Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans. More fun with the emoticlones coming right up! You can thank me later.
"Baaaah!" Beast Boy yawns noisily as he wakes from his nap. His tiny arms and legs stretch out as he tries to get rid of the stiffness. He rubs his eyes and looks around.
His view is entirely obstructed by pink cloth. Strangely, it smells of lavender and... Strawberries?
'Where am I?' he asks himself. 'I fell asleep with Timid there and I don't see her anymore.' He bats at the pink cloth, trying to move it aside.
A giggle reaches his ear and the changeling tenses and freezes in place. The cloth is moved aside to reveal Happy's grinning face.
Beast Boy relaxes immediately upon realizing he is in no danger. He looks over and sees Timid's worried face and smiles.
"Monin Timdis." He slurred. "Hai Hapsy." He weakly waves a hand up at the two girls.
Happy giggles again and Timid shifts uncomfortably.
"Haow long has I been sleepsing?" He asks.
"Half an hour." Timid responds quietly. "I'm sorry if we woke you up. We were just talking, a-and we were trying to be quiet, a-and-"
"Is fine Timdis! You no has to apowogize for evweting." Beast Boy gives the nervous girl a reassuring look.
Timid looks down at the floor, embarrassed because this isn't the first time he's told her this. Happy continues giggling at the unfortunate emoticlone.
Beast Boy rolls onto his stomach and crawls off Happy's lap into the spot between the two girls. "So." He says. "What now? Am I suppos to go at a cwertan time owr awr we waitsing for Waben?"
"We are "waitsing for Waben" as you put it." Happy grins down at the green toddler.
"Happy!" Timid squeaks. "Don't do that that! He might get mad at us and then he won't like us and then-"
"Timdis!"
Timid shrinks back, realizing she was freaking out again. "S-Sor-"
"Top apowogizin! Is fine!" Exasperation is evident in the changeling's infantile voice.
Timid quailed. "B-But sh-she-"
"Is can tak jowks, I don do wha I can't tak, an I mak jowks abou wha people's saysing all dah times!" Beast Boy explains.
Timid whimpers and shrinks back into her cloak, pulling in her legs and refusing to look at the room's other occupants. Her face is red from embarrassment and her eyes are moist from tears out the fear of Beast Boy not liking her because she is doing everything wrong.
Happy isn't smiling anymore. She stands and tries to comfort the crying emoticlone, but to no avail.
Beast Boy feels immensely guilty. He was just trying to help Timid but maybe he went to far.
"Timdis, I no mean to mak yous sad." He looks at her pleadingly. "No be sad. Pwease?"
Timid tries not to look at the changeling's heart-meltingly remorseful face, but fails. She chokes on her own tears and nods. "I-It's fine Beast Boy."
"Buh I mad you sad. Is not awight." The changeling's face looks incredibly sad as he is consumed with guilt. His eyes are downcast, his arms slump to his sides, and his ears droop.
Happy's eyes sparkle upon seeing how much Beast Boy's cares. She tries hard to hide her smile, knowing it's not appropriate for this situation. She stands back to let Timid decide what to do.
Timid hesitates a moment, torn between her fear and her need to comfort the little boy. She choses the latter.
They grey cloaked emoticlone reaches down tentatively, unsure how the shapeshifter will react, and picks up the depressed toddler. She holds him close with her left arm and strokes the back of his head with her right hand.
"It's okay. I'm not sad, everything is fine." Timid rocked him side to side and he eventually looked up at her with grateful eyes.
"When dih I becoam so emotionawl?" Beast Boy murmured, making no move to get out of Timid's grasp.
"Maybe cause you're a kid?" Happy piped up. The two figures on the chair stiffened in surprise, they had forgotten Happy was even there.
Beast Boy's expression grows sad again. "Yeah... Jus a kid..."
Happy tries to cheer him up. "C'mon BB! You're still you no matter what ya look like. Plus, Rae won't admit it, but she thinks your kinda-"
Happy is muffled by a third emoticlone who had walked in without anyone noticing.
"Woah there Happy, I don't think anyone is ready to tell him that. Not even me, and I'm the bravest there is." The green cloaked girl turns and grins at the two figures on the couch. "Having fun with your squeeze-toy Timid?"
Timid squeaks and turns away from the new arrival; because she is twisting to the side it almost looks like she's trying to protect the channeling, who is still in her grasp.
"Kinda reminds me of the time you got stuck as a kitty." Brave teases the changeling.
Beast Boy shifts uncomfortably. "Vewy fuhney. Why did yous come heres in da firwst pwace."
"I come here often to try anything drag Timid out of this depressing maze. Happy helps sometimes." Brave explains. "But since you're here you can help too!"
"Dat might not be a goods idea..." Beast Boy hesitates, unsure.
"Aw c'mon, Rae doesn't even remember you're here!" Happy cries with a smile, breaking free of Brave's blocking hand.
The changeling's eyes widen. "She fogot abou meh?" Once more his ears droop.
"Not for the reason you might think. She suppressed her own thoughts so that we didn't know you were coming. Probably didn't want you messing with her emotions AKA us emoticlones." Happy says this in a happy voice, sounding strangely out of place. "Only Rage figured it out."
There is a brief silence before Beast Boy whispers. "Oh."
"So you don't mind helping us drag Timid around?" Brave asks.
"I gwess nowt."
"I don't have a choice in this do I?" Timid asks weakly.
"Nope!" Happy exclaims cheerfully. "Can we go to my place first? Pleeeeease?"
