Despite the mountain of clothes that Starfire had tried on, she had only purchased three items: the crop top and bell bottom jeans that Beast Boy had complimented her on and a knee-length green dress that matched her eyes. And even though they hadn't spoken since she had claimed that he was avoiding something, they both seemed to know where they needed to go: the food court.

This proved to be both fortuitous and a mistake because they were met with Gizmo, Mammoth, and Jinx wrecking the place when they arrived. Fleeing members of the populace looked incredibly grateful that they were there, even if it was by chance, and soon the place was cleared of both workers and civilians.

"One day. Just one day. Can't we have one day off?" Beast Boy groaned as he shifted into a gorilla and made a beeline for Mammoth. Starfire deposited the bags with the game and her clothes behind the counter of one of the food shops and flew into the fray, aiming directly for Jinx with her starbolts.

"Aw cripes, crump-stomping booger-munchers at twelve o'clock!" Gizmo complained in his whiniest voice, and Jinx and Mammoth turned to face the oncoming alien and green gorilla. Mammoth threw the soda machine he had been carrying over his shoulder so he could get a good grip on Beast Boy while Jinx shot some of her bad-juju-beams at the chairs and tables, causing them to explode and splinters to fly toward Starfire. Luckily, the alien dodged and fired a few well-placed starbolts at the other girl that sent her flying toward the Panda Express in the back of the dining area, but she did not account for Gizmo's missiles to hit her squarely in the back and send her careening diagonally towards a Sbarro's. Beast Boy had managed to subject Mammoth to a submission hold, but as soon as he heard Starfire's pained cry and her body slam into the wall, his head whipped around to see something awful happen.

Jinx had recovered from Starfire's barrage and sent a ray of pink up to the ceiling and caused a large stone sphere that had been hanging as decoration to detach itself directly over Starfire.

"STAR!" Beast Boy immediately shifted into a cheetah and bolted toward his prone friend, who was still trying to get her bearings back from Gizmo's assault. She looked up and her eyes widened in panic just before the green cheetah slammed the two of them out of the way. The orb made a huge indent in the floor, and Starfire instinctively clutched onto the cheetah as she realized she could have been a pile of Tamaranian Pudding of Sadness if Beast Boy hadn't gotten her out of the way. Beast Boy, however, snarled at the three troublemakers, who decided they had raised enough cain for the day and quickly left the food court.

Shifting back into his human form, he helped Starfire stand up. "Are you okay?"

"I am much better than I would have been had you not thought so quickly," Starfire replied and wrapped him gingerly in an appreciative hug. He hugged her as well, but as soon as his hands touched her back, she winced and he pulled away. "Apologies, Beast Boy. It appears that the Gizmo's small exploding airplanes hurt more than I thought."

"Don't worry about it, Star. Let's head back home. I'll treat you to some mint pizza on the way back, okay?" he said, flashing her a heartfelt smile that she returned. She patted his head affectionately, and the both of them returned to where she had stashed their purchases. People slowly began to trickle in, as did local law enforcement, and the two Titans tried their best to slip quietly out of the mall so as not to raise a commotion. Beast Boy took the bags from Starfire and she shot him a grateful smile as he shifted into an eagle and took off into the sky with the purchases swinging from his talons.

The flight home was just as quiet as it had been until Starfire pointed to a nearby building and swooped down low. Beast Boy followed, puzzled, and landed back in his human form next to her in front of a beautiful glassworks and jewelry shop.

"Uh, Starfire?"

"Yes?"

"Why are we here?"

"Because the last time Raven and I went to the mall of shopping, she brought me here. And she showed me something very beautiful," the alien replied, her eyes scanning the window display before lighting up. "And they still have it!"

"That's great, Star. You going to get it?" Starfire shook her head and bored her serious gaze into Beast Boy's.

"Beast Boy, I shall express my immense gratitude for saving me later. For now, perhaps I may help you. I believe," she said, looking at him gently but seriously, "that you have been telling yourself falsehoods for some time."

Beast Boy could not hide his surprise. "What are you talking about?"

"You like Raven, yes?" she asked plainly.

"W-Well, she's my friend, and she's really smart, and her powers are cool, and she's pretty, and-" Beast Boy stammered, not sure what Starfire was looking for, but she placed a finger on his lips with a smile.

