Hey everyone! My name is TheDarknessComes87! You can call me Darkness. This is the first story I have ever posted on here and I'm wondering if it's any good! Let me know in a review, please! I was really nervous about posting anything so it was hard to post this. There are likely to be grammatical and spelling errors, I'm sorry if I missed a mistake here or there. I know it's kind of late for a Thanksgiving story but I couldn't help myself. Please enjoy reading!
-Darkness
Once again Thanksgiving was upon Titan's Tower and the entire team was buzzing with excitement. Except Robin. He was in town in civvies, a blonde wig and sunglasses. People packed tightly around him as they watched the over-sized balloons and floats pass by on the street. Robin didn't mind watching the parade but when a float with Santa on it came out, Robin frowned. He went to get a closer look and there were elves all over the front of it. People around him cheered, pressing close and moving to get a better view. Robin scowled at the float as it passed by. Seriously, it's Thanksgiving. Wait until tomorrow to show Christmas stuff! He liked Christmas as much as the next super kick butt teenage super hero but not before Christmas! He kept his bad mood as a news anchor stuffed a microphone in his face.
"So, Kid, what do you think of the Thanksgiving Day parade so far?" The anchor practically shouted in his face to be heard over the crowd. The news anchor, a young woman with short straight brown hair, was pressed to close by the crowd.
"I don't think they should show Christmas stuff. It's a Thanksgiving parade." The news anchor almost looked shocked but shrugged off his comment.
"Yes, well, thank you for your time." The anchor said, shoving past him to a more agreeable source for positive comments. He frowned and waded his way through the sea of people. He shoved past a man who smelled his armpits and a crying baby. He was almost to the edge of the crowd when he saw and heard a little girl crying.
"What's wrong?" Robin asked, kneeling next to the little girl. She sniffled and grabbed onto his arm, clinging to it like a lifeline.
"I can find my mummy!" She practically wailed in Robin's ear.
"Okay, just calm down. We'll find her. What does your mommy look like?" Robin asked, scanning around in the crowd.
"She's so pretty," The little girl seemed to perk up. "Like Princess Buttercup." Robin internally groaned, knowing it would be really hard to find the little girls mom in the crowd. He was wracking his brains for a solution, anything. He stopped himself.
"There goes the Mall's main shopping center, 'Grey Delight's' float. My, I think that's the best one yet!" announced a ladies' voice on the loudspeaker. Of course! Everything clicked into place as Robin hoisted the little girl onto his shoulders and took off into the heart of the crowd.
" 'Scuse me, but I need to…"
"What are you doing?!"
"I just need to…Excuse me! Everyone in the crowd! I found a little girl who can't find her mom. Her name is…JJ. Or so she says. If this is our kid please come to the broadcasting office. Thank You." Robin's voice sounded over the crowd.
Robin typed in the security code to the tower and went inside with a swish of the doors. He was not happy about Christmas upstaging Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is about being thankful for what we have, not waiting to get presents on Christmas. He trudged into the elevators and touched the floor for the main room. When the doors opened he stepped back in shock. Black smoke filled the room and someone was shouting about fire alarms.
"Raven, c'mon! I just got those new ones installed!" Cyborg's voice cut through the room. Beast Boy was shouting something that sounded like 'Glowu murky biner' and Starfire appeared at the doors to the elevator.
"Hello, friend Robin!" She said, squeezing him tightly. Robin heard his spine crack and Starfire let him go. Her face was colored grey from the soot and she was wearing a pair of emergency goggles from the wall over her eyes. She pecked him on the cheek and flew back into the smoke.
"Beast Boy, are you okay? I can't sense anything through this smoke!" Raven said, shouting from somewhere to Robin's left. Smoke started to fill the elevator and Robin pulled his safety glasses from his belt. Once they were fixed over his eyes he carefully made his way into the smoke, securing his smoke mask. Robin bumped into a figure and saw it was Beast Boy.
"Head for the stairs!" Robin said, handing his mask to the green teenager. Beast Boy pulled on the mask and ran off. Robin was heading for the opposite end of the room, coughing from the smoke. He spotted a bubble of black magic and walked around it. Loud music blared from somewhere off to his left. Starfire flew past him at high speed and Robin spun onto the couch. He got up; tired of the smoke he flipped past the television and opened one of the windows.
"Yo! Raven! Y'all gotta be more careful with that magic o' yours! You ruined the new sprinkler system!"
"Maybe Beast Boy should watch where he's going when he's a Llama!" Came Raven's angry voice from the rapidly clearing smoke. Robin opened a few more windows, flooding the room with cold, crisp air.
"Okay, team. Anyone want to explain to me why the commons room was just filled with smoke?" Robin asked, taking off his safety goggles and rubbing his eyes, careful not to get soot in them.
