Archive of Our Own ^beta

There were many misconceptions about Raven, most of which she was aware of, but did not feel the need to address. That she was a vampire. That she was a zombie. That she was the zombie of a vampire. She was Zatanna’s estranged daughter. She was a PR stunt for a Cradle of Filth album that had yet to be released. She was a thirteen-year-old Australian child-actress. She and Starfire were lesbian lovers; it seemed to be exclusively teenage boys who shared and believed that one. She didn’t actually have powers and it was all just special effects. She had all of the powers and had brainwashed the other Titans into becoming her slaves. Perhaps most offensively at all, there were persistent rumours that she was romantically involved with Beast Boy.

But one particular misconception was especially wrong; that someone as refined and dignified as Raven would insist upon only consuming the highest-quality of food, fit for the upper crusts of society – royals and socialities and… dukes – and that anything not up to her fittingly high standards would be either ignored or discarded.

The image of Raven, currently sat at one of Jump City’s five branches of the legally distinct ‘McRonalds™’ chain of restaurants, biting into a cheeseburger as ketchup spilled out of the other side, firmly put an end to that notion.

Raven was not a slob, nor was she a snob. She had particularly high standards when it came to the exact recipe that she had spent years perfecting for her morning cup of herbal tea – although she still politely smiled when Beast Boy had tried to replicate it himself on her birthday… and failed, but came a lot closer than she had expected – and her standards for everything else were practically non-existent. As long as it wasn’t currently alive, overwhelmingly bad for her health, and didn’t taste truly disgusting – the latter of which unfortunately disqualified all of Beast Boy’s tofu dishes – then she would happily eat almost anything put in front of her. She wasn’t a glutton, she simply wasn’t fussy. If she had to subsist on odourless, flavourless grey goo for the rest of her life that provided her with all of the nutrients that she required, she would have accepted those conditions with nothing more than a shrug of indifference.

“Thank you for coming, by the way,” shyly commented the green boy sat opposite her, between bites of his own veggie burger.

Raven shrugged in response. “Food is food,” she explained, although she was also aware that he had ulterior motives for visiting an establishment such as this, and he hated going places by himself. When he had asked her, he seemed to have been expecting her to refuse – and she normally would have – but his reasons, while childish, were entirely innocent and understandable. And there was nothing wrong with a cheeseburger every now and then. And besides- “Besides,” Raven added, “Robin says this is good PR. Makes us look normal.”

She put no effort into making herself sound amused, but her voice was just a little dryer than usual as she repeated Robin’s thoughts that she – a grey half-demon destined to destroy the universe – and he – a green shapeshifter whose powers were an affront to the laws of physics – apparently looked ‘normal’ grabbing lunch at a fast food chain. Beast Boy picked up on it, and grinned to himself as he took another bite of his veggie burger, washing it down with a large slurp of whatever soda had been available.

“So, um…” Beast Boy was practically bouncing in his seat. Raven was just relieved that he had swallowed his mouthful before talking. “Do you mind if I…” he trailed off.

Raven rolled her eyes, and handed him the paper bag that her ‘Clappy Meal™ - So Good, You’ll Want To Applaud!’ came in. It took a great deal of effort not to smirk as he squeed – literally made the noise “Squee!’ – and tore into it. It was stupid and meaningless, but also sincerely adorable how excited and happy he was over something so silly. He looked the same now as he did on Christmas morning, opening his presents.

None of the Titans had been consulted on the deal, but that was because Robin had – correctly – assumed that none of them would object. Starfire, Cyborg and Beast Boy would have been – and were , when they found out – outright excited at the prospect, and Raven was completely ambivalent. Robin himself was not interested in the promotion, but he was optimistic about… the promotion . What it could do for the team, after a few difficult months in which property damage had exceeded his expectations, and the Titans’ reputation.

McRonalds™ Clappy Meals™ currently came with one of five action-figures, cheaply produced in the likeness of one of the Teen Titans. Children of Jump City were excited to collect all five, and show them off to their friends in the playground, bashing them together, pretending to make them kiss, and… doing whatever else children did with toys that would very quickly break. Raven considered the whole thing immature, pointless, and stupid. She didn’t want to sound judgemental, but anyone who could still be entertained by such a simple toy… she didn’t have the highest opinion of their intellectual capabilities.

