Chapter 31:Time Lapse
Time passed for our heroes. Minutes and hours, weeks and months. But not quite in the same way.
In the streets of Jump City and the halls of Titan Tower, time seemed to ooze forward like thick honey drizzling down the side of a jar. Every day was an effort as a tiring, draining atmosphere rested upon the heroes. The passage of time was marked only by the temporary faces that slid quickly into their lives and even faster out.
Herald, Pantha, and Bumblebee had all braved the changeable Robin and secluded others for as long as they could before bolting for brighter company. Pantha had only lasted a few weeks. Herald had lasted a month or two, himself being quite a private person. Bumblebee had stayed the longest. Her bright, outgoing demeanor had shed some much-needed light in the darkened tower. But, like Kid Flash, she had been too observant, started asking questions and eventually took offence at the withheld answers.
Aqualad was the current superhero stand in. He had quickly gained popularity with the city due to smooth talking celebrity skills and also with Robin for his superhuman strength. He was not quite so popular, however, with the rest of the Titans. Wandering eyes and circumstantial soakings had the girls of the team feeling decidedly uncomfortable, while the protective Cyborg bided his time for the right moment to make a suitably painful point.
Many, many miles away Beastboy was experiencing the opposite with respect to time.
There was no pattern, no rhythm to his life, no individual days, weeks or even months. All that existed was the moment in time he was in. Sleep was deep and brief. Awake was movement, energy, and pain. Time was poured out like water from a tap.
But sometimes, exceptions were made. It was an awkward pause in time some 9 months into Beastboy's training that was the apparent catalyst for some drastic change.
'I hate this.'
They had been eating in silence for over three full minutes.
It had been another interesting training session, involving bamboo staffs, military grade tasers and, of course, Batman doing his damn best to kick Beastboy and Batgirl's respective asses.
The Dark Knight had called a break in the brutal sparring between the three heroes for a commentary on their performance and to grab a quick energy meal from the cave kitchen.
He seemed even more surly and annoyed than usual.
After his short and direct comments, the Batman had focused the entirety of his attention on the laptop computer on the table while he mechanically inserted food from the usual Alfred feast into his body. Beastboy had watched him 'eat' if you could call it that for the past minute, in utter fascination. It was like it was a chore for the Knight, a necessary evil that just took up time.
'He's a robot, no doubt about it.' Beastboy thought with narrowed eyes, searching for exposed wiring or screws. He had come up with the theory a few weeks ago when he had accidentally nailed the big man himself square in the crotch with a kick that wouldn't have looked out of place on a soccer field.
He hadn't even grunted! Just nodded once and proceeded to beat Beastboy like a drum for the next half hour. Taking into account his total lack of emotion and sense of humor, it was obvious that he was some kind of super advanced cyborg sent from the future.
The sharp crack of a chicken bone disrupted his thoughts and turned his head.
Batman's clinical consumption contrasted sharply with Batgirl shoveling food in at a manic rate in obvious enjoyment.
The sight brought a smile to Beastboy's face.
On the battlefield, in the face of adversity and war, soldiers form bonds with each other stronger than blood.
Same thing happens in the Batcave.
Cassie and Beastboy had clicked like puzzle pieces. It hadn't happened out of mutual friendship or the passing of many years, but rather out of necessity. Training under the Batman was a special kind of war, one of spirit, body, and mind; every moment an uphill battle against odds designed to test and break. It was almost as if some tasks were designed to force them to cooperate or work together.
They trained together, ate together, bleed together. Bandaged each other, bruised each other, picked and patched each other up, just to have a chance at success.
It had evolved beyond that, though. After a somewhat shaky start that Beastboy attributed to something he had done (it usually was) the two had become more than students in arms; they had become friends.
'I probably couldn't have made it this far with her.' Beastboy reflected in a rare moment of thought, eyes tracing the contours of the girls face.
He had never been much of a lone wolf. He was extroverted by nature. He needed companionship, a pack. People to rely on and mess around with. And he had it now.
Batman was the alpha, no questions asked.
Alfred, the beta. You didn't cross Alfred.
