Hey yo, author here! Been a little while, but the Christmas season has me busy! Also this chapter was difficult to write. There was a lot that I wanted to do with this one, but had to chop some pieces for some future chapters, for the sake of length and getting an update out. Just wanted to say, I'm not a fan of posting responses to reviews in an update, but I try to answer most of the reviews I get in PM's, especially if you have thoughts/ideas, so please do review in that capacity, as I will 100% respond! Will be trying to get at least two more chapters out before Christmas, but don't hold me to it. This is the last chapter that is more character-focused (I think). As usual, thanks for all the favorites/follows/reviews and hope you enjoy!

As always, much love - Seadavid41

Ch. 23 Resolution

Raven moved silently through the halls of Titan's Tower, passing only a handful of honorary titans who were still present, who either offered her a nod or, possibly more wisely, elected to stay out of her way entirely. At this point, word of Beast Boy's return had spread amongst the Titans. That, in combination with the intensity of expression that Raven currently wore, was certainly enough to make most Titans steer clear of the empath for the time being. While Raven certainly liked to harbor a certain image as the calm and stoic member of the Titans, she was more than okay with giving off a very different persona in the current moment. A brief trip to her room had allowed her time to change into her usual, more familiar, attire. Now, with her trademark look restored, she glided with purpose through the quiet hallways until she reached her destination.

Raven stared at the door in front of her, almost as if she could see through the metal to what lay on the other side. For the first time since she'd re-entered the tower, she felt something other than confidence, with just the slightest amount of nerves entering her mind. She was confident she'd assessed the situation right and that her solution would be straight-forward and effective. Raven had never been one for allowing a problem to fester. If she was unhappy with something, she never had and qualms with letting the right people know. She put the nerves down to the personal nature of the task at hand and her own stake in it. Briefly, she felt another nervous presence enter her mind. Beast Boy was much more concerned about Raven's plan but Raven would not be deterred, despite her pang of sympathy as his thoughts entered her head.

"Trust me…we fix this tonight…I promise."

While he didn't seem entirely appeased, she felt his slight approval, like a sort of acceptance that this was going to happen whether he was happy about it or not, but that if something had to happen, he was glad it was something planned by Raven. The empath allowed herself the most subtle of smiles to herself at his belief in her, despite his continued nervousness projecting into her mind. Raven lifted one hand up to her shoulder and shivered when she felt the slightest of contacts brush against her fingers. She withdrew her hand and without any further delay, Raven hit the keypad on the door, prompting it to slide open. Raven glided through without a sound, the door sliding shut behind her, sealing herself in with whoever was inside. Raven felt Beast Boy move slightly further away from her as she moved further into the garage.

Raven surveyed the room, until her eyes honed in on the hunched-over figure at a messy work bench. She could already feel his emotions radiating off of him in waves. Sadness, loneliness, guilt…nothing that lined up with what should have been expected of him considering the altercation he had already been involved with. Raven almost wanted to give a sigh of relief. These weren't the emotions of someone who was mad at a friend…this was someone who felt like he'd got something wrong. Raven's features softened ever so slightly. She may have been annoyed that he'd heavy-handed in dealing with the situation…but at least he seemed to know it. Nevertheless, Raven came had come here with a plan and the person she was doing this for didn't possess the ability to sense emotions like she did. With that in mind, she approached the figure, well aware that he already knew she was there. She stopped a few feet and allowed herself to land on the ground without a sound. Raven cleared her throat.

"Cyborg…we need to talk."

Cyborg, who had been meticulously tinkering with the remains of what once might have been something useful but was now unrecognizable, glanced upwards at the empath, while his hands kept working absentmindedly. "Figured I'd be getting a visit from you."

Raven eyed him with a critical gaze, an eyebrow raising at his choice of words. "So you know why I'm here then."

Cyborg finally put the machinery he was working on down and turned to face Raven. "You heard about me and Beast Boy's chat and either he asked you to talk to me or –"

"Beast Boy didn't want me to come talk to you."

"…or you came to find out what's what for yourself."

Raven folded her arms across her chest, regarding him with a hint of skepticism. "Explain to me what happened. At no point while Beast Boy was gone did you express…anything negative about his choices, even when there may have been an argument to be made. Now he shows up, to save both my life and Nightwing's, and he actually wants to be here again….and now you choose to be mad at him?"

Cyborg leaned back in his chair, his own arms folding across his chest. "You were mad at him too. I saw how you were some nights while he was gone."

"Yes, but at no point did I not want him to return home. I wanted to fix our mistakes. I wanted him to see that he didn't have to stay away from us. I was mad because he borderline couldn't see what he meant to us. Your anger is misguided…and out of both place and character. I hate repeating myself, but while we looked for Beast Boy, you only expressed that you wanted him to come back to the tower. You weren't lying. I would have felt it. What I did feel was how genuine your sentiments were. When I sat out on the rocks with you for hours in the aftermath, I felt your pain. When we thought he'd been killed by Deathstroke, I felt your anguish. There was no anger, no resentment…so what in the name of Azar has changed?"

Cyborg tried to meet Raven's eyes for as long as he could, but eventually he succumbed, standing up from his desk and turning towards the T-car. "You wouldn't understand Raven, it's not as simple as just having Beast Boy ba-".

For the second time on the same night, Cyborg jumped backwards in surprise as a hand came down on the opposite side of the T-car, practically on the same spot Beast Boy had hit. Raven, who had glided around to the other side, now looked at Cyborg with a clear anger growing in her expression.

"Starfire has wanted nothing more than for all of us to be together again. Nightwing is ready to take the steps he needs to mend bridges. We've all seen how he's changed these last few months. Beast Boy already took the first step by coming back to the tower in the first place. Make me understand."

Cyborg's face had been changing throughout Raven's speech. At first, he'd seemed indignant, but as her words sunk in, Raven noted the expression change. His eyes dropped and his entire body seemed to shrink just a little bit. When Raven finished speaking, the usual hum of machinery that echoed throughout the garage now felt eerily silent, a silence which was only amplified by Cyborg's unwillingness to answer. Raven was almost about to go on another rant when Cyborg inadvertently cut her off, a sigh of defeat escaping his mouth.

"It's too…simple."

The quizzical tilt of Raven's head was accompanied by a raised eyebrow, silently imploring Cyborg to elaborate. Cyborg sighed again. "You saw how he was with Star…I was so awkward…I had no idea what to say, what to do…where was I supposed to even begin? But then…with Star…he just forgave her…forgave us…just like that? I didn't even get to say a thing before he said how much he'd missed us…"

Raven's puzzled expression had slowly morphed into something slightly softer. She was vaguely aware of a feeling of hope entering her mind, but she pushed that aside for the moment. There was more to be gained from this yet.

