Laundry Day

Watching her stumble through the mess of his clothes and debris was somewhat embarrassing. Piles and piles of dirty laundry organized by color rose up from the floor like little towers of red, purple, and black.

"Well," Raven mumbled, "at least you attempted to start this project… " She sighed and tossed a dirty sock into a nearby underwear pile. "I appreciate your commitment on that part."

Beast Boy shuffled and tried to kick a box of adult magazines under his bed, hoping she didn't notice Miss November staring up at them. If she did, Raven didn't say anything.

"I just wanna get things in order, Rae…" He looked around at his room, mid-mess. "I'm tired of living like a slob and a kid. I'm eighteen now and I still live like… this." He paused and motioned to the mess surrounding them.

"Yes." Raven cleared off part of his bed and sat down, looking up at him. "You live like a slob and it's disgusting, but don't try to force yourself to grow up before you're ready, Gar."

He paused and looked down at her. "What?"

She sighed and tossed another sock into the pile. "I'm not oblivious, Gar. I've seen the way you fight with yourself over things lately. You've been trying to cut back on videogames and keep things clean and I saw you trying to read a nonfiction book the other day." She paused and looked into his sheepish face. "I know you're trying to force yourself to be an adult, and while I'm glad you're taking on more responsibility, don't try and force something if you're not ready for it."

He didn't know what to say to that. Beast Boy looked down into her bright, plum eyes and felt something in his heart swell tightly. If she only knew that he was trying to change for her. He just wanted her to look at him as more than just a kid, but it seemed as if that didn't matter to her. He smiled and sat down next to her. "Thanks, Rae. But I still want to clean this mess up."

She sighed in defeat. "Fine, but you owe me one."

He laughed. "I know."

Raven bent down and pulled the box from underneath his bed with an almost wicked grin. "And you should really find a better hiding spot for these."

His face a deep red, he just stared at her in pure horror.