Hey everyone! Here's Chapter 17! Just got back from a school break so I should be able to post more often again! Sorry about the wait!
RPGPersona: He's definitely suffering quite a lot, with a lot of hidden pains. Rejection is certainly a big fear, one that most people have to a certain extent. I hope the nightmare came across well and creepily; the way I imagined it in my head had a very creepy and disturbing vibe. She did, and now he must face those consequences, but not before receiving some much needed comfort. :)
Please keep reading and reviewing! I really appreciate it :)
That next morning, Raven made her way down to the Main Ops room. She had tried to get Beast Boy to come with her, but he was persistent in his begging to stay upstairs in his room. He insisted that he was tired, and would try to leave his room later. She knew that it wasn't worth the fight, and no amount of arguing on her part would get him to come downstairs, or at least not without force. Besides, she knew it would probably be easier for him to not be present during the conversation with the team that she needed to have.
As soon as she arrived in the Main Ops room, she could see that it was a normal morning, for the most part. Cyborg was frying up bacon in a pan, and was also making eggs. Starfire was tending to Silkie on the couch, with Robin sitting next to her. They were talking quietly with one another. Raven quietly slipped into the room and went straight to her tea kettle.
"Mornin', Raven," Cyborg said cheerfully as soon as he saw her.
"Good morning," Raven responded as she began to boil the water.
"Green bean still in bed?" he asked. Although he knew that his friend was somewhat isolating himself, he still noticed his absence in the kitchen as he fried the bacon.
"Yes. He says that he may come down later," she responded. She poured the now boiling water over a tea bag, letting the herbs seep into the warmth. She turned her back to the metal man and breathed out deeply before turning back to him. "Cyborg, I need to talk to you and the rest of the team. It's important."
He looked at her, concern covering his face. If Raven said it was serious, then it was serious, no doubt about it.
"Okay. Do you want me to go get Beast Boy?" he asked, removing his oven mitts and setting them down on the counter.
"No, no, this...concerns him. He won't want to be present," she said, choosing her words carefully.
Cyborg nodded, and he and Raven made their way to the living area where Robin and Starfire were situated. Cyborg sat down on the couch next to Robin, and Raven stood before all three of them.
"I, uh….," she said, looking at the teens before her. She was never one to lead conversation, so she didn't really feel comfortable doing this. It needed to be done though. "I need to discuss something with you all. It's about Beast Boy."
The teens looked uneasy about the impending conversation. They knew that Beast Boy had been acting very unlike himself lately, and he was refusing to open up about what happened to him on the mission. They knew he must be in a great deal of pain.
"Is friend Beast Boy the okay?" Starfire asked as Silkie rested in her lap.
"Not really," Raven began. She tried to think of the best way to bring it up, but she couldn't think of one. She just needed to get it out, even if it was rough. "Beast Boy has been having a really hard time since getting back from the mission. Even while there, he was acting weird. He's refusing to speak about it with me, but I can tell it's tearing him apart. A few days ago, I found cuts on his wrists."
The teens eyes opened wide, obviously stunned. There was silence for a few moments before anyone spoke up.
"Are you sure they're new? Or if he even did them?" Cyborg asked.
"They're new, and there were a lot. When I asked him about them, he freaked out. When I asked him why he did it, he just kept saying that he needed to. Yesterday, I found more on him, all over his thigh. He didn't want me to tell you this, but I thought you needed to know," she announced.
The teens were speechless. Memories of the events that had happened mere months ago with Garfield poured back into the teens' consciousness, and it scared them. They knew that if he was falling back into the same pattern, he must be in tremendous emotional pain, and that this was extremely serious.
"We need to get him to talk about what happened during the mission. Keeping it all bottled up inside him isn't healthy," Robin said, his voice grave.
"Whenever I bring it up to him, or ask if he wants to talk about it, he refuses. He's determined not to talk about it," Raven added.
"Maybe if we sit him down and all ask him about it, maybe he'll be more willing to speak?" Cyborg offered.
"Perhaps. He needs to get it out. We can't let this happen again," Raven added, her near-emotionless face showing fear.
Starfire was nearly crying, the tears threatening to spill over.
"Should we, perhaps, tell friend Beast Boy about the events of what happened when he was Garfield?" Starfire offered, "Conceivably, it may help him do the opening up if he knows that we are aware of what happened?"
The teens thought for a moment. It may help. They knew that Beast Boy had attempted as a child due to the thick, vertical scars on his wrists, but he didn't know that they knew. He still had no memory of the Garfield incident from months ago; he had no idea what had happened down in that basement.
"I think we should, but we have to go about it carefully," Robin said.
"We gotta make sure that he knows that we support and care about him," Cyborg added.
"But we can't suffocate him. If we pressure or corner him about the issue, it could backfire. We need to tread these waters lightly," Raven added. She knew that it was a sensitive topic for everyone, but especially for Beast Boy. She didn't want the boy to be too uncomfortable, but she knew this was necessary.
"When do we want to do this?" Robin asked. The team was silent in thought.
"He says he may try to come down later. If he doesn't come down in a few hours, I can go get him," Raven offered.
The teens nodded solemnly, knowing that that was going to be a really tough conversation. Their concern for their friend, which had already been great, had just skyrocketed with this added information, and they were scared for him. They couldn't let it repeat again; they just couldn't.