Cassie was next in line. She still regularly reminded him of his place.
And last in the pecking order was Beastboy.
A growl of discontent flared in the teen's chest at the thought but was ruthlessly crushed by the continuously growing willpower of the hero. He was happy with his place. He knew it, everyone else knew it. It was safe.
There was also the mysterious, distorted voice that Beastboy heard from inside Batman's cowl and sometimes from the bat computer or an eyepiece Alfred sometimes wore. When he had plucked up the courage to ask who it was, Batman had replied with 'a helper.' He had tried for weeks to figure out who or what it was but had stopped after Alfred found a tiny green moth on the tail of his suit and 'accidentally' poured hot water on it.
He had eventually settled on some sort of uber advanced artificial intelligence like something out of 'Stark Trek.'
Cassie blinked and Beastboy suddenly realized he had been staring. He opened his mouth but before he could say anything, the girl had lowered her head again, thick hair obscuring the color of her cheeks.
Ah.
Suddenly the silence seemed suffocating. Beastboy could feel the air thicken around him and start to tear down his previous comfort with the situation. When did it get so tense, so awkward? So unbelievably weird. Should he say something? Would that piss Batman off? Maybe he was just testing him! Maybe he was waiting for him to say something about how he had accidentally grabbed one the ears of his cowl earlier! Oh God, he had to say something! Anything! Now!
"So Batman, you and Catwoman?"
The words just left his mouth. Completely skipping his brain.
The Batman's eyes froze on the screen.
Cassie stopped chewing, cheeks bulging, and turned her head slowly to stare at Beastboy, eyes unbelieving.
Beastboy, for his part, was seriously considering biting his tongue off. 'Is this like a thing?' His terrified brain thought in an odd calm. 'Like terretz or something? ADHD? I should get that looked into. Idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot…'
Then the famous stare was upon him, focused as a laser beam.
"You do not mention that name to me."
Beastboy gulped audibly, nodded, and returned his attention to his plate.
A thought.
A terrible, magical thought popped into his head.
'Should I? No, definitely not, stupid thought. Unbelievably stu-'
"So Cassie, Batman and Catwoman. What's up with that?"
'…goddammit…idiot…'
He felt a glare of unbridled intensity pierce into the side of his head, but he kept his eyes firmly planted on Cassie's.
Nobody moved.
Blood pounded in his ears.
A bead of sweat crawled down his brow.
Then Cassie threw her head back and laughed.
Really laughed. A noise the Batcave had been experiencing with greater regularity than ever in months past. Great, booming roars that echoed and rebounded off of the stone and had Beastboy staring. And, out of the corner of his eye, Batman.
The gales of mirth eventually subsided as Cassie wiped a tear from her eye.
"Not expecting that," she managed. "Very funny."
"Nobody's ever laughed like that because of me before. But you seem to have a habit of it." Beastboy said with a proud smile.
"Nobody ever stupid enough to say thing like that to Batman before. And you have a habit of it," she shot back at him with a wide grin, turning back to her surrogate father.
Who happened to be walking away, cloak trailing along the ground behind him.
And hiding a very small upturn of the lips.
"I don't mean to!" Beastboy exclaimed, waving his arms emphatically. "I just say stuff, stupid brain! Aw, he's definitely gonna make me pay for that." He collapsed dramatically onto the table, head in his hands.
Cassie smiled widely at his theatrics. She had found that the facial expression had been coming more and more naturally recently.
Things had definitely changed around the Batcave for her. Life before Beastboy's arrival had simple. Eat, train, sleep, patrol, eat, train, sleep, patrol, eat… Simple, repetitive. And just a bit stale.
Then the green boy in front of her had crashed into her life, wrecked her routine, stirred something inside her and became her partner in the fight to survive Batman's brand new training regime.
There was that time a while back when Alfred had sat her down and talked about relationships between genders. She was well versed on the physical practices that took place, her father hadn't shied away from her education in that department, but the whole idea of…affection…love… was as confusing as it was mysterious.
