Author's note: I do not own Teen Titans.
Thank you for all the support. Sorry this one took a little longer than the others. Been busy getting ready to go back to school. But I hope you enjoy.
Things Change Again and Again
Chapter 3: The Date
Ten minutes.
Raven looked herself over. What could she do in 10 minutes? She could attempt to meditate? Or she could try to think of a way to cancel on Beast Boy? Or maybe just find a way to leave the Tower without anyone noticing? Raven sighed in defeat. Or she could just get herself ready to go out.
First things first, Raven had to change her uniform. She had thrown this one on after her shower, but now the cloak was beginning to wrinkle. She entered her closet, lined with rows of black and blue on either side. She selected the uniform closest to her, and quickly changed into another black leotard and dark blue cloak. Adjusting her belt, Raven tried to think of anything she might have in her room to help her get ready for a night out. Raven walked over to her desk, thinking there might be something there. She found the usual meditation mirror, antique figurines, and candles, but none of these could help her get ready for a night out with Beast Boy. She wasn't the type of girl to spend time or money on primping, and it was a good bet nothing in her room would help her to get ready for a night like this. Defeated, Raven wandered over to the mirror on her wall and looked at herself with a huff. There was someone she could come to at a time like this...
"Don't even think about it," she warned herself. "It's just Beast Boy there's no need to put in any effort, because it's obvious he wouldn't." Raven stopped. "Or would he?"
Raven imagined Beast Boy looking at himself in the mirror, applying copious amounts of hair gel and cologne, prepping himself for a night out on the town. Raven sighed and reached for her hairbrush. "Okay, maybe a little preparation wouldn't hurt." She ran the brush through her hair a few times, but it didn't do much to make her feel anymore ready to go out. Then she remembered something. She did have one thing, given to her a long time ago, that she said she would save for an appropriate time.
Raven looked around her room and found the old crystal bottle she required resting on one of her shelves. She walked over to it and lifted its stopper. The perfume's familiar musky scent entered her nose and a small smile came to her face. It had been her mother's, one of the few things Raven brought with her from Azarath when she came to Earth. She gently dabbled a little on her wrists and neck and returned to her mirror. She still didn't feel prepared.
"What is wrong with me? It's just Beast Boy after all." She paused. "Okay, I'm a girl. It's natural to want to look nice...even if I never thought about it before." Raven looked at the clock. "Only 5 more minutes before the 'best night of my life.'" With one last look in her mirror, Raven made up her mind.
"I know I'm going to regret this," she mumbled as she engulfed herself in her own black energy and disappeared.
...
"DUUUUUUUDDEEE!" Beast Boy cried as he ran into the main room of the Tower. There he found his metal best friend enjoying his newly fixed TV. He turned his head when he heard Beast Boy come through the door. "Dude, she said yes!"
"Alright BB! What was the deal? Did she have to punch ya first or something like that?" Cyborg said with a grin.
"No, she was totally cool about everything, but I only have 10 minutes to get ready and I have no clue what to do!" Beast Boy was beginning to turn brown with anxiety. Beast Boy had tried to ask out lots of girls, but had only been on one other date. Naturally, he was so nervous he could barely breathe.
"Raven? Cool with everything?" Cyborg could hardly imagine it. "Alright man, ya just gotta calm down and ya just gotta remember, keep it casual." Beast Boy simply blinked and Cyborg sensed he needed a push in the right direction. "Ya got your wallet?"
Beast Boy's eyes lit up, excited to finally have some guidance. "Yep!"
"Does it have money in it?" Cyborg raised an eyebrow.
"Uhhh..." Beast Boy dug in his pocket to retrieve his monkey covered wallet. In there he counted a solid $30. "Yep!"
"Okay, make sure ya pay, that way she'll know it's a date," Cyborg crossed his arms and nodded, but Beast Boy just gave him a puzzled look.
"Dude, isn't that a little...old school?" Beast Boy questioned.
"It's a sweet gesture. Besides, would ya really want to ask Raven to pay?"
