I know I say this every single time, but you make me glow with happiness at the wonderful comments you leave. Thank you all, and a special thank you for those who continue to review every chapter. It gives me the drive to update more.
Now, I don't usually do this, but I don't have any other way to contact this reviewer. Thank you very much Ronove72 for the kind words and encouragement, and I do actually hope to write a book of my own one day. I'll just have to come up with an idea.
Okay, enough chit-chat! On with the story!
"Where on earth are we goin' to store all of these pillows?!" Cyborg cried, peering around the mound of cushions he held balanced in his arms. His electronic eye zoomed in slightly on Raven who was standing in the middle of the main room, levitating pillows onto the tower that Starfire was building. "You obviously didn't think this through, Raven."
"You forget that I was not one who suggested the sleepover in the first place," Raven replied in her monotone voice, elevating a yellow cloud-shaped pillow onto Starfire's pile. "I only wanted the pillow war to make it more entertaining."
Cyborg shifted, keeping an eye on the cushions in his arms. "Well, that still doesn't solve the problem as to where we are goin' to store all of these things."
"Dude," Beast Boy said from where he was wrestling with the pillows stuck underneath the couch, "we live in a tower. Just toss them in some empty room and forget about it!" He grunted, falling backwards as one of the cushions came free.
"That explains why your room is in the state that it is," Raven responded with a roll of her eyes. Beast Boy frowned at her, throwing his pillow in the empath's direction but missing by a large margin.
Starfire appeared thoughtful. "Perhaps we should do the 'giving away' of the pillows?"
"Charity?" Robin approached, holding a few pillows he had retrieved from various locations, including under the table and behind the fridge. "Not a bad idea, Star. I doubt we'll ever have much of a need for this many cushions again anyway, and charity sounds like a good plan compared to just throwing them somewhere in the tower and forgetting about them." Nearby, Beast Boy huffed. As the team continued to clean the room, Cyborg's communicator buzzed. He attempted to reach for it, nearly dropping his pillow tower as he did. The robotic teenager cleared his throat at Raven, who, with a pointed exaggerated sigh, took his communicator and opened it to face her teammate.
"Hey Sparky."
Cyborg lifted an eyebrow, adjusting his grip on the cushions. "Whatcha callin' for, Bumblebee? Didn't you just leave?"
The teasing in her voice was easy to hear. "What, can't I call you simply because I miss you?" Cyborg smirked.
"Only because I know that's not the real reason," he replied. "What's up? Can't fix the computer?"
"You read me like a book, Sparks." Bumblebee sighed. "Those two destroyed it completely and I have no experience in fixing such advanced electronics. It doesn't help that part of it is stuffed with sushi. Think you could come over to the Titan's East tower? Our T.V. broke too and all these useless boys have no idea how to fix it. We need some real men here. I figure you'll have to do."
"Well, we're pretty busy in our tower right now," Cyborg stated, glancing over his shoulder at Beast Boy as the shape-shifter attempted and failed to juggle five pillows at once. "But then again, I can probably sneak away."
"Great!" Bumblebee exclaimed. "I'd swear our tower is falling apart at the seams. We really need some good help over here, and maybe you could teach the hopeless boys over here how to do something instead of breaking stuff in their spare time." In the background, someone -most likely Speedy- could be heard grumbling, "Well it's not like we broke the television. That's what happens when you throw my mirror and comb at full strength into the screen. You should be the one to fix it." Bumblebee disappeared from the screen and quick silence filled the air, suddenly followed by a loud "OW!" from the communicator. And then, "Do you want me to throw YOU into the T.V.?! Then shut it and go fix the problem!" Cyborg and Raven glanced at each other, Cyborg smirking slightly. Bumblebee returned. "Ahem. Sorry about that. But I'm sure you've had to put up with your team members getting on your nerves before, right Sparky?"
Raven decided to make her presence known. "And who would those people be, Bumblebee?" she questioned, angling the communicator so she could see the Titan's East leader.
