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Chapter Text

"So, whose idea was it?"

It took a moment for the Titans to actually regain contact with reality and look at their leader. Robin had finished eating his slice of pizza and was now looking with an amused smile at Silkie, who was sitting next to him in his own cape, which the others had probably made themselves. The four Titans, still dressed in their Robin's uniforms, clearly didn't know how to properly explain. Because how do you explain breaking into your friend's room, dressing up into his clothes and playing with his gadgets?

Finally, Starfire, Cyborg, and Raven all pointed at Beast Boy at the same time, who yelped and raised his hands.

"I can explain! I... I was doing laundry, so I-I- and then I accidentally took your uniform instead of mine! And I only noticed after I got dressed and-"

"Dude, stop. You never do laundry," Cyborg said in an unconvinced voice, nudging Beast Boy in the shoulder.

"Besides, he already found out, so let's just get this over with," Raven replied in a firm voice, but there was still an embarrassed blush on her face.

Beast Boy just looked at Robin who now had his arms crossed. He just laughed nervously before he started explaining, "Well... when you left it was kind of boring in the Tower and somehow when I passed by your room I got this idea", Beast Boy was now playing with his fingers, "let's say I always thought your uniform and gadgets were really cool and... and I couldn't help myself", he finished speaking, now giving Robin a wide, but nervous smile.

"I believe it is because of this feeling called longing!" Starfire suddenly interjected, as if trying to defend her teammate. "Because when you left, our home was very quiet and... and sad and this was a way to... fix it, yes!" the Tamaranean finished with an innocent smile.

"Yeah uhhh... Starfire was pretty bummed out while you were gone so..." Cyborg chimed in, now scratching his head, "so we thought maybe this would cheer her up a little."

After saying that, the three of them looked at Raven again, expecting her to chime in as well. At first, she didn't seem keen, but eventually she sighed, "I lost the battle of will."

Robin didn't say anything for a moment, but there was still no trace of irritation on his face. Instead, an awkward smile appeared there and the dark-haired teen just scratched the back of his neck, "I was gone only for 3 days guys. I didn't expect you would do something like... this?"

"Sorry, man!" Cyborg spoke up immediately, feeling responsible for what had happened in the tower while Robin was gone. "I was against it, but Beast Boy and Starfire-"

"Not true!" Beast Boy immediately pointed at him with an indignant expression. "You joined in! We didn't even try to convince you!"

"I don't know how this happened, but I can promise you it won't happen again. At least not from me," Raven simply said, giving Beast Boy a grim look.

"I promise too! Even if wearing your cape feels absolutely magnificent" Starfire looked at Robin with pleading eyes, "I gave in to my emotions, but now that you are here, I-"

"Hey, hey, hey wait a minute!" Robin immediately raised his hands, signaling the team to calm down a bit. "Guys, relax. I'm not mad."

"You're not?" the Titans all asked at the same time, looking at their leader with round eyes (or rather round masks).

He raised his eyebrow, "Why should I be?"

"Because we broke into your room while you were out?" Cyborg said like it was obvious.

"And we dressed into your uniforms?" Starfire joined in.

Beast Boy lowered his ears, "And we used your gadgets?"

Yeah, those things were certainly a problem. Especially clothes and gadgets. Robin didn't have superpowers, so he always had to make his own weapons and most of them could be used only once anyway. And the uniforms... the one Cyborg currently had on was for sure ruined for good. Starfire probably stretched her one too, even if just a little. Beast Boy's uniform was all wrinkly and definitely needed some ironing. Only Raven wearing Robin's uniform wasn't really a problem, since their sizes were similiar, maybe even the same.

"Yeah. I mean, I'd go crazy if someone did that to me," Raven said then looked at Beast Boy, "I'm just saying so you don't get any stupid ideas."

Beast Boy wanted to defend himself, but he didn't say anything because suddenly he heard a sound. And when everyone looked at Boy Wonder they noticed that... he was laughing? Which made the Titans look at him even more dumbfounded than before.

"Guys, this is not Robin! I'm telling you!" Beast Boy stood up, now pointing dramatically at Robin, "That's an impostor!"

"Out of the way BB, I'll take care of this," Cyborg walked past the shape-shifter and stood in front of Robin. The leader didn't even have time to say anything, because in two swift movements Cyborg completely ruffled the teen's gelled hair.

"Hey! Quit it!" this made Robin finally lost his patience this time and pushed Cyborg's hand away from him.

"See? That's our Robin after all," Cyborg said with a smile to Beast Boy, pointing at Robin, who was now styling his hair into his usual spikyness.

"No, but I really mean it," Robin mumbled, trying to shake off the remains of his frustration, "I kinda... realized that maybe I've been taking myself too seriously. Nothing wrong to loosen up a bit I guess. And I'm glad you guys had fun while I was away."

"Well, judging by your good mood, I presume your trip was successful," Raven said, looking much more relaxed now.

Starfire immediately clapped her hands, now looking at Robin, "So, tell us Robin! Did you find the True Master you were talking about? Did you train with him?"

"Did you kick his butt?" Beast Boy asked, punching his palm.

Hearing their questions, Robin insantly smiled, "I did find her. No I didn't kick her butt, but I've got to admit, I learned a lot. I honestly can't wait to tell you all about-" the Boy Wonder didn't manage to finish, because suddenly the alarm in the Tower rang and he got up, checking the main computer immediately.

"Katarou's back?" Cyborg asked as he stood up from the couch, ready for action.

Robin just smirked knowing one thing that the others didn't. Then he quickly shook his head, "No, Billy Numerous. He's trying to rob the jewlery stores again. Alright, Titans go!" he exclaimed, but as he moved to leave, he stopped when he realized the others weren't following him. "Guys?"

The others looked at him with confused expressions. All four of them were still wearing their Robin uniforms, and it was obvious that they would need to change first before they could go on a mission.

Unless...

"Um..." Robin looked conflicted for a moment, but then he crossed his arms and gave them a cheerful smile, "How about... Robins go?"

As soon as he said those words, the Titans just looked at each other in surprise, but they all brightened up almost immediately (including Raven) and this time followed their leader, all laughing and excited for the mission.

Maybe it wasn't so bad to have fun once in a while.

Chapter Text

After Terra betrayed the Titans, the Tower was quiet. Incredibly quiet.

A few days passed and most of the damage had been repaired. The Titans themselves were physically in slightly better shape, although the sore muscles from the long battle with Slade's robots were still there.

Mentally, things were still not going well. Robin and Cyborg spent their days in the lab working on new communicators with better security, while also discussing general upgrades to the security systems in the entire Tower so that a similar situation would never happen again. Raven spent most of her time in her room, meditating to have full control over her emotions and powers. Starfire tried to fix the atmosphere and fill the Tower with positive energy again, but even she couldn't change the moods of the other Titans. And Beast Boy... still barely left Terra's old room.

The whole situation left a mark on everyone, but the Titans knew that Beast Boy took it the hardest. After all, everyone could see that the shape-shifter had the best connection with Terra. The first day they met her, they noticed that the two of them had already become really good friends. Cyborg even started joking that Terra was taking his best friend away from him, and in a little while, he wouldn't have anyone to beat up on the console.

But then Slade's army attacked the Tower and that's when everyone found out the truth.

The moment, when Beast Boy returned in the early morning hours after the night attack, still haunted the Titans.

"You're alive...!!" Beast Boy shouted almost immediately after returning to the Tower. His panicked gaze fell on the four Titans, who were obviously exhausted and sore and now looking at him with surprise on their faces. Despite the fact that Beast Boy was not home during the attack, he didn't look too good either. He was visibly shaken, his eyes watery.

