Beast Boy

Garfield Logan RP Blog 18+ NSFW MDNI

[gar-bb]

Hi!

I'm Beast Boy, 21. A Titan!

I'm engaged to the most beautiful woman in the world, my Raven. We are also adopting 👀.

Yes, I'm green. I also turn into animals.

[gar-bb]

How did you discover that your shapeshifting included extinct species?

You know, sometimes it just tales curiosity. Some of it was my curiosity. Other times it was other people's.

[gar-bb]

How well do you understand the languages of other species?

Huh... mmm pretty well but I have to actually shift to that species. Something about the way it rearranges my brain allows me to understand them.

[gar-bb]

Y'know dude, I think the most calming sound on earth is a cat's purr. My pets have knocked me out more than once just purring for too long.

I like to do this for my son actually!

[gar-bb]

Have you ever seen the movie Nimona?

I saw a few clips but not the whole thing

[adrian-in-dcu]

Lost Little Monster

CW: Child neglect, child abuse, blood

Adrian was lost. He was huddled pathetically beneath a park bench, but he didn't recognize any of his surroundings. His stomach cramped painfully with hunger. When had he last eaten? He didn't know. It hadn't been today. Breakfast had never come. It had been dark outside still when he'd fled that dilapidated apartment, the walls painted in blood and viscera. Now it was dark again. He was scared. The dark held all the monsters his imagination could conjure.

What are you?! MONSTER! STAY AWAY!

Little hands clutched harder to his black stuffed bunny, the one with the white thread Xs for eyes, he buried his face against the cheap, worn fabric of it, tears tracking down his face and freezing against his skin as he flinched at the echoes of his mother's last words screaming through his head. Adrian hadn't meant to! He wasn't a bad boy. He wasn't a monster! Was he?

The fact that frozen blood was splattered and smeared from his hair to his too-small snow boots with the soles worn almost gone in places probably suggested otherwise. Maybe his mother was right. No, she had to be right. She was his mother. Mother knew everything.

Mother was gone now.

Lost and alone in the world, all Adrian could do was muffle his quiet sobs against his bloody plushie, the fabric stiff with the same frozen blood that covered him. He was so cold. A dark hoodie, a t-shirt, jeans were all ill-fitting, dirty, blood-stained, and threadbare. They told a grim, sad story. Neglect, poverty, and horror, the boy small and thin for his age.

[gar-bb]

When he woke next it was already morning. Adrian was still clinging to him. And when Garfield the Fox lifted his head, there were amethyst eyes staring at him from just outside the bed.

"Good morning," Raven said, reaching slowly for Adrian.

Garfield helped, rolling Adrian toward her so that she could gently pull him into her arms, grabbing Neeko as well. He followed the boy and his bunny out from under the bed, shifting back to himself and wrapping an arm around them so that Adrian was nestled between Garfield and Raven.

"Breakfast time?" He rasped, voice rough from sleep.

She hummed, nodding. "We can have breakfast here before going to the apartment and showing him his new room."

His eyes lit up.

"Oh is it ready?"

She smiled, nodding happily. "I hope he likes it."

Garfield kissed her. "I'm sure it's perfect. Let's wake him up,"he whispered, slowly shaking the little one awake.

"Adrian- buddy. It's time to wake up. We gotta go eat breakfast now. Wake up, little dude."

[adrian-in-dcu]

Thankfully there were no more nightmares after the first. Adrian began to stir faintly as he felt himself being moved, but settled comfortably into Raven's arms, head on her shoulder. When he felt a gentle shaking his head shifted, rubbing his face against the material of the purple cape with a sleepy sigh.

A moment later it registered in his sleepy brain that someone was actually telling him it was time to get up, and his head popped up almost immediately, eyes looking around anxiously.

When he realized where he was and who was holding him, he relaxed a bit. His Mommy and Daddy would never wake him up like that. They couldn't get mad at him either. Mr. Beast Boy didn't sound mad at all, which was a relief.

"I get breakfast?" His green eyes were a little bleary and he rubbed at them before looking up at the two adults questioningly. He just ate last night. Adrian had thought it was nearly a feast. It didn't occur to him that usually children were fed by their parents, typically multiple times a day. He didn't know that the constant ache of hunger in his belly was actually terribly wrong.

[gar-bb]

Garfield swallowed painfully, tears filling his eyes. He shut them for a moment, not needing to look to see that Raven was looking at him with sympathy. From her, it didn't bother him. But he knew what that hunger felt like...

He opened his eyes again, not trusting himself to say more than "Of course you do," before he choked back a sob.

Raven immediately took over.

"Adrian, remember before you went to sleep I told you that we would get breakfast today- I am not angry with you for forgetting. So here are some rules from now on. You will have breakfast, lunch and dinner every day and snack times in between unless you feel like you cannot eat. You will also bathe if not every day then at the very least every two days depending. If you get hurt or feel scared or sad, you must tell us so we can help you. If you want a hug, you tell us. If you don't want something, you tell us. You'll have playtime but you will also have learning time. I have set up a bedroom for you in our apartment, but I'd like us to have breakfast with Cyborg today before we go. He makes the best breakfasts."

She sat up, not letting go of him, just cradling him with one arm, her free hand squeezing Gar's to comfort him. He smiled weakly back at her, sitting up as well after a moment and brushing a hand over Adrian's frankly adorable behead.

"We are going to take care of you now, Buddy," he said, booping his nose playfully. He stood and helped Raven to her feet, making grabby hands for Adrian. "Gimme him," he said, lifting him out of her hold and into his own arms.

He was so small.

"Let's go."

They walked together to the kitchen, Victor already waiting for them. He was flipping pancakes and cutting fruit. There were sausage patties sizzling and eggs being scrambled. He moved like... well- like a machine, his enhancements allowing him to do multiple things at once to absolute perfection. He had already fried bacon before they arrived and there was also a pot of oatmeal on the warmer.

He turned to smile at them brightly.

"Hey, you're awake!" He turned his grin toward Adrian. "Good morning, little dude. This is almost done. Everyone go sit. BB, I made you some oatmeal and the pancakes are also veg friendly. The fruit is all cut up and there's some vegan whip cream for you. Rae and Adrian, yall can pick whatever you want from the spread." Just as he said so, the toasters popped and slices of toast were ready to add to a basket.

Cyborg finshed putting it all together while Raven took the boy from Gar and sat Adrian down to set the table for them. They were eating at the actual dining table instead of the island. She put eggs, two strips of bacon, a sausage patty, a slice of toast and a pancake with syrup on Adrian's plate. She also put a small plate of fruit on his placemat, a small cup of oatmeal and a cup of orange juice before buttering the toast for him.

"Eat what you like and what you can and dont rush. Make sure you chew your food. I only put so much there because I want to know what you like. If you can't finish it, nobody will be mad. But if you do finish and want a little more, nobody will be mad. You are allowed to ask for more food if you are still hungry. Do you understand?"

Garfield watched this unfold with an unreadable look on his face. The entire situation made him wish he could seek revenge om Adrian's behalf even if he knew that was already over with. But watching Raven try her best to make sure Adrian had clear expectations so he wouldn't worry about not knowing rules. He wouldn't be in trouble anyway but at least the kid would know what to expect.

[adrian-in-dcu]

Oh no.

Adrian immediately felt his anxiety spike as he watched Beast Boy's expression turn unbearably sad. That must have been the wrong thing to say. At least Beast Boy didn't seem mad, but he didn't like seeing him sad either. He had been really nice to him, and come to think of it, there really wasn't an animal in here, so it must have been the green man.

He'd have been embarrassed about waking up crying and clinging to him, but found himself distracted as he was assured he was getting breakfast. Mr. Beast Boy looked and sounded like when he was trying really hard not to cry.

It was necessary to blink back his own tears as Raven patiently reminded him that she'd told him about breakfast before bed last night. He was glad she wasn't mad, but he felt ashamed at forgetting. Nevermind that yesterday had been a very long, traumatic day for him, all he knew was that he'd forgotten something important and made Mr. Beast Boy sad.

Adrian tried very hard to pay attention and absorb all these new rules. They seemed unreal. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner? Snacks? Daily baths, playtime, learning time.

Hugs. Seeking them out when he was hurt or scared or even just sad. He had forgotten that Raven had said he'd get his own room. Everything was a lot. This seemed more like something out of a fairy tale than actual real life to him.

"I'll try to remember." The boy promised quietly, and he would try.

He still couldn't help the slight flinch before the gentle hand brushed over his hair. Adrian flinched again when his nose was booped. It was reflex, usually a hand coming towards him meant pain. He wanted to believe them when they said they'd take care of him. He really did. It was just hard to believe because every grown-up in his life up to this point had let him down.

When Beast Boy stood up and reached for him, Adrian twisted his body towards him and immediately wrapped his arms around his neck, clinging to him much the way he had last night after his nightmare.

"I didn't mean to make you sad." He whispered softly in apology. Not because he was afraid of anger or repercussions, but because he genuinely didn't want anyone to be sad because of him, and especially not the people who had been so nice to him.

Adrian didn't fuss when he was transferred back to Raven's arms, willingly letting go of his hold on Beast boy and wrapping his arms around the nice hero lady that had saved him the night before briefly before he was settled into his chair at the dining table. It was actually clean and the place mats were nice. Nobody really used the table at his old home.

His eyes got wider with every new thing added to his plate or set in front of him. It was so much food. He looked between Raven buttering a slice of toast for him and the plate as she gave him more instructions, more rules he tried to commit to memory.

"I think so…" Adrian honestly wasn't sure if he could wrap his mind around the idea of not only being given so much food, but being allowed to ask for more or to not finish anything he didn't like.

Honestly he only knew what some of it was because he'd seen it on TV. He'd never actually eaten most of this stuff. Toast he knew, or at least, buttered bread. He got that sometimes. The scrambled eggs, oatmeal, bacon, sausage, and pancake he recognized but had never tried. Oh, he had orange juice before! It was a little overwhelming to have so much choice when he was used to having almost no choice at all.

He settled on starting with what he sort of knew, taking measured bites of his toast and chewing carefully like he was told. It was slightly crispy and it was warm so that it melted the butter!

[titans-raven]

Raven watched him eat with a smile before digging into her own food.

"This is so good, Cy. Thank you for this."

Cyborg smiled warmly, taking a big bite of eggs. "No problem, Rae."

Beast boy was happily adding strawberries to his oatmeal and loading a plate of pancakes. "You always make the best good man. If the whole superhero thing doesnt work out you should be a chef."

That earned a laugh from the other man. "I'll think about it. For now, I just enjoy feeding this band of misfits when I have the chance."

Raven turned her attention back to Adrian. "Adrian, when we finish breakfast I want to show you your new room. I also ordered some clothes and shoes for you."

[adrian-in-dcu]

When the toast was gone, Adrian moved next to the cut up fruit. It was so sweet! He tried to remember to eat slowly, but it was so tempting to gobble it up quickly. The fruit disappeared pretty fast despite his attempts to chew carefully and slowly.

While mostly focused on eating, he still kept looking between the adults, watching them cautiously. Did he really expect them to suddenly take the food away or get angry? No, but he couldn't say he didn't think about it on some level. These adults had been nice so far but he still didn't understand why they were being so nice to him. Why would they feed him or bathe him or clothe him?

It didn't make sense to him.

Adrian listened to them talk about the food, while eating his bacon. He was happily humming as he at, it was so good! Everything was so yummy, and they said he could have as much as he wanted. Adrian wasn't sure he was brave enough to test that, plus they'd given him a bunch.

He turned to look up at Raven when she addressed him, eyes wide and nervous. She had mentioned he'd have his own room more than once, but he wasn't sure what to really expect. Adrian had never had his own room before, or any room for that matter. He simply had to find places where he could be out of the way so his Daddy wouldn't get mad at him for bothering him. Having his own space was honestly mind boggling.

Learning he was being given clothes and shoes too was a lot to process. Why would she get him so much stuff? Adrian didn't want to be troublesome or a burden. He would have been perfectly fine just to have a roof over his head so he wasn't left in the cold or rain. It wouldn't have been hard to stay out of everyone's way, and that way he wouldn't be a bother.

The anxiety was spiking again, not sure what he was supposed to do.

"…okay. Thank…you…"

[titans-raven]

Raven felt it- his anxiety. Of course she did.

She hummed thoughtfully.

"You deserve nice things of your own. And you will not go without again if I can help it. Remember what I said. Eat what you like and dont be afraid to grab more. There's more than enough."

Garfield piped in next to her, "That's right, little man. We take care of you now. You're safe with us. And it's okay if all of this is new and scary. And we know it will take time to get used to the idea. But we want you here with us."

Victor nodded, "I always make enough food to get extra," he said, extended his arm and putting more fruit in his bowl and extra bacon on his plate. Adrian hadn't asked but he seemed to enjoy that the most so far. "You're a growing boy and eating good will make you big and strong."

Raven smiled at their words. "We will protect you. I promise. All you need to do is be honest about how you feel so we can help you. And let us do the rest.

They finished the rest of their dinner in peace, nobody saying a word if Adrian didn't finish his food or ate more of what he liked. Raven did remind him once to wash his food down with juice. She also didn't want him to be thirsty.

At the end they gave Victor a hug goodbye with the promise to come hangout soon if a sudden mission didn't call them to fight first.

Victor held his hand out to ruffle Adrian's hair from where he was held on Raven's hip. "I'll see you soon little man. You gotta come to the weekly Titans movie night. Maybe we put on some Disney movies and make popcorn."

