Cleaning up the Mess

Beast Boy was flipping through a gaming magazine when Raven entered the room. It was Beast Boy's turn to do dishes again but they still hadn't been done. And despite her best attempt to glare at him, Beast Boy remained fixed on his magazine.

"You know what you have to do, don't you? You remember that you have responsibilities, right?" Raven asked darkly. Beast Boy shrugged and turned the page. "I won't ask you this again, Beast Boy. Do your chores or get out. This place stinks and it's your fault."

"Cyborg doesn't do the dishes either. He pays Robin to do it," Beast Boy said in a mocking tone.

"So what if he pays Robin to do it? It gets done," she said firmly. "Nothing gets done with you, no laundry, no cleaning, no anything. We're all sick of it. Either pay someone to do your tasks, complete the tasks yourself, or get out," Raven hissed, turning around and leaving the room in a huff.

Beast Boy ignored her, turning the page and finding what he wanted. He then started to game, ignoring the dirty world around him.

-4 DAYS LATER-

Beast Boy moved into the kitchen for some food but found it empty, dirty, and smellier than a skunk convention. He shrugged it off as he moved through everyone's bedrooms, knowing someone would be able to help him.

"Raven? Starfire? Robin?" Beast Boy tried. "Huh, no one here. Cyborg? Hmm, still nothing," Beast Boy sighed, moving into the control room. Every system was down, even the backups. "What the-?" he whispered, moving through the commands. But he got nowhere-everything was down.

After trying to call allies for a solution, Beast Boy ventured out to find food. When he returned with a full belly, he packed his things and went out in search of his friends.

-MEANWHILE IN ELWOOD CITY-

"It was really nice of you guys to go after Pickpocket Puss," Francine smiled, staring at Robin dreamily.

"It was nothing," Robin smiled, popping a fry into his mouth and leaning back coolly. They were at the Sugar Bowl having lunch now that Pickpocket Puss, an evil pickpocket in a cat costume, was locked up behind bars in downtown Elwood City.

"Nothing? You all could've been killed!" Muffy exclaimed. "Even my daddy couldn't hire anyone to stop that guy, and he's rich."

"We are aware of your father's wealth, Miss Crosswire," Starfire smiled. "He bought us a lovely vehicle to return home. Unfortunately, none of us can drive."

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that. I'm sure he'll hire a driver too," Francine said, smiling softly, "or my sister Catherine could take you. Well, if my mom and I go too. Catherine's learning how to drive and she needs more practice."

"Hey, why does your family get to take them back? My mom could do it and get background information for her story on them," Buster argued.

The Lakewood group began arguing over who would take back the Titans when someone burst through the door. He was green, furry, and his fur was matted with burs and sticks.

"Hey, no dogs allowed!" the owner called.

"Beast Boy found us?" Starfire asked.

"Starfire? Robin?! Where have you guys been? I looked all over, then I saw the news, and...why here?!" Beast Boy exclaimed.

"They caught Pickpocket Puss," Francine smiled dreamily, looking at Robin as she sipped her strawberry milkshake.

"Well I know that, but aren't there other bad guys to go after, real-live super villains? Come on guys, let's go back home to do some real crime fighting," Beast Boy begged.

"Can't do that, Beast Boy. Sorry," Raven shrugged, nibbling on a French fry with a bored expression.

"And why not? What's so wrong with-?"

"That place?" Cyborg asked, pointing to a nearby television screen. The story of their eviction made national news for being one of the nastiest homes in the country. Beast Boy's jaw hit the floor. "Yep, and that's why we all work together to get things done around that place. I pay Robin to do my chores because I do things for him, special errands and whatnot. If you have a service to offer, you should to."

"Otherwise you should CLEAN UP YOUR MESS!" Raven bellowed, her expression going back to a blank line when she was done with her outburst.

"But we've been evicted. We can't go back," Beast Boy cried.

"Oh, contraire, Beast Boy," Muffy smiled, throwing back her pigtails as Beast Boy looked in her direction. Her blushing cheeks were unmistakable. "I'll see what my daddy can do, but only if you clean up the place. That just looks vomitrocious," Muffy grimaced, quickly going back to normal so she could smile at Beast Boy.

"So can we go back? Please? I promise I'll do my work, or...or...I'll catch the rat in Starfire's room so she'll do my laundry," Beast Boy offered.

"No, the killing of animals is a shameful practice. You may only catch him if it does not end like last time, when you harmed that innocent bumble bee right in front of me. It was awful," Starfire whispered for emphasis, catching Buster's eye. He blushed before looking back to his burger and taking a huge bite.

"We'll work something out when we get back to headquarters, Beast Boy. I hope you learned your lesson," Robin said firmly. Beast Boy nodded.

With that settled, the Titans left Elwood City, though each member often received letters from their adoring fans. Francine sent perfumed letters to Robin, as Muffy did for Beast Boy. Buster sent long letters asking Starfire questions about her homeland. And Raven? She received a post card from Arthur not long after returning. It made her smile.

Theme 021: Saving the Day

Theme 006: Teaching A Lesson

Challenge: Complete a crossover

A/N: I completed this one-shot for a theme list challenge I'm doing with TheUltimateCombo. For more information, see our profiles and my current journal on deviantArt, penname SS-Chrys.