Raven sat alone on the couch, reading her book, as a green rat crawled on the other side.
The rat stayed still for several more minutes, the only sound heard was the sound of Raven
turning a page in her book.
Then, after a short while, "I know you're there, Beast Boy," Raven said glibly. "You can come out."
The rat crawled over the top of the couch and landed on the cushion next to Raven. It then resumed
its human form as a small, green teenage boy.
"Hey babe," said Beast Boy playfully, throwing an arm around Raven's shoulder. "Whatcha readin?"
Raven felt her breath catch in her throat. She pretended to not notice him and stared blankly at the
words in her book. All the while, the couch was glowing with black energy and hovering a few feet
above the floor.
"Ummm, why are we floating?" Beast Boy asked, dazed.
Raven's eyes widened. The couch immediately fell to the floor with a loud thump.
"Sorry," Raven said, putting her book down. "My powers...I can't control them when---"
"Hey," said Cyborg, suddenly walking into the room carrying a bowl of popcorn. "Who said you could
start the party without us?"
Starfire and Robin followed in after him, carrying other goodies and snacks.
"Some party...," Raven grumbled, and returned to her reading.
"What movie are we going to watch?" asked Robin, as he sat down on the opposite end of the couch
with Starfire. Cyborg sat down between Robin and Beast Boy.
"Revenge of the Lobster Men!" Beast Boy shouted, grabbing a handful of popcorn out of Cyborg's bowl.
"Didn't we watch that last week?" Robin said as he flipped through the channels on the gigantic flat screen tv.
"Nah, that was Attack of the Lobster Men, Revenge is much better," assured Cyborg, then crammed a chocolate
bar into his mouth.
Starfire's eyes were darting back and forth with excitement as Robin changed channels. "Oooohhhhhh!" she
gasped as he landed on a documentary on how to make paper. "May we watch this?" she said enthusiastically.
The others stared at her.
"You're kidding right?" Beast Boy asked with all seriousness.
Starfire blushed. "Of..of course," she said shyly, and shrunk back into her seat.
Beast Boy grabbed the bowl of popcorn from Cyborg's hands and offered it to Raven.
"Here, Raven, want some?"
For a second, she actually look tempted, but she chose to decline. "Actually, I think I better be going
to bed," she said blandly and got up from the couch.
"What?" Beast Boy said in alarm and then checked Cyborg's arm. "It's only eight-thirty! You don't have to go to bed yet!"
Raven looked at him for a moment, his face was twisted in anxiety, and he looked so concerned. Still, she found she needed
to resist.
"Goodnight," she said softly and turned to leave the room.
Beast Boy stood up. His concern had turned to anger. "Come on, don't be such a party pooper, Raven." he snapped.
Raven stopped in her tracks for a second, then carried on and left the room.
Beast Boy watched her go with a mixture of fury and pain on his face.
He then turned around and slumped back onto the couch.
He was feeling angry and hurt, both at the same time. What's her deal, he thought to himself. Why can't she just hang out with me?
"Peanuts?" said Cyborg, holding a jar of them up to Beast Boy.
Beast Boy took them without really even paying attention to what he was doing.
"Man, who knew making paper took so much work," Cyborg remarked while watching the tv screen.
"Yah, and why does it look like some kind of soup?" Robin added, handing the bowl of popcorn to a pleased
looking Starfire.
Beast Boy wasn't listening to them, however. He was looking in the direction of the doorway, hoping Raven would change her
mind and come back down.
She never did though.
*********************************
"Good morning friends!" squealed Starfire when Robin, Beast Boy, and Cyborg entered the kitchen the next morning.
The three boys' eyes widened and their mouths fell open.
The entire kitchen was covered in yellow slime. The walls, ceiling, and floor were all drenched in a gooey, yellow substance.
Even Starfire had some on her clothes and face.
"Dude, what did you do?" Beast Boy heard himself ask.
"I have made breakfast!" Starfire said cheerfully, not noticing the large chunk of slime on her right cheek.
Cyborg looked around the room. "It looks like breakfast made you," he said as a particulary large piece of slime dropped
from the ceiling and landed on his shoulder.
Robin knelt down and scooped up some of the goo on to his fingers. "What is this?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
Starfire beamed and held up several boxes. "It is a mixture of eggs, jello, and oatmeal."
Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Robin all cringed.
Cyborg turned to Beast Boy. "I thought I told you NOT to let her watch cooking shows," he whispered furiously.
Beast Boy let out a nervous laugh and shrugged.
"Don't worry, Star," said Robin, standing up and grabbing the nearest rag. "We'll help you clean up the mess."
