Anticipation
It starts on the first day of December. Strangely enough, it is one of the three days in the year that Beast Boy is awake first in the tower, and Robin is the one being dragged out of bed. All of them are clutching their hot drinks, (tea, coffee, or hot chocolate respectively), as Cyborg drives them out of the city and to the little tree farm that they go too each year. The radio is on low, and Starfire and Beast Boy talk in hushed tones, planning out what kind of tree they will look for, and how to decorate.
As usual, the second the car stops, the red head and changeling are gone, off into the rows of trees, and the other three follow at a slower pace. It doesn't do any good to rush them, even though Robin will try in an attempt to get out of the cold.
"How about this one?" Robin asks an hour into their adventure. Starfire frowns at the tree, clearly seeing something wrong with it, and turns to her partner. Beast Boy shakes his head and Robin groans in frustration. "What's wrong with it? It's perfectly fine?"
"It's crooked and the lower part of the tree has three viable branches. You can't hang anything down there!" Beast Boy explains. Raven smiles from the sidelines.
An hour and a half later, Robin is paying for the tree (a seven foot pine that will shed pine needles everywhere), and Cyborg is loading the tree onto the rood of the T-Car. The drive back goes smoothly, Cyborg grumbling that his car will get scratched up, but it's normal. He knows that someone got him the special buffing oil he likes to use for Christmas.
With the tree in tow, the holiday season begins.
Zen
Raven knows that this is the calmest the tower will be all month. Granted, she usually gets sucked into the chaos, which is fine by her since she does enjoy having fun once in a while, but it's always funny to see who starts first. Robin is a planner, and she knows he already has a plan of attack on how to manage his shopping, wrapping, and then hiding of gifts. Cyborg is the opposite, waiting until the last minute, and often placing his room on lockdown since he doesn't have a good hiding spot.
The rest of them fall in the middle. Starfire and she go shopping together, and Beast Boy does his own thing. Raven knows that Robin goes out in the early morning, and Cyborg towards the afternoon, but she can't figure out when Beast Boy does his shopping. They also haven't found his hiding place either.
"You're thinking pretty hard over here." Cyborg drops onto the couch, ignoring the weak glare sent his way. Years of living together have made her soft.
"Well, thinking is complicated, Cyborg. I doubt your brain would be able to handle it." She snips. Cyborg laughs and leans back into the cushions.
"So, what's going on up there?" He gently pokes her head.
"Just acknowledging that this is the calmest the tower is going to be this month. I think I saw Robin making his list already, and Starfire came back with something glittery this morning." Cyborg pretends to shutter. Glitter is never a good sign. There are still remnants from last year on the carpet.
"Eh, you know it's more fun this way." Cyborg says. "Come on, when was the last time you associated calm and fun together?" Raven gives him that, and her mind goes back to thinking.
Bows
Wrapping is a certain type of torture. Robin understands that now, an also thinks it's genius that Beast Boy puts everything into nice gift bags or pre-made boxes that just need to be signed, addressed, and filled. He's been sitting on the floor, three papercuts in, for the past hour trying and failing to get ahead of his wrapping.
He's almost done with it until the alarm sounds, causing him to rip the paper, making his progress void. He swallows back the scream of frustration. Control Freak, on the other hand, gets three boomerangs to the face with a special type of annoyance. When they come back to the tower, Raven gives him a fresh cup of coffee. Robin takes it, thanks her, and tries not to smirk at how they all give him the warm beverage like a bunch of worshipers trying to appease an angry god. By the end of the night, he's done, but he's run out of tape and patience.
At the end of the month, Robin is fed up with tape. Annoyed by the fact that there is never enough in one roll, or the fact that it wrinkles and can't be cut in a neat line, or how when it isn't placed right, it ruins the wrapping paper. He gets creative, and makes up his own little hack.
Raven, poor unassuming Raven, is the one who gets the first package, covered together with four different types of wrapping paper in various lengths and shapes, and held in place by a dozen different colored bows.
That's right, Christmas bows. The kind you can tie by hand or just stick on. Robin knows his grin is slightly crazy, but he doesn't care. The hack worked and he doesn't have to deal with any more tape.
Yearning
There's a box in Beast Boy's room. Raven knows that she shouldn't have seen it, but she did, and now she has to spend the next three weeks wondering what it holds. It's too big to be anything else but jewelry. Or a fancy keychain. Raven shakes her head; her boyfriend would only get her something like that unless it had sentimental value, and she knows that those instances are rare. Beast Boy is careful with the more thoughtful gifts, knowing full well that they were scorned in the past by others. It's why each one anyone receives is treasured.
