A/N: Not my property, the teen titans are.
Eris and OdaStider: Glad both of you like it already. And you'll find out soon enough.
The only real note is that Damian will not appear in this story. You can take that as in he hasn't been forced to join by Batman yet or he just isn't a Titan in this universe. It's not that I don't like his character, I just don't think I'll actually need him in this story.
TheForceIsStrongWithThisOne: I suppose that, like Damian, you can assume whatever. Either way, she won't be part of the story and I likely won't reference her. As for the letter, you'll just have to wait and find out.
Also, I swear I've seen you on this site before. I may have read one of your works or seen your reviews on stories I follow as well. Your name is just really familiar, and not because I watch Star Wars.
Chapter 2:
"Look Padre, I know you don't like the scarab, but you know we can't just remove it.". Just like every other time Jaime had facetimed his family, his father had quickly brought up the idea of getting the scarab removed from his son.
"I know hijo. It's just that we miss you. And I still don't trust that...thing on your back." the man on the screen irritatedly replied.
"Don't get us wrong, we are happy that you enjoy making the city a better place, but as parents, we can't help but be worried." a woman added after she calmed the man down a little bit.
"I know that madre. But I want to do this. And I can still visit you." the Mexican teen offered.
Someone from the other side of the door knocked thrice, then stated, "Jaime, breakfast is ready.".
"I have to go. Te amo.".
"Te amo." the two adults responded, then the screen went black. With the call over, Jaime was free to express his frustrations by slamming his fist into the wooden desk. Every time he called his parents it ended badly. His mother was more understanding, but his father was adamant about getting rid of the blue scarab on his back. Of course it was because he missed his son, but his hostility tended to get the scarab riled up. Even now the insectile machine was chittering away in his head.
"I know Khaji. But you don't fully understand people yet. No you don't. NO YOU DON'T! Forget it, I'm getting breakfast.". The young hero stood up and slammed his door open much harder than necessary and closed it just as forcefully. By the time he got to the kitchen Raven and Starfire were almost finished, but Dick was only halfway through his feast.
"Dick, great to see you man!" the teen exclaimed with a stretched out fist. With a friendly punch, Dick returned the gesture and resumed eating.
"How're you doing? Getting along any better with the scarab?" the man questioned.
"Eh, we have our ups and downs. You may have heard my outburst just before I came in." the teen offered.
"Yeah, I heard. So, what's new with you? Anything interesting?".
"Not really. Pretty mush the same life as usual. But I got a high score on Aliens: Apocalypse last time we went to the arcade.".
For a few minutes the two boys chatted until Jaime finally noticed something off.
"Hey Star, where's B? Isn't he normally up by now?" the Mexican teen asked.
"He came to me last night and said he needed a week off. He wouldn't give me many details, but I could feel something was off about him, so I let him." the alien woman explained.
"A full week?" Jaime shouted. "Must have been one hell of a fangirl." he muttered.
"Actually, the only detail he gave me was the letter was not one from a fan, so it must be something more personal." Starfire stated.
"It was personal." Raven softly offered, causing the other three to turn towards her.
"Oh yeah, empath. What exactly did you feel?" Jaime asked.
"There was a lot. I felt a lot of depression and some anxiety. But what I don't get was his regret. It felt old, like a wound that never healed was torn back open. But all at once, he covered it up. Any way you look at it, nothing anyone has sent him has, or ever should, cause a reaction like that.".
"So, do we ask him about it when he gets back? Or should we wait for him to open up himself?".
"I think we should let him know he can talk to any of us if he wants to, but we shouldn't force him. It would just make him hide it harder." Richard offered. The others agreed, but were left with their own questions.
As a few days went by the tower had slowly become more silent. Of course Raven appreciated the peace, but naturally it would come back to bite her.
"Hey Raven, want to play a game of air hockey?" Jaime asked, which was followed by a series of chitters from beneath his shirt. "I know that! But it can't hurt to try." he said with a clenched jaw.
"No thanks. Why don't you practice a few simulations or visit the city? Or just ask Kori or Dick to play?" the half demon questioned without a glance from her book.
"Dick's doing some research on the League of Assassins and Kori's 'helping' him. You know how it is, the two are inseparable for the first few days when he visits. And I've already run through three solos, and the city isn't the same without B. Normally we visit the arcade and destroy the weekly high scores. But I guess it's worth a shot." the teen replied. Soon enough he could be seen flying from the tower, leaving Raven practically alone again.
After an hour and a half of reading she could feel her mind wandering from the book to random topics. Understanding she needed a break from reading, she decided to take her own advice and opened a black portal that dropped her into the training room. After a few minutes of making adjustments to the settings she found herself weaving between enemy gunfire and picking off those who she could without risking too much exposure.