With that they left back to Raven's room and she opened the secret door to her apartment with Garfield following close behind.

The door lead them straight into a huge entry with a grand staircase, the mystical vibes heavy in the air with magic and gothic aesthetics prominent. There were also depictions of nature that had been added over time- Garfield's influence. They made their way upstairs and down a hall with many doors. She pointed to the very end of the hall to a purple and green door. "That is mine and Garfield's room. If you ever need us during the night we will be right next door."

It was true, as the bedroom just before it had a soft green door. That was the door she opened and walked them into. She gently set Adrian down. "I spent most of last night pouring magic into creating this for you. I hope it's to your liking. Go ahead and look around. It's all yours."

Garfield stepped closer to her, wrapping his arm around her with a smile. His eyes sparkled at the green tones. "You really went all out, Rae. I love the green."

She smiled lovingly, pecking his cheek. "Me, too."

[adrian-in-dcu]

Adrian hunched down in his seat as suddenly the attention of every adult was on him. He honestly wasn't entirely sure what Raven even meant by 'go without' beyond the context of being showered with food between dinner last night and breakfast now. There was simply no frame of reference in his limited life experience.

It was Beast Boy's words that really cracked through the anxiety. He said it was okay if everything, all these changes, were scary. Instead of just telling him not to be scared, he let him know that being scared wasn't wrong and that he could take time to get used to things instead of simply being expected to immediately adjust to his new reality. Even if every aspect of his life was about to improve, that didn't mean that he had to be okay with everything all at once.

An overwhelming amount of emotions crackled in his chest as Cyborg added extra fruit and bacon to his plate and bowl. They were all just so nice. He looked up at Raven as she promised once again that she, that they, would protect him.

"Thank you." He said quietly, fidgeting briefly before picking up a piece of the extra bacon he'd been given, relaxing a little once everyone else started eating again.

By the end of the meal the extra bacon was gone, so were the eggs, the pancake, and he had ended up putting the extra fruit in his oatmeal like he had seen Beast boy do before finishing that too. His orange juice was gone by the time he finished eating. He took one bite of the sausage, but left it after that. Adrian was honestly kind of stuffed after all that, but it had been so good.

He clung to Raven from his position on her hip as the grown-ups said goodbye to each other. When his hair was ruffled he hunched up a little, but smiled shyly. Whatever movie night and Disney was, he was sure it would be as nice as everything else here.

"Goodbye Mr. Cyborg, thank you for the food. It was yummy." Adrian waved as they started off back towards the room he'd slept in last time, Raven's room. He was still a bit confused about everything, especially about going to see "his" room. If that was where they were going why'd they go back to this room?

Adrian openly gawked as they stepped through a doorway from the room he knew and into a giant room with enormous stairs.

"Woah, magic!" It had to be magic. Since Raven was magic it kind of made sense that she'd have a whole magic portal. Still, this was mind blowing to a four year old that until the previous night had never seen magic in real life. Adrian didn't bother trying to hide how awed he was as he seemed to be trying to look at everything as he was carried upstairs and towards the bedrooms.

The door at the very end of the hall was pointed out as Raven and Garfield's room, and he filed that information away in his young brain. It would be very easy to find, although he was skeptical about bothering them at night when they'd be sleeping. Adrian noted that he would have to be extra careful not to make too much noise since apparently his room was right next to theirs, but that was okay, he was accustomed to being quiet.

When the light green door swung open and they stepped inside, his eyes nearly bugged out as he gaped at his surroundings. Adrian didn't move at first when he was set down, simply looking around in stunned silence.

This was all for him?

At Raven's encouragement he took some hesitant steps forward, running a hand along the low table, then the couch it was in front of, it was like a tiny living room. The cushions felt soft. He wandered over to the bed, marveling at the sheer curtains that flowed delicately around it. Adrian climbed up and sat down on the edge, gently running his fingers over the comforter. Everything felt both soft and sturdy. He let his eyes roam over the room, all the shelves for books and toys, the little nooks that looked cozy and somewhat hidden, and everything about it was airy and comfortable and happy.

She had made all this for him?

Those overwhelming emotions were crackling like static in his chest again, his chest and throat felt tight, and before he knew it the magical room around him blurred as tears welled up. It was so much. Why would anyone give him all this?

Why hadn't his Mommy given him anything?

[gar-bb]

Garfield smelled it at the same time Raven felt the energetic rush of emotions.

Tears.

They both approached, not rushing so as to not startled him.

Garfield kneeled down in front of him, holding his hands gently and peering into his eyes searchingly.

"Hey, Buddy... everything okay? If you don't like something we can change it. It's not- you're not a bother. And we know none of this is what you're used to. But you deserve nice things. And to feel safe. To be comfortable. So I'd really like it if you told us how you're feeling right now. Is that okay?"

Raven nodded next to him, reaching over to smooth a hand over his hair.

"Gar is telling the truth, Adrian. I'll do whatever I can for you to be happy here. That's all we want, little one."

[adrian-in-dcu]

If he didn't like something? Tears fell faster, his breath stuttering as it grew wet. Adrian didn't want to cause trouble, didn't want to be a bother, and even if they said it wasn't a bother he didn't think he was worth the effort. How was he even supposed to explain how he felt? Nobody had ever asked him how he felt before. He wasn't even sure how he felt, let alone the words for it.

"It's not that. I love - love it. I've never had my own room be - fore." His breath hitched and when Raven smoothed his hair he leaned into the comforting touch. "It's just - you're giv - giving me so - so much."

Adrian pulled his hands away from Beast Boy so he could rub at his tear face with the sleeves of his sweater, even though it didn't help much as his crying wasn't calming, it was getting worse. Not quite full blown sobs, but it was getting there. Throwing his caution away, he practically threw himself against Raven and clung to her.

"Why? Why - why would you give - give me so much? Why did - didn't Mo -Mommy give me a bed or ma - ake me pa - pancakes or tu - tuck me in or pro-protect m - me?" His trembling voice was barely coherent as he dissolved into heartbroken sobs against Raven's chest.

[titans-raven]

Raven barely felt her own tears, sharing a helpless look with Garfield as she clutched Adrian to her chest. She kicked off her shoes, her fiance taking the hint and doing the same as they both carefully crawled onto the bed with Adrian nestled between them. She let him cry his little heart out for a while so that he could release the emotions that had been plaguing him.

Finally, she tilted his head up gently, her hand cupping his cheek.

"Listen to me. I am so glad you love your room. You will always have your own room and a bed. And I am so happy to give all of this to you because you are my- mine. You are mine. And that means I take care of you now. And this is how I care about the ones I love. I love you so much already, you have no idea. And I always will. Forever. That's why I give."

Garfield turned the little boy so they he could easily turn and look at either of them. "As for your mommy... look, kiddo- I don't know what kinda mommy you had, but I can guess. And you always deserved better. That doesn't mean you stop loving your first mom. It just means that some mommies don't know how to mommy. They don't do things mommies do or say the things mommies say. They're not good at it. That doesn't make you bad. That doesn't mean its your fault. And it certainly doesn't mean you can't forgive her. But if you're okay with having a new mommy and daddy, then we can do things right for you. Will you give us the chance to do that?" He asked, giving Adrian time to process.

Raven kept petting the boy's hair, taking one of his hands and kissing his little fist. "You are good, Adrian. You are loved. You are special. And want to be your parents. We want your happiness."

[adrian-in-dcu]

Adrian clung tighter to Raven as she and Beast Boy crawled into his bed, with him tucked between them, safe and held and there. If he had cried like this before, someone would have yelled at him to shut up. Now he was being held and comforted by the grown-ups that had decided to take care of him.

It was strange, to just let himself cry without worrying about making anyone angry, and it was also relieving to sob out all the pent up sadness and fear and grief. His parents might have been negligent and abusive, but they were still his Mommy and Daddy. No matter the reason they were gone, he still felt the wound of loss keenly.

Eventually he cried himself out, his sobs quieting into the occasional hiccups. Adrian didn't resist as his face was tilted up to look up at his hero with red, puffy eyes. His bottom lip was still wobbling as he listened to this person who had only just found him under a park bench the night before tell him that he was so very loved and would be forever. It still sounded too good to be true, that he would have his own room, as much food as he wanted, and love for the rest of forever.

He turned when he felt Beast Boy guide him so he could see them both easily. The way his new green guardian spoke about his Mommy briefly made him want to defend her, he didn't want to believe that his Mommy wasn't a good Mommy, but what he said made a lot of sense. Adrian had seen good Mommies on TV and Beast Boy was right, his Mommy didn't do any of those things those good Mommies did.

That made him sad. His Mommy didn't know how to be a good Mommy? Did her Mommy not show her how? Even if she wasn't a good Mommy she was his Mommy and he would always love her, but Beast Boy said he didn't have to stop loving her even if she wasn't a good Mommy.

Adrian wasn't sure what to say about them being his new Mommy and Daddy. Raven had mentioned it last night too. She also said that it might take time for him to see her as his Mommy. Was that okay? Right now he wasn't sure he could ever see someone else as his Mommy. His little heart squeezed at the idea of anyone replacing his Mommy. Even if she wasn't the best Mommy he felt a deep attachment and loyalty to her. Even if she was bad, and even if she was gone.

Turning his attention back to Raven, who was gently stroking his hair in a comforting way, he watched her take his little hand to kiss, reassuring again that they wanted to be his parents.

"I don't want you to leave me. I want to stay with you." His voice was hoarse from his sobbing, and his head was starting to hurt. It wasn't an acceptance of thinking of them as Mommy and Daddy right now, but he knew that it was true that he wanted to stay with the people that were being so kind to him, who were taking care of him. His one hand was still clutching tightly to Raven. "Do I have to call you Mommy and Daddy?"

His lip wobbled again. He didn't think he could call anyone but Mommy that way right now, and Daddy…Adrian did love his Daddy, in some way, but he was less distraught over him. Mostly Daddy was just associated with so much bad that he couldn't imagine calling someone as nice as Beast Boy by the name he called someone that scared him so much.

[titans-raven]

"Oh, sweetheart," Raven whispered, pulling him close, tucking his head under her chin. "Of course we won't leave you. You're with us now. And no... you don't have to call us that if you don't want to. We can be Raven and Garfield for as long as you like- even if it's forever. We don't want to force you to do that. Okay?"

"That's right," Garfield agreed, wrapping and arm around them both. "We don't need that to still be a family. All families aren't the same and it's okay if ours looks a little different. It's still a good family. And it doesn't make us love you less."

They stayed like that for a while, until Raven pulled away first, not leaving the bed. "Come on, little one. There's still more of your room to see. You can look around more and I can show you your bathroom and closet. You even have your own fridge for drinks and snacks. Let's go look, yes?"

Garfield groaned in complaint. "I wanted a fridge in our room and you said no."

Raven arched a brow. "You aren't a growing boy, Gar. Adrian is."

He laughed, sticking his tongue out at her. "One day, I'll convince you. Come on, kiddo. Let's go see the rest. I haven't even seen it yet so it'll be a surprise to me, too."

[adrian-in-dcu]

More than happy to bury his face against Raven's neck as she tucked his head under her chin, Adrian felt himself relax. The reassurance that they wouldn't leave him soothed something in him that he couldn't name. He was glad they didn't expect him to call them Mommy and Daddy right now. Maybe he would one day, but it was okay if he didn't. It felt nice when Beast Boy - Garfield - put an arm around them, he was never held and comforted like this before.

Adrian had never realized how badly he craved it until now. He didn't know the words for touch-starved, but he was definitely aware of the feeling now. They said that he could ask for hugs when he wanted them, and while he wasn't sure he was brave enough to actually do that, he definitely was enjoying it while it was being offered.

"Thank you." The words were quiet as he lay cradled between his new parents. Thanks for feeding him, thanks for bathing him, for giving him a home - for being his new family. He didn't have the words for all his gratitude, but he felt it all the same and hoped they knew how glad he was they had found him.

When Raven pulled away after some time, he didn't complain even though he'd really enjoyed the cuddles, reminding himself that he could always ask for more hugs if he needed them.

"I get a whole bathroom just for me?" That was absolutely mind-boggling to him and his tone of voice reflected his amazement. He didn't need a whole bathroom all to himself. Adrian wouldn't have minded sharing a family bathroom that was for all of them. The idea of having a closet wasn't that strange, most bedrooms had one - at least the kind he was thinking of. A tiny room where you could hang your clothes and store your shoes, he had hidden in his parent's closet often enough.

Wait - fridge?

"I didn't know fridges could be in bedrooms. I thought they were just for the kitchen." Not that the one in his old kitchen saw much use. It was often empty or what little was in there was left to rot and mold. He had learned not to eat food from the fridge after getting deathly ill once.

Still, clearly Garfield wanted a bedroom fridge and it seemed unfair that Adrian got one and he didn't, despite Raven's reasoning.

"It's okay," he grabbed Beast Boy's hand, "You can share mine if you want, I don't mind." Since the rooms were right next to each other it would be closer than the kitchen fridge he assumed. Maybe it wasn't exactly the same, but he was very earnest in his offer. Plus it gave an excuse for his new Daddy-not-daddy to come see him. Normally he never wanted his first Daddy to see him, but Garfield was really nice.

[gar-bb]

Garfield was touched by Adrian's innocent offer.

He couldn't help but ruffle his hair.