Cyborg continued on, not noticing the change in Raven's expression. "Now he's just…here…and I don't know what to do…part of me wants to apologize to him while another part of me wants to give out to him. Of course I wanted him to come home…but for him to just be standing in Main Ops…just like that…I don't know…he's been an idiot, but I've been a bigger one…so yea, I was probably more confrontational than I needed to be…it doesn't feel right for it to be as easy as Starfire made it."

"That's not your decision to make alone Cyborg…just because Beast Boy forgave everyone upstairs doesn't mean there aren't still conversations that need to be had. At one point when I first talked to Beast Boy in the city, I borderline screamed at him because of how stupid I thought he had been. Starfire has always been someone who looks to fix a situation as soon as possible, especially when it comes to people she cares about. Azar, I'm sure the conversation Beast Boy will eventually have with Nightwing will be as awkward as the reunion we had upstairs with how Beast Boy does small talk."

Cyborg looked at Raven in exasperation. "Don't you get it Rae? I know he's forgiven us…but it can't be that easy…it shouldn't be that easy…what we did…what I did…Jesus Raven, I didn't even hesitate…he was my best friend and I went for offense without even considering another damn thing…but then he just disappeared? I don't care about me, but he put the team through hell at times…

Raven certainly felt for the metallic titan to a certain extent, but that didn't mean she was going to let his argument stand. "So what…you just drove him away? What did you even say to him?"

Cyborg cast his eyes downwards. "That was a mistake…I don't know a thing about the guy's past and there I was, just letting words tumble out of my mouth without thinking…I know I handled our talk earlier wrong but…maybe it's for the best."

"No, I don't think it is Cyborg. You don't get to decide whether Beast Boy wants to be friends again or not just because you don't know how to react. At the minimum, you should be able to say this to Beast Boy's face."

Cyborg sat back down at his work desk, a decidedly tired look on his face. "I know…but I can't bring myself to…especially after earlier…I probably need to give it some time at this stage."

Raven felt Beast Boy in her head again, much more forcefully this time. There was confidence exuding from it. This time, he actually spoke in her head, his words projecting loud and clear.

"Thanks Raven…I think I should take it from here."

Raven nodded internally in agreement before looking across at Cyborg, who was slumped in his seat at his desk, almost as if he was waiting for Raven to continue scolding him.

"Just repeat what you said to me, to Beast Boy, and see what he thinks about it…it's not that hard Cyborg."

Cyborg scoffed. "It sounds really easy when you say it like that Raven."

Raven smirked as her eyes honed in on the green house fly that had started flying haphazardly from the wall to the hood of the T-car. "It can't be that hard…you've literally just done it."

Cyborg's face turned into one of confusion, before he followed her gaze to the fly sat on T-car. Cyborg mouth dropped open in shock as the fly flew off the hood of the car into the air and began morphing in mid-air before it was replaced by the main topic of Raven and Cyborg's conversation. Beast Boy and Cyborg locked eyes, Cyborg still in shock while Beast Boy looked almost heartbroken. Raven looked between the two. "I'll leave you two to talk it out." With that, Raven opened a portal and without another word, stepped into it and disappeared off to somewhere else in the tower.

Now, with the two occupants of the room left to their own devices and Cyborg's real thoughts in the open for all to see, the metallic titan still hadn't managed to gather any kind of composure whatsoever. Meanwhile, Beast Boy had leaned back against the T-car, his hands supporting his weight. He looked at Cyborg, not quite sure what to say himself.

"Dude…"

Raven stepped out of her portal, emerging into the sanctuary of her own room. Words could not describe how relieved she had been when she'd gotten back to the tower after Deathstroke's assault and found her room was relatively untouched, with the exception of a few items that had fallen off of the shelves due to the impact of some projectiles launched at the tower.

Raven took a seat on the side of her bed and within a few seconds, she could feel herself almost physically deflate as her body caught up with everything that had happened that day. It was still relatively early in the night, but Raven planned on finally taking, what she considered to be, a well-earned rest. But before she could do that, she knew she had one more thing to cross off her list. Raven scooted further back onto her bed, before reaching over to her bedside table. Her mirror sat where it always did, undisturbed by the events that the tower had experienced over the last few days. In all honesty, she was exhausted and a trip into her own mind at this current moment was far less appealing than simply curling up in bed.

She rolled her mirror over in her hands. She knew this couldn't wait though. Raven was glad that she finally had some time alone to gather her thoughts but who knew how long this peace would last. Deathstroke was still out there, biding his time, no doubt calculating his next move. On a note that hit slightly closer to home, both literally and figuratively, the person that she was making this trip to Nevermore for was otherwise preoccupied. Raven swallowed as the Herald's words from earlier entered her mind…shortly followed by the moment she had shared with Beast Boy in Main Ops. Raven closed her eyes tightly, rotating the mirror in her hands so that the glass was facing her. As her eyes opened, she was just able to register the claw that reached out, pulling her deep into the recesses of her own mind.

As Raven descended downwards through the sky, she couldn't help but notice the improved environment of her mindscape. The last couple of times she had been here, it had been readily obvious that she had been in turmoil. Whether it was with how desolate the landscape had looked, the deafening silence, or the absence of most of her emoticlones, it wouldn't have taken an expert to work out that Raven had been having problems handling her emotions. This time, everything seemed far more defined and in it's proper place. Raven could see Timid's maze, back to it's normal size, in the distance and the portal to Happy's realm.

Raven glanced downwards as she descended and her eyes widened. Usually, there would be one or two emoticlones waiting for her and they would be, at the minimum, involved with the reason for Raven's visit. Beneath her, an orange emoticlone stood staring upwards at Raven, looking disinterested and clearly unhappy with being stood there at all. In all of Raven's trips to Nevermore, she couldn't remember a single occasion where she had been greeted by the manifestation of her laziness. Raven landed on the ground in front of Lazy, who looked entirely unimpressed with Raven's presence.

"Well it's about time! I've been stood here for like…well time is just a concept here, but it felt like forever! Honestly, making me stand here waiting for you…"

Raven raised an eyebrow, still not entirely over her shock at who had come to greet her. "Well in all honesty, I wasn't expecting you either…I thought this would be more of a matter for someone more…thoughtful."

Lazy looked at Raven with mock offense. "I'll have you know I can be very thoughtful! I came out here and waited for you, didn't I? Azar, maybe Rude was right to call you what she did. Anyway, come on, some of the others are waiting and I can finally sit down again."