Bumblebee's surprise was in plain sight, and she grinned guiltily. "Oh, hey Raven… Didn't see you there…," she coughed.
Raven narrowed an eyebrow. "How do you think Cyborg was holding the communicator? With a third arm?"
"It's not like it's impossible," Bumblebee laughed. Her eyes fell on Cyborg once more. "Alright then Sparky, I'll see you in a few hours." Her screen blacked out, and Raven snapped Cyborg's communicator shut, giving it back to him. The robotic teenager shrugged.
"Well, looks like I've gotta go! Have fun with the pillows!" he grinned, proceeding to toss the enormous tower of pillows to Raven. She only had enough time to widen her eyes before it came down on her and she was buried beneath the avalanche of cushions. A moment after Cyborg had exited the room, Raven stood up, just her head and shoulders sticking out of the ocean of pillows. She was about to open her mouth with a retort when Beast Boy, having noticed what happened, suddenly leaped forward and dove into the pillow sea, waving his arms back and forth and making a pillow angel next to Raven. The dark girl sighed.
"Is not the point of picking up pillows to make the room cleaner?" Starfire asked curiously, peering at the two with interest. "Why did friend Cyborg drop his on the floor?" Her eyes brightened. "Is this the game of potatoes of hot?"
Beast Boy sat up, scratching his head. "You mean hot potato?"
Raven realized what Starfire had in mind, and she held her hands out to the taller girl. "No, don't-!"
It was too late for Starfire to register Raven's warning, for she had already released her grip on the cushions, and once more Raven was submerged in pillows, this time with Beast Boy for company. The two emerged, Beast Boy grinning wildly and Raven clouded with irritation. Robin turned around from where he was retrieving a pillow that had somehow ended up in the cabinets and was met with the sight of more pillows swamping the ground than there had been a second ago. One could almost see the question mark form above his head.
The leader set his sights on Starfire. "Um, Star? Why did you…?"
"Was I not supposed to drop the pillows?" the alien princess asked with pure innocence.
Beast Boy laughed, tossing a few in the air. "Dude, that was awesome! It was like a painless avalanche! Let's load you up and do it again, Star!"
Aggravated, Raven sighed, putting her chin into her palm. "Why do I even bother?" she muttered.
After explaining to Starfire that she didn't need to drop all of her pillows the next time she was balancing them, Raven relayed to the rest of the team what had happened with Cyborg and how he was going to help Bumblebee fix her computer and television. With that mystery solved, the teenagers started over with their task of loading Starfire up with pillows once more. Because of Cyborg's absence, the chore took longer, but eventually the team was nearly finished with only a few piles more of cushions to deal with. It was around then that Robin's communicator rang.
"Cyborg?" The Titan's leader was surprised. "Didn't you leave only a half hour ago?"
"Yeah man." Cyborg's voice was muffled with static interference. "But I should have checked the weather report. Have you guys looked outside recently?"
Robin frowned. "No, but it can't have changed much since this morning." As he spoke, Robin looked over to the window, suddenly stopping as he saw the weather outside. "Or maybe it could have," he corrected, staring with wide eyes. The sky was heavily overcast with dark clouds. Small, dancing flakes of snow fell from the sky, sticking to the glass and side of the tower, and a cold wind whistled against the walls. "Isn't it early October? We don't usually get snowstorms until December," Robin declared.
"So you see my problem," Cyborg stated. "The pod I took from the T-ship couldn't make it through the weather and I had to land, and now I think the engine's frozen. Think you could pick me up? I'm sendin' you my coordinates."
"Sure Cyborg. We'll come and get you."
"Great." Cyborg suppressed a shiver. "And bring my winter jacket!" He signed off, and, snapping the communicator shut, Robin turned around to face his teammates. Starfire was attempting to keep all the cushions from falling off of her while Beast Boy had approached Raven, a small pillow in his hands.