Alfred had described the sensations she had been feeling with an uncanny accuracy, even for him. He had explained that it was perfectly natural to be drawn to others and to seek a closer bond, but that she should not let those desires rule her mind. He had described her heart as a horse and her mind as a rider. The horse being powerful and instinctual and needing the steady, logical hand of the rider to keep on the right course.
Batman hadn't been quite so cryptic or romantic when he had discussed the situation with her. He had been frank, told her of Beastboy's nature and his potential relationship with his teammate. She could remember the slight emptiness in her chest after that and for the next few days every time she caught sight of her teammate.
But gradually, she had relaxed around him. Asked him questions and received some answers that just made her more curious.
Now she could honestly call the body opposite her…friend.
The first she had ever had.
"How know about Catwoman?" She asked, swallowing yet another mouthful of food.
"I didn't!" Beastboy whined into the table, "I just thought it would be funneyeeee…" He broke into fake sobs.
Cassie regarded the moaning hero lightly banging his head against the stainless steel in the over-the-top manner she was now used to. Something wasn't right. She decided to gamble.
"Lying."
He stopped. Slowly raised glinting eyes to hers, searching the blank face through a frame of lashes.
"Damn."
Beastboy lifted himself off the table and relaxed back into his chair.
"That was perfect! How did you know?! You'd better not have planted another lie detector on me." He said, running his hands over his arms and body.
"No. Too good for that now. Would notice."
Beastboy tried to stop the bashful blush spreading up his neck to his face. Compliments were few and far between in the bat cave, but he still wasn't used to them. Especially on stuff, he was actually knew was true. It was nice. Both the confidence and the praise. Both something he had never had all that much of.
Apparently though, his bluffing needed work.
"No big thing. Just a feeling, too much." Cassie carried on.
Beastboy heaved a dramatic sigh. "You just know me too well Cass. Well, back to work." He rose quickly, turning away from the table and opening his senses.
Not fast enough.
A slight pressure on the back of his neck was the only warning he had before the miniature grappling hook caught the back of his tank top and violently yanked him backward.
His eyes widened, ears flicked, hair stood on end.
Beastboy went with the pull bending backward instead of moving his feet and managing to fall into a gymnastics bridge and shake loose the hook. He caught sight of Cassie vaulting the table, a small white band in her hands that sent a tremor down Beastboy's spine.
'Nope, not having those anywhere near me again.' He thought, whipping both feet up, over his body, he punched them towards Cassie's chest like two loaded pistons.
However, the hero already had her hands prepared and caught the flying feet before they connected cleanly. But the force was too much for her and she was sent soaring back over the table, scattering food everywhere.
Beastboy completed the handspring with a flourish, landing next to the table and performing a textbook gymnastics salute for bonus points.
Well, that was the plan.
Instead, his feet missed the ground altogether and he face-planted directly into a relatively untouched lasagna.
"Uhhh," he moaned, pulling his face from the remains of the dish with a squelch and finding his feet beneath him again. They didn't seem to be working like they should.
"Still, worse places to land." He said aloud, licking his lips, wiping his face down with his hands and opening his eyes.
A very large, very ripe tomato immediately smashed into his face.
"Ahh!"
He stumbled back blindly until the back of his knees hit something and he collapsed backward in a waiting chair.
Beastboy tried to roll with the movement but found he couldn't move his hands from behind his back.
'Dammit! She got me again!'
He blinked painfully, trying to get rid of the juice in his eyes.
"Close eyes," a satisfied voice lauded.
Complying with a heaving sigh, he felt small hands slide down the front of his face, tracing every contour with accuracy and attention, wiping away the remains of the food.
"Good kick," Cassie said as scraped away the last of the lunch from Beastboy's face.
"Not good enough," Beastboy moaned, opening his eyes to the surprising sight of Cassie grinning in his face. He felt again that growl of instinct in his chest at the sight.
He crushed the feeling back down again and looked away. He was back in the seat he vacated mere seconds earlier. Only this time he could feel the tight bite of the plasticuffs around his wrists and ankles. He lifted his feet. The sight of the small white band confirming the feelings.
"Ughhh, dammit. How did you do that?" He groaned at the girl casually leaning against the table in front of him. Close in front of him. Something growled within him again.
