Prompt #9: "The blood's just from a nosebleed, don't worry about it." BBRae

Rating: M for gore/violence

He found her broken.

Beast Boy had been the first to arrive on scene, and truthfully, he hadn't even anticipated to have been the Titan to actually locate her. If anything, it would have made most sense that their leader, Robin, would have stumbled onto her instead. The fearless Boy Wonder would have known precisely what to do, with his bravery and confidence and unmatched skill set; he was the very definition of a hero. Heck, she'd probably have preferred it to be him, anyways. What good would the goofy changeling be to her in such dire circumstances?

He was probably thelast of her choices. He was probably the last of everyone's choices.

He was the guy nobody took seriously, the comic relief of the gang. He didn't really have the make to play the role of the plucky hero in any setting.

Yet there he stood, right outside of the confinement of her tiny cell where she was left bound and gagged, her ivory skin marred with the telling blue and purple marks. They stuck out against her glowing pallor, freshly inflicted atrocities telling a story he didn't think his heart could handle. The moonlight filtered through the metal barred, small window in the corner, and it cast her long shadow against the cold cement of the floor. Sweat gleamed on the taut muscles of her arms and legs, mingling with streaks of crimson that slipped from her open wounds. Her dark, violet hair looked almost black from the moisture clinging to the once soft strands, and it fell forward to obscure most of her face from view. Her black, neoprene suit was tattered and ripped where she'd been attacked, barely covering any of her more modest parts.

Beast Boy gulped at the lump in his throat, and moved forward on shaky legs. He unlocked the heavy gate with the keys from the guard he'd knocked out at the entrance, and the jail cell door swung open with a loud creak. Raven didn't move; he wasn't even sure if she was breathing, even after he'd removed the soiled rag from her mouth. That thought terrified him, so he swatted it away from his mind and made to unshackle her wrists instead, focusing on a single task at a time. He would deal with his pesky, negative emotions later, while also wondering why his mouth had grown so parched and his pulse bounded in his neck. He licked his dry lips, and stepped towards her unconscious figure. Very gently, he undid one of her binds, her arm swinging loosely forward with no life.

"B…B-Beast…B….B-Boy…?"

Her voice croaked to life, hoarse and gravelly, but it was enough to set his heart into a nervous pitter patter. He was overcome with insurmountable joy and giddiness upon realizing that the empath was somehow still alive and recognized him, despite all of the excruciating torture she'd endured until her friends had come to her rescue. Raven had lifted her head, squinting in his direction to get a better look at the green changeling, and he almost wished she hadn't.

"I'm going to get you out of here, Raven," he told her with a steely look in his eyes, more determined than ever after gazing upon her bruised and beaten face.

One of her eyes was blackened and swollen shut, and there were streaks of dried blood under her nose and mouth, her lips cracked and cut up from dehydration. A side of her head was matted with crimson fluid, and he tried to think of things that didn't include how someone had probably smashed it against a wall. A someone that he was going to strangle if he ever caught sight of him again.

He undid her second shackle, and she limped forward into his arms, weak and unsteady. Because of her short stature, she'd practically been suspended in order to reach the mounted, metal chains that had held up her mangled, delicate wrists.

"Easy there, I got you," he reassured her warmly, catching her fragile body against his chest when she stumbled and fell. Her bare toes were a cyanotic blue from the cold in her cramped, dingy cell.

She clutched at his sleeves with broken, bloodied fingernails, and used what little energy she had to look up into his eyes. He winced at the sight of her, but didn't dare tear away his gaze, not when he knew that she needed the comforting touch of a friend now more than ever.

"You…c-came," she whispered, her voice breaking.

Then, as if his very nearness had solidified her safety, Raven mustered up a genuine, warm smile for him, even though her lip cracked and she was bleeding anew from the effort it took.

She then buried her face into his warm chest, clinging to him like her very life depended on it. "Thank you…," she breathed, repeating the words over and over again like it was some sort of mantra, until her voice gave out.

Beast Boy stroked the back of her hair, his fingers coming through the knotted strands, and hushed her while she visibly shook against him. Dry sobs seemed to be wracking her already exhausted body, and he stayed long enough to let her find comfort with him.

Only when she was good and ready did he pick her up and carry her out of the nightmare she'd been living.

Before she could pass out, she queried with chattering teeth; "A-are…are you…h-hurt?" She picked at a dried bloodstain on his uniform with weakened fingers, her good eye half lidded as she fought to stay conscious.

"Oh that? The blood's just from a nosebleed; don't worry about it," he lied, not wishing to overburden her with any more concerns.

She was surprisingly light in his arms, and shortly after he'd answered her question, Raven had dozed off with a look of peace gracing her small, pixie-like features.

Maybe Beast Boy hadn't been meant to be the one to find her like that, and maybe, she'd have reacted much the same way with any other competent team member, had they been the ones to be there. Yet, it had become so pivotal that ithad been him after all. That, for once in his life, Beast Boy had gotten the much needed opportunity to play the part of hero, while coming to realize that brawn and leadership weren't the main qualities such a character had to possess.

To Raven, he'd been exactly what she had needed, and that had been more than enough for him.

~FIN