"Are you John and Hannah Smith?" The old man asked. The two of them suddenly went pale as they didn't even know how he knew of their identity, let alone their existence.
"N-No, w-w-w-we're not, sir! W-we swear!" Out of panic, Beastboy answered but it was obvious due to his stuttering.
"T-t-that's right! w-w-w-we're not them... Who are they?" Raven stuttered as well.
The old man can't help but shake his head in disappointment. They could have hidden it better, but they faced the wrong enemy at that. He then speaks, "Oh please, don't lie to me. From the way you both answered, the two of you are trying to deny the fact that the two of you happen to play as exactly as what I used to hear in my father's restaurant decades ago." The old man then tries to get closer to them, "Just be honest with me, please... I'm begging you. Are you John and Hannah Smith?"
Guilt and conscience overwhelmed both of them as they sighed in defeat; Beastboy answered, "Yeah, we are. You got us."
"I knew it!" exclaimed the old man. "Nothing beats my great intuition!"
"What gave us away, if I may ask?" Raven inquired, not even knowing how the old man had figured it out.
With a nasty grin, he answered, "Of course; I knew because of how you two played."
Flashback!
The old man is currently in the kitchen, cooking the pasta sauce for one of the customers. Suddenly, he hears someone playing the piano and violin. From what he hears, it is their warm-ups, and he doesn't exactly know what they are up to.
"Hmmm... Maybe they're just messing with me." the old man thought. Regardless, he continued cooking. Just then, Pachelbel's Canon in D Major started playing, capturing his full attention. It reminded him of his childhood, hearing and experiencing the same thing he had years ago.
"Wait a second! Despite rusty, that style of playing, the song piece used, the instruments used... There's no doubt, it's them! I can't be wrong about this." The old man muttered to himself as he turned off the stove and walked quickly towards the source of the music. At that moment, everything around him seemed to fade into white, and all he could see were two teenagers playing together in a most mesmerizing way they had, just like that day the first time he met those two. This scene only strengthened his suspicion, and to confirm it, he needed to ask the two of them personally.
End of flashback!
"From the way you two played, there's no doubt that both of you are them. After all, I already knew how the two of you played ever since I used to visit my father's restaurant as a kid. No one could ever play the same way as you two did, you know?" The old man said, giving the pair his cheeky grin.
"Wait! You're his son?!" Beastboy asked, stunned by the revelation.
"Well, of course I am! Anyway, since I finally found you two, if you two don't mind, could I ask you for a favor?"
"Well, as long as we can do it." Raven said. "What is it?"
The old man went silent for a moment, picking the words he would use to properly convey his intentions, before speaking once again, "There's actually another opening of our new branch in Jump City. I want you two to be our guest performers for our guests and customers on the opening day to show the ambiance we want them to experience."
The couple looked at each other and then back to him. Eventually, Beast Boy spoke up, "When's the opening day supposed to be?"
The old man replied, "In one week."
Both of them thought about it for a while. Eventually, they arrived at their unanimous decision: "Okay, we'll take it."
The old man took a deep breath of relief, glad that they actually agreed and started jumping around in glee. "Thank you so much! I never thought you would accept this humble request of mine! I'll send you the location of the event later. Nevertheless, thank you so much! I'll owe you a lot on this one!"
"Don't worry about it, Marcus. We're just happy to help." Raven reassured, revealing his name.
The old man interjected, "No. This is too big of a request. I swear I will return the favor whenever you need it. You can ask me anything anytime and I'll do it for you, Uncle John! Auntie Hannah!" He then gave them a cheerful grin he could ever muster once again, which now reminded them of what the old man used to be like as a kid. Despite that, both of them couldn't help but feel skeptical as they looked at each other with worry.
The sun was setting as the couple walked hand-in-hand along the left side of the sidewalk. Their day had been eventful, but they could never have expected to encounter a request and be asked to fulfill it for the sake of an elderly man named Marcus.
"Dude, that was something. I don't even know what to say." Beast Boy started, earning a look from Raven.
"Can we even perform on that situation?" Raven asked worriedly. "I know we used to play for fun, but this one's a bit serious because it's for a job, and it's been decades since we had anything similar."