"Aww, buddy ... you don't have to do that. Besides, it's called a mini fridge. It's in case you get hungry or thirsty in your room and need something quick. I appreciate it though. It was very kind of you to offer. Kitchen food is for everyone in the house but your mini fridge will be just for you, okay?"

He rolled off the bed, "Man your room is cool. It's exactly the kind of room I wanted as a kid."

Raven smiled fondly, crossing her arms. "Is that right ?"

"Yeah! Maybe I'll just turn into a cat and come chill in here on my days off."

"Only if Adrian wants that. It's his space," she reminded him.

"Sure," he shrugged, "but he's only got us right now and we're all attached," he reminded her gently. "He can kick us out whenever if he minds so much. You were never shy about telling me when you needed space."

She gathered Adrian in her arms again, balancing him on her hip before pecking Garfield on the cheek. "Thanks for not taking it personally. I love you being in my space now."

"As if I would've given up on you," he scoffed. "Now let's go check out this bathroom and closet situation. I'm sooo curious."

She nodded, leading them to the bathroom first and opening the door for Adrian to see. "This is where you can do your business, bathe and brush your teeth. All that good stuff," she said, walking around so he could see everything before walking back out to open another door that lead to the closet. "This is where all your clothes and shoes go as well as some extra things in here for you like spare blankets. I ordered clothes in your size to start."

Garfield marveled at everything.

"Wow, Rae... you went all out. This looks awesome."

[adrian-in-dcu]

Lost Little Monster

CW: Child neglect, child abuse, blood

Adrian was lost. He was huddled pathetically beneath a park bench, but he didn't recognize any of his surroundings. His stomach cramped painfully with hunger. When had he last eaten? He didn't know. It hadn't been today. Breakfast had never come. It had been dark outside still when he'd fled that dilapidated apartment, the walls painted in blood and viscera. Now it was dark again. He was scared. The dark held all the monsters his imagination could conjure.

What are you?! MONSTER! STAY AWAY!

Little hands clutched harder to his black stuffed bunny, the one with the white thread Xs for eyes, he buried his face against the cheap, worn fabric of it, tears tracking down his face and freezing against his skin as he flinched at the echoes of his mother's last words screaming through his head. Adrian hadn't meant to! He wasn't a bad boy. He wasn't a monster! Was he?

The fact that frozen blood was splattered and smeared from his hair to his too-small snow boots with the soles worn almost gone in places probably suggested otherwise. Maybe his mother was right. No, she had to be right. She was his mother. Mother knew everything.

Mother was gone now.

Lost and alone in the world, all Adrian could do was muffle his quiet sobs against his bloody plushie, the fabric stiff with the same frozen blood that covered him. He was so cold. A dark hoodie, a t-shirt, jeans were all ill-fitting, dirty, blood-stained, and threadbare. They told a grim, sad story. Neglect, poverty, and horror, the boy small and thin for his age.

[gar-bb]

When he woke next it was already morning. Adrian was still clinging to him. And when Garfield the Fox lifted his head, there were amethyst eyes staring at him from just outside the bed.

"Good morning," Raven said, reaching slowly for Adrian.

Garfield helped, rolling Adrian toward her so that she could gently pull him into her arms, grabbing Neeko as well. He followed the boy and his bunny out from under the bed, shifting back to himself and wrapping an arm around them so that Adrian was nestled between Garfield and Raven.

"Breakfast time?" He rasped, voice rough from sleep.

She hummed, nodding. "We can have breakfast here before going to the apartment and showing him his new room."

His eyes lit up.

"Oh is it ready?"

She smiled, nodding happily. "I hope he likes it."

Garfield kissed her. "I'm sure it's perfect. Let's wake him up,"he whispered, slowly shaking the little one awake.

"Adrian- buddy. It's time to wake up. We gotta go eat breakfast now. Wake up, little dude."

[adrian-in-dcu]

Thankfully there were no more nightmares after the first. Adrian began to stir faintly as he felt himself being moved, but settled comfortably into Raven's arms, head on her shoulder. When he felt a gentle shaking his head shifted, rubbing his face against the material of the purple cape with a sleepy sigh.

A moment later it registered in his sleepy brain that someone was actually telling him it was time to get up, and his head popped up almost immediately, eyes looking around anxiously.

When he realized where he was and who was holding him, he relaxed a bit. His Mommy and Daddy would never wake him up like that. They couldn't get mad at him either. Mr. Beast Boy didn't sound mad at all, which was a relief.

"I get breakfast?" His green eyes were a little bleary and he rubbed at them before looking up at the two adults questioningly. He just ate last night. Adrian had thought it was nearly a feast. It didn't occur to him that usually children were fed by their parents, typically multiple times a day. He didn't know that the constant ache of hunger in his belly was actually terribly wrong.

[gar-bb]

Garfield swallowed painfully, tears filling his eyes. He shut them for a moment, not needing to look to see that Raven was looking at him with sympathy. From her, it didn't bother him. But he knew what that hunger felt like...

He opened his eyes again, not trusting himself to say more than "Of course you do," before he choked back a sob.

Raven immediately took over.

"Adrian, remember before you went to sleep I told you that we would get breakfast today- I am not angry with you for forgetting. So here are some rules from now on. You will have breakfast, lunch and dinner every day and snack times in between unless you feel like you cannot eat. You will also bathe if not every day then at the very least every two days depending. If you get hurt or feel scared or sad, you must tell us so we can help you. If you want a hug, you tell us. If you don't want something, you tell us. You'll have playtime but you will also have learning time. I have set up a bedroom for you in our apartment, but I'd like us to have breakfast with Cyborg today before we go. He makes the best breakfasts."

She sat up, not letting go of him, just cradling him with one arm, her free hand squeezing Gar's to comfort him. He smiled weakly back at her, sitting up as well after a moment and brushing a hand over Adrian's frankly adorable behead.

"We are going to take care of you now, Buddy," he said, booping his nose playfully. He stood and helped Raven to her feet, making grabby hands for Adrian. "Gimme him," he said, lifting him out of her hold and into his own arms.

He was so small.

"Let's go."

They walked together to the kitchen, Victor already waiting for them. He was flipping pancakes and cutting fruit. There were sausage patties sizzling and eggs being scrambled. He moved like... well- like a machine, his enhancements allowing him to do multiple things at once to absolute perfection. He had already fried bacon before they arrived and there was also a pot of oatmeal on the warmer.

He turned to smile at them brightly.

"Hey, you're awake!" He turned his grin toward Adrian. "Good morning, little dude. This is almost done. Everyone go sit. BB, I made you some oatmeal and the pancakes are also veg friendly. The fruit is all cut up and there's some vegan whip cream for you. Rae and Adrian, yall can pick whatever you want from the spread." Just as he said so, the toasters popped and slices of toast were ready to add to a basket.

Cyborg finshed putting it all together while Raven took the boy from Gar and sat Adrian down to set the table for them. They were eating at the actual dining table instead of the island. She put eggs, two strips of bacon, a sausage patty, a slice of toast and a pancake with syrup on Adrian's plate. She also put a small plate of fruit on his placemat, a small cup of oatmeal and a cup of orange juice before buttering the toast for him.

"Eat what you like and what you can and dont rush. Make sure you chew your food. I only put so much there because I want to know what you like. If you can't finish it, nobody will be mad. But if you do finish and want a little more, nobody will be mad. You are allowed to ask for more food if you are still hungry. Do you understand?"

Garfield watched this unfold with an unreadable look on his face. The entire situation made him wish he could seek revenge om Adrian's behalf even if he knew that was already over with. But watching Raven try her best to make sure Adrian had clear expectations so he wouldn't worry about not knowing rules. He wouldn't be in trouble anyway but at least the kid would know what to expect.

[adrian-in-dcu]

Oh no.

Adrian immediately felt his anxiety spike as he watched Beast Boy's expression turn unbearably sad. That must have been the wrong thing to say. At least Beast Boy didn't seem mad, but he didn't like seeing him sad either. He had been really nice to him, and come to think of it, there really wasn't an animal in here, so it must have been the green man.

He'd have been embarrassed about waking up crying and clinging to him, but found himself distracted as he was assured he was getting breakfast. Mr. Beast Boy looked and sounded like when he was trying really hard not to cry.

It was necessary to blink back his own tears as Raven patiently reminded him that she'd told him about breakfast before bed last night. He was glad she wasn't mad, but he felt ashamed at forgetting. Nevermind that yesterday had been a very long, traumatic day for him, all he knew was that he'd forgotten something important and made Mr. Beast Boy sad.

Adrian tried very hard to pay attention and absorb all these new rules. They seemed unreal. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner? Snacks? Daily baths, playtime, learning time.

Hugs. Seeking them out when he was hurt or scared or even just sad. He had forgotten that Raven had said he'd get his own room. Everything was a lot. This seemed more like something out of a fairy tale than actual real life to him.

"I'll try to remember." The boy promised quietly, and he would try.

He still couldn't help the slight flinch before the gentle hand brushed over his hair. Adrian flinched again when his nose was booped. It was reflex, usually a hand coming towards him meant pain. He wanted to believe them when they said they'd take care of him. He really did. It was just hard to believe because every grown-up in his life up to this point had let him down.

When Beast Boy stood up and reached for him, Adrian twisted his body towards him and immediately wrapped his arms around his neck, clinging to him much the way he had last night after his nightmare.

"I didn't mean to make you sad." He whispered softly in apology. Not because he was afraid of anger or repercussions, but because he genuinely didn't want anyone to be sad because of him, and especially not the people who had been so nice to him.

Adrian didn't fuss when he was transferred back to Raven's arms, willingly letting go of his hold on Beast boy and wrapping his arms around the nice hero lady that had saved him the night before briefly before he was settled into his chair at the dining table. It was actually clean and the place mats were nice. Nobody really used the table at his old home.

His eyes got wider with every new thing added to his plate or set in front of him. It was so much food. He looked between Raven buttering a slice of toast for him and the plate as she gave him more instructions, more rules he tried to commit to memory.

"I think so…" Adrian honestly wasn't sure if he could wrap his mind around the idea of not only being given so much food, but being allowed to ask for more or to not finish anything he didn't like.

Honestly he only knew what some of it was because he'd seen it on TV. He'd never actually eaten most of this stuff. Toast he knew, or at least, buttered bread. He got that sometimes. The scrambled eggs, oatmeal, bacon, sausage, and pancake he recognized but had never tried. Oh, he had orange juice before! It was a little overwhelming to have so much choice when he was used to having almost no choice at all.

He settled on starting with what he sort of knew, taking measured bites of his toast and chewing carefully like he was told. It was slightly crispy and it was warm so that it melted the butter!

[titans-raven]

Raven watched him eat with a smile before digging into her own food.

"This is so good, Cy. Thank you for this."

Cyborg smiled warmly, taking a big bite of eggs. "No problem, Rae."

Beast boy was happily adding strawberries to his oatmeal and loading a plate of pancakes. "You always make the best good man. If the whole superhero thing doesnt work out you should be a chef."

That earned a laugh from the other man. "I'll think about it. For now, I just enjoy feeding this band of misfits when I have the chance."

Raven turned her attention back to Adrian. "Adrian, when we finish breakfast I want to show you your new room. I also ordered some clothes and shoes for you."

[adrian-in-dcu]

When the toast was gone, Adrian moved next to the cut up fruit. It was so sweet! He tried to remember to eat slowly, but it was so tempting to gobble it up quickly. The fruit disappeared pretty fast despite his attempts to chew carefully and slowly.

While mostly focused on eating, he still kept looking between the adults, watching them cautiously. Did he really expect them to suddenly take the food away or get angry? No, but he couldn't say he didn't think about it on some level. These adults had been nice so far but he still didn't understand why they were being so nice to him. Why would they feed him or bathe him or clothe him?

It didn't make sense to him.

Adrian listened to them talk about the food, while eating his bacon. He was happily humming as he at, it was so good! Everything was so yummy, and they said he could have as much as he wanted. Adrian wasn't sure he was brave enough to test that, plus they'd given him a bunch.

He turned to look up at Raven when she addressed him, eyes wide and nervous. She had mentioned he'd have his own room more than once, but he wasn't sure what to really expect. Adrian had never had his own room before, or any room for that matter. He simply had to find places where he could be out of the way so his Daddy wouldn't get mad at him for bothering him. Having his own space was honestly mind boggling.

Learning he was being given clothes and shoes too was a lot to process. Why would she get him so much stuff? Adrian didn't want to be troublesome or a burden. He would have been perfectly fine just to have a roof over his head so he wasn't left in the cold or rain. It wouldn't have been hard to stay out of everyone's way, and that way he wouldn't be a bother.

The anxiety was spiking again, not sure what he was supposed to do.

"…okay. Thank…you…"

[titans-raven]

Raven felt it- his anxiety. Of course she did.

She hummed thoughtfully.

"You deserve nice things of your own. And you will not go without again if I can help it. Remember what I said. Eat what you like and dont be afraid to grab more. There's more than enough."

Garfield piped in next to her, "That's right, little man. We take care of you now. You're safe with us. And it's okay if all of this is new and scary. And we know it will take time to get used to the idea. But we want you here with us."

Victor nodded, "I always make enough food to get extra," he said, extended his arm and putting more fruit in his bowl and extra bacon on his plate. Adrian hadn't asked but he seemed to enjoy that the most so far. "You're a growing boy and eating good will make you big and strong."

Raven smiled at their words. "We will protect you. I promise. All you need to do is be honest about how you feel so we can help you. And let us do the rest.