"Robin, You have saved us from the horrible smoke that penetrates the lungs!" Starfire said, slapping him on the back. Robin stumbled from the force of the slap, dodging a green bird that flew through the window.
"Dudes, my tofu turkey dinner! I was looking forward to that!" Raven snatched Beast Boys shirt and shoved him at Robin. Her cape was burn and smoking on the ends and she was kind of dirty and angry but was okay.
"Friends! No one has been harmed in the making of a meat free turkey! Oh, Joy!" Starfire hugged Raven and Raven pried Starfire off herself.
"You want an explanation; look no further than that one." Raven said, pointing an accusing finger at Beast Boy. Beat Boy shifted uncomfortably under everyone's gazes.
"Well, Beast Boy. I'm waiting for an explanation." Robin said sternly, staring down the changeling.
"Well, you know its Thanksgiving right? Well, Raven doesn't cook, Starfire can't cook well, you were at the parade and Cyborg doesn't make vegetarian so…I kinda took Thanksgiving dinner into my own hands…and it turns out, tofu turkeys aren't available in the stores around here so….."
"To sum it up, stupid here didn't know what the heck he was doing and ended up blowing up tofu in the oven. That's where all the smoke came from." Robin stared at the team. This had to be an elaborate joke. Half of the honorary titans were coming for dinner and Beast Boy had just blown up part of the kitchen. Robin walked silently towards the stove and opened the door. It fell off to the floor, smoking. Robin grabbed an oven mitt and a potholder and fished out a blackened pan with some sort of black brick in the bottom. If you looked really closely it was sort of shaped like a bird.
"Beast Boy….."Robin said, trying not to freak out and failing. "We are having a lot of other titans over and you just blew up half the commons room! You can't be serious!" Robin threw the pot holder on the floor. "Start cleaning. Now!" Raven picked up the bar stool on the floor and dragged it over to the counter.
"Starfire, you and Cyborg go shopping for food, Beast Boy and Raven start cleaning up. I'm going to go get a few chairs for the table." Robin said, indicating a long table that looked unscathed, thankfully.
"Okay, Robin. I'm going to get the sofa from Starfire's room instead of this one. It won't do for company." She said, pointing to the sofa. It had been a little too close to the kitchen part of the room and half of it was blackened and smoking.
"What do I do bro?" Beast Boy asked just before a mop controlled by Raven smacked into his head. It landed in front of him on the floor and so did a bucket of soapy water. "Oh, right."
Robin headed to the elevator and took it down. Robin tapped his foot. Their elevator looked slightly scorched and Robin scrubbed at the black marks on the walls while he headed down to the storage closets. The elevator dinged and Robin stepped off, worrying about the guests due to arrive in a few hours. He rubbed his temples, listening to the sound of his steel toed boots on the hall floor. He grabbed a chair from the storage closet and rode the elevator back up.
"I can do it by myself!" came a green boy's voice.
"Not within a suitable time margin. We are pressed for time. We can't wait around for you to scrub the whole room by yourself, stupid." Robin set the chair down by the table. Raven had several scrub brushes under her control scrubbing the counter and sink and floor. Beast Boy was unhappy because it was his job.
"Easy Titans. Beast Boy, Raven is right. We can't have just you cleaning. We only have…two hours!" Robin yelled, glancing at a wall clock safely out of explosion distance. Robin sank onto a bar stool and whacked his head onto the counter.
"It'll be okay Robin." Raven said, lifting Robins head and scrubbing the counter underneath. "Go get more chairs otherwise someone will have to sit on the floor." Robin trudged to the elevator for more chairs.
After the commons room looked decent, Raven helped Robin fix the stove and Starfire helped Cyborg lug a turkey and fruit and goodness knows what else upstairs, they got the food started. The turkey was pre-cooked and Cyborg asked for Raven's help in the kitchen. Starfire settled down to watch Ninja Showdown 9 with Beast Boy and Robin just kind of slumped against the counter.
"I am so doomed." He muttered to himself. Raven glanced over at him.
"I advise against depression. I destroyed a city that way." She said in a monotone, grinding up fruit to make cranberry sauce. Her powers were hard at work stirring two pots on the stove and setting the timer on the counter.
"You're absolutely sure you don't need my help?" Robin asked, trying to be a part of preparations. He was desperate to help. They only had an hour at most.
"How many guests are coming?" Raven asked, her powers opening the plate cabinet.
"Fourteen people are coming, in less than an hour." Robin said, catching the pile of plates that flew to him.
"Set those out. Then come back for utensils." Raven said, never taking her eyes off her work. Starfire flew over.
"Friends, surely you would not be doing the setting of the table without me?" Starfire held her hands out and Raven put a pile of spoons into it.
