Jump City's nightlife had never been so alive until now, the Mayor of the city had decided to host a special festival to celebrate over four years of the city being protected by the Avengers!
(Cue the record scratch)
"Woah woah woah. . . Seriously Garfield?" Victor Stone, or Cyborg interuppted Garfield Logan, a.k.a. Beast Boy's supposedly dramatic monologue, trying to concentrate on driving to city hall in the T-Car.
"Just screwing with you Cy. We have and always will be Titans, just that we'll no longer be Teens." Beast Boy chuckled as he sat beside his long time friend, waving to the citizens, who cheered the Titans with joy as they drove through the city.
"How observant of you Beast Boy. . ." Raven sarcastically said, sitting behind the green shapeshifter, and reading a small book.
After defeating Trigon, the empath slowly but surely began to show her emotions. Despite struggling here and there, the empath was always supported by her fellow Titans, and most importantly, her friends. Robin sat behind Cyborg, giving a small wave to the citizens whilst his other hand held onto Starfire's, who sat between him and Raven, humming along to the song which played on the radio.
"Oh my dearest friends! I feel so filled with joy, it only feels like yesterday when we formed the Titans." The Princess of Tamaran gleefully said, turning to her boyfriend, who smiled back.
"I'm proud of you all. We've come such a long way. Saving lives, making new friends, new enemies, and now we've become much better people with all the experience." Robin spoke with strong confidance. The events that took place during his time in Jump City had made him see that there was more to life than obsessing over every single crime scene, or hunting down the deadliest of villains such as Slade.
"Alrighty, we're here now!" Cyborg exclaimed as he slowed the T-Car down before reversing it into the reserved parking space.
City Hall was mobbed to say the least. Almost every man, woman, and child were present as music played which seemingly echoed throughout the area, the atmosphere growing only more lively. Once the Titans had found their seats, the Mayor nodded politely as he stood before the large crowds, gaining their attention as he prepared his speech, tapping on the microphone to check if it's functional.
"My dearest citizens of Jump City! Today marks the fourth anniversary of a certain band of misfits that have been an absolute credit to this proud city for four years! Their dedication to ensure that this city and it's citizens are safe has given us a beacon of hope for everyone. Now before I continue this speech, let us remind ourselves that the Jump City Police Department have worked tirelessly with the team, to make sure that we are all safe and the ones who would cause harm are brought to justice!"
The crowd cheered for the police officers that have worked very hard with the Titans, the thunderous applause was welcomed by the Mayor, who raised his hand to continue his speech.
"Now I present to you the team that have been a fantastic help for all of us. The five heroes that have contributed time and dedication, the squad that have proven that we can all work together regardless of how different we are to one another. So without further ado, I give you, the citizens of Jump City, the Titans!!"
The vast crowd cheered as Robin made his way up to the mic, with his fellow titans beside him as he cleared his throat before beginning his speech.
"Thank you Mayor. Now I'd like to thank not just the police force, but all of the emergency response teams who put their lives on the line everyday to ensure that everyone is safe, and the not so nice people behind bars. We could not have done this without all of your support! I understand that some may not approve of us due to the nature of our work, but that's what comes with being a hero-"
Whilst Robin's speech continued, Beast boy looked over the crowd, and although he was smiling on the outside, he couldn't help but feel an intense sorrow on the inside. Today would be the anniversary of his parent's death, where they perished in a boating accident in Africa. It was almost impossible to think of something more positive, his mind remembering how Terra betrayed him and the Titans, despite sacrificing herself to save them, and suddenly reappearing with no recollection of her past, or so she claimed.
The green shifter's thoughts slowly surfaced, his goofy smile beginning to slowly fade as he kept replaying the saddest moments in his life, only to be interuppted by Cyborg's hand on his shoulder.
"Robin's done now, let's head home grass stain." The metal man quietly said, snapping Beast boy's trail of thought. He nodded before taking one last look at the crowd, waving them farewell before heading back to the T-car.
By the time they all got back into the tower, it was half past eleven. They decided on chinese food for a late night dinner. Of course for Beast boy, he went for the vegetarian option, only to hardly eat his food which did not go unnoticed.
"You've hardly touched your food BB, is everything okay?" Cyborg asked with a concerned look on his face, sensing something wasn't right.
"Y-yeah bro. I guess I'm too tired for a late night dinner, I'm gonna just get some sleep for the time being." Beast boy said almost sounding agitated. He quickly said goodnight to everyone before rushing off into his room, leaving a confused and worried set of teammates.
"That is not like him. I thought he was in good spirits." Robin said as he stood up, but before he even said anything else, Raven interjected.
"I'll check on him. Also don't you remember what month this is?" The empath asked as she looked at her leader.
The sudden realisation struck the trio. During their time as Titans, they revealed their real identities to each other, explaining their origins long before they became heroes.
"Shit. . . I knew something was off but-" Robin was about to continue, only to stop when Raven raised her hand.
"Don't fret about it. You were dead focused on the event at city hall, and you must remember that he hasn't been himself for months."
During the months that have passed, Raven noticed the differences in Beast boy's attitude and behavior. The lack of bad jokes, that fake smile, and hardly teasing her and everyone else. It was as if he was giving up on himself. So far Raven and Cyborg kept their eye on him, making sure he got out, rather than have him isolate himself from the rest of the team.
Robin silently nodded, signalling his approval for the gothic empath to go check up on him. Starfire held onto her boyfriend's hand, the look of concern on her face said it all.
"Dick. . . is friend Beast boy going to be the o of k?" The alien princess voiced her worry.
"He will be. We've got to support him through this. To be honest I figured it out recently that he was depressed, as I found anti-depressants prescribed to him in the medicine cabinet within the kitchen." The titan leader explained to his lover what depression was, and why the green shape-shifter has kept it to himself for so long.
"So can I create the pudding of sadness for him?" The princess of Tamaran asked, with Cyborg shaking his head at the thought of Starfire's strange eating habits.
"Maybe just hold off for now Kori, the best thing we can do is help him through this. Remember, no one gets left behind or forgotten." Robin said as he took off his mask, revealing his blue eyes.
"HAH! I knew it! You like that movie!" Cyborg exclaimed, pointing at him almost accusingly, slurping on chicken chow mein noodles.
Dick's face reddend with embarassment, the boy wonder's dark secret was exposed. He liked Lilo and Stitch.
"Yeah well you liked Mary Poppins Vic! I heard you singing a spoonful of sugar a few days ago." Robin shouted back, initiating a hilarious argument between the two whilst Starfire hummed to herself.
End of Chapter 1
Author's Note
I've read alot of stories in regards to Beast boy and living with depression, so I'm starting a new story that not only contains dark themes, mental health etc, but also some humor to show that there's always a light in the darkest moments of our lives. Alot of the next set of chapters will be heavily influenced by how I have lived with depression, and showing it through Beast boy.