Howdy y'all, what's up? This is my first Teen Titans Fanfic and I'm excited to finally start posting. I've been working on this story for a long goddamn time, and it's finally ready. This is a Beast Boy centric story, taking a little peeksies at his mind and mental state. In this story, he has been diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder, which is characterized by having two or more alternate personalities in control of one body. Technically, there's an argument that he has it in canon, as the Beast would count as a separate identity, and that's what originally gave me this idea. But I added two more alters into the mix. Dissociative identity disorder is caused through severe early childhood trauma, and is regarded as a coping mechanism to escape from traumatic experiences, and that will be a recurring theme throughout this story. I personally find dissociative identity disorder really interesting, and highly suggest looking up information about it if you are interested. If anyone has experiences or knowledge about DID, feel free to share, I'd love to hear more about it.
One more thing, there will be some OC's that have a lot of spotlight in the first couple chapters. They won't be a major focus, and don't really show up a ton afterwards, so if you don't like them, don't worry, they're not that important, I just think it's necessary for the characterization of Beast Boy I'm trying to do. And the first couple chapters might be a little slow, so sorry about that. Anyways, hope you enjoy!
Chapter One: A Less than Average Day
Beast Boy yawned, stretching tiredly as he rose from his bed. He rubbed his eyes, blinking the morning dreariness away. A cool breeze from his open window dusted his skin. His mouth was dry, so he ripped off the covers and stood up.
Wait a second. He was in bed. That wasn't right.
Groaning, Beast Boy left his room, stepping over a pile of clothes he had left on the floor and headed towards the kitchen.
He put on a grin as he walked through the door. "Sup guys? Whatcha making Rob?"
"I got pancakes cooking," Robin answered, flipping a pancake over.
"Sweetness! What day is it, B T dubs?"
"It's Tuesday, Beast Boy. When are you going to learn to keep track of the days of the week?" Robin asked, glaring crossly at him.
Beast Boy waved it away. "Yeah, yeah, whatever dude."
But beneath his nonchalant exterior, he was livid. Three days!? You gotta be kidding me. "Where's everyone else at?"
"Cy's in his shop and Raven's meditating," Robin answered, flipping another pancake. "They should be up in a few minutes."
"Cool," Beast Boy said, sliding into the seat beside Starfire.
"Hello friend Beast Boy! What a joyous day to partake in the breaking of fast!" She exclaimed in her normal upbeat attitude.
"You know it sister. I love breaking things! Especially fasts," Beast Boy said, nudging Star.
Star beamed at him. "Oh joys! I am so glad you see me as your sibling! You are also like the kin to me."
"Hey, you guys are all my family!" Beast Boy said. "You're the energetic younger sister, Cy's the cool older bro, Robin's the annoying dad and Raven's the edgy teen."
"Whatever," Raven said, appearing next to him.
"Ah!" Beast Boy screamed. "Dude! Don't scare me like that!"
Raven raised an eyebrow. "But isn't that the kind of thing an edgy teen would do?"
Beast Boy pondered this. "You make a strong argument. Very well. I concede. Continue as you were."
"Glad to know you approve," Raven snarked.
"Oooh boy, I smell something good," Cyborg said, rubbing his metal hands together as he came into the room.
"See? He knows how to announce his presence," Beast Boy said.
"He's made of metal and glows in the dark. I'd be shocked if he could scare you," Raven said drily.
"Alright, breakfast is served," Robin said, placing a stack of pancakes on the table. All eyes narrowed, sizing each other up. This was a dangerous game. Who would strike first and risk getting pummeled to claim the pancake for themselves?
Cyborg broke first. He lunged over the table, hand outstretched. It didn't make it far. A rope coiled around his arm, iron balls at each end pulling the appendage back. After that, all hell broke loose. Fists, feet, elbows, knees, heads, glowing things, staffs, bricks, missiles, missiles reversing direction due to telekinesis, a couch, four windows and an innocent bystander somehow caught in the mix flew in all directions as each of the Titans made their grab for pancakes. After the dust settled, it was Starfire who sat atop the pile of battered teenagers, happily munching on a pancake.
"Uowowowouuuu," Beast Boy groaned. "How does Starfire always win these?"
"Tehe," Star giggled. "It is because your feeble human flesh is not as resilient as mine. Perhaps if you were to gain more of the muscle, you could be the one to obtain the pancake."
