Slices of Saturday

. . .

. . .

. . .

A/N: I guess you could consider these 'drabbles'. They don't have a whole lot of point to them, and they only hang together sort of partially (more or less like the vignettes in "No Shirt, No Shoes, No Problem") so take from them what you will. And, as usual, I have no stake, financial or otherwise, in the ownership and/or income-producing aspects of the Teen Titans. This is presented solely for my own edification and the enjoyment of the reader. Think of it as 'practice'.

. . .

. . .

. . .

For nearly a minute the low hum of the Tower's central air conditioning was the only sound any of them could hear. But then things went back to normal. The door to the common room swooshed open and Cyborg rumbled in with a shout of, "I got it!" as he waved a video game case over his head. "Damn, I'm good!"

There was no immediate response to his pronouncement, so he took a good look at the current occupants: Raven was tucked up in the far right corner on the carpeted platform he'd built for her a few months earlier, a large book open on her lap; Jericho and Hotspot were playing chess at the kitchen counter, both their faces screwed into expressions of deep concentration; Jinx sat on the sofa reading her e-book, with Wally's head in her lap while she toyed absently with his hair; and Bee was seated at the main console, reading the police blotter. Just after Victor's entrance she hit a key on the board, and mellow strains of piano jazz wafted subtly about the room.

Somewhat deflated at this lack of enthusiasm on the part of his teammates, the elder Titan walked over to stand beside his temporary team leader. "Hey, Bee."

"Hey."

"Um … where's the Green Bean?"

She snorted. "It was awful. He was snoggin' Terra silly in the kitchen, an' Rae told 'em to get a room. So they did."

"Nor has it helped materially," remarked the empath from her perch.

"Hey, at least you don't have to put up with them and Star and Rob."

"And no one is happier than I that our Illustrious Leader decided to celebrate their engagement with a visit to Cancun for a week." She pointed in the general direction of Terra's room. "Nevertheless, if they don't tone down that hormonal hurricane soon, I will have to take myself elsewhere."

Jinx smirked up at her. "Like, say, for instance … Café Amadeus?"

Raven failed to get her hood up before the other girl noted her blush. Laughter bloomed in the pink eyes, and Jinx followed her comment with, "Keep it up, girl, Roy's gonna be so jealous he'll swell up and pop."

"Serves him right," said Wally, though his voice was muffled from talking into Jinx's stomach.

"How you fig?"

Repositioning himself slightly, he met her eyes and grinned. "God, you're beautiful."

She popped his arm and said, "Don't change the subject." But he could tell from her soft smile that she liked the compliment.

"Okay," continued Wally, turning onto his back and getting comfortable, "Ol' Roy, he's a player, right?"

"He'll be the first one to admit it. So?"

"So he tried that crap with Raven and she cut him off at the knees."

"Yeah, I know. Saw her do it. Thing o' beauty, it was."

"Well, there you go."

"Still missing your point, here. He acts that way with every girl he flirts with."

Wally held up an exclamatory finger. "That's my point! She didn't swoooon over his charms and that just wasn't something that happened to the Crown Prince of Booty Calls, like, ever. My guess is that she left him wanting more. He got to thinking about her, then obsessing over her, then …"

"Young Master Flash," intoned Raven darkly, "there are any number of small and uncomfortable parallel dimensions where you could cool your heels for a few days if you continue this line of reasoning."

Jinx laid a finger across his lips and said, "I'd shut up while I still could if I were you." And she began lightly dragging the nails of her left hand over his scalp.

His eyes rolled back and he made a few soft moan-y sounds before answering, "Twist my arm."

Jinx, however, couldn't resist another dig at Raven. "Maybe Roy'd like a nice chai latte himself. What do you think?"

"I think," said the empath in exasperation, "that you have a big mouth and a totally wicked imagination."

"No arguments."

"And Roy doesn't drink … um …"

"Can't think whether to call it coffee or tea, can you?"

"… He doesn't drink either one. So it's moot. And I …" She grimaced in sudden discomfort as a long, high, barely-heard squeal edged its way under the door from the hall. "By the gods, I have had enough of that!" Her Great Bird form wrapped her in its inky cloak and carried her through the ceiling.

Hotspot looked up from his game, frowning. "Somethin' wrong?"

Jinx laughed hard at that. "I think Terra would have to say … no. Definitely not."

Victor and Jericho both blushed, but Bee joined the hex-caster in her mirth. "Got that right! Heh. She's let me in on a few of the …"

"Bee!" interrupted the cyborg, "do ya mind?"

"Hey, no prob. Just sayin'. He's a shapeshifter, you know."

Covering both his ears and loping out of the room, Victor said, "LALALALALA I CAN'T HEAR YOU." This only sent the two girls into further peals of laughter.

Hotspot looked blankly between the two now-helplessly-giggling super-heroines, then turned back to Jericho. "Did I miss somethin'?"

Don't worry about it, he signed, it's your move. I took your knight.

The other boy shrugged and studied the board.

Wally asked, "Is there anything else you can pipe in, Bee? That piano stuff's gettin' old."

She didn't even look over at him. "Adjust."

. . .

. . .

. . .

A/N: Now, I wonder where Raven went? Maybe we'll find out next time.