"Beast Boy... where have you been? I haven't been able to contact you," Robin didn't even use his usual firm voice as he stood up and walked over to him. He was obviously worried to see his teammate in such a state. "Where's Te-"

"It was all a lie!" Beast Boy shouted in a desperate voice. "Terra worked for Slade! She was his spy! We went out last night, I thought she just wanted to spend time with me! But then we ran into Slade and he told me everything! I thought... I thought you were dead! I thought you-"

Robin only exchanged a quick look with Raven before placing his hand on Beast Boy's shoulder, "Beast Boy, it's okay, breathe," and as the shape-shifter took a few deep breaths, the leader continued, "Terra worked for him willingly? Maybe Slade-"

"No," the younger boy just shook his head, sniffling, "she admitted it to me herself. She knew about the attack, it was all planned. She betrayed us... She was never a true Titan..."

No one knew what to say back then. How to comfort him. Cyborg and Starfire tried, but it didn't help much. Robin was probably too lost in his own thoughts, and when Raven wanted to speak, Beast Boy left the room. From that moment on, he didn't leave his former best friend's room.

For the next few days, he didn't respond to the Titans' requests to leave the room. Cyborg constantly visited him and tried to convince him to eat something. Starfire also checked on him, trying to show support, but Beast Boy, in dog form, absolutely didn't talk to anyone. He just laid there, curled into a ball, next to heart-shaped silver box. In complete silence.

Robin wanted to go to him at first, but seeing that Cyborg and Starfire hadn't even managed to talk to him, he decided that he didn't want to bother him if Beast Boy simply needed time. Raven wanted to offer him help with her magic, which also had a soothing effect on any mental difficulties, but like Robin, she didn't think bothering him was a good idea.

This was the first time Beast Boy had closed himself off like that.

On the fifth day, Robin, Cyborg, Starfire, and Raven met in the living room to assess the current situation.

"So, the most important thing is that the Tower is 100% repaired, and I even upgraded it a bit with the repairs, so next time it won't be so easy to destroy it," Cyborg said with pride in his voice. It may have been slow, but the atmosphere was starting to improve day by day. "And the entire security system got a good update too, so there's nothing to worry about anymore!"

"Also, Cyborg and I made new communicators," Robin continued, giving each Titan one. "They have a better security system, so even if Slade were to steal one in the future, we can completely destroy it remotely, before he would manage to do anything."

"How wonderful!" Starfire smiled back as she received her communicator.

Robin passed out the communicators and finally looked at the last one in his hand. The one for Beast Boy.

"Beast Boy is still... in that room?" Robin asked, not really wanting to use the former Titan's name.

The others didn't speak for a moment.

"I tried talking to him, but it didn't work," Cyborg said quietly, then shrugged. "I don't know how I'm supposed to talk to someone who doesn't want to talk."

"I sang him a traditional Tamaranean shepherd's song, but he did not even react..." Starfire spoke with a pained expression while Cyborg and Raven just gave her distressed looks. 

Raven sighed, "I could help him with my powers, but it won't work if Beast Boy is not willing to try."

"But there has to be something that could get him back on his feet!" Cyborg spoke with helplessness in his voice. "I don't even know if he has eaten anything since he found out about Terra."

"There has to be something to remind him that he's not alone in this," Raven said quietly, trying to focus on finding a solution.

There was silence. None of the Titans knew what else to say. Robin, however, thought for a moment before finally crossing his arms.

"I know what we can do. Get ready, we're going to town."

Beast Boy didn't even know what day it had been since everything got ruined in that one evening.

He felt like he had been lying there for ages, but he still didn't have the strength to get up and face the world. He often heard doors opening as if through a fog. He heard someone occasionally enter the room and try to talk to him, but he didn't have the energy. He didn't want to talk. Not when his best friend turned out to be a traitor.

Was it something he did? Maybe he could have done something differently? But he had told Terra from the beginning that there was nothing wrong with her having trouble controlling her powers. He had told her that the Titans would understand and help her with that. Robin even gave her the offer to join the team, despite the fact that he knew about her issues. She didn't have to go to Slade. Why had she trusted a villain over them? Why hadn't she trusted him?

Beast Boy just groaned as he felt his stomach growl. It was so strange. On the one hand, he wanted to eat something, but on the other hand, he didn't want to even think about eating. So he just buried his face in the pillow, but after a moment, he got up when he smelled something.

The boy got up from the bed and transformed into a dog, now sniffing intensely. Something smelled. Something smelled really nice. Beast Boy could smell a strong vegetable scent, and what was strangest about it, he couldn't smell any meat at all. It was clear that the others must have been cooking something, but they usually cooked something with meat.

At first, Beast Boy wanted to ignore it, but his stomach was getting worse and worse. He knew that sooner or later he had to get out and eat something. Besides, he was curious to see what the others were up to.

Beast Boy staggered out of bed and finally left his old friend's room. He slowly made his way through the corridors of the already-repaired Titan tower. He was approaching the living room, where the boy could hear quite loud noises. And then he opened the door and saw what was going on.

The other Titans were in the kitchen, surrounded by chaos. Cyborg was busy stirring something in a bowl. Robin and Starfire were reading a cookbook while the black-haired boy was giving instructions. Raven stood nearby, chopping vegetables. It was one big mess, but everyone looked seriously determined.

"The recipe says tofu should be marinated first for the best flavor. Anyone knows what kind of tofu Beast Boy likes the most?" Robin asked, putting the book down and looking at the others.

"Doesn't he eat it like... plain?" Cyborg now asked confused.

"If I remember correctly, he likes to experiment with different flavors," Raven said almost cutting her finger with a knife.

Beast Boy couldn't believe it. His friends, the Titans, were all working in the kitchen together, trying to cook something they themselves didn't like. They were really doing all of this... for him?

The boy stood in the doorway not knowing what to do or say, but when he heard that the Titans didn't know how to marinate the tofu, he decided to speak up, "I like to marinate it in honey and soy sauce the most..."

The Titans almost immediately froze and looked towards Beast Boy now, and only then did they notice him. For a moment they stood there in complete silence before Robin suddenly exclaimed, "Honey and soy sauce then, go!"

With that, everyone rushed to the cabinets to find the two precious ingredients. Beast Boy just blinked in surprise before slowly walking towards them, "Are you guys trying to make... tofu? For me...?"

"Yes, friend Beast Boy!" Starfire flew over to him with an encouraging smile as she took his hand, leading him closer. "We noticed how sad you have been lately after what happened with Te-...after what happened," the alien girl quickly corrected herself.

"Yeah, man. We wanted to cheer you up somehow," Cyborg said with friendly smile.

"Mm, Robin insisted we make you something proper to eat, so we went to the market and bought everything possible," Raven said with her usual tone, but there was a hint of softness there.

"We didn't know what would you like the most though," Robin finished awkwardly.

Beast Boy didn't know what to say. Tears began to form in his eyes as he looked at his friends, covered in tofu, who had worked so hard just to cheer him up. He was incredibly grateful to all of them. Starfire for being as lovely as always. Cyborg for actually trying to make the tofu he hated. Raven for remembering that Beast Boy liked to marinate his tofu. And Robin for caring enough to come up with the idea and bring everyone together.

He couldn't stop his smile, "Guys, I... don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything," Cyborg now walked over to him and patted his shoulder. "We know what happened was painful for you."

"But please, never forget that you are not alone," Starfire spoke with a smile.

"Yeah, we're still here. And we're not going anywhere," Raven added, pulling down her hood.

"And we'll always have your back. No matter what happens," Robin finished.

Hearing all of this from their lips, Beast Boy felt a weight lift from his heart. He took a deep breath. He didn't know how he could thank them for all of this. He quickly wiped his eyes, before any tears would fall from them, "Thanks, dudes.. I couldn't wish for a better team... better family."

The other Titans just smiled at this, but before anyone could respond, they all suddenly froze.

"Is there something burning...?" Cyborg suddenly asked, sniffing with his nose.

Then Cyborg, Robin, and Starfire turned around almost immediately and rushed towards the stove where the vegetables were starting to burn. Beast Boy just looked at the whole scene and couldn't help but chuckle. He noticed Raven standing next to him and looking at him as if she wanted to ask something.

"Hey," Beast Boy said, looking at her with an awkward smile, "so... what's up?"

