LOVE WRITTEN IN STONE

The evening was so peaceful. Tranquil, really. All was well with the world. All except for the ear-piercing screeches from the losing villain wreaking havoc and chaos at the local bank. 

Other than that, the evening was perfect. 

The villain himself wasn't anything special. He was just another no-do-gooder that wanted to take over the world even though he was sorely unequipped for the task. 

This mutant monster, made out of what appeared to be a cross between a human and a fly, only had his intellect at his disposal. He rode upon a self-made mechanical suit with himself at the point a head would be. He frantically turned his nobs and switches trying to get his glorious creation from its position on the ground before a raven-haired beauty crushed his ass with a gigantic piece of asphalt. 

 Finally, his machine was revived and it clunkily rolled out of the way and stood on its car-sized feet. Now standing once again, the villain maniacally laughed. 

"Yes! My genius has prevailed! Now, I shall destroy you!" With his ugly laugh still echoing from his throat, the fly mutant pushed the lever to his right.

The robot flung its arm up to point at the Titans who by this point were pretty unamused by the total incompetence of this wanna-be big bad. Especially because instead of stopping to aim at them, the arm kept going around moving like a helicopter blade. The villain nervously fumbled around his mech finally getting the arm to stop. 

"H-Ha Hahah! Had you fooled for a second there, didn't I?!"

"Uggghhhhhh. The only fool here is you, bug-eyes." Beast Boy relayed as he once again checked his communicator in his hand. With a disheartened sigh, he stared at the empty notification circle before being jerked back to reality. 

"Beast Boy, focus!" Robin reminded once more with a frustrated edge to his voice. 

Beast Boy smiled sheepishly with a chuckle as he pulled at the neck of his jumpsuit. With a swift push of his thumb, he placed his phone back into his belt.

"I'll bring him down!" Cyborg confidently stated as he aimed his sonic cannon arm at the machine 

"Sorry, but my machine will be better between you!" With a cackle, the bug mutant pushed the button expecting a blast of immense magnitude to bring forth the destruction of his foes only for a puff of smoke to erupt instead. 

The Titans groaned simultaneously. "Man, that's just embarrassing." Cyborg shot his sonic blast without a second thought. The impact of the blast knocked the mech back, and it was barely able to catch itself. “I mean, really! Did you even test this junk before trying to take over the city?”

"I almost feel sympathy for this poor creature," Starfire replied, adding onto the attack of her friend by shooting her star bolts.

"Seriously, this is what the emergency was? It’s pretty sad." Raven crossed her arms watching the spectacle. She felt no need to do anything since she could see how this whole thing would play out.

"Er!! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" Bug man cried out viciously. He was like a child getting bullied on the school playground, but in this case, he deserved it. "I'll destroy you all!" 

"Jeez! It was funny at first, but can we just take care of this and go home already?" Beast Boy stomped his foot with annoyance piercing through his voice.

"Why, you got somewhere else to be?" With a sly smirk, Cyborg cast a glance at the smaller beside him and then began to charge the mech. 

Beast Boy stuck out his bottom lip in a pout. He peaked once again at his phone, once again disappointed."..I wish I did.." He grumbled. 

As he lazily made his way behind his best bud, Raven, who had been hovering above them, quirked her brow at the green one's statement. But now wasn't the time to ask questions. They had this 'crisis' to deal with. 

Let's spare the humiliating details of the poor hybrid's defeat. It's what he would've wanted...

Finally, back home, the Titans all hung their heads with tired shifts of their feet. 

"We had to wake up in the middle of the night for that?" Raven remarked. 

"Yes, it was quite unfortunate. But the good news is we can all get our rest!" 

Starfire was always so cheerful. She seemed to brighten the mood too since Cyborg was smiling. 

"Yeah! But I was already awake when this all started. Now if y'all will excuse me, I'm going to finish Mega Monkeys Five Delux." He turned his attention to the once again distracted Beast Boy. "Yo, BB, you wanna come play? Player two is all warmed up for ya!" Teasingly he placed his large hand over 'BB's' head. 

"Huh?.. Oh! Sorry Cy, but I'm just going to go back to bed.." Replied the absent-minded teen. 

He faked a yawn and waved goodnight to the others who all returned the gesture with one of their own. Their gazes followed him out of the living area, then turned their attention to each other. The silence was dry around them until Cyborg spoke up.

“..So, do you guys really think he's doing okay?”

“He has seemed in a better state as of recently,” Starfire replied, unsurely darting her eyes.

