It was raining that day, just as the Titans were getting back from an afternoon of crime stopping. It wasn't a cold rain like on most days, but one of those really warm rains that makes you feel comfortable if you were to sit in it all day. Cyborg parked the T-Car in the garage and was the first to climb out. Robin came soon after; then Raven, BeastBoy, and finally Starfire. All the Titans looked out at the rain and felt depressed. There was nothing to do and they couldn't exactly go out. Even Raven, who normally loved to stay in the tower, felt the nagging feeling of boredom blanket her. The one to take it the hardest was BeastBoy. He was prone to grow bored quickly and need something to stimulate him at all times or he would succumb to vegetation. As the others headed inside, Beastboy hypnotically walked to the garage door and looked outside. Even though it was raining pretty hard it was still rather warm out. The blanket the rain portrayed in front of him seemed to wash away anything in view. He just saw rain.
"Get over here B before ya get wet man." he heard Cyborg call
Or he though he did...He hadn't actually though. BeastBoy pulled his glove off and stuck it out of the garage door and into the rain. The warm water pelted his green skin and made it tingle; he liked this feeling. It stirred something inside of him and he didn't want to leave; he wanted more! Then an idea hit him like a ton of bricks. He walked out into the rain and let the water caress his entire body.
"Dudes!" he called "Come on out, this feels great!"
"And get soaked? I'll pass." Raven commented
"But really, this is awesome, just try it!" he called
Then, without warning, he broke into dance, splashing around in the water, not caring if he was getting soaked. The feeling; it was too good to pass up!
"Heh...heh, heh...heh, heh, heh..." the others turned to see Cyborg chuckling to himself "I have to admit ya'll, it does look awesome." he replied. Then with uncontrollable mirth he called out to BeastBoy "Wait up B!" and joined his friend in the rain.
The moment the rain hit his metallic body is slide down as if it had been waxed repeatedly. But for the rain that hit his organic parts he felt a feeling like no other and with this feeling came the mood for him to dancing like BeastBoy.
"Come on ya'll, this is great!" he called
Robin and Starfire looked at one another briefly before Starfire asked
"Friend Robin, shall we join our friends in the dancing in the tears of the sky?" she asked "It seems quite enjoyable."
Robin thought about it, long and hard. He was leaning toward no, they had combat practice and all, but when he saw the hope brimming up in Starfire's eyes he couldn't possible say no and he caved.
"Sure Star, let's join them." he replied
"Yay!" she squealed, pulling Robin out of the garage and into the rain
Her senses went into overload when the rain hit her orange skin and she immediately felt great-unbridled joy.
"This feeling is most pleasant! It is as if tiny wet people are dancing all over my body!" she exclaimed
Robin felt the tingly feeling as well, and loved it. He took a deep sigh and let his muscles relax and for once, in a long time, he felt completely at ease. The rain just seemed to wash his troubles away, along with the hair gel in his hair, letting it fall in a mess on his face. He let the warmth take hold and let his mind become absent minded. It was invigorating!
"Hey Raven, come on out!" he called "You'll love it!"
Raven simply crossed her arms, arching an eyebrow in disbelief while she watched her friends play around in the rain like idiots.
"Known of this will be 'great' when you all catch a cold." she commented
"But friend, how can we catch 'The Cold' when we are out in the warmness?" Starfire asked
Raven sighed; Starfire hadn't understood the concept.
"Never mind." she mumbled, turning around to the elevator. "Get sick, see if I care." she called to them
"Oh come on Rae, it's fun!" called Cyborg who had just splashed in a big puddle of water
Ignoring that Raven was ready to step into the elevator to leave but suddenly felt a hand grab hers. She turned; it was BeastBoy.
"Please?" he asked, soaking wet, smiling that stupid grin of his that he always wore whenever he wanted Raven to do something with the group
"No." she replied to him, her tone even and clear
"Just this once?" he asked, determined to get her out
"No." she replied again
"PLEASE!" he begged, on his knees while he gripped her hand
"No!" she said, a little more forceful
"Why not?" he whined
Raven turned to him and responded to his question.
"I do not like getting wet." she replied to him slowly "It will lead to nothing but trouble."
"Oh really?" he inquired
Instantaneously morphing into a dog he dried himself thoroughly, making sure that he got water everywhere, including on Raven. When the shower ended she glared at him, daggers shooting from her eyes. She growled slightly before yelling at the annoying shape-shifter.