Raven didn't speak for a moment, "Well... I guess nothing, but a celling."

Hearing this, the shape-shifter blinked in surprise then actually laughed, "Hey! That's my line!"

"Well, that's true, although you haven't been around much lately. It's been kind of boring not hearing your jokes," Raven shrugged, but gave the boy a smile that quickly disappeared. "Listen, I wanted to ask you earlier, but I didn't want to bother you. My powers can also help with emotional wounds. If you want... I could maybe help you somehow. Make you feel a bit better at least."

Beast Boy looked at her in surprise and thought for a moment. He felt so awful after he learned what Terra had done. He also knew that it can take a while for him to feel like himself again. But now as he looked at his friends, as he watched Cyborg, Starfire and Robin panic by the stove. As he looked at Raven who wanted to show him support, to ease his sorrows. Beast Boy could only ask himself one question.

Did he actually need it?

"You know... that's very nice of you, and I appreciate it a lot," Beast Boy spoke up, now with a wide smile, "but with great friends like you... I think I'll be fine."

Chapter Text

This was definitely one of the worst days they had recently.

The whole situation was just weird. How was Slade supposed to come back after everyone saw him fall straight into a lake of lava? True, he was tough, but that tough? Well, Robin wouldn't give up. He claimed he saw Slade. He claimed he tried to fight him. He claimed that Slade escaped after informing Robin that three seismic generators were set up in the city to create a massive earthquake. As if Slade didn't have enough after what happened with Terra...

But then things got even weirder. The fact that they didn't find the generators was one thing. But when Starfire returned to the group, without Robin and saying that Robin had yelled at her was another. That was when everyone started suspecting that something was seriously wrong.

Robin never yelled at Starfire.

Yes, Robin always had a strong obsession with his goals, especially when it came to Slade. The whole team had learned that for themselves when they all found out that Red X was Robin, who had silently disguised himself as a villain, fought the Titans, and all of that just to get to that psychopath. Robin often had screwed up methods, screwed up mindset, but after Slade forced him to be his apprentice, the Titans had hoped that their leader had gotten his act together. That all of that was behind them now.

But when they found Robin in Slade's old hideout, they themselves didn't know what to think. Their leader looked even more agitated than before, shouting at them, claiming that he saw and fought Slade. His uniform was tattered, his body covered in numerous wounds, bruises and abrasions, his one eye swollen. Many of those injuries looked very bad. Robin could barely stand, and the worst part was that earlier the Titans had seen him, acting like he was fighting with someone. Hurting. Yelling from pain. 

Except Slade wasn't there. No one was there.

That was enough to convince the Titans that there was something seriously wrong with Robin. And just as Robin started getting aggressive and threatening, Starfire knocked him unconscious with a starbolt. When they got him back to the tower, they all agreed that Robin needed to get examined to find out what was wrong with him. Because something had to be wrong. He couldn't be just... loosing it, right...?

It took way too long to find out what was actually going on. Robin really had to escape the Infirmary and nearly have a heart attack for Raven to finally use her powers to find out that their leader had been telling the truth all along.

Well... sort of.

Slade was there. But only Robin saw him, because he was real for him and only him. Real enough that even Raven felt the impact when Slade lunged at their leader, pushing her away from Robin's mind. Whatever was happening, it was serious enough for the Titans to act quickly. Robin was hanging on the edge of life and death. And this knowledge was enough for Starfire to rip the whole chunk of the floor in closed Infirmary in order to get to Robin before it was too late.

Luckily, Robin seemed to have figured out for himself that something wasn't clicking with the whole situation. The Titans found him in the basement with the lights on, barely holding on, but alive, and the teen managed to give one last smile to Starfire before he lost consciousness and collapsed into her arms.

After what happened, the Titans took Robin to Infirmary again, but this time they acted quickly. Maybe everything was easier because the black-haired boy had cooperated above all after he regained consciousness. There was no trace of his earlier aggression, although he strongly insisted that the lights in Infirmary were on.

Only then did Robin tell them everything, more or less, what had happened and what it all looked like for him. The Titans listened to him attentively (or at least Cyborg, Raven and Starfire, because Beast Boy was dying from the cold in nearby bed) and with each passing moment they grew more and more serious. Cyborg and Raven ran tests on him again and only then did it come to light that there was a chemical reagent in his central nervous system that was responsible for all those violent hallucinations.

This information made everyone sigh with relief. When they already knew what was wrong with Robin, Cyborg efficiently managed to remove the entire substance from his body. Although Robin still had doubts, the Titans reassured him that everything was fine and that even if Slade returned, everyone was ready for it. Only then, Robin decided to finally go to bed and get some rest.

They didn't tell him that the reagent had been remotely activated by someone from outside their Tower. They decided that for Robin's sake it was better to keep quiet and not mention it to him.

The next day was exceptionally calm.

First of all, after an intense night, the Titans slept longer than usual and everyone could only thank the world that no villain decided to cause chaos in the city first thing in the morning. They definitely wouldn't have had the strength to get up and fight anyone so early.

The training didn't take place until 12pm and Cyborg, as a substitute leader, took full responsibility for taking care of it, although it was hard to call it a real training when two team members were missing. After waking up, Beast Boy immediately sat on the couch in the living room, still struggling with the cold he caught during the rainy night and made it clear to everyone that in such a state he was going to just slack off until he feels better. 

And Robin still hadn't come out of his room.

The atmosphere in the tower wasn't exactly tense, but it was easy to notice that it was unusually quiet. Raven was reading a book, Beast Boy was scrolling through 500 channels on the TV, and Cyborg was busy with something in his room. It always felt odd whenever Robin was absent.

But it was Starfire who didn't know what to do with herself the most. She had been pacing back and forth all day with a miserable expression and couldn't find anything to do. Although wasn't that understandable? Robin was her best friend after all, and it was obvious that Starfire was most concerned about him.

"Robin still has not left the room.." Starfire spoke quietly as she sat down next to Raven and began to nervously play with her fingers. "Maybe I should-"

"Starfire," Raven looked up from her book, but there was no hint of indifference in her voice, "he needs rest. You saw what he went through yesterday. We have to give him time."

The alien girl didn't know what else to say to that. She just lowered her gaze and stood up from the couch. Normally she would have flown, but after the previous day, her powers weren't working as they should. Her worry wasn't helping. Without saying anything she left the living room and began to walk around the tower. She wondered what Cyborg was up to, but when she knocked on his door, only silence answered her.

With a quiet sigh she continued on her way and didn't even notice when she stopped near the door to Robin's room. She wanted to knock so much, to ask if everything was okay with him. What if something bad was happening again and Robin preferred to isolate himself rather than tell anyone? What if he didn't trust them again?

Tamaranean didn't know what to do and just sat against the wall, pulling her knees under her chin. She just wanted her best friend to feel better. He deserved to feel better.

"You're really worried about him, aren't you?"

Starfire almost immediately looked up and looked in the direction of the familiar voice. Cyborg stood nearby with a gentle and understanding smile on his face, holding some kind of bag in his hand.

"I just wish I could help out somehow," the girl spoke up, watching as the older teen stepped closer to her and crouched down to be more at her level, setting the bag on the floor. "On Tamaran, keeping company in tough situations is one of the most important forms of support. It feels wrong to not be there for him."

"Yeah, I know," Cyborg replied, nodding. "Earth isn't all that different in that regard. Here we also believe that people who've been through something bad shouldn't be alone. Except..." he trailed off, scratching his chin, "some people think they can handle everything on their own and don't always want that kind of support. Robin is like that. It's just in his nature and there's nothing we can do about it."

Starfire listened, but his last words made her look down again. Why did Earth have to be so complicated?

Cyborg must have noticed her sadness because he put a hand on her shoulder, "But you know... maybe you could help." The Tamaranean instantly looked back at him with hope in her eyes, to which Cyborg gave her an awkward smile before continuing. "I was just going to check on Robin and see how he's doing. I brought some spare bandages and some ointment to ease the pain from his injuries. The only problem is that I'm pretty sure he'll send me back and won't let me help him... unless you go in there with me and convince him."

