"Well that movie was a piece of shit." Beast boy said as he walked out of the theater with Raven, thankfully the film itself was only eighty minutes long.
"It was messier than Starfire's pudding of sadness." The empath said, causing her companion to burst into laughter.
"On that, I agree with you."
The duo continued to walk through the park as daylight faded, the silence between the two was a little awkward, but they didn't think much of it. Suddenly the silence was broken by a scream, coming from up ahead of the two heroes.
"Good thing we packed for this, you ready Raven?" Beast boy removed his bag, unzipping it to grab his uniform, passing the bag to Raven as he dashed behind a tree to remove his current clothing quickly.
The empath reluctantly did the same, concealing herself with her magic to change without disturbance. Now the two were suited up for whatever lay ahead, but not before Raven used a small portal to throw the bag with the casual clothes back to the tower.
"Okay, let's go Beast boy!" Raven spoke loud and clear, the changeling nodded as they dashed towards the source of screaming.
Much to the duo's displeasure, Adonis was the culprit, using his suit to crush the empty police cars that lay before him. Many of the cops did their best to surpress him, only to be whacked away like flies, either knocking them out cold, or severely injuring them. The suited brute had his back to the two Titans, unaware of their presence.
"Anymore of you stupid cops wanna take me on!? Whose next in line to be crushed by ME?" Adonis shouted out to the remaining cops who kept their distance, despite the fact that he could blast them into oblivion.
He raised his arms, laughing at the frightened police force, only to be struck by a lamp post at the back of his head, forcing him to turn around. Adonis smirked when he recognised the attackers.
"Well if it isn't the little green crap stain, and the ever so elegant witch! Too bad that you're aren't alone baby, cuz I'd show you a damn good time!" The villain said as his eyes fell on Raven, hardly paying attention to Beast boy who snarled in anger.
"The only good time you'll get is when you drop the soap in prison!" The green shape-shifter growled before changing into a gorilla, pounding his chest before charging straight for him.
Raven kept throwing objects at Adonis whenever there was an opening, only scratching the armor. For her next idea, she decided get up close and personal, mainly to kick the armored moron in his exposed face, only for him to quickly grab her, and held her in front of Beast boy who stopped as soon as he saw her.
"Ah ah ah my green friend, come any closer and I snap this little birdie's neck before you can even lay a finger on me!" Adonis said as he held Raven tightly, causing her to yell in pain.
"Let her go Adonis!! I'm warning you!" Beast boy shouted as he shifted back, only for the villain to laugh in response.
"Or what? You have no chance in saving her, nor have the chance to even beat me! Face it, you're useless!" The insult simply pissed the green shape-shifter off, and Raven did her best to try and loosen Adonis's grip on her, barely able to utter a word to Beast boy.
"D-don't listen to him-AH!" Raven screamed out as she felt an electrical current run through her, while not lethal, it was pure agony.
Beast boy's mind flashed back to his life in the Doom Patrol, the voice of Mento scolding him for disobeying him, telling him he'd never amount to anything if he kept on going the way he was going. Then his mind went to the times he argued with Robin, the prank that made Starfire not speak to him, the day Terra walked away from him in the school, and the tragedy of losing his parents.
Adonis smiled as he watched the changeling grab his head in pain, with Raven noticing what was happening to her companion.
"Come on Garfield. You can do this, I believe in you!" The empath may not have telepathy, but the look she gave the changeling was more than enough for him to stand back up, now looking more furious than before.
"Aw, is the little green guy angry? What you gonna do?" Adonis taunted Beast boy, his cocky attitude was showing more than earlier.
"SHUT. YOUR. MOUTH. Unless you want me to rip you out of that suit, and break every damn bone in your body!" Beast boy roared out, his eyes fiercely locked on to his enemy, clenching his fists.
Tossing Raven to the side, Adonis charged for the green hero, readying his fist to deliver a fatal punch to his opponent's face. Raven winced, assuming the worse had just happend, only to see that Beast boy stopped the fist with both hands, slowly pushing back which in turn shocked him.
"What the-?" Adonis blurted out before he was pushed away with great force, almost losing his balance.
The changeling's eyes was what caught Raven's attention, the pupils were not present, and the low growl coming from him indicated an all too familiar presence. The beast was coming, only this time, Beast boy willingly let that side of him break out. Within seconds, the green shape-shifter instantly became the beast, and to his surprise, it didn't tear his uniform apart.
"I don't believe it. . . He's in control!" Raven thought as the Beast charged straight for Adonis, initiating a good old fashioned one on fight.
The beast's agility was outstanding, but rather than simply tearing through the armor wildly, he used a form of martial arts, blocking the majority of attacks, and occasionally landing several hits to the suited villain, which only pissed him off more.
"This guy's gonna break through if he keeps on wearing me down. . . Time to blow this punk's face off!" Adonis thought as he opened up his palms, charging them before unleashing the laser type cannon onto his opponent, hoping to kill the beast. The blast itself made Raven shield her eyes, the flash was almost blinding, and what she saw next made her gasp.