The orange emoticlone turned away from Raven without another word, trudging away, leaving a stunned Raven in her wake. After a few seconds, she shook her head and flew to catch up.

"Wait, what did Rude call me!?"

Lazy either didn't hear Raven or chose not to respond, with Raven being highly suspicious that it was the latter. Raven was starting to get used to these little treks she'd embark on with one of emoticlones when she arrived in Nevermore. It wasn't that Raven only went where her emoticlones brought her upon arrival. No one knew her mind better than her and she explored every facet of the expanse. She'd observed how different spots had changed overtime, just as she did. It meant there was always something new for her to learn during every visit. Raven always thought noticing and understanding what had changed in Nevermore always translated into the real world.

Catching up to Lazy, but not wanting to start the conversation again, Raven cast her eyes around the expanse in front of her. Nevermore probably looked the healthiest that it had looked in months. Raven could make it out Timid's maze off to the right, currently adjusted to be it's proper size, if not, possibly even smaller than it used to be, slightly more central to Raven's view, but still a way off in the distance, Bravery's fighting dojo stood stall and proud against the dark sky of Raven's mind. Raven smiled internally at the little changes. They certainly seemed in line with how she felt.

"Earth to Raven. We're heading through here, get your head out of the clouds."

Raven snapped back to the emoticlone beside her before realizing where they were. Raven and Lazy stood before one of the many portal's in Raven's mind. In some cases, when an emoticlones nature inherently required a greater expanse than a single building, portals like the one in front of the pair could bring them to somewhere more appropriate, with Happy's meadow being one such example. Although, it was not Happy's portal that Raven was stood before. She recognized the wood exterior. It wasn't often in the past that Raven had visited this realm. She hadn't had a need too. Now though…she guessed it was probably about time she paid a visit.

"I'm right behind you."

Lazy curtly nodded and the pair walked through the portal. Raven brought a hand in front of her eyes as it suddenly became much brighter. When her eyes adjusted, she couldn't help but be surprised. The realm had changed massively since her last visit here. Raven and Lazy stood on what was essentially a perfect replica of a Jump City Street, only missing the people. However, the closer Raven looked, the more imperfections she saw. All the buildings were lacking just the slightest bit of detail, the shops had no names, items in windows were generic and almost had a blurry quality. Lazy began walking and Raven followed, puzzled by intrigued to find out where they were headed. Lazy, for the first time, looked at Raven with something other than annoyance.

"I don't remember this place being so…urban."

Raven nodded. "I suppose your right…the las time I was here anyway, I didn't have anything to base this off of, so Azar's temple on Azarath seemed fitting. She was the only one who actually cared for me so I guess it made sense."

Lazy grimaced. "Things were easier then…less work."

Raven looked at Lazy with confusion and was about to ask her what she meant when Lazy cut her off with a raised hand. "We're here…recognize it?"

Raven cast her gaze upwards and felt her jaw drop just ever so slightly. The two stood before a small coffee shop, nestled between two skyscrapers. It's exterior, adorned with ivy-colored brick walls and inviting windows stood massively in contrast to the steel giants on either side of it. Raven didn't need to read the name to know the name of this place.

"Rhyme and Grind…it's a small coffee shop in the upper part of east Jump City. They do poetry and open mic nights on Thursdays and Sundays…or at least they did the last time I was there. It was one of the only places in Jump that I would sometimes go to on my own to just be away from the others…the tower…to feel normal."

Lazy looked at Raven, then the coffee shop, and the back to Raven. "You wanted to be alone? Seems like a weird choice for who's realm we're in then, right?"

Raven gently nodded. "She'll have her reasons."

Raven stepped ahead of Lazy and pushed open the wooden door. Inside was exactly how Raven remembered it. It was a cozy space with an eclectic mix of wooden furniture and soft, warm lighting. The air held the aroma of freshly ground coffee beans, and while Raven was more partial to tea, there was something about the smell that wafted through the air that set her mind at ease. The walls were adorned with artwork provided by local Jump City artists who were looking to gain some recognition. At the back of the coffee shop, a small stage was set-up, with a single stool placed in front of an open mic, an array of instruments sitting in stands behind the set-up. Behind the counter, an emoticlone moved seamlessly, seemingly unaware of her new "customers" as she was busy serving another emoticlone. The emoticlone behind the counter was humming to herself, as she placed four tea bags into four separate mugs. She looked up at Raven and Rude with a smile.

"I was wondering how long it would be before I would get to speak with you in my own domain."

Raven approached the two emoticlones, the other one who had been at the counter being prompted to turn around by the proclamation of the other. Raven nodded. "Wisdom…a pleasure as always and yes Affection…it probably has been a long time coming, although I must ask…why this place?"

Affection smiled at Raven warmly. "I think it's perfect…our favorite spot in the city…a safe haven of warmth and literature, entombed between towering, steel giants. Just because we've only been here by ourselves doesn't mean that we only ever want to be here alone. It's such a warm setting. There's tables big enough for a group of friends to enjoy each other's company, as well as smaller tables where two people could bond and engage in something more. One day, I hope to have memories of times you brought people here…for now, I'll take it as my domain of choice."

Raven took a second to think on Affection's response. The coffee shop had been one of the few places that she used to venture to in the city on her own. When the Tower was just a bit to hectic or the crime rate of the City was on a downward trend, she had been able to sneak away every so often and take refuge within it's walls, with no distractions except a pot of tea and her current book of choice. The Titans had saved the owner of the store, a Mr. Mads Larsen, during one of Mumbo's magical misdeeds and as soon as Raven had stepped inside curiously one day, he came out to greet her with a firm handshake and a promise of tea on the house.

From then on, every time she went, her preferred spot, a table for two in the back corner, almost hidden away from the others tables, was kept open for her. It sported two armchairs, one on either side, that had both clearly seen better days. They didn't match, either each other or any of the other seats in the shop. But Raven didn't care. She would always tuck herself away in the chair facing away, so that her back was to the other patrons of the shop. The only person who had ever sat opposite her was the eccentric owner himself, who Raven was genuinely intrigued by. A Danish man, who seemed well travelled, he spoke of coffee the same way Raven imagined she would speak about books if she was so inclined. He'd complained to her, on more than one occasion that Raven had never brought any of the other Titans to his shop, to which she had always simply stated it wouldn't be their kind of thing. He'd always given her the some form of the same response. "Ah Raven, whether you have coffee, tea or even choose to abstain from both…a visit with friends to such a place as this can fill a person's cup in so many more ways than one."

