After the fight with Soto, Robin believes that everything's fine... until he checks on Beast Boy.
Turns out, there are some details of the shapeshifter's past that he's never shared.
Collared
is a one-shot Teen Titans Hurt/Comfort Fic by emberelle. Set the night after the events of "Every Dog Has His Day". It takes a closer look at the characters of Beast Boy and Robin, as well as how protective the Boy Wonder can be over his teammates. Completed as of September 2011.
Tropes
- Adopting the Abused: Beast Boy found the Doom Squad after he escaped the traveling circus.
- Bad People Abuse Animals: And how. Freddy Krinwell, the ringmaster of the circus Beast Boy was in, has a long history of animal abuse. Among other things, he tied a pregnant tiger up with barbed wire.
- Batman Grabs a Gun: His apprentice, anyway. After locating Beast Boy's previous abuser, Robin goes after him with the intent to kill him. Fortunately, he comes to his senses before he can go too far. The circus ends up ruined anyway after Krinwell knocks over a lantern while trying to escape Robin and accidentally sets the place on fire.
- Big Brother Instinct: Robin, full stop. He wakes up in the middle of the night to check on Beast Boy, and goes on the warpath when he learns what his friend/teammate went through.
- Child Abuse Is a Special Kind of Evil: The ringmaster at the circus starved Beast Boy, beat him if he didn't perform to the ringmaster's standards, and kept him locked in a box with no food, light, or human interaction for days on end. Keep in mind that this all happened when Beast Boy was a small child. Robin is furious when he learns this, and believes that it explains both Beast Boy's hatred of being alone for too long and his Big Eater tendencies.
- Circus of Fear: "Freddy's Freaks and Fun" is this because Freddy got away with horrific animal and child abuse for years before anyone caught him.
- Comforting Comforter: At some point during the night, Robin put his cape over Beast Boy.
- Comfort Food: The morning after he learns what Beast Boy went through as a small child, Cyborg makes waffles for breakfast.
- Dark and Troubled Past: Beast Boy's is explored here.
- Ending the Abuse: When Beast Boy was a small child, he was held prisoner by a cruel ringmaster in a circus. The ringmaster beat him if he didn't cooperate, starved him, and would sometimes lock him in a box with no human contact for days on end. He finally managed to run away and found the Doom Patrol, who raised him until he was fourteen and joined the Teen Titans. When Robin learns about this, he's furious.
- Family of Choice: Robin tells Beast Boy that he isn't alone anymore; the Titans are his family and always will be.
- I'll Never Tell You What I'm Telling You!: Out of respect for Beast Boy, Robin tells Cyborg that he can't share what Beast Boy told him. He does, however, ask Cyborg to learn whatever he can about any circuses that advertised a shapeshifter. Cyborg understands completely, and tactfully says nothing about it to Beast Boy.
- Not Even Human: The ringmaster's excuse for why he treated Beast Boy as badly as he did.
- Sad Clown: Beast Boy. For all his Cloudcuckoolander tendencies, he's been hiding a very sad past...
- Staying with the Suffering: When he realizes that Beast Boy is reliving past traumas, Robin stays with him the whole night, letting him talk about what he's been through and offering comfort. Cyborg finds them the next morning, both asleep propped against the side of the bed with Beast Boy leaning on Robin.
- Stealth Hi/Bye: Lampshaded by Cyborg when Robin sneaks up on him. He wonders how Robin can do that, noting that he's grateful that he can (as its saved their lives before) but wishing he wouldn't do it while Cyborg's working.
- Tranquil Fury: Raven never raises her voice whilst reading a newspaper article about the circus out loud, but the noted edge in her voice makes it clear she's seething.
- Trauma Button: Being collared is this for Beast Boy.
- Trauma-Induced Nightmare: Implied; Beast Boy asks Robin to stay with him because he keeps "having these nightmares."
