"I tell ya, that's what they're up to!" Cyborg claimed, his tone insistent. He had just dealt with a conversation similar to that of Bumblebee's with Raven and Starfire, though neither could have any way of knowing it. "When Bee mentioned the sleepover, it all clicked into place!"

His leader was very doubtful about all of this, and Robin rubbed at his tired eyes before answering. He stood in the hallway just outside of his bedroom, Cyborg's call having interrupted his plan for sleep. "You think the girls made a sort of deal or something at the sleepover? A deal to what?"

Cyborg hesitated, unsure how confidently he should respond. The robotic teenager resided in the Titans East guest room at the moment, the quiet pounding of music vibrating his floor from below. He fell back on his bed with a thump, his pillows and the mattress cushioning the landing. "I dunno, man. Maybe it's gotta do with guys they like. That's what girls always talk about at sleepovers, right?"

"I wouldn't know; I've never been to one."

"Well, me neither obviously, but it's as good a guess as I've got." He rolled over onto his stomach. "But haven't you noticed Bee hanging out with us more and more this past week? The sudden party and her invitin' me over to fix all the stuff in her tower?"

Robin smirked. "It's not like you declined."

"'Course not. If a pretty girl asked you to come over and stay a few nights, wouldn't you do it?"

"That's not my point."

"And it's not mine," Cyborg agreed. He exhaled. "But you even said to me earlier today that you thought Bee was up to somethin'. When we were stuck in that house a few days back too. I think it's gotta do with the sleepover!"

His leader tapped his chin thoughtfully, pacing the hallway a little. "I suppose you could be on to something. The girls are planning on another sleepover in about a week. Could that be important?" he wondered aloud.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, they're having a sleepover again?!" Cyborg sat up on his bed. "Why wasn't I told this?! It all makes sense now!" Seeing Robin's jumbled expression, the elder boy explained. "Listen man, you're talkin' to the master of all pranks, plans, deals, and whatever else when it comes to this stuff. The second sleepover's gotta be the deadline for whatever the girls have planned!"

Robin squinted doubtfully, thinking. "This seems far out there, Cyborg. I mean, Bumblebee, yes, and Jinx too, but I can't imagine Raven or Starfire agreeing to do something like this."

Cyborg drummed his fingers on his knee. "Well, there's somethin' to be said about peer pressure. Like when you agreed to spy on the girls' gossip session with us? That there was the work of BB and me." He chuckled to himself. "And plus, Bee can be pretty convincing."

"You still like her then?" Robin confirmed with uncertainty in his authoritative tone.

"Course." Narrowing his eyebrow, the robotic teenager frowned at his leader. "Why would ya say that, man?"

Robin ran his hand through his hair, stopping his pacing before he ran a rut in the carpet. "Cyborg, you were acting very strange after the battle. I'm pretty sure the girls noticed it too, even without their knowing about your liking her."

"Shoot, even Bee?"

"It was kind of obvious."

Cyborg groaned, pushing off of his bed and starting a groove in the floor of his own room. "Seriously? I thought I was being subtle!" Robin smirked. Cyborg couldn't have been much less subtle unless he had decided to stand at the peak of a mountain and scream at the top of his lungs that something was wrong. The large teenager grunted. "Man, I hope I didn't mess up what I've got goin' with her."

Robin had to bite his tongue to keep from commenting on the lack of an official relationship that he had with Bumblebee. He chose to try comforting Cyborg instead; disheartening information would do little to make his teammate feel better. "I'm sure it's fine, Cyborg. If the girls made a deal that involve the people they like, and, as you say that Bumblebee has been hanging out more with you specifically, then she might very well like you." A smile stretched over Cyborg's face and Robin knew he'd said the right thing.

"Thanks man." The robotic teenager turned his attention back to his spikey-haired leader. "So we've figured that they've got somethin' to do with the dudes they like; has Star been doing anything weird or outta character with you?"

"Um…" Robin racked his mind and recalled the memory of when they'd been dancing. He could still feel her warm fingers brushing against the corner of his mask. "I suppose there was one time that could be considered… different."

