-Little Black Box-

A Teen Titans Fan Fiction

By: The Darkside Incarnate

Chapter 1: The Problem with Christmas

Christmas was always the hardest holiday to shop for. You have to buy presents for each and every person, unlike on their birthdays, where it focuses on just one; one special person who gets the gifts and the cake and the ice cream. On Halloween, you just go around dressed up as something scary. What's your gift? The tons of candy you get from all the different houses. Easter, just a bunch of eggs in a basket; it's not hard to buy everyone eggs and paint them and all that. Thanksgivings all about the eating…but Christmas, Christmas is the real kicker. You always have to pick something special and different for each and every person. You have to put your heart and soul into every gift…or at least the ones that matter. My name is Beast Boy, and I'm one of the Teen Titans. But don't think that just because we're superheroes (really, really good superheroes) means that we don't take breaks for holidays. No, when we do a holiday, we go all out.

This Christmas is no different. I wake up, clothed in a tiny pair of green boxers (hah, bet you didn't see THAT one coming), even though it's thirty-bellow outside. Seriously, I can see snow flakes and everything. I'm practically frozen from the inside out…using that nifty changeling power, I become a raccoon. Okay, a green raccoon. So, the changeling powers don't work so well when you're trying to go undercover. See, when I turn into an animal…I can't change the pigment of my skin or fur. I can't be a pink pigeon or a black bear…it's all green all the time for me. And I'm okay with that. The green makes me look sexy, chicks dig the green.

But enough about the odd resemblance of my skin pigment and my boxers; it's practically Christmas Eve, and I still haven't done my shopping. Wait…I still haven't done my—oh no! Starfire's going to do that thing where she pretends that she's not mad but she really is…and then Robin's going to be pissed because I neglected to get his girlfriend a present, it won't matter that I neglected him too…no, he's too concerned about Starfire. Cyborg will just laugh, but he'll probably be sad on the inside…and…Raven.

Oh god, Raven.

I can't forget to give Raven a present. She tells me every year that she doesn't want anything, and every year I get her something. She says thank you, usually with a small smile and a blush, but I can tell that it's not what she truly wants. So, my goal for the past few Christmases has been to get her the best present of all. Last year it was a book on modern Witch Craft, the year before, a pair of Lingerie panties (hey, it was a joke). Okay, I'm not going to lie…I would've paid big bucks to see Raven in those things. I mean, if she can wear those sexy Azarathian Leotards then why not a little Victoria Secret?

Listen, I have to admit something…I've got a big crush on Raven. No, scratch that, a huge one. When I first met her, she was just the quiet girl who never laughed; she was the one with the pretty eyes that you'd never see, because they were always hidden under the hood. She would sit and read, send people flying with the creepy shadow stuff during a Jump City emergency. She'd never laugh at my jokes, only regarding me with sarcasm and glares. But as I associated with her even more, she showed me another side of her…a brighter side, less ruled by emotionless control. I slowly got to know the girl behind the hood; I got to see the pretty purple eyes and the shining lips. And when she smiled…I felt an urge to kiss her that was so strong that I had to resort to cheap distractions.

When I first realized I liked her, I simply said; "It can't be." I rejected the idea again and again, even as my Inner Beast-Boy told me again and again that Raven was the one…my special something. Whenever she's around I just want to…ugh, I'm not saying it right. Regardless, it's time for me to get dressed.

I morph back into a human being (a furry green one). I grab a pair of pants (ones that will morph with my body, but aren't so…skin tight?) and a striped sweater; green (dude, if you're surprised then you're an idiot) and black. I throw on a hat for good measure and walk my way out the door. When I come to the living room, I notice Robin and Starfire asleep in each other's arms on the couch. The two have publicly announced that they're, quote-unquote; "divulging in the wonders of lovely attachment" in normal-speak: dating. I watch them for a second, sensing that same, crazy romantic attraction between the two that I sometimes have with Raven. Maybe it's the animal part of me, or maybe just the fact that I'm a total sap, but I swear, these two are meant for each other, I keep sensing it over and over again. It's torture, desperately denying to myself that I'm in love with Raven, while at the same time feeling that same spark with her as I feel around Robin and Star.

