Spider-Man: New Home (18+)

Chapter 26: Happy Birthday?

Peter woke up with a start as the morning sun rose over the horizon, peeking through the blinds with brilliant orange light. He sleepily looked over beside him with an absent smile, expecting Raven to be lying there beside him. However, he was shocked to see that her side of the bed was empty.

He peeked around the darkness of his room with a yawn and noticed no Raven in sight. She must've gone for some tea already. So, leaped out of the bed with a happy hum, planning to surprise her while she was in the kitchen.

As he walked out into the hallway, he noticed the eerie echo of the empty tower. No Beastboy or Cyborg could be heard throughout the tower. The place was like a ghost town.

He cautiously walked into the living room, expecting to find more dead silence. However, as soon as he stepped through the door, he was blinded by the lights suddenly being switched on, which stung his tired eyes a bit. Around the room he noticed red and blue balloons and a happy birthday banner, hanging from the center ceiling with a picture of his mask painted on the corners.

The Titans all jumped out from behind the couch and shouted, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" in unison.

Peter blinked his eyes a few times to adjust his eyes with a sleepy smile as he took in the scene. Raven floated over to him with a party hat, crookedly placed atop her head and a coffee mug in her hand.

"Figured you could use this." She said with a little half smirk and handed the cup to Peter.

"Ooh, thank you!" He said with an excited whisper. He took a sip from the cup and nodded as he felt it wake him up a bit more, then looked around the room once more with a wide grin. "Wow. Guys, this is amazing!"

He was flattered by the gesture, having been up for the past day doing Spiderman stuff, the fact that it was his birthday had completely slipped his mind. The others soon surrounded him, with Starfire holding a cake with lit candles.

"Make a wish!" Cyborg said with a wide grin. "I wanna see what you think of my masterpiece."

Peter glanced to Raven, who through her typical timid stare, cracked small smile. He couldn't think of anything to wish. At this moment, all he could think of was everything staying the way it was. Despite everything he had lost, his new friends made everything seem not so bad.

He quietly blew out the candles and most of the Titans clapped in response before all heading to the kitchen.

"So." Raven said with a knowing smirk. "You forgot what day it was, didn't you?"

Peter gave a sheepish chuckle and nodded his head. "Yeah, I kinda did."

"Don't worry, Spiderman." She nodded, giving him a pat on the head. "I knew you would."

Peter laughed at that, before accepting a plate being handed to him by Cyborg.

"You guys were serious about this, huh?" Peter chuckled with an amused chuckle as he eyed the decorations.

"Yeah dude." Beastboy nodded. "You gotta take birthday's seriously."

Peter nodded and looked to Raven. "Just wait for yours." He grinned.

Raven's smile dropped briefly at that and she quickly shook her head. "Don't you dare."

He chuckled at that and planted a loving kiss on her forhead. "Just a gift then?"

"Find a way to skip it." She replied flatly with her arms folded. "That'll be the best gift."

Peter shook his head with a lighthearted chuckle and kissed her forehead again.

"You're the best gift." He whispered.
Raven gave a light smile and rolled her eyes. "I'll give that one an eight out of ten."

"You walked into that one, Rae." Beastboy smirked as he went for a bite of cake, before it was telepathically shoved in his face by Raven.