Just then, both of them stopped, and Beastboy caressed her hand even more, giving her a warm and gentle smile. "It's okay. You don't have to worry about what happened. I know you can do it, and so am I."
Raven sighed and said, "You know, you're always good at comforting people."
"I know." Beast Boy replied. "Actually, there's somewhere I want to go and see for a moment. Let's go there."
With that, both of them started walking once again, with Beastboy taking the lead. After minutes of walking, they reached the place. It is a white and blue bungalow house surrounded by a yard full of trimmed grasses, trees, and bushes. Despite its supposed age, it is obvious that the house is being taken care of and maintained regularly. Both of them stood in front of it, and Raven couldn't help but leave her mouth open in amazement.
"This is... This is our house." Raven stammered. "Nothing has changed since we left."
"Perhaps, our house is in good hands." Beastboy simply replied.
Just then, a middle-aged man emerged from the door, about to leave and go somewhere. He stopped when he saw the pair. "Are you two looking for someone?" he asked as he came closer.
The two noticed the man first before Beast Boy let himself do the talking, "Uhh, not really. We're just looking around."
"Is that so? Then, I have to leave. Excuse me..." The saidman simply brushed them off and the pair looked at each other again. Suddenly, Beastboy blurted something out of his mouth while talking to Raven: "I wonder if Gary and Sarah are still living here."
Stunned, the man went into a sudden halt and turned around to ask them, "Excuse me, how do you know my father and aunt's names?"
Realizing his blunder, Beast Boy went into panic. Raven tried to calm him down and speak for him instead, saying, "It's just a coincidence. Don't mind us." She then turned her gaze to Beast Boy, who was thanking her for the save.
His eyes squinted as he found that answer suspicious; "Right... Well, if you excuse me..." The man eventually left the pair, which had become almost limp and weakened from their panic.
"That was close! I thought I was about to mess up something after I did that." Beast Boy said, taking some deep breaths.
"Next time, be more careful, okay? We're supposed to be dead in their eyes, so we should act like we never knew them." Raven responded, still comforting Beastboy. "Nonetheless, I'm glad they're still okay. His son's a bit stern compared to who he was at gis childhood, though."
Looking at the time on his watch, he then said, "It's almost half past five. Let's go home." With that, Raven opened the portal and stepped through it before it disappeared.
Without them knowing, the said man watched the whole thing from afar. His eyes were still looking at the scene, as if there was a lot of things he wanted to know about these two teens.
The tower seemed peaceful, the noise of the game box and the two men bickering and roasting each other lightened the mood inside the common room, while Starfire just sat beside Robin, cheering for him.
Suddenly, the door opened and the pair entered the room. They looked around and immediately went to the couple without hesitation, separating the boys from the girls, who immediately went to Starfire's room.
"Hey, BB! How was your date with Raven? Did you two do the deed?" Cyborg teased while wiggling his one eyebrow, earning a hard blush from Beastboy and a smack from Robin.
"Of course not! But... I did have fun with her." He replied sheepishly.
"Will you tell us the juicy details?" Robin said as it was his turn to tease him; he reluctantly shared the earlier events with them.
Exhausted after hours of questioning and enduring snickers from his friends, Beast Boy wearily made his way to his room. Just then, he spotted Raven standing at his door, already on her pajamas.
"Looks like you're exhausted. How was your talk with Starfire?" Beastboy asked, coming closer to her and opening the door.
Sighing, Raven replied, "It's so tiresome. I will never be able to match Starfire's energy."
As both of them entered the room, Beastboy quickly changed his clothes into his white T-shirt and black boxers, acting like it was no big deal. Not minding his company, he said, "Same as yours if not worse." Afterward, they both lied down on the lower bunk bed, cuddling together.
"John?"
"Hmm?"
"What are we going to do?" Raven asked, worried. "Even if we both have perfect pitch, I don't think one week is enough for us to practice, and it's gonna be a lot of people there."
With a smile, Beast Boy gently moved some of her hair strands to the side and said confidently, "Then why wouldn't we play that? We're already familiar with it after all."