"Set those out. Robin needs help." Raven said, turning around to check on the pots she was stirring. The stuffing was almost done.
"Oh. My. Gosh." Cyborg said too loudly.
"What? What happened?" Robin asked, alarmed.
"Um, we forgot the chocolate cake and pies at the bakery." Cyborg said, waiting for Robin to freak out. Robin didn't yell, surprisingly. He just fell onto the floor. Beast Boy sucked up some water and changed into an elephant and sprayed Robin with the water. Robin bolted up.
"Let's go, Beast Boy. We have to get the dessert!" Robin said, jumping up and racing to the elevator, dragging an elephant behind him.
"Uh, I don't know if it's only me, but the stress seems to be gettin' to Robin." Cyborg said, rubbing his head.
"You are not the only one to be detecting the stress on Robin."
"You're right. I can blame it on Beast Boy, right?" Everyone nodded.
"I'm here to pick up a cake and three pies for the Teen Titans?" Robin said, leaning a little too far over the counter at the bakery.
"Sure thing, hun." Said the lady behind the counter. "One large chocolate cake, one raspberry pie, one pumpkin pie and one caramel apple pie. That sound right, kid?"
"Uh, yes?" Robin said, looking at Beast Boy for confirmation. Beast Boy just shrugged. Robin took the cake and a pie, beast Boy took the remaining pies and they exited the bakery. Robin's bike waited outside.
"Dude, how are we supposed to ride your bike with four desserts? These two pies don't even have lids…" Robin would have kicked himself if his hands hadn't been full of dessert. He stared at his bike. What could they use as transportation? It hit him. He turned slowly and grinned at Beast Boy.
"Dude, no way. I am not carrying four desserts and you home. Just get it out of your big, Robin brain."
"Beast Boy, duty has called you to take these desserts back to the tower. Without eating them." Robin said, pulling a rope out of his belt.
A few minutes later Beast Boy had a few desserts tied to his back. Pterodactyls should not be toting Thanksgiving dessert on their backs, but there weren't a lot of alternatives. After he got to the tower he pecked at the window and someone opened it, pulling the food off of his back.
"Hey, Sparky, BB's here with the desserts. They look really good."
"Bee's right. These look delicious." said Aqualad, walking with Bee back towards the kitchen. The Titans East had arrived shortly after Robin and BB left.
"Just don't eat them all, fish face." Speedy said from the couch, his feet propped up on the other end, watching Beast Boys movie. Aqualad made a face before turning around to help Cyborg.
"Hey! Dude, not cool! That's my movie!" Beast Boy said, rushing off to fight with Speedy.
"Queremos comer! ¿Cuándo tendremos la comida? (We want to eat. When will we have food?)" Mas y Menos yelled, rushing around the table and trying to grab food. Robin walked out of the elevator only to be greeted by the Tamaranean princess.
"Welcome home, Robin! You are here to eat the dinner of giving thanks, yes?" Starfire asked, grabbing Robin's hand.
"Uh, yeah Star, I am." He said, walking with her over to the table. Suddenly a rift opened up in front of the television.
"Y'all know I'm charging you, right?" Came Heralds voice as he stepped out of the rift and into the commons room. "Everyone except Jericho. 'Cause he lives on a mountain top, kinda hard to get transportation up there." Jericho, Kole, Gnark, Red Star, Bushido and Kilowatt stepped onto the floor of the Titan's main room.
"Hey guys." yelled Speedy from the couch, wrestling Beast Boy away from the TV remote.
Robin walked up to greet everyone. Everyone was wearing civvies with sunglasses or a mask on. Kilowatt and Bushido looked way different out of costume.
"Where's Hot Spot?" Robin asked, looking around for his fiery friend.
"Yea, man, we tried to convince him to come but apparently the crime rate is up where he lives or something. I dunno. He wouldn't come." Herald said, closing the rift.
"Well, since everyone is here except Kid Fla-"Robin was cut off by a streak of blue and pink.
"Hey, dude, when am I ever late?" Kid Flash asked high fiving Herald. He was wearing a blue shirt and jeans.
"Almost always." Robin said, rubbing the bridge of his nose. Kid Flash stuck out his tongue and went to mill about with Jinx, who looked pretty in skinny jeans and a pink top.
"Oh, man, I invited a friend over for dinner. He doesn't have any family stuff going on so he should be here soon." Kid Flash said from across the room. Jinx split off from Kid Flash and walked over to Robin.
"I'm sorry. I can't believe that twip invited another person."
"It's fine." Robin assured her. "I live with four other teens we get stuff like that a lot." Jinx looked doubtful, pink eyes glaring at Kid Flashes back and then glancing back at Robin.