"And what would that be?" Cyborg grinned. For some reason, Robin was hesitant to answer; it felt somewhat personal. Seeing the boy's reluctance, Cyborg decided not to push and changed the question. "But wait a second; if all the girls are involved in this, then what's BB gonna think about Raven likin' someone?"

Robin was grateful for the distraction. He scratched his arm. "Remember that this is all a hypothesis, Cyborg. An educated guess. There's a good chance that we are way off. She might not like anyone. She might not even be involved, just like Starfire."

"Okay man, you're just sayin' that 'cause she's your girl."

"But what if I'm right?" Robin sensed his brain starting to strain with exhaustion from the day's events and lack of sleep, and he shook his head to stay awake. "And why did you bring up Beast Boy?"

Like a schoolgirl in a gossip session, Cyborg smirked widely, his human eye lighting up with delight at the aspect of sharing information that his leader wasn't aware of. "Well man, I'm pretty positive the little guy's got a crush on her."

Cyborg's leader's reaction was less than desired, for all Robin did was sigh. "Are you just saying that to stir up the tower again? We've had conversations about this before Cyborg; don't make up stuff just so you can have a laugh."

"I'm not this time! I swear!" Cyborg promised, crossing a hand over his iron chest plate. He paused. "But, come on. Starfire kissing Silkie to learn the larva language? That was a pretty good one. Plus, it wasn't a complete lie! I didn't know if it would work for sure or not!"

"You wouldn't think it was so funny if you were dating her," Robin grunted, still sour about the event that had happened several months ago. "Or kissed her just an hour after without knowing about it."

Cyborg cracked up, slapping his leg. "Man, that was the best part! E-err- I mean, uh, worst part. Err the uh-." He coughed into his large hand, clearing his throat. "What was I talking about?" Robin rolled his eyes as the robotic teenager smiled. "But tell BB about this, 'kay? At least let him be aware of it so he's not left in the dark."

"I'll let him know."

Cyborg approached his door, stepping out into the hall. "Great. Call me after and let me know when you're done, would ya? I gotta use it."

The call was finished and, with another tired sigh, Robin made his way slowly to Beast Boy's room. The day had felt quite long and it was about time for everyone to be going to bed, which was exactly what the young Titan leader wanted to do. He let out a deep yawn before tapping on the green shape-shifter's door, and a moment later, a disheveled Beast Boy stood in the open entryway. His green hair flopped in all directions and his usual garb had been discarded for black and purple pajamas, not altogether that different from his Doom Patrol uniform worn during lighter hours. The tired teen blinked at Robin.

"Uh, what's up, dude? Why are you-? Oh, please tell me that this isn't another surprise training session?" the boy whined, jumping to conclusions.

Robin smiled. "No, don't worry, Beast Boy. It's nothing like that."

"Oh, thank goodness." Beast Boy visibly relaxed, dropping his shoulders. Leaning against the wall, he rubbed his cheeks. "So why you here then? Aren't you the one always saying to get more sleep 'in case crime decides to strike after nine'? Or something…"

Robin lifted the corner of his mouth at the sentence. It was true that the leader always tried to prepare his teammates for the worse should it hit, and phrases seemed to pop out of his brain at times, including the one Beast Boy just mentioned. How else would Robin have come up with all those little quips when facing of dangerous criminals? "I'm sorry for the wake-up call," the leader apologized. "I just have to tell you something and then you can head back to sleep."

Squeezing his eyes open and shut, Beast Boy fought to keep his head from drooping to his chest. "Okay then. What is it, Rob?"

"I was talking with Cyborg a minute ago, and he wanted me to let you know-."

"Friend Robin! Friend Beast Boy!"

Starfire flew around the corner, almost colliding with her two friends in the process. She recovered quickly, grasping Robin's shoulders and whirling around him to float in between the two male Titans. "Oh, I apologize for the interruption, friends!" she exclaimed, eyes wide.

Robin smiled at her, touching her hand yet on his arm. "Don't worry about it, Star. I was just about to talk to Beast Boy about something that Cyborg wanted me to bring up, but what you have to say seems more urgent."

"I suppose you may be correct." Starfire blushed, though it was barely noticeable, and shifted her eyes to the side at the green shape-shifter yawning in the doorway. "I have been looking the over all for you!"