Beast Boy glowered, snatching a couple pancakes off the stack. Finally. He dumped a load of maple syrup on them before digging in. The other Titans settled in and devoured their own pancakes. Oh man, did Robin know how to make pancakes. Not too thick, not too flat and cooked to perfection, Robin was the master of breakfast. It was a good way to wake up.
After breakfast, the team went their separate ways. Cyborg went down to his shop, muttering some nonsense about turbo engines, Raven disappeared to meditate and Robin went down to the gym. Starfire flew off to feed Silkie, leaving Beast Boy to his own devices. No biggie. He had something he needed to do anyway.
Beast Boy went back to his room, peeking both ways before entering to make sure no one was looking before entering. All the Titans knew his room was a mess, but none of them knew he kept it this way on purpose. He had a couple things stashed away in here that he didn't want anyone finding. Especially not the thing he was getting now.
Brushing aside a seemingly random pile of junk, he grabbed a Metallica shirt and reached inside. He grabbed the nondescript fake-leather bound book and pulled it out. Unlike most of the things in his room, it never got dirty. Ok, he might have gotten pizza grease on it one time but it didn't smell. At least, not bad.
Opening it up, Beast Boy found the date that marked three days ago. He skimmed the entry, but nothing jumped out at him so he moved on to two days ago, then yesterday. Nothing too important. With a sigh of relief, Beast Boy closed the book and stuffed it back in the shirt, tucking it all away again.
That done, Beast Boy ducked out of his room and went up to the roof. Today seemed like one of those days where everyone was going to do their own thing. Which was fine. He could hang out with other people. Morphing into an eagle, Beast Boy shot off the roof and headed into the city.
Beast Boy touched down in front of his favorite arcade. With a grin, he opened the door and waved to the familiar face at the counter. "Joey, what's up?"
The older teen put down the comic book his face was stuffed in. "Aren't you supposed to be in school?"
Beast Boy rolled his eyes. "I'm a Titan, bro. Crime doesn't wait for anyone, much less crabby old school teachers. Or at least that's how Robin said it."
"Knowing Robin, he did not say that," Joey said drily.
"Hey! You only know what I tell you, so how would you know?" Beast Boy asked.
"You got me there. Just go play your dumb games. I'm busy," Joey said, fluffing the pages of his comic.
Beast Boy huffed. "They're not dumb, or you wouldn't be working here."
Joey ignored him, moving his comic closer to his face. Beast Boy stuck his tongue out at him, then went farther into the arcade. Flashing lights blared everywhere he looked. Beast Boy glanced at the air hockey table and the dance dance revolution arcade machine, but those needed two players, and his usual competitor was hopefully in school, so he moved on. Instead he stopped in front of the Mortal Kombat machine. It wasn't as fun to play without someone else, but it was still a pretty good solo game. Thumbing through his pockets, Beast Boy pulled out a couple quarters. He pushed them into the machine and the game booted up. The welcoming screen flashed and Beast Boy cracked his fingers and prepared for battle.
Forty five minutes later, the doorbell rang. Beast Boy's ears twitched, but he remained focused on his match. A few seconds later, he heard the familiar sound of someone trying to sneak up on him. Beast Boy let them get a foot away before he said, "Just because I don't have to go to school doesn't mean you shouldn't be there."
"Vamos Verde, I just had to wrestle the phone out of Joey's hands, you're not gonna call the cops on me too, are you? I thought we were friends." Her voice seemed to be mocking him.
"Joey doesn't care about you, but I do. Keep sneaking out and you're gonna end up in trouble," Beast Boy said as WINNER flashed across the screen in bold letters. Turning, he faced his closest friend outside the Titans. She was an inch shorter than him, with olive black hair the same length as Raven's and hazel eyes that basically screamed mischief. She walked around with a permanent smirk on her face, and always stood with her arms crossed in front of her chest. She wore a black tank top and ripped jeans. Steel toed combat boots glistened on her feet, but Beast Boy knew she stole those.
Beast Boy rolled his eyes. "What are you doing here anyway?"
"Just wondering if you were here. Stayin' outta trouble, don't worry vieja,'' Valeria said.
"Since you and I both know I can't drag you back to school, you down to get your butt kicked?"
"As long as you're paying," Valeria replied, stepping up to the machine.