Raven caught sight of him drawing closer and faced the boy, crossing her arms. If he thought she was in the mood for pillow fight, he obviously didn't know her well enough. Luckily for the shape-shifter, that wasn't at all what he seemed to have in mind. Beast Boy had a miniature, dark scarlet, square-shaped pillow in his hands, and, with a smile, he held the velvet cushion out to the dark sorceress. Raven received it, regarding the object with little interest. "And what are you giving me this for?"
Beast Boy grinned. "Nothin'. It's just a gift from my hands to yours. Plus," he added with a bright smile, "it's squishy!" He demonstrated, taking the pillow from Raven for a moment and squeezing it between his hands. "And therefore fun to play with!"
Raven was feeling extremely lucky that it hadn't squeaked, and, as he handed it back to her, she expressed her feelings on the situation. "If I recall, you were not the one who bought this pillow; Starfire and I were the ones that had to go shopping. It was a far from pleasant task."
"Then you deserve to hang onto it!" Beast Boy smiled. "Payment for having to go shopping!"
"Uh huh." Raven rolled her eyes, doubting she would ever find a use for the pillow. Her bed was already comfortable enough, and the little pillow in her hands was probably too small for anything except hitting someone with it, which was exactly what the Titans had done with the soft object before.
Robin interrupted the two. "Well team, Cyborg needs to be picked up. He got stuck in the snowstorm, so it looks like we're going to have to put a halt on cleaning up the pillows."
"Are you serious?" Raven closed her eyes. "At this rate, we'll never finish." It was too late, however, for Starfire had already let go of all of the pillows. With a sigh, Raven began unburying herself once more. "When I said we were doing a pillow war, I never expected the cleaning up afterwards to take up so much time," she sighed.
"Hang on," Beast Boy said, a confused expression on his green face. "It's snowing?"
Fifteen to twenty minutes later of slow and low flying through heavy precipitation, the Titans reached Cyborg's coordinates. Sure enough, the orange pod was visible, buried beneath a quickly forming pile of white snow. A few feet away, a small, run-down house could be seen. As the T-ship landed, Cyborg exited the building and waved at them quickly to come inside, which all the teenagers did hurriedly after leaving the ship. No one wanted to be outside in such cold weather for longer than necessary. Upon entering the house, the freezing group could see that the whole place was a one-room structure, empty save for a small fireplace in the corner and a few windows on the walls.
Once inside, Cyborg's first words to the team were, "Did you bring my coat?" Robin handed it to him, and, as the teenager threw it over his arms, he stated, "Thanks man. I may be half robot, but that doesn't mean I'm immune to the weather." Cyborg glanced at Starfire. "Unlike Star over there who doesn't seem to be the least bit frozen."
Starfire smiled. She was wearing a light purple jacket, one made specifically for fall instead of the winter. "Tamaraneans are not immune to the cold," she explained, "though we are quite resistant to chilled weather."
"Lucky," Beast Boy shivered from his spot in between the alien princess and Raven.
"You said before that your pod's engine might be frozen?" Robin questioned Cyborg, rubbing his hands together to create friction to keep warm. While the building was warmer than outside's temperature, that didn't mean it wasn't cold inside either.
"If it wasn't before, it sure is now. I tried to start the pod several times before you arrived and even then it wouldn't even respond. I think we'd better get goin' before your guys's engines freeze too," Cyborg suggested. However, it seemed like their plan was not to be. After numerous attempts to get the T-ship to run with no results, the team rejoined back together inside the house.
No one said anything at first as cold as they were –save for Starfire who stayed outside to try and start the T-car again- and it took them a few minutes to even think of doing anything else except warming up. Eventually, Beast Boy spoke up."There was only a twenty percent chance of thunderstorms, right?! Not cool, weather people dudes!" he complained through his chattering teeth.
Raven rubbed her arms, glancing at him. Her hood was pulled up to keep her ears warm. "Since when do you listen to the Weather channel?" Cyborg and Robin looked up quickly; they had heard the weather when they'd been trying to eavesdrop on the girls' sleepover. Thankfully, Beast Boy thought fast.
"Since… Since the weather is doing what it shouldn't be! And it shouldn't be snowing right now!" Beast Boy exclaimed, and then quickly changed the subject. "How are we going to get home?"