Beast Boy stopped to imagine Raven throwing him out of his seat and storming out of the restaurant, leaving him with the bill. "Good idea."
"Alright, now ya just need to brush your teeth, use a little of Robin's hair gel, and put on a little cologne because you're getting some stank going." Cyborg pinched his nose in disgust.
"Thanks dude, you're the best." Beast Boy grinned at his best friend.
"I know. Now get a move on before Raven wises up and changes her mind."
...
Raven now stood in a pink and purple covered room, carefully dodging various bottles and tubs being thrown in her direction. Her alien friend was furiously searching through drawer after drawer of different beauty products she had been collecting since she had decided to stay on Earth.
"Oh friend Raven," Starfire gushed with her head still ducked as she searched for the appropriate products for Raven. "I am most delighted that you asked for my assistance! I have many of the gels and waxes and oils and creams for the hair! I know I have the perfect product somewhere in here."
Starfire threw more products in Raven's direction. "Really, Star, I just want something simple."
"Oooh!" Starfire cried excitedly. "I have found it!" She returned to Raven with a small jar of some iridescent purple goop. "This will give your hair the shine of a million moon stones, but without the immense weight." Starfire beamed with confidence.
"Uhm, okay, thanks." Raven walked over to Starfire's mirror and unscrewed the top. The product smelled faintly of artificial grapes and it felt slick to the touch. Raven took a small amount on the tips of her fingers and ran it through a section of her hair. Although it made her hair soft and lush, like Starfire's, Raven still wasn't sure if it shone like a million moon stones. But Raven still ran it through the rest of her hair.
"Do you feel ready now?" Starfire appeared in the mirror behind Raven, eager to please as always.
Raven looked at herself. She had never been one to be concerned about her appearance, seeing as maintaining her powers has always been her main priority. And even though she was going out tonight in order to help maintain her powers, she still felt a strange desire to look nice. She'd never had this desire before, it was almost like she wanted to...impress Beast Boy. Raven had never thought badly of her appearance, but still, looking at herself next to Starfire, she didn't think she'd ever be able to achieve that level of beauty. "Uh, yeah. I think so." Raven turned to face Starfire, who giggled in excitement.
"Oh I feel great joy that you and friend Beast Boy are finally going on the date!" Starfire beamed, but Raven simply cringed at the word.
"I would hardly call it a date, Starfire. We're just getting pizza."
"Of course, and you wanted to look nice for the...pizza." Starfire gave Raven the best wink she could, but it still looked more like a nervous twitch. Raven shot a glare at Starfire but decided not to take the issue any further.
"I suppose I should get up to the roof," Rave looked at her reflection one more time. "Thank you, Starfire."
"You are most welcome! And, please, I desire all of the details when you return home." Starfire smiled again, but Raven left without a response.
...
Beast Boy waited on the edge of the roof, watching the sun slowly begin to set. His hair was done, his teeth brushed, and, as far as he could tell, any remnant of stank could no longer be smelt on him. He felt ready.
But still, he had this nervous feeling in the pit of his stomach. The only other date he'd been on had been with Terra and it had ended with a battle in a House of Mirrors and an ambush on his house and friends. Beast Boy could only hope that this date would go better than that. But he could never tell with Raven. Maybe her way of saying she liked someone was by impaling them with a street lamp, in which case, Beast Boy was in for a long night. But still, Beast Boy remained hopeful. He had a strange feeling that tonight, things were going to change. But for better or for worse he wasn't sure.
The door to the roof opened and Beast Boy turned to see his new found crush walking towards him. He couldn't help but smile when he saw her features illuminated by the fading sunlight. "You look nice," he complimented.
Raven cocked an eyebrow. "I look like I do everyday."
"Well, you look nice everyday." Beast Boy smiled warmly at her, but Raven just rolled her eyes. She clearly wasn't in the mood for flirting.
"Can we get a move on?" Raven shifted her weight to the side and crossed her arms in her usual 'I'm so bored' fashion. Beast Boy tried not to think of how cute she looked when she was annoyed.