"BeastBoy!" she barked "You will pay!" she seethed
Morphing back to his human form he aimed to taunt her.
"Ya hafta catch me first." He teased, taking off in a sprint
As he ran Raven was close behind, ready to ring his neck. BeastBoy on the other hand kept running; clean pass the T-Car, his friends, the driveway, and the front yard. He didn't stop running until he was at the rocky shore of the island. He turned to see if Raven had followed him and she was right there, water streaming down her face while he cloak drooped under the weight of the falling water. Raven went to grab him, but as she did a single drop of water managed to hit her face even with the safety of her hood. When it did she feel something stir. She looked up into the sky as if she didn't know where the water had come from and rainwater drummed on her face. Her anger quickly cooled and it was replaced with contentment. The rain seemed to come from nowhere; she couldn't even tell the clouds apart. Her hood feel from the pounding of the rain and her hair soon became matted against her face. But she didn't care. The gentle caressing of the rainwater had her hypnotized. For once, in her entire life, she felt entirely calm. It was like meditating but only better. It was one of the best feelings she had ever experienced, and this was saying something for a person who had spent most of her life hiding her emotions. She felt so alive! She wanted to cry out to the heavens! But sticking to her persona she replied very calmly to the immense feeling.
"This is nice." she finally said, completely calm
A slight smile, nearly unrecognizable, crept along her face.
"I told you." she heard
Looking down she was BeastBoy smiling back up at her; she had completely forgotten that he was there.
"I guess you were right." she replied "For once." She added
Raven's smile grew.
"You're smiling." he said
"Yes." she replied
Her smile grew more.
"Guess you really like it, huh?" he asked
"Yes." she replied
It grew even more.
"You know, when someone's enjoying something a lot they usually laugh." he told her
"I know." she replied
It continued to grow.
"So why don't you?" he asked
"Why don't I what?" she asked
She knew what he meant, he knew that she knew what he meant, and he knew what she was waiting for.
"Laugh." he replied, plain and simple
It started out as a chuckle, but it grew to be more. It was a small laugh, but a laugh nonetheless, from Raven, herself. BeastBoy joined her though his laugh was much louder and far more out of control than her own. However, they were laughing together. Now the fact that Raven was laughing was one thing, but the fact that she was laughing with BeastBoy made the others do back flips. It was true that she wasn't laughing because of him; they'd have to call a state of emergency if that happened, but the fact alone that she was laughing with him made the other Titan's jaws drop. A snort came from behind Robin and Starfire and they turned to see Cyborg, trying to hold in laughter, but he couldn't take it. He busted out laughing. He laughed at how soaked everyone was. He laughed at the fact that this had to be the most shocking thing he had ever seen! He laughed at how, since the first time he had met her, Raven had never actually laugh with even this intensity! This had to be the most single defining moment of his life! The laughter must have been contagious because a grin ran across Starfire and Robin's faces as well and they soon fell victim to it. Starfire laughed first. She laughed at the fact that the others were laughing. She laughed at the fact that the rain tickled her skin; it felt so good. Like warm fur, only wet. She couldn't explain the feeling; it was just that good. Robin started to laugh soon after. Like Starfire, he laughed because of the others. But deep down there was another reason. He laughed because he felt like a kid, a normal everyday kid. Not a crime-fighter, or a detective, or even the leader of a group of super-powerful teens, but a kid; a kid that did normal day-to-day things. And at the moment they all felt the same way. All their problems were pushed into the back of their minds at the moment. The things that made them sad, or mad, or worried; they were all washed away with the rain. They were just teens, teens with a normal life. At that moment they weren't 'The Teen Titans'. They weren't BeastBoy, Robin, Raven, Starfire, and Cyborg. They were Garfield, Koriand'r, Victor, Richard, and Raven. They were teens. At that time the sun decided to poke through the clouds so to end the raining. It showered them with its warm and its light and they remembered who they were. They were the Teen Titans, but for that brief fleeting moment they were more. They knew that the rain had run its course and that it was time to return to being the Teen Titans, but the memory...the memory would never be forgotten. They soon took to their roles.
"Come on team, combat practice starts soon." Robin informed
Normally they hated combat practice, but now...it didn't seem so bad.
"Right man."
"Yes friend."
"Mmm hmm."
"You got it dude."
