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Terran

A Teen Titan

A True Friend

The plaque was a tombstone.

He was the only one who could see it. The others were too naive. False hopes clouded their judgment and blinded them from seeing the obvious. It was so glaringly apparent, so clear and indisputable, that there couldn't be any other explanation. The evidence was there, staring at them all, but only he had the courage to stare back.

He gazed at the petrified body, peered into those empty gray eyes, and found himself feeling disturbed.

It was like looking at a corpse.

Features were frozen in a blank, stoic expression. There was no sign of even the barest sliver of life in that vacant countenance. The sight was chilling, and only served to confirm what he already knew.

This was a funeral.

The somber mood, the speeches that sounded like eulogies, the use of past tense whenever the departed came up...

It couldn't have been anything else.

Of course, in order to have a funeral, somebody had to die. This wasn't the case.

Terran was still alive, but only in the literal sense of the word. He was nothing more than a statue now, an unblinking and unfeeling petrifaction of what he used to be. He honestly thought it would be better if the blond was dead. He was reduced to a state of near lifelessness. He couldn't move or speak. He couldn't tell any of them why he did the things he had done, couldn't beg for their forgiveness like he knew he would if he was still capable. The bit of vitality that remained was barely there, and it was only through severe concentration that he could detect it at all.

It didn't really matter if he was alive. Terran would always be dead to him.

"Revan?"

Robyn's voice shook him from his thoughts. He turned to the girl wonder and raised a brow to convey that she had his attention.

"Is there anything you would like to add?"

He doubted another speech would do much good. What more was there to say? Terran betrayed them and worked for Slade, only to redeem himself in the end by committing another act of betrayal. The choices he made, his intentions and goals, would forever be clouded in mystery. It was pointless to go on and on about it.

Out of the corner of his eye, Revan noticed Beast Girl looking at him expectantly, eager to hear any insight he had to offer. He considered her for a brief moment before focusing back on Robyn. Perhaps he could spare a kind word or two.

But just as he was about to answer his leader's question, a bitter memory resurfaced.

"I don't really want to hurt the others, but I'm going to enjoy getting rid of you."

He could still taste the mud in his mouth...

"No," the pale teen finally replied, squelching any hope of burying the hatchet with his rival.

Immediately, his empathy bombarded him with the crushing sensation of disappointment. The source of this emotion was obvious, and she was currently sporting an expression that matched the level of pain he sensed. The Azarithian internally uttered his mantra and managed to suppress the ensuing guilt without much effort. He couldn't afford a lapse in his control, not for Beast Girl or anyone else.

If Terran had taught him anything, it was that acting on his emotions was foolish.

No one pressed Revan to say his piece. Deep down, they knew what he thought of the geokinetic and considered it best that he keep such sentiments to himself. There was no need to ruin this solemn event. It was all in the past now, and the Titans had to move on as ably as they could.

Robyn was the first to leave. She had her own guilt to deal with. The girl wonder was blaming herself for everything- allowing Terran to join the team, ignoring the signs of his betrayal, failing to save him in the end- and accepting such errors as if she was the only one responsible for them.

Revan knew he wasn't alone in his awareness, judging by how quickly Kor followed after her.

Only three of the Titans remained in the cave.

The pale teen directed his attention to Cyber, who had been almost as quiet as him throughout the entire ordeal. She appeared deep in thought, looking directly at Beast Girl. The shifter was standing next to Terran, as if her proximity could still provide comfort to the petrified boy. It was a sad and pathetic sight. The mechanical teen was conflicted, torn between the desire to help her friend and the fear of making things worse by speaking out on this sensitive topic.

It didn't take long for her to make up her mind.

Cyber approached Beast Girl and, without any warning, enveloped her in an embrace.

"You're gonna be alright," she said. Her voice was thick with emotion, full of the kind of sweet gentleness and understanding that only best friends could communicate.

"You'll bounce back, BG."

Ever the pessimist, Revan knew that Cyber was wrong. The wounds of betrayal would never heal. They would remain with Beast Girl forever, eventually turning into scars instead of the fresh injuries they were now.

The changeling barely responded to the hug. She appreciated the gesture, but it wasn't enough to assuage her grief and confusion.

Only one person could accomplish that.

Cyber knew this very well, and so she released her friend and looked at the person in question, sending him a desperate message through her gaze.

'Do something!'

Revan's eyes narrowed in response.

When had it become his responsibility to comfort Beast Girl?

He wasn't a walking panacea. His healing powers only applied to physical wounds, not emotional ones. It's not like he took any joy from the shifter's suffering or that he didn't care, but what Cyber seemed to be telling him was that if he didn't help, he was somehow turning his back on her. It was frustrating and made no sense.

Cyber left the two to themselves, but gave Revan a lingering glance before she left.

The empath suddenly felt very uncomfortable. He was alone with Beast Girl now, and he still had no idea what to say. There had been too much bad blood between him and Terran, so bringing him up would only make things even more awkward. But he couldn't entirely avoid the issue. It was why the two of them were here, after all.

That damn traitor was still tormenting them and he didn't know how to stop it.

While he wallowed in indecision, Beast Girl was having an inner struggle herself. Her vision wavered back and forth, alternately focusing on two different boys. She recalled a moment between them in this very cave. The two boys- one of them determined to take her life; the other willing to take his to save her- had stood not too far away from where she was right now. The memory revealed an undeniable fact about her usually reserved and emotionless companion.

Terran wasn't the only person who had been prepared to kill.

"Rev..."