Oddly enough, she found herself reliving an occasion where she caught Beast Boy expertly dodging simulated attacks with agility he rarely showed on the battlefield. When she questioned him, he had explained that he was working on a few techniques he was hoping to use in a real battle. However, he had also explained that he had memorized the particular pattern he was against, so if he couldn't pull it off when he knew what was going to happen it wouldn't be worth trying when he had no idea what would happen. It was a strangely intelligent perspective on things; a change from his usual head-first methods. For the cherry on top, some of the moves she saw him use became his most common dodges when it came to fighting.
Raven was dragged from her thoughts when a blast passed half an inch in front of her face, breaking her concentration and causing her to fall a few feet before recovering. Without a moment's hesitation she spoke the safe-word that automatically shut down the simulation.
"Not bad. I'm guessing something was on your mind?" a friendly male voice called from a darkened corner.
"Yes. But you know you can stand in the light? You're not a vampire or anything." the empath replied. With the lightest touch she dropped to the floor, her cloak circling her body like a protective shield.
"Sorry. Old habits die hard. And I didn't want to distract you any more than you already were." Richard offered as he stepped from the corner. He had donned his Nightwing armor and was likely waiting for a go at the training programs.
"Thanks for your courtesy, but I was probably too distracted to notice you. How's the research going?" the half demon asked as Nightwing fiddled with the control panel.
"Oh you know how it is. Go through the dark web here, hack a few computers there, reach a couple dead ends. Just the same old stuff. What was on your mind, if you don't mind me prying?".
"It's Beast Boy. Sure, he's more emotional than I am, but this is strange. Even for him." Raven stated as Richard walked to the starting space.
"I can see where you're coming from." was all he managed to say before the holographic enemies began an assault. With exceptional martial art skills the black clad warrior struck down hologram after hologram until he was once again the only one standing on the arena.
"As I was saying, I can see where you're coming from, but I don't think it's too much to worry about. First of all, he's a good kid, and I'm sure he can take care of himself for a few days. But more importantly, he has us. He may not want to talk about whatever's happening immediately, but more often than not, people under emotional stress crack. I'm sure he'll share the details with us. Just give him some time.".
"You would know." Raven replied with an understanding voice.
"C'mon, let's get lunch. Kori's making spaghetti with a Tamaranean dish I still can't pronounce. But don't worry, I tried it already and it's actually really good." Richard offered with an amused chuckle at the end.
True to his word, when the two arrived in the common room a strangely appealing Tamaranean dish was sitting on the kitchen counter next to the stove, where a pot of boiling water with noodles sticking out was placed. Jamie had already returned from his trip to the arcade and was helping set the table.
"Hey guys! Food's almost ready." he greeted upon seeing the two enter the common room. The three took their seats as Starfire divided the meal into four portions and glided in front of everyone, dropping a plate for everyone.
"I do hope you enjoy the meal. It is my first time mixing Tamaranean and Earthling food.".
Had Beast Boy been around he likely would have already dug into the alien food. This time, that honor would go to Jaime.
"It's good. What's this called?" the Mexican hero asked after swallowing a small mouthful.
"It is called 'Zorkalyte'. It is sort of a Tamaranean version of your peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. However, it is composed of Zorka berry sauce and other ingredients I managed to bring with me." Kori explained. Even Raven agreed the alien food was good.
"You should save some for Beast Boy when he gets back. I'm sure he would love this." Jaime offered as he started slurping his spaghetti.
"I already have a small amount saved in the refrigerator for him." the alien woman replied. "However, it may not be around in another four or five days.".
A few more days went by, and things were as quiet as ever. Unlike Beast Boy, Jaime quickly learned that asking Raven to play games with him was a fruitless effort, so he started spending more time in the city. Within the span of a day and a half he found a new favorite coffee shop, a cool shoe shop, and even tried the vegan restaurant a certain green changeling always visited.
He still didn't like tofu.
Raven, on the other hand, continued to stay inside unless the team had to go on a mission. Without any distractions she burned through a record number of books and started to take up cooking. She wasn't good by any means yet, but progress was progress. At least she wasn't burning water anymore.
"Now you add a little bit of spice to the top. Not too much, just a few pinches here and there." the woman on the phone instructed. Raven did as the woman told, and carefully threw on about as much spice as it looked like the chef on her phone used.
After a few seconds of tossing powder new instructions were given.
"Finally, we put it in a preheated oven oven for forty-five minutes. After that, the casserole will need to cool for a little while, then it'll be ready to enjoy. Be sure to like and subscribe, and hopefully you'll be back for another homemade recipe.".