Raven had always smiled politely, not quite understanding the meaning behind the Mr. Larsen's words. She couldn't help but smile internally. Maybe he'd been a tad wiser than she had first thought he was. Her happiness quickly dissipated into something sadder. She had been to visit Rhyme and Grind in months. She'd only managed to sneak away once between the Brotherhood of Evil and Malchior's attack and well…she'd had no time since. She cast her eyes around the replica of the shop that Affection had chosen as her domain. She'd have to take a trip to it once everything with Deathstroke was over. Maybe she'd even offer the Titans the chance to come along this time and heed the words of the coffee shops eccentric owner. Raven turned back to Affection.

"I suppose your choice makes sense."

Affection smiled warmly at Raven, before motioning to a central table. "Perhaps it would be easiest if we all sat down. I've made tea just how we all like it."

Wisdom and Raven both nodded and headed for the table indicated by Affection whilst Lazy grumbled to herself and moved behind them, eventually taking a seat furthest from where Raven and Wisdom had chosen to sit. Affection appeared from behind the counter with four steaming mugs of tea on a tray, which she deposited on the table. The three emoticlones and Raven each took a mug. Raven held the tea up to her nose and inhaled the steaming aroma emanating from the dark liquid. She raised an eyebrow. It smelt like how she made her tea…but it wasn't. Raven very rarely had a need to buy herself anything of real value, outside of her books, components for some of her more complicated spells and her ingredients for tea. As such, she always treated herself. If she wanted vanilla extract or manuka honey, she got the best she could get her hands on. This didn't smell like that. This smelt like the kind of tea she could make using ingredients from any convenience store. She looked at Affection with an inquisitive eye. "This is how we like it?"

Affection smiled, without raising her head from her own mug, to which she had just added a half teaspoon of sugar and was stirring the warm liquid. Wisdom took a sip and gave her mug a critical gaze before turning to Raven. "It's our favorite recipe in recent memory, yes…I believe the ingredients used are of the same vein that Beast Boy brought to us after the fight with Adonis."

Raven's eyes widened in surprise before she turned her attention to her own mug once again. She hesitated for a second before taking a tentative sip. It tasted slightly synthetic, with all the trademark characteristics of chamomile bought from a corner store and honey and vanilla that was mass produced in a factory. But she couldn't help allowing her mind to drift back to the circumstance to which she'd been given those ingredients in the first place as the corners of her mouth turned upwards ever so slightly. Raven was brought out of her thoughts by Lazy groaning at the end of table, as she pushed her mug away from herself.

"Ugh we get it, Beast Boy bought us some stupid tea, it's not that hard."

Raven gave Lazy a bewildered look. The personification of her Laziness was complaining that someone did something for her? That had certainly never happened before. Affection's eyes hardened as she turned to face the orange emoticlone, but Wisdom put a hand on her arm.

"Perhaps we should discuss the issue at hand with Raven first…after all, by your own words, we are in the perfect spot to engage in conversation."

That seemed to appease Affection as she turned back to Raven, while Lazy folded her arms, as if she was sulking. Wisdom took a sip of her tea, before addressing the three other occupants of the table. "Raven, you know the reason you came to Nevermore…I too have been pondering our interaction with Beast Boy in the tower before the other Titans arrived home, as well as the information we have learned about him since. Up until now, we've only been dealing in possibilities. What happened in main ops…that suggests something far more tangible…and far more real. As such, it has caused certain aspects of you to…become outspoken about how we should proceed. I, for one, in all honesty, am a little unsure. It is bizarre for me to admit this but well…we have only been in a similar situation once before…and that didn't end well for us."

Every occupant of the table stiffened as their minds drifted back to Malchior and how they'd fallen for his ploy. Wisdom didn't allow the mood to dampen any further. "However, our actions with Beast Boy in Main Ops were…impulsive. Now that we've been able to take a step back from it, we've inherently been able to look at the situation and potential ramifications more closely and it has resulted in a divide between some aspects of yourself, with the primary one being between these two."

Wisdom extended her arms towards Affection and Lazy, both of which were not avoiding eye contact with each other. Raven was a little surprised. She had certainly expected some aspects of herself to have reservations, namely Timid, who she thought would be the emoticlone she needed to convince. The orange emoticlone never cared enough about anything to give her problems…it was inherently in her nature. Lazy caught Raven looking at her and rolled her eyes.

"Oh yea, assume I'm the villain or the bad guy or be surprised that I actually cared enough to do something when everyone else is trapped in their little happy endings. I'm a part of you, which means whether you like it or not, a little part of you knows why I'm skeptical."

Raven didn't get to answer as Affection slammed a hand on the table. "It's not like the last time! We were tricked! And who came to help us afterwards? That's right, Beast Boy! He's always be-"

"We had to do so much work for Malchior! We learned his magic, we listened to his stories, we did what he asked of us! I don't care if Beast Boy comforted us! He ran away! Do you not remember how hard we worked to try and find him? The little nagging feeling in Raven's mind, that was telling her to give up? That was me! Everyday, I had to watch you guys talk about hope and carrying the fire while I wanted to throw up! Why was the expectation on us? We've had to do so much for him, just like we did for Malchior. Why are we so sure that he won't be any different? Come on, Wisdom, tell me! Tell Affection how you know Beast Boy won't turn around be just like Malchior? After all, he's only in Jump to stop Deathstroke, he said it himself!"

Raven and Affection's eyes swiveled to the light blue emoticlone, who despite the marked increase in tension in the room, remained perfectly calm, taking another sip of tea. "I am not Knowledge. I don't deal in facts and figures like she does. I am the embodiment of what we have learned as a collective over time. Every experience we have has been a form of exploration for me. I learned a lot from our time with Malchior. I understand how we felt…the pain we all experienced, including you. Of course I could not give you an answer as to how I know Beast Boy could not do the same. But in the same way, I could not give an answer as to why we shouldn't trust him. That is what wisdom is, not the experience, but the reflection on it."

Lazy rolled her eyes, folding her arms over her chest again. "Well that answer was a whole load of nothing…"

Affection look at Lazy sadly. "You have never had a problem with Beast Boy before? If anything, I remember you being quite fond of him, even when the rest of us weren't for his inability to clean his room and tendency to lounge on the couch, playing videogames all day. So what's changed? Why have you sudd-"

"Because he left! And I know it was our partially our fault! But we worked so hard to find him and now that he's back, I don't like how close he is! I'm the only one looking out for Raven here! Do you know how hard this is for us? To put ourselves out there? To potentially get burned once again? Why? For what? Why risk it? We've always been fine on our own. Not once when we came to this coffee shop did we ever go you know what I want right now? For Beast Boy to be here. It never happened!"

