Beast Boy was currently at a loss for words.

His dinner with Raven had ended on a high note, what with the appearance of a young fan quenching any lingering awkwardness from his... unorthodox ice-cream-eating methods. And sure, those few seconds replayed in his head constantly for the rest of their meal and their trip back home, but he was fairly certain that the two of them would put the moment behind them.

But that was before he saw the paper the next morning.

He could feel his partially-chewed cereal ooze from his opened mouth, but he couldn't find the sense to stop the mushy mess from splattering onto the table before him as his eyes frantically read and reread the headline facing him. He could also hear his teammates' groans of disgust, but they weren't enough to pull him away from the offending sentence that taunted him in all of its Times New Roman glory.

No, nothing else could faze him, for the headline (partially covered by Robin's fingers as the boy wonder skimmed through the classifieds, but undoubtedly spelling out the words Raven and Beast Boy) was the only thing that mattered at the moment.

And those words were unmistakenly accompanied by the word date.

His body reacting without his consent, Beast Boy suddenly found himself diving across the table and snatching the offending article from his leader's hands.

"Whoa, what the hell?" Robin protested, but was promptly ignored as the changeling let out an undignified squeak.

"What the hell?!" Beast Boy repeated, his eyes widening as they poured over the fully revealed title.

Raven and Beast Boy - Caught on a Date!

"This isn't... that wasn't... what the hell?!" He could feel his face burn as his brain attempted to understand the text before him. But no matter how many times he reread it, and despite whatever order his mind jumbled it into, he couldn't comprehend the complete insanity that the title represented. It was too crazy; too abstract of a concept. There was no way those words could ever be strung together in an actual, real-life sentence.

"What's it say, BB?"

The sound of Cyborg's voice momentarily brought Beast Boy back to reality, but as his eyes scanned the confused faces of his teammates, he felt his blush deepen at the sight of Raven's arched brow.

"It's - they're s-saying..." but again, any and all words escaped him as his attention darted back towards the article.

July 1st

Spotted: Local superheroes Raven and Beast Boy were caught cozying up on what appeared to be a casual dinner date. The two Titans were seen sitting side-by-side while sharing a milkshake at the Ice Cream Parlor, before engaging with several young fans in an impromptu meet-and-greet. Rumors of romance between the two have been circulating ever since -

"What's it say?" Cyborg repeated impatiently.

But before the changeling could answer (or come up with a plausible excuse before running from the room and burning all evidence of the article), the paper was unceremoniously snatched from his grasp.

"What is the matter, friend?" the perpetrator, or more commonly known as Starfire, asked innocently, her bright green eyes absently trailing over the text in confusion. "Is this not just - oh!"

The alien hurriedly covered her mouth with her free hand, her eyes bugging out comically as she stifled a giggle. But her apparent amusement only fueled Cyborg's curiosity, and Beast Boy watched in horror as the robotic titan leaned across the table.

"Now I gotta know what this is about!" he announced, before tugging the paper from the redhead's hold. Starfire happily obliged as she used her newly-freed hand to smother what appeared to be a sudden laughing-fit.

Beast Boy could feel sweat form along his brow as he watched his best friend lazily read the headline, before a slow, devious grin crept across the eldest titan's face.

"'Oh' indeed," Cyborg mused menacingly as his gaze momentarily darted towards the shapeshifter, undeniably relishing in the younger hero's embarrassment. Beast Boy attempted to plead with him silently, trying his hardest not to look at the empath sitting to the left of his supposed best friend, despite the way her eyes drilled holes into him. But, it seemed his pleas were ignored as the half-robot's grin only widened. Clearing his throat dramatically, Cyborg began to do the unthinkable. "'Spotted: Local superheroes Raven and Beast Boy - '"

But his teasing was interrupted as Beast Boy once again dove across the table, his ungloved fingertips barely brushing the parchment before Cyborg quickly pulled it from his reach.

"' - were caught cozying up on - '" Again, Beast Boy made another move to grab the newspaper as he fully flung himself over the table, knocking whatever was left of his cereal to the floor as his other teammates swiftly pulled their own breakfasts from his path of destruction.

"' - what appeared to be - ' Oh, this is just too good!" Cyborg grinned, before slipping off of his chair and stepping away from the table.