Naturally, Beast Boy had been overjoyed at the news and immediately wanted to collect them all.

He had begged her around midday to come with him so that he could make a start on completing his collection – a collection that did not yet exist – but was surprised when she had agreed with little fuss. Despite his perceived immaturity, it was an entirely harmless venture, and… truth be told, she had a soft spot for their fries.

Raven would have been thinking more disparaging things about his intelligence – or lack thereof – and yet… as he eagerly tore into the cheap plastic packaging to see which toy Raven had received – and which she was more than happy to give to him – then she couldn’t help but smile. There was something about him that was so pure, and innocent, and… untainted by malice, spite, and the evils of the world. Beast Boy always had that energy around him, but watching him find such joy in such a basic, simplistic task; just because Raven thought that he was immature didn’t mean that she didn’t find great joy herself in watching one of her friends be happy.

“DUDE!” he yelled in excitement before the toy was even visible to her. He quickly but carefully yanked it out of the packaging and presented it to her as if it was the solution to all of life’s problems. “Look Rae! You got me!”

Raven was so happy for him that she held in her laughter at the frankly terrible job that the makers of this toy had done. Little plastic Beast Boy was almost cross-eyed and holding up the fingers of his left hand in a V-sign – a pose that she had never seen him make before – and the little white fang sticking out of his mouth was on the wrong side of his face. His head was disproportionately large compared to his body; but not enough to plausibly be explained as an artistic choice, just enough to make it look… weird. Beast Boy proudly placed the little plastic him down on the table, in front of Raven, where it continued to sign V for victory. The more she looked at it, the harder it was to resist the urge to laugh. But he was happy, and that was all that mattered.

“And I’ve got…” Beast Boy ripped open the package that had come with his own Veggie Burger Clappy Meal™, eyes wide with anticipation, and then… they narrowed a little. Not in disappointment, but his excitement had definitely died down just a touch. “Robin!” Beast Boy announced with much less gusto than before. Still, he smiled to himself, placing the little plastic Boy Wonder on the table next to himself. It seemed that they had put much more effort into the most-popular Titan – even the number of separate pouches on his utility belt was correct – and Raven felt a pang of displeasure that whoever had designed these had considered Beast Boy an afterthought compared to this. They even managed to replicate the way that his hair looked like it had too much gel in it.

Beast Boy was still smiling as the figures of Robin and Beast Boy valiantly protected the table. But Raven could sense that his smile wasn’t as big as it had been. Nor as big as it could be. And she saw no reason for it not to be.

“Were you hoping for someone else?” she asked, and to his surprise, she didn’t seem to be lacing her question in sarcasm, as if mocking him for being invested in something so silly to begin with. It didn’t stop him from nervously rubbing the back of his head – force of habit more than anything – but if she could be sincere with him, he could be honest in response.

“Yeah, kinda. But it doesn’t matter, I’ll have all five soon.”

“Is Robin okay with you eating that much junk food? I thought this promotion was just for a week,” she asked, and while the question could have been posed judgementally, it truly wasn’t. She was just curious.

Beast Boy shrugged. “Cy will come with me when he’s back from Titans East. And Starfire will eat anything,” there was no small amount of fear in his voice as he uttered that last word. The things that he had seen her consume without a second thought… he shuddered in his seat.

Raven accepted his explanation, and knew it to be true… but it didn’t change the fact that right now, he wasn’t as happy as he could have been, and there was a very simple solution to that problem. Raven saw no reason why that solution couldn’t come to fruition. And so, she grabbed the Robin figurine, rose from her seat, and strode over to the counter, where a nervous-looking young woman had just finished serving a family of four.

“Hello…” Raven squinted at the young woman’s nametag, which was next to a flashy pin, the colour scheme of which resembled Shadow the Hedgehog, “Jayne, my friend got this toy in his Clappy Meal™ and he was wondering if we could exchange it for another?”