"Yeah, sure," Beast Boy turned to look out over the city. "I figured we could fly there together." He paused. "That is, unless, you wanted me to fly us there. I mean, I carry Cyborg all the time in battle, so it would be no problem for me to carry you, you know, if you wanted me to. It would give you a nice break if you wanted to rest your powers. Not that you seem tired. You seem perfect...perfectly well rested I mean. I just thought I'd offer in case you-" Raven cleared her thought and Beast Boy turned back to her.
"I can fly on my own just fine," she said as she pulled her hood up over her face. "Come on, the sun will be down soon." She flew over the side of the Tower, and turned to make sure Beast Boy followed behind.
Beast Boy sighed and transformed himself into a falcon. So far, he was not off to a great start.
The two Titans flew in silence. Beast Boy would catch himself stealing glances at Raven while they flew, something he had never caught himself doing before. It felt like since the rest of the team had opened his eyes to his feelings about Raven, he saw her in a whole new light. Her skin no longer looked gray and dull, but looked more like creamy porcelain, and he just seemed to be noticing the curve of her legs and the elegance of her hands. The only other person Beast Boy had looked at this way was Terra, but to look at Raven this way after knowing her for so many years was almost surreal. How could you live with someone for years and not notice how beautiful they were.
Beast Boy was startled to find a pair of violet eyes looking back at him in annoyance. He tried to say something, then remembered he was still in falcon form. All he could do was stare idly back into her enchanting eyes, not sure how to explain himself. Just then Raven pointed a finger directly in front of them. Beast Boy was confused until Raven flew out of his view and Beast Boy turned to look in front of him just in time to fly beak first into the side of a building.
Beast Boy morphed into an armadillo as he fell from the sky and curled himself into his shell, landing safely in an alley. He morphed into his original form and woozily held his head, waiting until his vision stopped spinning. When he could finally see straight, he looked up to see his purple haired guest for the evening looking down on him. They stared at each other for a few moments before Raven extended a hand to him.
"Why do I feel like I'm always helping you up?" Raven said dryly. Beast Boy smiled anyway, since he could always appreciate when Raven tapped into her sense of humor.
"Hey, I can name a few times when I had to help you out," Beast Boy joked as he accepted her hand. Even though they had done this a thousand times in battle, for the first time, he noticed how warm her hands were. Her grip was firm as she helped pull him to his feet. "Thanks Raven." Beast Boy beamed at her, coming to eye level with her. Once again he was faced with those enticing violet eyes. For a moment he thought he saw something different in her eyes, something warmer and kinder than he'd seen before. 'Maybe the team was right. Maybe she does like me. Maybe I have a chance to make this night go right,' he thought excitedly to himself. But then the moment was gone and her eyes fell upon their hands, which Beast Boy just noticed were still held together. He quickly let go and moved that hand to scratch the back of his neck. "Sorry," he mumbled with a blush.
He saw a quick sprinkle of pink of Raven's face before she ducked her face so he could no longer see her. Beside them a group of trash cans began to rustle. "We should go. I'm, um, hungry." Raven quickly shuffled out of the alleyway, and Beast Boy followed, trying to shake off the funny feeling in his head. Wether it was from holding Raven's hand or from his face colliding with a wall, he wasn't sure. But as they exited the alley, the group of trash cans erupted from a blast of black energy. Beast Boy jumped and turned to see if there was trouble, but there was nothing there but scattered trash. Suspicious, Beast Boy wanted to stop to see what happened, but Raven was already pretty far ahead of him so he continued to follow his teammate.
The unlikely duo seated themselves at a table on the patio of the pizza parlor, the spot the team usually preferred. Raven sat on one side and Beast Boy on the other. Beast Boy had wanted a booth, but Raven had insisted she needed fresh air, and not stale pizza crust air. Beast Boy couldn't complain, considering it was such a nice night out. And now they both had a menu in front of them, Raven using it to cover her face, and Beast Boy studying it carefully.