"It's probably the city's money. Being a superhero does come with its perks," Beast Boy smirked.
"Cause who wouldn't want to be green?" Valeria said sarcastically. She missed the flash of pain that crossed his face as he turned towards the game.
Who wouldn't want to be green, Beast Boy repeated internally.
They played for over an hour, the jingle of quarters in his pockets slowly diminishing. Valeria won 6 out of every 10, but she was a lot closer to his skill level than Cyborg. In some of their more heated battles, Valeria got physical, throwing her body at him in an attempt to throw him off balance. She was tougher than she looked, but Beast Boy was a Titan, and no amount of shoving was going to cost him his victory. He cheered loudly when she pouted at his triumph and boogied his victory shuffle. Joey yelled at them to quiet down, and Valeria yelled some obscene words back at him. They played until their fingers were sore from smashing the buttons on the machine and then some. Beast Boy didn't realize it was past noon until his stomach growled loudly. Valeria glanced at him and smirked. "Hambre?"
Beast Boy grinned back at her. "Siempre."
They left the arcade, Valeria throwing a rude gesture at Joey, who ignored them both. They headed downtown, passing the Titan's favorite pizza place. Beast Boy glanced at it as they passed but said nothing. They kept walking until they came across a sandwich shop. It had seen better days, with signs of wear visible on the walls. The paint had thinned and begun to flake off on the metal frame that supported the large windows. The building was squat in the middle of a larger, brick complex. Beast Boy guessed there were apartments above it, but he had never been on the top floor. On one side of the sandwich shop was a barber shop, and on the other side a liquor store. Beast Boy had tried some alcohol once, after a lot of coaxing from Valeria and immediately spat it out. She had laughed at him for being such a wuss, but his enhanced taste had picked up a lot more than her human tongue ever could. But no matter how many times he explained it to her, she would just shake her head at him and laugh quietly to herself.
The doorbell chimed and a large man at the counter looked up at them as they entered. "Ay, if it isn't Beast Boy and Valeria, my two most valued customers!"
"Hola Albert, get us the usual will you?" Valeria said, leaning over the counter.
"One veggie and one italian sub coming up!" Albert replied jovially. "How's school doing these days Valeria?"
"Same old, same old," Valeria said dismissively. "My teachers hate me, classmates think I'm a bitch and math is confusing as shit. Don't get why I can't just drop out and work full time at mi cousin's mecánico. At least there I'm actually learning something that will help me in my future."
"School is important, at least that piece of paper you get at the end. Eh, what's it called?"
"A diploma," Beast Boy stated helpfully.
"That's it! It's much harder to find good work without one of those. And a college degree, whoa! That'll get you places," Albert said, gloved fingers in a bowl of cucumbers. He slapped the vegetables on the sandwich and wrapped it up before grabbing the second one.
Valeria rolled her eyes. "Not like anyone actually uses those. Get yourself in a boatload of debt then get an awful job and use that four year piece of paper exactly nonce in your life. Nah man, it's just another way people are looking to scam you out of your money."
"Preach, girl! How'd you get so smart? And don't even tell me it was that musty ass building you call a school. I've met some of the teachers there, and they don't give a damn bout you kids. This one time, some old math teacher came in here and sat her wrinkly ass down and smoked half a carton of cigs. Didn't even order nothin'. Sat here in my place fillin' the air with that rank smoke and left, just like that! Here you are," Albert said, sliding the sandwiches across the counter.
"Thanks Albert, you the man," Beast Boy said, sliding the money back to him.
"Anytime Beast Boy. Hey, it's great having you kids back. Wasn't the same without you. Those other Titans were good and all, but you guys are part of this city. You're family," Albert said.
"Thanks Al. You know I'd never let anything happen to this place. Not on my watch. No one makes a veggie sub like you," Beast Boy said.
"That's what I like to hear," Albert said with a grin, wiping the counter down.
Beast Boy and Valeria sat in a booth with a window looking out into the street. Beast Boy took a bite out of his sandwich, groaning in appreciation. It had been nearly a year since they had returned from their year-long battle with the Brotherhood of Evil. Readjusting had taken some getting used to, and sure, a lot had changed since they had left, but much of the city still stayed the same. Albert's subs were still the best in Jump City, and Valeria was still cutting class just cause. His favorite movie theater still had that one light that fizzed on and off randomly throughout the movie and he still had to pass that suspicious alley that he hurried by to get there. People still drove like maniacs and villains were still obsessed with robbing banks. Ok seriously, what was up with that? Weren't there better ways to get cash?