The beast stood before Adonis, completely unscathed, causing the villain to let out a whimper of fear.
"My turn." The beast growled out before slashing through the armor with his claws, breaking the suit down which in turn shut off it's offensive capabilities.
Adonis assumed the worse and closed his eyes, accepting the fact that he lost, and was about to be torn apart, only to be pulled out of the damaged suit, and pinned down by the beast's large foot. It wasn't enough to crush him, but it was enough to prevent him from escaping.
The beast roared in victory, staring down the now shaking villain. Raven approached the green werewolf like being, completly unafraid of him.
"Beast boy? Can you hear me?" She quietly asked, looking into the beast's eyes. He simply nodded before he slowly began to shift back into the changeling, thankfully in his uniform minus the gloves, revealing his claw like hands.
The green shape-shifter swayed a little before removing his foot from Adonis's chest, letting the approaching police take the fainted villain away from the area.
"Thanks again you two, glad to know that you guys have our backs." One of the police officers said, earning a respectful nod from Raven, who teleported back into the common room of the tower, with Beast boy holding onto her for support.
Starfire squealed in fright as she saw the duo appear, completely catching her off guard. Nightwing however simply stood before them, almost looking like he was angry.
"Just heard about your tussel with Adonis. . . Why didn't you two call for backup?" he said surprisingly calm than his usual angered voice, making Beast boy look up.
"S-sorry Nightwing. It all happend so fast, and I never thought I'd actually take Adonis on by myself. . ." Beast boy tiredly said, further indicating that turning into the beast has left him exhausted.
"Well don't freak us out like that again, you had us worried." The leader's voice sounded strict, but seemed more caring than usual.
Cyborg rushed into the common room to see his best friend lying on the long sofa, while Raven watched over him.
"Guys, you gotta see this!" Cyborg exclaimed, using the remote to show a video that was uploaded several minutes ago.
It seemed that a civilian had filmed the fight between Beast boy and Adonis, judging by the quality of the camera, they managed to get a view of the two fighters. The whole team watched in awe as they observed their friend's tranformation, and using different forms of martial arts, rather than using plain brute force.
Nightwing turned to look at the changeling, and smiled at him.
"How were you in control there? It's like you just made it happen through sheer willpower." He asked as he sat back down, with Starfire passing both Raven and Beast boy a glass of water each.
"I'll be honest with everyone here. You see after Terra walked away and after Tokyo, I was in a very bad spot. Obviously you guys remember when I said I was staying with the doom patrol for a few weeks, well I actually lied about that. I actually was in Tibet." The changeling explained as he drank his water, his friends sitting with him as they listened.
"I went to meet some sacred monks, who were basically experts in meditation, natural medicines that kind of stuff. The beast inside of me was itching to just get out, and surprisingly these monks had no fear of what I can do. They were actually very happy to help me, so they began to teach me ways of harnessing all those negative thoughts that plagued my head through meditation and within the first week, I was in my beast form doing meditation and soon enough I fully gained control." He continued to speak, it was like a weight was lifting off of his chest, with Raven holding his shoulder as he spoke, smiling at him.
"And you've only used it today? Why now?" Cyborg inquired, eyeing the clock as it wouldn't be long till his date with Sarah, but for now his family came first.
"Adonis threatened to snap Raven's neck, then he decided to call me useless and that kind of made me realise what I had to do. I don't think he liked it when I told him to shut his mouth, and plus I was growling so that must've made it sound more aggressive." Beast boy sighed in relief as his friends were not angry at him for hiding the fact that he could now control the beast.
"Amazing friend Gar! You've managed to conquer your inner demon, and used it to help save friend Raven. On my planet, that is a sign of great courage!" Starfire tightly hugged the two heroes, almost crushing their bodies with way too much affection.
"Star. . . can't breathe." Raven's voice sounded breathless, prompting the alien princess to apologise and removed herself from her friends.
"Well now that you're both safe and sound, we can relax. Victor! You best get yourself ready for your date. I know you've been anxious to go see her, so get your metal ass in gear and have fun tonight!" Nightwing practically barked his comrade to get going, earning him a little salute before the metal man dashed away, telling the green shape-shifter and the empath to take it easy, they nodded in response.
"You'll be happy to know that you've still got your left over vegetarian chinese food in fridge, so heat it up if you're hungry. Kori and I will go on patrol, just to be safe. Hell probably have a nice dinner too so we may come home late if we decide on doing other stuff." Dick said as he stood up to stretch, holding his hand out to Starfire who happily took it as she hummed a happy little tune to herself.
Raven and Beast boy had the tower to themselves, and it was a relaxing atmosphere as the two sat together in the kitchen area, eating the leftover chinese food. The violet haired empath looked at the changeling's hands, never really noticing them up close until now. They were more a pale green than the rest of his body, mostly due to him wearing those gloves. Her face blushed whilst she remembered when she touched his hand, giving her that strange feeling again in her stomach.