"Me?" Robin questioned curiously. To both his and Beast Boy's surprise, the leader's girlfriend shook her head.

"Beast Boy's presence is requested in the ops room at once!"

Robin tensed, wondering if there was an intruder or a fight waiting downtown that he didn't know about. "What for? Do you need my help? Is something wrong?"

"Oh, do not fret, Robin." Starfire soothed him without delay, patting his shoulder. "There is none of the danger; friend Raven simply wishes for Beast Boy's presence." This sentence pulled the lifting of an eyebrow from both male teenagers, unsure if they had heard correctly.

"Raven," Robin repeated, incredulous, "wants Beast Boy more than ten feet away from her? In the same room as her?" Hands clasped behind her back, Starfire traced a circle in the ground with her foot and nodded.

Beast Boy, suddenly wide awake compared to a few minutes before, gave off a bright grin and pushed off of the doorway he was slackened against. The green boy shrugged at Robin. "Sorry dude; when the ladies want me, they want me. Let me know what you were gonna say later, 'kay?" Feeling quite confused -more so than anything else because the pieces of the puzzle were fitting together with the information Cyborg had given him- Robin mutely dipped his head. Beast Boy smiled at Starfire. "Lead the way, Star."

As the two turned down the hallway together in the direction of the ops room, Robin scratched the back of his head. "Raven and Beast Boy?" he murmured to himself. "I never would have guessed."


Raven lifted her head a margin from the book in her lap as Starfire entered the room beside Beast Boy, the duo radiating an exulting and mysterious joy that was hard for the empath to ignore. The dark girl kept her expression like a stone -stiff, unrevealing, and gray- and raised her voice. "I see you found Beast Boy."

"Yes, friend Raven, I have!" Starfire replied, swooping down to her teammate on the couch. Beast Boy followed at his own comfortable pace, smiling at Raven. The expression unnerved her, and the next words out of his mouth did little to make her feel better.

"Honestly Rae, you're making me feel popular around the tower, having Star come get me like that!" He reached the couch, propping his arms on the back cushion. "So what's the big deal?"

What was he talking about? Dread filled Raven's stomach, but, a mastery at hiding her feelings, she gave nothing away. Glancing at Starfire, the dark sorceress inquired, "I don't think it's that big of a deal… Starfire?"

Starfire never wiped the smile off of her face. "I suppose that I may have done the… exaggerating of over a little."

Avoiding a certain green gaze at the back of the couch, Raven continued playing along, questioning Starfire in the process in hopes to get an answer out of her friend without being too obvious. "Why?"

"Oh, but Raven, I feel as if it should be the deal of big!"

Beast Boy found a pause in the girls' conversation to jump in. "Um, hey," he interrupted, and the pairs of amethyst eyes and emerald eyes turned toward him. "Exactly what is it that you made sound like a big deal, Star?

In all honesty, Starfire had been searching for Robin when she ran into the teenagers outside Beast Boy's sleeping quarters, but she decided that it would be better to separate the boys first before any other actions were taken. She would have had no way of knowing that Cyborg had minutes earlier told the leader exactly what the alien princess was trying to prevent her boyfriend from finding out, but when Robin had mentioned Cyborg, she turned her task to helping avoid Beast Boy's discovery of their deal for Raven's sake. After Bumblebee's call, Starfire proposed they split up and find their friends to follow through with the Titans East leader's suggestion, but Raven just sighed, saying that it was too late to do anything about it now and if the boys found out, then they would find out. The empath had remained in the ops room while Starfire decided to search the tower anyway.

The alien princess nervously laughed, but it sounded real to her teammates' ears, even Raven's, and she was listening for falseness in it. "I apologize for the confusion, friends."

"That's okay, Star," Beast Boy smirked, uncertainty still on his face despite his reassurance. "I just kinda wanna know what's going on. What are you girls talking about?" He looked pointedly at Raven, and she swallowed.

"Erm…," the dark girl coughed, feeling heat rise in her cheeks.

Lucky for her, Starfire jumped in and saved the day. "Friend Raven was just going to invite you to go out to the theater of movies with her!" Raven stared at the taller girl, the previous belief that she'd been saved by Starfire completely reversing. Those thoughts were wiped away in a moment, however, when Beast Boy turned to the empath again curiously.

