"Mornin', dudes!" Beast Boy said loudly as he stepped into the main room of the Titans' tower. He stretched, glancing out the window. It was a clear, sunny morning, one that could lift anyone's mood from the one set with yesterday's fog and drizzle.
"Mornin'," replied Cyborg, not looking up from the stove. Beast Boy could smell the unmistakable aroma of sizzling bacon, and he scowled, muttering something that sounded like "animal killer".
"Hey," said Robin, glancing up from the newspaper he had spread out on the table. Starfire, who sat next to Robin, smiled.
"Good morning, friend Beast Boy! It is a glorious day, is it not?" Beast Boy nodded and grinned.
Raven, who was sitting on couch reading, grunted in acknowledgement that he had entered the room.
"Soooo…what's for breakfast, Cy?" Beast Boy asked, sidling over to the kitchen. "Hopefully something…vegetarian friendly!" He waggled his eyebrows while he said this last part.
"Let's see…we got bacon, sausage, and, mm-mmm, pancakes! Oh, and more bacon…"
Beast Boy opened the fridge and rummaged through it. "You disgust me."
"Right back atcha, man," said Cyborg, eying the wiggling tofu that Beast Boy was now carrying toward the counter.
"Save it, you two." Robin folded up his paper and turned towards his fellow teammates. "Now listen up. The crime rate's been pretty low lately, but it doesn't mean we can slack off…so I want to see you all at training today. Two-thirty to four-thirty. Be there." He frowned at the groans that followed this statement and turned towards the two grumblers. "I'm serious. And this goes to you two especially. Star and Raven have been working out pretty regularly, but I've seen you two on the couch more than I have in the gym. So like I said, be there."
"Yeah, yeah," Beast Boy mumbled, tipping the tofu cubes off of the cutting board and into a frying pan.
"Ok, dawgs…breakfast is served!" Cyborg sat a full plate in front of both Robin and Starfire, and then one at an empty place, before sitting down and digging into his own heap of meat, meat, pancakes, and meat. With bacon on the side, of course.
"Wonderful! This feast is most delicious, friend Cyborg!" exclaimed Starfire, starting in on her own plateful.
"Fanks, aah!" Cyborg said through a mouthful of food, inadvertently spraying the contents of his mouth all over his green friend. Beast Boy glared and wiped off his face, looking disgusted.
Starfire smiled and nodded, turning back to her food. Then, noticing something she looked back towards the couch. "Friend Raven, will you not join us in this most wonderful feast of the morning?"
"Thanks, but I think I'll just make myself tea," Raven replied in her usual monotone, without looking up from her book. Starfire blinked, then returned to her meal, pouring mustard all over her pancakes.
"Aw wite, mo fo meh," Cyborg said thickly, grabbing Raven's plate and dumping the contents onto his own, creating an even larger pile of food. Beast Boy made a face, then turned off the stove. He scooped the tofu onto his plate and plunked down in an empty seat.
Everyone chewed in silence for a moment, thinking their own separate thoughts. Cyborg wondered how Beast Boy could possibly cram so much of that nasty, jiggly tofu into his mouth. Robin stared at Starfire, noticing how beautiful she was, even this early in the day. Starfire wondered why Robin was staring at her, but said nothing, instead smiling to herself. Beast Boy wished he didn't have to smell Cyborg's breakfast; the odor almost made him gag. Raven quietly got up and made herself a pot of tea, then, once it was ready, sat down with a cup in the empty seat between Beast Boy and Starfire. She sipped it silently, noting Cyborg and Beast Boy's occasional looks at disgust at one another, and sensing that everyone was glad that they had finally discontinued their fight for that morning. She caught Robin's glances at Starfire, at hers at him, and saw the blush spread across both their faces as their eyes met at one point. Finishing her cup, she rose to get more.
"So…what's everyone doing today?" Cyborg asked. "I mean, besides training, cuz of course we'll be there," he added, glancing at Robin.