The girl blinked a few times before quickly standing up, "Really? But Raven said to give him time."

"Yeah, but with his wounds still fresh and needing to be checked, the last thing I'm giving him is some peace and quiet," Cyborg spoke up with a slightly playful smile this time, then stood up as well. "Besides, I need you there in case Robin gets grumpy and decides to bite my head off for coming into his room."

"BITE YOUR HEAD OFF?!"

"It's just a saying!! I don't mean it like for real," Cyborg waved his hands quickly, trying to calm the girl down.

With that, the older teen picked up his bag and walked over to Robin's door with Starfire behind him. He knocked on it gently, not wanting to make too much noise.

"Robin, are you okay in there? It's me, Cyborg. Can I come in?"

There was no answer on the other side and Starfire just looked at Cyborg with concern. Cyborg shrugged though and opened the door anyway, entering the room quietly.

Robin's room looked the same as always, clean and organized as if it was a ready-made display in a furniture store. Beast Boy often asked Robin why he didn't at least hang a poster somewhere, to which Robin always replied that he didn't want to clutter his room with unimportant things. But there was one not so ordinary thing in there. The trash can caught Cyborg and Starfire's eye, and in it lay the worn-out uniform their leader had worn the night before. No wonder Robin threw it out right away.

After that, Cyborg and Starfire's gaze landed on Robin's bed, where they both immediately noticed the spiky, slightly disheveled black hair. Robin was halfway covered in a blanket, so they could see that the teen wasn't wearing his everyday uniform, but just normal clothes, including a black oversized T-shirt. His face still had a mask on though. The world could burn and fall apart, and Robin still wouldn't take it off even to sleep.

Cyborg and Starfire weren't sure if Robin was asleep. Starfire looked very worried, so Cyborg made the first move. He quietly walked over to Robin's bed, setting his bag on the floor before gently shaking the teen by the shoulder, "Hey, Robin are you-?"

He wasn't prepared though, because Robin instantly flinched and looked at Cyborg in surprise after opening his eyes. Apparently the previous night was still haunting him somehow. Seeing his teammate, however, Robin seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, and his body relaxed again, "What are you doing here...?" he asked shortly, in a tired tone.

"Sorry. Just... checking up on you," Cyborg replied softly, quickly withdrawing his hand. "I wanted to see how your wounds are doing. I brought something that might help with the pain, if you need it."

The leader however looked away, "Thanks, but I'm fine. Don't you have anything better to do?"

"I do not think it's fine, but I really wish it was," Starfire spoke up, stepping forward from behind Cyborg, looking at Robin with pleading eyes.

Hearing her voice, Robin quickly looked back at them again, only then noticing that Starfire was there as well. He didn't say anything for a moment, but eventually sighed, "Okay."

Then he tried to get up, but it was obvious that his muscles were failing him, because he would have fallen back onto the pillow if Cyborg hadn't held him up.

"Easy, man. I got you," the older teen said as he helped Robin sit on the edge of the bed. It was hard not to notice that Robin was visibly embarrassed with himself, but neither Cyborg nor Starfire commented on it. That was the last thing he needed right now.

While Cyborg talked to Robin, Starfire sat next to the black-haired boy, doing her best not to get in the way, but at the same time show support with her presence. She also watched with slight curiosity as Cyborg applied ointments to Robin's wounds, which were supposed to help with the discomfort caused by any bruises.

"And just to make sure, you haven't seen or heard Slade since yesterday? No more weird hallucinations?" Cyborg asked, to which Robin just let out a huff under his nose. "Come on, I just want to be sure the scanner didn't have any errors yesterday or something. You know that what happened was serious. I wouldn't want to miss anything."

"I know, I know," Robin replied, massaging his sore hands, "but like I said, everything's fine now, so I don't see any reason to drag this out."

Cyborg just looked at him for a moment, but then smiled, "I'm glad then. If you need anything, just tell me. And don't worry about a thing. I'll take care of everything while you rest."

"Thanks," Robin replied, watching Cyborg grab his bag and leave the room. It took him a moment to realize Starfire was still sitting next to him.

"So... do you wish to be alone right now to rest? I can leave if you need it," Starfire spoke quietly, now standing up to leave the room as well. She didn't expect Robin to grab her hand though.

"What? No, you don't have to leave," Robin replied, but then he withdrew his hand, as if something had burned him, "unless you want to, of course."

Hearing his answer, Starfire sat back down next to him, but her expression was uncertain, "Are you sure? You have not come out of your room all day and I thought you..."

"Thought what?"

"Thought that maybe... you do not wish to see us."

Robin looked at her now, surprised, "Why wouldn't I want to see you?" And when Starfire didn't answer right away, Robin gently placed a hand on her shoulder to get her attention, "Star, what's wrong? Come on, talk to me, please."

The alien girl looked at him now. She wanted to speak up. Tell him what was going on. But then she saw his expression. His worried face, with the terrible wounds from the previous night. Her chest tightened. She couldn't take it anymore. She couldn't stop the tears that now fell down her cheeks.

"Star-" Robin didn't get to finish because Starfire now threw herself into his arms and hugged him tightly.

"Robin... I just cannot help, but feel so bad... so guilty that I..." Starfire tried to speak, but couldn't stop her own sobs. "That we did not help you. That I did not help you..."

"What are you talking about?" Robin asked softly, gently pulling her away from him, so he could look into her eyes. "You helped me. You all helped me. The reagent is gone. There's no danger anymore."

But Starfire just shook her head, "But I feel bad about how long it took. We did not believe you at first. I hurt you... All of it almost- it almost ended very badly. Raven told us you were close to-"

"But nothing happened, okay?" Robin cut her off quickly before she could say another word. His hands had slid from her shoulders and were now gently grabbing hers. "Look, I acted like a complete jerk towards you. I shouted at you, I threatened you, I-" Robin trailed off as he gently caressed Starfire’s right arm, in the exact same place where he had painfully clenched his fist the night before. "I’m the one who’s… supposed to be sorry."

Starfire stopped sobbing and looked at him, not understanding what he meant, "You should not be. You were sick."

"That's not an excuse for what I did."

Robin took a deep breath as Starfire wiped her tears. The girl didn't say anything, as she could see that her friend had more to say. So she waited patiently in silence.

"None of this would have happened if I had just... talked to you, told you what was going on, asked for help. Anything instead of running off to find Slade on my own. I should have noticed that something was wrong. Looking back, there were so many signs.." Robin continued, looking at the wounds on his hands now. Wounds he had inflicted on himself. He hung his head, "I let my obsession with Slade get the better of me again. I can't help, but feel like a freak."

"Please do not think that way!" Starfire immediately moved closer to him. "You thought the city was in danger. And you wanted to save it. And... And you did not know what was happening to you. I just... I can only imagine... how scared you must have been."

He didn't answer. Instead, he looked away as if in shame, which meant Starfire wasn't wrong. He never liked showing his vulnerable side. His weaknesses. She wanted to speak again, but Robin was faster.

"I was. I admit, I was scared, especially in the basement," Robin replied, his voice much quieter this time. "But then I started noticing that... that he disappeared every time the lights turned on. And I started remembering what you guys told me before. That there were no generators. That there was no Slade. And I realized that you were right all along."

"Robin..."

"I just want to say, thank you... for what you did for me," Robin said, looking at her, still in shame. It sounded like his voice was cracking. "And... I'm sorry for everything."

Starfire didn't want to hear that though. Instead she just hugged Robin once more, as if to take away all his pain and worries with her embrace, "There is no need to be sorry. I am just really happy that you are alright. I am happy that you are safe."

She only felt her friend's tense body relax in her embrace. And after a moment she felt Robin wrap his arms around her and return the hug. They sat there in silence for a moment. Maybe that was what they needed most right now. A moment of respite after all this. Knowing that what had happened was already over.

