Chapter 7: Connection 5 Titans were on their way back home after they had defeated the HIVE students and brought them to jail. Seeing the shape-shifter almost skipping on the side-walk intrigued Raven and she walked up to him.
"May I ask why you're all 'sunshine' now?"
"What?" he asked, slowing his walk to fall in step with her.
"Did…something good happen at school? I mean with Terra," she said, both falling behind the rest of the team.
"Oh." Raven saw that his small smile vanished instantly and she regretted asking him that question.
"Not…really," he mumbled and the half-demon put a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"Beast Boy-"
"I don't want to talk about it," he said and quickened his pace as the dark girl looked after him in worry. The rest of the walk was quiet until they reached home and only when Starfire surprised them with one of her 'extraordinary' Tamaranian dishes, did the silence in Beast Boy finally shatter.
"What…is that thing?" he asked pointing almost shakily at the dark blue rectangular piece of what seemed to look like jelly.
"Oh, something that is equivalent to earthly 'meat'. It's called-"
"I'm steering clear of anything close to Cyborg's stomach-upsetting obsession," Beast Boy interrupted as Cyborg shot him an angry glare. "Scratch that! I'm steering clear of anything…extraterrestrial actually."
Beast Boy walked into the kitchen as the others kept their eyes on his back, secretly happy that his mood seemed to have improved since last week. "Is it me, or does it really feel like we're being watched?" Beast Boy murmured, taking some tofu out of the fridge.
The others looked down, not wanting to upset their friend before they watched from the corner of their eyes as he dropped onto the couch and turned on the Gamestation.
After a few games, Beast Boy somehow managed to slip into a nap and Cyborg placed a blanket on his best friend after he was left behind and had just finished with washing the dishes. The half-robot left the room with a small smile on his face.
"Terra!"
The blonde girl turned around as her friends called for her. "Wait up!" the red-head gasped.
"Sorry, I'm in a hurry. You know how much homework our teacher bombarded us with, right?" Terra giggled slightly.
"Please don't remind me," the black-haired girl replied this time. "Did that green dude come looking for you?"
Terra looked in surprise at her friends.
"I guess that's a 'yes'."
"I…managed to get him off my case…somehow," the ex-titan murmured, remembering his sad expression.
They were walking on the side-walk, Terra's friends struggling to keep up with her pace after school let out.
"And he didn't wait for you at the gates for you to finish with class?" the dark-haired girl asked.
"No."
"That's weird. Do you think he gave up…finally?"
Terra lowered her gaze.
She knew that he wouldn't really give up trying to bring her back on the team. "Maybe. Or maybe something came up."
"I don't know. But I think…something is up with him – something strange," her other friend murmured.
"What's not up with him?" the dark-haired girl said before Terra sped up her walk, trying to get away from anything that would remind her of Beast Boy.
"I guess, we'll see you later," they said unsurely in unison. "Take care."
"Yeah," she replied and waved without even turning back at them.
Her friends turned away before they bumped lightly against a girl. "S-sorry," the dark-skinned girl mumbled.
"Gomen," came the reply before a dark-haired girl shoved past them.
Terra's friends looked at each other in confusion.
Ringing sound woke the shape-shifter and he groggily made his way towards the mainframe computer and turned it on.
His eyes widened in surprise and for a moment he just stared open-mouthed at the screen before he dashed towards the entrance.
The doors opened and he let out an involuntary squeal as his eyes took in the blonde hair and the blue eyes.
"We need to talk."
"What?" he mumbled, not hearing what she said since he was just too happy to hear her voice.
"Someone's been following me."
"What?" Beast Boy snapped out of his trance as soon as he heard that sentence.
Terra stepped inside, nervously glancing around. "Are…the others here?"
"Guys! See who's here! I told you that I was right. Guys?"
But the Tower remained still.
"And I know what that someone wants."
"Slow down, Terra! So who is following you again?" Beast Boy asked confused.
Terra moved a bit closer before she stepped aside.
Beast Boy stared in horror at the figure standing in front of him.
"What do you want from Terra?" the shape-shifter shouted angrily at the masked man – at Slade.
Slade pointed a thermal blaster at the shape-shifter and fired at him before he could morph his way out of firing range.
