Midnight Snack
WARNING: Please be gentle...'tis my first TT Ficcy!!! :P
Disclaimer: In my world, I do indeed own the Teen Titans, but it is with great remorse that I admit I don't own them in reality...I'm saving up my allowance, though!
Raven glided into the obscure living room. Usually it was pretty easy for her to go to sleep with her emotions in check, but today was an absolute exception. Today the city was on the brink of total destruction. Today Slade seemed unusually omnipotent. Today Raven discovered that her most current instincts had failed her.
Today Terra's true colors were revealed.
Since the episode, no one has been the same, Raven thought as she roamed into the darkness that was the kitchen. Everyone failed themselves. Robin for appointing Terra as a Titan; Starfire for automatically befriending her; Cyborg for favoring her as a video game winning, rock and rolling super heroine; Raven for trusting her after she helped elevate Titans Tower again; Beast Boy for liking her...
Beast Boy.
Raven thought as she made her herbal tea, he must be feeling the worst. He's the primary reason Terra stayed, the reason she had a room and was welcomed here. And she's the reason Slade knew the Titans exceptionally well now...and there was nothing Beast Boy, or anyone else, could do to make it otherwise.
Just as soon as Raven thought about Beast Boy, she heard his not-so-distant voice.
"Who's there?" the changeling's voice cracked.
Raven peered through the kitchen into the blackened living room and made out the disheveled green hair that belonged to Beast Boy. She reasoned that he was sitting on the floor in deep thought, eating tofu out of depression, and looking through the window for want of change.
To change the past.
To make it so he never laid eyes on Terra.
"Who's there?" he repeated, a bit harsher.
"It's OK, Beast Boy. It's me," Raven said calmly as she walked over to where he was.
Beast Boy jumped. He wasn't really expecting her. "I thought it might've been you. That's some strong-smelling tea." He gestured at her cup.
Raven decided not to comment; she changed the subject instead. "Couldn't sleep?"
"Nah...not after all that went down today...You?"
"Nope."
Beast Boy looked as though he wanted to say something, but refrained.
Raven raised an eyebrow. "What?"
He shook his head. "Nothing. Forget it."
"Come on, Beast Boy," she prodded softly.
"Nah...you wouldn't wanna hear it."
"Hey, just because your antics can really annoy me doesn't mean I don't want to hear you out. You're my friend, remember?"
Beast Boy nodded, and looked back out to the window.
"It's about today, isn't it? About Terra?"
Silence. Raven understood, and waited patiently for an answer, sipping her tea.
"It's all my fault," said Beast Boy, out of nowhere. "I'm the reason all this stuff happened. I'm the reason Terra was taken in, and stayed in our Tower, and became a Titan –"
"That's not true and you know it," Raven interrupted. "None of this happened because of you."
"Oh yeah, sure."
"I'm serious," she offered.
"Aren't you always?" Beast Boy sighed gloomily, taking a handful of tofu to his mouth.
Raven's head began to throb. She centered herself before continuing. He should know better by now than to mess around with her like that. But seeing as how hurt the changeling was, Raven decided that this time she'd make an exception.
"That's not the point," she stated. "All of us made a mistake. That's the great thing about being on a team." Beast Boy looked at her. "Nothing's ever one person's fault. You've got a whole group of friends to take the hit with you."
Beast Boy chuckled a little. "Yeah, I guess you're right."
There was a moment in which all the two did was think, eat, and drink.
"I just don't understand...what was her deal?"
"Terra's?" Raven inquired. "Something we all just can't understand...and don't even think of saying it's your fault."
Beast Boy closed his mouth.
Raven grinned to herself; she knew he'd try. "Beast Boy, you've got to realize something here. Terra didn't leave because of you." Beast Boy's ears twitched – he was hanging on to every word. "Ever feel like you just want to kill me or someone else or something?"
Beast Boy thought real hard and shook his head.
"Really?" Raven's eyebrows shot up. She eyed him, "You're just saying that...you have to be."
"Well, maybe once," he said. Raven looked at him with an expression that seemed to say "yeah right".
"A couple times?" he reasoned. "OK! A LOT of times!" he admitted.
"I thought so..." Raven said. "I feel like doing that to you a lot these days," she mumbled to herself.
"Huh?"
"The point is," she interrupted, "you're tempted to do something like that, but you abstain from doing so. That's the difference between you and Terra."
Beast Boy cocked his head to the side. He was listening intently. Raven continued.
"She was tempted by Slade – persuaded that he was her friend and we weren't. She probably went through so much and was so vulnerable at that point; she didn't know what to believe, so she decided to believe Slade. That was her choice. She couldn't resist the temptation to cause mischief, so unlike you, and me, and everyone else in Titans Tower, her evil showed through more than her good, and there's really nothing else we can do about it but accept it. You know?"
Beast Boy contemplated this for about 3 mouthfuls of tofu before saying, "Yeah, I gotcha."
"Good," Raven said satisfactorily. "So, you OK, yet?"
"Yeah, I guess," was the reply.
That was enough of an answer for Raven, who got up from Beast Boy's side, felt her way into the kitchen, threw out her tea bag, and washed her cup before gliding back towards the direction of her room.
"Hey, Rae?" Beast Boy said, still situated in the exact place the Goth Wonder left him. Raven turned around. "Thanks," he said.
The corners of Raven's mouth flitted for an instant. "Don't mention it," she said.
Beast Boy got up and walked to her. "I'm serious," he said.
"So am I; forget about it," she insisted.
Beast Boy smiled at her, and then pulled her into a massive hug.
"Um...Beast Boy?" she tried to breathe, not expecting this. "You're hugging me."
Beast Boy immediately let go. "Riiight, sorry. The touching thing...I forgot...heh heh...sorry."
Raven just rolled her eyes, whipped her cape around her, and resumed her pace. "Good night," she said.
"Morning," Beast Boy corrected, looking at a nearby clock. 12:30 AM.
"Whatever," was Raven's reply, as the portal leading to all the rooms closed behind her.
Well, I hope you all enjoyed it. R&R please!!! :D :P :), etc...
P.S. – Oh boy, lotsa s'plaining to do...ok...if you'll notice on the Review board for my ficcy, my s/n, Instant Coffee appears and there's a review. That's not me...that was my cousin who wrote that review on my account when he was reading my ficcy at his house...so shout out to Chez who is unfamiliar with this site and the Titans in the first place! LOLZ!!! :P