"Oh, that?" she said. "Are they even going to listen to it? If it were a competition, sure, but an opening party?"
He knew she was still worried about what would happen. But he thought they could pull it off together. Caressing both of her hands, he said, "I'm sure the people won't mind."
"Where are we going to practice then?" Raven asked.
With a confident smile, he answered, "I have an idea. We'll do it here."
The day after the changeling and the empath's date, Robin felt relaxed for the first time. He never thought that gossiping about other people's relationships could be so intriguing. Carrying a newspaper, Robin wandered down the hallway when he suddenly heard something coming from Beastboy's room. Curious, he went there and put his ear to the door, eavesdropping on whatever was happening inside.
"Not so hard, John! Can you be gentler?" Raven complained, earning her a blush and a shocked expression from Robin, who had no idea she could hear him.
"I am trying, but I like it this way." Beast Boy replied, intensifying Robin's blush.
"You're always like this; it will break if you continue."
"I know, but I can't do it anymore. It's so good to my ears!"
Bombarded by shame, Robin typed in the emergency code and the door opened, allowing him to barge into the room. He exclaimed, "NO ONE WILL ENGAGE IN ANY ILLICIT INTERCOURSE WIThin... the... tower..." His voice lowered as he noticed Beast Boy sitting in front of the piano and Raven standing beside him, holding a violin and a bow. Stunned for a moment, Robin finally managed to speak, asking, "What's going on here?"
"We're just playing, dude." Beastboy replied, confused. "What did you expect us to do?" Robin asked, equally confused. "Did you think we were procreating or something?"
"Of course not!" Ashamed, Robin cleared his throat and spoke, "Uhm... Next time, don't be so misleading. Anyway, what are you two playing?"
Raven said, "A classical music."
"Why? Is it because of what you told me yesterday, Beast Boy?" Robin asked, confused.
"Yeah..." Beastboy answered sheepishly.
"Where did you even buy these instruments?" Robin asked.
Raven replied, "We bought them earlier at the mall, with our savings."
"Okay, then." Robin uttered, started walking through the door before looking back. "Just don't say something misleading ever again." He said with a hard blush before leaving and the door closing. The pair then looked at each other, not even sure what just happened.
Raven said, fixing her violin and bow. "Let's just start from the top again."
"Yeah." Beast Boy followed, doing the same, and both of them started to play.
One week had passed. It felt like time had passed by quickly. Nevertheless, Beast Boy and Raven, currently wearing their formal attire, carrying a violin case, and in their alter egos with their holorings, were standing at the entrance of a luxurious restaurant just a few feet away from the mall where Starfire usually went shopping. They couldn't help but gulp from nervousness.
"You ready?" Beast Boy asked, steeling his resolve. Raven nodded in return and, at the same time, both of them entered the said restaurant.
Inside, people are already seated, chatting among themselves. The DJ also plays some music to occupy the guests and create a fun atmosphere. Both of them find it difficult to ignore the sheer number of people present.
"Oh, you finally came!" The old man Marcus greeted as he walked towards them and gave them each a hug. "Come with me. I'll show you your seats." The old man immediately led them to a table for two and gestured for them to take a seat. On top of it was a placard that read "VIP".
"Hey, Marcus. This is a VIP seat!" Beastboy calmly complained, earning a hearty laugh from the old man.
"Don't worry about that, Uncle John. This table is all yours."
"Hey, don't say that so loud." Raven whispered, interrupting the conversation.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, Auntie Hannah!" Marcus exclaimed, remembering his forgotten manners. "Anyway, enjoy the party." He turned away to greet the other guests. Both of them scanned the room, noticing that most of the customers appeared to be either curious individuals seeking something new or professionals dressed in business attire, likely acquainted with the owner. This heightened their anxiety.
Raven whispered, "This is horrible for us... I don't think we can pull this off."
"I know what you're thinking, and it actually sucks to be in this position." Beast Boy reassured, caressing her hand on the table. "But don't forget, we practiced this stuff just over the week. We have to give it our all and show them who's the boss, okay?"
