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"Is it just me….or—"
"Shhh! Don't…..be……so……loud……man….."
"………is she sleeping?"
"What, were you born yesterday?"
"Dude! Just…..J-Just commenting. She IS Raven, after all. You never know if she's meditating or astrally projecting herself or……."
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"Uh…..yeah. I thank she's sleeping, dawg."
"Hehehe! Told you!"
"Feh…."
"You owe me a tofu slurpee!"
"FEH!"
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"It's not often you see that, is it?"
"See what, little man?"
"Duh! Raven sleeping!"
"Shhh! Just don't be loud about it…."
"Figures that she's nocturnal. Sleeps during the day and waltzes around at night."
"Uh huh…."
"Just like a true bat!"
"Hey!"
"Hehehehehe!"
"I'm telling on you."
"You don't have the guts, Cy. LITERALLY."
"C'mon, man…..let's just grab the Stinkball ingredients and get our butts to the gym already!"
"Heh….yeah, sure…."
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"……you know…."
"Hmm? What now?"
"……….she looks so……soft……"
"……..I beg your pardon?"
"You heard me!"
"……'soft'……"
"Well, I suppose it's a girl thing—"
"RAVEN…..is 'soft'?"
"Okay, dude….Forget I said anything. Sheesh…..an elf says what's in his head and he gets a cross-examination—"
"No, man. Just….Just what do you mean exactly?"
"Well, Raven's always had a penchant for…..I dunno…..she's like a princess underneath."
"Snkkkt-heheheh….The Hell is this coming from?"
"Just look at her! Notice that even when she's sleeping, her hands have the fingers folded all 'gracefully' and jazz. It's like she's danced her way into the couch…."
"Uhhh…..okaaaay….."
"You suppose her hair feels like ice? The way it's all shiny-blue and stuff?"
"B.B……you're starting to scare me. Heheheh….it's not even Valentine's yet. Where's this sappiness coming from?"
"Dude….Not sappiness! Just—"
"………….when Terra was around, the two of us…..ya know…..cuddled….."
"Uh huh….."
"Movie Night…..on a park bench…..just sitting in a chair together with a Game Boy or something. It's…….It's a beautiful world when you've felt a chick's body lying in your arms. Snoozing and stuff. Kind of like having a purring kitten in your lap, only that much more cute and stuff…..uhm….am I making any sense?"
"Heh……Yeah, B.B. You are."
"…………..I just know that Raven'll make a lucky guy warm and fuzzy some day."
"Pfft….up to her, man. But you know how that would go."
"………….I should take a photo."
"Why?"
"Draw a mustache on the Polaroid. Hehehehe!"
"Hahaha—snkkt—Shhhhh! Ahem…..Let's….erm…."
"Yeah….let's split…."
"She'll dance our butts into the bucket if we get any frickin' closer to waking her up…."
"Yeah…..Stinkball!"
"Boo-ya! Stinkball!"
"Hehehe!"
"…………"
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I stir.
My limbs shift and slide….
……..a blanket.
My violet eyes squint open.
"Mmmmmnngh….."
I sit up…..lying on the length of the couch in the Main Room. Still wearing my blue sweater and jeans. The day has waned to dimness outside. A cold frost covers the windows, and the snow of mid January drifts downward in a curtain sheet of nature. The words of Mary Shelley are still spread before me in a hardback nestled between my sleepy body and the cushions of the couch.
But…..
A blanket……
I run my fingers over the material and blink confusedly.
Then I hear tapping sounds.
I turn my blue head.
I see Robin at the far end of the Main Room, typing up a report as quietly as possible.
"What…..Wh-What time is it….?"
"Seven Thirty," Robin drones without looking back at me. "Don't worry, I'll be gone soon."
"I…..I guess I fell asleep…..Sorry, Robin, I'll leave you in—"
"Don't bother, Raven. Stay as long as you like. I'll be gone soon."
I blink.
I should get up……and walk to bed.
But………
Nah……
"Mmmmmmm…..," I close eyes and curl back into the warmth of the blanket. "……B-Beast Boy and Cyborg……wh-where did they go?"
"……..Excuse me?"
"W-Weren't they….," I yawn. "…..j-just here?"
Robin looks over his shoulder finally. "Uhm…..No. They both went out for pizza with Starfire an hour ago."
"……………oh……," I snuggle into the blanket and drift beyond the couch. "……y-you…….didn't…….h-have to give me the blanket."
Typing. A pause. "Uhhhh…..I didn't, Raven."
"…………………."
Whatever………
Seriously, just………
Whatever……
Can I have the next dance, Sandman?