Valeria raised an eyebrow at him. "You're doing that thing. Whatcha thinking about?"
"Superhero stuff," Beast Boy said. Valeria waited and Beast Boy sighed, putting his sandwich down. "I'm just glad we made it home. I grew up fighting the Brotherhood of Evil, and when I joined the Titans, I thought I put all that behind me. But it came back to haunt me, just like everything always does. There were some times I never thought I'd never have this again, just sitting down and enjoying the days in and days out. It feels kinda surreal, eating a good sandwich in my city with you. But I'm just glad to be back."
"Surreal? If you don't go to school, how'd you pick that up?"
"Raven. She's always using these big words that I have to look up."
Valeria snorted. "Besides, you're the most stubborn person I know. You won't give up till you win. And you'll always find a way to win."
Beast Boy stayed silent for a moment. He opened his mouth, but at that moment his communicator went off. Beast Boy pulled it out of his pocket. A crime alert.
"Sorry. Duty calls," Beast Boy said, standing.
Valeria waved her hand, leaning back in her booth with a small frown. "Go save the world, verde."
"Been there, done that." Beast Boy grinned at her, sprinting out the door, yelling "Thanks for the sandwich!" to Albert on his way out.
"Robin! What's going on?" Beast Boy asked, answering the call.
"It's Doctor Light. Where are you? We've got to go," Robin demanded.
"I'm already in the city, I'll meet you there," Beast Boy said, closing the communicator and launching into the sky, transforming into a falcon.
Beast Boy spiraled down to the scene, shifting back to his humanish form as he landed. A lone police car waited outside. The officer there was desperately trying to create a perimeter, waving people away from the bank. Of course it was a bank. Isolated fires burned randomly around the scene, and smoke was fuming out of the roof. Beast Boy ran up to the cop.
"A Titan! Thank goodness you're here," the man said, shoulders dropping in relief.
"I'm going in, make sure everyone's clear of the building," Beast Boy ordered. The cop nodded to him. Despite the age difference between them, none could deny he was the veteran. Beast Boy shifted into a leopard and raced inside, bounding up several steps at a time.
The main lobby was empty, so Beast Boy went deeper to the vaults. He leaped down several sets of stairs at a time, landing in a gorilla form to absorb the impact, tiles cracking beneath his weight. He shifted back into his human form and peeked around the corner. Doctor Light stood inside the vault, the thick metal door melted open. He was shoving stacks of cash into bags, one already overflowing. Beast Boy stepped into the open and cleared his throat.
"For a guy so captivated by light, you don't seem to have many bright ideas," he announced.
Doctor Light spun around, face lighting up in shock. "Wha- you're not supposed to be here yet! I haven't even finished stealing the money!"
"Sorry, but your withdrawal has just been cancelled!" Beast Boy yelled, lunging towards him in the form of a cheetah. He avoided a few laser blasts and leaped at the villain, claws outstretched. Doctor Light jumped to the side and Beast Boy skidded to a halt, claws digging into the ground. He shifted to avoid more lasers and darted towards him. Turning into a kangaroo, Beast Boy kicked out at Doctor Light. His force field protected the villain from the worst of the blow, but it still sent him flying out of the vault. Doctor Light got up and raced up the stairs, forgetting about the money entirely.
Beast Boy turned into a green blue jay and chased after him, flying up the stairs after him. Just as he reached the main floor, Beast Boy caught up with him and shifted into a gorilla, punching him through the wall. Before he could get up, Beast Boy stepped on him as an elephant, crushing the force field beneath his weight. Finally the force field broke and Beast Boy reached down and grabbed his wrist, crushing the controller.
A laser hit him in the chest, sending him flying back. Ow. Ok, that hurt. Beast Boy groaned, rising off the floor. Doctor Light was doing the same, staggering to his feet to try to run for the exit. With a growl, Beast Boy shifted into a panther and lunged at him, dragging his claws down the machinery on his back. Doctor Light cried out, turning and firing a laser at him. Beast Boy shifted underneath his ray, turning into a large boa constrictor. Beast Boy lunged up, wrapping around the man's legs, waist, and arms until he was eye level with the villain.