"That actually is a good question," Robin interrupted, glad to take over before Raven asked anything else about the weather channel. "I don't believe Starfire is having any luck with the T-ship. We could always try having her use her starbolts to heat it up, but that could also destroy the vehicle. I think we're going to have to stay here and wait the storm out."
"Any other alternatives?" Cyborg asked, disliking both options that Robin had proposed.
Robin shook his head. "Unless you can think of anything…"
"What about calling someone else for help?"
"That doesn't seem like a good idea," Robin replied. "Only if you want to trap all of the Teen Titans we know out here in a snowstorm, I wouldn't suggest it."
"Alright, alright. We can wait for the storm to pass. I'm gonna call Bumblebee to tell her why I'm not gonna get to Titans East tower today." Cyborg pulled out his communicator, walking a little ways from the group so he could talk to Bumblebee without competing to be heard. As he was calling, Starfire came in from outside, accompanied by a cold draft.
"I apologize, my friends," she sighed, closing the door behind her and setting down several large pieces of timber near the exit. "I could not get the engine jogging in the least bit, but I did manage to find some wood outside. I hope these will be useful."
"Great idea, Star!" Robin grabbed a few logs and placed them in the fireplace. Thanks to Starfire's powers, he was able to get a fire up and running in no time and soon all of the team was huddled around the source of heat.
"So," Cyborg began, his call long since finished. After a few minutes in front of the fire, he was at last beginning to feel the cold seep out of his body for good. "What do ya'll think's up with this house? It seems weird that it's just out in the middle of nowhere."
"It's probably haunted," Beast Boy grinned through his chattering teeth.
"Or," Robin frowned, holding his hands out to the fireplace, "the house is probably someone's from a long time ago who doesn't live here anymore, like a farmer or rancher, although the building is a little too small for that," he added thoughtfully. "It might be someone's summer house." He was feeling quite comfortable now, seeing as the heat from the fire and Starfire's position at his side had warmed him considerably.
"You think that for a summer house it would be nicer."
"Ah, stop complaining Beast Boy," Cyborg shook his head, crossing his legs. "At least there's a fire in here now, unlike before when I was waiting in the cold and dark while you guys were coming to pick me up."
"That doesn't mean I'm not cold! I can't help it!" Beast Boy hugged himself, trying to keep what warmth he had close to his body. Looking at the others, he could understand why he was the least heated. Being the smallest and skinniest, he had little body mass to hold onto his heat, and everyone else looked like they had something that helped keep them thawed out. Robin had Starfire who was leaned against his side and keeping him warm. Starfire herself was cold resistant, and Cyborg only had half the body to get cold as the other half was metal. Knowing the robotic teenager, he probably even upgraded his systems to hold a built-in heater in his arm. Even Raven had it better than Beast Boy. Her cloak looked like it would be nice and warm, especially noting the layered edges of her fabric. Beast Boy knew that he could always shape-shift into something with fur, but right now even that seemed like it would take too much energy and somehow make him colder in the process. Beast Boy obviously wasn't thinking straight, as changing into an animal would be the perfect way to warm his shivering bones, but the cold must have been numbing his brain. "Don't we have some blankets somewhere in the T-ship?" he whined, adjusting his position once more.
"You know, now that I think about it, we might," Robin realized. He placed his palm against his forehead. "That's right! After meeting Red Star, I realized we should always have extra blankets stored away, so I put a few under our seats along with some survival food."
"What, no pillows?" Beast Boy joked despite his discomfort due to the low temperature. "Bet you wish we have all those pillows back in the tower now, huh Robin?" Robin exhaled. On his other side unoccupied by Starfire and a little further away, Raven shifted her position a little, running her hands up and down her arms to warm her skin.
"Well then, it looks like we'll need a brave volunteer to defy the cold and go get our supplies," Cyborg announced, wringing his hands together. "I vote Starfire!" Beast Boy nodded in agreement quickly, but before Starfire could move, Raven got to her feet.