"C'mon Happy, think! BB is here, we gotta show him the other spots he hasn't seen!" Brave explains. "Plus, the others will wanna see him."
"I thowt we was takin Timdis owt, nowt showink me awownd." Beast Boy sounds nervous as he says this.
"Same thing!" Happy giggles.
"No, not the same thing!" Timid wails.
"Let's go! Time's a wastin!" Brave cries. She walks over to Timid and hauls her to her feet by her right hand. The left is still holding the changeling. The gung-ho emoticlone drags the protesting Timid out of the room, followed closely by Happy.
###
Raven, now clean of honey, lies on her bed, reading, when another wave of emotions strikes her.
Embarrassment. This lasts for a small time and grows into severe guilt that almost reduces Raven to tears. Next is a protective instinct, not an actual emotion, but close enough. This is powerful but only lasts for a few seconds. Amusement is the last significant emotion felt, long lasting but minor.
After everything is over Raven growls 'cut that out!' to her emoticlones and returns to her book, muttering about her unruly metal representations.
###
"Cut that out!" Raven's voice rolls across the mental landscape. Timid jumps in shock, Brave rolls her eyes, and Happy laughs. Beast Boy looks around, surprised.
"Wha?" He asks.
"Just Rae telling us to stop messing around." Brave explains.
"Wiiight..." Beast Boy still sounds suspicious, but accepts the explanation. "Wheyah awr we goink?"
"Somewhere." Is Brave's reply as the group exits the maze, but they are in neither Happy's domain nor near the forbidden door. The didn't pass through an arch has either.
The region before them looks like a small town, but there is graffiti everywhere, mostly in orange spray paint. The only building untouched is a small shop in the center of town.
"A pwank shope?" Beast Boy asks. "Whos would stays hewr?"
Looking in the windows the changeling sees air horns, rubber mice, silly string, and spray paint, lots of spray paint.
"I would ya snot-colored midget." A voice says from behind the group. They all whirl around to see an orange cloaked girl standing with her arms crossed and her hip jutting to the side. "And if ya don't like it then tough luck."
"I nevah I didsn't liek its, I jus wanned to knows who staywed hewr." Beast Boy quickly protests.
"mh hm. Riiight." Rude says sarcastically. "And my name is Shulk, not Rude."
"Youwr namd aftar a vido gam careter? Kool!" Beast Boy shouts in awe.
...
Facepalm.
"It's called sarcasm, stupid." Rude shakes her head as she says this.
"I knows dat! I was beink sawrcastik too. I tought you would wealize." Beast Boy grins.
Rude shoots him an annoyed look. She then looks at everyone and says "Okay, so why are you all here?"
"I'm dragging Timid out again, the other two were at her place when I arrived," Brave motions to Happy and Beast Boy, who Timid is still holding. "So they tagged along."
Rude gives a "hmph" and walks over to the shop. Opening the door she says "don't just stand there, come in already." Everyone obediently files in. Rude walks around to the back of the shop, motioning for the group to follow, and disappeared behind the wall. Taking the lead, Brave walks behind the wall first. She is met with a pie to the face. "You fall for that every time." Rude chuckles from the bottom of the staircase directly in front of Brave.
Brave shoots the orange emoticlone a look before descending the steps. The others follow closely behind.
Rude's basement is quite a sight to behold, it's massive. The large main room has a 72' TV at the far end with a four meter long sofa in front of it. Behind the sofa are a couple fridges, cupboards, and disk racks. Peering into an open door as Timid moves to sit down, Beast Boy sees a full arcade.
"Dood." He gasps in awe. "and hewre I tought we hads it good at da towah. Dis must be pawadise."
"Only the best, for the best." Rude brags.
"You means it magicawy gots bettah when I cam in da woom?!" Beast Boy feigns shock and puts his hands on the side of his face. Happy giggles at his joke.
"Har har." Rude says, rolling her eyes. Secretly, she thought the joke was pretty good, but she has to keep up appearances.
Everyone seats themselves on the sofa. Brave wipes pie off her face and Timid glances around nervously. Beast Boy struggles free of Timid's grasp and crawls over top of Happy to sit next to Rude.
"Knock knock." He says, smiling.
Rude is silent for a moment before giving in "Who's there?"
"Dishmay."
"Dismay who?"
"Dishmay be a bad jowk, buh I tink it fuhney!"
Happy laughs, Timid gives a small smile, Brave shakes her head, grinning, and Rude snorts.
"That seriously the best you can do?" She mocks.
"Is dat a chawenge?" Beast Boy asks slyly.
"On second thought..." Rude looks slightly apprehensive.
"Knock knock." Says the grinning changeling.
"Don't answer!" Rude hisses.
"Who's there?" Happy replies.
"NOOOOO!" Brave and Rude yell dramatically.
"Ari."
"Ari who?"
"Ari havink fun yet?" Beast Boy's grin has grown massively by the time he delivers the punch line.
There is a groan from the green and orange cloaked emoticlones.
"Another, another!" Happy squeals, clapping.
###
Back in Raven's room the empath is just finishing up her book. As she places it back on her shelf she resists the urge to laugh. Strangely, her new found amusement is laced with irritation.
"I'm going to have to talk with my emoticlones after dinner." She giggles. "Now I just need to stop laughing!"
Chapter 9 complete. I can only have one or two more chapter for the emoticlones. No way for me to put off Beast Boy's exit any longer.