Beast Boy flew backwards before he landed painfully onto his back and struggled to get up to see Terra's hands glowing yellow. "W-what do you want?"
"I told you to stay away. But you wouldn't listen," Terra said, her eyes downcast.
"I knew he wants to get back at you. But I won't let him!" Beast Boy said and slowly managed to get onto his knees before Terra's voice stopped him.
"He wants you, Beast Boy!"
Said Titan clenched his teeth angrily at the masked man as the roof of the tower slowly ripped apart and hovered above the changeling.
Slade's eye narrowed. "Sayonara…"
Beast Boy gaped at the masked villain, recognizing that language and feminine voice at once. "Tezumi?"
The roof dropped upon him.
His head snapped up and realized that he was still on the couch where he dozed off. He turned away from the TV and found himself face to face with Raven who was looming over him.
"What are you doing?" he asked confused.
"Checking on you," she replied, crossing her arms. "Nightmares?"
He frowned, as the images replayed in his head. "I'm not sure…unless you decided to mess with my head again," he said and Raven turned away from him.
"If you don't appreciate my help then just say it."
Beast Boy stood up and passed her.
"Where are you going?" the half-demon asked.
"Somewhere I can clear my head," she heard him reply and saw that he was heading out of the tower.
"Do you have your communicator at least?"
He lifted his hand, showing the yellow device without even turning back to her. "I don't have a good feeling about this," she mumbled.
Beast Boy flew into the air as soon as he stepped out of the T-shaped building and his sharp hawk eyes tried to spot a good place for some solitude.
But where could that be?
For several minutes, he flew from one part of the city to the next.
The dance club? No, too loud.
The park? No, too noisy.
The library? Too many books.
And then his eyes spotted another area – an area that caused old memories to resurface. He dropped in front of the building and read the neon-lighted sign: 'Ben's café'
With a sigh, he entered the coffee shop and dropped himself onto a stool by the counter.
"I just take the usual," he mumbled and the woman left to prepare his order.
Beast Boy looked into the mirror, his tired expression looking back at him. And his mind drifted off to the night of his first date – to his date with Terra and he smiled despite feeling even sadder.
He pulled out his communicator to make sure it was on and his eyes rested on the 'T' on the device – 'T' like Terra – 'T' like Titan.
"Terra, you will always be a Titan," he mumbled before the lady returned with a plate of creamy pie.
His mouth watered and he eagerly picked up his fork, already tasting it, only thinking about it.
"Itadakimasu!"
Beast Boy stopped his fork as it went for the pie on his plate and slowly looked to his right.
Tezumi looked back before she smiled at him, her eyes sparkling with mischief.
"Tezumi," he said surprised when he saw the girl sitting next to him, still in her school clothes.
"Nandesuka?" she asked and pointed to his plate.
His eyes went to his cake. "Hm? You mean the pie? That's really good stuff. You wanna try some?" he asked and she looked at him with a tilted head.
"Nandesuka?" she repeated and Beast Boy ordered another pie for her as well.
"It's pie!" he said, guessing she still wanted to know what it was. "It's really good!" he said and rubbed his stomach.
The school girl stared at him before she broke out in laughter, causing the shape-shifter to shift his view to his pie in embarrassment. "At least I can make some people laugh," he said almost bitterly and Tezumi immediately stopped her laughing and looked at him in worry.
"G-gomenasai, Beast Boy-kun," she mumbled.
"You know, sometimes I wish I was like Cyborg. I could use my technology to figure out what you're saying…and do pretty much most other stuff technology can do," he smiled and Tezumi managed a small smile of her own.
He looked at her and that warm feeling in his body returned.
Tezumi made a beak with her hand and muttered something in Japanese.
"Are you mocking me?" he said, crossing his arms and pretending to be hurt.
"Beast Boy…deto," she muttered and his face heated up.
"We are so not on a date. Oh…" he muttered, realizing what she meant with 'date' and burst out laughing before she laughed with him. And he stopped when she placed her hand on his, the heat returning to his face.
He looked back to her face, her smile not faltering and realized that ever since he met her, she managed to keep his spirits up – even better than his friends.
The woman returned with Tezumi's pie and placed it on the counter.
The girl in front of the changeling tightened her grip on his hand, not willing to end this moment just yet.
And as she held his gaze with her dark eyes, Beast Boy realized something.
