"Raven, I'm missing my favourite show!" Beast Boy whined while being bodily dragged up the stairs to the rooftop.
"I'm sure Zombie Attackers 4 will be on at six other times today, you can spare to miss one of them." Raven stated plainly, keeping her eyes forward.
"But stillllllllllllll! I'm missing the intro!"
"Can't you be quiet for one minute? I need to concentrate."
"What? Why? What would you need to…" Beast Boy's query trailed off as they arrived on the rooftop, which had been transformed into a jungle. Everywhere he looked there was green; plants growing on top of plants. A mist hung in the air, smelling like Africa and animal noises permeated the area.
"Happy Birthday." Raven's voice drifted through the air to the stunned boy. The changeling looked about in awe, then, without turning away from the splendor, quietly asked:
"How did…"
"I Know?" Beast Boy nodded weakly, still facing away. "Since you found out my birthday, Robin told me yours. Turnabout is fair play, after all. And as for all of this…" Raven gestured around at the complicated illusion, "You once mentioned having been to Africa, so I decided to give a little back." Having finished her explanation, the half demon waited for her companion's reaction, and was not disappointed. The boy turned to her with the most radiant smile she'd ever seen on his face, but there was something deeper, something in his eyes that hinted at something painful in his memories. This proved Raven's theory that there was more to the Joker, and she wanted to know what.
"Beast Boy?" She started softly, letting the illusion fade out as he turned his attention back to her. "What happened to your parents?" She saw it. A slight tensing of his jaw, she'd struck a nerve.
He was going to tell her. He was going to tell her everything that he hadn't told to anyone else. He was going to tell her everything… when the alarm rang. They gave each other an exasperated look then hurried down the stairs, all the while thinking 'maybe next time'.