But then Starfire heard a small hiss of pain from Robin and she immediately understood what was going on, quickly releasing him. "Maybe I should be the one to say sorry now! I forgot that you are still unwell!"

"It's okay, Star. I'm going to be sore for the next few days, that's for sure. That's mainly the reason why I didn't leave the room the whole day," Robin replied in a slightly pained voice, laying down again and letting his muscles rest. This time, however, there was a small smile on his face. "Hey, uhh... maybe you'd like to..? Um..."

Starfire blinked, "Yes?"

"Uhh.. would you like to maybe... stay here? For a bit? I think I could use some company," Robin said, but then he winced, a red blush appearing on his face. "If you want of course! Because... Because if you have- uhh.. somewhere to be, then... then I..."

He was stuttering like crazy now. But the girl paid no attention to that, because a wide smile now crept across her face."I would love to."

Soon she lay down next to him, both of them now looking at each other, smiling and talking about everything and nothing at the same time. Rays of sunlight began to enter the room, breaking through the clouds, now tickling the two Titans's faces with warm and pleasant feeling. 

And that made Starfire believe that everything was going back to normal again. And looking at Robin, she belived that he was thinking the same thing.

Chapter Text

Apparently it was decided. Silkie was now an official resident of Titans Tower.

"Listen man, on one hand I get it. On the other hand I think you fell on your head," Cyborg didn't hide his opinion as he looked at Robin when the Titans were heading home after the whole battle with gigantic moth, that used to be the caterpillar that almost destroyed their Tower with its hunger Now back in his normal, not gigantic form, the same said caterpillar was left behind with Starfire to clean up the whole... thing. "Even if that larva went back to its normal size, it can still make a mess like before."

"Then we need to find out why was it making a mess in the first place and try to correct it," Robin simply responded, now looking at Beast Boy with a frown.

Beast Boy immediately noticed the leader's gaze and flinched, "What?! I didn't do anything!"

"You took in a larva and didn't even know what to feed it," Raven replied dryly. "No wonder it turned the Tower upside down."

"Silkie always ate without any problems! Just recently he became picky!" the shape-shifter defended himself.

Robin still glared at him, "But you decided to dump all the responsibility on Starfire anyway."

Beast Boy laughed nervously, scratching the back of his neck, "That's just how it turned out. I didn't predict that Starfire would love him this much... But there are some positives to this situation! Thanks to Starfire feeding Silkie those berries that mutated him, now we know what else he likes to eat!" he finished with a wide grin.

The other three Titans just grimaced, remembering exactly what Silkie had gotten his taste for, but none of them said anything. They all decided they would have to get used to the larva in the Tower if it meant Starfire wouldn't be so gloomy anymore.

Luckily, it turned out that Silkie wasn't a problem when he was actually well fed. Starfire took full responsibility of watching over him, so there were no more accidents. Life in the Tower went on as usual, except that every now and then the Titans could see a larva wandering through the halls. But most of the time Silkie spent time with Starfire in her room, or just wherever she was.

Starfire had truly fallen in love with that creature. She spent every free moment taking care of it, feeding it, washing it, as if it was her own child. Only it wasn't a child. As Starfire said, it was her bumgorf (whatever it meant).

However, even though Silkie really loved Starfire too, he was definitely very curious about the other Titans. And no matter how well Starfire watched over him, sometimes he simply slipped away from her. And that led to all sorts of situations.

First of all, Silkie often snuck out to Beast Boy's room during the night, which wasn't exactly strange. After all, Beast Boy had been his owner before Starfire, and the larva clearly still remembered that. So Beast Boy could often be found curled up in his bed, with Silkie sleeping right next to him.

The shape-shifter still loved him a lot and couldn't resist giving Silkie treats, despite the fact that Starfire would let him know if the larva had been fed before. It was definitely not a good habit, but Starfire was constantly working on it and she often gave Beast Boy the green-glowing frown a few times, which made the green teen start to hold back a bit when it came to treats.

The situations with the other Titans were much more interesting.

Cyborg wasn't too keen on his new roommate from the start (the fact that Silkie ate his best leg certainly contributed to that). It was obvious, however, that he cared about the animal's well-being. One afternoon Cyborg almost had a heart attack when Silkie, out of curiosity, fell under the T-Car's open hood and the robotic teen not only desperately fished him out, but also washed him himself, because Silkie was obviously dirty (thankfully, unharmed).

Silkie also really enjoyed hanging out with both Beast Boy and Cyborg when they played video games together. For some reason, the larva would then become very fascinated by Cyborg's shiny, mechanical parts and he would start climbing on him, trying to bite. Even though Silkie wouldn't do any damage in his small form, it annoyed Cyborg beyond belief, as it distracted him terribly, and he actually lost to Beast Boy a few times.

"He distracted me!" Cyborg stated in frustration as he pulled the caterpillar off of himself after losing the match.

But Beast Boy just laughed during his victory dance, "Or maybe you just can't admit that you were worse this time!"

However, after a while, Cyborg actually got used to him. Now he didn't even notice that Silkie was attached to him the whole time he was playing. Even better, since the larva often ended up in funny positions, Beast Boy would lose concentration when he started to admire the sight. For Cyborg, these were easy wins.

Robin didn't seem to care much about Silkie. He acted as he always did and didn't pay much attention to the caterpillar crawling around the Tower. Although, he had been caught more than once checking out websites with information about larvae like Silkie during his usual work.

"It's always good to do research," Robin simply said, every time someone caught him doing that. "Better to know what we're dealing with. After all, it belonged to Killer Moth."

Surprisingly, he wasn't negative about the animal that had previously belonged to the villain. Whenever Starfire came to Robin with Silkie in her hands, the leader always gave him a gentle pat on the head. 

Silkie also liked Robin, and he liked the leader's cape the most, which he was for some reason very fascinated by. He kept jumping on it and grabbing it with his teeth, which made him hang off the ground, and Robin didn't know how to teach him not to do that. Starfire, however, always found it very amusing, and when Robin noticed it, he just stopped caring so much whenever Silkie did it. 

Situation with Raven was the most interesting. The girl completely ignored the larva from the beginning, clearly not wanting any attention from it. But for some reason it had a completely different effect, because Silkie became even more fascinated with her.

Not only did he follow her around very often, but he also kept staring at her whenever she meditated, something Raven tried to desperately ignore. However, this was no easy task, as Silkie increasingly sought her attention. It became especially problematic when Raven began to find Silkie on the bed in her room and always had to pick him up and take him to Starfire.

"No one is allowed in my room. He is no exception," Raven said as she handed the larva back to Starfire, after she found it in her room for the first time. Starfire just laughed awkwardly, but promised to keep an eye on it.

Raven only really started tolerating him when she was reading books. Of course, at first Silkie would crawl into her lap, which the girl wasn't thrilled about, so she would always grab him and put him next to her instead. It didn't help until Raven started lending Silkie a piece of her cloak. That satisfied the larva, and he could often be found resting next to the reading girl.

It hadn't even been a week and the entire team had gotten used to their new companion. They had even given him his own initiation, putting a pink wig and a tiny dress on him, and while the Titans had a good laugh and took lots of pictures, Silkie didn't seem too bothered by it. Especially since he was guaranteed a treat after the whole thing. 

Now all the Titans were asleep on the couch after another successful movie night. And right in the middle among them, lay a small, white caterpillar. 

Somehow it felt just right. 

Chapter Text

Robin didn't know what to say after everything that had happened.

He and the rest of the Titans were slowly making their way out of the tunnel that had led to the surface from Slade's hideout. The hideout was now in ruins after the Titans had given Slade a beating he deserved, which meant they probably wouldn't see him for a while.

But Robin didn't care about Slade now.

The leader just looked at the rest of the Titans as they all walked in the darkness. Cyborg walked in front, lighting the way for everyone, followed by Raven and Beast Boy. Robin, on the other hand, walked with Starfire in the back. The Tamaranean was walking with one hand wrapped around him as if helping him walk, which Robin didn't quite understand. Yes, he was tired. Yes, he was sore. But that didn't mean he couldn't walk on his own. However, Starfire's expression made Robin not comment on it.