Raven reluctantly nodded, taking deep breaths to calm herself down. They wait for a while before a waitress approached the pair and called them with a small smile, "Excuse me, Mr. and Ms. Smith. You may now go and perform." Both of them nodded and they stood up, going to a stage with a black grand piano with golden decorations on the sides. Beastboy took a seat and warmed himself up while Raven opened her violin case and took out her violin and bow, taking out the song sheets for both of them and checking her instrument for any flaws or mistakes she might have made. The waitress will sit beside Beastboy as his page turner.
"Everyone, please give a round of applause for Mr. and Mrs. Smith." the male emcee calmly announced to the guests, giving the pair a soft round of applause as instructed. They both looked at the unsuspecting crowd, not sure why their last name was used instead, before looking at each other.
"Are you ready?" Beastboy asked, earning a confident nod from Raven before positioning themselves. At that moment, both of them started playing the first movement Allegro: Risoluto from Violin Sonata, Op. 82 in E Minor by Edward Elgar. From the very few notes, the customers inside got goosebumps, not expecting such power and style from the two. Even the businessmen around Marcus suddenly turned around to see who the performers were, mouths agape from the music they're playing, earning a small snicker from the old man. The music gradually slows down as Raven emphasizes the subtleness of that part while Beastboy just continues to compliment his style of playing with her. The guests found themselves stunned, still beyond impressed at their performance, fully listening to it without the need of any interruptions from others.
As the music gradually became intense and powerful once again, the people outside the restaurant happened to hear it through the large speakers accidentally connected. Fascinated amd having the same goosebumps, some people attempted to enter the restaurant's premises and get closer to see who was playing. Over time, people began to swarm the entrance one by one, still enthralled by their performance.
The music became slow again; both of them began to sweat from playing, passionately performing the song as accurately and emotionally as they could. Just then, two children, a boy and a girl, happened to enter the restaurant without notice and they went to the side of the backstage, having a full view of the pair's performance. The children's faces were filled with fascination and admiration, finding it cool and awesome.
The music slowly became powerful again, almost reaching the end of the movement. For a moment, both of them were having fun while playing, giving their all to the very end. After the last note of the music was played, the music ended, and both of them stopped and took some deep breaths with smiles on their faces. Despite being rusty from not playing for their whole lives, they were able to play Elgar's Sonata decently. After a heavy silence, the crowd went wild and gave them multiple loud claps and cheers. Even the bystanders outside were doing the same thing. Both of them were stunned at their reactions, not knowing that they could accept it so well. Regardless, both of them walked in front and gave them a formal bow, intensifying the cheering. As the couple went to the backstage, they saw the two kids, still amazed at their performance. Beastboy and Raven then knelt in front of them and asked.
"Hello there, young fella! Who are you?" Beast Boy asked, ruffling the boy's hair.
"I'm Eren, five years old!" the boy said cheerfully with a grin, so happy to meet him.
"Cool name. What are you doing here?"
"I watched you play and you were awesome!
"Thank you, kid. Who's the girl standing beside you?"
Eren looked at the girl and then back to him, shrugged, and said, "I don't know. I just saw her just now."
"Is that so? Where are your parents?"
Eren thought about it and realized that he had gotten lost. With that, he started crying loudly. Coincidentally, the girl was doing the same as she was currently talking to Raven. Looking at each other, both of them nodded and looked back at their respective companions, giving them a reassuring smile.
"Alright, Eren. I will help you find your parents; promise me that you won't cry, okay?" Beast Boy requested, offering his pinky finger. "Promise?"
Eren, sobbing, raised his own pinky, intertwining it with Mikasa's. "Promise..."
Beast Boy then smiled at him, ruffled his hair again, and said, "Good boy."
Looking at Raven, it also went well for her. Without further ado, both of them stood up and gently held hands, walking down the backstage and exiting the back of the restaurant as they looked for their parents. For a while, the walk was quite peaceful; both of the kids tried not to cry while searching for their parents as well. Just then, two pairs of parents were calling out someone's name.
"It might be them." Beast Boy said, earning a wide smile from the kids. They all immediately headed in their direction until they found them.
