
'No, I'm pretty sure that never happened. You're seeing things.'
Not stopping the pattern of uncharacteristic charisma, Raven pouted. Only slightly, but it was enough to get the message thru.
And Joey recovered nicely like the little Romeo he is, 'Oh, come on Raven. Have I hurt you're feelings?'
"I am not talking to you." Raven monotoned, folding her arms.
'Awe, come on Raven. We both know you can't be mad at me. Come on, I'm way too cute for that.'
"And vain as well."
'You are talking to me.'
"And you're annoying me."
It was Joey's turn to act hurt.
'Why, madam! I am insulted at your… insult!'
She looked at him slyly, not to be beaten at fake pouting, "Well good then."
'Yes.'
"Indeed."
'Sure.'
"Hmph."
…
…
…
Silence… shifting colors of gray and warm gold.
…
…
And the sound of crunching snow hung in the air as they walked on.
…
Joey took a step closer to Raven.
Raven took a small step towards Joey, her gaze directed towards the sidewalk.
Joey noticed her downcast gaze, and thought he saw a slight flush on her cheeks not summoned by the cold.
Joey put his arm over Raven's shoulder.
Her blush grew obvious.
The air around them mysteriously rose by a good 10 degrees.
…
Raven let her head fall onto his shoulder.
"Sorry I called you annoying, Joey." She joked, and nuzzled her head into him.
Joey chuckled breathily and gave the cold girl a warm one-armed hug.
She smiled into his shoulder a scooted closer to her walking partner.
And the two walked on, in warm golden silence.
Snow crunching under their synchronized footsteps.
HAcross the street, on a rooftop, watching the pair, stood a tall, malicious, and mechanical being. Black all over except for a white stripe down the center of his face, he was well hidden as he followed the two Titans.
He recorded everything with his two mechanical eyes…
… which was sent for observation by his master's lone, organic optic...
In a gray survelliance room a rich, deep voice both thunderous and wispy at the same time echoed across the silent walls of the abandoned room, "Move in, deliver a warning…"
H"Y-Yo-You-" Herald stammered.
"Mal! This is not what you think!" quipped Aqualad, dropping Speedy to the ground in the process.
Mal found his voice, "BULLSHIT! You two were making the hell out! The rumors are true! This is… this is… Oh God! Oh-Oh God!"
Roy jumped up and growled fiercely, "If you tell anyone I swear I will-"
"Roy, just calm down a little, baby." Garth said, putting a hand on the archers chest.
Mal nearly threw up.
Roy ignored the Atlantean's consolation, "I will kill you if you ever tell a single fucking soul that-"
The archer was once again cut off, this time by Isaiah and Wally exiting the party thru the same door Mal had come out of only moments before.
"So I figured I'd be true to Jean and not try and hit on any girls."
"Don't lie Wally, I know you did just as bad as me dawg." Isaiah smirked at the fastest teen alive.
The two stopped in their tracks seeing the scene before them, although since neither had witnessed Roy and Garth's… entanglement, they didn't quite understand what was happening.
A moment passed in an uncomfortable silence tinted a queer yellow by the neon signs of the party.
"What's happening?" Isaiah queried.
"Yea, I don't understand." Wally added.
On an impulse Mal blurted out the truth, "GUYS! I CAME OUT HERE AND, AND… THEY'RE GAY!" the horn-freak stammered and pointed at the black and red haired boys.
Isaiah and Wally looked at each other, and laughed.
"Yea, right!"
"Good one, Mal!"
A sigh came from Atlantean lips. Roy put his face in his palm.
"We- we're not gay." Garth stammered.
Roy grumbled.
Before Mal could retort with a cry of 'bullshit' Garth continued, "We're bi…"
H"I just don't understand, Joey. What could you possibly see in his works?"
'The same thing you see in Poe's works, they are shining paragons of art!'
"I highly doubt Edgar Allen Poe and Kevin Smith even belong in the same sentence. And since when has Kevin Smith been a paragon of anything besides stupidity."
'Hey! That was totally uncalled for… blasphemer.'
The mystic maiden shoved the hazel-eyed boy playfully and sighed, "Aaah, Joey. You're so stupid."
Joey just nodded and smiled in mute and happy agreement… before registering what she had said, 'Wait, what was that?'
"Nothing… stupid." Raven slyly smirked.
'No, don't nothing me! I'm serious!'
The dark girl gave a small smiled to the fair boy, "I said don't worry about it, Joey."
As he continued to warmly keep her company and as she playfully pulled on the strings of his sanity, they were both being watched.
Over in an alley, two muscle cars were parked, filled with thugs.
The lead thug, a tall, muscular, black hair thing with sideburns of his own peered over at the unlikely pair with perpetually fierce red eyes.
On of his thugs spoke up, "What now, Tibolt?"
Tibolt Kapulit turned his dark, handsome, and scowling face around, "Those two are Titans, and they're all alone on our turf. Let the pair turn and look upon their death… get ready boys."
The thugs in both cars swiftly and silently loaded guns of all shapes and sizes. Tibolt looked back at the two and smiled wickedly …
And above on the snow covered rooftops of the alley stood the mechanical observer, witness to all, standing alone and unseen in a cold, crimson silence.