He wondered what they would tell him after all this. Honestly, Robin didn't expect anything positive. He expected resentment for why he hadn't tried to communicate with them in any way. He expected frustration for how he had behaved towards them back at the port. He expected it to be similar to what happened with Red X.

It's only fair, Robin thought. Even if he didn't want to be Slade's apprentice, he still stole and did bad things. He still hurt his team. He let Slade hurt them. Now that he had experienced the effects of nanoscopic probes firsthand, the terrible feeling as if his body was falling apart, he felt even worse that he had let Slade do this to his friends twice.

"The exit! Finally!" Beast Boy suddenly cried as Cyborg began to lift the lid from the tunnel's exit. 

One by one, the Titans began to emerge from the tunnel. It was still dark outside, but it was easy to tell that morning will appear in a couple of hours. The air was pleasantly cool, and all around was silence. After all the time spent in Slade's hideout, filled with the noise of the constantly running machinery, Robin really needed this silence.

Now, however, he remembered where he was. When Starfire helped him out, Robin knew that this conversation would not pass him by. He was prepared for complaints, for questions, for dissatisfaction. All he had to do was start. The sooner he did it, the sooner it would be over. Now, what to say? What-

"Dude! I can't believe you weren't an evil robot, zombie, or radioactive clone all this time!" Beast Boy exclaimed as he suddenly appeared in front of Robin, as if disappointed.

Robin just blinked, "What?"

"But even if I was wrong, I was still onto something!" the shape-shifter continued, this time his voice filled with pride.

"Well, Starfire didn't believe it either, so it's not just you," Raven spoke up to which Beast Boy just looked at her with squinted eyes.

"But Starfire didn't have any actual theories, and I had three!"

"But none of your theories were accurate, so relax, okay?" Cyborg grinned, moving past Beast Boy and now standing in front of Robin. But there was still no trace of displeasure on his face. The smile was still there as he patted Robin's shoulder, "Oh man, it's good to see you, knowing you won't be kicking our butts anymore."

He wanted to speak, but his throat refused to make a sound. He could hear the voices of his friends around him, but now they were becoming increasingly muffled. His knees finally gave way beneath him, and Robin fell to the ground, supported only by his hands.

More noise. Everything suddenly seemed loud. His entire body had abandoned the terrible tension that had accompanied him for the past few days and was now refusing to obey. His gaze fixed on the ground, Robin didn't know how to look the Titans in the eye.

It was only after a moment that he heard Starfire's voice.

"Robin..? What is wrong?"

He forced himself to breathe. To concentrate on his surroundings. To calm down. When his ears stopped ringing, he looked up. Starfire crouched in front of him, her eyes full of worry, her hands in the air as if she wanted to hold him, but wasn't sure if she should. The others stood behind her, their expressions showed only concern. Not an ounce of regret or frustration.

Why?

"It's okay. Just..." Robin breathed out, "... I need a moment."

"Ah, right. You did take the beating before we showed up," Cyborg spoke up, but bit his tongue when Robin's gaze darkened. "Anything we can help with?"

Robin shook his head, "It's nothing." He quickly took a deep breath, trying to steady his voice. Why was it so hard to talk now? Was he really that tense? Or maybe Slade's order of not talking to his friends was still effective? He took another deep breath, before looking at them. "You... really figured it out."

"You mean the awful little machines stuck in our bodies?" Starfire asked, while the leader nodded.

"Yup, that wasn't easy to find, even with my technology," Cyborg scratched his head. "We really had to think hard to figure out what was going on."

"Yeah, but we managed to find them and I have to admit, they're disgusting!" Beast Boy now butted in, making a bitter face. "Dude! You could have at least leave us a note that those things are swimming inside of us!"

Robin tensed hearing that, but then he saw Cyborg and Raven give Beast Boy frustrated looks, and the shape-shifter just raised his hands in surrender.

"You're not helping right now," Raven said, glaring at him from under her hood.

"I couldn't really talk to you, Slade would have destroyed you instantly," Robin spoke before Raven could smack Beast Boy over the head. "Other forms of communication were out of the question, too. He was watching me through his cameras the whole time."

"Ah... yeah, sorry dude," Beast Boy just said quietly.

There was silence for a moment, everyone still processing what had happened over the past few days. It had been close. It had been really close for the Titans to cease to exist. All of them. But for some reason, losing was worse for Slade than letting them all go.

"So... are we good?" Robin suddenly asked, standing up from his knees and awkwardly scratching the back of his neck. He still didn't get used to the metal collar above his torso. The first thing he needed to do after returning home was changing into his uniform and throwing this one away. Or just burning the hell out of it. 

The entire team looked at him, all with confused expressions.

"Why wouldn't we be?" Cyborg asked.

"Because I still worked for Slade. I let him capture me. I fought you. And I was too weak to stop it from happening," Robin replied, grimly, before actually looking at them. "Look, I'm just saying, I'm sor-"

"Robin, do not apologize," Starfire suddenly spoke, her voice urgent, making Robin stop talking immediately. "It was not your fault. You did what you had to keep us safe."

"Yeah, man. It's all good. We're just happy to have you back," Cyborg just smiled.

And Robin didn't even have time to answer, because right then Starfire rushed towards him and hugged him so tightly that he lost his breath. He was surprised to see that she wasn't the only one. The rest of the Titans joined in as well. Cyborg hugged them both. Beast Boy turned into a panda and hugged them with his soft paws as well. Even Raven joined in, although she didn't actually hug them, but she leaned against them, showing that she was there too.

After these past few days, Robin finally felt all the tension, all the stress, all the worries, just melt away. The warmth of his friends' embrace was like some kind of magic plaster on his aching and tired body. But then Robin felt Cyborg's hand on his head, ruffling his hair, and a moment later he heard his teasing voice.

"But you're not getting away without a rematch," Cyborg grinned at Robin, Beast Boy next to him nodding his head as everyone finished the hug. "So you better prepare for the next combat practice."

Robin looked at them surprised, but smirked after a moment, "Are you serious? I was literally holding back."

"Yeah, maybe against Starfire!" Beast Boy pointed out, but then he and Cyborg exchanged glances and just smiled at each other, to which Robin just blushed stupidly. 

Starfire clearly had no idea what's going on, but she glared at Cyborg and Beast Boy anyway, her protective nature resurfacing, "There will be no rematches! Our friend needs rest first!"

Cyborg and Beast Boy noticed her serious expression. If Starfire was serious then there was no time for jokes. So they gave her the most innocent smiles they could do and nodded their heads.

"Hey, uhh... I don't mean to interrupt, but can we go home and get rid of these probes already?" Raven suddenly spoke up, drawing the attention of the other Titans. "Let's say I feel really uncomfortable, knowing they're in my body."

The entire team immediately agreed and Raven lifted everyone with her powers to transport everyone to the Tower. And Robin started to think. They really needed to deal with removing those probes somehow after they return home. Which will probably take hours. And they will probably finish in the early morning when the sun will start to shine. So no sleep again. And his sore muscles will be probably killing him for the next few days. 

But now as they flew, Robin looked around at his team. At his friends who now were smiling and cracking jokes, but less than an hour ago they were willing to die just to try to save him from Slade's grasp. Maybe he didn't care about anything else.

He was just glad he was home.

Chapter Text

It would be false to say that Beast Boy just immediately stopped feeling bad about what happened.

Yes, his behavior was caused by those chemicals. His friends helped him and managed to find an antidote. They forgave him. Raven forgave him.

But he still felt terrible about it. The antidote didn't make him just forget how he treated his friends before.

He had to make this right. So the next day he got up as early as possible to fix everything.

The first was Robin.