Even if they didn't understand each other's language, he knew that they had a connection.
And he liked it.
"May I ask why you're all 'sunshine' now?"
"What?" he asked, slowing his walk to fall in step with her.
"Did…something good happen at school? I mean with Terra," she said, both falling behind the rest of the team.
"Oh." Raven saw that his small smile vanished instantly and she regretted asking him that question.
"Not…really," he mumbled and the half-demon put a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"Beast Boy-"
"I don't want to talk about it," he said and quickened his pace as the dark girl looked after him in worry. The rest of the walk was quiet until they reached home and only when Starfire surprised them with one of her 'extraordinary' Tamaranian dishes, did the silence in Beast Boy finally shatter.
"What…is that thing?" he asked pointing almost shakily at the dark blue rectangular piece of what seemed to look like jelly.
"Oh, something that is equivalent to earthly 'meat'. It's called-"
"I'm steering clear of anything close to Cyborg's stomach-upsetting obsession," Beast Boy interrupted as Cyborg shot him an angry glare. "Scratch that! I'm steering clear of anything…extraterrestrial actually."
Beast Boy walked into the kitchen as the others kept their eyes on his back, secretly happy that his mood seemed to have improved since last week. "Is it me, or does it really feel like we're being watched?" Beast Boy murmured, taking some tofu out of the fridge.
The others looked down, not wanting to upset their friend before they watched from the corner of their eyes as he dropped onto the couch and turned on the Gamestation.
After a few games, Beast Boy somehow managed to slip into a nap and Cyborg placed a blanket on his best friend after he was left behind and had just finished with washing the dishes. The half-robot left the room with a small smile on his face.
"Terra!"
The blonde girl turned around as her friends called for her. "Wait up!" the red-head gasped.
"Sorry, I'm in a hurry. You know how much homework our teacher bombarded us with, right?" Terra giggled slightly.
"Please don't remind me," the black-haired girl replied this time. "Did that green dude come looking for you?"
Terra looked in surprise at her friends.
"I guess that's a 'yes'."
"I…managed to get him off my case…somehow," the ex-titan murmured, remembering his sad expression.
They were walking on the side-walk, Terra's friends struggling to keep up with her pace after school let out.
"And he didn't wait for you at the gates for you to finish with class?" the dark-haired girl asked.
"No."
"That's weird. Do you think he gave up…finally?"
Terra lowered her gaze.
She knew that he wouldn't really give up trying to bring her back on the team. "Maybe. Or maybe something came up."
"I don't know. But I think…something is up with him – something strange," her other friend murmured.
"What's not up with him?" the dark-haired girl said before Terra sped up her walk, trying to get away from anything that would remind her of Beast Boy.
"I guess, we'll see you later," they said unsurely in unison. "Take care."
"Yeah," she replied and waved without even turning back at them.
Her friends turned away before they bumped lightly against a girl. "S-sorry," the dark-skinned girl mumbled.
"Gomen," came the reply before a dark-haired girl shoved past them.
Terra's friends looked at each other in confusion.
Ringing sound woke the shape-shifter and he groggily made his way towards the mainframe computer and turned it on.
His eyes widened in surprise and for a moment he just stared open-mouthed at the screen before he dashed towards the entrance.
The doors opened and he let out an involuntary squeal as his eyes took in the blonde hair and the blue eyes.
"We need to talk."
"What?" he mumbled, not hearing what she said since he was just too happy to hear her voice.
"Someone's been following me."
"What?" Beast Boy snapped out of his trance as soon as he heard that sentence.
Terra stepped inside, nervously glancing around. "Are…the others here?"
"Guys! See who's here! I told you that I was right. Guys?"
But the Tower remained still.
"And I know what that someone wants."
"Slow down, Terra! So who is following you again?" Beast Boy asked confused.
Terra moved a bit closer before she stepped aside.
Beast Boy stared in horror at the figure standing in front of him.
"What do you want from Terra?" the shape-shifter shouted angrily at the masked man – at Slade.
Slade pointed a thermal blaster at the shape-shifter and fired at him before he could morph his way out of firing range.
Beast Boy flew backwards before he landed painfully onto his back and struggled to get up to see Terra's hands glowing yellow. "W-what do you want?"
