Nightwing awoke the next morning, with a rumbly lil' tumbly. And if anyone heard him say that, he'd ensure that they'd hear the sweet melody of fists to face next. Making his way into the kitchen, he saw that his two teammates-siblings-friends had returned from their recent exodus to... God-knows-where. Asleep on the couch, they seemed to have only arrived a few hours earlier. Wait, are they holding hands in their sleep?
Nightwing decided that if his subconsciousness was going to feed him random, and potentially upsetting imagery, it might as well do it from the relative safety and security of his own bed. His early snack forgotten, he made his way back to his "Bird-cave" as it had been affectionately dubbed by his Titan's family. He still didn't like the name, but, alas, it had stuck.
Crawling under the covers, Dick Grayson drifted to sleep muttering a lullaby of 'green and grey, united by fate: willing to love, quick to hate...'
...
There was something poking her in the back. It wasn't annoying her, but it was slightly uncomfortable. uncomfortable enough to rouse her from her slumber to see the Sun's incessant streams of cursed brilliance passing over her shoulder. one hand had gone numb from the way she'd been laying on the arm attached, and there seemed to be a strange purple and black pillow that was rather warm, as if with it's own inner heater. The weight that rested on her lower body must have been there all night, because she isn't uncomfortable with it. Or the length of really warm ... whatever it is, that had been laid out behind her.
Then all the pieces fell into place as she looked at her hand to discern when the 'pins-and-needles' feeling would take over. She saw green. Shurely, her hand hadn't grown gangrenous in a single night? No, that's Beast Boy's hand. In mine. To Raven's own immense surprise, she smiled.
...
Beast Boy stirred in his sleep, and one bleary eye opened. This is a dream, right? Raven doesn't smile. And she definitely doesn't smile at me. She smirks. Grins. Sneers. Leers. But a smile? A really real smile with flashing canines and everything? I must still be in a dream. But, why is my hand numb? looking at said appendage, the entirety of the previous evening's events came crashing back to his barely conscious mind. Through his own big-and-toothy, he heard Raven's gentle greeting.
"Happy Birthday, Gar."
To which, of course, he just had to respond, "Well, so far, so good."
...
A few hours later, after some of the guests had arrived, Jinx, Kid Flash, Cyborg and Seraphim all declared an all out royal rumble on the Game station, and after every Titan had their turn in the tournament Cyborg, who had been holding back on the Birthday Boy, won, after said changeling took a fall, ensuring that the young man's best friend got the glory he so missed from his days as an athlete.
While the group was singing Cy's praises, Beast Boy sought out the tug on his collar that he wore out of sight under his own uniform. He found her sitting by the window, reading one of her thicker tomes. By the way she was skimming back and forth, Beast Boy guessed she was holding one of her many spell books.
"Hey." was his simple greeting as he plopped down beside her.
"You do realize that everyone knows you gave Cyborg the win."
"Well, I didn't want to win if it was just going to be a 'hey-it's-your-birthday-so-I'll-go-easy-on-ya' victory."
"Fair enough... Are you comfy?"
A small mew, followed by a rumbling purr were her only reply as a small green cat curled up in her lap. Resigning herself to the admittedly pleasant sensation of his purring on her thigh, she reached down and began stroking his fur.
"Look, guys, Raven's got herself a new pet!"
Beast Boy morphed back just long enough to give Aqualad a cyclopean glare that would have done a certain one-eyed-villain proud.
Raven, howver, was much more vocal in her response. Letting her hood fall back, and lifting her chin to proudly display the paw-print emblem hanging from her neck, Raven spoke three words. "So does he."
...
And now a preview of my next story, which will exist within it's own continuity, independant from this one, but with the same two characters. I can't help it. I love these two together, though I'm stil not happy with my BeastBoy. I just don't think I'm quite nailing him. Meh, If at first you don't suceed, find a bigger hammer... or something...
...
"Hey, Rae, ..."
And with those two words, Raven's reverie was shattered. "What, Beast Boy?"
"I'm just curious about some stuff Rae, no need to tense up. If It's alright, can I ask you about some things?"
Sighing heavily, she put the book aside. This could take a while. Better to just let him ask now -especially since he seems to be taking this seriously- than to refuse him, only to endure hours of pestering. "What kinds of things do you wish to know about?"
