beast boy's perspective
The sun dappled kindly onto my body, lighting the leaf-strewn path ahead. A slight tingle circulated through my body, as if I were walking into a cold room.
However, the sunshine's touch was cozy and welcoming. I shivered under the yellow warmth, goosebumps spreading across my skin. Perhaps, this physical reaction to the sun was bound to happen, since I've been rejecting it for the longest.
I still felt like a dark, pressing night was twisting inside of me, but I tried to focus on the light.
I wore grey jeans, a graphic t-shirt with Ichigo Kurosaki on it, and black and white Jordan 1's. Raven had on a black tee, along with blue jeans distressed at the knees, and black combat boots. Additionally, the girl sported a navy blue, casual sweater.
I took in a deep inhale, fully taking in the brisk, enlivening air. Raven and I went out for a walk out on Murakami's Lane; a nature trail not too far from home.
"This... feels good." I informed Raven.
"Ya don't say."
"Hehe. I love nature. Trees, singing birds, creatures, the sun, and wind... are all things that reminds me of the beauty of Africa." I felt my lips angle into a soft smile.
"I'm glad that you have something nice to remember Africa by."
As we journeyed on the path, pebbles and leaves crunched under our soles. The sunlight feel aesthetically between the trees, creating golden designs on the ground.
"Yeah. Rae, it was so crazy... I don't know how I got out of it to be honest," I paused, feeling disinclined, "Right after my parents died, two kidnappers rescued me."
"Two kidnappers... rescued you?"
"Maybe, rescued isn't the right way to put it. When you put it in the sense of an eight year old boy who just lost his parents, and has no idea how to live life on his own... "rescue" works. They took me into their secret lil' hideout and I was there for... I dunno, quite some time. They forced me to use my powers to do their crimes. At that time, my shape-shifting abilities haven't fully developed yet. It was still painful to change into animals, and I didn't wanna do bad stuff, but those crooks didn't care. They punched me, kicked me, threw me around like a rag doll if I ain't listen to 'em." my words tasted sour on my tongue.
Raven exhaled, appearing to to be too angry to reply.
"After that, I was left in the care of Nicholas Galtry, who at first, wasn't bad. The guy fed me, made sure I had a place to sleep, and even bought me a treat every now and then. Later on, he saw that I was getting older, and that I would discover his embezzlement from my parents' estate."
"You're kidding."
"Nope. So, he planned to kill me, and he—"
Raven was infuriated, "WHAT!? What?! He tried to do what to you?"
"You heard me right. He hired villains to do his dirty work."
"He better hope he's locked up somewhere, because I'll find him and—"
"No," I tenderly spoke, "You will not."
The empath sighed, folding her arms across her chest.
"I'm sure he's been dealt with, because right before his henchmen got to me, the Doom Patrol adopted me and exposed Galtry's plans. I was terrified of the Doom Patrol at first, it was like I kept falling into the wrong hands."
"You definitely were. Rings of Azar, terrible is an understatement of what you had to go through."
We began to climb up a stairway of rocks.
"All of the beatings and stuff... I probably wouldn't be here if it weren't for my animal powers. Yeah, I couldn't harness the full ability of them yet, but they enhanced my senses and strength a whole lot. Had I been in the state I was before I got the serum, I would be long gone."
"Oh, Azarath, this makes my blood boil... and there is nothing I can do about it. Nothing. All I can do is sit here and listen."
I gently took her hand in mine, "That's all I need you to do, Rae."
"Uhh..." Raven's fingers awkwardly relaxed in my hold.
"You don't mind... right?" I glanced at her.
Her eyes nervously traced elsewhere, "No, not at all... it's just..."
"Hm?"
"Nothing, I'm alright. I'm just a bit awkward." she squeezed my hand affectionately, and we progressed up the stairs.
A short moment of silence fell between us.
"So, you said that the Doom Patrol took care of you after all of that kidnapper-embezzlement madness?" Raven questioned.
"Mhmm."
"Oh, boy. I know Mento was hard on you."
"Yeah, never really found a liking to him, if I were to be honest. He always belittled me and me made me feel like I was useless. Even when I was trying my best to fight crime, and slipped up along the way... the man jus' forgot I was still a kid. Sure, I could take discipline, but Mentos abused me mentally and verbally. It also killed the guy to compliment me for somethin'. After all I went through at that point in time, it took everything in me not to burst into tears at any given moment."
"I can't imagine."
"Even so, I had my good moments at D.P. Rita, you know, Elastigirl..."
"Yes, the tall stretchy lady."