Doctor Light struggled against Beast Boy, but with most of his technology damaged, he couldn't find a way out of Beast Boy's grasp.
Beast Boy stared at him. The soft, juicy man flesh, ripe to eat. He was a healthy male, and quite large. If he devoured him, he wouldn't have to feed again for weeks. The pathetic food he had been eating wasn't enough. If he wrapped just a little tighter, the man's bones would snap and he would be unable to resist any more, and then it would only be a bit more force to crush the life out of him, so he could unhinge his jaw and latch onto his head, engulfing his body bit by bit and letting his stomach acid dissolve the man's flesh-
Doctor Light groaned, going limp in his grasp and falling to the ground. Beast Boy blinked, not even realizing he had passed out. Beast Boy uncoiled, shifting back into his human form. Doctor Light didn't move. In fact, he looked a little blue.
Hands shaking, Beast Boy removed any bit of working tech still on the villain before dragging him outside. By now, more cop cars arrived and he handed Doctor Light off to them. He was promptly stuffed in handcuffs and thrown in a SWAT van. The T-car rolled up just as the lights started flashing and it pulled away.
"Yo Beastie! You didn't leave any action for us!" Cyborg yelled, grinning as he came over.
"Heh, if you didn't drive so slow maybe you could've helped out," Beast Boy said.
"Hey! My car's the fastest in town, and nobody drives better or faster than me!" Cyborg cried.
"You took down Doctor Light all on your own?" Robin asked, staring at Beast Boy intensely.
"Yeah, he wasn't so tough without his force field," Beast Boy chuckled.
Robin continued to stare at him with narrowed eyes until Beast Boy kept going. "What, it's not like he's anything more than a second rate villain. Bet even you could take him on your own."
Robin only managed to narrow his eyes further. Beast Boy shrunk away from his gaze before brushing past him towards the T-car. "Anyways, all that fighting left me starved. Anyone down for some pizza?"
"You know it! You just took down Doctor Light on your own, we're throwing you a feast!" Cyborg declared
Starfire beamed. "Oh yes! I will make some of my people's Glarg-shlorp, for when a warrior best a Crib-knac in battle. It is a reward of true courage and a testament to one's skill."
"Sounds delicious," Raven said sarcastically, floating towards the T-car.
"Oh it is! The crunchiness of the pliwgrar brings out the gooeyness of the largnak!"
The team piled into the T-car and Cyborg started up the machine. Tires screeched against the pavement as Cyborg gunned the engine, zooming off down the road. With Cyborg's music blaring, Beast Boy found it hard to concentrate on much else. Sure, it probably wasn't bothering anyone else, but Beast Boy naturally had hearing at least three times better than normal humans. He wasn't sure how his hearing measured up to Starfire's, but if he had to bet it was better than hers, since he always heard his teammates coming before anyone else.
"So Beast Boy, was Doctor Light just after money or was there any other reason he could've been there?" Robin asked suddenly.
He was still on this? "Dude, he was robbing a bank. You don't break into a secure vault filled with cash to file paperwork."
"Yes, but sometimes banks hold other valuables, such as diamonds and other crystals. Doctor Light has used crystals to boost his powers in the past so he might have been after those."
"When I got there he was stuffing a bag full of hard cash. Didn't see anything else in the room."
"Come on man, give the little guy a break," Cyborg interjected. "He's probably exhausted. He's almost as bad at fighting as he is at videogames."
"Oh I am going to make you eat those words when I kick your butt later," Beast Boy growled.
Cyborg looked back at him and grinned. "I'd like to see you try grass stain."
"Can you please turn down the testosterone, you're making me nauseous," Raven deadpanned.
Beast Boy glowered at her as Cyborg pulled into the parking lot and the teens hopped out of the car. They went to their regular table after checking in with the hostess on duty. Most of the hosts and servers knew their orders by heart now. They'd been coming here for so long, Beast Boy knew half the staff by name. In the first year after they became a team, news teams and paparazzi would wait outside to try and question the teens. Somehow Robin knew how to skillfully avoid being swarmed and pushed his way through the crowd.
"Hello Titans, can I get you something to drink?" A server asked, walking up to their table.
"I'll just have a water," Robin said. Typical boring Robin.
"A coke for me," Cyborg said.