This just sucks.

I tiptoe past them, careful not to wake up the happy couple; I write a quick sticky note, telling everyone that I'm doing some last minute Christmas Shopping. I stick the note on the fridge, where everyone will see. Then I leave, using a water cycle to get across the water. Finally entering the city, I'm careful not to get my jeans wet; otherwise the snow will make me freeze my tail off. I march through the snow, looking up at the falling flakes. Cars drive by, slow and beautiful with their headlights. Not quite like Raven…no, she's beautiful in a different way, more beautiful then this moment, then the flakes and the snow and the cars and the pretty girls. She's like a shining shadow goddess. I wonder where she is.

I pass shops, noting all the tender couples passing me by. You know what would be nice? Huh, do you? It would be really nice if I had a spouse of my own. I notice Aqua-lad, strolling by with a blue eyed girl, gripping her hand tightly. He's got this big grin on his face and a loving look in his eyes, and I swear to god, I just can't take it. I have no Raven, I have no presents, and I have no girlfriend! I've got nothing!

I stop at a hardware shop, buying Cyborg a new operating system. Next comes the Mall—ahem, sorry…THE MALL OF SHOPPING. I get Starfire a big fuzzy Panda Bear and a cookbook, so that she can learn that no Tameranian dish has a place on this planet, thank you very much. I buy Robin a very pretty knife…erm, sorry, intricately designed knife. Yeah (I get a lot of money from summer jobs, just in case I forgot to mention it). Then there's Raven…the hardest gift choice of all. How can I buy her something even remotely significant if I can't even find her? God, I'm hopeless.

I pass another shop, a bookstore whose sign has been completely blocked out by snow. I stop, frozen in shock. It's as if God's sending me a sign. I'm so happy, I just feel like dancing. And so I do. One stylishly beautiful victory dance later; I'm making my way inside, shifting snow off my body. I look around…and shake my head in wonder. The place looks like it was hit by a freaking book typhoon. They're everywhere, thousands and thousands of printed texts and pictures on all different subjects. You name it, they have it, self-help, inspirational, fantasy, religion, non-fiction history, drama, action/adventure; mystery…the list goes on. Jesus, how am I supposed to find the Gift of Perfection in this chaos?

And that's when I see her, my someone. Right in front of the cashier lady, giving her money and throwing in a small, emotionless thank you. She turns around, hair floating in the air for a split second. Her eyes center on me, and narrow…I gulp, feeling my heart skip a beat. My body shakes as she walks closer to me; a book flies off the shelf, propelled by dark magic; a consequence of losing control of her emotions. I've seen her turn into a monster before after she got angry…but maybe that's not the best thing to think about in this situation.

What am I going to do? She's seen me in the book shop, and I never go near books unless I'm buying them for someone else. I am so screwed.

"Beast Boy?" she asks, mouth hanging open, slightly.

"Oh…h-hi Raven."

A/N Hey readers! If you've made it this far then you must like my writing on some level, right? That; or you just read it all so that you could flame it properly…but I'm trying to look on the bright side! So listen, if you liked it, than review.

I came up with the idea for this while my parents were watching a movie called "The Family Stone". There's this one scene, where the uptight lady named Meredith is handing out her gifts to everyone. She later gets humiliated, and that got me to thinking about the sheer awkwardness of giving gifts, and the difficulty of finding the right gift for your special someone.

I'm a big Teen Titans fan, along with BuffyCharmedHeroes, and Reaper it's one of my favorite shows. The story came together as I watched the rest of the movie, and many other stories popped into my head after I'd made it to the ending credits. All of them revolve around Teen Titans characters, and two are set during Christmas. This is the first one I thought of.

If you liked the first chapter of this story, then review. Don't go easy on me, I can take constructive criticism. The next chapter will focus on the interaction between Beast Boy and Raven, and the third chapter will tie it all together with the opening of The Presents. I thought this would be a one-shot…but it turned out to be something totally different. A three-shot!

R&R People!