Yes, the beginning of my next story! I promised you all something dark at the end of my last one and even though it's not in this chapter it's coming, oh it's coming. Rated M for upcoming gore. Please read and enjoy!
"Oh God, sorry Raven!"
Raven slowly opened her eyes as a slurry voice babbled on and uncomfortably warm liquid trickled down her face. She turned her head to see Kilowatt standing by her, his outstretched arm holding a red plastic cup and a terrified look on his face.
"I-I didn't mean to, I slipped and…" His neon-coloured face paled under her glare and he quickly sped off to the other side of the noisy room, just sober enough to know not to linger. Raven sighed deeply. She would never be able to get her concentration back with this level of ruckus. She stretched out one hand to retrieve a paper towel which hovered over from the kitchen in a cloud of black and she wiped away the dribbles on her face. She grimaced when she recognised the smell of beer and hoped her hair hadn't gone all sticky. Then she tossed the towel behind her and her other hand reached out for a red cup of her own as she grudgingly resolved to enjoy this party.
She still wasn't sure how Cyborg and Beast Boy had managed to get this around Robin but by the looks of things, it wasn't going to be happening again any time soon. It wasn't even midnight yet and already the place seemed out of control. Loud music was blaring, people were shouting and drinking too much and almost anything that could have been overturned had been-she still wasn't sure how somebody had managed to get Zorkaberries on the ceiling. Raven scanned the room for the meticulously-ordered leader of her team but she couldn't see him anywhere. I bet he's in another room with Starfire, she thought. That's probably the best place for him. He would have a heart attack if he saw this.
She took a sip from the red cup, finding it to be Coke not very delicately laced with vodka, and quietly observed the other Titans from her position by the window. It was strange seeing them all acting like normal teenagers at a house party given how responsible they usually had to be, though they were all still in uniform. She quickly spotted Cyborg by the giant music system he had installed himself, fiercely arguing with Herald over what to put on. Bumblebee was desperately trying to keep up with Mas y Menos who had been given Red Bull by somebody (who had yet to reveal themselves but Raven didn't want to see what Bumblebee would do to them when she did find out) and they were now crashing around the room like tornadoes and causing as much havoc as two bulls in the same tiny cramped china shop. Hotspot and Argent and embedded themselves in a corner and were making out like nobody was watching them. Raven saw him put a hand up her bell-shaped skirt and looked away. Things like this weren't uncommon-with all these people staying here, the Tower was quickly becoming a hot bed of surging teenage hormones-but that didn't mean they still didn't unsettle her a little.
Instead she looked over at the spot where their sofa had been, which had now been turned into an impromptu dance floor. Right now, the two pink-haired Titans Kole and Jinx were its only inhabitants and were both dancing together to whatever throbbing music Cyborg had put on. Kole looked like she was having fun and was giggling as she bobbed along to the beat but it was Jinx who was really getting into it, her face a mask of concentration as she moved fluidly. Raven watched her for a minute and had to admit she was a great dancer-she looked like she should be in a music video. Leaning against a wall with a beer in his hand watching her was her boyfriend Kid Flash, who practically had a string of drool coming out of the corner of his mouth like a bloodhound. Speedy was standing there and drinking with him although he seemed to be drinking more than conversing. Raven wasn't surprised. She could imagine how hard it would be trying to talk with anyone when they were so entranced like that. Ever since Jinx had moved into the Tower after the fight with the Brotherhood of Evil, Kid Flash had barely left her side and he seemed to be competing with Robin for the title of Most Over-Protective Boyfriend.
She watched as Aqualad strutted onto the dance floor and joined the girls with some choice moves of his own. She watched him with a little smile. Out of a tower filled with athletic hunky males, Aqualad was easily one of the best-looking and (as agreed by all the Titan girls at their last girl's night) he had the best ass of all of them. She noticed how Speedy suddenly seemed more interested in the dance floor and was now watching it with almost the same look on his face as Kid Flash. Has Speedy got a thing for…? Raven thought with another sip. That would explain a lot…
Her pondering was halted however, by a green figure plonking himself down next to her.
"Hey, Rae!" His loud voice rang chirpily over the music. "Enjoying the party?"
Raven looked at her teammate lounging against the wall next to her and she almost wanted to blush. The realisation that he was no longer the young boy the team had first picked up had taken a long while to creep up on her and now that it was obvious, it was becoming hard not to think about. Beast Boy was now on the very brink of manhood and it showed; he was now taller than her by a good three inches, his once skinny body was lean and toned and he was starting to get a lot more attention from members of the opposite sex. Raven remembered how often his name had come up at the last girl's night when they had been discussing the sexiest of the boys-disturbingly he had come second in Best Ass-and she remembered how much blushing she had had to cover up. Although these feelings weren't unpleasant ones, she had forced them deep within her-she knew from experience feelings and her were not a good mix. "I am," she told Beast Boy. "Though I know Robin will never let you have another one."
