Chapter 2: Homecoming

He was staring at her. Raven quietly sighed in her seat on the T-Ship, satisfied with herself. It was done, the search was over. No more late nights sifting through the Internet, no more traveling to obscure foreign villages, and definitely no more talking to other people. If there was one thing that made Raven feel on edge, it was talking to people. She wasn't good at it, and she could tell that she made them uncomfortable. That made her uncomfortable, which made the conversations awkward. And she also just didn't trust people easily. Anyway, that was all over with because she found him.

Settling down into her seat for the ride, she couldn't help but admire the view from her window. The snowy Himalayan Mountains passed by and slowly shrank as they flew further and further into the sky. During his impromptu hiatus, Beast Boy seemed to have a knack for visiting some of the most breathtakingly scenic locations, even if they were out of the way. Raven was actually shocked by how fast the other Titans had reached the village she had called them from, though she was grateful for their promptness. If they had taken longer than a couple hours she wasn't sure how she would've held Beast Boy. Everything had worked out rather well for her in the end, all things considered. Now he sat across from her in the ship, sitting in his rags, and Raven couldn't feel happier. Well, she could, if he would just stop staring at her.

"What?" She said, glaring at him.

He was quiet for a moment. "I'm just curious. I mean, I thought I was doing a really good job hiding. How did you guys find me?" He was addressing the rest of the Titans as well.

Cyborg laughed from the pilot seat. "I think all credit has to go to Raven on this one. We searched in the beginning, but stopped after we never got results. She didn't, and it paid off."

"Yeah I have to admit, I'm surprised at how well you avoided detection Beast Boy." Nightwing turned in his seat to face him. "I'm going to have to pick your mind about how you evaded us."

"And I cannot wait to tell you all that has happened in your absence Friend Beast Boy!" Starfire was exuberant, she couldn't stop bouncing up and down in her seat.

Beast Boy didn't seem too thrilled. "Yippee."

"Aww, don't be mad green bean!" Cyborg exclaimed. "You're back with family! No matter what problems you have we'll face'em together!"

Beast Boy didn't answer, and instead rested his forehead against his window and stared out. Raven kept her eyes on him, searching with her empathic abilities. He was upset, and a little resentful, which Raven expected. What surprised her was the overwhelming feeling of anxiety and dread that washed over her as she searched with her empathic abilities. What could he fear from the Titans, who were all but family? Cyborg was right, whatever it was they could handle as a team. She decided she would ask him in private once they got home.

"So, what exactly did you do while you were gone? I mean personally, I couldn't go from hero work to absolutely nothing overnight." Nightwing's curiosity was getting the better of him, though Raven couldn't blame him. Everyone else was just as interested.

"I don't know, I just… lived." Beast Boy replied.

"That can't be all. People were talking about you like some kind of legend." Raven interjected.

"Well I mean, I wouldn't turn a blind eye to crime or people in need, but I wasn't trying to seek it out either. Mostly I was thinking about how I would eat that day, or where I would spend the night."

"That must've been hard, considering your poor choice in diet." Cyborg chuckled.

"Oh, I had to give that up pretty quickly."

Everyone went silent.

"Wait, you're telling me you're not a vegetarian anymore?" Cyborg asked.

Beast Boy nodded.

Starfire raised her hand. "Please, I do not understand. I thought the eating of only vegetables and the tofu was a principal that you held dear." She said.

"It was. But you can't survive on roots and berries when you live in the wild. I had to take up hunting out of necessity."

"But couldn't you just buy food? You have more than enough money for that." Nightwing asked.

"I didn't want you guys tracking me down if I used my accounts. Not that it helped." Beast Boy laughed bitterly.

Raven felt uncomfortable. There was something offputting and depressing about seeing Beast Boy so serious. It was so out of character from what she remembered of him. She realized he must have changed a lot during their time apart, and he might be completely different now. Hopefully, this person they were bringing home was similar enough to their old friend that there wouldn't be any problems.

"So, friend. Will you be returning to work with us? I would be most pleased if you did." Starfire could barely contain herself.

Beast Boy glanced at Raven before he answered. "I don't think I really have much of a choice."

Raven smirked inwardly. Smart boy.

Starfire looked confused. "Why would you not have a choice?"

"Well I don't think they have many jobs for green shape-shifting comedians other than in the circus, and even I have my dignity. Besides, after all this I couldn't really abandon you guys a second time."