Which leaves her to her waiting. She thinks about trying to get a hint, but then wonders if she is ruining a surprise. Raven sits up one night, panicked, thinking it might be a ring, only to remember that Gar is still eight months shy of 18. Also, he wouldn't propose on a holiday, too cliché, as he would say. The days go by slowly, with the rest of them finishing their shopping, and then gradually putting presents under the tree as they get wrapped.
The box doesn't appear under the tree.
Raven spends one night carefully scanning the packages, noting which ones are hers. There are a few with her name on it from Beast Boy, but none are the box. She checks that stockings and it isn't there either.
On Christmas morning, when it is still too early from anyone else to be awake, Beast Boy comes to her room with tea, and the elusive box.
"I wanted this one to be the first one you opened up." He tells her.
She doesn't have words when it reveals a golden chain and penny. The warm metal feel on her neck, the way she holds it, says everything.
Cartoon
Beast Boy has no idea how he got roped into this or how he ended up agreeing to do this. He thinks that Robin and Starfire sprung it on him one morning, taking advantage of the fact that he wasn't entirely aware of what he was agreeing to. Each year for the past four Christmas', he's done a small little cartoon. It first involved only the five of them, then someone blabbed about it, and now he involves all of the titans. His sketches, which he doesn't think are that cool to begin with, are looked forward to each year.
Robin, surprisingly, was the one that kept begging him to do it. Said that it would be fun, and good practicing for when he applied for art school. That was a whole other argument, one that ended with Robin backing off the school idea, and instead slipping in gift cards or prepaid lessons to the art studio downtown into his stocking. Due to the amount of people he has to draw Beast Boy had to invent an entire system for this.
Around the end of January, you submit a picture you want to be used. It if isn't sent in by Valentine's day, then you are sketched in whatever way he chooses. Originally, there used to be only three or four panels; he's up to fifteen now. Once the thing is done, Robin comes back in (he has to be involved in everything), and helps him print all of them.
Everyone either gets a paper copy at the Christmas party, or one mailed to them if they can't make it. The one year he couldn't finish the booklet (stupid Dr. Light who decided to drop a freaking bridge on his head), he was mailed or given some drawings instead.
Xanthic*
Cyborg walked into the kitchen and quickly made sure that he was still in the right room. There was flour everywhere, and Raven and Starfire were glaring at whatever was in the big bowl on the counter. Starfire seemed upset that whatever they were doing didn't work, and Raven was flipping through the cookbook with an air of anger that spoke of a quick death to any who disturbed her.
"So, what happened here?" Cyborg asked stupidly. Raven's head sprung up and he took a step back, mentally calculating how fast he would need to run.
"We were trying to make cookies," Starfire began. Raven growled.
"Key word there. Something went wrong."
"I think you added too much salt." Starfire snipped. Cyborg's eyes bulged. Oh, he was so going to be killed in the kitchen.
"I added the right amount." Raven pointed out. "You didn't add the right amount of eggs."
The girls started to argue back and forth over the cookbook. Cyborg saw something of color in another bowl and he walked over. Whatever was in it was a bright, harsh yellow.
"What is this?" He asked as he pointed to it. Past experiences told him to stay a good distance away and not to touch it. Starfire glared.
"We attempted to make green. I added the wrong colors."
"Oh."
"We tried to call Beast Boy, but he's on a patrol, so we had to figure it out ourselves. I'm stealing him when he gets back." Raven mumbled. Cyborg felt a small thread of sympathy for his buddy. However, if anyone could survive this, then it was Beast Boy. The kid practically thrived on weird situations.
"Ok, well, sounds like you two have this handled." Cyborg said as he inched towards the door and then quickly sprinted away.
Devious
Cyborg was a snoop. Beast Boy had been tackled twice today, once from Starfire and now his best friend. There was a reason that he didn't hide any of his gifts in the tower, and Cyborg was trying to be sneaky, but Beast Boy could tell that his room had been searched.
"I'm not telling you." Beast Boy said as he waited for the water to boil. Cyborg huffed and rested his head on top of the changelings.
"Please? Just one little hint." Most people would think that he was the one that caused the trouble in the tower. They were half right; Beast Boy liked chaos just fine. But he wasn't going to ruin any of the holidays. Starfire was terrifying in that regard and he liked living. Or just living with nothing burnt from a star bolt.
"Cyborg, for the last time, no." His best friend released him long enough to pour the pasta in, but then he wrapped up in a bear hug. Had anyone walked into the kitchen then, they wouldn't be fazed.
"I'll give you a hint." Cyborg tried to reason. Beast Boy smirked. Sometimes, Beast Boy wasn't sure who was the oldest of the pair.