"A movie? With me?" he asked. "Really?" Something in the shape-shifter's voice was a little more interested than it probably should have been. Then again, what Starfire had just said was worthy of an incredible reaction. The empath had opened her mouth to deny such a statement, but the alien princess interrupted before anything could leave Raven's throat.

"Yes, one of the 'horror' movies," Starfire explained, clasping her fingers together and bit her lip lightly. "She is too 'the scared' to go by herself and friend Robin and I are busy and Cyborg is with the Titans East. She hoped you would not be minding to accompany her to the theater of movies?"

"Really?" Beast Boy repeated himself, grinning widely at Raven.

The empath had no choice but to agree lest she give away her and Starfire's secret. She cleared her throat and muttered, "I'm… unsure how my powers would react." Raven glared imaginary daggers at her female teammate. "One would wonder why I'm seeing a horror movie at all after what happened the last time." It was hard to forget something such as the team's previous encounter with Raven's powers arisen by fear. After watching a horror film with the team, monsters of her own magic had appeared out of thin air, transformed the tower into a haunted house, and kidnapped friends and teammates one by one until Raven was the only Titan left. In the end, she realized her own strength and fought back, destroying the nightmares. Later, the team discovered the source of the dark creatures, and Raven had made sure to avoid any movies of the like since. Now though, due to Starfire's meddling, the sorceress was going to watch a terrorizing film whether she wanted to or not.

Beast Boy obviously had no such qualms about Raven's powers, and, smiling still, he nodded. "Sure! Sounds like fun!"

Shocked at his effortless agreement to the request, Raven could only repeat vaguely, "Fun…" Starfire clapped her hands in joy at the success of her arrangement, and she was about to express her glorious emotions –probably with a traditional Tamaranean song that would have burst anyone's eardrums standing within ten feet of the girl- but, luckily for her fellow Titans, a strange gurgle distracted the alien princess. Silkie lay curled up into a ball beside the doors, burbling and bubbling in his larva language. Neither Raven nor Beast Boy knew what he was saying, but Starfire gasped, snatching up the slimy pet in her arms and cradling him. Her teammates tried not to think too hard about how she could understand larva speech.

The tall girl cooed soothingly to her pet, "I am sorry, my little bumgorf! I'll put you to bed immediately!" Still fussing over Silkie, Starfire flew out of the room, tickling the worm's stomach and leaving Raven and Beast Boy all alone in the room.

"So…," Beast Boy hopped onto the couch beside Raven, his tone teasing. "You're scared of a widdle itty bitty movie?"

"No," Raven denied at once. "I need someone to be there to help keep my powers in check."

Brightening, Beast Boy leaned toward her. "Annnd you chose me?"

Raven exhaled. "It seems so."

The shape-shifter smiled, relaxing back against the sofa and crossing his arms behind his head. He looked at the ceiling, the grin plastered on his face. "Well, don't worry, Rae; I'll keep you safe from those scary imaginary monsters!"

"As if I need protecting," Raven grunted, crossing her arms. "I assume that by the end of the night, you'll be the one cowering behind me."

Beast Boy sat up, frowning at her. "Oh, what?! Why do you say that?!"

"'Magical scary powers', remember?"

"Psh," the green teen scoffed, waving his hand. "They're not scary!" Raven lifted an eyebrow at him with doubt, and he smirked sheepishly. "Well… Not very scary." The teenagers shared a glance, an awkward silence falling over the duo on the couch, and, after a few moments of unbroken eye contact, Beast Boy suddenly looked away, clearing his throat. "Well, uh, I guess if that's all then I… should probably go to bed, huh?" He got to his feet, smirking at Raven. "Thanks for the invite, Rae. Glad you chose me!"

The shape-shifter had just reached the door when his sharp ears detected the soft shuffle of footsteps behind him, and Beast Boy turned around to find, much to his surprise, Raven standing there. She caught the dumbfounded expression on his face. "I… My room is near yours."

"Ah, oh, right. Gotcha." Beast Boy opened the door, and he and Raven walked quietly into the hallway.

