One-shot about how Beast Boy and Raven are more similar then you might think.
Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans or the song in any way. But I do own the rights to this story.
Sorry of characters are a little OOC, but I feel it will help the story come together better.
I want to be as show accurate as I can with the ages of the characters, so I'll try my best based on what I found out after a probably needlessly long research session.
Beast Boy: 15 (Almost 16)
Raven: 16
Robin: 16 (Almost 17)
Starfire: 16 (Almost 17)
Cyborg: 18 (Quite recently)
Pain. Depression. Loneliness. Sorrow. This is how Beast Boy usually woke up feeling in the morning. Almost no one in the world knew this, (apart from his adopted family and former team the Doom Patrol.) But the changeling was all to familiar with the unpleasant sensation. After all, he'd been living with it for the past 10 years.
He turned to look at his clock, seeing the bright red digits glowing in the darkness of his messy room. The time read 4:00am.
Sighing, he sat up rubbing the sleep out of his frowning face. His sullen eyes filled with deep pain and beginning to pool up with his usual morning bout of tears.
He always woke up this early so he could have an hour or so worth to pull himself together and be able to face the day and his friends with his usual happy go-lucky, jokester facade that his teammates and everyone else knew the changeling for.
Sure, there were some good things that he had found helped to alleviate the pain. Such as his adopted family who called him privately from time to time. Although Mento was less than helpful most of the time, even if he meant well.
Then there was meeting the Titans who had given him a home and friends to look after him when he needed. But that too had its poor moments such as Robins constant disappointment at only him during the times when he thought Beast Boy made a mistake. As well as the constant physical abuse and insults from a violet haired girl whom he always tried to be kind to. At least there was his half robotic and orange skinned best friends who actually enjoyed his company to help even things out.
The only truly good and helpful thing was the club he regularly performed for. That he had done in secret as a way to help let his negative feelings flow. It had made him quite popular as he always had a lot of emotion to put into the songs as he sang.
Beast Boy began sobbing quietly into his hands as he let the pain surface and the tears flow freely.
This morning however he was in a particularly upset mood as he had his frequently recurring nightmare about the Beast again. Since it took control of his body a little over a year and a half ago, it had gained more of a foothold in his mind. So, it tormented him at least one a week since then.
But he had to remain strong. So that he could survive another day, and so that a beautiful empaths powers wouldn't sense it and eventually learn the truth. If she did, she would almost certainly tell their leader, most likely resulting in sympathy from his friends
He didn't need that. He didn't need their sympathy; it would only weaken the team and that was one of the last things he ever wanted to do to any them.
This pain was his to bare and his alone, so he continued to cry. For he was broken. And as far as he knew there was nothing that could fix it. 'No one else should have to feel like this, I to have to this alone.' He thought.
1 hour later
"Uuhhgg… Time to start the day." Raven thought to herself as she slowly woke up and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.
She usually wasn't feeling this tired, but a certain dream much rather forgotten was quite disruptive to her sleep.
Deciding to push it to the back of her mind again she got out of bed and dressed so that she could begin her morning meditation before breakfast.
As she floated in her lotus position, she remembered something from last night.
"Beast Boy has been left the tower pretty late last night, and I didn't sense him come back until at least around midnight. I wonder what he was up to." She thought. "Whatever, he'll probably be going on and on about it at breakfast."
Beast boy walked into the common room of the tower, after having made sure everyone had gotten up before leaving his room to have a shower.
"Morning guys." He said with his classic smile plastered onto his face.
Cyborg was the first to respond, followed by Starfire. "Hey bud, got some sizzling hot bacon and sausages ready for ya. I even made some sweet maple syrup drizzle for the sausages." "Oh yes friend, you must try one. It tastes like the sweet nectar of a Roojule tree."
"Bleh! Don't bother Cy, you know I'm vegetarian, that means no meat no matter how delicious you try and make it sound." Beast Boy replied.
"OK. It's your loss, just means more for me." Cyborg responded back.
Beast Boy smirked as he walked to the fridge and got himself a glass of soymilk as he set to work making tofu pancakes and eggs. As he did, he noticed Robin and Starfire occasionally cast longing glances at each other.
'OMG. Robin is one of the best leaders I know; is the best skilled by far (with no powers); and is the second-best detective in the world. He has faced down countless powerful and terrifying foes, including traveling through hell with his most hated enemy ever and fighting Trigon. And yet he can't admit to Starfire he likes her and ask her out, even when its obvious to nearly everyone else in the world. I swear it's probably going to take a year and one and a half months for him to finally realise it and kiss her. ;)
(A/N: I am going by a rough estimate between the episodes release dates for these time periods.)
