Chapter 3

"Robin! Look out!" The changeling yelled as he noticed the huge, twenty-foot robot before them lift its boulder-like arms and bring them down on Robin. The Boy Wonder jumped out of the way, narrowly avoiding them. Beastboy let out a sigh of relief as he hurried towards his companion.

"We need to bring him down," Robin told him as he approached. Nodding, Beastboy quickly transformed into a Pterodactyl and flew boldly towards the robot, aiming for the single huge lens on the center of its head, which served as its eye.

'Almost there,' Beastboy thought as he drew closer to it. Throwing back his beak, he aimed for the offending orb.

CRASH!

The glass shattered as Beastboy drove his beak into the lens. Letting out a triumphant squawk, he flew away, as the unfamiliar feeling of satisfaction crept up his chest. However, it disappeared all of a sudden, as he heard Robin's cries.

"Beastboy! Help!"

The green-skinned Titan quickly turned and was horrified as he saw his beloved leader in one of the robot's hands, which squeezed him tightly.

"Hang on!" Beastboy said as he flew as fast as he could to his fellow crime-fighter. When he was close enough, he transformed into a tiger and, with his sharp claws, cut through the metal of the robot's wrist. Its hold on Robin instantly loosened, and the Boy Wonder fell to the ground, but not before Beastboy reverted back to his human form and caught him just in time.

"Thanks, Beastboy," Robin said with a smile as he gave him a thumbs-up. Beastboy felt elated and smiled widely. "Great job. I'm really glad to have you on this team…"

Beastboy smiled wider and was about to say something back until…

Caw! Caw!

Beastboy woke up to hear the sounds of random South American birds calling to each other. He groaned softly, lifting one eyelid, and was immediately blinded by the sunlight that managed to seep through his shabby tent.

Groaning once more, he twisted his body to the side, shielding his face with one arm. With his free hand, he struggled to pull the sleeping bag's covers over his head. Unfortunately, no matter how much he pulled, the cloth refused to stretch, or even move.

Wriggling, he soon discovered that throughout the night he had been twisting and turning, and as a result had gotten himself tangled in the sleeping bag. Moments later, however, he managed to fix the small problem by morphing into a spider and crawling out of the covers. Transforming back into his pointy-eared self, he rubbed his back painfully.

"Feels like I slept on a rock bed or something… Rock bed… Bedrock… Heheheh…"

After laughing feebly at his own joke, Beastboy lifted up the sleeping bag and noticed the pile of jagged rocks that lay under it.

"No wonder."

He prepared to morph into a cat and do his usual morning stretching exercises when he noticed a noise from outside the tent.

Thump! Thump!

Ears twitching, Beastboy tried to find the source of the sound. It sounded eerily familiar…

Thump! Thump! CRACK!

The changeling was starting to get nervous. 'This is just like that movie, Attack of the Woodmen… Soon, a couple of crazy cult people are gonna try and sell me some really freaky book!' Beastboy then proceeded to do something incredibly stupid: he panicked.

"GHAAAAAA!" He screamed at the top of his lungs, trying to sound menacing as he leapt out of the tent.

A surprised-looking Robin stared back at him from a few feet away. A tree next to the masked boy looked damaged, as if someone had been kicking it over and over.

"That's how yetis, um… Greet people in the morning." Beastboy said lamely.

"Riiight," was Robin's reply, as he walked over, eyebrow raised. "We have no time for games, Beastboy, we have to get moving."

And their conversation ended just like that.

Beastboy groaned inwardly as he packed up his tent, mentally kicking himself for being such an idiot. 'How do you expect him to trust you when now, he obviously thinks you're insane!' Turning to his companion, he noticed that Robin was staring at the tracking device in his hands, frowning.

"Anything wrong?"

He noticed Robin stiffen.

"It's… It's nothing. I just thought… Nothing. Let's move" Beastboy felt a pang of hurt rush through him as Robin turned his back on him again and began walking, making sure the keep several paces ahead of Beastboy.

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Throughout the entire day, both Titans were silent, not talking to each other. Every couple of minutes, Robin would turn around and check if Beastboy was keeping up. Every time he looked, Beastboy's eyes would light up, as he hoped that maybe Robin would try to start up a conversation. However, he never said anything, and the shape-shifter's ears would droop as Robin would shift his attention to his tracking device.

