*A/N* We've got ourselves a big chapter today! This one is where I really let my love for horror movies spill out. For those of you unaware, Dario Argento is a real director, and Raven ain't the only huge fan of him. If you've seen any of the movies or get any of the references I mention in this part, hats off. But enough chit-chat. *A/N*
Beast boy bit his lip as he read the note he had found stuck to his door, written in neat cursive.
"We can't be seen leaving together. I'm going to leave at six to avoid suspicion. Meet me at the Pizza Parlor at six thirty. I'm buying.
-R"
Beast Boy sighed. "She always makes things complicated…" he muttered to himself. Crumpling the note up and shoving it in his pocket, he noticed a button he missed and began to correct the error.
He was proud that he managed to dress himself so nicely from scratch. His shirt, a simple black short sleeved button-up, had been in better shape than he could have asked for, since it was one of the only things he had bothered to put on a coat hanger. He wore a pair of taut blue jeans kept up by a plain brown belt. He had thought about putting on some suspenders, but Raven probably would have strangled him with them. His shoes were plain, lace-less grey loafers.
He looked at himself in the mirror. His short hair, fluffy and clean after showering, probably needed brushing, but he wasn't about to ask Starfire for her brush. Maybe Robin would let him borrow a comb, he always used hair gel, didn't he?
Exiting his room, he turned in the appropriate direction towards Robin, and collided painfully with a heavy metal mass.
"Hey, there you are. We're about to play some games, you in?" Cyborg paused to size up his friend. "You look good for a change. What's the occasion?"
Beast Boy's mouth hung open for a second as his thoughts flipped into overdrive.
"Uhaahh… a…animal rights meeting." He said, feigning normality in his posture by placing a hand on his hip.
"Oh." Cyborg said. "Wait, since when are you an animal rights activist?"
"Since always!" Beast Boy declared. "Geez, where've you been, Dude?"
"Easy, man. I ain't gotta follow everything you do in your spare time." Cyborg chided.
"Okay, well, I gotta find a comb, so tell me who wins." Beast Boy said, briskly walking past Cyborg.
"Oh, hey, one more thing. How's Raven?"
Beast Boy screeched to a halt. He made a weak, confused noise that swiftly turned into a sound of empathy.
"Not good, man. She looks like a leper, snot's coming out of her nose like a freaking storm drain." Beast Boy ad-libbed a flowing motion from his own face for emphasis.
Cyborg scrunched up his face. "Yuck. I think I'm gonna go check on her, see if she needs anything." He began toward Raven's room.
"Uh, no, don't." Beast Boy interjected, putting a hand out. "She just fell asleep, I think she needs her rest."
"Oh, alright. Well, catch you on the rebound." Cyborg said, waving a hand before tromping down the hallway.
Beast Boy sighed quietly and wiped his brow. "Dang, was that close." He whispered when Cyborg was out of earshot.
Ducking into Robin's room, he entered his bathroom. Sure enough, a set of combs sat in a small jar of water by the sink.
(Sorry Robin. Duty calls.) He thought to himself as he removed one at random and began swiping his hair with it.
He hardly ever brushed his hair, he enjoyed the scruffy look. So, he was somewhat inexperienced with the whole process. Combing until he deemed himself decent looking, he shook his head and let his hair naturally spread out. He examined the result.
"Hey, good lookin.'" He mused to himself, flashing his suave reflection a wink.
Stepping out of the bathroom, he glanced at the digital clock Robin had on his bedside table.
"6:23? Oh, damn!" he exclaimed, hurrying out of the room.
Jump City was moving at its usual pace, fast. Cars passed each other on the highway, honking when someone dared to cross their path. Civilians chatted about every subject as they sat on benches, talked into their cell phones, or passed each other on the sidewalk. Neon lights advertised food, drink, games, and gatherings, and billboards screamed out the product or service they advertised in gaudy, blown-up pictures.
Beast Boy made himself scarce, skirting in between passerby. Some turned to look again, others went on their way. Beast Boy was delighted when a newspaper salesman grinned at him and called out "What's up, Green Machine?" But he was in too much of a rush to make small talk, so he offered a hearty "Hey, Dude!" and a big smile, and kept moving.
Reaching the parlor, he briefly checked his reflection in a window for any imperfections before entering. Before he could even talk to the waitress seating people, she jabbed a thumb to her right.
"She's over there."
