What is Kreesmass?
A lone figure sat in the dim early morning darkness of the Titans' Tower living room, her formed pressed comfortably into an arm chair and an open book lying across her lap. Raven calmly lifted a cup of steaming tea to her lips, savoring the hot liquid as the vapors washed over her face in the morning chill that permeated the room. Lowering the cup, but keeping it in her hands to retain its warmth, her eyes began to scan across the ancient tome, picking up where she had left off.
Raven's reading was interrupted when the sun began to peak over the horizon, causing her to squint her eyes at the sudden brightness. With a glower set in her features like stone, she observed the sun as it slowly began to rise, casting its golden brilliance out across the Jump City bay, where it shone brightly against the snow covered windows of Titans' Tower.
Raven sighed softly, sending steam from her tea wafting out into the room. 'Great… the sun is up,' she thought as she slowly took the last peaceful sip from her steaming cup of morning tea. 'Which means it'll only be a short time until…'
As if on cue: Beast Boy and Cyborg came through the kitchen door, shouting 'MERRY CHRISTMAS!' in unison and causing Raven to visibly cringe. Then, Robin came in through the door on the left side of the room and smirked at Raven's displeasure. Finally, Starfire floated in through the door behind Raven with a perplexed look on her face.
"Merry Christmas, y'all!" Cyborg merrily shouted at the rest of the Titans. "Y'all know what Christmas morning means, don't'cha?" His rhetorical question went unanswered as he produced a waffle iron seemingly out of thin air, a large grin on his face. "My famous blue berry waffles!"
"He means Beast Boy's famous soy waffles!" Beast Boy interjected as he pulled a lonely carton of soy milk from the refrigerator.
Cyborg gave an overtly loud and forced laugh, the mockery causing Beast Boy's features to depress in irritation. "Don't worry, folks; soy is not on the Christmas menu!"
As the two boys worked out the 'Christmas menu' in a mature and refined manner, Starfire floated over to Raven, who was doing her best to ignore everything around her, her eyes boring into her tome.
"Friend Raven?" Starfire queried, the confused look still present on her face.
"Yeah, Star?" Raven replied absently, keeping her attention transfixed on a line of text, despite the fact that she had given up on reading it.
"What is this 'Kreesmass' that friend Cyborg and Beast Boy speak of?" Starfire inquired. Raven did not reply. "Friend Raven-?" Starfire was startled when Raven slammed her book closed.
Wordlessly, Raven suddenly stood, tucking the book beneath her arm. With a passing glance at Starfire, she swiftly strode towards the nearest door and from the living room, her cloak fluttering behind her as she left the now more baffled Starfire in her wake.
Raven was halfway to her room, her stride calm and controlled. Her gait hitched slightly when she heard Starfire call out to her from behind.
"Friend Raven! Wait, please!"
Raven didn't stop, but she did slow her pace down as to allow Starfire to catch up. By the time the redhead did catch up, however, Raven was already at her door and reaching out for the control panel.
"Friend Raven, please, what is this 'Kreesmass'?" she asked again, concern written across her features as she feared she had offended Raven with her question. Yet, her curiosity overrode her fears, prompting her to seek answers.
Raven stopped in her tracks, letting out a sigh before lowering her hand and turning towards Starfire. "First off, Star, it's 'Christmas' not 'Kreesmass'. Second, it's an earth holiday celebrated every year. It's all about Yule tide joy, peace on earth, good will to others, happiness and giving gifts," she explained, her voice betraying her annoyance with the subject. "It disgusts me."
Starfire visibly relaxed. "Oh… I was unaware you held such distaste for this earth holiday." Relief filled the redhead, glad that she had not offended her dear friend; yet she still felt a sense of sadness that Raven didn't appreciate a holiday filled with such joys.
A moment of silence passed between the girls before Raven turned and made for her door once more.
Starfire quickly spoke up again to fill the silence. "Well, thank you, friend Raven, for explaining the meaning of the 'Kreesmass' to me."
"No problem," Raven answered as she gave a quick glance back, causing Starfire to beam brightly at her.
Just as Raven was once again about to turn and leave…
"Friend Raven?"
"What now, Star?"
Starfire smiled and tentatively pointed up to a spot on the ceiling, just above Raven.
Raven looked up and mentally groaned as she caught sight of a small leafy cluster of white berries dangling right above her. 'Most likely Beast Boy's doing…'
"What are those for? Are they a part of the 'Kreesmass' as well?" Starfire inquired as Raven audibly sighed.
"Well, it's called mistletoe, and it's been a Christmas tradition for a long time," Raven said as she rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Whenever two people stand underneath the mistletoe they're supposed to kiss."
Starfire's features swelled in pure delight as she took in a gasp of air upon hearing this. Before Raven knew what was happening, Starfire had kissed her, planting her lips fully on the other girls. Then in the next instant, she had broken away and was already floating happily down the hallway.
"Merry 'Kreesmass', friend Raven!" she called back to the stunned girl.
Raven touched her fingertips to her lips, the barest hints of warmth from the other girl still present, even after she had disappeared from sight down the hallway. The corner of her mouth twitched up into an amused smirked as she turned to enter her room.
'Merry Kreesmass, Star.'
END
Author Commentary: Any and all feedback is happily welcomed! And merry Christmas!