Chapter 2 Found Family

The two superheroes flew back to the Titans Tower. Ezekiel looked around as he did so. He had no particular reason to; it was just a habit that he had formed after every fight. Allowing his eyes to scan the city allowed him to see whether or not there were any criminals or Super villains that he had forgotten to take care of. Thankfully, he didn't spot anything of the sort, allowing a big weight to lift from his chest as he and Changeling reached the ocean.

Titans Tower was beautiful. It was a building that had stood the test of time, and therefore, was a building that held a lot of positive memories and emotions. It represented strength, stability, and, most importantly, family. The Titans had more or less been Ezekiel's surrogate family, so even though he wanted to get away from the superhero scene, he still loved the tower. MidKnight looked at it glistening like a diamond the closer that he and his partner got to it.

They flew in through the window. They almost never used the door; they had no reason to. The window was the most convenient entrance and allowed them direct access to the living room. It just made sense.

"We're home everyone!" Ezekiel called out when his feet were firmly planted on the floor. He knocked off his shoes and socks, allowing his feet time to breathe, as Changeling detransformed. Ezekiel took in a deep breath as he also removed his cloak, leaving only his black long sleeve shirt and black Jean's on his body. With the use of his telekinesis, he reverently placed the cloak on the couch. He didn't want an essential part of his mother's costume to get dirty or, worse, lost.

"Marvelous!" A bright, cheery voice called out. Before Ezekiel could even react, he was being squashed in a hug from a very loving, very bubbly alien princess. He smiled.

"Hey, Aunt Starfire," he said, his voice barely able to come out at all.

Changeling laughed as he approached. "Star, you're crushing his bones! Let him go before he needs to be hospitalized!"

Star giggled as she let go of her hug victim. Her green eyes sparkled and her red hair shined as she looked at her best friend's son. "I am the sorry. It's just….ooh, I am just so happy!"

Ezekiel laughed. "You're always happy."

Starfire grinned. "I do not need the reason to be feeling the happy. That is why I am always doing the smiling."

Ezekiel smiled back at her. That was a great philosophy to have, in his opinion. Considering that Starfire grew up on an alien planet with a war ridden society, that philosophy was a really good one for her to have. He imagined that it helped get her through some hard times.

"Hey, Changeling. Hey, MidKnight."

Ezekiel turned and saw two people, very different in appearance, enter the room from the kitchen. One of them was a male and wore a mask as black as night. His outfit was also black with the exception of the blue bird Outline across his chest. The other person, a female, had skin the color of caramel. Her eyes grew a bright green, similar to Starfire's, and her purple dress complemented her figure fantastically. The only thing that the two seemed to share in common was their stark black hair.

Ezekiel grinned. "Hey, Uncle Nightwing. Hey Marii."

Marii grinned at Ezekiel, came over, and ruffled his hair. "This crime run was faster than it was last time. You must be getting better." Unlike her mother, Marii used perfect Earth grammar.

Ezekiel smirked. "Am I getting better, or are the villains getting weaker?"

Nightwing laughed. "Yeah, the villains have seemed to leave crime scenes with their tail between their legs recently. Sometimes, that statement is literal." He smirked as Marii rolled her eyes.

"Har har har," said the alien human hybrid. "Real funny, Dad."

"What? It's true." Nightwing approached MidKnight and put his hands on his shoulders. "But I could see the improvements in your skillset, Ezekiel."

"We all can," said Starfire.

Ezekiel flushed. "Thanks." He pulled away. "But I still have a long way to go before I'm as good as Mom."

Changeling laughed. "Not even your mother was perfect, Zeke. She made mistakes too."

Ezekiel sniffed. "Well then, that just gives me more motivation to be the best I can be. I need to honor her legacy by being better than her."

Marii smirked. "Great philosophy kid. Real great philosophy."

"Hey," Ezekiel said as he cast her a glare. "I'm being serious. And don't call me kid!"

"I'm twenty six; ten years your senior. I can call you whatever I want."

Ezekiel rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Just don't expect me to talk to you a lot when I'm eighteen."

"In all seriousness," said Nightwing. "It truly is a good philosophy to have. Everyone should aspire to be the best they can be. I know that I try to do that."

"Oh the yes," said Starfire. She chuckled, but there was a twinge of embarrassment to the sound. "I just wish that Mandy had that same idea."