She ignored his question and just smiled.
"Now, how know about Catwoman?" She repeated, eyes dancing. She loved competing with him like this. It happened quite a bit, usually, she was the instigator. Recently, however, not always the winner.
Beastboy narrowed his eyes at her. "You're just loving this aren't you?"
'He know me too." The thought sent a pleasant warmth through her chest.
"Maybe. Answer question."
"What question?"
Cassie leaned over and plucked another tomato off the table. She waved it in front of Beastboy's face threateningly.
"Maybe this remind you."
Beastboy leaned back fearfully. "Now Cass, let's not get to-"
He broke off as his head snapped forward and back, striking quick as a cobra.
Cassie looked down at her now empty hand, then back up at the smug chewing of Beastboy. She narrowed her eyes, resisting the temptation to smack the food from his bulging cheeks and picked up another tomato.
As she turned back however, she was met with a stream of saliva and chewed up vegetable straight to the face. She reactively closed her eyes and by then it was too late.
She felt a body slam into her, knocking the two back onto the table, food flying everywhere and dishes digging painfully into her body.
Then a forearm was under her chin, lodged against her throat and a hand pressed insistently on the back of her head. She recognized it immediately as a classic rear naked choke hold. A rear naked choke hold quickly tightening.
Cursing to herself, she struggled furiously. Her hands pulling desperately on the arm and elbows slamming back, trying to find the wriggling body behind her, heedless of the food and drink flying everywhere.
"Well, well, well. What do we have here?"
Beastboy and Cassie froze in their wrestling embrace, Beastboy relaxing his hold on Cassie's neck.
"Two teenagers giving new meaning to the term 'foodfight,' hmm?"
The two teens sprang apart guiltily, knocking even more plates and dishes to the floor in their haste. Cassie stood guiltily, eyes on the floor and hands behind her back, wincing at the smashing of glass and china.
Beastboy, meanwhile, had forgotten his ankles were still locked together and wound up flat on his face on the cold, stone floor.
He growled in annoyance and reached down to sever the bind the same way he had with his wrist ones; with a claw like finger nail. He forced himself up, mock glaring at the snickering Cassie.
A flash of light made them look up.
Alfred lowered the sleek, expensive looking camera, a sly smile on his face.
"That will be one for the album I believe."
He stood smiling at the shocked, food smeared faces before him.
"Now, clean yourselves up before Master Bruce returns. I do not believe he would be as lenient as I."
Beastboy, hardly believing his luck, nodded quickly and made to follow Cassie up to the mansion.
"Ah, Master Beastboy if you would remain for a moment."
'…Damn.'
"I too share a common interest with Ms. Cassandra in her earlier query. Precisely how did you become aware of Master Bruce's relationship with a certain feline figure?"
Months ago Beastboy would have wondered how on earth Alfred had heard about his stupid question so quickly. But he had learned that Cassie had indeed been right - Alfred did, in fact, know everything. Still, a couple of weeks ago he wouldn't have even understood what the manservant was saying. So that was some progress at least. Alfred continued on.
"I shall expect a full explanation this evening during our lessons. Have you achieved a state of unenlightenment?
Beastboy narrowed his eyes at the man, studying him intently. Alfred maintained his polite, slightly stern poise.
"No." Beastboy finally decided, enunciating the word clearly.
The butler nodded his head once, dropped a secret wink, turned on his heel and strode off.
"I shan't be cleaning that up." Alfred called over his shoulder before exiting the batcave.
Beastboy turned around. The kitchen area was completely trashed, food up the walls, drink spilling off of the table, plates smashed.
He heaved a heavy sigh, looking around the place. "Alright Cassie, let's get this dooo…."
He looked around. Not a single pretty Asian girl in sight.
"Fan-tucking-fastic."
Wehey, there's another one.
Next one should be in a few days, then a break for about a week as I'm in London.
Not the biggest fan of this chapter. Just don't feel like it flows all that well. But there you have it. I'm determined not to get bogged down. Kinda' excited thought, now we're really getting into the good stuff :D
Hope you're all doing exquisitely well.
CJB