As if he read her mind, the pale teen shot a piercing look her way. It was the same expression he had worn then, back in that moment when Terran had been about to deliver the final blow.

"It'll be the last thing you ever do!"

"I meant it," he said.

Three words. Such a paltry number, but the changeling could do better.

She responded with two.

"I know."

That took him by surprise. The actual words didn't, but the way she said them did. It was so casual, so blasé and devoid of feeling. Was she implying that she would've done the same in that situation? An icy shiver crept down his back. He tried to convince himself it was caused by the environment.

If she could take a life, then why didn't she act to preserve her own? It was something he wanted to confront her about.

"It's alright to hate me, you know."

It was her turn to be surprised. "What? I don't hate-"

Revan didn't mean to cut her off, but he couldn't help it. The words, once summoned, refused to stop pouring out.

"I would understand if you did," he continued. "But if you're looking for an apology, you'll never get it."

The changeling began to comprehend what he was hinting at. Revan was referring to how he had saved her during the eruption. It was the last thing she wanted to discuss, and immediately her fists started to bunch up at her sides.

She wasn't mad that he had knocked her out. No, that could be forgiven.

What couldn't be forgiven was that he had deprived her of her last opportunity to save Terran. It was absurd, but Beast Girl staunchly believed she could've gotten through to him in the end, could've convinced him that he didn't need to sacrifice himself to save the city.

She unclenched her fists and let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding, trying to calm herself down. There was no use in getting angry. It wouldn't bring Terran back or stop the pain. She had to bear with it, had to put up a convincing performance that there was nothing wrong with her, that there was no need to give her any sympathy or pity or anything.

"You would have died here if I hadn't dragged you out."

And just like that, her resolve vanished. He was making her feel like such a fool. She should've known better than to expect any sort of comfort from him. Revan wasn't the kind of person that would try to soothe you. He gave you the harsh truth, whether you wanted to hear it or not.

She nailed her eyes upon his, not caring if he could see in them all the rage she was trying to contain. The calm serenity on his face, however, stripped her of all fury and menace. Her posture trembled as realization and irony began to sink in, and after a few seconds her feeble self-control and mask of dignity fell apart, throwing her into a burst of excoriating laughter.

"My hero," she mockingly praised. "Guess I should thank you- no, better yet, I should probably give ya a medal or something."

Revan was shocked, to say the least. He hadn't expected such venom from the girl. What did he say to elicit such a reaction? Anger quickly replaced shock when the answer eluded him. He had saved her life, and this was how she showed gratitude?

"You don't understand-"

"Don't understand what?" She interrupted, lifting a hand over her chest in a feeble attempt to shield her heart from the pain of their conversation. "I get it, okay! I know you were right about Terran the whole time! I know I never should've confronted him alone! I know it was stupid of me to try to handle everything by myself! I was dumb and reckless and selfish and..."

Silence. Complete silence. Then came the tears, which streaked down her face like tiny beads of anguish. "...You don't have to rub it in."

He made her cry...

The guilt returned, this time impossible to ignore. He finally understood her behavior. She thought he had been scolding her.

Azar, he was so bad at this...

The empath looked away, ashamed with himself, and found his sight returning to Terran. Gray eyes didn't appear as empty as they did just moments ago. It was as if he was trying to send him a message.

"You better take care of her."

How could he take care of her when all he did was make her miserable?

And that's when Revan realized his mistake. The problem wasn't the words he said, but rather how he said them. Considering the way they normally interacted, it was no surprise Beast Girl behaved the way she did. Why wouldn't she believe he was mocking her and rubbing Terran's betrayal in her face? He had given no indication in the past that he would do anything else. Playing back his own words in his head, the Azarithian could come to no other conclusion.

He must've sounded like a bitter, sarcastic jerk.

For the millionth time in his life, Revan cursed his own nature. He would have to defy himself and act on his emotions to do what was necessary for his heartbroken friend. It was a small price to pay if it meant stopping her tears. He knew what he had to do, and it was simple.

He walked up to Beast Girl and conveyed the same message as before, this time with gentleness and feeling.

"I won't apologize," he repeated, placing his hand on her shoulder. "I would've done the same thing again if I had to."

At first, there was no reaction at all. She merely stood there, digesting his words with an empty look on her face. The empath felt discouraged and decided to withdraw.

But Just as his hand began to slip away from her, Beast Girl latched onto it with a vice-like grip.

"Thank you."

It was such a simple expression, but contained everything he wanted to hear. The boy smiled and wiped away traces of tears on her cheeks. Terran was undeserving of such sorrow. If he had acted on his suspicions prior to his betrayal, maybe all this torture could have been avoided.

No…

One can foresee every eventuality, but one cannot prevent every eventuality.

Some we must leave to fate.

He was reminded of a rainy day, of his cloak wrapped around a quivering girl, of a promise he had made to her...

Terran paid the ultimate price for what he had done. The empath, however, felt no satisfaction. Yes, he hated that traitor. He hated him with every fiber of his being.

But the reason he despised Terran the most was that he reminded him of himself.

The secrets, the desperate need for control, the yearning for a place to belong...

The similarities were staggering.

And as Revan stared at Beast Girl, he couldn't help but wonder…

'When the time comes, will I make the same choices Terran made?'

AN- Okay, so it's been a really long time since my last update...Um...Sorry?

I'm a bit rusty now, but the mojo will return soon enough. At least we're finally finished with this arc! Yay! Now we can move on to better things. Like what, you ask? Well, season 3 is right around the corner...You guys know what that means, right? I'm not gonna jump right into it though. We need a break from all this drama.