"Hmm I know I want tofu, maybe some mushrooms, some green peppers? No, no, too gross. Or maybe some onions and olives? Yeah yeah onions and olives..." Beast Boy grumbled to himself, scouring the menu still. Raven peered over hers to look at the green boy.
"Are you going to talk to yourself all night?" Beast Boy could only see her eyes, but he could still see her cocked eyebrows, a sign she was getting impatient.
"It's not like you're talking to me," Beast Boy muttered to himself, becoming frustrated with the silence. But he shook it off, remembering why he was here: to get the girl he likes to like him too. "I'm just trying to think of the perfect topping combination," he said to Raven. "What do you like on your pizza?"
Raven paused a moment. "I was thinking about the meat lovers supreme." Beast Boy could hear the grin in her voice, but still he frowned.
"Dude, really not cool." He crossed his arms and returned to looking at his menu in silence. He heard Raven put down her menu and saw her hands land folded on the table, but still he kept his eyes on his menu.
"Black olives."
Beast Boy looked up to see Raven looking off to the side, looking at the city. "Huh? Did you say something?"
Raven didn't change her gaze. "I said I like black olives on my pizza. I also like onions and mushrooms," she looked Beast Boy dead in the eye. "But no tofu." Beast Boy smiled.
"Yeah, cool whatever you want, Rae," he put down his menu with a smile. Raven just looked him up and down. Beast Boy figured it was time to try to get a conversation started. "So, what do you want to talk about?" Raven was silent. He should expected that kind of response from Raven. But still, he tried again. "Um...okay! What's your favorite song?"
Raven narrowed her eyes. "I'm not that into music."
Beast Boy's jaw dropped. "Not into music? But everyone likes music!"
"I prefer to rest in silence. Besides, all music today is either too loud or too idiotic to listen to." Just then the waiter came to their table and placed a cup of water in front of each of them.
"Could I get you guys anything to drink?" the waiter asked in an overly excited voice. Raven just glared at him.
Beast Boy returned the waiter's cheesy smile. "I'll have a large cup of Mr. Fizzy Pip, please! Oh, and a bendy straw," Beast Boy looked to Raven who still remained silent."She's good with water." The waiter smiled one last time and walked away. Raven's eyes followed him as he left.
"I don't like him," she declared, looking back out over the city.
"Oh c'mon, Rae! He's just doing his job, no need to blast him." Raven raised an eyebrow at the idea. "Okay, seriously Raven," Beast Boy put on his best serious face. "If you HAD to listen to one type of music, what would it be?"
Raven slowly blinked, then looked down with a small sigh. "If I had to pick something, it would be the meditation chants of the monks of Azarath."
"Oh, that's...cool," Beast Boy wasn't sure how to respond. After a few moments of silence he figured Raven wasn't going to ask him, so he said, "I like rock and roll."
Raven looked up at him again. "Too loud."
Beast Boy smiled. "Rocks too hard for you, huh Rae?"
"Totally," she replied in her usual monotone sarcasm. Once again, Beast Boy smiled, appreciating her sense of humor. The waiter returned, cheerful as ever, and carefully placed Beast Boy's over sized soda on the table.
"Alright folks, are we ready to order?" Beast Boy saw Raven cringe at the sound of his cheery voice.
"Can we get a large pizza with black olives, onions, and mushrooms? Oh and a side of cheesy bread? Aaaand the extra greasy cinnamon pizza poppers?" Beast Boy asked grabbing his and Raven's menus to give to the waiter.
Raven shot Beast Boy a look. "I didn't know we would be ordering a feast." Beast Boy simply shrugged.
"Is that all?" the waiter asked scribbling down the order on a notepad. "No lava cake for the lovely couple?" Beast Boy slowly looked at the waiter.
"I-uh wouldn't call us that..." Beast Boy tried to hide a blush, but the waiter still noticed.
"Ooooh a little unrequited crush, maybe?" the waiter wiggled an eyebrow at Beast Boy, to which he only responded with an awkward chuckle.
"Uh, no dude, we're just two friends hanging out," Beast Boy snuck a glance at Raven, who was silently fuming with embarrassment and anger.