“He’s been apprehensive about something.” Robin crossed his arms. “He keeps looking at his communicator every chance he gets. I know how he can be a bit airheaded at times, but this seems odd.”

“Perhaps I could go talk to him and see what could be plaguing his mind?” sounding hopeful, Starfire floated in place with her slender fingers collapsing together. 

“I don't know. If we talk to him, he might get defensive about it. I just don't want to get him upset again." Cyborg crossed his arms thoughtfully. "I think we should leave well enough alone, let him come to us if he needs it." 

The others seemed to agree as they silently nodded. Starfire, however, bit her lip as she rubbed her arm. She wasn't sure if that was the right thing to do. But she understood why they felt that they needed to stay away. Beast Boy had been doing well. They were afraid of bringing up anything that could potentially upset him. 

But she couldn't bring herself to do that. Like the kind-hearted princess she was, Star cautiously snuck through the halls to see her friend. 

And as Starfire trailed the halls, Beast Boy paced back and forth unable to stay in place as his eyes focused intently on his blank message box. With an anxious sigh, he plopped onto his bottom bunk face down, then screamed into his pillow. 

"What did I do??" He whined, kicking his legs. "Come on! It's been almost two weeks. Did I do something wrong?" He rolled over on his back and tapped his foot on the footboard, still unable to keep still. "I thought I did it right. Didn't I?.. I mean, I wasn't creepy or anything .. Was I? No. No, totally not… I think. I mean, she accepted the communicator- she even said she'd treasure it!" He stood up and pulled at his hair. "So why. Hasn't. She. Called. me?!" Falling to his knees With a dramatic flair, Beast Boy let his head lay on the floor with his arms as his butt hung in the air. 

"Damn.. Maybe I should call her.." He immediately cringed. "No! I can't do that! Then I'd seem desperate!.. But maybe she's waiting for me to call her. Maybe that's why she hasn't called me." Standing with his hand on his chin, he quickly paced in circles, then suddenly stopped. "Gah! No, no, no! Maybe I'm just overthinking it.."

He turned to face the mirror beside him. He frowned and let his arms hang. "Who am I kidding? She probably just felt sorry for me. I look pathetic enough to." He once again held the communicator in his palm, staring at the empty messages. With a sigh, he reservedly places it on his cluttered desk face down. "It just wasn't meant to be. Of course, it'd be too good to be true." He smiled sullenly to himself. "Whatever. She's got her life to live. I should just start living mine." 

Those words left him feeling empty. He knew he was just trying to make himself feel better, but all he felt like was pathetic. 

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Three, polite taps on his door sounded in the silence that followed. Beast Boy turned to the door and cocked his head. Then, a shot of panic went through him. 

Did one of his friends hear him crying like a little girl? He knew they were still concerned for him and they had been keeping an eye on him lately. What if they heard him talking about Tara? He sucked in air unconsciously as he approached the door, pressed the button to the side, and it slid open. 

"Beast Boy!" Greeted the cheerful princess of Tamarain. 

"Star!.. Wassup?" He asked, nervously smiling. 

"I came to check in on you. I was worried that something troubled you."

"I'm fine." He instantly replied. He then paused as a thought struck him. "Star, I need you!" He grabbed her arm and pulled her into his room without further explanation, receiving a short 'Eep!' From Starfire as the door shut behind her. 

"I need some advice.." He began with a nervous air about his voice. 

Starfire's eyes gleamed with elation as she nodded vigorously. "Yes! Please ask me anything!"

Beast Boy shook his hands, promptly shushing her. He took her hands in his and brought her back down to the floor as by now her unbridled joy was sending her close to the ceiling. 

"You can't tell anyone about this. Okay?" His eyes were laced with a strict shine to them. 

"Oh. But I do not wish to keep secrets from our friends." With her feet on the ground, she glanced sideways. She was a horrible liar. Beast Boy knew that, but she was the only one he could ask this from. 

Raven would probably get angry if she knew what he was doing. If it were up to her, Beast Boy wouldn't have any contact with Tara. He remembered the fury on her face when he told the Titans why he abandoned them in the battle with Cinderblock for Tara. Robin and Cyborg wouldn't take him seriously, he thought. He thought they would tease him, at the very least Cyborg would. Robin would most likely be concerned and worry about his well being. Also, he was definitely sure he would have choice words for him if he found out he gave away his communicator.

Starfire was the kindest out of them all. She always had a smile about her, and she was a perfect listener. 

That's all he really needed. 

"Please. I just need to talk about this. I can only trust this to you." He clasped her hands tighter hoping to get his message across. 

Starfire casted her green eyes around seemingly thinking it over. Coming to her decision she made eye contact with him again. 