"I will take a cup of mustard!" Starfire exclaimed, much to Jenny's alarm. Still, she wrote it down, hand shaking slightly.
"I'll have a water as well," Raven said.
"I'll have a sprite," Beast Boy said.
"Alrighty I'll be right back with those," Jenny said, walking away.
"Man, it's hot out. Perfect weather for some stankball!" Cyborg exclaimed.
Raven rolled her eyes. "You take anything as an excuse to play that awful game."
"That's cause any time is stankball time," Cyborg countered.
"I think going to the park's a great idea," Robin added.
"Oh yes! I love feeling the sun on my skin as I fly through the green! It is most enjoyable and I would very much enjoy going!" Starfire added.
"Fine. I guess going to the park wouldn't kill me," Raven said.
"It's unanimous, looks like we're going to the park," Robin declared.
Beast Boy frowned slightly, but his grin reappeared when Jenny reappeared with their drinks.
"Two waters, a coke, a sprite and a cup of...mustard," Jenny said, placing the condiment in a cup in front of the alien. Starfire grabbed it greedily and stuck a straw in it and slurped half of it up in a single gulp. Jenny turned a little green and gulped. "Alright I can place your order if you'd like."
"Sure I think we're ready to order," Robin said, getting nods of agreement all around. "We'll have a large cheese, a large meat lovers and a medium spinach."
"So the usual," Beast Boy added. Jenny chuckled. "How's your brother doing by the way? Is his arm all better?"
"Oh yeah, he was lucky it was only a hairline fracture and he's a junior. If it had been any worse or he'd been older he'd never get that scholarship," Jenny said.
"Come on, he's an honor's student with all A's. Surely that's got to count for something," Beast Boy said.
"It does, but his heart's set on football. It would kill him if he couldn't play football for JCU," Jenny said.
"What, JCU doesn't make it easier for siblings?" Beast Boy asked.
"Nope, everything's got to be fair," Jenny sighed.
"Well good luck. Hope your workload is a little easier this semester, with you getting that other job. Honestly, you should get a scholarship just for that. God knows I couldn't handle it," Beast Boy said.
Jenny laughed. "And that's why I'm the honor student and you're the Titan. Alright I'll put your order in."
Beast Boy looked out into the street, his ear twitching slightly. He narrowed his eyes, trying to find the source of the disturbance, but couldn't find it.
"Ok Beast Boy, what was that?"
Beast Boy looked at Cyborg and noticed that all the Titans were looking at him funny. "What was what?"
"That!" He exclaimed, waving his hands frantically at the door. "It was like you knew her whole life story! You're not a stalker, are you? Oh no, Beastie please don't tell me you're a stalker."
"What, dude no, I just talked to her, what's the big deal?"
"That was a little too familiar for you to just be 'talking' to her," Robin said. "How long have you known her?"
"Uh, well, she started here back in March, and it's what, May now? So like, three-ish months?"
His ear twitched again and Beast Boy whipped his head back towards the street. Something was off.
"And you called me creepy," Raven said with a stony expression. The others probably didn't think much of it, but Beast Boy caught a hint of emotion that was quickly buried. Just like she always did.
His ear twitched again and Beast Boy stood abruptly. "I'll be back, I gotta use the bathroom."
As he was leaving, he heard Cyborg say "Ah come on you scared him off."
He couldn't tell if that was aimed at Robin or Raven but he didn't ponder it. Turning into a mouse, he rushed out the door, dodging feet until he made it into an empty alleyway where he could get a sense of what was wrong.
When in doubt, smell usually does the trick. He turned into a fox and started sniffing around. While elephants had a far superior sense of smell, turning into an elephant would not only be inconvenient but would also draw attention to himself.
There. A strange scent was coming from the north. Turning into a rat, he followed the smell down the street away from the pizza place and his friends.
The scent brought him towards the center of the city, maybe a block away from City Hall. As he got closer the scent started to smell like...sulfur?
Beast Boy entered the complex. It was some kind of insurance agency. Closed, despite it being Monday. Once he was inside, he transformed back into a human and started walking around. He could still smell it now. Robin and Raven probably wouldn't, but he could.
But there was something else now too. A sound. Tick, tick, tick, tick. Beast Boy followed the sound, opening a couple doors before deciding it was farther down. Finally he reached a janitor closet at the far end of the complex. He could tell the other side of the wall was the street. A chill went down his spine. He had a bad feeling about this.