Beast Boy may not have been a professional chef, but he was a master when it came to tofu. So the first thing he did after getting ready for the day was go to the kitchen. There was no one in the common room yet, but the shape-shifter knew his leader would be arriving soon. Not only did Robin have a set schedule for his days, but he was also always punctual.

The green boy took out a pan and threw everything he needed to make the best tofu in the world. He stood there for a moment, watching the vegetables fry, when suddenly he heard the door open.

As expected, Robin was ready for breakfast at the same time as always. The black haired boy just yawned before spotting Beast Boy in the kitchen and stopping dead in his tracks, "Beast Boy? It's... 8 am. Are you feeling okay?"

"Better than okay! Why do you ask?" Beast Boy just asked with a wide smile.

Robin just scratched his head as he stepped closer, "Because it's... very unlike of you to be up this early."

"Well, not today," Beast Boy announced proudly, shaking the pan, "now sit down."

"Uh, I kinda want to make myself breakfast first, so I'll just- Hey!" Robin exclaimed when suddenly Beast Boy, transformed into a gorilla, grabbed him and quickly sat him down at the table.

"Sorry!" Beast Boy transformed back into his human form and just smiled awkwardly as the black-haired boy gave him a frustrated look. "Just trust me, okay?"

Robin just sighed, but leaned against the table and waited. Meanwhile, Beast Boy had finished cooking and with an expression full of pride, he placed freshly fried tofu with vegetables in front of his leader, "Bon apetit!"

"Oh, thanks," Robin seemed surprised by the gesture as he looked back at his teammate. "What's the occasion?"

"Actually, it's more of an... apology for eating your breakfast yesterday," the shape-shifter replied with a laugh, but his ears still dropped, remembering his behaviour.

Robin listened attentively as he took a bite of tofu. He swallowed before speaking, "Look Beast Boy, you know I don't hold it against you, right? Honestly, I was more surprised that you ate meat than I was frustrated that you ate my breakfast. But you weren't yourself yesterday. And I was actually planning on apologizing to you for how I treated you back in Infirmary."

"Nah, dude. Don't be sorry. All of it was just messed up and you thought that I hurt Raven. I'd be mad too if I were you," Beast Boy said with ashamed voice, but after a moment he straightened up, the smile returning to his face. "Instead of apologizing, you should eat your breakfast, it's getting cold!"

Robin looked like he wanted to say something else, but Beast Boy seemed to make it clear that he didn't want to hear any apologies from him. Instead, the leader smiled, "Alright, alright. Thanks, Beast Boy. I have to admit, it's really tasty."

Hearing this, Beast Boy just smiled broadly, feeling as if a weight had been lifted from his heart. Good thing Robin didn't hate tofu.

Next one was Starfire.

It was noon, but Beast Boy had everything ready. He had specifically asked Cyborg, Robin, and Raven (just in case) not to use the TV at this hour. Snacks were already on the table, including a bottle of mustard for a certain alien girl.

Beast Boy then went to Starfire's room and knocked on her door. The Tamaranean quickly opened it.

"Beast Boy? What is the matter?" Starfire asked, concern evident in her voice.

"Nothing's the matter, Star!" Beast Boy shook his head, "I just... I wanted to make up for my behavior yesterday. You know.. the one with TV... so I thought..."

"But you were unwell..." Starfire spoke with worry.

Beast Boy quickly shook his head, "Doesn't mean I can't fix what I messed up! So, Starfire," Beast Boy cleared his throat as if he was preparing for some very important speech, "would you like to watch the new episode of World of Fungus with me? I even managed to find yesterday's episode online!"

Starfire's eyes immediately lit up, "Truly? Would you watch them with me? Because I would love to watch them with you!" The alien now hugged Beast Boy tightly, "But you know, what makes me happiest is that you are feeling better, my friend!"

"Me...too," Beast Boy could barely breathe through the Tamaranean's embrace, but soon the girl let go of him and the two of them headed to the common room.

Obviously, Beast Boy almost threw up while watching Starfire's favorite show, but he owed it to her.

Then it was Cyborg's turn.

Here Beast Boy had a problem. The scratch he had made on Cyborg's armor the day before had long since been repaired. And even if it hadn't been, there was nothing the shape-shifter could do about it. He briefly considered polishing the T-car, but he remembered all the times Cyborg had forbidden him from ever touching that car. Beast Boy decided not to risk it.

Finally, resigned, he shuffled to Cyborg's room with two controllers in hand. After knocking on his door, his friend opened them and stood in front of him.

"Hey, man! How are you feeling today?" Cyborg asked with a grin, ruffling Beast Boy's hair. "I saw you were watching those weird shows with Starfire. I just want to say I'm impressed."

"Yeah, that was... something," Beast Boy scratched the back of his neck. "Listen, I just came because... It got messed up when we were playing on the console recently and I thought that..."

"BB..." Cyborg started to say, but then the green boy shoved a controller into his face.

"Would you like to play with me? I won't be a jerk anymore! I'll even let you win!"

Cyborg just blinked in surprise, "Okay, I'll play with you, but..."

Beast Boy was just waiting impatiently for the second part of the sentence. He would do anything! Anything to fix what happened last time! He could even wash dishes for the whole next month!

And then Cyborg gave him a nose flick.

"...you don't have to go easy on me, because I'll win regardless," the older teen just smiled slyly, passing Beast Boy and running towards the common room. It took Beast Boy a moment to realize what had happened and he soon ran after him.

The two of them played the console for the next hour, having as much fun as ever. No sudden outbursts of anger from Beast Boy. No signs that the Beast might awaken again. Everything was fine. Sure, Beast Boy got annoyed by Cyborg's moves a few times, but it wasn't as extreme as before.

Finally, they both took a breather from their last intense game and collapsed onto the couch. Cyborg had won again, but the shape-shifter didn't care at all. Everything was good again.

"That was fun," Beast Boy said with a smile.

"Yeah," Cyborg agreed, though his smile faded a bit. "You know Beast Boy, when I asked you how you were feeling earlier, I really meant it." And when the younger teen looked at Cyborg as if he didn't understand, he continued. "I know you're trying to make up to everyone for what's been going on lately, but... I feel like you're forgetting that we almost lost you yesterday. If we hadn't found the antidote..."

"Cyborg, I was a total jerk to all of you," Beast Boy tried to say.

"Even if," Cyborg looked at him now, "I'd rather you were a jerk but alive."

The boy just looked at him and was speechless. He wanted to answer that, but he didn't know how. And he didn't have to, because Cyborg suddenly grabbed him hard and gave him a playful side hug.

"So next time don't even think about swimming in any chemicals or I'll kick your green butt myself, got it?!"

And Beast Boy couldn't help but laugh at that. And maybe it was better this way.

"Okay, I promise that was the last time."

Raven was the last.

True, Beast Boy had spoken to her the night before, when the whole thing had been resolved and everything seemed fine. But if he had made it his mission to brighten every Titan's day, then Raven especially deserved it. Even if she preferred to spend most of her time alone.

But Beast Boy knew what would make her at leaaaast a bit happy.

It was already evening, and he walked uncertainly to her room with a package in his hands. He looked at it once more when he stood in front of Raven's door and finally knocked.

"Raven...? It's me."

At first he thought she wouldn't open the door. The boy knew that she wasn't mad at him. After all she hadn't been the night before. But Raven simply didn't like being interrupted. But he was surprised when the door slid open and he saw Raven's hooded face in front of him.

"What?"

"Um..." Beast Boy was a little embarrassed, but took a deep breath. He slowly raised his hands, holding a package containing several types of herbal teas. There were even some cookies inside, which he got for free during the purchase. Everything was wrapped as nicely as possible. "This is for you. You know. For what happened yesterday... I didn't know which one you would like the most. There were... a lot of them in the store. I took some with a relaxing effect, or at least that's what the lady in the shop told me they have."

Raven looked at him for a moment, then looked at the package, and the green boy was actually afraid of her reaction. But she actually pulled down her hood and accepted the gift, "Want to share them? I was just in the mood for some tea."