"Yeah, we wouldn't dream of missing two hours of sweat and pain," muttered Beast Boy. "I was thinking I'd play some video games, maybe hang out at the park, pick up some ladies…" he grinned slyly, wiggling his eyebrows. Raven rolled her eyes.
"Ooh, yeah, cuz we all know that all the girls looove a stanky green miget in a jumpsuit," Cyborg added, wiping up the last crumbs of his breakfast with his fingers and licking them.
"Duuuude! Not cool!"
"I was going to hit the gym this afternoon…but yes, since I do have a life outside of training, contrary to popular belief," Robin glared at Beast Boy and Cyborg, "I was thinking I'd just spend some time outside today, since the weather's so great today."
"I am wishing to venture to the mall of shopping today. Friend Raven, would you care to join me?" Starfire looked hopefully at her friend.
"I'll pass," Raven said, draining her cup of tea. "I think I'll just-"
"-Stay in my room," finished Beast Boy. "Honestly, Raven, you need to get out more." He got up and stacked his now-empty plate on top of the ever-present pile of dirty dishes in the sink.
Raven frowned, then floated off (to her room, where else?). Robin looked over at a disappointed Starfire. "It's okay, Star, Raven's just not the mall type. But, if you want, I mean, if you'd like to…we could go for a walk or something, y'know…"
Starfire smiled back. "That would be most wonderful, Robin." Cyborg and Beast Boy exchanged glances, then, smirking, headed over to the couch to play video games.
After training, the Titans returned to the main room. Raven drifted back to her own quarters with a book in hand, and Robin and Starfire left for a walk. "Sooo, Cyborg…up for another round of racing?"
"Eeeuuhh…no."
"Ooh, are ya scared I'm gonna beat you again?"
"Again?" Cyborg turned to him. "Uhh, dude…you never won. I beat you in every single round this morning. Every…37…dang…rounds."
"Yeah, but I came in a close second in every one!"
"That's cuz there were only two people. Sorry, BB, but I wanna work on the T-car today...I'm gonna turbo-charge her. When I'm done, my baby's gonna be sweeter than ever!" A dreamy look glazed over his eyes.
Beast Boy slowly edged away from him. "Oooo-kaaaay…kinda creeping me out there…So, dude, you sure you don't wanna play?"
"Yeah, man, I'm sure. Why don't you ask someone else to play with you? Or maybe you could do something productive with your life."
"Nah. And who am I gonna ask? The only other person here is Raven."
Cyborg headed out the door. "Too bad, dude. I'll see ya later."
Beast Boy sighed. I guess I could do something pro- pro-…whatever, he thought. But that sounds…ugh… like work. I could ask Raven…I mean, what's the worst that could happen? So she might slam the door in my face, but, hey, maybe she'll agree. Yeah, right, and Cyborg's gonna go vegetarian. He gave a resignated sigh and slowly trudged off towards Raven's room. Well, it's worth a shot…
Arriving at Raven's room, he stared at the door. "Here goes nothing," he mumbled to himself. He gave three sharp knocks, then stepped back, waiting. When nothing happened, he knocked again. "Raven, it's Beast Boy. I wanted to ask you something…Raven? Jeez, would it kill you to at least answer the door? C'mon, Rae…If you don't answer the door, I'm coming in…"
He thought this would get her, but still, no one came. He wasn't interested in a video game opponent anymore, so much as curious and aggravated that she was ignoring him like that. So, without even thinking about what he was doing (as if he ever did), Beast Boy morphed into a miniscule green spider and crept under her door.
"Raven?" he called out softly after changing back into human form. It seemed that Raven was out of her room right now. Looking around, he noticed something shiny poking out from under some papers on a small table. His curiousity overcame his common sense (not that he ever used it) and he pulled it out. Too late he realized what the object was.
It was Raven's mirror, the portal into her mind. And before he could drop it, Beast Boy was grabbed by a giant claw and pulled through the looking glass.