Nightwing smiled. "Well I'm glad to hear that Beast Boy. The team hasn't been the same without you."

"Obviously. I was the funny one. But seriously, can you stop calling me Beast Boy? I have a beard for chrissake." He said, turning to them and pointing to his face.

"What are we supposed to call you then? Beast Man?" Raven asked, raising an eyebrow.

He shook his head, smiling ruefully. "Not that. I'll think of something, but for now just call me by my name."

"Okay… Garfield. If that's what you want." Nightwing said.

"It is." He was silent for a moment. "Sorry, is it alright if I don't talk anymore?" Garfield suddenly asked. "I'm a little tired."

Nightwing raised his eyebrows. "Uh, yeah. Sure." He replied.

"Yes, please rest dear friend. We will wake you once we arrive at home." Starfire added.

Leaning back in his seat, Beast Boy-Garfield! This is going to take some getting used to.-pulled his hood up to cover his face in shadow. It wasn't long before he was asleep. Raven decided to follow suit, and reclined her chair. The man she found was not the one that she'd lost five years ago, and she was beginning to think that she'd never get him back. That made her worried, and sad. But there was nothing to do about it now, she should just rest. Or at least try to.

"Garfield."

Garfield woke with a start. Immediately, he knew that he had been dreaming, but what about he couldn't tell. He'd forgotten the instant he'd opened his eyes. That was unusual, because he normally slept like the dead, and dreams were exceedingly rare. Yawning a little, he stood stretching his arms out and cracked his back before turning to Raven. Everyone else was getting out of the ship.

"Are we there?" He asked sleepily.

"No, we stopped for gas." She replied dryly.

It took Garfield in his half awake state a moment to realize she was being sarcastic. "Ah, there's that classic Raven wit. Would it kill you to actually, you know, be nice?"

"Would it kill you to not ask stupid questions?"

"It might. I've never tried."

This felt good, talking with Raven, and the others. It was like a familiar pair of shoes, comfortable. It had been a long time, but Garfield remembered this bittersweet feeling. Being close, but not close enough.

So we can look but not touch? Is that it?

Actually, looking is probably not a good idea either.

"You need to clean yourself up." In a surprisingly tender gesture, she reached forward to pluck a twig from his matted locks. "You've got sticks in your hair."

Before either of them could react, Garfield's hand snapped up and grabbed hers. They both froze, and looked at where they touched. His rough hand holding her soft one.

Mmmh, warm.

Shit, you gotta think of something! Like, now!

He took the twig from her hand. "It's called camouflage, Rae." He stuck it pointedly behind his ear. "It's necessary when living in the wilderness."

"Right. You're not living among animals anymore Garfield, so go take a shower before you touch anything." She said, pulling her hood up.

"Eh, that's probably for the best. It's been, like, a month." He left Raven making gagging noises in the T-Ship, grinning to himself. Of course, he'd washed himself more often than that, but he couldn't pass up golden opportunities like that. Priceless.

The door to his room opened with the same code, and he still had the same furniture for the most part, but that was all that had stayed the same. Gone were the piles of unwashed clothes, the old food, and dirty plates. His bunkbeds had been replaced with an uninspired queen sized bed, and all the posters he'd set up were nowhere to be seen. Even the carpeting had been replaced. Is nothing sacred? Garfield sighed, and threw his bag on the bed. This was to be expected, after all he had been gone for five years. Still, he couldn't help but wonder what happened to his all stuff. He took a look inside the dresser and sighed again. Empty. Not that he thought his old clothes would fit him. He called Cyborg on the visual intercom, and after a few seconds his face popped up on the screen.

"Yo! What's up man?" He asked.

"Dude, I don't have any clothes here, and I didn't exactly bring extra." Garfield jerked his thumb towards the dresser.

Cyborg nodded. "Two steps ahead of you. Nightwing and Starfire went out to buy you some civvies just now. They'll be back soon. In the meantime, why don't you use the shower. There should be soap and shampoo already in there, as well as towels."

"First Raven, now you. Do I really smell that bad?" Asked Garfield, giving himself a tentative sniff.

"Raven said something? I was just going to burn the stuff you brought." Cyborg replied with a grin.

"All right, I get it. Garfield out." He pushed a button and the screen went dead.