Hearing her answer, Beast Boy immediately brightened up, "Sure!"

The two of them went to the common room, which was currently dark and empty. They turned on the lights and Beast Boy sat down while Raven took out one of the teas and began brewing it in two cups. Raven always made the best tea. Beast Boy never understood it and always thought that all he had to do was pour boiling water into the cup of tea. But the girl always talked about different temperatures of water and stuff, so he didn't interfere.

"I appreciate the gesture, but you really didn’t have to do that," Raven said, now carrying two cups of tea and placing one in front of Beast Boy. There was no unpleasantness in her voice. "We talked about this already. You didn’t do anything wrong. And you saved me back then."

Beast Boy took a sip of tea and winced as he burned his tongue.

"...Be careful, it's hot."

"Yeah, I noticed," Beast Boy replied, sticking his tongue out to cool it down. When the pain had subsided a bit, the boy looked back at Raven. "Actually… the tea is an apology for the way I was acting before."

"And as I said before, you weren't yourself. I hold no grudge against you," Raven said shortly, taking a sip of her tea. The hot water didn't impress her. "I actually realized that I wasn't treating you fair either. Before the fight with Adonis. I'm not surprised you got pissed off."

"What? Raven, you can't say that!" Beast Boy said quickly. "You can't say that, because all you did was say things to me, and I was an absolute jerk to you. And... and then I almost-"

"You say you were a jerk, but there's no hiding the fact that I can be a jerk to you too," Raven said quietly. "I don't blame you for anything."

"Well then... I guess we're both jerks then..." the boy spoke up, but looked at Raven, "but that doesn't mean we can't work on that."

Raven looked at him and actually smiled slightly. Before she could say anything, Beast Boy lifted his cup to clink with hers.

"You don't do that with tea," she said with a slight irritation.

"C'mooon," Beast Boy pleaded, making pleading eyes. "Just this once as a make up?"

Raven just rolled her eyes. But then she reluctantly lifted the cup and allowed Beast Boy to clink it.

Just this once.

Chapter Text

The day was busy. Like, very, very busy.

It had been a long time since Cyborg had trained so hard in the gym. He usually only went there for short periods of time, or for scheduled training with the rest of the team. But he never stayed there longer than he should.

The fight with Atlas changed everything.

Until recently, he believed that his body had a limit. That he could no longer train like he used to. Like when he was an athlete and a full human being. He was convinced that his mechanical body parts had taken everything that made him give more than 100%. Back then, the time spent in the gym often felt like a waste of time. 

But when he won against Atlas, when his power readout, not only exceeded 100% but also became broke in the process, Cyborg seemed to feel alive again. All limits no longer applied to him. The mechanical parts of his body were still there, but the teen was convinced that even with them, he still could do things like before.

Currently, Cyborg was determined to lift weights. At first, it took him a while to get out of the habit of looking at his power readout in his arm, which would show that he was approaching the limit of his abilities. But now that it was gone, the young man did it less and less. And he had the impression that since he realized that he could still give more than he thought, his training seemed easier. Actually enjoyable.

Suddenly he heard a whistle somewhere behind him.

"Not bad!"

He turned around, confused, and saw Robin, who was leaning against a nearby wall with his arms crossed, watching him with a serene expression.

Cyborg smirked, "Thanks. How long have you been standing there?"

"A while," Robin replied, now pushing himself away from the wall and walking over to him. "We were wondering where you were. Beast Boy's been complaining he has no one to play on the console with."

"Ha! Tell him I won't be available today!" the robot teen stood up, dusting off his hands. "Cyborg has other plans today. A real workout!"

"These plans don't even include dinner?" Robin raised an eyebrow.

"If Beast Boy isn't cooking it today, then they do."

"Starfire."

"Then definitely not!" Cyborg just laughed. He had already tried the Tamaranean's dishes several times and each time it ended with food  poisoning. He preferred to live.

It took a moment for both Robin and Cyborg to control their chuckles. Neither seemed to know what to say. It was silent for a moment, but it wasn't like the last time. It wasn't unpleasant or tense. It was just nice. Normal.

Robin then spoke, "You know, I'm glad you're in a better mood after... after what happened last time..."

"Yeah. I really was brooding if even Raven tried to cheer me up," Cyborg chuckled, shaking his head and remembering how the empath had actually tried to make his mood a bit better, but hadn't even been able to get the words out, before Cyborg shut her off.

"If I had known you'd care so much, you know..." Robin scratched his neck, "I wouldn't have pushed you like that during training."

"Actually, I'm glad you did," Cyborg said. "Remember when I told you about my coaches?"

Robin nodded, "The ones who told you to always give more than 100%? Yeah."

"During the previous training session, you reminded me a lot of them, you know?" Cyborg almost laughed again as he sat down on the bench now. The training had really worn him out.

Robin looked at him for a moment as if unsure what to say, "Is that bad?"

"Well, I was frustrated at first," the older teen admitted, to which his leader grimaced again. "My first coach pissed me off a lot at first. When I first started being an athlete, I never understood all this talk about giving more than 100 percent. If I said I couldn’t, then I couldn’t. I always thought it just wasn't possible to give more."

"...Mhm."

"But then I started to understand," Cyborg continued. "It started to come out in the most intense moments. I started to see how amazing it was to be at your limit, and yet... yet still be able to muster that extra strength. And then... well."

He glanced at Robin as he paused. It wasn't always easy to open up about this stuff. But even though he didn't see his leader's eyes, he could see that they were focused on Cyborg's words. Robin was a good listener. 

He now looked at his mechanical hands, "After the accident I just thought I lost it along with my human body parts. I thought I wouldn't be able to feel that extra strength inside me anymore. And I thought that... because of that I wouldn't be able to defeat Atlas and save you guys. That it was simply impossible for me."

Robin listened patiently in silence. "But you came back anyway."

At first, Cyborg shrugged, "I just thought about my coaches and wondered what they would say to me back then. And I remembered what you told me before and... I think that was what I needed. I needed that push. To remind myself that my human parts were still there and that they could still do something."

There was a moment of silence as Cyborg finished saying what he wanted to say. Robin was silent for a moment, as if his brain was registering everything his friend had told him. He finally sat down next to Cyborg.

"So you... forget sometimes? That they're there?" Robin asked, choosing his words carefully.

"You know, it's hard not to forget," the older teen admitted. "Everyday, I mostly rely on the robotic parts. Without them, I... simply wouldn't exist. Organic parts can always be replaced. You can get rid of them. Replace them with new scrap." Cyborg tried not to shiver, remembering that it had almost happened once. Back at the scrapyard when he had met Fixit, who had tried to 'fix him' through removing his human body parts. The only ones he had left. "I would function just fine. I just..."

"...You wouldn't be yourself," Robin finished.

"Yeah," Cyborg looked at him and smiled. "After the fight with Atlas, it's just nice to... feel that human side more than robotic one. And I want to feel it as often as possible. So," Cyborg now tightened his grip on Robin's shoulder and gave the leader a wide smile, "if you ever see me slacking off during training or something, give me that push, man. Like last time."

"Fine," Robin raised an eyebrow and smirked, "as long as you don't get into that weird mood again."

"Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine. We already have one spiky-headed whiner here, and I don’t dare take his place," Cyborg said, only laughing when Robin nudged him playfully as a warning. "So, are you going back to the others? Or do you have other plans?"

"Starfire wanted me to try her cooking. So I'd rather not," Robin just grimaced.

"In that case," Cyborg now stood up and went to the locker where all the sports equipment was kept. He grabbed one round, orange object and smirked. "Think fast!"

Robin only winced, but easily managed to catch the basketball that was Cyborg threw towards him.

"Want to play?" Cyborg asked with determination in his voice.

At that, Robin grinned, "You bet."

So they both sneaked out of the gym and went to the roof. The weather was beautiful, a pleasant sea breeze was blowing, and the sun was shining and sharing its warmth.

Cyborg took a deep breath, enjoying the feeling.

How good it felt to be a human.