Ezekiel snorted. Mandy, Starfire and Nightwing's other daughter. She was...she was an afterthought. Sure, neither Starfire nor Nightwing were willing to admit it, but they had always planned on having one child; Marii. Don't get the wrong idea, they loved Mandy, but...she knew that she was an afterthought. And it only added fuel to the fire with the attitude she had.

"Don't worry, Star," said Nightwing. He patted her shoulder. "She is getting better, and she has been ever since her powers were awakened."

Starfire sighed. "I know." The grin returned to her face. "And I am all the more proud of her for that."

Marii snickered. "I bet you aren't as proud of the fact that she snuck off last night without your permission."

Nightwing blinked. "She did?" When Marii nodded, Nightwing groaned. "How many times do I have to tell her not to do that?"

Ezekiel cleared his throat and stepped forward. "If you want, I can go fetch her. Where is she?"

"She's down in the garage with Cyborg," said Starfire with an exasperated tone.

Ezekiel nodded and made his way there.

The sound of machinery whirring and mechanical parts moving could be heard as Ezekiel got closer to the garage. He imagined that Cyborg was making some more adjustments to the T-Car. He loved that thing. He built himself as a teen long ago; we're talking when Ezekiel's mother was still alive.

Ezekiel bit his lip. He shouldn't be thinking about his mom. There was just too much pain in that box for him to want to open it.

Anyway, he got there within no time at all. Sure enough, he saw Cyborg leaning over the opened hood of the car. Mandy was there too, with her legs crossed and her face in her phone as she sat in a chair. Honestly, Ezekiel thought that this sight was the perfect image to describe Mandy; always staying away from the affairs of superheroes and burying her nose in the trivial things.

Ezekiel cleared his throat. "Hey, Cy."

Cyborg looked up from the exposed engine and grinned. "Hey Zeke! How'd the mission go?"

"It went well. The criminal was a scaredy cat; Changeling and I got rid of him easily."

Cyborg laughed. "Scaredy cat, huh?" He looked back down at his work. "Well, better a scaredy cat than a hungry lion."

"True," Ezekiel said with a nod. "True." He then turned toward Mandy. "Mandy?" Mandy lifted her eyes from her phone. "Star and Night want to see you."

Mandy raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"I think they want to read you the riot act for sneaking out last night."

Mandy blinked before jumping from her chair. "Oh, dang it! Marii is such a little snitch." She shook her head and turned on her heel. "Never wish for siblings, Zeke," she said as she pushed her orange hair out of her face. "They will be the death of you "

With that, Mandy flew off, leaving Ezekiel to chew on her statement. He didn't have siblings and knew he never would, but he still couldn't help but wish for them. He didn't know why; it was probably because it was something out of his reach. Similar to the possibility of him living a normal life.

"Oh man," said Cyborg as he stood up again. He closed the hood of the car and patted his baby. "I think that the T-Car is all finished." He got in the car and started the engine, causing it to whir to life. He whooped. "Booyah! My baby is up and running!"

Ezekiel smiled. "Good." He approached and leaned against the opened window. "What do you want to do now? Go for a ride?"

Cyborg put his hand to his chin. "That doesn't sound like a bad idea." He grinned. "Go tell everyone that we're going out for dinner! I'll pay."

"Oh! Sweet!" Ezekiel could use a something to eat; the milkshakes he got with Changeling had not nearly been satisfying enough. He teleported away and arrived back in the living room within no time. "Hey, everyone! Cyborg wants to take us out for dinner!"

Everyone, who had currently been in the process of scolding Mandy, turned toward him with a smile. "Oh! Sweet!" said Marii.

Ezekiel laughed. "That's exactly what I said."

"We'll definitely be there, dude," said Changeling. He turned into a fly and flew off.

Ezekiel smiled just as Mandy turned toward Nightwing. "I'm not getting anything to unhealthy. I need to watch my weight."

"Okay, whatever you want, sweetheart." He turned toward Ezekiel. "You okay?"

"Yeah. I mean, I'm smiling, aren't I?"

"Well, yeah. But…" he shook his head. "Never mind. Let's just head down to the garage."

Ezekiel kept the smile on his face as he followed his surrogate family. He loved them all. That's why he would never show them the pain inside.