Still, Beast Boy continued towards him as he pushed himself off of the table, his potential mortification outweighing whatever embarrassment the scene was causing. He could feel his heart sink into his stomach as he clumsily dashed towards his teammate, but Cyborg hurriedly held out his hand and effectively stiff-armed the changeling into place.

"' - a casual dinner date'," Cyborg finished triumphantly, his human eye glistening with mirth.

The sound of Starfire's untamed giggling quickly squashed whatever fight Beast Boy had left in him, and it took nearly all of his willpower not to morph into a bug and fly straight into the fan above them.

Cyborg's own laughter soon joined the alien's, before the larger titan moved his hand from the changeling's chest, and instead gave him a friendly clap on the shoulder.

"I had no idea y'all were an item," he taunted between chuckles.

Beast Boy's face burned even brighter as he glared at his former best friend. "That isn't... we're not..." But again, his brain was unable to come up with an actual sentence, and all he could do was open and close his mouth helplessly.

Though, the sudden whiff of lavender and herbs caused him to clamp his mouth shut as he caught sight of movement from the corner of his eye.

"May I?" Raven deadpanned, stepping fully into view and holding her hand out towards Cyborg.

The robotic titan loftily complied.

Beast Boy's pulse pounded within his ears as he slowly turned himself to face the half-demon beside him.

Raven's expression was unreadable as her eyes skimmed through the article, though she did let out an occasional snort of amusement. But that did nothing to ease Beast Boy's mind - if anything, it made things worse. She was openly laughing at the prospect of dating him! As if he wasn't a total catch! And sure, deep down he knew that she was leagues above him, but a part of him had kinda wished she'd never figure that out.

Not 'cuz he wanted her to ever consider dating him or anything; they were just friends! It'd be so weird for him to want her to think of him as anything more than that. No, he just didn't want her to... He didn't want anyone realizing... He wanted everyone to think...

Great, can't even finish a thought! he grumbled internally. But before he could dwell on it further, Raven let out a slow, labored sigh.

"You'd think there'd be more important things to write about," she mused flatly, before lying the paper on the table and grabbing her mug.

Beast Boy's mind was as blank as the stare he gave her, though she paid him no mind as she took a sip of her tea.

"Oh, come on, Raven!" Cyborg exclaimed, his amusement ever present. "That's some grade-A entertainment right there!"

The empath merely rolled her eyes, before setting her sights on Beast Boy, who had yet to find his voice.

"It's just a dumb article. Print media is dying, and they'll put out anything remotely newsworthy - regardless of the authenticity. No need to get so worked up over it."

Her casual explanation of it was enough to bring Beast Boy back to his senses. "But it's - it's insane!" he insisted, frantically gesturing towards the paper. "They're trying to turn us into some kinda... power couple!"

Still, Raven seemed unfazed by the revelation. "It's gossip," she replied simply.

"It's weird!" he continued, his eyes pleading with hers to agree.

But she only shrugged. "It's hearsay. Drama. Hell, Beast Boy - it's page six. Last week they accused Speedy and Aqualad of dating."

Cyborg's laughter grew even louder, though the changeling continued to do his best to ignore him, as there were more pressing matters at hand. For some reason, the fact that Raven wasn't allowing herself to be as outraged by the article as he was was making him feel kinda... odd. Tingly, even.

"B-but they're saying we're... together," he elaborated, as if she wasn't fully comprehending the implication. "They're saying we're dating, Raven!"

Again, her face was devoid of any expression, aside from the slight tug at the corner of her mouth. "Yes, well... I've been accused of worse."

Beast Boy continued to gawk at her, unable to process her last statement as his train of thought darted back towards the article. He hadn't had the chance to read the rest of it, and his curiosity was getting the best of him. But as he tore his eyes off of his confusing teammate, he realized bitterly that Robin had reclaimed the paper, and was again skimming through the classifieds.

"It's just drama," Raven repeated dully, as if sensing his sudden desire to read the entire thing.

Beast Boy could only nod his head in defeat, though the tingly feeling had yet to disappear. "I just don't want people thinking that we... that I like you or whatever," he offered, before mentally kicking himself at how awful that sounded.

