Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans.

"Hey there, Raven!"

Raven twinged upon hearing that all-too familiar voice she knew so well speak to her. She swung around to find she was not alone in the kitchen of Titans Tower. A certain teammate of hers had walked in to find the young half-demon stirring away inside a large mixing bowl with a wooden spoon.

"Whatcha makin'?" Beast Boy asked, smiling curiously.

"I'm brewing up a witch's potion…" Raven answered sarcastically.

"You are?" Beast Boy blinked, astonished at the gothic girl's dry response. "Halloween was back in October, Raven. Don't ya know you're two months too late, Raven?"

"You don't say?" Raven muttered. "Just as well I read the recipe to make Christmas pudding instead…"

"Christmas pudding?"

Beast Boy's eyes widened at what Raven had mentioned. He peered into the bowl she was stirring her spoon inside. The green shapeshifter's mouth watered among seeing it was filled with mixture made up of chocolate, fruit and spices. His stomach let off a rumble which filled the whole kitchen. He was feeling a craving for the treat his fellow superhero was making.

"You're gonna need someone to help you with that," he said. "Want me to taste it for ya?"

"No thanks, Beast Boy." Raven firmed her hold on the bowl. "I can manage just fine, thank you…"

"C'mon, Raven!" Beast Boy urged. "Lending a hand to others is what Christmas is all about."

"You're not getting your hands into this mix!" Raven narrowed her eyes. "I ain't having you mess up this pudding!"

"Mess it up? Moi?" Beast Boy shook his head. "I just wanna make sure you've made it taste so sweet and flavoursome!"

"And you'll find out, Beast Boy…" Raven turned away and continued stirring. "Once the pudding is done! Not before!"

"Aww, c'mon! Lemme help ya, Raven! That's what friends are for!"

"You can help me…" Raven glanced over her shoulder towards the green thorn in her side. "…by keeping your butt out of the kitchen."

Beast Boy could stand it no longer.

With a loud roar, he suddenly grabbed hold of the bowl. He tried he tried to tug it out of Raven's grip, detirmined to sample its gooey goodness inside.

"Hey!" Raven grunted, keeping hold of the bowl as she attempted to stop the shapeshifter taking it from her. "Let go, Beast Boy!"

"Just lemme taste it!" Beast Boy wailed. "One taste! That's all I want!"

"I said let go!"

"Not until I've tasted it!" Beast Boy tugged harder in his efforts to get the bowl from Raven's iron grip. "One teensy-weensy taste! That's all I want just to know how good it is in my mouth! How chocolaty it is! How fruit it is! How-"

Beast Boy was cut off as he and Raven lost their grips. Both fell backwards to tumble onto the floor - as the bowl flew up in the air. It almost hit the kitchen roof before it came plunging down, doing two flips on its way…

…before landing with a splat onto Beast Boy's head.

"Ugh! Duuuuuuuuuuuuuude!"

Beast Boy groaned as thick pudding mixture seeped all over him. The bowl sat upside down on his head, covering his eyes as its contents covered him from head to feet. His green face was now a dark colour as gooey chocolate trickled all over his clothes, bits of fruit sticking to him.

Seeing what had happened to Beast Boy, an astonished look crossed Raven's face. The goth quickly clasped a hand against her mouth, trying to prevent herself from laughing. The sight of her childish, wise-cracking teammate getting cover in messy mixture was too much for her. She couldn't think her broody reputation by bursting into giggles.

"Well, you wanted the pudding mix, Beast Boy…" she said, "…and you sure got it!"

Beast Bou said nothing. His face was filled with a chocolate-covered frown. He wasn't amused by what had happened to him at all.

"Beast Boy!"

Hearing his name being chorused from behind him, Beast Boy turned towards the kitchen doorway. He lifted the bowl off his head - causing more of its sticky contents to fall down on him - as he saw his other teammates had arrived, gaping at him with shock.

"What are you doing?" Robin cried.

"Have you eaten all of the pudding of Christmas?" Starfire asked.

"How could you, man?" Cyborg whined. "Keeping the pudding all for yourself, stuffing your green face and not saving any for me! Shame on you, BB!"

Beast Bou said nothing. He was too irked over what had just happened to him to explain his situation to his friends. He didn't even think to lick the mixture off himself to get the taste of it he'd been after!"

"You'd better make us a new pudding, Beast Boy," Raven said ominously, "or there'll be no presents for you on Christmas morning."

Beast Boy glanced irritably up at Raven as she went to join her friends and head to the lounge, leaving him all alone in the kitchen. He wasn't pleased that she'd left him to make a replacement pudding. Some thanks she gave him for trying to help her! He'd only tried to make sure she was getting it tasty enough - and now he had to prepare a new one from scratch. He was used to eating Christmas pudding, not making them.

Laying in his back on the kitchen floor, Beast Boy stared up at the ceiling. He decided he was better off sticking to being a superhero than trying to be a Christmas pudding mixture taster.

Helping out in the kitchen was a real messy business.

THE END