Raven watched the scene before in silence. It was a bizarre experience to watch different aspects of herself argue amongst themselves. Obviously, she could feel these emotions in the real world, but the beauty of Nevermore was that she could isolate the stem of her thoughts. She could identify what was causing her to feel a certain way. Experiencing these two aspects of herself fighting, she could explain how she'd acted in certain situations. Her anger after Beast Boy left the tower again, her outburst in the motel with Beast Boy and the fact that she tried to justify herself to the Herald despite her knowing how she felt. It all stemmed from Lazy, who, like all the other emoticlones, had been on the same journey Raven had been for the last two months…and all the work that entailed.

"You think the effort isn't worth it. You think the risk to reward ratio is too high."

Wisdom looked at Raven with a small amount of pride, like she was please that Raven had managed to come to a conclusion that she agreed with. Affection's gaze drifted to Raven, the back to Lazy, then back and forth again. Lazy looked at Raven stunned for a minute, before shaking it off.

"You're damn right I do. Why are we putting in all this effort when it's not a guarantee. We're fine on our own! It's not worth it"

Raven sat forward in her chair. "Like Wisdom said, we don't have the answer for that yet. We can't say it's not worth it because we don't know what there is to lose…you're afraid of all our work being for nothing…that Beast Boy isn't the person we think he is or that potentially pursuing something with him isn't worth fighting for based on what we've been through in the past…you're afraid of getting hurt again."

"Of course I'm afraid of getting hurt again, which means you are too! I'm just the only one who seems to be able to see that we can simply avoid it. What's the point? What do you think that something like this would be even achieve."

Affection was looking at Lazy slightly more sympathetically. "It's not about achieving something. As much I want too, I can't be 100% sure that this would go well. Azar, we can't even be sure of what Beast Boy's thoughts on what happened are right now. All I know is how we feel about him. I don't want to just say that I have soft spot for him, that doesn't help you, but do you not feel like when Beast Boy is around us, he makes things…easier? There's something about having him by our side that makes me think there's nothing we can't do. Even outside of that, everything just feels…less difficult. Does that make more sense to you?"

Lazy scoffed but couldn't help looking away from the expectant eyes of Affection, Raven and even Wisdom. "There's a difference between something feeling easier and actually being easier."

Affection nodded. "Yes, for sure, but would you prefer everything just being harder than it needs to be?"

"But if it goes wrong, everything will be way harder than before. The moments after Malchior we-"

Raven cut across Lazy. "Were made easier by Beast Boy. You may be the embodiment of my laziness, but you are so much more than that. You protect me in your own way. You help me make logical decisions. You have your own form of efficiency. But, I also understand that Beast Boy is not a guarantee. Azar, I would still have to talk to him after this but…I don't think I'd be able to simply let this go for the fear of it going wrong. You can't see what there is to achieve and neither can I…so let's find out."

Lazy cast a side eye at Raven. It looked she was having an internal debate about how she wanted to proceed. After a few seconds, she slumped in her chair and reached out for her mug which she had pushed aside, staring judgmentally at the brown liquid within it. She took a small sip, rolling the liquid on her tongue for a moment before swallowing and turning to Affection. "That's way too damn sweet, even for me."

Affection smiled at her. "It'll grow on you, trust me."

"Azar help me."

Wisdom smiled at the interaction between the two previously quarrelling emoticlones, but her smile dissipated when she turned back to Raven, who still wore a slight frown. "What's wrong Raven? Usually a resolution like this calms you. Something still concerns you?"

Raven took a slow sip of her tea, relishing in the taste and the meaning behind it. "It's just…like Affection said, this all sounds perfect as long as Beast Boy returns our…feelings. Azar, it feels weird to even say that out loud. I'm…it's just…I'm not good at…well, this."

Wisdom smiled at Raven. "My dear, we are a half-demon daughter of Trigon the Terrible, a superhero, a member of the Teen Titans, a sorceress and an empath, but also, and we do sometimes forget this…we are half-human. Sure, we deal with the extraordinary almost every day, but the problem before you now is an almost uniquely human one. Based on what we've read, it doesn't even seem like that uncommon a problem for humans our age. That doesn't make it any less terrifying…it is simply new and different."

Raven still looked unconvinced. "And if this going wrong?"

Wisdom remained steadfast. "Then we will learn from the experience, but I think it's obvious at this stage that you would regret not pursuing this to some extent. If you are truly unsure, then might I recommend looking for a sign. I still believe that your earlier interaction would suffice, but if you are still unsure, there is no need to rush anything."

Raven looked slightly more relaxed at that and took one final sip of her tea, placing the empty mug back on the table. Wisdom looked at her with a warm smile. "It seems our time is up for today. You need to rest, and I mean actually rest. If you need to speak with any of us again, you know where to find us. After all, we are technically always with you."

Raven sighed. "Don't I know it."

Lazy stood up from across the table. "Oh stop moaning, you're lucky to have us and you know it. Now come on, forbidden door time. I'm tired and need you outta' here before I can go take a nap."

Raven stood and bade farewell to both Wisdom and Affection, who remained seated at the table, before following Lazy out of the front door. After the two had disappeared, Affection turned to Wisdom, a look of excitement on her face. "So…do you think Raven will finally…act on her feelings, in a pre-meditated way? Have we done enough?"

Wisdom nonchalantly took a sip of her tea. "Like I said, I need the experience before I can provide any answers."

Affection folded her arms and huffed. "I hate your non-answers."

Cyborg had taken to looking at every aspect of the Titans Tower garage, or basically anything that would allow his gaze to stay averted from the changeling's, who was still leaning against the side of the T-car. He'd noticed that the air was heavy with the scent of oil motor oil and dust. He noticed some cracks in the concrete floor that he made a mental note to look into later. His workbench was a little cluttered. In fact, the whole garage probably needed attention. Maybe if he-

"Dude…are you gonna say anything?"

Without thinking, Cyborg looked up at Beast Boy and immediately regretted it. The changeling's expression was somewhere between confusion and sadness…there may have been a hint of anger in there as well. He couldn't be sure. Cyborg supposed there was nothing he could do now. Beast Boy had heard everything he'd said to Raven. But how the hell was he supposed to even start.

"Listen…Beast Boy…I…dammit…I just…I wasn't expecting you to be in the tower. Over the past few months, man, I must have thought of a thousand ways that I could do to begin trying to make things right. Then, you just forgave us…just like that. It can't be that simple! For either of us! We both made mistakes, but how are you so willing to just…move on so easily?"