Moving some cleaning supplies around, Beast Boy froze as his hand glided over an object. It was metallic, wiry, and had a clock going tick, tick, tick, tick. Beast Boy snatched his communicator. "Hey guys? You gotta get over here. Now."
"Beast Boy?" Robin answered. "What happened? Where are you?"
"I'll tell you when you get here. But come. Fast."
Less than a minute later, Beast Boy heard the oddly familiar sound of a sonic blast blowing down a door. Stomping feet grew louder until the other Titans came into sight. "Beast Boy! What's wrong?"
"See for yourself," Beast Boy said, opening the door. Starfire gasped when they saw what was inside.
"Alright Titans, stay calm. Cyborg, call the bomb squad. Raven, you're in here with me to monitor the bomb. Beast Boy and Starfire, make a perimeter. Good work Beast Boy. Titans, go!"
Beast Boy transformed into a falcon and flew outside with Starfire. She landed in the middle of the road and fired a starbolt into the sky to gain everyone's attention. "Hello citizens! Do not do the panicking, but please get off these streets. It is dangerous."
Instead of leaving, cars slowed and stopped in front of Starfire. People stopped walking to stare at the scene. Unsure what to do, Starfire repeated herself louder. "Citizens! Remove yourselves from the vicinity! It is unsafe here!"
"Yo!" Beast Boy yelled, walking to the center of the intersection. "You're all taking a detour! These two streets are off limits! You there! Take a right! Yes you, go! Ok, you stop. You! Left! Good, now we're going to keep doing this. Don't come down these two streets, only those two! Got it?"
Beast Boy turned to Starfire, who floated next to him. "Thank you friend Beast Boy, your help is much appreciated."
"Anytime Star. I'm going to see if I can get those streets cleared before the cops come. Think you can keep an eye out here?"
"Of course," Star said.
Beast Boy raced down the street, yelling at people to get inside. A few minutes later, several police cars showed up. One pulled up right beside him and an officer stepped out. "Thanks Beast Boy but we'll take it from here."
Beast Boy nodded at him and the officer started shouting orders at the others. Barricades were set up and the complex was evacuated. Large vans drove up and two heavily armored men stormed into the building. Robin and Raven came out a minute later, and the five Titans stood on the other side of the street. Beast Boy could feel the tension in the air. They waited in silence for the next several minutes. Beast Boy anxiously played with his hands, unable to look away from the building.
Finally, the men walked out, one of them taking their helmet off. Beast Boy sighed in relief. The others followed in suit, Cyborg clapping a large metal hand on his back. The green Titan grinned up at him. A cheer rose from the police surrounding the building. Beast Boy joined in the applause, the other Titans quickly following.
The officer who had pulled up by Beast Boy came up to them. "Good work Titans for finding the bomb. You saved a lot of lives today. Tell me, how did you discover it?"
"Actually, Lieutenant, that was all Beast Boy," Robin said, turning to him.
Beast Boy chuckled awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. "It was nothing. I just smelled something off and went to investigate. If I knew it was a bomb, I would have brought the whole gang."
"You smelled that from four blocks away?" Robin asked.
Before Beast Boy could respond, the officer continued. "Well good work. We're conducting a search of the nearby buildings just in case. The bomb wasn't set to go off for another few hours. If we find anything, we'll contact you. We're taking the bomb back to the station, but if you need to see it you're always welcome."
"Thanks Lieutenant, we'll tell you if we find anything on our end," Robin said, shaking the officer's hand. With that, the Titans departed, leaving the police to handle the rest.
They headed back to the tower. It was late in the afternoon by the time they got back. Cyborg stretched his arms out as they entered the Tower. "Ah man, nothing like coming home after a long day of chasing bad guys and stopping bombs. I'm beat."
"We can't rest now," Robin said. "We still have to find whoever did this and put them away."
"Ah, Robin, can't we at least get a snack before we get down to business? We never even got our pizza!" Cyborg exclaimed.
"No way dude, I kinda lost my appetite," Beast Boy groaned.
"I too am no longer the hungry," Starfire agreed.
"I still owe you a feast for taking Doctor Light down," Cyborg stated, fixing a glare at him.
"We can take it to the park tomorrow!" Beast Boy exclaimed. "Since we didn't get to go today, we can have a cookout there tomorrow."