"Alright. If that is what you wish."

Relieve washed through his expression momentarily, but then clouded over with the anxiety he had been feeling. He released her hands and crossed his arms. 

"..So, I met this .. Girl."

As soon as these words left his mouth, Starfire gasped loudly. "A girl ?? Who is she, what is she like? Are-" Beast Boy once again shushed her. 

"Star!" He whined. 

"Oops! My apologies!" She said blushing. She slapped her hands over her mouth.

“Yes, a girl. The thing is, we have a bit of history. She and I didn’t really get along.. But about a couple of weeks ago, we patched things up and became friends. I .. gave her a communicator so we could keep in touch. But she hasn’t talked to me. and I haven't gone to see her either. I guess I’m just worried she’ll be mad at me if I try anything, I’m waiting for her to do something first.” 

Starfire listened with intent. She nodded along and hung onto every word. Once he was finished she took a long breath. “That is.. A lot.” she replied. “Beast Boy, why don’t you tell the others? I am sure they wouldn’t object to you having other friends.” 

“That’s not the issue.” Beast Boy bit his lip and tensed up. “...The girl..”

“..Yes?” Starfire tilted her head.

“..Well, she’s .. it’s all a bit complicated. I’m not ready to share everything yet.”

He could read the pure disappointment on her features as she faintly nodded with her hands joined together. “I understand.” 

“..Star, do you think she will ever talk to me?”

“I believe so. While I am not from this world and don’t understand most of your human customs, I think I do understand the female mind is not so different from planet to planet.” They sat down on his bed as she placed a hand on his back. “You said that you two had some trouble before. Maybe she is not sure how to talk to you in the first place. When she is ready, I believe she will talk to you."

That seemed to calm him down. His shoulders relaxed and a soft flush of color tingled the tips of his ears. "I appreciate you talking to me about this. It's .. A little embarrassing."  He leaned on his knees. "I just really want things to work out between us."

"..Do you perhaps have the butterflies?" 

"Butterflies?" Beast Boy asked, quaking his eyes to look into hers. 

"Yes. Robin once said that when you like someone in the romantic sense, you get butterflies in your stomach. I thought he meant real butterflies lived inside human intestines for the longest of time." She giggled. 

"I don't like her! Not like that anyway!" He blushed even harder. "I just want to be her friend. That's all, and that's all she wanted from me." With a final nod he stood up, seemingly full of energy now. "Okay, I think I'm okay. I just need to be patient."

"Yes, but patience has never been your strongest skill." 

"..Sheesh, you've been hanging out with Raven too long. " Beast Boy snickered. "Okay, I'm going to get some rest now." Starfire gave him a look. He shrank with a nervous smile. "For real, this time.". She smiled now and made her way to the door, but as she approached she stopped and turned slightly. 

"I will keep your secret. But I hope you will tell our friends about this new friend of yours. I'm sure they would love to meet her as well."

His smile slightly faded but he nodded. He knew he might never tell them about Tara. He couldn't. She wanted nothing to do with the Titans, especially because of her 'situation'. They might mistake her for Terra too. He knew she would hate that. For now, he had to lie, which made his guilt grow more. 

"..Sure. Goodnight, Star." He said as she left his room. The silence was horrid. 

Beast Boy groaned to himself as he stood there alone gazing absently at his bare feet. His forest eyes then focused on his old guitar sitting against the wall with a few clothes strewn upon it. He made his way to the instrument, picked off the clothes to grab it, then sat down on his bed. With a few strums of his thumb, Beast Boy played a soft, lonely melody as he gazed out his window into the starry sky. 

The same sky was being gazed upon by another on the other side of the bay. A young girl with beach blonde hair sat on the chair beside her open window as her thoughts circulated through her mind. In her left hand, she stoked the yellow communicator with her thumb. One person was on her mind. 

"..Beast Boy." Tara sighed for the thousandth time. "I know he's gotta be waiting for me. I just don't know what to say." Tara breathed deeply through her nose and stood up with forceful moves of her feet.

 "Okay! I'm just going to get it over with!" She flipped the communicator open and nearly pressed the button but froze, shaking. "Ugh! Why is this so difficult?!" She squeezed the communicator and shook it like a ragdoll. Only for her finger to slip and press the button to call. She stopped her tantrum and stared with wide eyes as the ringing from the other end filled the air. 

"Ahh!" She squealed, horrified, "No! No! No! How do you turn this thing off?!" She fumbled with the device only to have it fall to the floor. "Shit, shit, shit, shit!" She dove after it as it slid under the bed. 

