#post-terra

Not to say Beast Boy didn’t like the Dark Knight, but he’d always loved the Dynamic Duo because of their, well, dynamic. The stoic Batman and the cheery Robin. It all balanced out perfectly. Now it just seems like there’s two Batmans, and Beast Boy can’t say if he likes that or not.

He tried not to think too much of it, after all, Robin was still his friend. He was bossy and oftentimes mean to him, but he figured he deserved it most of the time since he did crack jokes at the most inopportune times. Still, would it kill the guy to smile more?

So as soon as their team formed, Beast Boy set out on a mission: to get closer to Robin and crack his jagged exterior.

… As soon as he learns how to stop cowering under his leader’s glare. Seriously, how can someone glare so effectively with a mask on? It couldn’t be that hard; Mento has glared at him enough to make him somewhat immune to I-am-your-leader glares, so all he had to do was get used to Robin’s, right?

But Mento was older, and arguing with him was like arguing with a parent, which is to say, he never won against him.  But Robin… Robin wasn’t Mento. They’re definitely similar, almost scarily so, but Robin always found a way to prove him wrong about that.

Mento didn’t play videogames with him. He didn’t crack smiles at Beast Boy’s jokes. He didn’t pat him on the back or tell him “You were great out there!” or “I’m proud of you.”

Robin did those things, and Beast Boy slowly stopped comparing them.

But Robin was still the Titan’s leader, so there were times when he had to be professional and detached. Beast Boy understood, he really did, but he still found himself getting more and more annoyed at Robin.

Beast Boy has learned to just shut up and do as he says in the Doom Patrol, but this wasn’t the Doom Patrol. This was the Teen Titans, and the Teen Titans weren’t just a team, they were a team of friends.

So he couldn’t help but feel worse when he was being scolded by Robin; because Robin wasn’t just his leader, he was also his friend, and friends don’t treat each other like this.

It was only after Terra’s betrayal that any real progress happened between them.

There he was, sadly curled around the box he’d made for Terra, when the sound of the door opening sounded in his ears. He looked up, expecting to see Cyborg or Starfire (the only two that actually did this thing called emotions). He was definitely not expecting to see Robin standing there, looking painfully awkward and out of place.

Beast Boy has never seen his leader look so uncertain, but he really wasn’t in the mood to think about Robin. He just wanted to cry, but he would never do that in front of Robin.

Robin cleared his throat, subtly shuffling in place as he asked “Can I come in?”

When he didn’t get an answer, Robin walked in and edged closer to him. Beast Boy kept his head down and curled closer to the box, something that didn’t leave Robin’s notice.

“I’m… sorry.”

He looked up in surprise. Robin was apologizing?

He had to morph back to human if he wanted to respond, but Beast Boy wasn’t sure if he could speak without breaking down, so he stayed as he was and simply looked at him.

Robin sighed, sitting a good distance away from him on the bed. “If I hadn’t driven Terra away, Slade wouldn’t have been able to turn her on us. I’m sorry.”

He wanted to say that it wasn’t Robin’s fault, but some sick sad part of him disagreed with that. Maybe if Robin hadn’t said what he said, Terra would’ve stayed with them and joined the team, then he wouldn’t be here wallowing in his sadness.

But anyone could’ve made that mistake, or at least see it. Starfire would’ve been too nice to comment on it, Cyborg would’ve tried to help by upgrading the Training Grounds to suit Terra’s power more, and Raven would’ve bluntly pointed it out anyway. Robin noticed and assumed she wouldn’t care if he pointed it out.

Looking back on it, Robin hadn’t said it cynically. He’d said it casually, like he didn’t mean any harm with the comment. One thing Beast Boy can confidently say about his leader is that he cared about his team, no matter how he showed it, so Robin was probably worried that Terra’s lack of control would hurt his friends somehow.

… It really wasn’t his fault, was it?

Beast Boy morphed back before he could change his mind, and Robin almost jumped in surprise at the sudden shift. He looked at Beast Boy silently, waiting for him to say something. Now or never, he said to himself.

“It wasn’t your fault,” he finally said.

Robin looked like he didn’t believe him, so he tried again. “It wasn’t,” he insisted. “You though it was obvious and pointed it out the way you usually do with the things you find obvious. If you hadn’t said it then, you would have said it later.”

“But I drove her away,” Robin repeated. “Don’t you hate me for that?”

“Not gonna lie, you’re pretty annoying when you want to be,” Beast Boy tried for a grin, but it felt fake even to him. “But no, I don’t hate you. So, this isn’t your fault.”

He almost jumped when he received a small smile from his friend. It was such a rare sight, and here he was on the receiving end of it. “Thank you, Beast Boy. Really.”

Beast Boy wasn’t sure what to say to that. Robin cut him off before he could formulate a response.

“About what you said before that,” Robin started, and Beast Boy groaned. Why, oh why, did he go and poke the beast with a stick. “I recognize that I’m not… the nicest… when it comes to you, and-”

“You’re the leader, you’re supposed to tell me when I mess up. It’s fine!” Beast Boy waved his arms frantically. He disliked Robin’s leader personality, but that didn’t mean he wanted his friend to feel bad about it. He was still his friend!

“I am,” Robin agreed. “But not as excessively as I do. There are times when you deserve it, I’ll admit-”

“Thanks,” he grumbled.

“-but that doesn’t mean I get to talk down on you or take out all my frustrations on you. I’ve treated you like crap, you have a right to hate me, honestly.”

His jaw dropped in surprise. Robin apologizing to him was one thing, but Robin apologizing to him about being an asshole was a whole other thing. He took a moment to take in what Robin had just said to him.

… Nope. He had to be hallucinating.

“Do… do you mind saying that again?” He asked sheepishly.

Robin let out a small laugh. “I am not saying that again, but I will say this: the next time I start talking down on you for something stupid, don’t stand there. Argue, yell at me, anything. Just don’t let me push you around like that. A leader is supposed to encourage, not discourage.”

All thoughts of Terra left his mind as he realized what his meant. Robin was apologizing to him. Robin just told him to not take his shit. Now he’s sure he’s hallucinating.

Beast Boy started laughing at the hilarity of the situation. Robin stared at him incredulously as he laughed. When he finally managed to calm down, he said, “Dude, you realize there’s no turning back now?”

Robin grinned. “Yeah, I might regret this later.”

“No way!” Beast Boy exclaimed. “You said it! I wish I recorded that, this is amazing!”

“You’re a little too happy about this,” Robin observed plainly, though his fond expression contradicted his statement. Then, his face fell as he continued, “Am I really that mean to you? I really am sorry Beast Boy-”

“Dude, chill, it’s cool.” Robin gave him a flat look. “Okay, so it’s not cool, but at least you’re apologizing for it! That’s a start, right?”

Beast Boy held his breath as Robin contemplated what he said. Finally, Robin gave in, “I guess it is. Sure.”

This time his grin came unconsciously, and he couldn’t stop the instinct to hug his friend. Robin yelped in surprise as he suddenly found himself with an armful of excited green teenager, but then he adjusted and returned the hug awkwardly.

Beast Boy smiled into the crook of Robin’s neck. He could get used to this.

He pulled away a second later. “Dude, you really need to work on your hugs.”

Robin laughed at that. “Oh, shut up, green bean.”

“Hey!”

Outside, three teenagers heaved a collective sigh of relief at the sound of laughter. They’d been worried about their green friend, but it seems their leader was finally able to cheer him up. Reassured that things were okay, the teens smiled and left the boys to themselves.