The pan Raven had been working on was gently encased in a dark violet glow that lifted it into an oven that was already prepared for use.
Once she set the timer she opened a portal to her room and landed on her bed. Her legs crossed into a lotus position as her body lifted half a foot from the surface of the bed.
Sooner than she realized nearly an hour had gone by, meaning the casserole would be done soon, if not now. Once again opening a portal, she stepped back into the kitchen with two minutes to spare. So she waited for the high pitched bleeping. When she pulled it out, it actually looked okay. A little burnt on a few corners, but not bubbling or liquifying inside the pan. And it smelled fine as well. Once a few pads were placed on the counter the pan was rested down and left to cool.
Dinner went better than even she had expected. Despite being a bit gooey in the center, the concoction was a hit with the others, so the half demon made a mental note to keep that recipe.
"Man, I can't wait for B to get back tomorrow. It's been so boooring without him.". Of course Blue Beetle would think that.
"I must agree. It has been...different in his absence." Starfire agreed. "But could you keep your attention on the task at hand?" the orange skinned woman requested while swinging her staff through a holographic enemy. "After all, I do not believe you too wish to receive a dislocated shoulder.".
"Yeah, my bad." the insectile armored warrior apologized. A quick calculation by the scarab told Jaime the plasma cannon would be effective against the tightly packed group in front of him, who were blasted one at a time by a quick succession of blue energy beams.
Another alert from the scarab warned him that another foe was quickly approaching from behind, thus causing the living machine to take over long enough to shift the left hand into a praying mantis sword that was shoved into and through the last hologram.
"Nice one Khaji." Jaime praised as the simulation ended.
"Yes, very good you two. But as I said before, it would be for your own interest if your attention was on the field instead of on the future. As for you Raven, you did well today.".
Instead of thanking her leader for the compliment or asking if she was dismissed, Raven appeared to be focused on something outside of the room.
"Earth to Raven. You good?" Jaime asked while waving his hands in front of her eyes.
"I think so. Just hold on a second." was all she replied before a dark circle appeared underneath her. Quickly he fell into the floor, leaving the black circle to close upon itself moments after it opened.
"That was weird. Even for her." the still armored Jaime muttered before telling Khaji to retract the suit.
Meanwhile, an identical circle opened right in front of the common room couch, allowing the cloaked girl to float out of it. On the couch was a familiar green teen. He was facing away from her, but he was clearly sleeping. Even in his unconscious condition he was radiating enough negative emotions to give away his location anywhere in the tower.
"As I thought." the watcher whispered to herself. There were a few questions running through her mind, but they would have to wait for obvious reasons. She was about to return to the others when they came into the room.
"Hey Raven, what'd you leave in such a hurry for?" the Mexican teen questioned. Luckily for her, he came around the couch and saw the sleeping hero.
"Oooohhh, I see. Should we take him to his room?" he followed in a hushed whisper.
"I believe that would be more comfortable, and we won't have to worry about waking him." Kori suggested. With almost motherly care she slipped her hands beneath the couch's inhabitant and easily lifted him before silently gliding off towards his room.
"Ya know, I've never known Grassstain to be early for anything other than video games." Jaime stated whilst making his way to the refrigerator.
Silence was all he got for a response. However, a quick peer to the side of the door let him know Raven was indeed still in the room.
"Hey Rave, you feeling okay?" he cautiously asked.
"I guess so. But he's not.". Suddenly, the empath looked up and right into Jaime's eyes. "Is it wrong if I thought he was incapable of sadness? That joy and happiness were all he could actually feel?" she requested with a self-reflective attitude.
Naturally perturbed by such a question, the recipient had to take a handful of moments to word his response.
"Truthfully, I don't know. I've never seen him too upset over anything. Sure, he might throw a hissy fit when I beat him at too many games of air hockey. And there have been times where he was a bit glum, but I've never seen him distraught over anything. Especially the way you described his feelings when he got that letter. But some people are just like that. They put on a happy face so often it becomes normal for them.".
Slightly more than halfway through his response Kori had returned, this time with Dick. An uneasy look filled her face, and neither teen knew if they wanted to hear what she had to say.
"I believe you are right Jaime. When I was putting him in his bed, I got a good look at his face. I do not remember seeing such pain in his features ever before.".
"I think it would be best if we gave him some space. He might need some alone time before he feels comfortable with telling us what's happened." Richard offered.
A/N: Sorry for ending the chapter at such an awkward place, but I figured the chapter was dragging on enough. Also, I haven't been through anything traumatic, so chances are my storytelling for certain events will contradict most real life reactions. Still, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. There will probably be a week or two before the next update. College classes start up in three days. See you all again in due time!