Beast Boy turned. Sure enough, there she was, at a two-man table by a window. Raven beckoned him over with a finger. He leisurely put his hands in his pockets and began to walk over to her. He nearly tripped over his own feet when he saw her attire.
Raven wore a plain, yet elegant indigo dress that reached about as low as her knees. Her arms were now fully revealed, smooth and grey, as though carved from marble. She wore black heels, not nearly high enough to be tacky. Then he noticed her face. It was faintly dusted with powder, her dark eyes amplified by angular, nearly perfectly symmetrical eyeliner. Her lips were faintly colored from a dull lipstick. Even though she was fine without any make-up, she looked…
"You look great." Beast Boy blurted out.
Raven gave a ghost of a smirk. "Thank you. I'm surprised you managed to look halfway decent."
Beast Boy grinned. "When I want to, I can. I just choose not to, it would give all the ladies a heart attack."
"From fear." Raven added.
Beast Boy kept his grin as he sat down. "Oh, I'm hurt." He simpered, putting a hand to his heart.
"So, tell me, who is this Darryl Argentina?"
"Dario Argento." Raven corrected. "He's Italian. He's made some of the best horror films ever."
"Since when do you watch anything at all?" Beast Boy inquired.
"I'll watch anything Argento is involved with, even if most of newer material is sub-par."
"Huh. Well, I guess I'll have to see what all the fuss is about. Thanks for taking me along… er… could I ask you something, though?"
"If it isn't stupid." Raven chaffed.
"Ha. Ha." Beast Boy said sarcastically. "Seriously, though."
"Shoot."
Beast Boy paused for a moment to adopt the right tone in his voice. "How long have you wanted to do something like this?"
Raven felt the inevitable red return to her cheeks. "Good question." She said, giving a faint, uncomfortable laugh. "Well, I'm not the most open person."
"Understatement of the decade."
"I mean, I never treated you like I should have. Sure, you were annoying. Unbearable, at times. But all you wanted to do was make me happier. I knew that if I got too close to someone, I could end up really hurting them, so I shut you out. But after Trigon, it felt like I was reborn. I smiled more, I felt more upset when something tragic happened, and…"
Raven gave an ashamed sigh. "It pains me to say it… but you became funnier."
Beast Boy, who was drinking his complementary glass of ice water, nearly spouted the water in his mouth, clapping a hand to his mouth to prevent it. Gulping it down, he blinked.
"You think I'm funny?" he uttered, his voice low.
"Don't make me say it again."
Beast Boy felt a smirk creep up his face. "I knew it!" he cried jovially.
"Not finished. Anyway, as if that wasn't disconcerting enough, I started to feel an ache in my chest, too. I honestly thought there was something physically wrong with me at first. Until I realized that it only happened whenever you were around, or when I thought about you."
She groaned and put her face in her hands. "I'm sorry, I just…"
She flinched slightly when she felt a hand on her forearm.
Beast Boy smiled gently. "Hey, you don't need to be embarrassed. None of this is bad. And besides, this is still Beast Boy you're talking to, here. You don't have to hide anything from me. I'm your friend."
He felt his own face darken with color as his smile slightly diminished. "If you want the truth…You were always my first choice."
Raven looked up. "What do you mean by that?"
"I mean, I knew it wouldn't ever happen in a million years… but, if I was allowed to pick anyone to be with me I would have gone for you."
Raven's stomach leapt into her throat. Her eyes widened slightly, and her face flushed.
"You…mean that?"
"Well, it-I… I guess if I thought about who would really be the perfect match for me... Because, I mean, you're so mature, super smart, chill… everything I'm not. But that was like, something that only happened in my craziest, dumbest fantasies, and I've never really considered that for real until right now. Like, RIGHT now."
Raven couldn't respond, and after Beast Boy finished, he couldn't think of anything else to change the subject, so the two sat in silence. The void of conversation continued for about half a minute, neither party being brave enough to look one another in the eye.
Thankfully, a waiter came to their table holding two trays.
"Alright, guys, we've got one small pizza with grilled tofu, and another small with peppers."
He put the trays neatly on the table, Beast Boy thanking him distantly.
"If you guys need anything else, just call, alright?" The friendly waiter said before leaving.
The two heroes began eating their food in silence. After a few minutes, Beast Boy attempted to break the barriers.
"So… what has this Argento guy done? Anything I've seen?"
"No."