"We will?" Beast Boy and Cyborg asked together.
Robin gave them a foreboding look.
"I mean, yah, we will. No problem," Beast Boy replied.
Robin tossed Cyborg and Beast Boy some paper towels and they went to work.
"Whoa," Raven muttered as she walked into the room. "What happened in here?"
Starfire flew over to her carrying a large of bowl of the yellow goo.
"I have prepared breakfast for us all!" she said excitedly, completely oblivious to the mess around her.
Raven blinked at her. "Suddenly it all makes sense," she replied dryly.
Raven passed her and went over to pour herself some herbal tea. Beast Boy snuck behind her wearing a sly
grin on his face.
"Hey Raven!" he exclaimed as she was sipping tea from her mug.
Raven jumped as the mug exploded in her hands and the herbal tea went all over the floor.
"Beast Boy!" shouted Robin and Cyborg angrily, who were still on the floor scrubbing away at Starfire's homemade slime.
"Oops," said Beast Boy sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.
Raven turned and left the room. Beast Boy followed after her.
"Sorry about your mug," he said quickly, following behind her as she continued down the hall.
"It's alright," she replied quietly.
They continued down the hall and up quite a few flights of stairs in silence, that is, until they reached the floor Raven's room
was on.
"Hey," said Beast Boy, stopping Raven at her bedroom door. Raven turned around to face him.
"What?" she asked, not quite meeting his gaze.
"Do you, um, wanna go do something....?" he said, staring at her longingly.
Raven returned his stare but forced herself to break away from it.
"No, I'm uh, getting ready to go to the cafe---"
"Great, I'll come with you!" Beast Boy interrupted.
Raven's mouth hung open for a moment, and her eyes were darting back and forth in different directions. She seemed to be
looking for an excuse.
"Actually, I was wanting to go...alone," she said finally.
Beast Boy's face fell in disappointment.
"Oh...well, okay," he replied, failing to keep the hurt out of his voice.
Raven had to grit her teeth in an attempt to control the guilty feeling that was overcoming her.
Why does he have to make that face...she thought to herself miserably.
"Guess I'll see you later then...," Beast Boy moped, and took off down the hall looking much like a dog with its tail between its legs.
Raven watched him go and sighed sadly. Then, reluctantly, she headed down the hall to go to the cafe alone.
*******************************
Beast Boy sat alone outside on the rocks, facing the ocean.
"Why does she keep blowing me off?" he said sourly, as he tossed a pebble into the water. It skipped a few times,
causing the sea to ripple.
"She can't avoid me forever," he went on, "I know she likes me. At least, I think she likes me..."
Beast Boy tossed another small rock into the water, but was then distracted by something flying overhead of him.
It was Raven. She was flying across the sea to the city.
Beast Boy felt his spirits lift, and he smiled devilishly.
"If she's not going to invite me to the cafe with her, than I'm just gonna go by myself," he said stubbornly.
He quickly transformed into a seagull and followed after her.
******************************
Robin and Cyborg sat on the couch, playing a fighting video game.
"Ha! Take that!" Cyborg shouted as his guy punched Robin's in the face.
Robin's player got up and flew at Cyborg's player, knocking him to the ground.
"Ah, man...," muttered Cyborg as Robin grinned.
"Has anyone seen Raven or Beast Boy?" asked Starfire, suddenly walking into the living room and coming over
to the couch.
"I haven't see either of them since they ditched us at breakfast," answered Robin, not taking his eyes off the screen.
"BB's definitely doing dishes tonight," replied Cyborg grumpily. "AND cleaning the bathroom."
Starfire bit her lip, looking worried.
"What if he does not return?" she asked concerned.
"Don't worry about him, Star," said Robin, "He's probably just hanging out at the park or the arcade or something."
"Yah," added Cyborg as his player performed a drop kick on Robin's. "And knowing Raven she's probably hangin' in
that cafe of hers."
Starfire watched Cyborg and Robin's game for a while.
"Maybe they're doing the hanging out together."
Cyborg snorted. "Doubt it, Star. Raven and Beast Boy don't exactly have a lot in common. They barely seem like
friends most the time."
Starfire stared at the screen for a minute. Then----
"Perhaps they are more than friends," she said quietly.
Robin and Cyborg stopped what they were doing and looked at each other. Then they burst out laughing.
"Good one, Star!" exclaimed Cyborg. He laughed so hard that he fell off the couch.
Starfire frowned at them.
"Hey!" Cyborg shouted. Robin had returned to the game and was now beating the living daylights out of Cyborg's character.
Cyborg jumped back on to the couch, quickly grabbing up the controller and regaining control of his player.
