The league babied them whenever it was convenient, if they had their own ideas-- or god forbid, disagreed with the league's ideas-- then they were just little kids throwing a fit. Then again, if they had the audacity to act their age, then they were accused of being childish and irresponsible.

Either way, the league was currently refusing to let them meet without supervision.

Roy thought it was funny that the team had been reclassified as children, he made a habit out of teasing Artemis over it. "Don't be late to your playdate."

"It's not a playdate." Artemis said, slinging a duffle bag over her shoulder. "It's a sleepover."

"Fine, playdate with a naptime." Roy shrugged. "Either way you have a babysitter."

Utterly annihilated, Artemis snapped the door shut after her.

She hurried to the nearest zeta, sliding in and into the mountain. The others were already huddled around the TV.

"Hey."

"Hey." 

She sat down. "What're we gonna watch?"

"Depends. Mommabats set some restrictions." Wally complained.

"Nothing rated R." Robin frowned. "Apparently we need to keep it PG tonight."

"That's fine!" M'gann said. "I'm sure there's plenty of good stuff we can watch." She hopped to their feet. "I'll put on some popcorn!"

"Be careful with the stove, Ms. Martian." Red Tornado said, lurking in the doorway.

"I will! I know how to use it!" She slammed a jiffypop pan on the element and turned it on.

It's not that Red Tornado didn't trust the team, it's just that they were predisposed to troublemaking. They were always in some danger, or up to some mischief when unsupervised. Tonight it was his job to watch over them and ensure they didn't cause any problems.

He continued to lurk.

'this sucks.' Artemis though over the mind link. 'we can't do anything while he's here'

'I've got this' Robin cleared his throat. "Hey Red, Bats wanted you to take inventory of the armory tonight, he's putting in our next order and needs to know what we're lacking."

'Is that true?' M'gann asked.

'It is now.'

"This task will take approximately ten minutes."

"We'll be fine for ten minutes."

As soon as Red had let, Wally leapt to his feet. "Ten minutes, put on a horror."

Conner jumped on it. "Which one?"

"Slumber party massacre!" Artemis cheered.

They put the movie on, snuggling up around the sofa. The movie started slow, and they were just about at the woman's shower nudity scene when Kaldur realized something felt off.

He coughed, covering his mouth and nose. His eyes watered from the sting of the air.

"Is that smoke?" Conner asked.

M'gann gasped. "The popcorn!" 

She shot across to the stovetop, right as the pan ignited. She squealed, stumbling back, guarding her face against the flames.

"M'gann!" Conner caught his roommate right before she hit the ground.

The growing fire on the stove lit up the room.

"Kaldur!"

He nodded, blindly shooting a stream of water across to put out the burnt popcorn

They all stood there a moment, panting, adrenaline piked by the ordeal.

"...shit."

"Well that was whelming." Robin said, trying to look at the bright side.

"A little towards the 'overwhelming' side of the spectrum." Artemis added, turning off the stove. 

"What do we eat now?" Wally asked, audibly disappointed. 

M'gann sat up, still shaking. "There-- there's a corner store at the bottom of the  mountain."

"I'll go get us something." Wally elbowed Dick, who handed over his debit card. "Thank you! Be right back!"

"Well, that was a close call" Artemis said.

"Let's hope Wally can make it back before--" Dick backed into something large and metallic, toppling to the floor.

Red tornado stooped, picking the boy up. "Please tell batman we are low on rappelling gear and two cases of smoke bombs are expired." He set Robin on the couch. "Now, where is kid flash?"

When Kid Flash returned with snacks, he took his scolding with grace. Red didn't shame them like the other mentors, but he still communicated a sense of disappointment.

Red tornado had been gone for ten minutes and they'd put on an inappropriate movie, started a fire, and one of them had snuck out. He wasn't leaving them unattended for the rest of the evening. 

The kids were forced to change the movie to something 'more appropriate'. In this case that was Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. They stayed close around the sofa, binging snacks, until Red Tornado was forced to interrupt.

"Ms. Martian and Superboy are expected in bed by eleven pm." He announced at ten-thirty.

"Red!" M'gann groaned.

"It's okay, guys." Wally said quickly, not wanting to embarrass his friends further. "We can go to sleep."

"Red, we can stay up!" Conner insisted. "We don't need a bedtime."

"My information tells me adolescents need nine-to-eleven hours of sleep a night. To be awake at your usual hour, while still getting the minimum of sufficient rest, you will need to be asleep shortly."

"It's so unfair!" Conner whined, crossing his arms.

"I'll be turning off the television at ten-forty-five sharp."

Just like that, their fate was decided.

They brushed their teeth in relative silence, and changed into their pyjamas (except Conner, who typically slept in his day clothes).

"This is so not slay." Wally said earnestly. "It isn't fair."

"You should see what time Bats wanted me in bed as a kid." Dick said, wriggling into his pyjama shirt.

"Red always wants us in bed early." Conner grumbled. 

"He says we 'need rest for our developing minds and bodies'." M'gann added. "Like, we're basically adults!"

"Your brains will not be done developing until you are at the age of twenty-five." A voice from he hallway replied. "Are you ready for bed?"

"Just as soon as we take our meds, Red."

Most of the team were on meds: the ones that helped with their neurosis (ADHD, Autism, BPD, etc), they had meds for depression, anxiety, pain reduction... Hell, Conner was what some assholes might call a walking pharmacy, he was on all number of medications to keep him stable and docile. 

Dick liked to show off by dry-swallowing his pills.

Red always wanted to count out their pills, paranoid of an overdose, and they humored him, even if it was a little insulting that he didn't trust them.

They snuggled under blankets and into sleeping bags, creating a sort of nest. 

"Red?" Wally asked suddenly.

"Yes, Kid Flash?"

"Are you gonna... y'know..." He gestured. "Watch us?"

"Is there a reason not to."

"Well, I get if you don't get it, but it's pretty hard to sleep when someone's staring at you."

"I will look another direction."

"I was thinking... like... leave the room?"

"After last time, I don't think so." He sat  in the kitchen. "I will watch from a distance. Good night."