Beast Boy frowned when the silence once again overtook them. Determined to make this occasion as laid-back as possible, he put his half-finished pizza slice onto his plate.
"This is getting too awkward." Beast Boy stated shortly.
"I agree." said Raven.
"Well… let's stop it."
Raven raised an eyebrow. "Stop being uncomfortable?"
"Yeah, I mean, it's just like any other dinner, except we've got nicer clothes on."
Raven bit into her food and chewed quietly for a moment. "Yeah, well… we did just confess to liking each other."
"So? That's another thing we have in common!"
Raven frowned. "What'll the others think of us if they find out?"
Beast Boy crossed his arms. "You think about what might happen way too much. Think about what's happening now."
"Well-"
"Ssh, I'm on a roll. Like I said, you're acting like we're already serious together. That's what might happen. But what's happening now? We're having a nice time together, and we're going to go see a movie. There's no point in spoiling now when you're worried about 'buts' or 'ifs.' Maybe we'll get closer in the future, who knows? Maybe we won't, and this'll just be a one-time thing. But right now, we're not boyfriend and girlfriend. We're Beast Boy and Raven, like it's always been."
Raven felt her chest become lighter. He was right.
"Thank you." She said, smiling faintly.
She then checked her watch. "We'd better leave."
Beast Boy stuck what was left of his pizza slice into his mouth, and grabbed two slices to go. "Alrighty." He slurred through a mouthful of crust.
Raven went to the counter and left their waiter a sizable tip, then motioned for Beast Boy to follow her.
The two teens arrived outside of a small two story building. A red neon sign attached over the entrance read "The Ampitheatre."
"It's a little smaller than I thought it would be." Beast Boy admitted.
"It's privately owned. There are only four screens."
Beast Boy opened the door for Raven, bowing melodramatically and extending a hand outward to let her in. Raven rolled her eyes and entered, Beast Boy closing the door with flourish and following her.
The man at the Box Office recognized Raven made a salute towards her.
"Two?" he said, glancing at Beast Boy.
"We've already got our tickets." Raven said, sliding them through the small opening in the booth.
The man tore their stubs and handed them over. "Theater 1."
Raven nodded. "Thanks." she said, entering the door to the theatre, Beast Boy trying to keep up.
Inside the dimly lit lobby, Beast Boy glanced around, and soon felt his jaw drop. There were posters everywhere, of all different genres. Beast Boy had to stop himself from gasping when he laid eyes on a special one, taking Raven's hand a giving it a jerk to get her attention.
"Raven, look! They have the banned poster for Wicked Scary!" he exclaimed, pointing feverishly at the poster of the tentacled fiend clutching the severed head of a blonde teenager, her blood spelling out the title.
"Good thing you're housebroken." Raven remarked.
Behind the concession counter, a portly, middle-aged man with a beard and nose piercing stood, talking to one of the employees. He noticed the approaching teens and raised his hands in the air.
"Raven! Glad to see you made it!" he called out welcomingly. "We were worried you weren't gonna show."
Raven waved in return. "Hey, Toby."
The man strode out from behind the counter, his T-Shirt reading "We Are Going to Eat You!" in dribbling red letters.
"You're looking good tonight, Rae." The man said, noticing her formal wear. He then turned to Beast Boy. "And who's this you got here?"
"Beast Boy, this is Tobias Roberts. He's the owner." Raven said, the man offering a high five, which was gladly returned by the changeling.
"Good to meet you, Dude!" Beast Boy said, grinning and showing his fangs.
"So, Rae's taking you along for the ride, huh?" Tobias asked. "This your first Argento experience?" Beast Boy nodded, which warranted a dark chuckle from the owner. "Great. You're in for a treat."
"Toby, which movies are you showing tonight?" Raven inquired. "I hate to admit it, but I've forgotten."
"Well, tonight, we've got Suspiria and Deep Red back to back." Tobias said, counting off on his fingers. Raven smirked.
"Excellent." She said, giving a thumbs up.
"I know, right? I figured we should start off strong." Tobias then turned to Beast Boy. "You know, I thought I was the biggest Argento geek out there until I met Raven. This girl's seen everything he's done, even the movies that weren't released outside of Italy! She knows everything about the guy, she gave me lessons!"
Beast Boy put a hand on his hip.
"Isn't that funny? At the tower, I can't even get her to tell me the time." He teased, which earned him a sharp elbow to the ribs.
"So, previews are starting in about five minutes. You kids want any refreshments?"