They finished the rest of their dinner in peace, nobody saying a word if Adrian didn't finish his food or ate more of what he liked. Raven did remind him once to wash his food down with juice. She also didn't want him to be thirsty.

At the end they gave Victor a hug goodbye with the promise to come hangout soon if a sudden mission didn't call them to fight first.

Victor held his hand out to ruffle Adrian's hair from where he was held on Raven's hip. "I'll see you soon little man. You gotta come to the weekly Titans movie night. Maybe we put on some Disney movies and make popcorn."

With that they left back to Raven's room and she opened the secret door to her apartment with Garfield following close behind.

The door lead them straight into a huge entry with a grand staircase, the mystical vibes heavy in the air with magic and gothic aesthetics prominent. There were also depictions of nature that had been added over time- Garfield's influence. They made their way upstairs and down a hall with many doors. She pointed to the very end of the hall to a purple and green door. "That is mine and Garfield's room. If you ever need us during the night we will be right next door."

It was true, as the bedroom just before it had a soft green door. That was the door she opened and walked them into. She gently set Adrian down. "I spent most of last night pouring magic into creating this for you. I hope it's to your liking. Go ahead and look around. It's all yours."

Garfield stepped closer to her, wrapping his arm around her with a smile. His eyes sparkled at the green tones. "You really went all out, Rae. I love the green."

She smiled lovingly, pecking his cheek. "Me, too."

[adrian-in-dcu]

Adrian hunched down in his seat as suddenly the attention of every adult was on him. He honestly wasn't entirely sure what Raven even meant by 'go without' beyond the context of being showered with food between dinner last night and breakfast now. There was simply no frame of reference in his limited life experience.

It was Beast Boy's words that really cracked through the anxiety. He said it was okay if everything, all these changes, were scary. Instead of just telling him not to be scared, he let him know that being scared wasn't wrong and that he could take time to get used to things instead of simply being expected to immediately adjust to his new reality. Even if every aspect of his life was about to improve, that didn't mean that he had to be okay with everything all at once.

An overwhelming amount of emotions crackled in his chest as Cyborg added extra fruit and bacon to his plate and bowl. They were all just so nice. He looked up at Raven as she promised once again that she, that they, would protect him.

"Thank you." He said quietly, fidgeting briefly before picking up a piece of the extra bacon he'd been given, relaxing a little once everyone else started eating again.

By the end of the meal the extra bacon was gone, so were the eggs, the pancake, and he had ended up putting the extra fruit in his oatmeal like he had seen Beast boy do before finishing that too. His orange juice was gone by the time he finished eating. He took one bite of the sausage, but left it after that. Adrian was honestly kind of stuffed after all that, but it had been so good.

He clung to Raven from his position on her hip as the grown-ups said goodbye to each other. When his hair was ruffled he hunched up a little, but smiled shyly. Whatever movie night and Disney was, he was sure it would be as nice as everything else here.

"Goodbye Mr. Cyborg, thank you for the food. It was yummy." Adrian waved as they started off back towards the room he'd slept in last time, Raven's room. He was still a bit confused about everything, especially about going to see "his" room. If that was where they were going why'd they go back to this room?

Adrian openly gawked as they stepped through a doorway from the room he knew and into a giant room with enormous stairs.

"Woah, magic!" It had to be magic. Since Raven was magic it kind of made sense that she'd have a whole magic portal. Still, this was mind blowing to a four year old that until the previous night had never seen magic in real life. Adrian didn't bother trying to hide how awed he was as he seemed to be trying to look at everything as he was carried upstairs and towards the bedrooms.

The door at the very end of the hall was pointed out as Raven and Garfield's room, and he filed that information away in his young brain. It would be very easy to find, although he was skeptical about bothering them at night when they'd be sleeping. Adrian noted that he would have to be extra careful not to make too much noise since apparently his room was right next to theirs, but that was okay, he was accustomed to being quiet.

When the light green door swung open and they stepped inside, his eyes nearly bugged out as he gaped at his surroundings. Adrian didn't move at first when he was set down, simply looking around in stunned silence.

This was all for him?

At Raven's encouragement he took some hesitant steps forward, running a hand along the low table, then the couch it was in front of, it was like a tiny living room. The cushions felt soft. He wandered over to the bed, marveling at the sheer curtains that flowed delicately around it. Adrian climbed up and sat down on the edge, gently running his fingers over the comforter. Everything felt both soft and sturdy. He let his eyes roam over the room, all the shelves for books and toys, the little nooks that looked cozy and somewhat hidden, and everything about it was airy and comfortable and happy.

She had made all this for him?

Those overwhelming emotions were crackling like static in his chest again, his chest and throat felt tight, and before he knew it the magical room around him blurred as tears welled up. It was so much. Why would anyone give him all this?

Why hadn't his Mommy given him anything?

[gar-bb]

Garfield smelled it at the same time Raven felt the energetic rush of emotions.

Tears.

They both approached, not rushing so as to not startled him.

Garfield kneeled down in front of him, holding his hands gently and peering into his eyes searchingly.

"Hey, Buddy... everything okay? If you don't like something we can change it. It's not- you're not a bother. And we know none of this is what you're used to. But you deserve nice things. And to feel safe. To be comfortable. So I'd really like it if you told us how you're feeling right now. Is that okay?"

Raven nodded next to him, reaching over to smooth a hand over his hair.

"Gar is telling the truth, Adrian. I'll do whatever I can for you to be happy here. That's all we want, little one."

[adrian-in-dcu]

Lost Little Monster

CW: Child neglect, child abuse, blood

Adrian was lost. He was huddled pathetically beneath a park bench, but he didn't recognize any of his surroundings. His stomach cramped painfully with hunger. When had he last eaten? He didn't know. It hadn't been today. Breakfast had never come. It had been dark outside still when he'd fled that dilapidated apartment, the walls painted in blood and viscera. Now it was dark again. He was scared. The dark held all the monsters his imagination could conjure.

What are you?! MONSTER! STAY AWAY!

Little hands clutched harder to his black stuffed bunny, the one with the white thread Xs for eyes, he buried his face against the cheap, worn fabric of it, tears tracking down his face and freezing against his skin as he flinched at the echoes of his mother's last words screaming through his head. Adrian hadn't meant to! He wasn't a bad boy. He wasn't a monster! Was he?

The fact that frozen blood was splattered and smeared from his hair to his too-small snow boots with the soles worn almost gone in places probably suggested otherwise. Maybe his mother was right. No, she had to be right. She was his mother. Mother knew everything.

Mother was gone now.

Lost and alone in the world, all Adrian could do was muffle his quiet sobs against his bloody plushie, the fabric stiff with the same frozen blood that covered him. He was so cold. A dark hoodie, a t-shirt, jeans were all ill-fitting, dirty, blood-stained, and threadbare. They told a grim, sad story. Neglect, poverty, and horror, the boy small and thin for his age.

[gar-bb]

When he woke next it was already morning. Adrian was still clinging to him. And when Garfield the Fox lifted his head, there were amethyst eyes staring at him from just outside the bed.

"Good morning," Raven said, reaching slowly for Adrian.

Garfield helped, rolling Adrian toward her so that she could gently pull him into her arms, grabbing Neeko as well. He followed the boy and his bunny out from under the bed, shifting back to himself and wrapping an arm around them so that Adrian was nestled between Garfield and Raven.

"Breakfast time?" He rasped, voice rough from sleep.

She hummed, nodding. "We can have breakfast here before going to the apartment and showing him his new room."

His eyes lit up.

"Oh is it ready?"

She smiled, nodding happily. "I hope he likes it."

Garfield kissed her. "I'm sure it's perfect. Let's wake him up,"he whispered, slowly shaking the little one awake.

"Adrian- buddy. It's time to wake up. We gotta go eat breakfast now. Wake up, little dude."

[adrian-in-dcu]

Thankfully there were no more nightmares after the first. Adrian began to stir faintly as he felt himself being moved, but settled comfortably into Raven's arms, head on her shoulder. When he felt a gentle shaking his head shifted, rubbing his face against the material of the purple cape with a sleepy sigh.

A moment later it registered in his sleepy brain that someone was actually telling him it was time to get up, and his head popped up almost immediately, eyes looking around anxiously.

When he realized where he was and who was holding him, he relaxed a bit. His Mommy and Daddy would never wake him up like that. They couldn't get mad at him either. Mr. Beast Boy didn't sound mad at all, which was a relief.

"I get breakfast?" His green eyes were a little bleary and he rubbed at them before looking up at the two adults questioningly. He just ate last night. Adrian had thought it was nearly a feast. It didn't occur to him that usually children were fed by their parents, typically multiple times a day. He didn't know that the constant ache of hunger in his belly was actually terribly wrong.

[gar-bb]

Garfield swallowed painfully, tears filling his eyes. He shut them for a moment, not needing to look to see that Raven was looking at him with sympathy. From her, it didn't bother him. But he knew what that hunger felt like...

He opened his eyes again, not trusting himself to say more than "Of course you do," before he choked back a sob.

Raven immediately took over.

"Adrian, remember before you went to sleep I told you that we would get breakfast today- I am not angry with you for forgetting. So here are some rules from now on. You will have breakfast, lunch and dinner every day and snack times in between unless you feel like you cannot eat. You will also bathe if not every day then at the very least every two days depending. If you get hurt or feel scared or sad, you must tell us so we can help you. If you want a hug, you tell us. If you don't want something, you tell us. You'll have playtime but you will also have learning time. I have set up a bedroom for you in our apartment, but I'd like us to have breakfast with Cyborg today before we go. He makes the best breakfasts."

She sat up, not letting go of him, just cradling him with one arm, her free hand squeezing Gar's to comfort him. He smiled weakly back at her, sitting up as well after a moment and brushing a hand over Adrian's frankly adorable behead.

"We are going to take care of you now, Buddy," he said, booping his nose playfully. He stood and helped Raven to her feet, making grabby hands for Adrian. "Gimme him," he said, lifting him out of her hold and into his own arms.

He was so small.

"Let's go."

They walked together to the kitchen, Victor already waiting for them. He was flipping pancakes and cutting fruit. There were sausage patties sizzling and eggs being scrambled. He moved like... well- like a machine, his enhancements allowing him to do multiple things at once to absolute perfection. He had already fried bacon before they arrived and there was also a pot of oatmeal on the warmer.

He turned to smile at them brightly.

"Hey, you're awake!" He turned his grin toward Adrian. "Good morning, little dude. This is almost done. Everyone go sit. BB, I made you some oatmeal and the pancakes are also veg friendly. The fruit is all cut up and there's some vegan whip cream for you. Rae and Adrian, yall can pick whatever you want from the spread." Just as he said so, the toasters popped and slices of toast were ready to add to a basket.

Cyborg finshed putting it all together while Raven took the boy from Gar and sat Adrian down to set the table for them. They were eating at the actual dining table instead of the island. She put eggs, two strips of bacon, a sausage patty, a slice of toast and a pancake with syrup on Adrian's plate. She also put a small plate of fruit on his placemat, a small cup of oatmeal and a cup of orange juice before buttering the toast for him.

"Eat what you like and what you can and dont rush. Make sure you chew your food. I only put so much there because I want to know what you like. If you can't finish it, nobody will be mad. But if you do finish and want a little more, nobody will be mad. You are allowed to ask for more food if you are still hungry. Do you understand?"

Garfield watched this unfold with an unreadable look on his face. The entire situation made him wish he could seek revenge om Adrian's behalf even if he knew that was already over with. But watching Raven try her best to make sure Adrian had clear expectations so he wouldn't worry about not knowing rules. He wouldn't be in trouble anyway but at least the kid would know what to expect.

[adrian-in-dcu]

Lost Little Monster

CW: Child neglect, child abuse, blood

Adrian was lost. He was huddled pathetically beneath a park bench, but he didn't recognize any of his surroundings. His stomach cramped painfully with hunger. When had he last eaten? He didn't know. It hadn't been today. Breakfast had never come. It had been dark outside still when he'd fled that dilapidated apartment, the walls painted in blood and viscera. Now it was dark again. He was scared. The dark held all the monsters his imagination could conjure.

What are you?! MONSTER! STAY AWAY!

Little hands clutched harder to his black stuffed bunny, the one with the white thread Xs for eyes, he buried his face against the cheap, worn fabric of it, tears tracking down his face and freezing against his skin as he flinched at the echoes of his mother's last words screaming through his head. Adrian hadn't meant to! He wasn't a bad boy. He wasn't a monster! Was he?

The fact that frozen blood was splattered and smeared from his hair to his too-small snow boots with the soles worn almost gone in places probably suggested otherwise. Maybe his mother was right. No, she had to be right. She was his mother. Mother knew everything.

Mother was gone now.

Lost and alone in the world, all Adrian could do was muffle his quiet sobs against his bloody plushie, the fabric stiff with the same frozen blood that covered him. He was so cold. A dark hoodie, a t-shirt, jeans were all ill-fitting, dirty, blood-stained, and threadbare. They told a grim, sad story. Neglect, poverty, and horror, the boy small and thin for his age.

[gar-bb]

When he woke next it was already morning. Adrian was still clinging to him. And when Garfield the Fox lifted his head, there were amethyst eyes staring at him from just outside the bed.

"Good morning," Raven said, reaching slowly for Adrian.

Garfield helped, rolling Adrian toward her so that she could gently pull him into her arms, grabbing Neeko as well. He followed the boy and his bunny out from under the bed, shifting back to himself and wrapping an arm around them so that Adrian was nestled between Garfield and Raven.