Starfire left the room looking unusually annoyed.
*********************************
The rat stayed still for several more minutes, the only sound heard was the sound of Raven
turning a page in her book.
Then, after a short while, "I know you're there, Beast Boy," Raven said glibly. "You can come out."
The rat crawled over the top of the couch and landed on the cushion next to Raven. It then resumed
its human form as a small, green teenage boy.
"Hey babe," said Beast Boy playfully, throwing an arm around Raven's shoulder. "Whatcha readin?"
Raven felt her breath catch in her throat. She pretended to not notice him and stared blankly at the
words in her book. All the while, the couch was glowing with black energy and hovering a few feet
above the floor.
"Ummm, why are we floating?" Beast Boy asked, dazed.
Raven's eyes widened. The couch immediately fell to the floor with a loud thump.
"Sorry," Raven said, putting her book down. "My powers...I can't control them when---"
"Hey," said Cyborg, suddenly walking into the room carrying a bowl of popcorn. "Who said you could
start the party without us?"
Starfire and Robin followed in after him, carrying other goodies and snacks.
"Some party...," Raven grumbled, and returned to her reading.
"What movie are we going to watch?" asked Robin, as he sat down on the opposite end of the couch
with Starfire. Cyborg sat down between Robin and Beast Boy.
"Revenge of the Lobster Men!" Beast Boy shouted, grabbing a handful of popcorn out of Cyborg's bowl.
"Didn't we watch that last week?" Robin said as he flipped through the channels on the gigantic flat screen tv.
"Nah, that was Attack of the Lobster Men, Revenge is much better," assured Cyborg, then crammed a chocolate
bar into his mouth.
Starfire's eyes were darting back and forth with excitement as Robin changed channels. "Oooohhhhhh!" she
gasped as he landed on a documentary on how to make paper. "May we watch this?" she said enthusiastically.
The others stared at her.
"You're kidding right?" Beast Boy asked with all seriousness.
Starfire blushed. "Of..of course," she said shyly, and shrunk back into her seat.
Beast Boy grabbed the bowl of popcorn from Cyborg's hands and offered it to Raven.
"Here, Raven, want some?"
For a second, she actually look tempted, but she chose to decline. "Actually, I think I better be going
to bed," she said blandly and got up from the couch.
"What?" Beast Boy said in alarm and then checked Cyborg's arm. "It's only eight-thirty! You don't have to go to bed yet!"
Raven looked at him for a moment, his face was twisted in anxiety, and he looked so concerned. Still, she found she needed
to resist.
"Goodnight," she said softly and turned to leave the room.
Beast Boy stood up. His concern had turned to anger. "Come on, don't be such a party pooper, Raven." he snapped.
Raven stopped in her tracks for a second, then carried on and left the room.
Beast Boy watched her go with a mixture of fury and pain on his face.
He then turned around and slumped back onto the couch.
He was feeling angry and hurt, both at the same time. What's her deal, he thought to himself. Why can't she just hang out with me?
"Peanuts?" said Cyborg, holding a jar of them up to Beast Boy.
Beast Boy took them without really even paying attention to what he was doing.
"Man, who knew making paper took so much work," Cyborg remarked while watching the tv screen.
"Yah, and why does it look like some kind of soup?" Robin added, handing the bowl of popcorn to a pleased
looking Starfire.
Beast Boy wasn't listening to them, however. He was looking in the direction of the doorway, hoping Raven would change her
mind and come back down.
She never did though.
*********************************
"Good morning friends!" squealed Starfire when Robin, Beast Boy, and Cyborg entered the kitchen the next morning.
The three boys' eyes widened and their mouths fell open.
The entire kitchen was covered in yellow slime. The walls, ceiling, and floor were all drenched in a gooey, yellow substance.
Even Starfire had some on her clothes and face.
"Dude, what did you do?" Beast Boy heard himself ask.
"I have made breakfast!" Starfire said cheerfully, not noticing the large chunk of slime on her right cheek.
Cyborg looked around the room. "It looks like breakfast made you," he said as a particulary large piece of slime dropped
from the ceiling and landed on his shoulder.
Robin knelt down and scooped up some of the goo on to his fingers. "What is this?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
Starfire beamed and held up several boxes. "It is a mixture of eggs, jello, and oatmeal."
Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Robin all cringed.
Cyborg turned to Beast Boy. "I thought I told you NOT to let her watch cooking shows," he whispered furiously.
Beast Boy let out a nervous laugh and shrugged.
"Don't worry, Star," said Robin, standing up and grabbing the nearest rag. "We'll help you clean up the mess."
"We will?" Beast Boy and Cyborg asked together.
