Prompt: "You think this shit is simple?" BBRae
Rating: T
It took a lot to ever get Beast Boy angry.
The green skin changer had an abundance of patience, and a never ending supply of smiles and jokes, it seemed. Even during heated battles, the toughest ones, it was more often than not that Beast Boy remained as mellow as a cucumber, often helping cheer up the rest of the group when they'd be down in the dumps after taking a beating.
That was why they'd never even seen it coming.
Even the Boy Wonder, their usually auspicious leader, seemed to be at a total loss on how to handle this one.
It all started when the team was called in to help stop an attack on the Jump City museum, where the H.I.V.E Five had decided they could use some extra cash by stealing and selling priceless artifacts on the black market. The battle had been a typical one, with the Titans confronting the five supervillains at the museum entrance, and putting a temporary halt on their destructive behaviour.
As per Robin's orders, they faced off, one to one.
Jinx, with her cursed magic, broke the nearby display cases of valuable, old weapons and was aiming them at Raven, while the empath used her dark energy to both shield herself from the onslaught and take care that nothing broke or became damaged.
Mammoth and Cyborg were locked in a fierce battle of strength, their fingers clasped together in a tight grip, as they each tried to force the other back with their full potential. Man and machine were very evenly matched, but Cyborg gave Mammoth an unexpected blast from his canon that sent the giant, red haired villain flying down the hall.
"Booyah!" He cried before chasing after him.
Meanwhile, Billy Numerous kept Starfire busy with his multiple clones. She tried to take out as many of them as possible with her ferocious starbolts, but he multiplied quicker than she could hit them. Eventually, he had managed to overcrowd her, cackling all the while she became buried beneath his body doubles.
The Titans leader had nearly managed to go to the alien princess' aid, but was promptly stopped by See-More's laser beam, sending him backflipping away with metal staff in hand. The H.I.V.E member then proceeded with his offense while Robin was forced to defend himself until he could spot a weakness in his attack.
That had left Gizmo to Beast Boy.
All he had to do was get rid of his harness, and the pint sized kid was an easy win.
Except, Gizmo's method of attack wasn't justthe clever features of his technology; it was also his mouth.
"Hey crud-muncher, that a face only your mother could love? Or did she die from having to look at it all the time?!" He cracked, controlling the four, giant mechanical legs that had sprouted out from his harness.
Beast Boy had snarled, shifting into an ankylosaurus, and turning so that his strong tail swung at Gizmo, who was quick to dodge and fire off rockets at the green, armoured monster.
"She should have named you slug-face instead since you look like an elephant's giant, green booger!" Gizmo laughed manically aloud to himself.
Beast Boy charged at him as a T-Rex, letting out a mighty roar that displayed a large maw of sharp, pointed teeth. The bald boy's spider like legs turned into helicopter blades and he flew out of his destructive path.
"Too slow, pie for brains!" Gizmo called out maliciously behind him.
As Beast Boy continued to chase him on loud, thunderous feet, Gizmo went on with his insults. "So, what's the purpose you even serve on the Titans? Definitely not the good looking one, or the smart one, or even the strongest! Did they just take pity on you when you asked to join? Or are you just the dumb, drooling, crud munching house pet they forgot to leave at home?"
Gizmo snickered as Beast Boy tried to take a bite out of his mechanical blades and missed.
"Aww, what's the matter? Am I hurting your feelings? Gonna go running back to your mommy?"
It was the last taunt Gizmo made before Beast Boy seemingly vanished. The T-Rex was gone, and as Gizmo turned around to stare confusingly at the spot the massive green predator had been in only moments before, he missed the sight of the tiny, green fly buzzing about overhead.
Beast Boy shifted into an elephant, his massive shadow causing Gizmo to look up a fraction of a second too late. They both went crashing into the ground thanks to the laws of gravity, with the H.I.V.E youth's harness and blades crushed to pieces underneath Beast Boy's new, heavyweight size. The metal machine leg flinched a few times before powering down, while Gizmo was left knocked out from the impact.