"Breakfast time?" He rasped, voice rough from sleep.

She hummed, nodding. "We can have breakfast here before going to the apartment and showing him his new room."

His eyes lit up.

"Oh is it ready?"

She smiled, nodding happily. "I hope he likes it."

Garfield kissed her. "I'm sure it's perfect. Let's wake him up,"he whispered, slowly shaking the little one awake.

"Adrian- buddy. It's time to wake up. We gotta go eat breakfast now. Wake up, little dude."

[adrian-in-dcu]

Lost Little Monster

CW: Child neglect, child abuse, blood

Adrian was lost. He was huddled pathetically beneath a park bench, but he didn't recognize any of his surroundings. His stomach cramped painfully with hunger. When had he last eaten? He didn't know. It hadn't been today. Breakfast had never come. It had been dark outside still when he'd fled that dilapidated apartment, the walls painted in blood and viscera. Now it was dark again. He was scared. The dark held all the monsters his imagination could conjure.

What are you?! MONSTER! STAY AWAY!

Little hands clutched harder to his black stuffed bunny, the one with the white thread Xs for eyes, he buried his face against the cheap, worn fabric of it, tears tracking down his face and freezing against his skin as he flinched at the echoes of his mother's last words screaming through his head. Adrian hadn't meant to! He wasn't a bad boy. He wasn't a monster! Was he?

The fact that frozen blood was splattered and smeared from his hair to his too-small snow boots with the soles worn almost gone in places probably suggested otherwise. Maybe his mother was right. No, she had to be right. She was his mother. Mother knew everything.

Mother was gone now.

Lost and alone in the world, all Adrian could do was muffle his quiet sobs against his bloody plushie, the fabric stiff with the same frozen blood that covered him. He was so cold. A dark hoodie, a t-shirt, jeans were all ill-fitting, dirty, blood-stained, and threadbare. They told a grim, sad story. Neglect, poverty, and horror, the boy small and thin for his age.

[titans-raven]

Raven was tired.

Nightwing had called her to Gotham for her expertise on handling a demonic threat. She'd fought the entity and won, but not without consequences. It hadn't simply been a physical fight, but one that took place in her own mind when the demon had invaded her psyche.

He'd underestimated Raven and was destroyed for it. For once, being the daughter of Trigon was to her benefit.

And sure, she could've flown or portaled home, but she figured she needed the walk to clear her head after all of... that.

She pulled the hood of her cloak over her head, breathing in the smoggy Gotham air. It was chilly out but she hardly felt it, the fires of hell in her own blood warming her despite everything.

A blessing and a curse.

She passed through a park, enjoying the moonlight when she noticed movement. She tensed briefly, prepared for anything when her senses felt fear that wasn't her own. Her eyes sharpened and she looked at a nearby park bench when she saw it.

Him.

It was a little boy, shivering and covered in blood, clutching his stomach as if in pain.

"Oh..."

She ran to him immediately.

"Hey," she whispered, in what she hoped was a soothing voice. Garfield had often told her he loved her monotone voice, but she wasn't sure that would be helpful now. "Are you hurt? Where are you parents? Let me see you. You're covered in blood."

She held her arms open, hoping he would come out of his hiding place so she could check him over.

"I won't hurt you. I promise. I just want to help."

[adrian-in-dcu]

With the sound of his own muffled sobs in his ears, Adrian didn't really hear the rapidly approaching footsteps, or even the first whispered word. It was about the moment that questions began to be rapidly fired at him that the boy finally realized that someone had found his hiding spot. A startled cry escaped as he scrambled to get away from the voice.

Small enough to easily squeeze out the far side of his hiding spot, using the bench as a make-shift shield keeping it a barrier between the stranger and himself. It was a flimsy protection, and he knew it even at his young age, but it was better than nothing.

"Stay - Stay away!" The voice that came out was hoarse and raspy, even thready. From crying, from dehydration, and from disuse. His heart was racing as fast as a little hummingbird. Even in safer places people knew to be wary of strangers - and Gotham was far from safe. Of course, this was probably one of the few places he could have gone an entire day being ignored by people on the street in his condition. A normal city with normal citizens would have probably tried to at least contact authorities to come check on him.

Not that a boy like him would know.

"It's not safe. Not safe!" Adrian clutched his rabbit tighter, trying to fight his panic. His breathing was fast and shallow, near hyperventilating as green eyes darted around frantically looking for escape. Not that he could see very well, it was dark and tears blurred everything.

Raising his dirty sleeve to try to wipe his eyes and clear them enough to see better mostly just smeared blood even more across his pale face. Most of it was dried and even flakey, but there was a slow ooze of crimson sliding down the right side of his face starting somewhere around his hairline, it was only his overwhelming emotions that kept him from doing more than choke on a whimper as the ceramic pieces embedded in his scalp pulled uncomfortably as his face muscles flexed with his expressions.

[titans-raven]

Raven froze, heart stopping as the child cowered in fear.

Was she so terrifying?

Or perhaps it was simply tjat she was a stranger. This was also Gotham. She didn't imagine he felt very safe by the state of him.

She pulled her hood back.

"My name is Raven. I'm a Titan-" and god she hated to pull that card but she wanted so badly to help him.

"A superhero. I can help you."

[adrian-in-dcu]

Titan? Superhero? Help him?

Gotham mostly had vigilantes, not superheroes. He saw them sometimes on TV. Either way, those were the people that fought monsters and bad guys. His mother's final words rang in his ears.

What are you?! MONSTER! STAY AWAY!

"Stay away! Not safe! NOT SAFE!" His voice cracked and broke, barely coming out as a wheeze as he tried to scream only to have his vocal cords fail him. Adrian stumbled back a few steps before stumbling over his own numb feet, landing on his bottom as he curled in on himself again. He wasn't a bad boy, he wasn't! He didn't mean to!

"Ple - please. I'm sorry. I'm sorry!" Weak, broken sobs escaped as he apologized for what he'd done, or what he might do again. He didn't want to hurt them, he didn't want to hurt anyone. Above all, Adrian didn't want to be hurt anymore.

[titans-raven]

This was going badly.

And Raven was tired.

But she couldn't leave him.

"I won't hurt you. I promise. You're a kid. And you've been hurt. I know what that's like. But it doesn't have to hurt now. I can take you somewhere that is safe. With a bath and food. Are you hungry?"

She didn't know why she was saying these things, perhaps the pain in her own stomach were from him. Hunger pangs?

But Raven had eaten with Dick earlier that day.

"What's your name, kid?"

[adrian-in-dcu]

Somewhere safe?

Adrian didn't know of any such place. Safety was a big, fat lie. There was always danger lurking, waiting for the slightest mistake to pounce. No number of self-determined rules or how closely he followed them had ever kept him safe.

Now he was the danger.

His stomach twisted painfully, from hunger and his uncontrollable crying. He was so, so tired, and cold, and hungry. Absolutely running out of steam and fight both, he stayed curled around his stuffed bunny, shivering as his ragged breathing hitched and stuttered. It was slow like coming back under control rather than hyperventilation.

Whatever happened to him, it hardly mattered anymore, did it? He was completely alone and had nowhere to go and no idea what to do. She claimed she wouldn't hurt him - he still couldn't see her properly through his tears - but it wasn't like he could stop her if she did want to hurt him.

He would deserve it.

"…Adrian." The word was spoken softly, little more than a hoarse whisper, but he managed to croak out his name between hiccups as his crying slowed.

[titans-raven]

"Adrian," she breathed.

Okay. She had something to go off of.

"Well, Adrian," she said, slowly making her way to him since he wasn't moving. When she came around the bench, she gasped.

Tears filled her eyes instantly.

So much pain. She could feel it, yes, but now she could fully see it.

She slowly went down to her knees, crawling toward him. She stopped giving him time or opportunity to argue. Gently, she scooped him into her arms and sent a wave of calm to his mind, taking some of his emotions as her own. What she felt and some of the accompanying memories that came with it made her heart squeeze painfully in her chest. Flashes of abuse. Of abilities he didn't understand. She didn't much care that he was currently quite filthy. She would make sure he had a bath and that his wounds were cleaned and stitched.

She would make sure he was fed and... loved.

He needed love.

Raven had found a family in the Titans when it felt like no one else in the world would accept her for the demonic witch she was. And she knew Dick well enough that she knew not to take Adrian to an orphanage.

No.

She clutched him to her protectively.

No way.

Her eyes glowed red as she stroked his cheek.

"Mine."

They disappeared in a burst of shadow.

Raven walked through Titans Tower in a trance like state, feet leading her toward the medbay. Victor was already there, jumping when he heard her voice.

"Cyborg."

"Rae? What- uh.... whatcha got there, Rae Rae?" He asked cautiously, looking at Adrian.

"A child. He's hurt. And he's mine now."

Victor blinked, stepping toward her with a hand held out.

"Rae I don't think you can just pick random kids up and-"

"His parents abused him. He's a meta with powers he cannot control. He has no one. I will make sure that is never true again. He is mine. But he needs medical attention."

Victor sighed, dropping his hand.

"Okay."

He came a bit closer, looking down at the little boy. Even covered in blood and grime, he was adorable.

"Aww. Hey little man. I'm Cyborg. We're gonna get you fixed up," he said, gesturing to Raven to set him on the table while he grabbed some first aid items.

Raven offered the boy a smile, smoothing a hand through his hair, careful to avoid the glass cuts.

She didn't know what came over her- she had never felt this way before, such instant love and the instinct to nurture. It scared her but Adrian's fear eclipsed her own. It would take time for him to feel safe.

She kept her eyes on him, as if she was afraid the child would disappear, and with him, any chance to have what neither of them had ever had.

Mine.

[adrian-in-dcu]

That terrified part of himself - which admittedly was most of him - tried to rouse him as the stranger with the weird clothes started moving towards him. Part of him wanted to jump up and run. His instincts, trained on his short lifetime of neglect and abuse, screamed at him to flee, to hide. If his parents didn't see or hear him then they couldn't be upset at him. That logic easily translated in his young head to all grown-ups. They wouldn't hurt him if he just stayed quiet and out of sight.

Sure, she said she wouldn't hurt him and that she'd take him somewhere safe, but why should he trust that? After all, his own parents lied to him all the time. They also hurt him. If his own mommy and daddy would hurt him, then why should he think any other adult would be different?

Unfortunately his little body refused to obey that panicked part of his brain. His fingers and lips were starting to turn blue, his body felt stiff, he ached from head to toe, and he'd lost feeling in his feet some time ago. The slow bleeding of his recent head wounds throbbed and stung. Adrian's stomach twisted from pain again and by the time he was scooped into those arms his body had slumped in defeat. He was too tired and cold to keep fighting or running or resisting.

It should have felt scarier. Instead Adrian felt a strange sense of calm overcome him, or maybe it was relief? He wasn't really sure. All he knew was that suddenly everything felt just a little less terrifying.

His head came to rest on a warm shoulder as he closed his eyes. An exhausted static filled his head, his little brow scrunching as he felt an unfamiliar caress on his cheek. It was so strange, being touched so gently, to be held with such care. The word was one he knew, but he still failed to understand, and he was too tired to question it in the moment.

With his eyes closed he felt the shift more than saw it. The biting cold Gotham winter air was replaced with regulated air from somewhere indoors. He blinked opened his eyes, staring blankly at the walls now around him. Adrian couldn't make much sense of it. Nowhere he recognized, for sure. Then again, most of his life had been spent within the walls of a filthy, dilapidated apartment in the Gotham slums. He closed his eyes again and simply basked in the warmth of being held to a body that wasn't half frozen.

Maybe he should have been far more panicked about suddenly being somewhere completely different, having been taken by a stranger to an unknown location, but he still felt that odd sense of calm surrender.

At least until he heard a new voice he didn't recognize. A man's voice. The warm, syrupy calm wasn't enough to keep him from tensing up, emerald green eyes popping open as his fingers clutched at the fabric of the cloak.

It was a confusing exchange between the stranger holding him and the new one. He knew the words - most of them - but still found himself confused. His mind still full of static. Meta? That was one he thought he knew, had heard on the TV before. Abuse he recognized too. Mainly from TV as well. That was when people did bad things to other people. He'd never thought of it relating to his parents, but he couldn't argue with it either.

What most confused him was that the person holding him said that he was theirs now. The other adult seemed to agree that was not right, but then seemed to give up.

Why?

Could grown-ups just do that? Decide that a kid was theirs?

If they could then why hadn't any adults done it sooner? Maybe his mommy and daddy would still be alive if someone else had just taken him away.

Adrian hadn't actually seen this other person until they came closer and started talking directly to him, he blinked up at owlishly, green eyes going wide as saucers. Little arms clutched tighter to the one holding him, face turning to bury itself into the curve of a warm neck.

They were like a robot!

It should have felt soothing, having that hand running through his hair so carefully. It did feel soothing, in a way. Also almost familiar. Had his mother ever done that to him? Maybe a long time ago. He couldn't remember.

He didn't want to be set down. This was suddenly getting scary again. His fingers refused to let go completely. Fix him up how? Was this like the doctors? Doctors were scary. He only saw doctors when things were really bad. This wasn't that bad, right? He didn't need to see a doctor!

Not only that, but he didn't want them to see. Adrian wasn't supposed to tell or show anyone. Daddy would be so angry!