He laughed. "I don't know about that," he said. "I saw him run off with Starfire. I think they're glad of the cover."
They both snorted at the antics of their two friends. Ever since they had met, they had been attracted to each other and the flame had been burning steadily for so long that when they finally admitted their feelings for each other it had exploded and now they couldn't keep their hands off each other. It was almost funny the way it had escalated. She was also sure Starfire had something to do with Robin agreeing to this party. He never could resist her when she looked at him in a certain way, her eyes all round like those of a small kitten.
They sat in a companionable silence for a minute before Beast Boy took a look around him. "You know, Terra would have loved this party," He said almost sadly. "I could totally imagine her dancing to this, can't you?"
Raven nodded as her heart sank a little. A few months ago they had discovered a girl who was like Terra in every way at the local high school. They had all known was her-despite her denials-but she had refused to come back and they had come to the conclusion that it was probably best to leave her alone, where she was happy. This had hit Beast Boy hard and for days all he had done was mope around silently in her old room. Now he was getting back to his old self but he still kept bringing her up. Raven could understand why, she knew Terra had been his first love, but she didn't get why she got so irked about it. It wasn't like she was jealous or anything.
"Bet she would have liked rock music." She said without thinking. Beast Boy looked at her with his mouth open and she clapped a hand over hers.
"Did you just…make a joke?" Beast Boy said, a grin quickly spreading across his face.
"I…it must have been the drink." Raven quickly stammered. "How much alcohol did people bring anyway?"
"A lot. Most of it was Speedy. I bet it was him who gave Mas y Menos that drink as well." Beast Boy answered but he was refusing to let it go. "Am I finally having an influence on you?"
She saw something shimmering in his big green eyes, the colour of jade, and suddenly all her wit seemed to have flown out of the nearest window. "Heaven forbid." She managed to say sarcastically whilst rolling her eyes and he laughed again.
"Oh Rae, what am I going to do with you?" He said with a surprisingly deep chuckle and her traitorous heart leapt again.
"You can start by not calling me Rae." She said crisply and his face fell a little. She went on staring straight ahead at the people on the dancefloor, not daring to look at him. Kole had taken the hands of both of the others and somehow had pulled them all into a demented version of ring a roses where they span around like a top until Jinx slipped on her platforms and they all ended up in a laughing heap on the floor before they pulled themselves up and started again.
"You thinking about joining them?" Beast Boy said and she frowned.
"I don't really do dancing." She said.
"Have you tried it? I bet you haven't tried it." Suddenly his old puppy-like eagerness was back and he was almost bouncing to get up. "C'mon, shall we?"
He was holding out his hand and her own hand twitched as though it longed to be held by it. She looked up at him and was about to respond when there was a loud shout from behind them and then the sound of something slamming against a wall.
They sharply turned around to see Speedy and Kid Flash rolling around on the floor, trying to drunkenly swung punches at each other and yelling loudly. Kid Flash had Speedy pinned to the ground, fury glowering in his eyes as Speedy tried to fight his way out.
"Dude, seriously, I wasn't checking out her ass!" Speedy shouted loudly as the figures on the dancefloor froze like statues of ice. "Though it is pretty nice…"
"Shut your face!" Jinx snapped in disgust as Kid Flash let out a roar and they started punching each other again. "How was that going to help? Men…"
The three of them ran over and tried to pull them apart, Jinx with her arms around her boyfriend's waist and Aqualad and Kole holding back Speedy's arms. The two of them glared at each other stonily as they flailed around trying to get at each other. Speedy grabbed a bottle and hurled it ruthlessly but, thanks to the alcohol muddling with his brain, it sailed over everyone's heads and shattered spectacularly against the wall like a glass firework.
Beast Boy and Raven had been motionless throughout the whole thing. He turned to her with concern on his face. "Do…you think we should help them?"
Raven looked around him to see Jinx was whispering something in his ear and her hand was trailing down his side. Kid Flash's face suddenly perked up as he turned away from the angry archer and they shared a sly smile. She looked up at Beast Boy with one of her own.
"I think they have it covered. Also do you know how to get Zorkaberries out of the ceiling?"
Beast Boy looked up and his eyes went wide at the still-spreading stain that was the colour of bubblegum and about the size of a mattress already.
"Oh shit! Robin's gonna kill me!"
Raven giggled. "Wait 'til he sees what that bottle left…"
So, what do you think? Whatever you do, please leave a review! (Did that rhyme? I didn't mean it to but hey, reviews make me write faster)