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Firelight glints off the grounded T-ship, encasing their makeshift camp in a warm glow that belies the time of night. Until Raven looks up, and the skies are pitch black. Not a star in sight, and even the full moon can’t break through the clouds above them. They’re still heavy, despite having stopped dropping rain about an hour ago, and lend further credence to Cyborg’s theory that they’re no feat of nature. One of the members belonging to the group they’re chasing down, apparently, can manipulate the weather. Hence their unexpected nosedive earlier, around sunset.
Raven returns her gaze to the flames, then across them to where Robin and Starfire are dozing off. No one on the team had much time to sleep last night before being alerted to criminal activity, and Robin deemed the threat immediate. Their alien princess slumps forward before jumping up, blinking rapidly to orient herself. Rubbing her eyes, she looks around. “Where is Cyborg?”
Next to her, Robin draws in a sluggish breath. “Um, he went to go charge a few minutes ago, since he’ll have to work on repairs in the morning before we can go anywhere.” He drags a gloved hand down his neck, and Raven allows herself a small smirk at how obviously exhausted her fearless leader is.
“Oh,” Star acknowledges, stifling a yawn. “Perhaps we should turn in, as well.”
Robin nods, turning towards Raven and Beast Boy. “How about you two?”
“Nah, I’m gonna sit out here for a little bit longer.” As he says it, Beast Boy slides back against the stump he called dibs on, tipping his head back and staring at the sky. Raven glances up again just to confirm there’s no stars for him to be gazing at. Clouds, just as she’d witnessed a minute ago.
When Robin’s attention slides to her, Raven shakes her head. “I will, as well. We can’t trust Beast Boy to put out the fire when he’s done.”
“Hey!”
“All right.” With that, he and Starfire pick up their emergency blankets and head into their pods for the night, leaving Raven alone with the phony stargazer. She shifts on her blanket, the waterproof tarp underneath crinkling lightly with the motion. It’s cold enough that the air post-rain isn’t damp, but it’s not quite crisp, either. The gentle humidity sticks to her skin.
“You know…” After a few seconds when he doesn’t finish his thought, Raven turns her head to look at him. He’s still staring at the clouds. “You know, it’s times like these I like to pretend I’m normal.”
Her eyebrows furrow. “How so?”
Suddenly, he sits up, turning his whole body to face her. She wouldn’t call the movement energetic, but it’s clear he wants her to understand. “Like, right now, I’m just a guy on a camping trip with his friends. I’m not a genetic freak on a mission to hunt down a group of supervillains.”
Hearing the word freak almost makes her flinch. He says it with the same casual affliction he says anything, but she knows it’s deeper than that. “Beast Boy…”
He waves a flippant hand, “I know. That’s not…” He sighs. “Look. Forget we’re superheroes. We’re a group of highschoolers, on summer vacation. Cy’s your overprotective big brother who refused to let you go alone.”
Raven snorts. “Sure.”
Beast Boy grins at the reaction. “I’m serious, he’s ancient.”
“He’s really not that old.” Only just over two years older than Raven, anyway.
Beast Boy purses his lips. “Pretty old. Anyway. We’re camping in the forest, got a big fat fire and s’mores and endless stars. You know a bunch of constellations, right?”
Raven looks up at the clouds. “Uh huh.”
“And we sleep in tents. You can have your own.”
“How gracious.” Beast Boy smiles at that, and Raven takes a moment to observe him. If she was worried about his earlier self-deprecation, he’s not giving any signs that she should be now. His eyes are bright, smile easy. Then again, they always are. “Honestly, Beast Boy, this doesn’t seem like your idea of a good time.” It’s nice to Raven. The night air is continuing to chill, offset by the fire’s heat, and she can hear the soft coos of owls, raccoons, and crickets. It’s relaxing. Inherently, not something up Beast Boy’s alley. “You couldn’t sit still if it killed you.”
He presses his lips together and nods, drawing his knees up and curling his arms around them. “Well, yeah, but that’s what camping games are for.”