He couldn't let anyone see the large, mottled hand-shaped bruises around his arms where his father had grabbed him too hard, the layers of fresher bruises on top of older fading hand-prints. A collarbone that had been broken and healed over and a tiny wrist that had fractured in multiple places but healed. He couldn't let them see the small circular cigarette burns scattered on his arms and back, some clearly months, or even years old, while some were as fresh as mere days. There were a handful of angry red welts on his back from shoulder to knees, those were really new - only acquired hours before the incident.

"No!" Now desperate, he tried to push away from the person that had picked him up, tears that had mostly dried up now gathering in his wild green eyes once more as he looked around for an escape. He tried to scramble off the table. "Daddy will be mad! Daddy is going to be so, so mad at me. Please. I didn't mean to! I'm sorry Daddy! I won't show them. I won't let them see!"

[titans-raven]

His daddy was surely in Hell, Raven thought.

But she didn't say it, keeping her rage in check. She hadn't trained for her entire life to control her emotions for nothing.

She and Victor exchanged a heavy look and Raven could help but take Adrian's little hands in her own- tight enough that he wouldnt fall but not enough to hurt, shushing him gently. "Daddy isn't here and even if he was I wouldn't let him touch you. I won't let anyone touch you."

Never again.

"I see what you mean, now," Cyborg told her gravely, sighing and backing away. "Look, little guy. I'm not gonna hurt you," he said, showing him the first aid supplies. "See this? I have stuff to clean your wounds. And bandages. You have a lot of booboos. And we just want to make it better for you. The sooner you let us do that, the better it will be for you. We are here for you. Do you understand.?"

Raven nodded, rubbing his little hands with her thumbs. "Please let us heal you. After that, I can get you a bath, clean clothes and a warm meal. And then, a clean bed. We can even clean up your bunny," she said, eyes glowing as she levitated the stuffed animal back into his lap.

[adrian-in-dcu]

Initially when his hands were grabbed Adrian resisted, thrashing in a blind panic as the looming threat of his daddy - even if the threat was only in his mind - seized him. It took a few moments for the gentle shushing to really reach him beyond the overwhelming terror, but he did stop flailing wildly. His little body was shaking from head to toe, tears cutting tracks through the blood on his face, stuttering breaths causing his chest to rise and fall quickly.

Reason began to break through the blind fear. She was right, daddy wasn't here. Adrian didn't even know where here was. Even if he did, daddy couldn't find him. His daddy could never find him, never touch, him again.

What he didn't know was why anyone would bother promising him anything. He didn't even know her name. The robot man was called Cyborg, he remembered her calling him that, but what had he called her?

Rae? Rae Rae?

She said she was a Titan - a hero.

Adrian's breathing still wasn't normal, and the tears hadn't fully stopped, but his shaking had been reduced back to faint shivers as he listened to them take turns talking to him. He turned what they said over in his head, trying to figure out what to do.

His first instinct was he wanted to go home. It really didn't register to his young mind just how deplorable conditions he'd been living in. All he knew was that at home he knew the rules, knew how everything worked, what was expected. Not knowing what to do was scary. How was he supposed to avoid being punished if he didn't know the rules?

He would have to learn.

With a sniffle and quivering lower lip Adrian looked at first Raven, and then Cyborg.

"My head hurts."

[titans-raven]

Raven's expression could only be described as crestfallen. His tears send daggers right into her heart.

"I know little one. I know it hurts. We'll help I promise," she said, gathering him back into her arms securely. Victor we need to remove the glass," she ordered, and something about her using his government name made him move lile nothing else.

She rubbed circles into Adrian's arms through each flinch as the shards were removed and the lacerations cleaned with disinfectant.

"You're being so very brave, Adrian," she praised, dropping a kiss to his forehead.

"Adrian, huh? Cool name, little dude," Victor smiled gently, before his expression turned grave as he inspected the cuts. "He is gonna need stitches for one of these-"

"I got it," she waved him off, inclining her head for him to get the stuff. "Adrian, hes going to give you some stitches but you wont feel a thing."

Victor blinked at her, eyes widening when he realized. "Rae..."

"I got it," she said again. It wasn't something she did often, but for the boy- it was nothing. She touched Adrian's head with two fingers eyes glowing white as she whispered, "Azarath Metrion Zynthos."

She felt his pain, took it as her own, and nodded for Victor to continue, biting her lip to fight the sharp hiss that wanted to escape. Unfortunately, this clued her into the damage on the rest of Adrian's body, tears falling from her eyes.

Victor worked quickly, not wanting to cause his friend any more pain than necessary.

"All done," he said after a moment.

Raven broke the spell, gasping. She didn't think, lifting Adrian's shirt to expose his belly, her hand hovering over the bruises and scars and burns.

Victor cursed behind her, refraining from punching the wall in anger.

"He's just a little kid, man."

She hugged Adrian, rocking them both. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry."

[adrian-in-dcu]

Adrian hugged his stuffed rabbit to his chest as he was gathered up in the arms of the person that had brought him here. He wasn't sure why he was picked up, or why she was rubbing at his arms the whole time little ceramic bits were being pulled out of his head.

It felt kind of nice, though.

He did his best to hold still and not make too much noise. Definitely didn't complain. The pain was different from the constant aches of bruises and burns, sharper, but bearable. It hurt more when daddy touched him with the cigarettes. If daddy had seen him behave like he had been all this time he'd have punished him.

All the crying would have made him mad.

That made it all the stranger when the nice lady (he had decided she was nice) called him brave and kissed his forehead. He didn't feel very brave, but he had calmed down that his breathing was mostly normal and the tears had mostly stopped despite the first aid.

"Is it?" Adrian blinked up at Cyborg - Victor - innocently, voice barely more than a scratchy whisper. He had never considered if his name was cool or not, it just was.

At the mention of stitches he tensed up, squeezing his bunny to his chest a little harder. The few times he'd had to get stitches it wasn't very nice. Usually they poked him with a different needle first before pulling out the one for the stitches. Again, he didn't offer up a complaint, even as he looked up at Raven skeptically as she reassured that he wouldn't feel it.

Big green eyes widened as she touched his head with her eyes all glowy and said some strange words he didn't understand, then suddenly he didn't feel anything at all. Every ache and burn and sting just vanished.

His little brow furrowed as tears started falling down her face. He didn't understand what she had just done. Keeping focus on her face helped him ignore the needle, which was still a little scary even if he couldn't feel anything. It was over much faster than he expected, and suddenly all the familiar dull aches and pains returned as she gasped.

Adrian wasn't expecting it when his shirt was suddenly being pulled up. Letting them treat the cuts they could see, the ones on his head was one thing, but having them see the ones he would normally be expected to hide was very different.

A tangle of emotions swept through him. Embarrassment, shame, fear, and even guilt. He wasn't sure what he expected, but being hugged and rocked while the nice lady apologized was not even a consideration. For several moments Adrian was frozen in her arms, paralyzed with confusion as he processed what was happening.

No less confused after a few seconds, but slowly melting into the hug, Adrian pressed his face against her shoulder with a soft exhale. This was nice, just being held. When was the last time his mommy had held him like this? The memory was fuzzy and indistinct.

"Don't cry." He whispered softly. Adrian didn't know why she was crying, but she had been so nice to him and he didn't want her to be sad.

[titans-raven]

Victor didn't know what to do exactly. Normally, Garfield was there to comfort Raven when she was like this. But this was definitely a special case. And the kid clearly needed to see that they meant no harm.

He stepped forward, wrapping an arm around Raven and the other around Adrian. "It's gonna be okay. We will figure this out."

Raven's chest tightened when she heard that soft little voice tell her not to cry.

She furiously wiped her own tears, letting Victor hug her.

She slowly pulled back, grateful that her friend kept rubbing circles into her back. She look a deep breath.

"Okay, we need to get you in a bath with clean clothes."

Her magical knowledge and ability had increased exponentially over the years and she was confident she could easily turn adult sized clothes small enough to fit. At least until she could buy him new things. She would also have to prepare a room for him at her apartment.

Victor nodded in agreement. "Kid needs to eat too and I'm hungry myself. I can make something for the four of us. Gar should be back soon and... he might wanna know."

Raven nodded, not taking her eyes off of Adrian. "Nothing too heavy, Cyborg. We don't know what might make him feel worse."

He patted her shoulder, nodding, "Chicken and gnocci soup and breadsticks it is," he said, leaving to the kitchen.

Raven lifted Adrian back into her arms, holding him securely. She took him to her assigned room. The room was still decorated as if she lived there. And half of the time, she did and slept there for the comfort of a familiar place. There was an attached bathroom and she was able to run the bath to a comfortable temperature and she added some soaps and oils that smelled quite nice but had medicinal herbs to help soothe his muscles and heal his injuries. She did all of this without letting him go once.

Finally she set him down, kneeling so that her amethyst gaze could watch his facial expressions.

"I'm going to grab you some clean clothes. Do you know how to bathe yourself or do you needed help?"

[adrian-in-dcu]

While Adrian had relaxed in Raven's hold, he couldn't help but tense back up as Cyborg put an arm around him, his fingers curling a little tighter into the cloak of the nice lady. Despite the reassurance, he remained tense and fidgety.

It wasn't until both adults had pulled back that the boy started to relax again. He looked up at Raven a little unsure as she mentioned the bath and clean clothes. Adrian knew that he was filthy, absolutely covered in what was left of his parents, and his own blood too. Not that he'd been very clean before the incident. Of course this also reminded him of the horror he'd not only witnessed, but had directly caused.

He started to shake again.

The adults were still talking. Mention of food did get his attentions somewhat. He wasn't sure why these people were doing all this, but his stomach clenched painfully at the reminder of just how long it had been since his last meal. Adrian didn't really know what gnocci was, but he recognized chicken soup and breadsticks. He couldn't remember the last time he'd had breadsticks.

Regardless, he'd never been able to afford being picky. Whatever they offered him, he would eat.

When Raven picked him back up, he instinctively clung to her as he was carried towards yet another unknown destination. Adrian looked around at the room with innocent curiosity, although they quickly moved into a bathroom.

He had expected to be put down. Instead Adrian found himself being held all through a bath being drawn up, with extra stuff being put into the water. He wasn't sure exactly what it all was, but it made the bathroom smell really strong. It was a nice smell, though. There was probably a good reason for it to be added in there.

Adrian didn't ask.

With the bath seemingly ready, he was finally set back down on his feet. Adrian fidgeted at the question, keeping his eyes down on his stuffed rabbit.

"I know how." His little voice was soft and hesitant. "It's been a long time. Mommy wouldn't let me in the bath anymore after that one time she left me in there and fell asleep and I almost drowned."

It was more that she had been high, completely forgetting about him, and passed out leaving a toddler unsupervised in the bath. After that if he wanted to be clean he had to find a wash cloth that wasn't disgusting, climb onto the counter, and use the sink.

[titans-raven]

Raven took a deep breath in through her nose and patted his shoulder.

"I will be back. Stay," she said, leaving the room to go dig through some drawers for some of Garfield's spare clothes. She found a soft sweater he rarely wore and some dinosaur boxers from an unused pack as well as some comfy sweatpants that had recently been washed and still smelled of fabric softener. She brought them back to the bathroom with a fresh towel and addressed Adrian.

"Take those clothes off and get in the bath." She sat down on the covered toilet seat, "I will sit here to make sure nothing bad happens."

She didn't look at him, not wanting to make him self-conscious. She simply focused her energy on shrinking the clothes to his size. It wasn't complicated magic but her emotions were on overdrive and she needed something to keep her busy.

"I'm borrowing these from my...friend ... Gar. Once you're all cleaned up, they should fit you. Beast Boy always ran smaller than the rest of the boys anyway it's not much of a challenge."

She did spare him a sideways glance in the middle of her work, "dip the bunny in the water and give them a bath, too. Let me worry about drying it for you later."

[adrian-in-dcu]

Adrian couldn't help it, he really couldn't, but he gave a little flinch when his shoulder was pat. It wasn't that he thought she would hurt him. She had been so very nice to him. He was grateful. The fault lay entirely with his parents, whose hands had rarely meant anything pleasant.

"Okay." He kept his head down, body frozen in place standing in front of the tub, until Raven returned.

When the kind lady told him to take off his clothes and get in the tub, Adrian only hesitated for a moment before sitting down on the floor and working on getting his little snow boots off. The soles were worn thin, practically in tatters, and they were obviously too small as he had to really struggle to pry them off his feet.

"Oh. Is that okay? He won't get mad, will he?" Adrian had no idea who this Gar was. He definitely didn't want to make anyone angry with him. Especially someone called Beast Boy. The boots finally came off.

The socks had holes worn into them, and had clearly been wet at some point. Actually were still wet, with small bloodstains. Adrian couldn't stop himself from choking up with quiet whimpers as he peeled the socks off. The skin was very pale where it wasn't red from being rubbed raw, evidence of blisters at the points the boots had really pinched, although the blisters had clearly burst at some point and were the source of at least some of the blood on his socks.

It was obvious they were very painful, but he didn't sob like a normal child. Honestly he had stopped feeling his feet at some point earlier. The feeling was returning now that he was warming up, but he was so used to being in pain, and to hiding it, that he managed not to give more than those quiet sounds of discomfort as he shrugged out of his hoodie.

All his clothes were threadbare and ill-fitting. He rarely got any clothes, and they were never new. His parents had higher priorities when it came to what money they did get.

"His name is Neeko." It was a small thing, to offer up the name of his bunny, but he'd never told anyone but his mommy before. Daddy would have been annoyed that he bothered him over something so dumb, so he'd never bothered.