‘Jayne’ froze at the sight of one of the actual Teen Titans speaking directly to her. It was rather anxiety-inducing to have a woman of such power address you personally. It was even more anxiety-inducing knowing that her job was in danger if she didn’t abide by the rules of the establishment.

“I-I-I… I’m sorry, miss Raven, but it is store policy that once a Clappy Meal™ toy has been unwrapped, then it can no longer be exchanged for another Clappy Meal™ toy.” She paused. “Sorry.” She seemed quite flustered.

Raven leaned very slight forwards. She hoped that by speaking in a quiet, personable manner, she came across as reasonable, rather than threatening. That didn’t change the fact that she clearly was not going to accept Jayne’s answer.

“Okay ‘Jayne’,” Raven repeated calmly, emphasizing her name in a way that she hoped made her seem friendly – and had the exact opposite effect – “It can’t be exchanged once it’s been unwrapped?”

Raven raised her hand, and the wrapper that had contained the miniature Boy Wonder flew from their table into her grasp, almost clipping Beast Boy – who was tentatively making his way towards her, trying to defuse the situation – on the way, before she professionally placed the small toy Robin back inside, and sealed it up with her magic. She held out the once-again sealed package in her hand, offering it back to Jayne, who observed the demonstration of Raven’s powers with fascination, but fear.

“I… don’t know if we can exchange re-packaged goods,” she eventually squeaked out. “I-if-um… is there any chance that you would reconsider accepting the original toy?”

Raven resisted the urge to scowl, but also thought it best not to attempt to smile; if Jayne was already afraid of her, then that would be downright terrifying. She tried to keep her voice low so as not to attract attention or disturb any other patrons of this… fine establishment, but is also had the effect of making her voice sound even colder.

“Look, Jayne… there’s no need for any disagreement here. My friend would like a new toy; please let him choose the toy that he would like.”

“Um, Raven?” Beast Boy interrupted, pawing weakly at her shoulder. “It’s fine, really. I-I don’t need a-”

“Shut it,” she interrupted him back, firm, but not harsh. “Jayne, I’ll just buy another stupid Happy Meal-”

“Clappy Meal™!” Jayne was quick to interject, eyes darting from side to side as if she feared a lawyer specializing in copyright infringement could emerge at any moment.

“… Right, whatever,” Raven continued. “I’ll give you the money for another one if you just let him pick the stupid toy that he wants.”

“U-um…” sweat was visibly dripping down the face of poor sweet Jayne, who had not asked for any of this. “I-I’m afraid that… that, even if you were to purchase another meal, then you would not be able to select the accompanying toy; we have a strict policy in place to-to… to-” Jayne’s voice trailed off into a whimper as Raven’s expression became an outright frown. She leaned forwards onto the counter, both hands affixed firmly on top of it, and… took a deep breath, resisting the urge to ask to speak to her manager.

“Look,” Raven tried to explain calmly, but was unable to keep the hint of frustration out of her voice. “I know that only jerks say ‘Do you know who I am?’ But… we are literally the Teen Titans. We are the reason you have these stupid little toys. We are also the reason why this building hasn’t been destroyed fifteen times over in the last four years. So please, Jayne, just get my friend the toy that he wants.” She turned to Beast Boy, who was rapidly beginning to look nervous as well – albeit not to the extent of Jayne – and asked “What toy do you want, anyway?”

“R-Raven!” Beast Boy protested quietly, or so she thought.

“What?” she replied back, snappily.

“I-I really think I should get my manager!” Jayne announced, before running for her life away from the counter, and seeking out another employee, who arrived shortly afterwards. She was completely unintimidated by the presence of two Teen Titans, and said in a voice so rehearsed and devoid of emotion that if they hadn’t witnessed the words being spoken by a human being, Beast Boy and Raven would have assumed that they were speaking to a robot.

“Welcome to McRonalds™, hope of the Clappy Meal™, my name is Daisy™, how can I help you?”

Beast Boy was mildly alarmed at how overwhelmingly apathetic this manager seemed to be; even outdoing Raven at her very coldest and least-interested. Raven herself noted the similarities, but continued.