He then switched his attention back to his meal as he flipped a pancake and mixed his fake eggs. Once that was done, he sat down and dug into the meal.
Raven put down the tea she was drinking and lowered her book to see the green changeling.
'Why does he have to be so happy. Does it have something to do with whatever happened last night?' Thankfully she didn't have to ask herself as Robin did for her after he finished his coffee and turned his attention from Starfire.
"I noticed that you left the tower last night and I don't remember you coming home. Might I ask what you were doing?" Robin asked as he got up to place his cup in the sink.
"I was just going out for a midnight stroll. You know, seeing the city without having to be on the lookout for criminals." Beast Boy replied.
"The towers sensors say you left at 8:00 and didn't come back till 12:00. How does sightseeing take you four hours? Asked Cyborg.
"I also went to see a new movie I've wanted to see for a while." Beast Boy replied. He really didn't want anyone to find out about his time performing. It would only lead to questions about him that he didn't need or want them knowing. Having to keep a secret like this was difficult in more ways than one for the changeling but it was for the best.
'Hmmm.' Raven thought to herself as the quietly listened to the conversation. She found it unconvincing but put it off for later as she got back to her book.
As everyone finished their respective breakfasts, Cyborg and Beast Boy settled into the couch to play some video games as Robin read the local news and crime reports while Starfire went to groom Silkie and Raven settled on the end of the couch near the window to continue reading her book.
The week following went fairly normal with training and practice with one or two small robberies by petty criminals. Crime rates had dropped significantly since Trigons defeat a few weeks ago. But other than that life was pretty normal for the Titans. Robin was particular about training and staying on top of crime reports in case any villains or more specifically Slade showed up. Starfire was joyful and went to 'the Mall of Shopping' every now and then, she even got Raven to join her and have the 'Girls Night Out' she had heard about on tv. Beast boy played videogames and cracked jokes to everyone. They were still mostly lame, but he had been getting better since he started trying more appealing and less overused jokes. He also frequented the nightclub he went to two or three times a week. But this was not unnoticed by one person in the tower.
Raven had been staying up later to take a more detailed observation of her teammate. She found that the period he was gone at night was a routine for the green shapeshifter and she was going to follow him when he went next. She didn't fully know why, but the fact that he was hiding this from her was bothersome. Sure, she still scolded him for things now and then, but she had made an effort to do it less and considered him one of her best friends after Starfire. His refusal to leave her alone in her room and continuous kindness towards her was not in vain as it made her feel like she was enjoyable to be around and was successful in her attempts to be more open and positive with her teammates. As well as some other feeling she had been looking into.
When Slade and the fire demons were sent to bring her to the temple of skath to become the portal he had given her his lucky penny while he went to help defend her. The gesture while not helpful in and physical way was strangely very helpful mentally. It was his way of promising to her that he wouldn't stop giving his all to keep her safe.
She had found the penny and kept it with her as a reminder of what her friends would do for her. At least, that was what she told herself was all it represented. When he hugged her after Trigon was defeated, she wasn't thrilled about it on the outside. But on the inside, she was more than pleased. It showed that he liked her for how she was and wasn't focussed on the dark side that she still had inside of her. A dark side that would always be with her even if Trigon was destroyed. She was tormented by this demon inside of her constantly, even if it was weaker and she kept it supressed with her meditation. It would be with her forever and would haunt her life no matter what. Constantly tormenting her with the fact that she would never escape it.
In short, it broke her.
'I will be alone forever,' she thought, 'no one knows what this is like and not even he would like me if he truly knew.'
But she had to push these thoughts aside and focus on her mission. Something was happening with her friend and she was going to find out what.
That night, Beast Boy left the tower quietly at his usual time, with a bag containing a change of clothes for at the nightclub. Unbeknownst to him, a hooded figure followed him as he passed over the calm darkness of the bay into the bright lights that lit up the city.
He got to the club and went in before heading off to the back to change.
Raven arrived a minute after and stared at the sign, a confused look forming on her face. "The Nightlight? Isn't this that club where you go to listen to depressed people sing about the dreary moments of lives. Why would anyone, especially someone like Beast Boy, want to come here?" She said to herself. But she remembered how she herself used to come here before Trigon, so she knew she shouldn't judge.
Going inside she looked around, taking in all the familiar surroundings. It was a fair size, about the same size as one of the warehouses by the docks. There was a bar against at the side where you could order anything from cocktails to soft drinks; washrooms stationed on either side; a stage at one end of the building very similar to the ones you find at karaoke bars. And a backstage entrance for performers to get ready, though she didn't know what it looked like in there as you had to be both a good singer and perform frequently to have access to it. And she was not much for singing in any capacity.