After the two finished their meal and washed their dishes, they sat beside each other back in the common room, the gap between the two shortening as the green titan shifted at little to get himself comfortable.
"How are you feeling Raven?" Beast boy asked as he looked at her, his face evident with worry.
"I think I won't be requiring shock therapy anytime soon." She scarastically said, earning her a chuckle in response.
"I'm just glad you're safe. To be quite honest, I was so scared. . ." He stopped himself, looking down as if he was embarassed.
Raven on the other hand placed her pale hand under his chin, urging him to look at her.
"Of Adonis Gar? Even though you bested him?" She asked curiously. He shook his head softly, finally finding the courage to say what he needed to say.
"No. I was scared of losing you, and if that happened. . .I. . ." His green eyes looked into her amythest coloured ones, completely at a loss for words.
Without any hesitation, Raven brought her companion into a hug, patting his back. The warmth that they both felt off of each other was welcoming, and of course it only made their bond grow stronger.
"I really enjoyed spending time with you Rae. Thank you for suggesting the idea in the first place." Garfield grinned as he pulled away from the hug, with the dark heroine smiling back.
"I honestly enjoyed my day with you Gar. I wouldn't mind another outing like that." She said as pulled her hood up, trying to hide that she was blushing, but Beast boy pulled it back down.
"I prefer it when your hood is down, it means I see your smile." He said softly, placing his exposed hand on hers.
There were no words necessary for the empath to respond with. So she rested her head on the changeling's shoulders, letting him place an arm around her, as they switched the TV on, watching a show featuring a blonde english chef, hurling hilarious insults at two competing teams.
Meanwhile downtown, Cyborg was happily chatting away with his date Sarah. The two talked about their love for all things meat, technology, and their favourite types of music.
"You know what Victor Stone? You're a good person, and a damn good date!" Sarah said as she finished off some babyback ribs, while the metal hero himself indulged in meatballs with extra chilli.
"Well you're simply a wonderful girl, and also an amazing lady to date." He responded smiling, his hand intertwined with hers.
By the time they finished, it was after eight, they both thought that they must've been at the buffet for at least an hour. Before that however, they paid a visit to the place where Sarah volunteered to help children with both physical and learning difficulties. The children instantly adored Cyborg, earning him a big thumbs up by not just Sarah, but the entire team.
"So Mr Cyborg, care to escort me to my accomodation? I've got cheesecake!" She playfully sang the last word, noticing her date's face light up at the thought of dessert.
"I'll happily take you home to eat your pu- dessert! I mean dessert!" He blurted out, causing his date to burst out in laughter at his little mishap.
"Oh Vic, you're adoreable when you blush! But seriously it's damn good cheesecake."
In another part of town, both Nightwing and Starfire were sitting on top of one of the high rise buildings which looked over most of Jump City. The patrolling was a smooth one for both of them, only having to deal with small crimes such as petty theivery. The duo shared some doughnuts whilst having some coffee, not the romantic dinner they had in mind, but they were simply content with being with each other.
"These doughnuts are rather lovely, they're so colorful and sweet." Starfire said as she scoffed several of them within minutes, with Nightwing looking at her in disbelief as she ate the pink and rainbow sprinkled doughnuts as if they were nothing.
"I should probably buy some for the tower, and for the gang. That is if Kori doesn't get to them first. . ." Dick thought as he wrapped his arm around his girlfriend's waist, giving her a small kiss on her cheek.
Back at the tower, Raven decided to call it a night, helping Beast boy back to his bedroom opposite hers. Once the door was open, she placed him on the bed as he yawned loudly. Making the empath yawn as well.
"Tired Rae Rae?" Beast boy asked as he laid himself on top of his duvet, noticing how warm the room was.
"Gee what gave it away? Of course I am Gar, although I will admit that show was entertaining." Raven replied as she looked around his room, noticing how clean the room is compared to a few years back.
"Totally called it when that guy got kicked out of the blue team, what an over confident douche." He remarked as he described one of the contestants who kept on answering back to the head chef.
"Indeed. Well I'll see you tomorrow morning Gar, sleep well. . ." Raven whispered to him, standing up and ready to leave his room. She turned around to see the changeling smile at her.
"Goodnight Rae, sweet dreams." He softly whispered, and she returned a small smile back before heading into her room.
"I need to practice on fighting targets like Adonis so I don't get trapped again. I'll do some extra training tomorrow, and maybe I'll ask Garfield to join me. . . Yeah." Raven smiled as she thought of him again as she switched her clothing to pyjamas.
"I should probably ask Kori on how I should ask him out. . ." With that, she set herself a little goal. To ask Beast boy out on a date.
End of Chapter IV
Author's Notes
For this chapter, the music that inspired me for the fight against Adonis was Celldweller. The following chapter will show Raven asking Starfire for advice on asking Beast boy out and naturally it will be humorous due to Starfire jumping with joy about the revelation, and also of course Beast boy asking Cyborg for dating advice as he also likes Raven.
Hope you have enjoyed this so far, and thank you for taking the time to read my story. Fare thee well!