"I actually forgot something in the ship; I'll go get our things as I pick it up," she said. This seemed fine to the others, especially Robin and Starfire as both had not been looking forward to moving away from one another. A few minutes passed, and at last Raven returned with the blankets and food. Beast Boy quickly snatched up one of each, throwing a fuzzy blue blanket tightly around his shoulders and stuffing some jerky into his mouth. Raven rolled her eyes, beginning to pass out the rest to her other teammates, and soon everyone was clustered near the fire, wrapped in thick, warm blankets, and snacking on what food they had.
With a sigh of relaxation, Beast Boy stretched out on his back, glancing at Raven and Cyborg who were seated next to him. "Well, I'm bored. Let's do something."
The other exchanged glances. "I don't see why not," Cyborg stated, brushing his hands together to get the crumbs off of his fingers. "It's not like we have anywhere to be. Whatcha got in mind, BB?"
"Truth or Dare!"
"You came up with that idea fast," Raven observed, throwing a wrapper into the fire and watching it crackle into glowing dust.
"Well yeah," Beast Boy replied, rolling over onto his stomach and looking at her. "I figured that at that sleepover you girls must have played a lot, coming up with plenty of great dares so you can actually stand a chance against me this time!"
"But we did not play the game of dares and truths," Starfire informed him honestly.
"And if I remember, you're terrible at Truth or Dare," Raven added with a smirk. The team had only played Truth or Dare once before, and -like many other teenagers eventually discovered when participating in the game- it had gotten out of hand. When they were finished, Cyborg had orange juice in his joints, Robin was crossly sitting on the couch in pink underwear, Starfire was staring at scissors with a new-found fear, and Beast Boy was vomiting in the bathroom. Even Raven had suffered from the game, and she found that for weeks following she had difficulty just looking at tofu. Needless to say, no one felt like a winner, and no one suggested replaying the game for a long time afterwards, but that had been nearly two years ago and Beast Boy was determined to try it again, this time without retching.
"We've only played once!" Beast Boy defended himself quickly. "And I'm more experienced now, so I know what I'm doing!"
Cyborg looked like he agreed with the idea of trying the game again, and since Starfire did not have an opinion of Beast Boy's suggestion, Robin and Raven were the ones left with doubts.
Robin considered the proposal for a minute or so, at last agreeing with the sentence, "Alright, but just as long as it doesn't get out of hand again."
Beast Boy turned his head to Raven, the dark sorceress's expression one of stubbornness. "It's either that or spin the bottle," Beast Boy teased. Starfire brightened at this idea, but what Raven said next dashed her hopes.
"We don't have a bottle," the empath stated, quirking an eyebrow.
Beast Boy thought for a moment. "Then… spin the… shoe?" He made as if to take his sneakers off.
"Or I could just not play at all," Raven retorted hastily before Beast Boy could completely take his shoes off and have the rest of the team swoon because of the stench. "There are no winners in Truth or Dare if you ask me. Or spin the bottle. I have no intention of looking like a fool participating in either game."
"Aw, why not?!" Beast Boy cried, shoving the shoe back on his foot.
Starfire spoke up quietly. "Actually friends, I would not mind trying to play the bottle spinning game." She blushed, emerald eyes slipping to Robin. Robin caught her glance and reddened himself. His hand lifted to scratch the back of his neck.
"It doesn't sound like too bad of an idea…," he mumbled. Raven lifted an eyebrow, crossing her arms. Apparently her leader was easily swayed by the idea if Starfire was involved. Robin had his eyes on the beautiful alien princess, eyes darting away every few seconds so no one would notice. Seeing as he was one of the sharpest detectives in the world, he would have been disappointed in himself to know that everyone else in the room had already seen who his focus was on.
Raven crossed her arms. "Fine, but don't expect me to play. And don't make me say I told you so when you realize there is more to this 'game' than you've thought through." Beast Boy's ears drooped, and a pathetic whine came from his throat, but Cyborg's large hand got a grip on the back of his shirt and the shape-shifter was pulled into the game.