Beastboy continued dragging his feet onwards. He refused to complain, even though he was practically dying. Their only break had been lunch, and it had been in complete silence. A couple of hours after they had resumed walking, it began to drizzle; therefore, the ground became wet and muddy.

Beastboy felt absolutely filthy. His clothes from head to toe had been splattered with mud as he tripped over fallen logs and slipped on camouflaged stones. He yearned to transform into a pig and roll in the mud, and just disregard personal hygiene completely, but he knew Robin would not approve. So he settled for wanting a bath to cleanse himself; his cat instincts were urging him to lick himself clean. He twitched, and finally decided to break the silence.

"Rob… Hey, Robin!" He called as he ran up to the other teen. Robin stopped in his tracks.

"What is it? And don't come any closer." Beastboy frowned, another wave of hurt hitting him. 'Harsh…'

"I just… I just need to rest a bit… And take a bath. Can we, y'know… Stop for a while?" He looked at the ground nervously, suddenly regretting ever speaking up. Robin turned around.

"…Alright. You're in luck, there's a spring nearby." Beastboy couldn't help it as he felt his lips widen into a smile.

"Awesome!" He cheered, pumping his fist into the air. He felt his energy return as he proceeded to run, grabbing Robin's wrist as he did. He couldn't help it; the thought of clean water to relax in made him extremely giddy.

"C'mon, c'mon!" Beastboy urged as he continued to pull Robin along with him. The masked leader resisted at first, but relaxed when he saw that the changeling was smiling. For some reason, it made him want to smile too. But he continued to stay expressionless, something Beastboy quickly noticed.

"Du-ude!" He dragged Robin a few more paces, but soon realized that the other boy absolutely refused to run. He quickly let go of his wrist, backing away. "Alright, alright… Last one there is a HIVE student!" And Beastboy ran away, leaving only dust clouds where he was a moment earlier.

Robin blinked, and wondered what to do. Truthfully, he felt slightly guilty for what he was doing to Beastboy. Ever since they had started their journey, he had been nothing but commanding, like a general was to his troops. But unlike soldiers, Beastboy could not stand in the same spot all day, saluting. Robin noticed that he was constantly moving, that he could never stay still. He needed to have fun, to laugh, to relax at one point.

Finally letting a smile grace his features, Robin broke into a run and chased after Beastboy.

"You'll have to do better than that, Greenie!" He taunted as he neared the shape-shifter, who was jogging. Beast boy twisted his head and saw him, then laughter erupted from his throat. Giggling, he ran faster. Robin continued to try and catch him, feeling his muscles loosen. He suddenly felt more relaxed.

Beastboy ran faster, and since he had had a head start, managed to reach the spring first. He halted right in front of it, preparing to jump in, but then an idea crossed his mind. Turning around, he saw Robin screech to a halt as well, panting as he bent down and rested his hands on his knees.

"Hey, Rob."

"Yeah?" Robin looked up.

…And was hit square in the face by a large amount of mud. He froze as his gloved hands came up to his face to touch the mud.

"….You're going to regret doing that, Beastboy." His voice was low, and Beastboy became fearful, wishing he had never thrown the mud ball. He winced, knowing that Robin was going to start yelling at him. Shutting his eyes tightly, he waited for a fist to hit him, but instead.

SPLAT!

The impact of the slippery mud on his hair sent Beastboy to the ground. Opening his eyes, he noticed the Boy Wonder standing over him, mud balls in both of his hands. He gulped.

The fight was on.

Both boys giggled madly as they began flinging mud at each other, dirtying their faces and clothes. But what began as a simple mud ball fight soon escalated into a wrestling match when Beastboy, in a moment of desperation, tackled Robin, sending both of them to the soggy dirt. The two struggled for dominance as they grabbed each other's shoulders, trying to bring the other down.

In a nearby tree, a woman in a kimono looked at them in disdain. Her green outfit served as camouflage as she hid herself on a branch, concealed by the huge leaves of the tree. Shaking her masked face, she brought a walkie-talkie to her mouth.

