Standard Disclaimer: Gerbils are not mircowavable.

Coffee

By Icka! M. Chif

"So, you've never tried triple shot espresso before?" Superboy asked as he worked the controls of the espresso machine in the Young Justice headquarters.

"Never." Secret shook her head as she hovered over Superboy's shoulder. "Well, at least not that I remember..."

"Great! You're in for a real treat then." Superboy grinned pouring a cup for her. "Here you go, one Kona Punch Special. Guaranteed to make you grow hair on your chest, at least that's what Rex always said. Drink up!"

The cup vanished from Superboy's outstretched hand. "Thanks!" Impulse chirped, pausing a few feet away, espresso cup in hand.

"NO! Bart don't!" Superboy shouted, just too late. Bart downed the caffeine-induced drink in one gulp.

Both Superboy and Secret froze as Impulse lazily belched, then peered into the cup for more.

Nothing.

They had just started to lower their guards when it hit Impulse's system. A minor buzzing filled the air as Bart began to twitch, then vibrate, and then finally start shaking.

"Oh, WOW!" Bart exclaimed cheerfully. "Thisstuff'sGREAT!!!"

"Run!" Superboy shouted, accidentally taking off through Secret as Impulse began to jabber in an incessant rate. Secret hesitated a moment, then took off through the airduct when she began to see three of him at once. Hopefully, he would think of looking in there...

"Umph!" Arrowette went flying backwards as a dark blur hit her in one of the tunnels. "Watch were you're going!" She snapped, landing against one of the walls.

"Cissie! Oh, thank Zeus you're alright!" Wondergirl exclaimed, picking her up and taking off back down the tunnels. "C'mon, we gotta git outta here NOW!"

"Alright? Wha- What's up? What's going on?" Arrowette asked, forgetting her being thrown into a wall as she picked up on her friend's worry. "Alien invasion? Fumigation? Armageddon? Parent-Teacher conferences?"

"Worse." Cassie said grimly, picking up speed.

"Worse? What could be worse than Parent-Teacher Conferences?"

"Bart drank Superboy's espresso."

"Faster! Fly FASTER!!!"

"Hello? Anyone here?" Robin called as he walked into the conference room. It was unusually quiet in Headquarters. Nobody appeared to be there, not even the Supercycle, which was unusual in and of it's self. He wondered if they had gone on a mission and neglected to call him.

He wandered into the kitchen to see if they had gone low tech and left a note on the fridge. Nobody had, but fortunately, somebody had left a cup of espresso in the machine. Probably too lazy to clean it themselves, he thought as he poured the still warm liquid into a clean cup. He could use the caffeine.

He headed back into the conference room and punched a few buttons on the monitor control, seeing if anyone had left any messages. He took his first sip off coffee as the computer tallied the messages.

"Ugh." He grimaced, glaring at the dark liquid. "Decaf."

Fin.

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