At the tower, Beast Boy strummed the same chord for the third time. His mind still distracted by Tara. He sighed. "I'm exhausted." He muttered. Suddenly, his communicator went off. His heart jumped a beat, as the noise startled him. Then he realized. 

"No.. There's no way.." He cautiously placed the guitar down and slowly stood up Not taking his eyes off the vibrating device until he was holding it in his hand. His heartbeat accelerated. 

"Oh my god! She's calling me, she's actually calling me!".

"Oh my god, I'm actually calling him! I'm not ready!!" Tara kicked her legs trying her hardest to reach under the bed. 

Beast Boy heavily breathed. "What do I say?! I don't have anything prepared!" He shook the communicator in his hands. "I can't even remember my own name right now!"  He bit his fingernails with a squeal. 

"Almost … Got.. it!!" Tara strained as her fingertips brushed the device. 

"Shit! This is what I've been waiting for! Why am I such an idiot?!" He suddenly froze as a cold sweat washed down his back. "Wait, what if she's in trouble?.." Without a moment more wasted, he pressed answer.

"Got it!!" Tara gasped with a smile, but before she could even stand, the face of the boy-she-so-desperately-wanted-to-avoid-'s face popped up. His eyes were intense as he hurriedly called her name. 

"Tara!" 

She squealed, startled, and she fell back onto the floor. Her disheveled hair growing more unattainable by the minute. She dropped the communicator making Beast Boy's fears only grow. 

"Tara?.. Tara??" 

"Geez, what did I get myself into?" Tara muttered to herself with a whiney edge to her voice. 

Tara reached down and grabbed the communicator and smiled sheepishly. Beast Boy looked frazzled as he asked her several questions at once. "Are you okay? Where are you? I'll be there as soon as-"

"Beast Boy! Heyyyy.." Tara decided to interrupt seeing that he was obviously worried about nothing. She tried to smooth down her hair while keeping her anxious smile. "Everything's great, I just .. Hum.. Wanted to see if the communicator worked?.. Yeah. Y-yeah! That's all."

"..So, you aren't in danger?" He asked, blinking. 

"Nope! I'm all good!" She chuckled nervously as a tingle of red splashed her cheeks. 

Beast Boy was silent for a moment and she thought he would lecture her about not calling him unless it was about an emergency, but instead, she was met with a groan of relief. "Thank God! I really thought.. For a second there…" He breathed deeply With a laugh.

"..Sorry." Tara felt guilty now. All she had wanted since she and Beast Boy walked home together was to see him again. She thought about him every day at least once wondering how he was doing. Perhaps she should've just kept on wondering. 

"No! It's okay! I mean, I told you to call me whenever you wanted, right?" 

Tara's lonely eyes casted over to the small alarm clock at her bedside. "Yeah but it's almost one in the morning.. I probably woke you up."

"Actually I've been awake all this time. Plus that villain attack kept me up too.. Well, if you wanna call it and attack.."

"There was an attack? You didn't get hurt.. Right?" Immediately she flushed over a pink hue, cringing at herself. 

But Beast Boy's heart skipped a beat. He smiled shyly and shook his head. "No, I was fine. So, uhm, anyway, how are you doing?"  

"Oh! I'm good."

"And school?" 

"It's good. Well aside from my friends being overprotective."

"Haha, did you tell them about me? I remembered they weren't too keen on me hanging with you." Yes. Beast Boy remembered that well. 

"Yeah. Sorry, should I have kept it secret?" 

"No, it's fine. I haven't really told my friends about us. I'm sure it would only complicate things with you looking so much like her."

Tara sighed. "Right. I'd prefer to not have any more surprises." 

The lull in the conversation caused them both to stir. Tara rested on her arm glancing around her room. Beast Boy cleared his throat. 

"Well, I'm glad I got to talk to you. I'm sure you want to get to sleep. School is tomorrow, right?" 

"Right!.. Yeah." Beast Boy smiled and made a movement to turn off the call, but Tara blurted out, "Can I see you tomorrow?" 

He froze. "Tomorrow?" He couldn't believe it so repeated it. 

"Yes. After school. If that's okay." 

"Yeah! Totally okay! Oh, I mean, yeah. As long as there isn't another attack I should be free to see you." He had to tone down his excitement so as not to be heard by the others, plus he wanted to look suave around her. 

"Haha! Awesome, I guess I'll see you then." Tara grinned and they waved goodbye before the call ended. 

The apprehensive atmosphere for both of them had died down, but it had been replaced by two other emotions. Excitement, and nervousness.