"Report," Came a tired-sounding voice.

"They are currently playing, General, fighting in the mud. It's quite disgusting," She hissed, still watching them. Robin had just smeared some more mud on Beastboy's emerald green hair, and laughed as the changeling yelled.

"They seem to have a very close bond with each other."

"I sent you there to destroy them, not analyze their childish behavior. And you will do just that." The old, tired voice said angrily.

The girl paused before answering.

"Hai, general. Do you wish for me to strike now?"

"No, not yet. Let them have their fun. But be prepared; you will destroy them soon, when the time is right."

"I look forward to it."

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Beastboy's animal instincts told him they were being watched, but he pushed them out of his mind. He was having too much fun to worry about anything.

Laughing, he continued to grab Robin's arms tightly and maneuver him towards the spring, so he could push him in. What he didn't know was that the other boy had a similar plan. Soon, both ended up slipping and falling head-first into the water. Their shrieks of laughter abruptly stopped and were replaced by a loud splash.

Beastboy made his way to the surface and gasped for air. He watched as Robin's head appeared before him. The masked leader shook his wet hair out of his eyes. It was now a sloppy black mess on his head. Beastboy was certain his usually-spiked hair was in the same condition, and his thoughts were confirmed when the two caught sight of each other and exploded into laughter.

"Y-your hair!" Beastboy commented, in a fit of giggles.

"Yours looks worse," Robin teased back, grinning. Soon, their snickers died down, and there was a moment of silence.

"Isn't this fun, Robin? Told ya we should relax once in a while."

The raven-haired Titan was silent for a while, and Beastboy bit his lip, thinking he had said the wrong thing.

"…You're right."

"Wha-?"

"It is good to have fun, Beastboy."

Silence once more, and soon Beastboy noticed Robin's worried look.

"What's wrong?"

"It's nothing. I just expected that we'd be at the base by now."

Beastboy's heart sank.

"I-I'm sorry," He said dejectedly, looking away. Robin's brows furrowed as the changeling's mood turned gloomy in less than a second.

"What? It's not your fault." Beastboy sighed before answering.

"I've been nothing but a hindrance to you, Robin. Not just during this journey, but all the time. I never help with anything."

"Beastboy…"

Robin didn't know what to say. He felt guilty, as if he was the cause of Beastboy's sadness. Hesitating, the Boy Wonder swam up to his teammate (who had his back turned) and put a hand on his shoulder.

"…The team wouldn't be as lively without you, Beastboy. You are an important member, you do help, despite what you think."

Beastboy felt better. The warmth of Robin's hand on his shoulder seemed to calm him and give him strength. Smiling, he turned around and gazed at Robin, feeling admiration and respect for his leader.

"…Thanks."

As the sun began to set, the pair continued to talk. Random topics were discussed, ranging from whether Speedy and Aqualad were gay for each other to Cyborg's strange affinity for waffles. Soon, stars dotted the night sky, and Beastboy yawned as he looked up at them, watching them glint from time to time.

"It's getting late," Robin pointed out as he watched him. "We should sleep."

And with that, he got out of the spring and wrung his clothes dry. Soon, his tent was up and waiting, and the Boy Wonder entered it. Beastboy soon followed, stepping into the bright red tent as well.

"Um, Beastboy, you have your own tent," Robin said awkwardly. Beastboy jumped and blushed.

"Oh… Oh yeah! Heh heh, I forgot…" Scratching the back of his neck, he quickly hurried out, feeling dejected.

Robin lay back down on his sleeping bag, thinking. He shivered, feeling the gusts of wind breeze past him. Shuddering, he wondered why the cold water of the spring had felt warmer to him.

End Chapter

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Sorry about the hiatus. After watching the finale, I decided not to continue the fic because it clashed too much with canon. But a few days ago, I realized "Screw canon!" and proceeded to write another chapter.

Forgive me if this chapter sucked. I'm not satisfied with it either. Once again, not much action, but I 100 promise a lot of action next chapter.

Thanks to those who reviewed! I really appreciate it. Please review this chapter as well! And I promise, I'll update soon.

Lastly, keep writing to save Teen Titans!