Raven realized that it was getting harder to keep from looking at the shape-shifter beside her. His bright green appearance had always made it difficult to pose as a wall flower –unless you meant flower in the literal sense, in which case one would just have to give him giant petals to hold up around his head to make it convincing- but the empath's problem was not because of the color. No, there was something about his messy hair and sleepy grin that painted a pretty handsome picture for Raven. She allowed herself a brief glance in the boy's direction, drinking his image. He was fiddling with his gloves.

"How are your fingers?" Raven asked softly, breaking the silence.

Beast Boy jumped, obviously having been in deep thought –or what was considered deep for him-, and dipping his head in amusement at himself. "Heh, sorry, what?"

"I asked how your fingers were since I had to heal them after fighting Chang."

"Oh." Beast Boy nodded, holding his gloved hand up for her to look at, though it was kind of pointless because the girl couldn't see through the gray cloth. "Yep, all five still there!"

Raven rolled her eyes, waiting in momentary silence before she changed her question to another. "What were you thinking about?"

"Huh?"

"A moment ago," Raven clarified, resisting rolling her eyes at him yet again.

"Oh. Uh…" A wave of embarrassment passed off of him over to Raven, and heat rose in the shape-shifter's face. "Not much! Just like you always say, there's not much going on up here." He tapped his head to prove the point. Raven realized that whatever it was must be uncomfortable for him to talk about and she dropped the subject with a nod. Surprisingly, Beast Boy didn't seem to sense the abandonment of the conversation, and he chewed on his lower lip. "Um, well, honestly?"

Raven glanced at him. "Only if you're comfortable."

"It's kinda embarrassing." Beast Boy scratched his nose. "I was, uh, thinking about how much fun I had at the party."

"What's embarrassing about that?"

"I was thinking about the … um… our… uh… the dance we had."

The breath of air in Raven's throat froze temporarily and she coughed. The blush on Beast Boy's nose was identical to hers, and thankfully the turn of a corner gave each Titan time to cool down. The empath exhaled inaudibly through her mouth. Beast Boy was a teenager, so of course he would be embarrassed about something like dancing with girl, even if they were friends. Raven knew this, but still, she was tempted to ask if this was the real cause for his flushed appearance, or if it was the same reason as hers. Her practiced self-restraint kicked in, and the two remained in one another's noiseless presence for the rest of the walk until they reached Raven's door.

Beast Boy paused, waiting with Raven until she was in her room. The base of her cape swished over the ground as she entered. The girl had reached for her keypad to shut the exit when she hesitated, glancing at Beast Boy, and he looked back at her curiously. "So you know," Raven said quietly, "I enjoyed the dance too." The last thing she saw was the smile that bloomed on Beast Boy's face before her door slid shut.


Beast Boy was walking back from Raven's room, a fixed smile on his mouth that didn't feel like it was going to abandon his face anytime soon, when he happened to hear Cyborg's voice from around the corner. It took the shape-shifter a moment to remember that his robotic friend was staying at the Titan's East tower, and when he did, the green boy wondered why he was calling so late. After all, Beast Boy had been trying to sleep when Robin knocked on his door earlier that night, so why wouldn't Cyborg be snoring by now? Although, he was half robot; maybe he needed only half the sleep?

The green teenager rounded the corner to hear Cyborg's words coming through Robin's communicator. "Sorry 'bout the delay, man, but I had a run-in with Bee near the bathroom."

"Oh?" Robin lifted an eyebrow. The young man had been waiting outside of Beast Boy's room for the shape-shifter to get back from his meeting with the girls and was currently wondering why he was not fast asleep in his own bed. Cyborg had called but a minute ago.

"Yeah. Nothin' really happened, but I had a quick conversation with her and now know that she's not mad or anythin' at me."

"That's good."

Cyborg nodded, rubbing his non-electronic eye. "Yeah, I'm relieved." He shook his head. In the background, the pulsing music had faded away entirely and guests were at last leaving to head back to their places of residence. "But enough about me; I know I shoulda waited, but I was too curious. And impatient. You tell BB yet?"