"Nope. You'll have to wait like the everyone else."
Cyborg allowed him to make the rest of his lunch, and didn't disappoint Beast Boy with all of his moaning and groaning. When Robin came in to make coffee, he didn't seem bothered by Cyborg's theatrics.
"Is he trying to get a hint?" Robin asked as he waited for his cup to be filled.
"Yep."
"Am I right to assume you aren't giving him any?"
"Correct."
"You're going to booby trap your room against him, aren't you?" Robin didn't seem surprised. If anything, he was looking delighted with it.
Winter
"I am not built for winter!" Beast Boy yells. Robin looks up from his laptop and tries not to burst out laughing. Then he's trying to keep upright, as the changeling curls up next to him.
"Beast Boy, don't you have winter animals you can use?" Robin asked. He doesn't bother trying to move or force Beast Boy to leave.
Winter isn't a good season for his friend. Between long periods of insomnia or way too much sleep, Beast Boy's sleep patterns are shot to hell. That and the fact that he goes back and forth between being to warm and then freezing cold. It's become a habit that all of them carry a blanket around the tower, and both Cyborg and Robin have extra gloves and hat stored in their vehicles.
"Ya, but I can't stay shifted for long periods. It'd hurt too much." He grumbles. Robin pulls him closer, not flinching when a cold nose presses against his neck, and goes back to his work.
"Alright, mister body heat snatcher, warm up here." Robin teases. He doesn't get anything in response, which he doesn't mind; if Beast Boy is freezing, then he's probably been lacking in sleep. The two tend to go together.
About two hours later, Starfire comes in, and takes up the other end of the couch. She curls up, not minding the two sets of feet in her lap, and gestures to the boy next to her boyfriend.
"Cold. Don't wake him up." Robin says softly. Starfire nods and leaves the TV on mute.
It's a pattern that all of them are used to. Doesn't mean they like it, and all of them have different remedies to try to make it easier. Until then, Robin will continue to play the role of space heater.
Exclusive
"Nope, stick to your coffee, Robin." Raven doesn't know what type of situation she's walking into, but she isn't surprised that her boyfriend is involved. Starfire and Beast Boy are curled up on the couch, mugs of something in their hands, and Robin is pouting. Full on pouting. Raven blames the Christmas season. Raven goes about her business, making a cup of tea and then travels back to the couches. Robin is still standing, his mug of coffee on the small table, trying to wedge himself into the couch.
"Come on! I'm cold, and we can conserve heat. Please?" Robin tries to move Beast Boy, which only ends up with him being moved by Starfire.
"Stop moving! You'll spill the hot chocolate!" Starfire exclaims.
"Nope. This is not a group cuddle session. The hot chocolate club is meeting and you aren't invited." Beast Boy says. Okay, that isn't the weirdest thing Beast Boy's declared.
"What?" Robin asks in a bewildered voice.
"Ok, so we each have a club. You and Cyborg are the coffee club. Raven is the sole member of the tea club. Star and I are the hot chocolate club. So, you can either convert, which leads to cuddles, or not and go sit by your lonesome." Beast Boy explains.
"Why are you so weird?' Robin groans. "Fine, fine, I'll go convert to this nonsense. Raven, let's go."
From her spot, Raven raises an eyebrow. "Why am I being dragged into this?"
"I'm not converting alone."
"It is most fun, friend!"
"Come on, Rae, you know you want to."
Groaning, Raven get's up, makes a cup of hot chocolate, then messages Cyborg to get upstairs and join them. Within the hour, the now five members of the hot chocolate club are snuggled together watching movies, toasty warm.
Velvet
It was the giggling that head her poking her head into the room. Raven had left to use the restroom, and Beast Boy had remained in his spot. She was sure he wouldn't touch anything he shouldn't. However, when she came back, there was a blanket that hadn't been there last time.
"Where did you get that?" Raven asked as she curled up next to him.
"It was sale. I got it yesterday."
"I meant," Raven rephrased as she picked up her book, "When did you bring it here?" Beast Boy shrugged.
"When you left. It's not like our rooms are that far from each other, Rae." Which, ok, that did make sense.
"I thought you were going to save money this year."
"I did. The blanket was on sale."
"For how much?" Beast Boy narrowed his eyes at her.
"Nope. We aren't playing this game again. You know how crappy my mental math is." Raven rolled her eyes.
"Your mental math is fine. I was just curious." She raised an eyebrow at the blanket. "Velvet, though?" Beast Boy shrugged.
"Like I said, it was on sale, and this scary grandma was guarding all the fuzzy ones." Raven almost laughed at that. With all the things they had faced, scary grandmas were still leagues ahead of them. Then again, Beast Boy knew how to pick his battles.