Beast Boy folded his arms. "How the hell has any of this been easy or simple?"

Cyborg looked at Beast Boy, a bewildered look on his face. "Within ten minutes of walking into Main Ops, you were hugging Starfire! You pretty much said that you forgave all of us!

Beast Boy looked unimpressed. "Okay, sure…and what came before that? Oh yea, a two month absence by yours truly because he didn't have a damn clue what to do so he ran away. I didn't trust myself and I didn't know if I could trust you guys. You apparently spent pretty much all the time I was gone either fighting Deathstroke's cronies or looking for me and I spent the entire time camping in Alaska trying to both find Deathstroke and get a handle on a creature that you guys never trusted in the most cowardly way possible and I have to live with that. Absolutely none of this has been easy or simple!"

That seemed to shut Cyborg up. Beast Boy's eyes softened a bit at the sight of, who he still considered to be his best friend, clearly completely at a loss for words.

"Look man…when Raven found me in Jump, it's not like we just hugged it out. She absolutely roasted me for disappearing and I gave it back to her without question. But we're in a good place now because we were both able to say things that we needed to say. Also, I know things looked rosy upstairs, but let's be real…there are probably gonna be some awkward times over the next few days. I haven't been here for a while, man, I've barely talked to other people over the last two months. I'm still getting used to the idea of being in a team and trusting you guys again and I'd expect for you all of you to be doing the same thing with me. But that ain't gonna happen if you try and kill any chance we have of building something before we can even try."

Cyborg mumbled under his breath. "I was gonna try and bridge the gap eventually…I just didn't want it to be gifted…."

"Dude, it wasn't gifted. I'm here because after two months, I finally want to be. If you actually don't want to deal with me, simply say the word and I'll leave you alone…potentially, it's what I deserve, but if that ain't the case, you don't get to make the decision of when we start trying to trust each other again by yourself…that sounds like the literal first step of trust."

Cyborg seemed unconvinced. "So what…we just act like everything is back to normal? Even though we both know it's not?"

"Well…yea, what else would we do? When people fight, it's awkward for a bit, they get over it, life moves on."

"This was a little bigger than a fight…"

"So it's gonna take longer, sure. I ain't saying everything should be rosy after this but…hell, we need to start somewhere."

Cyborg leaned back in his chair at his work bench, taking a chance to size up the changeling that stood before him. He only clocked in that moment how much Beast Boy had changed. He wondered if Beast Boy thought the same of him…

"Do you really think I've gotten fat?"

Beast Boy held back a smirk. "Nah, that was just to get your attention earlier…scout's honour."

"….you were never in the scouts, were you?"

"I don't think so, but hey, who cares."

Cyborg paused for showing off a small smile. "Start somewhere…okay…we can do that."

Beast Boy smiled and walked up to Cyborg, pausing for a brief moment, like he was thinking of his next action, before shoving a hand in Cyborg's direction.

"Alright, friends it is."

Cyborg stared at the outstretched hand for a second before he gave small chuckle and looked downwards with a wry smile. He took Beast Boy's hand firmly. "Friends…never in doubt."

Only a single light above the kitchen counters kept Main Ops from being shrouded in darkness. At the counter, a lone figure sat, hunched over a newspaper and a half cup of coffee that had long since gone cold. Nightwing had been in two minds about going to bed or staying up and waiting to see if Beast Boy would make a reappearance. Obviously he knew between Raven having to succeed at coaxing him back inside and the conversation with Cyborg that would have to follow that there was a chance he didn't see Beast Boy again tonight…but on the other hand…everyone had got to say their piece in some way…and there was so much that he wanted to say…despite the fact that he had no idea how to say it.

He was broken out of his thoughts by the sound of the sliding door, signaling that someone had else had entered Main Ops. Nightwing wheeled around, ready to deal with the problem head on, but deflated when he saw who it was.

"Oh…sorry…I thought you were Beast Boy."

Raven raised an eyebrow as she glided over to the kitchen, where she began looking through various shelves, picking out ingredients for her tea of choice. "Have you been waiting here this whole time?"

Nightwing nodded tiredly. "Well…everyone else talked to Beast Boy today…and I didn't want it to seem like I'd bailed just because he had to go off and find Cyborg."

Raven's face softened just a little bit. "Nightwing…I know you want to fix this as much as everyone else, but you don't need to deprive yourself of sleep when it could be fixed tomorrow morning. Beast Boy has…he has a lot he needs to work through still…both with us and with himself. He wants to talk to you. That's already a good start."

Nightwing sighed. "I know…it's just…I feel like I let him down more than as a friend. I was supposed to be the leader of the Titans and I could never seem to get it right with him…it keeps me up at night."

"It kept all of us up at night."

"So you can understand why I'm still waiting here then."

Raven, who had just set one of her tea bags into a mug, looked over at Nightwing sadly. After a second, she walked around to the other side of the counter where he was sitting and took a seat beside him.

"Nightwing…look…I've been inside your head…so I probably know a little more than most…maybe more than you would like but…you're a good leader…you aren't like your…old mentor."

"How am I not? I jumped to conclusions with Beast Boy at every chance I got. I never gave him the credit he deserved. I –"

"You learnt from your mistakes. You've actively changed in the last few months. Something, that as far as I am aware of, your mentor never did for you. You've realised that you could become better and you took the chance. You've brought the team closer together."

"The team that was here anyway."

"And now your actively driving yourself insane to fix your mistake. There's plenty of things to be stressed about with Beast Boy…this isn't one of them…you're not your mentor and you can fix this."

Nightwing didn't seem entirely convinced as he stared down at the newspaper in front of him. He glanced at the headline. Titans Reunited? Beast Boy spotted in Jump City. It wasn't even one of the main publications Jump City had to offer, but Nightwing always scoured every news source for even the slightest hint of a lead. The article itself had been almost entirely speculative, but if anything, it's what Nightwing had been thinking anyway. It posed question after question about Beast Boy and his return, whether he was back with the Titans and what were his whereabouts over the last two months. Nightwing had far fewer answers than he liked. He was about to turn back to Raven, when the Main Ops door slid open again. Both Nightwing and Raven turned to see the Changeling rubbing his neck as he entered the room, freezing in place when he realised he was being watched.

"Oh…eh…hi…didn't realise that people were still gonna be up. Nightwing, we can talk later if you want if you an-"

Raven cut him off. "No, it's perfectly fine, I was just leaving anyway. Just making some tea before bed. He's been waiting for you."

Raven quickly collected her mug before heading towards the main door. When she was beside Beast Boy, concern flashed in her eyes. "How was Cyborg?"