[titans-raven]

Raven's hand froze, the sweatshirt shaking in her trembling hand when she saw his little winces of pain and her gaze fell to his feet.

"Oh no," sh÷ said weakly, "he loves helping kids. He won't mind."

Her eyes softened considerably. "Neeko is a good name," she said, standing to rummage through her medicine cabinet, hand emerging with a salve. "When you're done I want you to dry your feet and I'll rub this into them."

She set the bottle on the vanity and sat down again.

"What else can you tell me about yourself?"

[adrian-in-dcu]

If she said it was okay, then he decided to do his best not to worry about it. Even if they did get mad, she said she wouldn't let anyone touch him. Adrian wasn't sure he understood the concept of trust, but he was choosing to believe her. Nothing bad had happened so far.

Well getting glass shards picked out of his head and stitches put in hadn't been fun, but it had been the necessary kind of unpleasant. The kind that seemed bad but was actually good in the end. That was another concept he didn't fully understand, but even at four he could grasp the basics. If the glass had stayed in it would have been bad, and it would have kept hurting. The stitches would help it heal right, that was what a doctor had said when he'd had to get them before.

"I thought so too." The boy looked shyly pleased. She thought it was a good name. He had named the bunny himself. His mommy had barely given a distracted 'that's nice' when he'd told her.

Adrian finished peeling off his bloodstained clothes before carefully setting Neeko on the edge of the tub and climbing into the bath. He made another muffled sound of discomfort as his chilled skin was submerged in the warm water. The pins and needles feeling in his feet intensified as his body began warming back up quicker thanks to the heat.

The discomfort would ease into relief once his body adjusted to the temperature change.

"Um." What else did she want to know? He scrunched his brow thoughtfully as he started scrubbing blood and grime off his body. "My name is Adrian Forrester, and I'm four years old."

[titans-raven]

She waited for him to settle, handing him a clean wash cloth.

"That bottle is body wash. That one is shampoo and the other is conditioner. You put that in your hair last," she pointed to different bottles.

She paused, mulling over his words.

"I go by Raven. It is my name and also my superhero name. But I have another name. It's Rachel. Rachel Roth. I'm twenty one and a member of the Titans. We protect people. I have magic due to my lineage. And I was trained in the mystic arts. This is my room here but I have another apartment. That is where you will live from now on. I will create a room special for you. Would you like that?"

[adrian-in-dcu]

Adrian paid careful attention as each bottle was pointed out and explained. He wanted to make sure he didn't mess up and waste anything. A lot of blood dripped out of his hair as he got it wet, he rinsed it several times before actually putting shampoo in and worked on trying to get the rest of the blood, dirt, and grease out of it.

Listening to the hero while working on getting clean was a task that both gave him a little trouble, and that he approached with determination. Adrian needed to listen to everything he was told. Anything that clued him in on the new rules and what was expected of him.

Raven gave him a lot of information all at once. He tried his best to absorb it all. It did confuse him about the two names. The robot man had been called two different names too. So did this Gar and Beast Boy. He wasn't sure what name he was supposed to use for any of them. Did he use the superhero name or the regular person name? Probably the superhero one.

The more pressing information was that Raven had an apartment somewhere separate from where they were now, and he was supposed to live there from now on. Sure the mystical arts things was interesting and he didn't really understand what it meant, but the living somewhere thing seemed more important.

"Special for me? Why? I thought…" Adrian still wasn't sure why she was being so nice to him. He had a basic understanding that heroes helped people, but this seemed like more than normal. A strange feeling in his chest made his eyes water as he looked down at the dirtying bathwater. "I thought kids without mommys or daddys went to the orphanage."

Did he want to go to an orphanage? Not really, but he certainly thought that was where he deserved to be, after all, he was the reason he no longer had a mommy or daddy. Actually, thinking about it, shouldn't he go to jail? That's where bad people who did bad things went.

"Mommy and Daddy are gone because of me. The policemen should take me away." Here he was sniffling again, a few more tears escaping. Daddy really would have been right to yell at him today.

[titans-raven]

Raven shook her head immediately.

"You protected yourself. I saw it in your memories. And no one is taking you away from me," she said, a possessive red glow slowly bleeding into her amethyst eyes. "I will adopt you as my own. And I will keep you safe."

She levitated Neeko into the bath, using her magic to cleanse the stuffed bunny of dirt before casting a drying spell, the bunny looking good as new. She waved a hand and banished the impurities from the water.

Her thumb wiped away his tears gently.

"Perhaps you may not see me as your mother any time soon. But you are mine now. And you will be adored, protected and provided for. Do you understand, Adrian?"

[adrian-in-dcu]

"In my memories?" Adrian hadn't even realized someone could just look at his memories. He wasn't sure he liked that. There was nothing good there, and far too much he would rather not let anyone see. It was a conditioned impulse to hide things, his parents would punish him if he let any strangers see all the bruises, the burns, the injuries - that would be bad. They'd see how bad of a boy he was, see how often he had to be punished.

It made him ashamed. If he had just been better, then he wouldn't have needed to be punished. If he had been better, then his parents would be alive. The idea that what he had done to his parents was self-defense wasn't even in his wildest imagination.

Adrian found himself shying away slightly when her eyes glowed red, that was a little scary. He watched her dunk his bunny in the water, and was awed enough by the display of magical cleaning and drying to forget that he'd been a little scared of her eyes for a moment. It was simply amazing, and he wondered how she did it. Magic, obviously, but how?

He'd nearly forgotten that he was crying again, until Raven delicately brushed the tears from his cheeks, Adrian had given a little involuntary flinch at the contact, but the touch was gentle and it stayed gentle.

Looking up at her, the tears didn't stop. Adopt him as her own. Keep him safe. Adored. Protected. Provided for. No, no he did not understand. Did he have a vague knowledge of the concepts? Sure. He got to watch TV sometimes. Usually only whatever Mommy or Daddy were watching, but he did get to see and learn about some things from that.

That was just TV stuff. Make believe. Dreams.

They had never seemed real to him. His parents often pointed out how fake everything on the TV was. If they said it, then why would he ever question it?

Mother.

It was the word that broke him. His entire face crumpled, breath hiccuping into full blown sobs as he brought his arms up to hide his face. Adrian didn't want to be looked at while he cried like a baby.

"I - I wan- want my mom-my" The words stuttered, choked out between sobs as it really sank in.

[titans-raven]

The strong wave of such big emotions in his tiny body nearly knocked Raven over. She hissed, clutching her head, biting her lip to fight back a whimper of pain. It was unusual and she normally had much better control over her powers, but Adrian had kicked her defenses wide open.

She couldn't stand it- his tears and heartbreaking sobs made her heart shatter.

She lowered herself onto her knees in front of the tub, gently taking his much smaller hands in her own. She shushed him softly. "I know. And I'm sorry. And I know things are different and scary right now. But I promise, I am not afraid of you. I don't think you're bad. I think you're afraid and that you have every reason to be. But I will never lie to you," she told him, releasing his hands to wipe his tears. She grabbed a wash cloth and finshed cleaning him.

She cleaned the water more times in between, and then took care of his hair, conditioning it with tender hands before lifting him out of the tub and drying him with a fluffy towel. She then got him dressed in his new clothes and sat him on the toilet seat. She was still kneeling on the floor, grabbing the salve for his feet and rubbing it into the skin before wrapping them in bandages. She levitated some spare slippers into the bathroom and resized those, too, putting them on his feet.

She smiled up at him, grabbing Neeko and placing him in Adrian's arms.

"Let's go eat."

She scooped him up again, apparently content to carry him everywhere and made her way to the kitchen with him.

Victor was just finishing dinner. He had a seperate pot of gnocci soup without meat for Garfield and a bigger pot for the rest of them.

Raven sat Adrian down on a bar stool at the kitchen island.

"Smells good," she said.

Victor smiled back at them, ladling soup into bowls and setting fresh baked breadsticks into a basket.

Het set their bowls in front of them with the bread and Raven made sure to show Adrian to blow on his spoon to cool down the soup and that he could dip the bread in it. Victor also took the liberty of serving a pitcher of lemonade. He was amazing like that.

It was as they began to eat that the door opened, a green skinned figure swooping in.

"Ohhh gnocci?! Delicious," Garfield grinned, coming over to kiss Raven hello. "I missed you today," he pouted, before his eyes caught sight of Adrian.

"Oh... uh... hey little guy." He looked questioning at Raven.

"He's mine," she said instantly, wincing at her own words. "I mean, I found him. He has no one. So he's mine. I'm keeping him. I want to raise him."

It came out in a jumbled rush but she looked back at Adrian with such aching tenderness that when she looked back at her fiance she knew he had to see it all over her face.

"Okay," he blinked.

[adrian-in-dcu]

There was so much that Adrian just didn't understand. Why would he hurt his Mommy? He loved her so much. Why was this stranger being so nice to him? He was bad and she should be afraid of him. If she saw his memories like she said then she had to have seen what he did to his parents. No good boy did that to someone, especially their Mommy.

Adrian didn't want to be comforted, he didn't think he deserved it. Still, he had been through a lot in the last twenty-four hours. His little malnourished body was drained of energy - too tired and hungry to even keep sobbing. As Raven wiped his tears away his choked sobs quieted into little heaving whimpers and hiccups as he slowly calmed down, eventually returning to almost normal. It was probably for the best that the nice lady took over bathing him, as he had shutdown, simply staring blankly ahead.

He couldn't deal with his current reality.

It was too horrible.

That his parents had been horrifically abusive and negligent didn't matter. They had been his whole world, them and that decrepit apartment in Gotham's slums. Everything he knew and loved had been ripped away. To a four year old little boy, this truly felt like the end of the world.

For now, he couldn't cope with the level of stress, it had reached a breaking point. So he sat in the bath quietly, allowing himself to be washed. It was a level of care he had rarely experienced. Adrian could barely remember the last time his Mommy had given him a bath. Had she ever conditioned his hair so tenderly? If she had, he couldn't remember it.

The towel was really soft as it was used to dry him off. Adrian was grateful for it, somewhere deep inside, because the water had been warm and he had finally stopped being cold, and being lifted out of the water had let a specific sort of chill back in. A normal kind of cold, not that he would know.

Adrian offered up no resistance as Raven helped him dress, the clothes were clean, soft, and warm. He found himself grounding himself by playing with the fabric of the sweater.

It served as a nice distraction as salve was rubbed into the injuries on his feet, and while he didn't complain, it was obvious that it was uncomfortable, little winces at some of the worst blisters and raw patches. A soft sigh of relief escaped as the wrappings were finished. He wiggled his feet after the slippers were slid on. Adrian had never had or worn slippers before, he'd only seen them on TV.

By the time Neeko was placed back into his arms, Adrian's eyes were still dull, but not blank. He clung to Raven once he was in her arms again. The boy seemed as content to be carried as Raven was to carry him.

The smell of food roused Adrian a little more, he wasn't sure he recognized the smell, but it made his stomach growl regardless. Once on he was settled on the stool, he carefully arranged himself so that Neeko was sat up beside him. He was instantly mesmerized by the steam coming off the bowl set in front of him. Usually the only time he ate hot food was the rare occasion his Mommy would microwave those little mac-n-cheese cups for him.

With focused determination he paid attention as he was shown how to blow on the soup to make it cool enough to eat without burning his mouth, and that he could dip his bread into the broth. That was practically revolutionary to his young brain. He pulled a piece off his breadstick, dipped it carefully in his bowl, then happily stuffed it in his mouth.

"Mm!" His green eyes got wide as he chewed, it was really good.

Adrian was about to tear another piece of breadstick off when the door opened, startling him. He jumped slightly on his stool before turning to look and freezing. The person that swept into the room was green.

All he could do was watch with a mixture of awe and fear as this new person approached the nice lady that said she was going to adopt him. He wasn't sure what to think when they kissed. If Raven was going to become his new Mommy, then what did that make him? He wasn't sure how to feel about it. His Daddy had been really mean.

When the new stranger finally looked at him, and spoke to him, Adrian ducked down in his stool a little, looking over at Raven uncertainly. Hearing Raven claim him once again did feel reassuring. His stomach growled again. A single bite of broth soaked bread wasn't nearly enough.

"You're green." Adrian wasn't sure why he suddenly blurted it out. Maybe because he'd never seen a green person before. He ducked down even further on his stool, embarrassed and afraid of angering him.

[titans-raven]

Garfield only laughed, fangs poking out as he grabbed his stomach, howling with it. Even Victor got a good chuckle out of it.

Meanwhile, Raven smoothed a hand over Adrian's hair, hoping to calm him.

Beast Boy collected himself, wiping a tear from his eye. "It's been a while since anyone has reacted like that," he said, coming around the island to stand next to Adrian. Raven shot him a warning look but he only winked, leaning against the counter on his forearms. Up close, Adrian would also be able to see his pointed ears.

"I am green," he grinned. "But my name is Garfield. Or well... Beast Boy." He peeked down at Neeko in Adrian's chair. "That's a cool bunny. He got a name?"

"Neeko," Raven said quickly. "Adrian's bunny is called Neeko."

Garfield's brow furrowed, concern etched into his face, eyes softening. "I'm not gonna bite him, Rae. Let the kid talk."

Raven gulped down her nerves, nodding, shoulders dropping heavily.

Resting a hand on Adrian's shoulder, she told him "Garfield is the kindest person I know-"

"Heeey," Victor complained from across the kitchen.

"- he would never hurt you. And he's not mad at you. Okay?"