“I would like to exchange my friend’s Clappy Meal™ toy for another toy,” Raven explained succinctly, trying not to appear frustrated, while also trying not to appear not-frustrated either. It was a simple enough request. There was absolutely no reason for them not to fulfil it.

“I’m sorry,” Daisy responded instantly, not sounding sorry at all, “But it is company policy at McRonalds™ not to allow people to return or exchange Clappy Meal™ toys. If there is anything else that I can help you with, or you wish to escalate this complaint further, then I can give you the address of the online self-service form that you can use to file an official McRonalds™ complaint that will be looked at by our senior managerial team.” She neither blinked, nor did her eyes move in any way while she spoke. It was hard to tell if she was even looking at them.

“Raven, we should really just-” Beast Boy tried to interject. Raven cut him off.

“My friend isn’t leaving here without the toy he wants,” she growled, losing her patience, before trying her best to regain it when she turned back to her friend. “Which one do you want again?”

“Raven…” Beast Boy whined nervously.

“What?” Raven snapped back, before Daisy interrupted them both.

“I am sorry to hear that your McRonalds™ experience today has been substandard. Please note that your feedback will be recorded and forwarded onto the relevant teams for-”

“Could you please just speak to us like a human being?” Raven interrupted. “I feel like I’m talking to an android.”

Daisy did not visibly react in any way. “My boyfriend Gavin has made similar remarks…”

“Look,” Raven continued, frustration and impatience clear in her voice and demeanour. “Two weeks ago, we stopped Cinderblock from stomping this entire building into a pile of garbage. The least you can do, is let my friend pick the stupid toy that he wants from your stupid meal.”

Daisy finally reacted. A spark of hope appeared in her eyes, although not for any reasons that would make Raven’s experience any easier. “Are you… are you saying that by refusing to provide you with this toy, I’m increasing the likelihood that you would allow this building to be destroyed?”

Raven rolled her eyes. “Well, no, but I certainly wouldn’t prioritize-”

“Oh, please don’t!” Daisy begged, emotion in her voice for the first time they had seen. “Please let us be destroyed.”

Raven’s eyes narrowed in confusion. Beast Boy’s eyes widened in alarm. Daisy sighed.

“Look, I’m the assistant middle-manager of the third-largest McRonalds™ establishment in Jump City. I take night shift on the drive-through window three times a week. I… truly wish that I could help you,” she sounded sincere enough, “but if I woke up tomorrow and heard that this entire building had exploded or burned down, then I think I would smile for the first time in seven years. So…” she shrugged her shoulders sympathetically. “If I can say anything at all that would help that dream to become a reality, then I have to do it. Really.”

Slowly realising that Daisy was far too invested in the destruction of her place of employment to assist them, Raven turned her attention back to Jayne, who whimpered under her piercing gaze.

“I’d like to purchase another Clappy Meal™ please,” Raven announced through gritted teeth.

“Um… okay, but… I told you, we can’t guarantee a specific toy with the-”

“That’s fine,” Raven lied. “Just the Clappy Meal™. A cheeseburger one, please.” She wasn’t hungry any more, but she would put it in the fridge when they returned to the tower, and she was sure that Cyborg would appreciate it later.

“Um… okay then,” Jayne acquiesced, trying not to shiver as Raven’s eyes remained affixed on her as she punched in the order. A minute later, Raven’s eyes were still on her as a quickly-assembled cheeseburger and a small side of fries were placed onto the plastic red tray that would shortly be handed to her. Jayne realised Raven’s plan as she began to fetch a packaged toy, and felt Raven’s eyes continue to track her. Jayne froze anxiously in her place, eyes silently pleading with Raven, who did not react. As quickly as possible, Jayne tried to grab something out of a large cardboard box positioned underneath the counter.

The box was seized in dark magic and flew out of its hiding place, onto the counter itself, as Raven swiftly began scanning the contents. She could easily see past the packaging without opening them, and instantly identified a Cyborg figurine, assuming that Beast Boy had wanted a copy of his best friend to accompany his own action figure.

“What one did you want?” she asked Beast Boy casually.

“Raven-” Beast Boy squeaked in alarm. She was about to tell him to (paradoxically) shut up and just tell her which figure he wanted – he could’ve taken all five if he’d wanted – when Jayne once again attempted to intervene.