"You misunderstand. I know you like Raven. We all do. We are all her very dear friends," she said, "What I mean is that you think of Raven as something more than a dear friend. Something like… a female with whom you have a pleasant and special association, including the sharing of enjoyable recreation and occasionally the buying of bountiful floral arrangements, yes?"

His eyes crossed for a moment at all the big words, but once he had a chance to decode the Star-Speak, he gaped at her with his mouth hanging open again. "A girlfriend? You mean like like- No way, Star, that's just- She's my friend like you and- that can't-"

"Beast Boy, I was in just as much peril as Raven when the Adonis came to hurt her. If you feel for her the same way you feel for me, why did you not turn into The Beast and fight like your life would end if I was hurt as you did for her?" Starfire asked with a raised eyebrow.

And Beast Boy's mind went poof in a moment of sheer clarity.

Raven had not expected to see Robin and Cyborg standing cautiously outside her door shortly after she had finished her third cup of tea. She had seen them debating over something at the table when she had gone for her second refill (the first having been when all of them were at breakfast, though she wished she could forget that one), so she was surprised to see them both at the door. Thinking it was just them needing her to settle a dispute for them, she just gazed at them with one eye peeking out from behind the door and muttered, "Yes?"

"H-Hey, Raven. Just wanted to check on you," Cyborg said uneasily, and her visible eyebrow raised.

"Another checkup?" she asked, "I'm fine, Cyborg. Neither Beast Boy nor Adonis did anything to me that my magic couldn't heal."

"It's not that," Robin corrected, only barely calmer than Cyborg, "It's about this morning." Raven closed her eyes and sighed. She knew the interrogation was coming. In fact, she was a little surprised it hadn't come sooner; her powers had been on the fritz ever since she'd spoken with Beast Boy on the shore, and despite her near-constant meditation, it wasn't going away. It was getting worse.

"Are you mad at Beast Boy?" Cyborg asked gently, and Raven shook her head, fully opening her door. She sighed as she heard one of her books blast from its place on one of her shelves, and judging by the looks on her friends' faces they had noticed too.

"No. He has done nothing wrong recently. In fact, he hasn't really spoken much to me. No lame jokes, no inane video game ramblings, nothing like that," she said in her normal monotone. Cyborg's cybernetic eye discreetly studied Robin's face, and he could tell that Robin thought something was up so he let Robin take the lead.

"Does that bother you?" Robin asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"No."

"Raven, are you sure? You've been a little… jumpy lately. And every time we say Beast Boy's name-" Cyborg was interrupted by one of her candlesticks toppling onto the floor. Thankfully it was unlit. Raven squinted menacingly at them.

"Look, Raven, we have been noticing some… things. And those things point to maybe, sort of, an explanation for the explosions?" Robin stammered.

"Like elevated heart rates, adrenaline levels, blood pressure, and-"

"You looked at my charts to satisfy some sort of sick curiosity of yours?"

"Um," the boys chorused, and Cyborg knew he done goofed if the paling of his face was any indication.

Raven inhaled through her nose. She understood Robin and Cyborg wanted to help, she really did. They were good friends, she knew they loved her like a little sister, and she'd trade blows with anyone stupid enough to hurt them any day.

But they were gigantic idiots.

"Did it occur to either of you that I may already know the reason my powers have been like this? And that maybe I was already trying to work on it in my own way? And that coming to talk to me about it might cause more things to explode?" she asked venomously.

"W-Well, we just wanted to make sure you were okay-" Cyborg started.

"I'm fine."

"-and since Starfire kidnapped Beast Boy, we thought-"

This time Cyborg was interrupted by the noise of all of Raven's books exploding off their shelves. Raven closed her eyes and inhaled slowly again.

"Starfire did what?"

"She took Be- uh, him to the mall," Robin answered warily.

"I see." She opened her eyes, and both boys noticed the faint glimmer of Rage's red in them. "If you'll excuse me, I have cleaning up to do."

The door slammed in the boys' faces, and they both let out a collective sigh as they scurried back to the common room. As soon as they were both safely stationed on the couch, spare video game controllers in hand and eyes plastered to the screen, Cyborg spoke.

"So… you were right."

"About talking to Raven?"

"What? No way. But that she-"

"Oh. Yeah."

"Yeah."

"..."

"..."

"Let's never talk about this again."

"Cool."

Back in Raven's room, her face was a brilliant red color as she futilely tried to rein in her emotions enough to meditate.

Stupid boys. If I didn't love them so much, I'd kill them.