"Oh I see!" the waiter leaned down to Beast Boy, as if to share a secret. "Is the little lady a little shy?" Beast Boy tried to reply, but the waiter had already leaned away from him, and was looking at Raven. "Hey, if you guys want, I could get you a private booth for some...alone time?" Beast Boy's eyes shot open, and he dropped the menus on the table. He looked at Raven in time to see her eyes begin to glow and crackle. Quickly he pushed the waiter away from where he was standing and lunged across the table to cover Raven's mouth. But he wasn't to stop her from mentally using her powers. There was a flash of black energy that struck like lightning where the waiter had just been standing.
"Wha-what?" The waiter sat wide eyed on the ground where Beast Boy had knocked him over. He looked from Beast Boy and Raven to the now cracked spot where he had just stood and back again. After a moment of thought, Beast Boy tried to laugh it off.
"Sorry dude, you know how girls get. When she says we're friends, it means we're just friends." Beast Boy chuckled, but the waiter still just stared. "I'm sure she'd be a lot friendlier if she had some food in her."
The waiter looked at Beast Boy with wide eyes, and stumbled his way to his feet. "Yeah..food..yeah...okay." The waiter slowly backed away, careful not to break eye contact with Beast Boy until he was safely back inside the restaurant.
Beast Boy sighed with relief. "That could have been really bad." He looked over to Raven to find her glaring furiously at him. He gave her a puzzled look, until she cleared her throat. Then he noticed his hand still clasped over her mouth. "Aaah!" he cried as he ripped his hand away from her and returned to his seat on the other side of the table. "I-I-I I'm sorry..."
Raven held up a hand. "Save it," she said, using her other hand to rub her temple. Beast Boy could see the annoyance in her face and began to feel the nervousness return to his stomach.
"Uh...do you want to talk or som-"
"Beast Boy?" Raven turned sharply to look him in the eye. "Why did you ask me out tonight?"
Beast Boy was caught off guard by the question. How could he answer that? 'Oh, maybe because I just realized I have a monster crush on you and I really want to impress you and show you that you're important to me and I think we should hang out all the time?' Beast Boy could never say that out loud. Not unless he knew she felt the same way. "Uh, well, I think you're really cool. And I, uh, wanted to spend some time with you, since you're always in your room you know? And, uh..."
Just then the now timid waiter returned to their table, carrying their large pizza, while carefully using it to shield his face. He shot a glance at Raven, then quickly looked to the floor. He gingerly placed it between the two of them and bolted back inside. Beast Boy looked at the bubbling cheese in front of them, then back to Raven. "Uh, and I also really wanted to get pizza." He smiled, hoping to have lightened the mood with his humor. But Raven just stared at the pizza.
"Okay," she replied, and grabbed a slice without looking at him. Beast Boy felt slightly uncomfortable, not liking the way the conversation ended. But still, he took a slice of his own. They sat there, chewing in silence, while the terrified waiter brought them their cheesy bread and their cinnamon pizza poppers. When they were about half way through the pizza, Beast Boy decided he couldn't take the silence anymore.
"Raven?" he asked, but she didn't look up. "Why did you agree to go out tonight?" He tried his best to just sound curious, but he still sounded more insecure than he would have liked.
Raven finally looked up, her eyes clouded by a bored haze. "Honestly?"
"Yeah, I guess." Beast Boy had a strong feeling he wouldn't like an honest response from Raven.
Raven gently put her piece of pizza back on the plate and folded her hands beneath her chin. She looked Beast Boy dead in the eye, her face as cool as ever, and said, "I thought maybe if we hung out, I could remind myself of how immature you are and why we don't hang out in the first place."
Beast Boy just stared at her. He felt his stomach drop, his breath catch, and he was pretty sure he heard his feelings being crushed inside his head. He felt like he'd been punched in the gut and knocked to the ground. Here he had been, thinking that maybe Raven had said yes because she liked him and wanted to hang out too, but really, she just wanted to remind herself why she didn't like him. For the first time he could remember, Beast Boy didn't feel like talking anymore.