She's going to regret asking. “Like what?”
“You know, like, truth or dare.”
Raven tuts and rolls her eyes. “Ah, that is something you’d like.” Silly teenage games are one of his defining interests. Like stankball.
“Hey, don’t just knock it like that. Have you ever played?”
“Well… no, but-”
Beast Boy leans into her space again and cuts her off. “Well, you have to at least try it! It could be fun, you just wouldn’t know.” He rocks back to his stump. “Whatever, I’d just play with big brother Cy.”
Raven frowns as he stares into the fire. While his eyes spark with reflections of the flames, she catches his buoyant expression slip just slightly. He looks tired for the first time all night. Before he can catch her staring, she redirects her gaze towards the forest on her left. Then, again, to the clouds. Perhaps if the stars were in view, he’d have an easier time enveloping himself in this fantasy world he’s described. Raven closes her eyes and sighs quietly.
“Truth or dare?”
He blinks, turning her way in disbelief. “What?”
“I’m only asking the once.”
Realizing she’s serious, a bright grin splits his face. Raven just barely catches herself from returning it with a small smile of her own. She can’t let him think she’s enjoying herself, here. She deliberately flattens her face, and he scrunches his while he thinks. “Hmm, you’ll probably dare me to leave you alone, so imma go with truth.”
“Oh no, you’ve foiled my plan,” she drawls monotonously. He just grins, moving his arms from around his knees to drape over top of them. Raven adjusts her cloak, trying to think of something to ask him. “Um, when’s the last time you lied?”
A startled laugh bursts out of him, and she physically draws back, wary. “Wow, Raven, that’s a good one!” He squints at her. “Are you sure you haven’t played before?”
“Quite positive,” she asserts, relaxing once more. This is effectively the last time she plays a pity game of truth or dare with Beast Boy, she thinks.
“Hmm, okay. If you say so.” He taps his fingers together, humming obnoxiously. Raven could admit to herself, probably not to him, that she is curious for his answer. She wouldn’t call him a compulsive liar, but he’s been known to stretch the truth, particularly when it benefits any sort of prank. “I think when I called Cyborg ancient. That was pretty recent.”
Raven rolls her eyes. “I suppose that counts.”
His giddiness amps up, and he pivots to sit criss-cross facing her. “Your turn, truth or dare?”
Deciding to indulge him a little longer, Raven pulls in a bracing deep breath. “Truth.” She can only imagine the depraved dares he has stockpiled in that ridiculous green head of his.
“Perfect,” he replies instantly, leaving her to eye him suspiciously. “So, if you had to kiss someone on the team, who would it be?”
“Beast Boy!”
He grins impishly. “Aw, really? I’m flattered.”
Raven huffs, pulling her hood up and severing the visual connection between them. “You’re infuriating, that's what you are.”
“Yeah, yeah, tell me something I don’t know.” He giggles softly, and Raven peeks past her hood to catch him flop back happily against his stump. This time she doesn’t curb her instinct to smile, though she does hide it by facing the fire. Once his laughter dies down, he evens his breath with a sigh. “How about ‘I went to market,’ ever played that?”
“I don’t know what that is.”
He scoffs. “I thought you were a know-it-all.”
“I’m sorry I’m not an obscure games expert.”
“Ah, well, I can teach you.”
Raven angles her head to connect their gazes, relieved to find the dimness in his eyes from earlier is officially gone. He raises his brows expectantly, and she shakes her head with a long exhale. “All right, go ahead. Can’t be any worse than truth or dare.”
Beast Boy cackles. “I don’t know, I had fun.”
“Just explain your market game.”
“Yeah, fine, calm down. So, it’s all about your memory…”
Listening to his explanation, Raven checks the sky one more time. Still dense with clouds, unlikely to clear up any time tonight. Despite that, Beast Boy’s exuberant, gesturing wildly with his hands even though nothing about this game's rules require him to do so. So, perhaps they don’t need the stars, after all.