Beast Boy gave her a small smile. "It's all good…it ain't perfect…but it's a start."

Raven nodded before glancing over her shoulder. "I'm surprised you didn't just wait till tomorrow to talk to Nightwing…it's late."

Beast Boy gave her a determined look. "I know but…I want this done today. I've been away long enough and everyone deserves…something from me anyway I think I owe it at this stage."

"And how are you…after earlier I mean?"

"I feel…lighter. Who knew talking about it would help?"

"I did and I'm not often wrong."

"Alright, alright, I get it."

Raven gave him a slight smile before brushing past him, glancing backwards at Nightwing before she slipped out the door. Raven would probably have laughed at the awkward look on his face if she didn't know the nature of the conversation they were about to have. Knowing that this was between the two of them, she slipped out without another word.

Beast Boy had watched Raven leave, mainly because he was terrified of the talk that lay ahead of him. Out of all the Titans, Robin had been the one that he was least looking forward to returning too. Not because he didn't consider him a friend, but because of his role as the leader. No matter the circumstances he left under, he knew it and Nightwing knew it too…he'd made a choice to leave without anything more than a word of mouth message.

Beast Boy turned around to Nightwing to find the leader of the Titans staring at him, his eyes quickly averting when the two locked eyes. Nightwing cleared his throat and stood up, walking to the other side of the kitchen island. "Coffee?...it's been a long day."

"Decaf if we have any…you might have been able to guess this, but me and caffeine…a dangerous combo, let alone this late at night."

Nightwing gave a chuckle and turned on the coffee maker, flipping the switch on the kettle beside it as he did so. "I think we only have instant decaf if that's okay?"

"I've never really been a coffee afficionado, so that'll do."

Nightwing rummaged through one of the upper shelves before withdrawing a glass jar of instant coffee. Beast Boy took the opportunity to take a seat at the kitchen island.

"So…new outfit?"

Nightwing froze ever so slightly as he poured boiling water into a new mug for Beast Boy. "Yea, decided to make the change a few weeks ago after we fought Phobia…just felt like the right time to leave certain things behind."

"It suits you."

Nightwing gave a nod as he poured a fresh brew of coffee into his own mug before walking around to Beast Boy, handing him his mug and taking a seat beside him.

"Same to you. Where did you even get the new suit? Why the change?"

Beast Boy grimaced. "Some of my first attempts to sort out the beast got…ehm…messy and well…my old suit was more…shredded to pieces rather than retired. I was able to link in with the Doom Patrol and Negative Man hooked me up with some new threads. Mento apparently said that if I wasn't running with them anymore, he didn't want me in the DP colors, but Negative Man still made me the new outfit."

"Ah…makes sense I suppose…did that…annoy you? I mean, Mento making the decision for you?"

Beast Boy shrugged. "Mento is…strong-willed and…well, stubborn. I have no doubt that others on the team would have tried to argue his stance about the uniform but…well…he doesn't take kindly to his leadership being questioned…it's his way or no way and I'm used to that."

Nightwing grimaced. "I know what that can be like."

Beast Boy looked up from his mug with peaked curiosity. "Yea, you probably do…what was that like? If you don't mind me asking…I mean…not gonna lie, when I first met you, that fact you had decided to run solo blew my mind…like…you were running with the Bat…people like us usually dream of chance like that but…if I had to guess, I'd say he was a pretty intense guy."

Nightwing's laugh was short and sharp. "Intense is one word for it…I mean…I'll always be grateful for everything he did for me. He was there for me when no one else was and he definitely didn't have to be…he chose to be but…we had disagreements on a few key things that we couldn't solve. I get my no killing rule from him…but I still think he took things to far at times and…the idea of becoming like him when I was older was…not something I wanted."

"I couldn't live with myself if I ever ended up like Mento. What do you mean he took you in? Did you not just work with him?"

Nightwing's face froze, but after a moment it lapsed. This was the kind of moment he'd been thinking about. The kind of moment where he wanted to show he could be more than just a leader. It all started with steps like this…well, that's what he was telling himself anyway.

"He did far more than that for me. When I was younger I was actually part of…a trapeze act in the circus with my parents. The owner of the circus owed someone money and when he couldn't pay it back, in retaliation, someone was hired to send him a message. Someone sabotaged our trapeze and my parents were the ones caught in the crossfire. Batman was at the circus that night and saw what happened and well…we went from there."

Beast Boy was stunned, his mouth falling open in a way that would have been funny if not for the circumstances. "Dude…I'm…I'm so sorry."

"It's okay…I came to terms with it long ago."

Beast Boy rubbed his hands against his mug nervously. "I…I lost my parents when I was a kid too…it was a boating accident…so I know how you feel…still working on the coming to terms with it part though."

Nightwing looked shocked for a moment before looking into the dark liquid within his coffee cup. "Guess we have more in common that we realised."

"Yea, I guess so."

The pair fell silent for a few seconds before promptly looking up at each other at the same time.

"Beast Boy, I just wanted to-"

Nightwing, listen I ne-"

The two both stopped as they interrupted each other. Beast Boy held up his hands, indicating to Nightwing that he should go first. Nightwing hesitated for a moment before giving in with a slight upturn of the corners of his mouth.

"Alright, I'll go. Look…I've had a lot of time to think about everything that's happened…and this goes further back than two months ago. Back when you first became the Beast…I jumped to conclusions with you. I know Raven lambasted all of us at the time but…outside of an apology, I never really tried anything else. When it comes to the Beast, I've always only looked at it's dangers or it's potential. When Malchior returned to Jump, my first thought was about your control…not the wellbeing of my teammate. I…haven't been a good leader to you for a long time. Even when it came to the Brotherhood, I didn't listen to you, when you were only person with knowledge of them. That's not just dismissive, it was borderline stupidity on my part. Since the incident in the Tower…I've been trying to change who I am and…what I value, as opposed to the values of those I used to work with. I'm not always right and I'm not perfect, traits that I would have liked to acknowledge earlier but…here we are. I can only talk about the present and what's to come."

Beast Boy was watching Nightwing with wide-eyes. This hadn't been the way he had thought this conversation was going to go. Still, he remained silent, imploring Nightwing to go on. He could sense there was something else coming.

"What happened all those months ago…I'm sorry, but I'm sure you know that at this stage. More importantly, I want to make a promise…to you…I'm taking the steps to be a better leader and man. You deserved this so long ago, but if you're coming back to stay…I promise to be the leader and friend I should always have been too you."