Robin gave them a foreboding look.
"I mean, yah, we will. No problem," Beast Boy replied.
Robin tossed Cyborg and Beast Boy some paper towels and they went to work.
"Whoa," Raven muttered as she walked into the room. "What happened in here?"
Starfire flew over to her carrying a large of bowl of the yellow goo.
"I have prepared breakfast for us all!" she said excitedly, completely oblivious to the mess around her.
Raven blinked at her. "Suddenly it all makes sense," she replied dryly.
Raven passed her and went over to pour herself some herbal tea. Beast Boy snuck behind her wearing a sly
grin on his face.
"Hey Raven!" he exclaimed as she was sipping tea from her mug.
Raven jumped as the mug exploded in her hands and the herbal tea went all over the floor.
"Beast Boy!" shouted Robin and Cyborg angrily, who were still on the floor scrubbing away at Starfire's homemade slime.
"Oops," said Beast Boy sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.
Raven turned and left the room. Beast Boy followed after her.
"Sorry about your mug," he said quickly, following behind her as she continued down the hall.
"It's alright," she replied quietly.
They continued down the hall and up quite a few flights of stairs in silence, that is, until they reached the floor Raven's room
was on.
"Hey," said Beast Boy, stopping Raven at her bedroom door. Raven turned around to face him.
"What?" she asked, not quite meeting his gaze.
"Do you, um, wanna go do something....?" he said, staring at her longingly.
Raven returned his stare but forced herself to break away from it.
"No, I'm uh, getting ready to go to the cafe---"
"Great, I'll come with you!" Beast Boy interrupted.
Raven's mouth hung open for a moment, and her eyes were darting back and forth in different directions. She seemed to be
looking for an excuse.
"Actually, I was wanting to go...alone," she said finally.
Beast Boy's face fell in disappointment.
"Oh...well, okay," he replied, failing to keep the hurt out of his voice.
Raven had to grit her teeth in an attempt to control the guilty feeling that was overcoming her.
Why does he have to make that face...she thought to herself miserably.
"Guess I'll see you later then...," Beast Boy moped, and took off down the hall looking much like a dog with its tail between its legs.
Raven watched him go and sighed sadly. Then, reluctantly, she headed down the hall to go to the cafe alone.
*******************************
Beast Boy sat alone outside on the rocks, facing the ocean.
"Why does she keep blowing me off?" he said sourly, as he tossed a pebble into the water. It skipped a few times,
causing the sea to ripple.
"She can't avoid me forever," he went on, "I know she likes me. At least, I think she likes me..."
Beast Boy tossed another small rock into the water, but was then distracted by something flying overhead of him.
It was Raven. She was flying across the sea to the city.
Beast Boy felt his spirits lift, and he smiled devilishly.
"If she's not going to invite me to the cafe with her, than I'm just gonna go by myself," he said stubbornly.
He quickly transformed into a seagull and followed after her.
******************************
Robin and Cyborg sat on the couch, playing a fighting video game.
"Ha! Take that!" Cyborg shouted as his guy punched Robin's in the face.
Robin's player got up and flew at Cyborg's player, knocking him to the ground.
"Ah, man...," muttered Cyborg as Robin grinned.
"Has anyone seen Raven or Beast Boy?" asked Starfire, suddenly walking into the living room and coming over
to the couch.
"I haven't see either of them since they ditched us at breakfast," answered Robin, not taking his eyes off the screen.
"BB's definitely doing dishes tonight," replied Cyborg grumpily. "AND cleaning the bathroom."
Starfire bit her lip, looking worried.
"What if he does not return?" she asked concerned.
"Don't worry about him, Star," said Robin, "He's probably just hanging out at the park or the arcade or something."
"Yah," added Cyborg as his player performed a drop kick on Robin's. "And knowing Raven she's probably hangin' in
that cafe of hers."
Starfire watched Cyborg and Robin's game for a while.
"Maybe they're doing the hanging out together."
Cyborg snorted. "Doubt it, Star. Raven and Beast Boy don't exactly have a lot in common. They barely seem like
friends most the time."
Starfire stared at the screen for a minute. Then----
"Perhaps they are more than friends," she said quietly.
Robin and Cyborg stopped what they were doing and looked at each other. Then they burst out laughing.
"Good one, Star!" exclaimed Cyborg. He laughed so hard that he fell off the couch.
Starfire frowned at them.
"Hey!" Cyborg shouted. Robin had returned to the game and was now beating the living daylights out of Cyborg's character.
Cyborg jumped back on to the couch, quickly grabbing up the controller and regaining control of his player.
Starfire left the room looking unusually annoyed.
*********************************