"I told you to stay away. But you wouldn't listen," Terra said, her eyes downcast.
"I knew he wants to get back at you. But I won't let him!" Beast Boy said and slowly managed to get onto his knees before Terra's voice stopped him.
"He wants you, Beast Boy!"
Said Titan clenched his teeth angrily at the masked man as the roof of the tower slowly ripped apart and hovered above the changeling.
Slade's eye narrowed. "Sayonara…"
Beast Boy gaped at the masked villain, recognizing that language and feminine voice at once. "Tezumi?"
The roof dropped upon him.
His head snapped up and realized that he was still on the couch where he dozed off. He turned away from the TV and found himself face to face with Raven who was looming over him.
"What are you doing?" he asked confused.
"Checking on you," she replied, crossing her arms. "Nightmares?"
He frowned, as the images replayed in his head. "I'm not sure…unless you decided to mess with my head again," he said and Raven turned away from him.
"If you don't appreciate my help then just say it."
Beast Boy stood up and passed her.
"Where are you going?" the half-demon asked.
"Somewhere I can clear my head," she heard him reply and saw that he was heading out of the tower.
"Do you have your communicator at least?"
He lifted his hand, showing the yellow device without even turning back to her. "I don't have a good feeling about this," she mumbled.
Beast Boy flew into the air as soon as he stepped out of the T-shaped building and his sharp hawk eyes tried to spot a good place for some solitude.
But where could that be?
For several minutes, he flew from one part of the city to the next.
The dance club? No, too loud.
The park? No, too noisy.
The library? Too many books.
And then his eyes spotted another area – an area that caused old memories to resurface. He dropped in front of the building and read the neon-lighted sign: 'Ben's café'
With a sigh, he entered the coffee shop and dropped himself onto a stool by the counter.
"I just take the usual," he mumbled and the woman left to prepare his order.
Beast Boy looked into the mirror, his tired expression looking back at him. And his mind drifted off to the night of his first date – to his date with Terra and he smiled despite feeling even sadder.
He pulled out his communicator to make sure it was on and his eyes rested on the 'T' on the device – 'T' like Terra – 'T' like Titan.
"Terra, you will always be a Titan," he mumbled before the lady returned with a plate of creamy pie.
His mouth watered and he eagerly picked up his fork, already tasting it, only thinking about it.
"Itadakimasu!"
Beast Boy stopped his fork as it went for the pie on his plate and slowly looked to his right.
Tezumi looked back before she smiled at him, her eyes sparkling with mischief.
"Tezumi," he said surprised when he saw the girl sitting next to him, still in her school clothes.
"Nandesuka?" she asked and pointed to his plate.
His eyes went to his cake. "Hm? You mean the pie? That's really good stuff. You wanna try some?" he asked and she looked at him with a tilted head.
"Nandesuka?" she repeated and Beast Boy ordered another pie for her as well.
"It's pie!" he said, guessing she still wanted to know what it was. "It's really good!" he said and rubbed his stomach.
The school girl stared at him before she broke out in laughter, causing the shape-shifter to shift his view to his pie in embarrassment. "At least I can make some people laugh," he said almost bitterly and Tezumi immediately stopped her laughing and looked at him in worry.
"G-gomenasai, Beast Boy-kun," she mumbled.
"You know, sometimes I wish I was like Cyborg. I could use my technology to figure out what you're saying…and do pretty much most other stuff technology can do," he smiled and Tezumi managed a small smile of her own.
He looked at her and that warm feeling in his body returned.
Tezumi made a beak with her hand and muttered something in Japanese.
"Are you mocking me?" he said, crossing his arms and pretending to be hurt.
"Beast Boy…deto," she muttered and his face heated up.
"We are so not on a date. Oh…" he muttered, realizing what she meant with 'date' and burst out laughing before she laughed with him. And he stopped when she placed her hand on his, the heat returning to his face.
He looked back to her face, her smile not faltering and realized that ever since he met her, she managed to keep his spirits up – even better than his friends.
The woman returned with Tezumi's pie and placed it on the counter.
The girl in front of the changeling tightened her grip on his hand, not willing to end this moment just yet.
And as she held his gaze with her dark eyes, Beast Boy realized something.
Even if they didn't understand each other's language, he knew that they had a connection.
And he liked it.