Beast Boy coughed lightly, still grinning as he approached the surprised boys. "Hey dudes. Sorry about the delay, Rob," he addressed. The green teenager hooked his thumbs in the top of his pajama pants, stopping near his leader to peer into the communicator. "'What's up, Cy?"

"Not too much." His robotic teammate chortled at the expression on his friend's face. "Just callin' to check up on things, y'know. Also got somethin' to tell ya, but first, how 'bout you let me know what's up with you and that smirk?"

"What smirk?"

Robin had noticed Beast Boy's glowing persona too, but he stayed quiet as Cyborg teased. "The one you've got on that's makin' me think you won the lottery or somethin'!" He paused, leaning forward hopefully. "You didn't, did you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, dude."

Cyborg rolled his eyes, and his spikey-haired leader chose to make his voice heard then. "What did Starfire and Raven have to say?" Robin asked, his mask hiding whatever he might have been thinking behind the white elastic. Hearing this new information, Cyborg perked up, eager for more.

"Oh, um," Beast Boy shrugged, not in the mood to explain the whole situation that had just occurred with his female teammates. "Not much. Just wanted to ask me some stuff. But, hey, before I forget, what were you going to say before when Starfire interrupted?"

Cyborg had fallen silent, lost in his own thought, so Robin decided to go ahead and answer. "Well, Cyborg and I were talking earlier." He glanced at the robotic teenager, about to relay the hypothesis they had about the girls' sleepover, when Cyborg cut him off.

"I was just havin' Robin check to make sure you weren't messin' with my stuff while I was gone. Hands off, BB!" he instructed, a chuckle in his voice. "We both know how bad things have gotten before when you've played 'round in my room."

Beast Boy snorted, scratching behind his ear. "Heh, don't worry; I'm not planning on it. I've learned my lesson."

"Sure you have."

After chatting for a while longer, Beast Boy bid his two friends good night with a yawn and left the hallway. When he'd gone from sight, Robin turned a curious eye to the teenager on the other side of his communicator screen. "What was that about?"

Cyborg sighed, rubbing the top of his head, metal squeaking against metal. "Don't tell him, Rob. If it turns out we're wrong, then it could break the little guy's heart, him thinkin' that Raven likes him and she doesn't."

"Like I said earlier," Robin interrupted, "what if he doesn't like Raven? What if she doesn't like him?"

"Then we have nothing to worry about and BB will be none the wiser." Cyborg squinted at his leader, dropping his hand off screen. "But, hey man, what was that about Starfire? She'd interrupted you before you could tell BB?"

Robin nodded. "She said Raven needed to talk to Beast Boy."

Cyborg smirked, his expression brightening. "I figured it had something to do with that. And with Star 'happenin' to stop you from tellin' BB, especially this late at night? I'll bet that somethin's up."

Robin hummed in agreement. At least both concurred in their suspicions that they were missing something. He covered a yawn with his gloved hand; it was almost certainly past midnight. "Alright, I'll talk later, Cy. I'm planning on having practice tomorrow for the team, so I'd better get some sleep."

Shaking his head at the boy, Cyborg chuckled, "You're so cruel, Rob. An early trainin' the day after a party? They're gonna hate you. Good thing I'm over here and got plans to sleep in."

"Just for that I'm going to call tomorrow at six to make Bumblebee wake you up. Then you'll have to deal with exhaustion and a sleep-deprived girl."

"Hey now, don't go doin' that!" Cyborg held out an open hand in apology. "Sorry, sorry man." He knew Robin was almost certainly kidding, but there was always the chance that the spikey-haired boy felt like proving his robotic teammate wrong. He smiled, trying to distract the leader from considering following through with his threat of an early-morning wake-up call. "Oh, and Rob? When I said that I don't want Beast Boy messin' with my stuff, I meant it. You'd better make sure he doesn't! That equipment is expensive!"

Robin lifted an eyebrow. "So what you're saying is that you had me stay awake this whole time just to tell Beast Boy that he'd better not mess with your things?"

"Exactly!"

Robin rolled his eyes, closing the communicator and heading in the direction of his bedroom, positive that he was the last one to enter his quarters for sleep. Addressing the last conversation he'd had with Cyborg, the boy murmured beneath his breath, "Just for that, now I'm really going to give him a wake-up call."