Beast Boy changed back into himself, looking as volatile and angry as his typically innocent features would let him. His chest heaved with his heavy breathing, and his lip was curled in a snarl as he glared down at the small boy he'd nearly obliterated.
"How's that for elephant snot?" He growled, his gloved hands turning into fists at his sides.
"Uh, Beast Boy?" It was Robin who called out to him, once all the other Titans had rejoined their teammate after taking out their respective charges.
The other H.I.V.E members lay dispatched and tied up behind them, incapacitated.
"What?" The changeling unexpectedly snapped, turning his glare on his fellow Titans then.
"Are you okay, man?" Cyborg tried, wearing a look of concern on his human features.
"It seems that you have endured much of the bullying," Starfire commented apprehensively, hovering nearby.
"I'mfine," he reassured them, skulking away before they could pester him with any more of their questions and concerns.
Back at the tower, all of the other Titans were left perplexed by their usually chipper teammate's sudden sensitivity and spite, and almost neither of them dared to approach his bedroom just yet. Almost, that is, except for one brave, half demon girl.
"What do you want, Raven?" came the changeling's voice from behind his shut door.
"Just checking in. You might have not noticed, but you sort of had a meltdown," she told him truthfully.
She heard him sigh, and then the locks on his door came undone. He stood before her in the entryway to his room, his green hair askew and his clothes disheveled like he'd been through a tussle of some sort.
"I told you before, I'm perfectlyfine," he clarified with a sidelong glance at the floor.
"So then why did you let Gizmo get to you? He's always been known to have a mouth on him, and most of his insults are silly and untrue anyways," Raven added, folding her arms over her chest beneath the shield of her blue cloak.
Beast Boy ran a hand frustratingly through his messy hair. "I don't know, I guess it just bothered me a little…," he admitted begrudgingly, still not meeting the empath's striking purple gaze.
It was Raven's turn to sigh. "It's important to keep your cool during battle, Beast Boy. If every word said upsets you, you'll become a liability to the team, and-"
"You think this shit is simple?!" He snapped, startling Raven and causing her to take a step back.
His brows were knitted in fury, and his eyes sparkled dangerously, like the monster lurking within him was only a moment out of reach.
"Do you?!" He repeated when she remained slack jawed.
"Beast Boy's always got to be the funny guy; Beast Boy's always got to be the happy kid. How can Beast Boy ever be upset or angry or emotional?" He sniped in agitation, his voice rising with all his held back anger.
"The thing is, that jerk face talked about my dead parents, he made fun of the colour of my skin, and then said I was basically a Titan reject! I have to spend years trying to be okay with all of that, trying to tell myself that none of it is my fault, that I'll get stronger and prove myself somehow, and then someone comes along and just…makes me feel like garbage all over again! So yeah, I'm upset Raven, and you don't get to come in here and tell me that I shouldn't be…You just don't…"
He hung his head low, his ears sagging, almost like he was immediately ashamed of his outburst the moment he'd finished spewing it.
She could feel the guilt emanating from him, slowly replacing the red of his pent up rage.
"…You're right," she told him then, taking him by surprise.
He looked up at her and seemed to be shocked that she hadn't left his company, or even chastised him for yelling at her. Raven's features softened, and she reached out to place a tentative, reassuring hand on his shoulder.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…I didn't know…I guess, what I mean to say is, I understand what it's like to keep things bottled up, and you're right," she confessed solemnly.
"I am?" He questioned innocently, green eyes wide and unabashed.
Raven nodded once, and then smiled. "This time, it seems you are."
He blinked at her a few times before his face cracked into his staple, wide, toothy grin. Before she could help it, Beast Boy pulled Raven in for a tight hug. She fell into his arms, and he nuzzled his face into her hair while she struggled to find the most ways she didn't have to physically touch him. Not because she didn't want to, but because the reaction was sending her emotions into a fritz, and she knew she was blushing.
"Thanks, Rae. That…it means a lot to hear you say that," he whispered against her ear, still not letting her go despite her discomfort and all of her squirming.
She paused then, and sighed, her hands coming up to his back to pat him gently.
"You're welcome…" Raven smiled weakly into his shoulder, and allowed Beast Boy to have his moment.
~FIN