Garfield nodded at her words. "That's right," he said. "In fact I'm as sweet as a.... bunny!" He laughed, turning into a rabbit on the spot, hopping around the room.

[adrian-in-dcu]

Adrian's eyes got even wider as he ducked further behind the back of his stool, practically trying to disappear. The green man was loud, and he had sharp teeth! His eyes darted over to Raven as she smoothed his dark hair, but quickly returned to Beast Boy. He couldn't decide if laughter was good or bad - maybe it meant he wasn't angry, but honestly his Daddy could be scariest when he was laughing.

The boy twisted in his stool as he was approached by this stranger that he hadn't decided what to think of yet. It was obvious the way he tried to keep him in his sight at all times, and how he clearly didn't want his back to him. Honestly everything about his body language suggested wary defensiveness.

Oh, so he had two names too. That made sense. Regular names and hero names. Still didn't really clarify which he was supposed to use. Probably their hero names?

He didn't expect him to ask about his bunny. Most grown-ups would probably consider a stuffed animal trivial and unimportant, but he had asked. Should he tell him? Raven had liked his bunny's name, maybe he would too. Adrian didn't get a chance to decide, eyes shifting to the woman that decided to claim he was hers. Did it bother him that she'd told him?

Adrian wasn't sure.

Now the robot man knew too. It shouldn't matter. He doubted they really cared. It was just a toy. There was no reason they shouldn't know.

Oh, he said something about it. Actually he didn't look happy now, his face was all scrunchy.

It happened again. He didn't mean to do it, but he flinched when Raven touched his shoulder. Adrian turned to look at her as she spoke to him. He winced at the interruption from the robot man. Still, he looked back over at Beast Boy as Raven reassured that the green man wasn't mad at him and wouldn't hurt him.

He wanted to believe her.

Trust was just not something he had ever been able to place in anyone. Most certainly not his parents, and not even the doctors that he rarely saw who treated his wounds, who saw the injuries, and did nothing but patch him up and send him home with the people who had hurt him.

Of course he'd have been upset if they had done something to take him away from his parents, but that was because he didn't know better. They knew and still didn't help.

Adrian popped back up in his stool when Beast Boy turned into a bunny and started hopping around the room. He gaped at the spectacle. The green man could turn into a bunny! He'd never seen someone change from a person - even if they were green with sharp teeth and pointy ears - into an animal.

"Is he magic too?" The boy had reached over to tug lightly on Raven's sleeve, pointing at the green rabbit with timid fascination.

[titans-raven]

Raven felt her heart warm when he seemed to forget himself, feeling comfortable enough to tug her sleeve. She hoped it meant he was relaxing around her.

"Something like that," she said, looking adorably at the adorable green rabbit her fiance had turned into. "He can turn into any animal."

She reached down to scoop Beast Boy up, his shape changing again this time into a cat, purring in her arms. The green feline blinked slowly at Adrian.

"You can pet him," Raven said.

Victor rolled his eyes, slurping his soup loudly. "Yeah give BB a bigger head."

[adrian-in-dcu]

Someone who could turn into any animal? If he had to have some kind of power, why hadn't it been something like that? If he could just turn into cute animals nothing bad would have happened. His Mommy and Daddy would still be alive. Adrian would much rather have gotten a power like that.

Green eyes still wide with wonder, watched as Raven picked up the green rabbit, which promptly turned into a green cat. The cat was purring, so he must have liked it.

Adrian recoiled slightly when Raven told him he could pet the green cat. If she said it was okay then it probably wasn't going to upset Beast Boy, but that was still a person, not a real cat. Petting who he knew was a grown man - who was still essentially a stranger - seemed wrong to him. Maybe he was wrong, but it didn't feel right.

Even the robot man seemed to agree with him. Sorta? He wasn't sure, but it was enough.

"No thank you." Adrian fiddled with the sweater he had borrowed, realizing it was the green man's clothing. Raven said he wouldn't mind, so he tried not to worry about it. His eyes darted back to the bowl of warm soup and breadsticks. "May I eat now?"

[titans-raven]

"Okay," she shrugged, not really making a big deal of it. She did hold kitty Beast Boy to her chest and pet his head lovingly however. Truth be told she was self-soothing, still unsure how Garfield felt about everything.

"Of course you can eat, little one. Please, do," she nodded insistently. She held the green cat in her arms a bit tighter, whispering to him. "Will you... change back so you can eat with us? Cy made the non-meat for you."

Beast Boy did change back, right in Raven's lap, laughing as he did so before hopping off, making her let out a disgruntled sound.

"Thanks, Vic," he told Cyborg, grabbing a bowl and serving himself. "Bone apple tea, everyone!"

Raven shook her head fondly, digging into her soup. Her eyes lit up, a pleased smile on her face. "It's soooo good."

Victor beamed proudly. "What can I say, I'm a master chef."

They ate peacefully, chatting about random things for a while. Raven hoped the joyful atmosphere would be good for Adrian.

[adrian-in-dcu]

It was a relief when nobody made a fuss about his not wanting to pet Beast Boy. His Mommy or Daddy would be mad if he didn't want to do something they told him to. Adrian was glad Raven wasn't going to yell at him or make him do it.

When he was given the go ahead, he turned back in his stool to sit properly at the island. Little hands made quick work of tearing off a piece of breadstick, dipping it in the soup, and popping it into his mouth. Adrian did this until his breadstick was gone. While it might seem like he was wholly focused on eating, he was acutely aware of the three grown-ups in the room.

They were all so different from what he was used to. Everything was different from what he was used to back home. His Mommy and Daddy didn't sit down and eat together, let alone include him. There was no screaming, no fighting, nothing being thrown or broken.

Best of all, nobody seemed to be overly focusing on him. He was sure they were paying attention to him, but they weren't being obvious. That was bearable.

After he was done with his breadstick, Adrian picked up his spoon and carefully blew on it before each bite. The food was delicious and warm. By the time there was nothing but maybe half a spoonful left his stomach was pleasantly full. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt his hunger truly satisfied.

Adrian sat back on his stool when he was finished, pulling Neeko into his lap and idly playing with the toy's soft ears while listening to the grown-ups talk.

Full, warm, and sleepy.

[titans-raven]

She noticed, of course she did. Not only was she attuned to Adrian's emotions but she couldn't help but catch his sleepy movements in her peripheral.

And she wasn't the only one.

Victor and Garfield watched her knowingly. Victor sighed as Garfield remained pensive, "I'll clean up here. Y'all should turn in for the night."

Raven wasted no time in sliding down from her chair. "Thanks, Cy. You helped a lot tonight."

He smiled easily as she once again scooped Adrian into her arms, waving her off, "It's what friends do. Go."

She nodded, sending Garfield a questioning look, but the green-skinned man only nodded, following after her when she turned in the direction of their rooms. When they arrived at Raven's room he shut the door gently behind them, watching with no small amount of softness as she tucked the little boy in. He'd never seen this maternal side of her. She was breathtaking.

"Sleep. I will be here when you wake and take you to grab breakfast. But first, I have to prepare your room like we talked about."

She kissed his hair, "Goodnight, little one."

When she stood up she turned to her fiance. "Can we talk in private?" She asked inclining her head toward the bathroom. He nodded, walking over to open the door for her and closing it quietly once they were both alone.

"I know it's a lot," she started.

He let out a shaky laugh, "Yeah," his voice cracked, running a hand through his hair. "But I mean- I get it. How could I not?" he said, voice barely above a whisper and eyes faraway.

He had been a kid with no one, once. He had also been taken in by people he eventually called family. He absolutely understood. But... it was sudden and definitely something to adjust to very quickly. He sighed. "Look, babe... as much as I wish I could've been there to at least have a say in the decision- I understand that these just... are the circumstances. You're right. It's a lot- but-"

"Are you gonna break up with me?" She blurted out bluntly, shoulders tense.

His eyes widened. "What?! No! Nononono- Rae, never- that's not- not in a million years."

He grabbed her shoulders gently, keeping her gaze. "I asked you to marry me because I want to build a life and a family with you. Soooo it's happening a bit faster than we planned. But we know how to roll with life's punches and the kid- Adrian, I mean... if this is what you wanna do I'm gonna support you. I just have one condition."

Her brows shot up.

"What is it?"

He smirked, a little fang poking through in a way she'd always found endearing.

"If he's our kid now... we gotta make his room green."

[adrian-in-dcu]

The boy had been content to quietly amuse himself while the adults finished eating and talking, it didn't matter how tired and sleepy he was, he'd never interrupt. He didn't want to be a bother. Eventually someone would tell him where he was allowed to sleep, or they'd finish what they were doing and leave him to his own devices.

At home he would have just been avoiding his Mommy and Daddy unless they actually called for him, otherwise they'd have yelled at him for bothering them. If Daddy was smoking he might poke him with his cigarette. Adrian hated when he did that. It always hurt and stank.

None of these grown-ups were smoking, and nobody had yelled at him so far but he'd rather not take any chances. If he wasn't afraid of getting in trouble for wandering into places he wasn't supposed to he'd probably have just quietly tried leaving the table to find somewhere dark and obscure to curl up to sleep, but he didn't think he could sneak away from Raven.

As soon as the nice lady slid from her stool Adrian became more alert again. He didn't mind being picked back up, and laid his head on Raven's shoulder automatically. Holding it up was getting hard, so was keeping his eyes open.

Still not sure what was okay, or how he was supposed to behave, he managed a timid wave to the robot man as he was carried out of the kitchen. The ro - Cyborg had been nice. He made the yummy food.

Adrian wasn't sure what to think when they returned to the room that was Raven's and he was tucked into her bed. He was a little awed as he tentatively poked at the mattress and pillow. They were so soft, and the blanket was really warm as she tucked him in. His Mommy never did that, and he didn't have a real bed - just an old baby blanket that was falling apart. He had left it behind when he ran away.

It was strange - nice - but strange, being tucked in, being told to sleep, being reassured that someone would be there when he woke up, that there would be breakfast, and even his own room.

"Goodnight." His voice was tiny as she kissed his hair, a mixture of feelings and exhaustion bubbling inside his little body. A thread of apprehension wormed its way in when he heard Raven asking to talk to Beast Boy in private. In his experience those weren't good words. That meant trouble.

Now anxiety and tiredness were at war as the grown-ups disappeared into the bathroom, and he was alone in this very open bed. He waited until he was sure they must be focused on each other before he slipped out of the bed with painstaking care and found somewhere small and dark he could wedge himself into while curled around Neeko. Only then did he let himself fall into exhausted sleep.

[titans-raven]

Raven and Garfield quietly exited the bathroom, Raven's eyes slowly gravitating toward the bed to where Adrian slept.

Or rather... where he should have slept.

She gasped, her heart skipping a bear from pure terror.

Garfield's voice vaguely registered.

"Rae?"

"He's gone."

Her psychic energy fanned out, instantly locking into Adrian's energy. She frowned in confusion. She still felt the boy in the room.

Garfield sniffed the air. "He smells close."

She stepped toward the bed, the energy getting stronger.

They both sank to the floor, looking under the bed together to find their new son asleep with Neeko.

"Aww," Garfield cooed. "He probably feels safer there."

Raven arched a brow. "What?"

Beast Boy shrugged. "I was kinda like that. Sometimes a covered space makes you feel safer. Out in the open anything can get you."

Her eyes lit up in realization. "I see. I'll keep that in mind for his room then. While I prepare his room at the apartment will you watch over him?"

He smiled, nodding. "Sure thing."

In an instant. He transformed into a fox, crawling under the bed and wrapping his furry body around the little boy.

Raven left them there and got up to walk toward a door that opened to a portal. She stepped through and into her apartment, gliding up the grand staircase to find an empty room that she could personalize for Adrian, keeping Garfields request in mind. Green wasnt the vibe of her Gothic and mystic dwelling- however, she thought of Adrian's vulnerable green eyes. Of Garfields vibrant green skin.

The people she now loved most were green. So green it was.

[adrian-in-dcu]

Absolutely exhausted, Adrian slept innocent and unaware of the momentary panic he had caused his new adoptive mother. The sound of their voices didn't wake him, and neither did the sudden soft warmth that surrounded him as his new father curled up with him in the form of a fox. He didn't know that Raven left to create the new room she would design just for him.

For a long while, everything was tranquil. He didn't move much in his sleep, and the only sound he made was his soft breaths. Adrian was safe and warm and at peace.

It was shortly after the six hour mark when signs that something was wrong began. At first it was only tiny little twitches in his fingers, but that quickly traveled up his hands, small jerky movements creeping into his arms and legs. The relaxed expression of sleep had twisted into one of distress as Adrian started making choked whimpers of fear.

His dreams had twisted into nightmares, a familiar looming monster chasing him through endless dingy, dim halls and rooms without end - and worst of all no place to hide. It hurt to breathe, his legs were burning, and no matter how fast he ran, or how many turns he took, the monster was right behind him.

By the time he felt those cold, cruel hands grab him Adrian was full on thrashing in his sleep, or as much as he could while wedged under the bed. He woke up with a terrified sob, tears streaming down his face.

Adrian didn't call out for anyone, nobody would have helped or comforted him. At least not before.

[gar-bb]

Beast Boy's eyes snapped open.

Adrian was having a nightmare, he registered in the back of his fox brain.

Poor thing.

When he woke up crying, he nudged him with his snout, whining to comfort him and snuggling him in the hopes he would calm down.

Please dont cry, he thought, heart aching.