“Um, Miss Raven? You’re- you’re not allowed to do that! And, if you disrespect the rules of this establishment, then I will be forced to contact the authorities, to report-”

It finally happened. Raven’s emotional spectrum included happiness, sadness, rage, timidity, rudeness, wisdom, intelligence, sloth and more, but today she was uncovering a new side of herself. A side that she had tried to deny for the longest time, but which was finally here. And, just like any other side of Raven, she swore to only use it for good.

Raven took a deep breath… and embraced the Karen inside of her.

“You know what?” snapped back Ka-Raven. “I hope that you do. I hope that you call the police, and tell them that you are pressing charges against the defenders of Jump City, who have saved your life and their lives and all of your lives a hundred times over, on the basis that one of them took a cheap, stupid, plastic Happy Meal™-”

“Clappy Meal™!” Jayne protested.

“OH MY GOD I DON’T CARE!!!” shouted back Raven. “I hope that you tell them that you want them to arrest a woman who could lift this entire city into the sky and drop it into the middle of the Antarctic Ocean, all because she took a fifty-cent plastic toy from your stupid, crappy restaurant, with watered-down sodas and gum under every table, and that you don’t even like working for! I hope that you call them right now, because I will go to the police station, and I will find the audio of your call, and I will take that too, and I will play it on repeat, next to my bed, every time I fall asleep for the next five years, and I will fall asleep with the biggest smile on my face, remembering how UNBELIEVABLY STUPID you made yourself sound, by going out of your way to create the most unnecessary conflict in the entire history of unnecessary conflicts!!!”

Raven finally finished, eyes red, breathing heavily. Jayne looked windswept, as if she had just been standing in front of an industrial grade fan. Lip quivering, body trembling, eyes trying to look anywhere but in the face of the extremely irritated half-demon in front of her.

“… Miss Raven?” Daisy stepped forwards cautiously. “I can’t help but notice how angry you are, and… I would like to once again ask if there is anything at all I could do in this situation that would increase the likelihood of you somehow destroying this building.”

Raven let out a high-pitched shriek of exasperation, and then turned back to Beast Boy, deciding to ignore these two for good.

“What toy did you want?”

“… Raven-” he repeatedly nervously.

“WHAT?!?” her eyes flashed red as she snapped back at him. As annoyed as she was, she felt a fleeting regret as he flinched at her anger… before, to her surprise, swallowing it down, and standing up to her.

“… No, I was telling you,” he confirmed, sounding much calmer than he looked. “I wanted a Raven toy.”

“Oh…” Raven replied, anger somewhat subdued into guilt… before that guilt became confusion, and that confusion became curiosity. “Wait, why?”

She hadn’t intended for it to sound like an accusation… although it definitely was one. In-context it was suspicious; out of context it would have been worse. Beast Boy wanted to possess a small figurine in the likeness of Raven, for reasons completely unknown to her. There were no good answers running through her mind; only various levels of badness. A voodoo doll was probably one of the less -offensive options that she was imagining at this moment. Fortunately, Beast Boy cleared the air quickly enough.

“Because… you know,” Beast Boy hesitated, then shrugged. Raven hoped she didn’t have to drag the reason out of him, and to her luck, she didn’t. That wasn’t to say that she was expecting it in the slightest.

“Beast Boy and Raven… they’re like, best friends.” He smiled shyly. Her heart skipped a beat, which she knew, because her right hand was now placed firmly over it.

“Wh… what?” she asked in disbelief.

“… You know, Beast Boy and Raven,” Beast Boy repeated, placing his hands over his pockets but not quite inside of them, awkwardly swaying slightly from side to side. “They’re best friends, I think.” It was clear that he was referring to them in third-person – as if he was talking only about the action-figures, and nothing else – to avoid the embarrassment of admitting how he actually felt.

“Like… sure, Beast Boy has a lot of fun with Cyborg and Starfire, but… he has a different kind of fun with Raven. He just… likes to be around her. And she makes him think more deeply about stuff. She makes him… feel like he can think more deeply about stuff. And even though she likes books and tea and things, she’ll still come with him to McDonalds when he wants something.”