Garfield walked over to his desk, and brought up his room stereo system. At least they hadn't cleared his music library. That had taken forever to tune just to his liking, and he really wanted to listen to some good music. If there's one thing that he didn't like about nature, it was the lack of music. He quickly queued up his favorite playlist, and walked into his personal bathroom. As Cyborg had said, everything he needed was in there. Garfield quickly began stripping after starting the water.

The water was immediately hot, and he reveled in it. This was something else that nature lacked, hot water. He let it run over him, and soak into his hair. Garfield hadn't used soap yet, but he could already see dirt running from his body to the drain in black streams. Even he had to admit, this was pretty gross. He uncapped the bottle of shampoo and applied it liberally, using his hands to work it down to the scalp. His hair had become so tangled and knotted it was like trying to put his fingers through cloth. After rinsing, then reapplying shampoo several more times, the bottle was empty, but his hair was clean. Raven was right, there had been sticks in his hair. And leaves. Garfield then turned, and grabbed the bottle of body wash and a stiff bristled brush.

Sometime after he entered the shower, Garfield heard a knock on the door. "Who is it?" He called from the floor of the tub. He was diligently scrubbing his feet.

"It's Nightwing. Starfire and I just got back with your clothes. I hope they fit. As for your uniform, we have to get your measurements, then you have to decide on a design. Once that's done they'll be made and delivered within a week. We can do that once you get out."

"Okay, sounds good. I might be a little longer though, I plan on cutting my hair."

"That's cool. Cyborg is making dinner now, so try not to take too long."

"Gotcha."

As Nightwing's footsteps faded, Garfield got up and rinsed himself off. He grabbed a towel and stepped out of the shower, wrapping it around his waist. He used a another towel to thoroughly dry his hair and face and stepped up to his sink. Inside a drawer underneath were a shaving kit and an electric hair trimmer. The shaving kit was new, but the trimmer he knew how to use, since before he had primarily cut his own hair. However he knew he wasn't going to go back to his old hair style. He wasn't a kid anymore, and he wasn't that person anymore. He thought for a moment about visiting a professional hairstylist, but quickly dismissed the idea. Picking up the trimmer, he turned it on and held it up to inspect. Garfield really had no idea what he wanted to do, because he honestly didn't have any fashion sense. In the end, he decided to do just what felt natural. His instincts had served him well in the wild, why should it be any different here?

Raven stood before the door, the words Beast Boy inscribed upon its exterior. We'll have to change that. She didn't know what she was doing here, she didn't have any purpose to be. An anxious feeling rose up after she hadn't seen him for a while, and she found herself in front of his room. She supposed she was suspicious that he would run again, even though he said he wouldn't. Pausing for a moment to think of a reason, she knocked. There was no answer. Instantly worried, Raven entered the door code and stepped inside.

The room was as she left it, tidy and clean. After Garfield left, Raven had taken to cleaning and organizing his room. She wanted to see if she could find any clues as to his whereabouts, and no one else wanted to go near his room while it was such a mess, so the task had fallen to her. Strangely enough, she found it comforting to be in his room, and found herself there often. It was now nearly as familiar as her own quarters. She would have to spend her idle time elsewhere, now that Garfield was back. Where is he anyway? The room was empty, though music was playing. The door to the bathroom was still closed, though the light was on. Raven realized that he must still be in there, but before she could leave the bathroom door opened and he stepped out as a new song started.

There was a time when my world was filled with darkness,

darkness darkness,

and I stopped dreaming now I'm supposed to fill it up with something

something something,

Garfield exited, one towel wrapped around his waist, another draped over his head as he rubbed his hair dry. He was quietly singing along with the song, and didn't notice her as he walked across the room to the bags of clothes on his bed. Raven stood rigidly in one spot, staring at his bare torso. The lines and planes of his well-toned muscles drew her eye, and she couldn't help but admire his physique. His shoulders and chest had grown wider, though not as wide as Nightwing or Cyborg. His arms and legs were no longer scrawny, they were now thick with hard muscle. The heat rose in Raven's cheeks, and she knew she must be blushing profusely. She quickly tugged her hood up, and coughed loudly.

In your eyes I see the eyes of somebody I knew before,

long long long ago,

but I'm still trying to make my mind up,

am I free or am I tied up

"Hmmm? Oh, hey Raven." Garfield said as he pulled the towel off his head.