His gaze immediately darting back to Raven, he felt the urge to actually kick himself as he took in the placid expression she was forcing.

"Of course you wouldn't," she agreed icily. "All of your fans would be devastated to think you were off of the market."

Cyborg and Starfire's laughter slowing began to subside as the mood in the room shifted.

Realizing that he was quickly digging himself into a hole, Beast Boy attempted to rephrase his last comment. "That's so not what I meant! It's nothing like that, Rae!" he insisted, holding his hands before him in surrender. "Like, I'm not saying I'm ashamed of liking you - or, I mean, I would be if I did - Gah, no! What I'm trying to say is - "

But Raven merely held up her free hand, effectively silencing him. "I know what you're trying to say," she deadpanned, reclaiming her stoic facade. "If anyone needs me, don't. I'll be meditating in my room."

And with that, she phased through the portal below her, leaving Beast Boy to again question everything she ever said to him.


"So am I the tic, or am I the tac?"

Beast Boy scrunched his nose in confusion at Starfire's question, before shaking his head dismissively. "Uh, neither, Star - you're the X. You just draw an X on any of the free spaces."

He watched as the alien furrowed her brows, before giving him an enthusiastic nod. "Right - and I am to get three in the row, correct?"

Eyeing the piece of paper between them, Beast Boy grunted in confirmation. Starfire had insisted on learning a new game, and though Beast Boy welcomed the distraction at first, he was finding it harder and harder to focus. His mind kept wandering back to the conversation he had had with Raven, and his accidental insult.

"May I go in a diagonal formation?" Starfire queried.

Again, Beast Boy grunted. He hadn't meant to hurt Raven's feelings; he had just been so worked up over Cyborg's teasing. Plus, the article had come completely out of nowhere - they were obviously just two friends enjoying a night out! Why did those stupid 'reporters' have to put a romantic spin on it? As if Beast Boy didn't have a hard enough time ignoring his attraction to the empath; the last thing he needed was everything in writing.

Watching as Starfire finished her second X, Beast Boy absently blocked her move.

"Hmph!" Starfire pouted, before quickly penciling in another X. Again, the changeling blocked it.

"Do you think Raven's still meditating?" he mused aloud while scribbling out their tied-game and starting a new one.

The alien hurriedly claimed the middle space with her X, before giving the shapeshifter a halfhearted shrug. "Perhaps. Though she has been meditating more frequently as of late. I cannot say for sure that she has finished."

Beast Boy lazily claimed a corner with his O. "Yeah, well, it's been like an hour, right? She has to be done by now," he reasoned.

Again, the redhead shrugged. "It is possible," she offered, while taking her next turn.

No longer paying the game any mind, Beast Boy missed his obvious block as he scribbled in a random O. "I should find her, don't you think? Apologize for earlier?"

Her eyes lighting up in realization, Starfire hurriedly marked in her X, before letting out a triumphant laugh. "Ha! Three in the row!"

But Beast Boy ignored her excitement in favor of repeating himself. "I should find her and apologize, right?"

Starfire rolled her eyes fondly at the changeling's question, before giving him a pointed look. "I doubt Raven requires an apology."

Still, Beast Boy was unconvinced. "Yeah, but I kinda think I should apologize anyway, you know? Like, aren't girls all self-conscious about guys and their opinions? Won't she be offended if she thinks I think she's ugly or something?"

For a moment, it looked as if the alien were about to laugh, but she hurriedly shook her head. "I believe friend Raven is very aware that you do not find her ugly, Beast Boy."

Slightly confused by her phrasing, Beast Boy cocked his head to the side. "Huh?" he replied intelligently.

Again, Starfire's face twisted into a grimace as she bit back what appeared to be another giggle. "Let it just be said... everyone is aware that you do not find Raven ugly."

Despite her slight rephrasing, Beast Boy was still lost, though he decided not to dwell on it. "Right, well... I think I'm gonna apologize anyway, you know? Just in case."

This time, Starfire allowed herself a small, subdued chuckle as she shook her head. "Very well, friend. Do what you think is best."

His confidence rising with the alien's blessing, Beast Boy sprang up from his position on the floor and dashed towards the exit. As the doors open before him, he began to mentally prepare his apology while trekking down the hallway.