"Mama! Papa!" Both kids shouted their parents' names, and then both parents turned around and sighed in relief as they all gave each other a tight embrace. Even with Beast Boy's enhanced hearing, he couldn't fully understand what they were saying, and neither could Raven. Just then, their parents stood up, approached the pair, and thanked them for their help. The pair simply assured them in return, and then the parents, along with their own child, gave them a proper farewell, at which point the couple returned the gesture.
Raven said, still waving at them.
"Yeah." Beast Boy replied. "Who's the little girl?"
"Her name's Mikasa, if I'm not mistaken." Raven answered, pronouncing the name in a way that sounded similar to Spanish. "And yours?"
Beast Boy said, "Eren. Sounds Turkish to me, for someone whose parents are Japanese."
"How did you know?" Raven asked, confused and impressed by how he had found that out.
"Their way of diction and speech. It's not something very English, and I happen to know how it sounds like without knowing what it means." Beastboy deduced.
"Are you still mad at them?" Raven asked with a frown om her face.
"No, I just happen to respect them. The Japanese soldiers were just doing their duty for their country and took it with pride; I couldn't really blame them much." Beastboy replied.
Both of them began walking back to the restaurant, still conversing with one another.
"Now that I think about it, there's something strange going on with that kid. I'm not entirely sure, but I think someone else is looking at me besides that kid." Beastboy explained.
"I felt the same way too, but only with the 'looking at me' part. I actually had a brief vision when I touched her, and then, I saw it all." Raven replied, a shiver running down her spine.
"What happened? Was it serious?"
"Yeah, but not only serious, it's devastating." Raven answered before explaining what it was she saw.
"I see...," Beastboy only uttered. "I feel bad for them."
"Me too." Raven agreed. Suddenly, the old man ran toward them in a hurry, looking horrified and trembling. Just as they were about to go back, he shouted, "Hey!"
"What's wrong, Marcus?" Raven asked, stopping the old man and then panting. She then gave the couple a hug.
"I seriously want to thank you! Because of your performance, the customers went nuts and actually stayed to eat just to see you two play again! All of them wanted to take pictures and autographs too! Isn't that crazy?!" The old man happily exclaimed, earning a small smile from the two.
"Yeah, no problem, kid. We're happy as well." Beastboy replied, gently ruffling the old man's head. Marcus then pouted playfully, "Hey, I'm not a kid anymore! Stop that!" The three then started laughing wholeheartedly at the event. Just then, a man approached the group, receiving a stare from them. It was actually the same middle-aged man from their former house one week ago. Noticing this, Marcus spoke again, "Oh by the way, Mr. Jerry Smith is looking for you two actually."
Taking off his sunglasses, Jerry spoke to them with a stern and serious expression, just like a businessman at his work, "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"
"Told you what?" Raven asked nervously.
"That both of you were alive!" Jerry exclaimed, suddenly going to hug both of them tightly. Marcus stepped away from the pair, avoiding getting sandwiced between them. He then continued speaking, "Especially you, grandma! I can't believe you're alive again in someone else's body! You could have just visited us if you wanted! All of us missed you, you know that!?" At that moment, the man, Jerry, began to shed some tears. Beast Boy gave Raven, who was whistling and looking away from him, a confused look. After a while, Jerry pulled himself apart from his grandparents, wiping his tears off, "I'm sorry for displaying such an outburst."
"It's okay, son. You're just glad that we're... alive again, I guess. But all I know is your grandma right here owes you an explanation." Beast Boy reassured, patting his grandson's shoulder while not being sure how to handle someone he had met only for the first time. "Anyways, what gave us away?"
Jerry replied, "From what Marcus said and the way your grandmother played earlier, it confirmed my suspicions."
Raven asked, still sweating, "Why are you here anyway?"
"The mall right there is mine. I'm the Chairman and CEO after all." Jerry said nonchalantly, earning a gaping jaw from them.
Both of them exclaimed in shock, "That's yours!"
"Yeah." he replied, "along with other malls across America." He paused for a moment before continuing, "Anyway, there's actually another reason why I'm here."
"What is it?" Beastboy asked. Jerry took a deep breath before speaking.
"Dad's birthday is coming soon and i need you two to come with me."