But she didn't care about any of that, she wanted to know why her happy and carefree teammate was coming here so much, if this was indeed where he went every other night.
It shouldn't be difficult to find a green boy among the (unusually large number) of patrons. 'But wait,' she thought, only now realising how busy it was. 'I don't remember it being this busy when I came here.'
Her attention was turned to the stage as the overweight, balding manager came onto the stage. Despite his physique, the man had a voice that was smooth as silk. He was also strangely upbeat and friendly for owning this type of establishment.
"OK, everyone. I know you all are waiting for one singer in particular tonight, as they are the most popular, we have ever had. And tonight, they have decided to be the fist act to kick of the night. So please welcome Garfield Logan to the stage."
The crowd went into an uproar as the boy stepped on stage. He wore an open dark green casual shirt over a white T-shirt and dark jeans along with black runners with a green trim. On his fingers were a pair of silver rings and around his neck was a shark tooth necklace. His skin was a tan peach colour and he had blond hair with beautiful green eyes that seemed very familiar to the grey skinned empath, although she couldn't tell why.
"Thanks Ernie." Garfield said as he took the mic and the manager walked off stage. In his other hand he carried a dark green Jameson acoustic guitar "Hi everyone, I have one song I really wanted to perform tonight. It is very special to me as it describes how I truly feel every day, and I wish to one day be able to summon up the courage to sing it to a girl that is very dear to me. And even though she doesn't know it, despite the fact that I bother her from time to time, we are more similar than she knows." He said as he sat down on a stool and adjusted the mic on its stand.
"Life is funny like that. When does settles at the end of the day and we said all we can, we'll realize every part of us, even the loving ones, we're a little broken." He said. Raven pondered this briefly, 'That sounds like something Beast Boy would say.' before Garfield began:
"I like that you're broken
Broken like me
Maybe that makes me a fool
I like that you're lonely
Lonely like me
I could be lonely with you"
"He's really good." Raven thought as he continued to sing.
"I met you late night, at a party
Some trust fund baby's Brooklyn loft
By the bathroom, you said let's talk
But my confidence is wearing off
These aren't my people
These aren't my friends
She grabbed my face and that's when she said"
This reminded her of Beast Boy, how badly she wanted to tell him the truth. But she couldn't, the Malchior incident showed her what happened when she opened her heart to someone. She couldn't go through that again.
"I like that you're broken
Broken like me
Maybe that makes me a fool
I like that you're lonely
Lonely like me
I could be lonely with you"
'What would happen. If she and him weren't so different' They both thought.
"There's something tragic, but almost pure
Think I could love you, but I'm not sure
There's something wholesome, there's something sweet
Tucked in your eyes that I'd love to meet
These aren't my people
These aren't my friends
She grabbed my face and that's when she said
She then looked into the boy's eyes. Why did they seem so familiar? Could it be?
"I like that you're broken
Broken like me
Maybe that makes me a fool
I like that you're lonely
Lonely like me
I could be lonely with you
Life is not a love song that we like
We're all broken pieces floating by
Life is not a love song, we can try
To fix our broken pieces one at a time"
Suddenly something in her mind clicked. 'No, it can't be. Is that?...'
"I like that you're broken
Broken like me
Maybe that makes me a fool
I like that you're lonely
Lonely like me
I could be lonely with you
I like that you're broken
Broken like me
Maybe that makes me a fool
I like that you're lonely
Lonely like me
I could be lonely with you."
As the song ended Garfield looked into the crowd. He had seen something that caught his eye. A figure in a blue cloak. 'Oh no!' He thought as he hurried off stage to chase the figure who had apparently followed him.
Beast Boy got thanked Ernie and ran out through the club and out the door in time that would make Kid Flash jealous. He followed her as she flew back to the tower, he had some explaining to do.
Raven landed on the tower roof 5 minutes after leaving the nightclub. She knew Beast boy had recognised her and she didn't want him to see her like this. After the song ended, she was left so confused as to why he felt like that. Why he had been doing it in the first place. And who he was talking about before the song.
She was pulled out of her thoughts by the sound of someone landing on the roof behind her.
"Raven…" Said Beast Boy.
She kept her back to him, embarrassed that he had caught her spying on him. After all her reputation of wanting her privacy, what right did she feel she had to intrude on someone else's private life.
"Raven, its ok…" He said only to be cut off by the empath.