They slowly turned to make their trek back to the tower, there home. It was good to have a home, a place to go after being in the rain. Before they stepped inside they all took one last glimpse at the fleeting rain clouds, smiles gracing all their faces.
"Rain, rain it went away. Dude, I hope it comes back another day." BeastBoy mused
They all hoped for that.
Death Beckons You
It was the dead of night. Funny, this story deals with the dead...the wind howled outside on the night of this full moon. Strange noises could be heard as the wind pounded against the walls of the tower, humming a strange melody. The tower itself was dark, nearly pitch black. The Titans however, were sleep in their beds, safe from the horrors outside. Well...all but one.
"Dude, this place sure is creepy at night." Said a certain someone who was wandering the halls of the tower
It was BeastBoy. But this was not uncommon. He was prone to get up late on occasion and gorge himself on ice cream while the others slept. They had got on him about that but he continued nonetheless.
"And dark." he muttered to no one
Soon enough he was in the common room, rummaging through the freezer for ice cream. When he first arrived he half-expected Robin sitting at one of the computers, knee deep in an investigation or monitoring the city. But tonight the Boy Wonder was asleep in his bed, dreaming of gumdrops and Starfire. Mostly Starfire. So our green changeling was all alone, at night, in the dark. As he reached for the ice cream he heard a strange noise. Looking around to see if anyone popped in on him he discovered that there as nothing there. Shrugging it off as his mind simply playing tricks on him he went back to his midnight snacking. However the sound radiated through the common room and this time he definitely heard it. It was the rattling of chains or what he believed the sound to be. The source of the sound seemed to be slowly moving down the corridor, progressively getting closer to his current location. Staring at the door, Beastboy's heart began to race; thinking he had been caught by one of the other Titans. Maybe Cyborg was going to be good on his word for beating him senseless after the whole 'T-Car- Stink bomb fiasco. Was Cyborg going to beat him with chains? The door opened and he froze.
"Nobody's there." he thought
That was true. There was not a soul at the door. But that didn't make him feel any better. Doors opening mysteriously when nobody is there is something that would freak out the boy. Slowly walking over to the door he looked down the hallway but still did not see anyone. His pupils grew large as they absorbed all amounts of light available but he still could not see a single thing that might be a Titan. With a sigh of relief the changeling turned from the door, concluding that it was nothing more than a glitch in the door opening system. With that done he headed back to the kitchen and prepared to dig into the ice cream. But before he could he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"Waah!" he yelled, instinctively swinging at whoever or whatever was behind him but his fist only met air
"Nobody there." he murmured, slightly unsure
"Or is there?" came a soft voice
"Who's there?" he demanded, but there was no reply
He waited in the darkness for some time before he decided that his mind was really playing tricks on him.
"I must be losing it." He murmured
"No, you are not." came a voice
He was sure he heard it that time.
"W-w-who's there?" he asked again, this time quiet disheveled
"I am here." Replied the voice
The strange voice he was hearing had a devilish tone to it, almost as if it were mocking him.
"W-w-who's that?" he asked the air
"The one to stop you." replied the voice
"S-s-stop me. From w-w-what?" he asked
"You're selfish nightly deeds." the voice replied
It didn't take a rocket science to figure out what the mysterious voice was talking about. Taking one look at the evidence in hand BeastBoy muttered 'Crap' before he returned to the attention of the mysterious voice. However, to be absolutely sure, he decided to continue playing dumb. Hoping that the strange voice was mistaken.
"W-what do you mean?" he asked, pushing up some bravado against the voice
"Do not mistake me for being gullible. You know exactly what I am talking about. I have caught you red...or should I say brown handed." the voice replied
The word 'Damn' uttered from BeastBoy's mouth; the voice had him. With fear slowly creeping back in he tried to strike a deal with the voice.
"Dude, do you want the ice cream? 'Cause you can totally have it." He said, placing the ice cream on the counter.
However the voice replied differently.
"No, I do not require the ice cream." the voice told him
"T-t-then w-w-what do you w-want?" he asked
"Do you really want to know?" the voice asked
BeastBoy nodded his head slowly.
"So be it."