Beast Boy was about to respond, but paused at the expression on Nightwing's face. He could sense Nightwing's apprehension.

"There's a but coming…"

Nightwing nodded, his face drawing serious. "Nothing would make the team and I happier but for you to stay here, you know that…but Deathstroke is still out there, plotting his next move. It's no secret what he wants and what he has to do to achieve that. For the fight ahead, I want teammates by my side who I can rely on. Friends who will be here when times get tough. I know you had your reasons for leaving and I'll say I don't agree with all of them, but if you're here with us again…it's all or nothing. No more reasons for leaving, no more excuses…you promise me that and my promise stands…so Beast Boy…can I rely on you? Not the beast…but the man…are you still a Titan?"

Beast Boy held Nightwing's gaze, concealed behind his mask, giving away no information about how he felt. Beast Boy placed his now empty mug down on the table.

"I know I left…and looking back on it…I could have done it better…I should have done it better…I don't regret it, but I regret how I did it. You guys deserved more…the Herald knew that at the time, I just didn't see it. I ran…no matter what reasons I had…I didn't face them head on like I should have. Have I benefitted from being away? I won't lie, absolutely, but you went off to find a master, Cyborg learned from his time with Titans East…but I took the easy way out…and I have to live with that. But also…it gave me some perspective…I know who I am now…I'm in control of my own path."

Beast Boy held out his hand to Nightwing, his face entirely serious, as Nightwing looked down at the extended arm. Beast Boy didn't waver.

"I'm done running…and I trust you…and dammit, I'm a Titan."

Nightwing didn't hesitate, grabbing Beast Boy's outstretched hand firmly. It took a few seconds, but at the same time, the two reached over with their other arms, grabbing each other in a one armed embrace, the gripped hands holding firm.

"Welcome back Beast Boy."

"Good to be back."

The two separated and Nightwing withdrew his hand before crossing his arms across his chest with a raised eyebrow and the slightest hint of a smirk. "Raven mentioned that you need to be initiated again."

Beast Boy threw his arms in the air dramatically. "Oh come on…I literally answered the calling all titans communicator thing!"

Nightwing didn't budge, the only sign of movement being the slight increase in size of his smirk. "Will the same outfit that Cyborg used post-hive be okay?"

Beast Boy's shoulders slumped. "Yea…I suppose so."

Nightwing laughed before punching Beast Boy lightly in the arm. "I'll leave it up to the other Titans…maybe you can get a pass."

Nightwing walked from this seat to the sink with both his and Beast Boy's mugs, placing them both in the dishwasher before heading for the main ops door. "As the Herald reminded me…it's Christmas tomorrow…seems cruel…or maybe tis' the season."

Beast Boy couldn't help but smirk. "Yea yea…to be fair, I usually just go for the elf costume…I already have the ears down."

Nightwing smiled. "Night Beast Boy."

"Night…Nightwing…that sounds weird."

Nightwing left the room with a laugh, the sound becoming muffled as the sliding door closed behind him.

Beast Boy chuckled to himself as he stood up from his chair, but he wasn't going to bed just yet. He still had one more thing to do tonight. Beast Boy reached into his pocket and withdrew the small item he had grabbed from his room. He'd been relieved when Raven said none of the Titans had gone into his closet. He'd always been a fiend for impulse buying presents for people for Christmas, no matter how early. Something about giving presents for him was way better than receiving them and everything he had bought had just been sitting on his closet floor. He'd had enough wrapping for Nightwing, Cyborg and Starfire but Raven's present…well, he wanted to take a little more care. He walked over to the kitchen drawers and searched through them before withdrawing a pair of scissors. He'd never exactly been a wrapping afficionado but he was determined to try. After all, Christmas was the time of year to let people know how you feel about them…tis' the season after all.

Adonis blinked repeatedly as the bright light from above shone directly into his eyes. He'd had a fairly rough day. After being defeated in a less than competitive fight with the Beast, he'd been left in the cold for hours until he was found by Jump City police. Before he could be brought in though, a flurry of Deathstroke's bot distracted the cops, allowing him to clamber into a flaming portal that had formed beside him. On the other side, he had looked up, still handcuffed, expecting some kind of welcome, only to be met with a swift boot to the face, knocking him out. His circumstances had not seemed to approve upon his reawakening.

"Hey! Hey! What's the big idea? I'm on your side...I think?!"

Adonis heard footsteps in the distance, approaching slowly, until the face of Deathstroke loomed above him. "Ah, welcome back to the land of the living Adonis. I see that you managed to lose the blessed armor I provided for you."

Adonis tried to sit up, but found that his arms and legs were bound. He began to wriggle before also noticing that he was bound to the bed that he was lying. He looked up at Deathstroke, panic in his eyes.

"Hey, hey man, I was winning until that little green freak went psycho on me! I thought I had him bu-"

"You engaged the Beast instead of informing me despite that being your direct order. Not only that, but the empath was with him. She is the main target of our operation. Your stupidity allowed them to escape with ease."

"That Beast thing is a freak man, I didn't think-"

Deathstroke didn't hesitate and ploughed a fist into Adonis' unprotected face, eliciting a yelp from the teenager. "No...you didn't think...this is why I don't like to rely on free will...but not to worry...that won't be an issue for much longer. My sources in Jump City say that you too have had an experience as one of those Beasts."

Adonis looked up at Deathstroke through blurry eyes. "Alright, yea, I got hit by the same chemicals as the green dude and we both lost out minds, but their cybernetic dude cured me, so what!?"

Deathstroke looked down at the teenager strapped to the bed, his eye cold and unforgiving. "Excellent, we shall be initiating efforts to...reverse this."

From behind Deathstroke, another figure emerged from the shadows. Deathstroke motioned to him with one hand. "I assume you are familiar with Professor Chang. His goal is to...reverse engineer your more...primal previous condition...I fear it may not be the most enjoyable experience, but...you will be far more obedient afterwards...I promise."

Adonis looked at the form of Professor Chang approaching, noticing the syringe held in his right hand. "Wait, wait, wait, give me another chance! I know I can bring in tha-"

Deathstroke didn't even stay to listen to the boy's pleas, turning away and walking out of sight of the trapped Adonis. Until he was more...disciplined, he had no interest in dealing with him. Professor Chang loomed over Adonis' writhing body, a sickly smile on his face. Adonis felt his blood run cold.

"Wait! Please! Don't touch me that -"

Professor Chang ignored all the cries of the trapped villain, grabbing his restrained arm firmly and plunging the needle directly into his upper bicep."

"I have to warn you child...that might sting in a minute."

Adonis' screams echoed into the uncaring silence.