"I just didn't pick you for a velvet type of guy." Raven teased. Beast Boy groaned and let his graphic novel fall to his lap.
"It was on sale."
"I know, but I thought you didn't want to follow the mainstream trends." Beast Boy glared at her.
"You're one to talk."
"I'm not the one huddled under a bright blue, velvet blanket." Raven pointed out.
"It was on sale!" Beast Boy yelled.
Frostbite
"Why are two like this?" Raven screeched. On the hospital bed, Robin and Cyborg shivered and managed to look contrite. Starfire and Beast Boy had been told to find warm clothes and blankets. The fact that the two of them had booked it as soon as Raven's back was turned showed just how mad she was. "How the hell did both of you live past infancy? Honestly, it's a blizzard out there, and you two decided to play on the ice. Didn't Beast Boy just warn you about that yesterday?" Raven paused to glare at the two boys. "Am I talking to myself or have your tongues frozen as well?"
"You're right, we're a pair of idiots."
"We would have die a million times if not for you."
Raven huffed and went back to grabbing the supplies to clean the cut on Robin's arm.
"You two are so lucky that we were on the lower floor. If Beast Boy didn't hear you, you'd both probably be dead." She spun and pointed to Robin. "You are a shitty swimmer." Her finger moved to Cyborg. "You would have sunk to the bottom of the ocean." The two wilted.
"We're sorry." Cyborg said weakly. Raven glared at him.
"Oh, I know you are. But you two are going to be proving it for a while. I'm not sure who's the maddest right now. Between Starfire sobbing that both of you could have drowned, to Beast Boy having to fish you out, or the fact that I want to smack both of you so hard," Raven trailed off. "Yes, both of you are going to be groveling for a while yet." Raven fixed Robin up and sent both of them to go get warmed up.
Then she screamed her frustration out with fervor.
Undercover
Robin loved the trench coat. It was warm, gave just the right number of pockets, and still had that badass quality. It was an early Saturday morning, and Robin was on the hunt. He still hadn't found the one gift for each of his friends that would make them go 'wow'. He liked knowing that he had given them each something that made Christmas special. And this year was no exception. However, he was struggling to find anything that screamed 'buy me!'. Which left him in this situation of roaming the stores, hoping to find what he was looking for.
It took another two hours, but he had made some progress. Raven had gotten a yearlong subscription to a high-end tea store. He finally caved and got Cyborg the new power tool he had been begging for (along with the warranty, since everything in the garage broke at least once). So, he had two done, but was stuck with Starfire and Beast Boy. At a loss, he punched it into Google.
Turns out, the search bar didn't have anything for "what to get your alien girlfriend" or "things a changeling would like." But, Robin was nothing but persistent. So, back to the drawing board.
It took another three hours. When he got back home, Robin felt pretty good at what he had done. Beast Boy had gotten the new set of drawing pens. The ones he wouldn't admit to anyone that he was saving up for. Starfire was finally getting a couple's weekend getaway with him. He'd already cleared it so that they would be covered.
Another reason the trench coat was awesome? It was able to hide the packages under the fabric. He got past Raven with no trouble. Robin loved using it when he was out shopping.
Gracious
Starfire felt like crying some days.
Not a sad, desperate crying. No, this was a happy crying. A moment when she would cry tears of joy. That was what Robin told her. When one cries due to happiness. She didn't know that such a thing existed. Earth was still new to her, even though she had been living her for the past four years. She took comfort in the fact that some of her friends didn't know everything about their own planet either. Raven was from another dimension, and Robin and Beast Boy travelled so much. Cyborg was the one that had the most normal childhood. As if they could boast about being normal.
Starfire didn't think that she would live this long to feel this happy. Didn't know that she could feel joy in the simple act of making a meal, taking a warm shower, or just sitting with friends.
She didn't think she would ever have those either, friends. Now, she had dozens, but she cherished four above all. And she knew that they cherished her just as much. Starfire has seen them defend her with everything, and seen them ignore their own pains or fears so that she could feel safe. That was something that Starfire would never be able to repay them. A debt like that couldn't be pain with anything in one lifetime.
The snow falling down outside, a rare occurrence for California she had been told, was peaceful. It was a nice change of pace for her city. She had a city now, not a cell in the Citadel. She had friends, not a pair of shackles. She had a family, not a family that gave her up to prevent a war that still broke out.
Starfire was grateful for landing on Earth.
Author's Note: I'm alive! Grad school kinda stole my writing muse for a bit, but I got it back! This is the first half. I'll be uploading the second half shortly.