The green changeling heard the rattling of chains again, which were coming from over the counter. Peering over it he discovered that a black swirl had appeared on the floor, slowly growing in size. The rattling sound grew and a small breeze kicked up. Soon a black lump began to rise from the swirl on the ground. This lump continued to grow until it started to take the form of a large hooded figure, hidden behind a cloak. The cloaked figured was gowned completely in black and its face was hidden by the darkness of its hood. There was only one thing that could be seen from the hood...big, white, and glowing eyes. The figures cloak opened slightly revealing pale hands and a sickle.
"R-r-raven?" he asked hopefully
"You wish." the voice told him
A gleaming white, toothy grin appeared on the figure's face, sending a chill down BeastBoy's spine.
"You have asked who I am, correct?' the voice asked
Once again BeastBoy nodded his head, his heart beating rapidly and his eyes locked on those glowing eyes.
"I...am many things. Some call me the executioner or the ferrymen. There are some who even refer to me as the final gate. However, you may know me as Death. Though you may know me as the Grim Reaper.
BeastBoy took a big, overdramatic gasp. He knew who the Grim Reaper was and he knew his job.
"Dude, I promise I'll never sneak ice cream ever again! Please don't kill me!" he begged, getting on his knees
The grin the Death's face grew but he continued to speak calmly to the boy who was currently scared witless.
"I see, you speak the truth." It said, "Though I have not come to kill you BeastBoy. Simply to..."
"What?" he shrieked, trembling at the mere thought of what Death would do to him
The figure raised its sickle high in the air and yelled in a booming voice.
"TO REAP YOU IMMORTAL SOUL BEASTBOY! MHA HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA!"
The boy in question stood still, scared beyond any reasonable doubt. He wanted to move, to run, but he could not.
"Boo." Death said softly, in a rather familiar voice
That is when BeastBoy's motor functions kicked in and his voice box rang.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
To say that BeastBoy ran in fear would be an understatement. More accurately would be that he flew in true horror, screaming at the top of his lungs to the safe haven of his room. The entire tower was filled with his deafening screams, awakening the others from their own slumbers so rapidly that they nearly killed themselves getting out of bed. However, by the time they made it to the common room, the source of the first scream all they found when the lights clicked on was Raven, sitting at the counter, eating some chocolate ice cream; her favorite.
"What happened?" Robin asked, perplexed by BeastBoy's screams and Raven's calmness to the situation.
She turned to them, studying their confused expressions and said but one thing.
"Death beckoned him." she replied, returning to her ice cream
Attack of the Killer Animals...Sorta
If you know the Teen Titans then you know that one member of the team goes by the name of BeastBoy. You probably known that he can morph into any creature in the animal kingdom: living, extinct, or otherwise. This super teenager is quick-witted, which aids him in his animal metamorphosis. Along with his abilities he has a few side effects of his powers. Sharpened senses and green tinted skin and hair are among those side effects. Another side effect of his animal changing powers would be the unrelenting care he has for other animals (one of the many reasons he is a vegetarian.). Should they be hurt or should they be sick, BeastBoy is there to take care of them, even if his friends may disagree with his kindness.
"Yo BB! Where ya at dog?" called Cyborg, the half metal man
Our metallic Teen Titan was currently on the search for his green little pal for some time; wanting to beat him for the umpteenth time in Game-station was the reason behind it. However he could not find the shape-shifter in question; even after searching the entire tower.
"Maybe B's in his room." Cyborg thought
That bit of information would have been a little more help in the beginning of his search but let's just say it slipped his mind, organic or otherwise.
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
Cyborg's large fist came crashing down on BeastBoy's door with every knock upon it. A sharp noise radiated in the hallway and the room but nobody answered the door.
POUND! POUND! POUND!
That was the sound of Cyborg's fist pounding on the door, yet, there was still no answer.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
This time Cyborg's fist thundered on the door, as he knocked really hard. However the large man forgot his own strength and caved BeastBoy's door in.
"Oops." Cyborg mumbled
With the door down Cyborg looked down both ends of the hallway to see if anyone had saw or heard the fall of the door.
"Whew." he breathed
With the close clear he peered inside to see if BeastBoy was inside. He heard something scurrying on the ground but before he could determine what it was it had ducked under BeastBoy's bed.
"B?" he called
Walking closer to the bed he tried to coax his friend out of hiding.
"Look B, sorry 'bout the door man." he apologized "I swear I'll fix it later, alright?" he replied
There was no reply, but behind Cyborg, unbeknownst to him many of BeastBoy's pizza boxes, piles of clothes, sheets of paper, etc were beginning to move slightly.