“McRonalds™,” Jayne whispered under her breath. Beast Boy ignored her and continued.

“… And, like… whenever Beast Boy needs something – like, really needs it – whether it’s advice, or healing, or help, then… Raven is always there for him. She’s never let him down.” He chuckled bashfully. “I mean… if I had a Beast Boy figure without a Raven figure, he’d be scared, all on his own. He would need his best friend Raven there, to make him feel all safe and secure.”

Raven turned away as soon as he was done, for two reasons. The first was so that he wouldn’t see the luminescent blush on her face as she wiped a tear of gratitude out of her eye. The second was to find what he had been looking for this entire time, so that they could get out of there, and she could return to her room, and meditate for a while on what he had just said. She had a lot of meditating to do.

She turned around again, making sure to angle the hood of her cloak enough to try to hide how much she was still blushing, and threw the opened packet towards him. “Here,” she stammered out quietly. It wasn’t enough to keep Beast Boy from grinning like an idiot, and quickly removing the toy from the package, despite the fact that Raven was not overly keen to see the design of her own action-figure.

She was right not to have high expectations; apparently, the designers had taken the fact that she wore a cloak to mean that they barely had to – ironically enough – cover any of her features. In the sense that the entire model was just a figure wrapped inside of a navy blue cloak – they hadn’t even gotten the shade correct – with little grey legs sticking out, and two angry red eyes peeking out from beneath the hood. Raven would have been irritated, had she cared in the first place. Beast Boy was overjoyed regardless.

“Awesome!” he announced, turning back to their table to pick up his Beast Boy toy and introduce him to his best friend. Raven blushed at his blissfully innocent idiocy, and definitely for no other reasons.

“… Well, if we’re done here…” Raven said to him in turn, hoping that the implication was clear that she thought that it was time they took their leave. Now that their business had concluded, some of Raven’s words, gestures and threats felt a little… different in retrospect. She was in no rush to stick around.

“Huh? Oh, sure,” agreed Beast Boy, grabbing the paper Clappy Meal™ bag his meal had come in to escort his half-eaten Veggie Burger and Fries back to the tower with him. He held onto the figures in his other hand; he didn’t want them to get oily or greasy or covered in ketchup.

Raven noted his efforts, sighed, and cast a hand over the objects of his attention, covering them in dark magic for a moment. He glanced at her in confusion, but not suspicion, which she appreciated. “… Just a little charm to make sure that they don’t fall apart or anything,” she murmured, replacing her hood in the hopes that it would stop him from seeing how pink her cheeks were blushing. “And I mean little; don’t go throwing them on the ground or stomping on them or anything.”

Beast Boy giggled. “Thanks Rae. And I won’t.”

Raven said nothing, but pulled her hood further over her head. “Well then… we should go.”

They walked out of the building without saying another word.

Raven didn’t feel up to summoning a portal back to the tower, so she summoned a small black disc beneath her feet and stepped onto it, before turning to her friend. “You coming, or would you rather fly yourself?” she asked.

“… I’ll come with you, if that’s ok,” he answered. “If I drop these now after you went to all that effort, I’ll never forgive myself.” Raven’s hood was physically incapable of being pulled further over her head, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t still tempted to try.

“…” Raven hesitated after he stepped onto the disc. When she hadn’t moved for three seconds, Beast Boy glanced at her quizzically, and in mild concern, not that she could see any of it.

“… I forgot something- and I should probably apologize,” Raven added hastily, turning on her heels and briskly striding back into McRonalds™.

Daisy and Jayne were still behind the counter, and Daisy’s face lit up as the dark-powered empath returned. “ Oh! Did you change your mind? Are you here to burn us-” Raven ignored her and summoned the cardboard box of toys back towards her. Ignoring the pleas of Daisy and the pleas of Jayne – which were very different in nature – then she found what she was looking for; her own Beast Boy and Raven toys. She allowed one small blushing smile to creep across her features, before forcing it down as she summoned a small portal back to her bedroom in the tower, and throwing them both through, watching as they landed safely on her bed before closing the portal again. She did not want Beast Boy to know that she had taken a pair for herself. And especially not of just the two of them.