"No Beast Boy it's not ok. I shouldn't have followed you; I shouldn't have spied on you. I should have just left you alone. I was so bothered that you were keeping secrets from me, that I just had to go and stick my nose where it didn't belong."
She took a pause and sighed before continuing.
"I'm sorry Beast Boy. You must think am a total hypocrite. I wouldn't blame you if you didn't want to be my friend anymore. Why would anyone like being around a little demon like me who goes on and on about needing her own space but can't give others the same when they're in their own private lives?"
"Raven, I don't hate you. Far from it actually. Your very dear to me, and I could never hate you in any way. Don't you notice how much time I spend with you?" Beast Boy said. His voice calm and collected.
'He doesn't hate you, tell him now. It's the perfect moment. Tell Him!' Her emotions all called out inside her head. But she just shut them out. How could she tell him that after all she had done to him all these years, she had secretly thought of him as more than just a friend. He was just lying to make her feel better.
She was already so broken. She wouldn't be able to take another heartbreak. She had let herself open to someone once before, and it blew up in her face. Literally.
It would be no different with Beast Boy. They were just too different. Or were they? The words when he was singing, they were so full of emotion and pain. Like he knew exactly what it was like. But why?
"Raven, I know that you probably don't believe me. But I'm telling you the truth," He paused. "Rae. Please just turn around and look at me." He said. He wanted to look her in the eyes so that she would know that what he was about to tell her was the truth.
She slowly turned to face him. When he saw her his heart broke. Her eyes were puffy and red with tears welling in them. The rest of her face sullen and downtrodden with a sad frown on her pale lips.
"Rae, I've wanted to tell you this for so long. But didn't know how. But I'm done putting it off." Ravens eye raised to look at him. He had the sincerest look on his face and his voice. Leaving no doubt that what he was saying was the truth. Which caused her eyes to light up with the tiniest bit of hope.
Beast Boy took a deep breath, deciding to just be as strait forward as possible. "I like you Rae. As more than just a friend. I've been keeping it to myself because of the Beast Incident, I have a darkness inside of me and it has only grown stronger. So, I've been caught in a struggle to fight to keep control and not lose myself to my dark side. I'm broken, always have been. I just hide it from everyone because I feel it's my burden to bare by myself. But I'm done now. I want your help and I want to help you, if you'll let me."
Raven was speechless. She couldn't believe it. He felt the same way about her. He knew about her darkness and still wanted to help her fight through it. She only had one question to ask him.
She stepped closer to him. "Beast Boy, I just want to ask. Back at the club, the song you were singing. Were you talking about me?" She looked away as if for some reason she still doubted he was going to say yes. But all doubt in her mind disappeared as he embraced her in a tight hug.
"Yes," He whispered into her ear. "and I meant every word of it."
She then turned and looked him in the eyes. Her violet orbs meeting his green ones. They both slowly leaned in pulling each other closer as their eyes began to dip shut. Their lips met in a gentle embrace of their own as they savored the taste.
In this moment they were content to be lost forever. No pain; no dark side; nothing to fight or hold back. Just the feeling of each other.
After about a minute they pulled away slowly and looked back into each other's eyes.
Raven way the first to speak up surprisingly. "Rachel."
"What?" Beast Boy asked confused.
"My real name is Rachel. I'm assuming that was your name you used at the club, so I thought it was only fair." She replied.
"Oh, yeah. It guess I did." He responded slightly embarrassed and scratching the back of his head.
A smirked then grew on Rachel's face. "So. Garfield?" She said teasingly.
"Yup. Like the cat. Or the president if you know your history." He said chuckling at the end.
Beast Boy then glanced at his watch before saying slightly surprised. "What do you say we head inside. It's pretty late and if we aren't up at 7:00 Robin is going to give us one heck of a rough training session. Plus, I have a new invention I'm working on. Not going to spoil it too much but t involves a bathtub and band music."
Raven was slightly confused at the last remark but decided to disregard it. "OK Gar."
They both smiled and joined hands as they entered the tower, deciding to worry about their dark sides later. For now, they were happy, and both had a good feeling that their nightmares wouldn't be a problem tonight and soon wouldn't be coming back at all.
As they both settled into their respective beds for the night, they drifted off knowing that now they were no longer alone. And they weren't broken anymore.
The End.
Thank you for reading and please review so I can improv my writing in the future. I will try to respond to as many as possible.
Song was "Broken by lovelytheband."
If anyone has any ideas for possible future stories please leave me a PM even if your just spit-balling. I greatly appreciate the feedback.
Thank you and have a wonderful day.