Notes: I wanted to write Raven/Beast Boy that was in character. The results are below. I will warn you, it does get rather sappy in the end, but hopefully, sappy in a good way.
"Robin, are you sure about this?" Starfire hovered in mid-air, wringing a formal looking dress in her hands. "You said that this was a black tie event, but I am almost positive that this is not a tie!"
"Stop worrying about it, you'll look fine." The Boy Wonder was leaning against the door jamb, looking bemused and frustrated at the same time. A duffel bag that looked much too heavy for him was slung across his shoulders. "I appreciate you concern, Star, but we need to get going. Bruce isn't really big on lateness, no matter how fashionable it is."
Starfire gave the dress one last wring before floating to the ground. "Very well. I do not want to upset your friend." But as she was halfway out the door, she swirled around again. "Raven?" she asked, her voice almost brimming over with hope. "Are you certain that you want to stay home instead of attending the celebration of the ending of the year?"
Robin shrugged good-naturedly. "It wouldn't be the first time a girl crashed one of Bruce Wayne's parties."
Raven briefly tore her attention away from her book, her features as stoic as ever.
"...I'm not what you'd call a party girl."
If Starfire felt any disappointment (and she most likely did), she did her best to hide it. "As you wish." Brightening up suddenly, she added, "I will make sure to bring you back some of those tiny hot dogs they serve!"
"I owe you one, Starfire." Raven returned to her reading, hardly believing her good fortune to have the morning all to herself... and then she heard the metallic footfalls of Cyborg.
"Yo, I'm spending New Year's at the orphanage. Don't wanna disappoint the kids." He gave Raven an unusually serious glance. "You certain you'll be okay by yourself?"
"Somehow, I'll manage."
Cyborg shrugged, once again flippant and carefree. "Well, Happy New Year's!" he bellowed as he headed out the door.
Raven almost let herself smile as she watched the Titan leave. With everyone else gone, it might actually be.
"Hey, hey, Rae! There may be only two of us, but don't worry, I can party for ten people if I have to, and maybe even if I don't! There's enough soda and DVDs to last us well into the next year!"
Beast Boy. How could I ever forget about Beast Boy. Taking care not to show the aggravation she felt, she began to collect her books. "I see no reason to celebrate the changing of a date."
For a second, Beast Boy looked disappointed, but he quickly recovered. "Does anyone need a reason to gorge and watch bad movies?"
"Perhaps, but I'm certain you could find more entertaining company then myself." Raven frowned slightly, pushing back a strand of purple hair. "Don't you have any friends? Any family?"
Beast Boy blinked rapidly, as if he was in a smoke-filled room. "Nah, my family's been dead for years." he chirped. He sped back up to the hallway door. "Hurry up, the tofu pizza's getting cold!"
*
For the first time in her life, Raven couldn't meditate.
She was all alone, she had the silence she coveted, but every time she closed her eyes, she saw Beast Boy. From the top of the tower, Raven looked up at the stars, and as always, wondered if any one of them could be Azarath. Very well, if she couldn't meditate, she would settle for brooding. Why hadn't Beast Boy told them about his family before?
Why didn't Starfire tell us about her sister? Why does Robin talk about Batman as little as possible, and Cyborg refuse to talk about his father at all? We all have things about ourselves we'd rather not discuss. But why were the things Beast Boy didn't want to talk about the things that were troubling her? What did it all mean?
She realized, with a sickening feeling in her gut, that it meant that she had something in common with Beast Boy, who was childish and immature and funny and could feel without hurting people, and she was none of those things.
But they were both very much alone.
Raven stood up quickly, knowing she had to do something, but not quite certain what. All she knew was that it was only a couple of hours until that holiday everybody on this planet seemed so fond of... she remembered Starfire gushing over the events at Bruce Wayne's party, and she had an idea.
This time, Raven let herself smile. "I owe you one, Starfire."
The television and the stereo were both on full blast, but somehow, a green kitten had found sleep on a crumb-covered couch. Raven scritched the cat's ears carefully. "Beast Boy, wake up."
In an instant, the cat turned into a boy. "Man," he yawned and rubbed the back of his neck, "I knew I should've turned into an owl." He glared at Raven sleepily. "Whazzup? Things not gloomy enough for you?"
Raven tried to think of the right thing to say... and gave up. "Come with me," she barked, grabbing him by his wrist. She dragged him up the stairs, ignoring every protest and petty insult that came out of his mouth. She barely noticed that he stopped when they came to the top.
"Wow. Stars at night. There's something I've never seen before." He had managed to find his voice again.
She knew it was a bad sign, but Raven could feel herself getting excited. "Perhaps. But have you ever seen this?" Raven concentrated for a moment, and despite the fact that the bursts were dark, they could still be seen against the night sky.
"Fireworks." Beast Boy spoke with near reverence at first, but slowly, he began to grin. "And right on time, too. But, Raven... what's with the turnaround?" Beast Boy feigned nonchalance as best he could.
Raven grinned right back. "Does anyone need a reason to celebrate with a friend?"
"You know what? You're right!" He paused for a moment, looking like he was trying to make a decision, and then kissed her cheek hastily. "Happy New Year."
And, like every other new year, there were fireworks.
END