"I'm really sorry." She said before going to talk to Raven about the book she was reading on the light purple couch from Starfire's room. Robin talked to Bushido about martial arts before heading downstairs for another chair for Kid Flashes guest. Someone rang the doorbell and Robin glanced at a security monitor. An amber skinned boy with curly black hair was standing at the entrance, hands in his pockets.
"I'll get it." Robin said into the communicator. He opened the door. "Can I help you?" Robin asked. The boy smiled. His eyes were different colors; one brown one blue and his teeth were very white.
"I'm Xavier. Kid Flash invited me. You must be Robin, nice to meet you." Robin shook the kid's hand.
"Well, it's very nice to meet you. If you'll come this way I'll take you to the main room where all the partying is." Robin said, walking towards the elevator. Xavier acted like he had been in the tower before but Robin shrugged it off. They rode the elevator up and got out in the commons room. Robin was silently thankful that the room wasn't covered in soot and placed Xavier's chair in between himself and Kid Flash. He turned around to address Xavier but the boy was gone. Robin spotted him talking to Bushido and Bushido was showing him his shurikens. Robin sat on a bar stool and asked Cyborg how the food was going.
"It's good. In fact, we'll be ready to eat in a few minutes."
"Did someone mention food?" an excited Kid Flash asked, speeding up behind Robin.
"Kid, who is Xavier?" Robin asked, turning around on his stool.
"Oh, he and I go to school together. I don't know him super well and he's kind of a loner so I thought I would bring him. He said his family is crazy so he was going to do homework over the holiday. I was all like 'no you ain't!' and I told him he had to come with me. I probably shouldn't have invited him without asking but I knew if I did that he wouldn't come so… yeah…" Kids voice faded off into silence. Robin slapped him on the back.
"It's okay. Just tell me sooner than five minutes before dinner next time. And don't just invite everyone you know. He is the only exception. I'm going to put on civvies, Cyborg, we'll eat when I get back. Everyone! We eat in five minutes!" He yelled before heading down the hall to his room. He had pulled on his nicest pair of skinny jeans when his door swished open. Xavier stood staring in the door.
"I'm sorry." Xavier said before turning around and starting to walk away.
"No. It's fine. We're both guys, right?" Robin said, searching for his favorite t-shirt in his closet. As he pulled on his shirt he looked over at Xavier. "Did you need something?"
"Uh, I just wanted to apologize for coming uninvited." Xavier said, stepping aside to let Robin back through the door.
"You weren't uninvited. Just…unexpected." Robin said, stepping into the lively room full of people.
"People! It's time ta eat, y'all!" Cyborg yelled from the table full of food. Everyone cheered and headed towards the table. Kid Flash made it there first, of course.
"FOOD!" He yelled, zooming to the table. Jinx face palmed and sat down on his right. Robin sat next to Xavier and they talked about Crime fighting. Xavier claimed to have an interest in martial arts and asked Robin to tell him about his moves. Robin happily obliged, even though he got the feeling Xavier was studying him. Everyone was having fun, laughing and enjoying each other's company.
"Hey, new kid, pass me the dinner rolls!" yelled Speedy from across the table. Xavier slowly turned to look at Speedy. He reached for a dinner roll and threw it. It smacked into the side of Speedy's head and the boy stared at Xavier.
"You asked for it." Xavier said with a bright smile. Robin couldn't help but notice that the girls at the table leaned in and stared. Perhaps realizing for the first time the stranger in their midst was a heartthrob.
"It is so on!" Speedy said, grabbing a deviled egg and tossing it at Xavier. The deviled egg fell short and into the cranberry sauce.
"Pfft!" went Xavier. "My abuelita can throw better than that." Speedy glared and Robin stood up.
"Stop it. No food fights on a Holiday." He said, squeezing the bridge of his nose. "Just, please, can we have a nice dinner among friends?" He sat back down. Nobody said anything but Robin could feel them staring at him.
"Please pass the dinner rolls without throwing them, Xavier." came Ravens monotone out of the silence.
"Uh, sure." Xavier said, passing the basket of rolls just before a huge belch came from another end of the table. Beast Boy felt out of his chair laughing and soon everyone was laughing. Robin slowly smiled and laughed along.
"Who wants to play the game of thankfulness?" asked Starfire, munching some coleslaw.
"Ooh, me!" yelled Beast Boy. "I'm going first. I'm thankful for tofu!"
"I'm thankful for Kid Flash!" Jinx put in, looking at Wally with puppy dog eyes.
"I'm thankful for being invited to eat dinner with the team." Bushido said, passing the carrot
sticks to Beast Boy.
"I'm thankful for the team period." spoke up the usually quiet Kilowatt.
"I'm thankful for all of you guys." Robin said, grabbing some more turkey.
THE END
Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed my story. If you did, review please. If you have constructive criticism it would be nice to hear that too. Only constructive criticism though, please. Till next time!
-Darkness