"That's what I'm talking about!" Cyborg shouted, punching his fist in the air. "We'll bring the stankball and the volleyball, the spikeball set too!"
"Ooh! We can bring the football too!" Beast Boy cried.
"Ok guys, bring it down a notch," Robin said, and instantly the two friends' enthusiasm died. "We can go to the park tomorrow, but tonight we have to focus on finding the bomber."
"Would be bomber," Beast Boy chimed in.
Robin ignored him. "Cyborg, you were able to get the schematics of the bomb, right?"
At Cyborg's affirmative, Robin continued. "Send them to the crime lab. I'm going to look them over and see what I can find. Meet me down there in an hour."
Cyborg nodded, the lights in his eye flashing. Robin left, and an uncomfortable silence filled the room. They all had the same thought, but no one wanted to be the first one to say it.
"Sooo," Beast Boy said, taking the initiative. "You think it was Slade?"
The team hadn't heard anything from the villain since Beast Boy destroyed the Sladebot in the abandoned amusement park after it taunted him about Terra. But that was enough to remind them he was still out there, still plotting. Just because he had disappeared after they beat Trigon doesn't mean he's not a threat.
"Don't know," Cyborg admitted. "Doesn't seem like his MO. Slade usually gives us some kind of warning before he attacks, even if it isn't obvious at first."
"It could be psychological warfare," Raven said. "A way to break our wills and make us feel helpless to protect the citizens."
"Aren't you a ray of sunshine," Beast Boy muttered.
Raven glared at him. "Be realistic. Slade doesn't do anything without a reason. If it was Slade, he had a purpose for planting that bomb, and it wasn't just to blow up some building."
Another silence ensued, but this one was more thoughtful than awkward. Finally, Cyborg interrupted it by saying, "Enough of all this depressing stuff! Anyone wanna play videogames with me?"
"Yeah dude, let's do it!" Beast Boy shouted, throwing himself over the couch. Cyborg stayed standing.
"Anyone that'd be a challenge?" Cyborg asked.
"Hey! I promised you a butt kicking earlier and I have every intention of keeping my promise," Beast Boy declared, snatching a game controller off the table.
"Alright grass stain, let's go," the half-metal Titan said, following the younger Titan's lead.
Beast Boy heard Raven settle down to on the opposite side of the couch and Starfire grabbing a can of miscellaneous meat to feed Silkie. He looked up at Cyborg who was booting up the console. The only person that was missing was Robin, who would normally be making food or going over a chart of indecipherable analytics. Beast Boy sighed contentedly. Just being here with his friends, this sense of normalcy was nice. He never wanted it to change.
After dominating a few levels of Mega Monkey 6, Cyborg stood, announcing "Alright, I got to go help Rob with the case."
Beast Boy watched him leave then turned to Star and Raven. "Yo, either of you ladies wanna game with me?"
"No," Raven replied curtly, her eyes never leaving her book.
"No thank you, Silkie has required all of my love," Star said, snuggling the squealing mutant moth.
"Cool, I'm going to grab a snack then. Anyone want anything?" Beast Boy asked.
"No," Raven droned.
"No thank you!" Star said, rubbing Silkie's stomach, much to the moth's enjoyment.
Beast Boy nodded to himself and left the room. He yawned as he entered the kitchen. Damn, what time was it? A quick look at the clock told him it was just after eight. That's weird, he wasn't usually tired till later. But there was a lot of excitement today.
What should he have to eat? He scoured the cupboards for anything to eat. Cereal? Nah. Chips? Nah. Cashews? Nah. Oreos? Ehh…sure why not. Snatching a stack of cookies, Beast Boy retreated to his room and collapsed on his bed, munching away on his snack. Beast Boy grabbed his headphones and shut off the lights. He laid there, staring up at his ceiling for a couple minutes, occasionally popping a cookie into his mouth. Despite the soothing music, his mind didn't settle, and he could tell he wouldn't be able to get any sleep in here tonight. Beast Boy sighed. Beast Boy pulled his window all the way open and jumped out, transforming into an eagle as he fell. Beast Boy let out a screech, swooping over his city. He landed in the forest outside of Jump City. He stood there a minute, looking at the lights of civilization, and the towering shadow of his home. He turned away from it and morphed into a bear, laying down and falling into a deep sleep.