Taking placement of the bottle -since Beast Boy's shoe was vetoed due to the threat of its stink knocking out the participants- the substitute was one of Robin's bird-a-rangs. There was a chip in one of the ends that would act as the front of the bottle. The rules were simple. If, after rotating, the chipped end pointed to someone, the spinner must kiss them. The Titans were gathered into a circle as their leader set the weapon on the ground, Raven seated on the edge of the group. True to her word, Raven wasn't involving herself in the activity, but she did hover over Beast Boy's shoulder to watch. "Alright, who's going first?" Robin asked, gesturing to the now deemed "bottle-a-rang".
Beast Boy and Cyborg exchanged looks, smirking. "Well, bird boy," Cyborg chuckled, "I say you should go first. I mean you've only been stealing glances with Star over here for the last five minutes." Robin flushed red. He hadn't been that obvious, had he?
Clearing his throat, the boy reached out for the bottle-a-rang. "Well, I guess if no one else wants to…" A smile flickered over everyone else's faces, and the boy spun his weapon around. Beast Boy's eyes suddenly widened.
"Um, wait a second guys…," he started. "I don't think we thought about-." The green teenager didn't get a chance to finish before the bottle-a-rang came to a stop. Cyborg and Robin paled simultaneously. Beast Boy grimaced. "…That." Cyborg swallowed, looking quite sick as he peered down at the bottle-a-rang's chipped edge pointing toward him. Coughing, he reached out and not-so-subtly flicked the bottle-a-rang to the side. It rotated a few times before landing on Beast Boy. Again the boys paled, but Cyborg quickly recovered with, "Your turn, BB man."
"Y-yeah." As the green teenager twirled the weapon, Robin found himself suddenly thinking that this might have been a very bad idea. If he wanted to kiss Starfire, he didn't have to involve himself in some game to do so. Robin took a little comfort, however, in knowing that none of the boys had any desire to kiss one another. He frowned, realizing that since Starfire was the only girl playing, she would be the most likely to be kissed by several boys. Robin mentally slapped himself. He really hadn't thought this through.
Beast Boy's spin eventually came to a stop, landing on a space in between himself and Robin; it was exactly the place where Raven was seated. Starfire's eyes lit up as Beast Boy faced the darker girl with a small smirk. Upon seeing his expression and the position of the bottle-a-rang, Raven blanched. "W-what are you looking at?" she stammered. Her gaze hardened. "I'm not playing, remember?"
Cyborg chuckled. "I dunno, Rae. The bottle-a-rang has spoken. You gotta listen to the bottle-a-rang."
Crossing her arms, Raven turned on her friend, secretly grateful for the distraction. "Really? Why didn't you listen to it when it landed on Beast Boy earlier? Or when Robin's spin landed on you?"
Robin cleared his throat. "Uh, hey, let's not bring that up again."
Beast Boy took no time in siding with his leader. "Yeah, no joke, dude."
Wanting to continue with the game, the sole person that the bottle-a-rang had not landed on yet reached forward, whirling the weapon around. Starfire sat back, fiddling with her fingertips as four sets of curious eyes fell on her. She smiled shyly, a gentle blush settling on her cheeks. The bottle-a-rang came to a stop, and the teenagers looked down to see it had become stationary, pointed in the direction of…
Raven.
Raven sighed as the boys looked at her with wide eyes. Leaning forward, she grabbed the bottle-a-rang in two pale fingers and jerked it to face Robin. Smirking at the astonished and embarrassed expression on her leader's face, Raven inclined back into her spot.
Realizing Raven's intentions, Starfire looked at Robin. Usually so quick-minded, he had not yet seemed to grasp exactly what Raven had in mind, and so, before he comprehended the objective of her actions, Starfire slipped her hand into his. The leader turned to look at her curiously, and Starfire tipped forward, lightly pressing her lips against his. She lingered there for a moment, and then moved back, though staying close enough for him to keep eye contact with her. Robin, now entirely scarlet but not caring in the least, found himself gasping for breath as he gazed upon Starfire's too blushing face. "Uh-uh, wow, Star, that was- I mean, uh- you really-."