Raven turned to Beast Boy, who shrugged. "Yeah, I guess we could use some." She said.
"I already know what you want, Rae. How about you, kid?"
"Um… you got anything vegetarian?"
Tobias turned around to the employee behind the counter. "Hey Wade! We got any tofurkey burgers left?" he called out. The employee, a muscular young man with round sunglasses and a large tattoo of a demon traveling up his arm, checked beneath the counter, and nodded shortly.
"Cook one up for my buddy Beastie here!"
The employee nodded again, and set to work.
"You kids can go sit down, I'll have Wade bring your stuff."
The two teens thanked the owner for his generosity and went into the darkened theater.
Tobias went over to the counter and leaned an elbow on the top.
"So, what do you think, Wade? Rae's got a boy with her."
Wade looked up from the oven and shrugged.
"Think they'll stick together?"
Shrug.
"You think about anything?"
Shrug.
Raven led Beast Boy up to her usual seat in the back, passing the four or five other audience members.
"Not very crowded here, is it?" Beast Boy murmured.
"Why do you think I come?" Raven replied plainly.
After they were both seated comfortably, Beast Boy kept the flow of conversation running.
"So, how long have you known that guy?"
"Toby was one of my first friends in the City. I go here every weekend on our nights off."
"So that's where you go, we always wondered."
"Keep it that way. I'd prefer not to have any more tagalongs."
"Is that what I am now? A tagalong?"
"Yep."
"I seem to remember you inviting me, lady."
"Don't make me regret it."
The previews soon began, none of the movies really sparking Beast Boy's interest, most of them just coming off as weird or confusing.
"These movies are too smart for me." Beast Boy whispered to Raven, the joke actually making Raven grin. Pleased with himself, Beast Boy went back to watching.
During the trailer for "Enter The Void," Wade entered the dark room, still wearing his sunglasses, bringing the teens their refreshments.
"How can you see?" Beast Boy asked.
Wade adjusted his glasses and shrugged before leaving.
After the final trailer ended, the first movie began. After a thundering drumbeat over the opening credits, a deep voiced narrator began speaking.
"Suzy Bannion decided to perfect her ballet studies in the most famous school of dance in Europe…"
"What is this, a movie, or an audiobook?" Beast Boy jested. Raven made a 'hush' motion with her finger.
The movie played out. Beast Boy was a highly reactive audience member, reinforcing the movie with appropriate exclamations of "Oh, nasty!" or "Dude! That's wrong!" He also became confused a few times and had to ask Raven what was going on, and she quickly filled him in.
By the end, when the heroine stabbed the main villainess through the neck with a fancy dagger, Beast Boy was totally absorbed.
"Yeah! She got her!" he cheered. Raven, though her face remained stoic, was having great fun watching her date react to the movie.
The movie's ending credits rolled, and Beast Boy clapped.
"I take it you liked it?" Raven asked.
"That… was the weirdest movie I've ever seen. But MAN was it cool!"
"I could tell you enjoyed it. You never shut up through the whole thing."
Beast Boy sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry."
"It's no problem, this was probably the twelfth time I've seen it. I can't guarantee you'll find the next one as exciting, but it's just as good, if not better."
"Sweet." The two sat for a moments, watching the credits, before Beast Boy cleared his throat and spoke up again.
"Hey, could I try something?"
Raven raised an eyebrow. "Should I be worried?"
"No, but you have 100% veto power, if you don't want to. Do you mind if I put my arm around you, or whatever?"
The sorceress felt the familiar sensation of her face flushing. "Oh." She responded.
"I mean, that's all. I just want to stretch out and, you're kind of, it's just, I… crap." Beast Boy's face fell when his reasoning collapsed in on itself.
"Promise me you won't try anything moronic." Raven said, her face as placid as ever with a hue of pink.
"What?" Beast Boy replied, growing flustered. "No, you know I wouldn't ever-"
"Go ahead." She interrupted, with an air of impatience.
There were no words after that, Beast Boy gulped, and carefully extended his arm outward. As though putting his arm in hot water, he delicately, slowly placed it about Raven's shoulders. They were sharp and pointed, she was so slim. Her skin was supple and somewhat cold. Raven laid her head backward onto Beast Boy's arm leisurely, and he caught a whiff of her lavender perfume.
"This is…nice." Beast Boy murmured.
"The movie's starting." Raven said dismissively. But in her mind, she agreed with him tenfold.