I chuckled at Raven's comment, ""The tall stretchy lady", you're too funny."
Raven laughed, shaking her head in amusement.
"Rita was nice, she literally like a second mother to me. She took care of me, loved me, and believed in me almost as much as Mom did. She'd play games with me, tuck me in bed, all of that sorts stuff. Now... Robot Man, A.K.A, "Cliff"... ha."
"You had good times with him, too?"
"Sure thing. Cliff was easily annoyed 'cuz to him, I was this hyperactive ball of energy that wouldn't sit still or stop talking, but we had our moments. As you know, I have tendency of getting my head into places where it isn't supposed to be."
Raven sighed, "Here we go."
I snickered, "I played Doctor on Cliff once. While he was takin' a nap one day, I got bored and went unscrewin' and takin' apart things."
The dark Titan giggled, "You didn't."
"I did. When he woke up and saw he was dismantled, he blew his gaskets."
"You've got quite the history of meddling around."
"Hehe, yup. As for Negative Man, he was jus' kinda there. We were cool, though."
We reached the top of the staircase, reaching a wooden bridge. Under the bridge was a stream that was surrounded by greenery, but had rocks in it. We stopped, leaning a bit on the railing. The sun poured its warmth onto us, creating a gorgeous scenery along with the skies and clouds. A tender breeze combed around us, giving a calming effect.
"That mask..." I mumbled mindlessly, feeling a gloom settle over me.
"Huh?"
"The mask. Anytime I think of the Doom Patrol, I remember it. The mask I wore when I first met you guys."
"Oh, yeah. What's the story behind that? Was it a fashion statement or something?"
My voice just about cracked, "No. Some people used to think I wore it because I thought it was "cool". But, that isn't the case at all."
Raven pressed courage into my hand, then I spoke.
"I wore it 'cause... I didn't want Galtry to recognize me if went on a search for me. I was so scared when I met you guys. I knew from the moment we all met, that being a Titan was where I belonged. I just hoped that I would be "hero" enough to work with you guys, and that I wouldn't end up unwanted or abandoned like all of those other times. For years I had to hide who I was just to show people what they wanted to see."
"Gar..." Raven moved her hand to my cheek.
Raven's palm felt soft, almost too soft to imagine. Her thumb fondly stroked my cheekbone as she observed me. Her hand smelled of a lavender-scented lotion.
"You are enough, you're capable of everything that life throws your way. If you weren't the chances of you being here right now would be little to nothing. You should never hide who you are. Be vulnerable, feel your emotions, hit rock bottom, be transparent..."
Raven's facial expression lost light whilst a tear streamed down her cheek.
"Be in pain. Coming from the daughter of a demon lord, it's hard to practice that speech, but we've got to try. It's okay. It's okay to be human and have darkness inside of you. You have to remember, just as you have darkness, you carry light. That fuzzy, bright, tofu-smelling warmth we all love..." she smiled weakly.
I tried to hold back my tears, but I couldn't.
My brain went into shock. The affection I was receiving was both painful, but healing at the same time. It was like putting ice on a bruise, the ice would help recover the injury, but a cold sensation had to be endured in the process.
"When I look at you... I don't see everything you've been through. I mean it like this. My empathy has shown me those things about your past, and to be honest, I find myself having a hard time believing that all of that happened to you. That, and the other stuff you told me. But when I see you, I don't see the battles you've fought, the tears you've cried, the moments where you thought it all wasn't worth it..."
"I see strength... and I see hope. I see bravery, passion, resilience, courage. After it was all said and done, you're still you. You still are so kind to everyone, fight for justice, and spread so much joy. I hate to know that such a fun-loving, pure soul like yours has been through and is in so much pain." she sniffled, wiping away my tears.
I bit down on my shaking lip, almost to the point where it would bleed. I let out one whimper, which led to another, which then followed into a series of broken cries. I choked on each sob, still afraid to fully relieve my pain.
Raven paused, letting my tears wet her hand.
"There's no reason to hide yourself. Our souls aren't meant for imprisoning traumas, and our minds weren't created to constantly put up a fight with dark thoughts. It may seem that way more often than not, but that isn't the purpose. The purpose is to find a release from the suffering, and even healing. While the issue may linger around and live within us, we still have to remember we need it there. We need those unpleasant circumstances to mold us into the heroes the world needs... the heroes that we need for ourselves and each other. The happy, easy-going Beastboy is great, but the hurting, emotional one, is just as good..."
Raven angled herself forward, briefly, yet sweetly kissing my cheek.
"I love you for who you are, and I wouldn't want you to be any other way."