"I just, uh," Raven began, but stopped when she noticed his hair. Nightwing had said he'd be cutting his hair and she had expected him to cut it short, like in the old days. Instead, while it no longer reached past his chin it was still long. The sides and back had been sheared to the scalp, leaving short fuzzy hair. Even though a lot of it was gone, with strands of hair falling over his face he still looked… wild.

"It's the hair, right? Does it look all right? I kinda just did whatever." Garfield laughed, a little embarrassed.

Raven stumbled over her words. "No, it looks fine. It looks… Good."

"Thanks."

I change shapes just to hide in this place,

but I'm still, I'm still an animal,

nobody knows it but me when I slip,

yeah I slip, I'm still an animal,

They stood for a silent moment, Raven staring at him, and Garfield awkwardly shifting from one foot to another. She noticed that he was covered in scars of all shapes and sizes. Some no doubt gained from his service as a Titan, but others were definitely from his time in the wilderness. Claw and bite marks were scattered over his limbs, and there was one giant scar that swooped from his right shoulder to his left hip. Raven could only assume that Garfield had fought a large predator.

There is a hole and I tried to fill it up with money,

money money,

but it gets bigger to your hopes is always running,

running running,

"Was there something you needed, or did you just come to watch?" Garfield teased, breaking Raven's chain thought.

Raven rolled her eyes. "Spare me. Cyborg is almost finished cooking dinner, so hurry up so we can eat." She replied, turning and opening the door to leave. She stopped in the doorway. "I'm glad you're back home now Garfield." She said without turning.

"Me too." He answered as he began looking through the new clothes. "I'm a little ticked off that you found me, but I think maybe that's for the best. I wasn't making any progress there anyway."

Progress?

Raven turned around at that. "Progress with what?"

Garfield looked up, surprised. "Oh! Um, hmm. It's nothing, just talking to myself. You weren't supposed to hear." He said, clearly flustered.

"Beast Boy, progress with what?" She reverted back to his old hero name, becoming frustrated with him. The door closed behind her as she walked towards him.

"It's nothing, really! Pretend I never said anything."

In your eyes I see the eyes of somebody who could be strong,

tell me if I'm wrong,

but now you're pulling your disguise up,

are you free or are you tied up,

"Beast Boy." Raven narrowed her eyes as she came to stand in front of him, one hand on her hip. She noticed that he was still shorter than her, just by two inches or so. Strange, he doesn't feel shorter than me. Suddenly Garfield grabbed her by the shoulders. She gazed at him in shock, his face inscrutable. Then he roughly turned her around, and was pushing her towards the hall.

"You need to leave. Now." He said, his tone suddenly just as serious as hers.

"Not until y-"

"Raven!" He cut her off, stopping to open the door. He paused, closing his eyes and breathing in deeply. "It's personal. It's my problem to handle, nobody else's."

"Whatever it is, we can hel-"

"No. Look, maybe I'll ask for your help later. Maybe. But right now I'm practically naked, not to mention hungry, and tired. So I'd appreciate it if you gave me a little privacy." He said, gesturing to the hallway.

I change shapes just to hide in this place,

but I'm still, I'm still an animal,

nobody knows it but me when I slip,

yeah I slip, I'm still an animal

Raven glared at him, but was met with eyes equally intense. Finally she relented, letting out a sigh of exasperation.

"Fine. But you will tell me what is wrong, and why you left." She said as she stepped out into the hall.

"No promises. See you at dinner."

Then he shut the door, and Raven was left out in the hall. Five years later and this green idiot could still frustrate and annoy her like nobody else. Why is he being so difficult? I just want to help. Aside from anger and frustration, she also felt a deep sadness. Raven had thought that the two of them had become closer before he left, and was hurt that he wouldn't share whatever was troubling him with her. The relief she felt from finding and bringing him back was completely gone. In the short time Garfield had returned Raven had felt relief, anxiety, confusion, anger, frustration, sadness, and a slew of other emotions she couldn't name. All within a few hours. She decided that she would have to meditate before dinner if it was to go well. She would probably have to meditate a lot more if this was an indicator of how things would be now. Sighing again, Raven turned from his door and headed for her room.

Hey. So now the big update, but I'm noticing that my other story is garnering a lot more attention, which is weird because I started that as an afterthought. So what's up? Is it the shorter length or does the concept of the story just seem more enticing? Let me know in the comments. I'll probably start doing shorter updates for this story anyway, because that might help with the frequency of updates.

-Mocha