… Even if he was her best friend.

Strutting back out without saying a word, Raven wordlessly met Beast Boy outside, and soon they were soaring through the sky back to Titans Tower. She kept her hood up the entire way. He could still tell that she was blushing, and wisely decided against saying anything about it. Although, when they landed on the roof, he hesitated for a moment, as if weighing up the benefits and drawbacks of attempting something… and promptly gave her a big hug. “Thanks for coming with me today, Rae.” She didn’t seem to be hugging him back, and she also seemed to be getting… physically warmer with every second that his arms were around her. “And thanks for helping me get my toys,” he wisely concluded, ending the hug as Raven continued to glow bright red beneath her hood. Unsure whether he had gone too far, Beast Boy quickly ran inside. He had some new action-figures to arrange, after all.

Raven remained standing on the roof of the tower for another thirty seconds, during which time her heart rate slowed down again, and her skin returned from red to grey… until finally muttering “ Idiot ,” under her breath and sinking into a portal to her own bedroom.

.

Back at McRonalds™

.

“Well…” Daisy sighed, clearly disappointed. “I really thought we could get her to burn this place down.” She turned to Jayne. “Time for Plan B.”

“Huh?” Jayne reacted in confusion, shock, and then finally, acceptance. “Oh, right. Plan B.” She glanced down at her Shadow the Hedgehog pin and sighed. Daisy had already picked up a huge gasoline container and was carelessly sloshing the contents all over the counters, the equipment, some of the staff, and many more of the customers. “Understood. Initiating the mission now.” Jayne pulled Daisy’s back-up gasoline container out from beneath the counter and did the same. In just fifteen minutes, the entire building would be consumed in flames, and while there would be several witnesses who would claim to have seen Daisy and Jayne speeding away in a stolen Ferrari – Daisy laughing in maniacal relief, and Jayne anxiously looking back, unaware of where they were even driving – then not a single person had any idea where they were going. That was fair. They deserved the break.

.

Beast Boy returned to a different branch of McRonalds™ later in the week to finish his collection. Cyborg accompanied him, and they had ordered two meals each, netting Beast Boy his beloved Cyborg™ and Starfire™ figurines, while Cyborg received two very different Starfire™ and Cyborg™ toys. It was unfortunate to only get two different figures from four chances, but when Beast Boy visited again with Starfire, he finally got his Robin™ toy to complete his collection; and she received one too! The server even took note of who they were, and brought the box out unprompted to ask “ Dude ! It is so cool that you guys are actually here! Do you want any more of these? We still have a couple left over…”

Beast Boy hadn’t needed any more toys – his collection was now finally complete, and there were no alternate costumes, accessories, or special releases – … but he still helped himself to just two more. Starfire didn’t ask which, but she giggled to herself, because she didn’t need to ask him to know. She took the opportunity to complete her own collection… of five Robins.

Back in Beast Boy’s room, in the corner of his desk, all five tiny Titans proudly stood together; Robin at the front, as the leader, flanked by Starfire, his Tamaranean girlfriend, and Cyborg, his half-robotic second-in-command. Behind them both were Beast Boy and Raven, bringing up the rear, but standing next to each other. After all, they made a good team.

…

Inside the top drawer of Beast Boy’s desk, another two figures found their home. Another Beast Boy and Raven. He told himself that he was just keeping them as spares, and he also told himself that he hadn’t considered the position they were in, and he also told himself that he didn’t care if he nudged the drawer shut too hard and they fell out of place, and all of these were lies. Because if he ever did shut the drawer too hard, he would open it again quickly, just to make sure that Beast Boy and Raven were standing face to face, little plastic noses almost rubbing together. They weren’t detailed enough to imply any specific action from their position relative to each other, but Beast Boy liked to imagine that they were kissing. Not that he would ever have admitted that to anyone. It was quite some time before he felt comfortable enough admitting it to himself.

It would be an even longer time before Beast Boy found out that Raven had the same two toys in her dresser, in exactly the same position. But he would find out eventually. And one day, it wouldn’t just be the toys that were kissing.