Beast Boy sat down on the other end of the couch. Robin and Starfire were out patroling, and Cy was working on some new something-or-other in his workshop. "I've been doing some thinking over the past few months,-" his eye twinkled in his I'm-being-serious-but-I-know-it's-still-funny kind of way "-I know, Beast Boy? Thinking?, but I have been, and I just wanna know, what's my strength?"
Do what? "Explain."
"Well, Robin's all Kung-Fu Ninja Detective, and a Natural Born Leader; Star's a physical powerhouse who can fly, shoot stuff, and has a heart of gold; Cy's a Techno-guru, and has that wise-older-brother vibe; You're our resident Mistress of Magic, and probably the most mature person in the Tower; But what about me? You, Cy and Rob are all smarter than me, Rob, Star and Cy are better at close range fighting; I'm the only one on this team that doesn't have ranged attacks; You, Rob, and Cy are much better at the 'witty banter' aspect of crime-fighting; And to top it all of, everybody, Fate included, seems to enjoy picking on me. I mean, I can't even get you to crack a smile, for crying out loud, and I've been working on that for years! I just don't know why you guys even keep me around. All I'm doing is bringing the rest of the team down. If I was a better fighter, or a better friend, maybe I could have kept Slade away from Terra. And since I made sure we gave her a second chance, Slade was able to use her to almost kill us. And-"
Raven stopped him there, not wanting him to continue. He really doesn't know? "Beast Boy.-" he was looking at his lap- "Look at me.-" now, he was staring at her nose- "In the eye. Are you listening?" a nod- "Good, because I do not intend on repeating myself. In my oppinion, YOU"RE the most important person on this team. YOU keep Cyborg from getting preoccupied with the loss of his body; YOU keep Starfire's head in the clouds, instead of letting the misery of this world destroy her good nature; YOU keep Robin from delving too deeply into self-destructive gloom; And it's YOU that gives me that glimmer of hope that I might not be that hated, monsterous Demon that I've believed myself to be all those years before this Team gave me a true family."
She would have stopped there, but, for some reason, she needed to convince him. "You and Robin have a lot in common. You've both been orphaned at a young age, had a strong Mentor/Father-figure afterwards to help you through the pain, and both of you have been on crime-fighting teams before, and understand the group dynamics inherent in that. And before you argue that point, did you ever wonder why you keep reffering to us as your 'family?' That inspires us instinctively to be open to and close with each other, because it makes us want to be a family. It's quieter than in Robin, but it's what gives you your leadership potential."
If- Azar forbid it- this team ever broke up, Starfire would follow Robin; Cyborg would find his own way, maybe join the Justice League, maybe go to S.T.A.R. Labs; But I'd follow you, and I know it. I can't tell you that, it'd be a little weird to hear right now, but it's true. I need that glimmer of hope.
"You share more with Cyborg than just video games as well. Both of you know what it's like to have a normal life, only to have it torn away from you and beome something not-quite-Human. Both of you have used that pain to become more humane, and it has made you both stronger people. You've both experienced the unreasoning hatred that some people have for those who are 'different,' and you've both risen above it. Your immediate acceptance of him, robotics and all, is what caused him to be so open and caring with all of us. Were it not for you, He'd likely never come out of his Workshop, like Robin hardly ever leaves his self-proclaimed 'Evidence room.' He'd quite litterally be only a shell of who he now is.
"You and Starfire, though both deeply scarred, have somehow mannaged to maintain the child-like wonder and innocence that is so rare, and so refreshing, in this world. It's that constant light that dispells the darkness that the rest of us are mired in that keeps us going, some more dependant on it than others.
"And me? It's your constant attention that keeps me too preoccupied with dealing with you that my inner demons can't get a word in edgewise. I'm too busy with you to even notice them. And you've got this strange ability to say exactly what I need to hear, at times. We've both had our hearts broken and been betrayed by those we thought we loved, and had those we truly did love die. We deal with our pain in completely opposite ways, but we have similar amounts of it. We both wear masks to hide ourselves and our pain. And we both are hurt by our powers."
"How do you-"
"I'm an Empath, remember? I sense it."
"...'deal with our pain in completely opposite ways'...? How?"
"Like I said, we both wear masks. And you've seen them, too. I have a statue in my room that shows them. 'The Twin Masks of Drama'- 'Comedy,' and 'Tragedy'."