He sat in silence, trying his best to ignore Raven. He tried to ignore her intoxicating musky scent, tried to ignore her dainty hands as she picked up her pizza, tried to ignore the cute way she ate the tiniest bites possible. And the more he ignored her, the angrier he got. What was her problem? Why did she have to be so rude? He was actually trying to make sure she had a fun night, ad she didn't care at all. The more he sat in silence, the angrier he became.
By the time the shaking waiter delivered their bill, he was furious. He saw Raven begin to reach for the bill, but he quickly snatched it before she could reach it. He pulled out his wallet and threw his money on the table. He looked at Raven long enough to see the shock on her face. Trying his best not to blow up at her, he stood up with such force, he knocked his entire bench over.
"Beast Boy," Raven tried to say. But Beast Boy stopped her before she could finish.
"I've got it. Let's just go home." He headed towards the door. He felt Raven pull on his arm, trying to slow him down, but he simply turned to face her. It was then that he saw the worry in her eyes.
He took a breath, trying to calm himself for a moment. "Look, I just want to get out of here." He turned towards the door again, and this time, Raven didn't hold him back. He heard her follow him through the door, down the hallway and the stairs, and out the main door. Once they were outside, he thought he could finally fly back to the tower and get into his bed and forget all about this monster of a date. But then Raven stopped him again, but this time she appeared right in front of him, stepping out of one of her dark energy fields.
Beast Boy saw the worry in her eyes, but he pushed it out of his mind, not letting her break him like she always did. "Beast Boy, come on. What happened?"
What happened? What happened? The question echoed in Beast Boy's mind, refueling his anger.
"What happened, Raven? You happened!" He pointed a finger at her, almost yelling. He saw her eyes grow wide in shock, but it didn't stop him. "You really want to know why I asked you out? Because I like you! I've liked you for a long time, maybe since that first day we met, I'm not really sure. All I know is, I want to be with you. And I had a feeling that maybe you wanted to be with me too. And yeah, I know, you don't do emotions, but come on! That doesn't mean you have to act so heartless. I am really trying here. Do you know how much courage it took to ask you out? A lot! I was terrified! But I put myself out there. And you just shut me down. After all the effort I put into trying to get us to be friends. I try to get you to laugh all the time, I try to get you to hangout with me all the time, I try to talk to you all the time and you always shut me down! I thought maybe there was something between you and I, but I guess I was wrong. You only came to reassure yourself that I'm not worth your friendship or your time, not to actually get to know me. You should have just turned me down, okay? I don't need another girl stomping on my feelings. So let's just go home!" He threw his hands in the air in exasperation and turned to go. It was a bold move, something Beast Boy wouldn't normally have done, but Raven brought out something in him he wasn't used to. All of his emotions felt heightened, he felt like he was about to explode due to all the feelings bouncing around in his head.
Beast Boy was so occupied with himself and trying to figure out what had happened to make him lose control like this, he didn't notice there was no one following him.
"But...I don't want to go home," said a quiet voice. Beast Boy turned to see Raven with her head down and her hands nervously rubbing together. It was a strange sight, considering Raven was always so strong and always kept her head up, even at the worst of times. Beast Boy was instantly hit with a wave of guilt. He hadn't wanted to make her sad, he just wanted to get his point across. But then again, yelling at her outside of the pizza parlor wasn't the best way to do that. He sighed, giving into her just like he always would, and took a step towards her.
"Then what do you want to do?" he tried to still sound annoyed, but he wasn't very successful.
"It's Friday, right?" she asked, nervously looking at her hands.
"Uh yeah, yeah I think so," Beast Boy rubbed his head in confusion.
Raven looked up at the sky. Beast Boy followed suit and noticed the sky was almost completely dark now. The last drips of sunlight were fading and a few stars were already appearing.
"You and I," Beast Boy looked back to Raven, who was still looking up. "We're going to the park."
Author's note: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Feel free to leave reviews of any kind. Chapter 4 will be up soon.