Raven smacked him over the back of the head.
Robin rubbed the forming sore spot with his hand. If that was how it felt when Raven hit someone, he couldn't help but be grateful he wasn't a villain. Or Beast Boy. "Thanks Raven."
The darker girl was emotionless. "You shouldn't be thanking me."
"Right." Robin returned his attention to Starfire, reddening slightly again upon seeing the beautiful Tamaranean. "T-thanks Starfire." Nearby, Cyborg rolled his eyes. Robin was no good at relationships. He'd just been kissed by one of the most gorgeous girls he knew and responded with a simple thank you? Then again, at least he hadn't said anything stupid in response. At least not yet. The boy was very lucky that Starfire was so patient and understanding.
"You are welcome, Robin," Starfire nodded, brushing a scarlet lock of hair behind her ear. Robin swallowed, wondering how such a simple action was able to make the girl appear even more stunning.
"So," Cyborg jumped in, clapping his hands together, "since Starfire's luck seems to be… the best out of all of ours, she should go again."
Robin drew back quickly, rubbing his neck. "Ah, yeah. Let's go again."
Cyborg could help but resist ribbing his friend. "Are you sure? You seem pretty satisfied. Haven't you heard of quitting while you're ahead?"
Robin glared at the robotic teenager. "Yes, Cyborg, I have." He looked to Starfire. "Go ahead."
Starfire hooked the edge of the bottle-a-rang with her finger and sent in spinning. Slowly its blurred, revolving form came to a halt, sliding past Robin and barely landing on Beast Boy who seemed to be sulking for reasons unknown. However, when the bottle-a-rang aimed, in his direction the shape-shifter's ears pressed back against his head with surprise. His mouth dropped open only to contort into a grimace of some sort. His eyes darted to Robin, and then, almost too quickly to follow, to Raven, finally landing on Starfire. Beside him, Raven waited with an unreadable expression, though she couldn't help but feel her spine stiffen slightly.
Robin delicately plucked the bottle-a-rang from the floor, folding it back into his belt. A breath of relief originating from several mouths filled the air. "Then again… Let's try something else."
Beast Boy immediately perked up. "Truth or Dare!"
Raven exhaled. "You really still want to play that? Have you not learned enough from the last game?"
The green teenager tried to look sad, but he couldn't stop a smile from brightening his face, surprising the onlookers. "I hardly got to play! Not that I wanted to with the ones who the bottle-a-rang landed on," he added, "but you know."
"No. I don't," Raven replied coldly. She had to wonder just why he had wanted to play in the first place, especially since he didn't seem interested in the people who the bottle-a-rang had landed on. Actually, the same could be said for Cyborg. Raven rolled her eyes. The most logical explanation was that they hadn't thought things through, jumping into a situation without considering the consequences that could come from it.
Beast Boy held his hands out in front of him in a pleading position. "Pleeeaaassseee, Raven?" he whined.
"It would be most fun if you joined us in the games of Dare and Truth," Starfire added, scooting closer to Raven to set her pleading eyes on the darker girl and unintentionally including Robin and Cyborg in the game, though neither protested. It seemed like a better option than spin the bottle-a-rang anyway.
Raven found she was no match for the power combination of Starfire and Beast Boy's puppy eyes, and finally she gave in with a deep sigh. "I suppose," she grumbled, causing both of the insistent Titans to grin happily at her agreement. Beast Boy was about to ask for a high five from Starfire -which probably would have only confused her- when Raven held up a finger. "But on one condition: We get to have a pass for one truth and for one dare. I'm sure everyone sees a good side to that." Everyone indeed could, and if approving her rule was going to get Raven to participate, then the team was all too happy to accept the proposition.
And thus the game began.
Spin the bottle(-a-rang)? Truth or Dare? I'm so original! I'm going to try to take a bit of a different path on Truth or Dare though, so we'll see how that goes. Hope you liked it!