"Look man, come on out and play me on Game-station. Promise to go easy on you. You know, for the whole door thing." He told him
Still, there was no response. And with that Cyborg started to look under the bed. But on his way down he hesitated.
"Probably something gonna jump out and attack me." He joked, taking in the full messiness of the room he was in. It was almost like more than one animal lived in this place. He did not know how right he was.
Chuckling he resumed bending down to look under the bed.
"AHH!"
Three Titans heard the scream, determined where it came from, and rushed to the location, ready to help their friend in need. But when they arrived to the location; BeastBoy's room, they were more shocked than worried. The reason for this reaction was very simple. If you were to look in BeastBoy's room you would see a large creature with many different shades of fur running around frantically, yelling a strange language. Now if you were gullible you would believe that. In actuality, Cyborg was covered from head to robotic toe with small furry animals, attacking him after he trespassed on their territory. The Titans watched in awe and confusion as Cyborg was pounced on by a dog, a medium sized cat, a raccoon, a couple of bunnies (thankfully the bunnies hadn't practiced the multiplication tables...if you know what I mean), an army of mice, and to top it all off one large rat!
"Get 'em off me, get 'em off me! Waah!" he wailed as the army of animals scurried along his body
"Why are these strange animals attack out friend?" Starfire asked
Robin shrugged. For once, he was stumped.
"Maybe we should ask BeastBoy." Raven advised, and with that she pointed down the hall to BeastBoy himself, who was carrying an armload of bags.
But upon hearing the chatter coming from his room he immediately dropped his bags and ran hastily to his room. When he got there and looked inside he immediately started to yell, discerning his friend's immediate discomfort.
"Cyborg! Dude, what are you doing to my friends?" he yelled
Cyborg on the other hand did not hear him. The robotic man was too preoccupied with the small attack on his person.
"Friends?" Starfire questioned
"Mind telling us what's going on?" Robin asked, her leadership authority evident in his voice.
But take it from me. Robin was enjoying this little play.
"Well, ya see..." he started, scratching the back of his head sheepishly "All these animals were sick...or hurt...and, well...dude, I couldn't just leave them. That woulda been wrong." he told his friends
"Sharp nails!" Cyborg shrieked
"Please Cyborg, I am trying to hear this out." Robin scolded, with a grin
"Right." Raven said, rolling her eyes
"So BeastBoy..." Robin began "You are taking care of these animals. And I suppose the bags you were carrying would be food for them?" Robin asked.
"Yeah...dude, how'd you know?" BeastBoy asked "Got to be that detective stuff, right?" he asked
"Actually, I saw the bag." Robin replied
He was right. Right there on the bag, in big, bold, and colorful letters was the logo of 'Pet Smart'.
"Oh."
"I know you feel you need to take care of them BeastBoy but you cannot keep them in your room. You need to take them to the animal shelter." Robin told him
"They're licking me!" Cyborg wailed
I guess after tiring themselves out over the fight with Cyborg the animals decided he was not a threat any longer, seeing as he was defeated so easily.
"Aw man." pouted BeastBoy "Really dudes?" BeastBoy asked
"Yeah, but you must first calm them down." Robin told him
"Yeah, I do not think that Cyborg is getting along with your 'friends'." quipped Raven
Cyborg was on the floor in a fetal position sucking his thumb.
"Keep them away." He muttered pathetically
"Okay..." came Starfire, looking in shock and confusion
"Alright then." came BeastBoy glum "Let's go dudes." he called
Then, with a snap of his fingers, he called the attention of all the animals. Moving his finger to his nose he pressed down on one nostril and blew out of the other one, commencing with his infamous nose-whistling ability. With the sound of nasal music the animals formed immediately into a single filed line; larger animals down to small animals.
"Ten hut!" he ordered, and with that he resumed his nose whistling
The small group of animals followed the nose-whistling shape-shifter out of his room and down the hallway as if they were in parade; moving in sequence with the notes that flared form BeastBoy's nasal passage. The other three Titans looked on at the scene; simply staring. They were not sure what to say. And Cyborg...well Cyborg, he was still on the floor, muttering something about how small furry animals were going to take over the world or something. (Shrugs)
I am so sorry it took so long to update. I've been enjoying my winter vacation too much and got sick. (A case of being lazy) I hope you all enjoy this.