'Raven, I'm sorry for what I said, and I want you to know that I, in no way, shape, or form, could ever find you ugly.' There, that's good, right?

Nodding to himself, Beast Boy sprinted the rest of the way, before skidding to a stop in front of the empath's door. Pressing his ear to the metal, he listened for the telltale sound of her breathing.

But you never said the word 'ugly', the voice in his head suddenly reasoned, causing the changeling to tear himself off of her door and rethink his approach.

He technically didn't call her ugly - he just implied that he didn't want people to think they were dating. And sure, she could infer that that was what he meant, but if she hadn't thought he was calling her ugly, perhaps bringing the word into the mix was a bad idea? Like, was he just assuming she thought that he was insinuating that she was ugly? Was there another reason she would be offended by his words?

His confidence faltering, Beast Boy stepped away from the empath's door. Maybe Starfire was right - maybe there was no need to apologize. Sure, Raven had left rather abruptly, but she did claim she needed to meditate. Maybe the article had affected her more than she let on? Maybe she was embarrassed? Did she think he was ugly?

With his stomach twisting uncomfortably, Beast Boy began to back away from his teammate's door, only to watch as it slid open with a whoosh.

"...Can I help you?"

Raven was standing before him, sans cloak, with a muted expression of confusion plastered across her pretty face.

"Uh?" Beast Boy replied dumbly, unable to remember the conclusion he had come to moments prior. Was he apologizing or not? Shrugging mentally, he decided that an apology would do no harm. "I, uh, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for... earlier."

Raven crossed her arms before her as she regarded him blankly. "Sorry for what, exactly?"

Feeling another blush creep up his neck, Beast Boy offered his teammate one of his signature grins. "For... earlier, you know?" But when she continued to stare at him, he reluctantly elaborated. "Like, what I said was kinda shitty, and I didn't mean it."

Raven nodded slowly, though she still looked unconvinced.

Letting out a sigh, the changeling continued. "It's just, that article was kinda embarrassing, and Cyborg was making everything a hundred times worse, and I didn't want to give him any more blackmail material, so I was just, like, talking out of my ass - "

"Like you're doing now?" Raven interjected smugly, effectively cutting off his rambling.

Smiling sheepishly, Beast Boy couldn't help but let out a relieved laugh. "Uh, yeah. Exactly."

He was elated to see Raven don her signature smirk, and silently congratulated himself on apologizing - obviously it was the right move. "I forgive you, Beast Boy," she relented, uncrossing her arms. "And I think I understand where you were coming from. Cyborg's reaction was completely inappropriate - the news of us dating shouldn't garner laughter. You'd think our teammates would be happy for us."

Beast Boy, still enraptured by the empath's slight smile, merely nodded along. "Right."

"I can see why you would be so quick to deny it - they made it sound like some joke. Some punchline to one of your lame one-liners," she continued, unaware of Beast Boy's spacing. "If anything, they should be the ones apologizing."

The shapeshifter continued to nod, but as Raven's words sunk in, he felt himself stiffen. She was talking as if the article were... true. No - he must have misunderstood. There had to have been an 'if' he had missed. "Yeah... if we were dating," he clarified, somewhat nervously.

It seemed as though Raven's barely-there smile grew - if that were even possible. "If we were dating," she repeated flatly.

"But that'd be crazy," Beast Boy offered, the tingly feeling washing over him once more. "Like, we'd be crazy."

Still, Raven just smirked, before shrugging nonchalantly. "I've been called worse."


I am so very sorry for the delay! I live in what most would call a tourist trap, and despite being born and raised here, sometimes the summer-fun is enough to distract me from my writing!

For those of you following my story Wingman, I am currently halfway done with the companion piece. The reason it's taking so long is due to the fact that the first chapter is like 9000 words, and I didn't want the second chapter to be significantly shorter, so I'm just having some trouble fluffing it up. But I expect to be finished with it soon!

Oh, and this story is at 100+ follows! That's so awesome! Thank you so much to everyone who is supporting this! It means the world to me, and motivates me to keep writing! And to those of you who showed concerned for my absence, thank you! That was so very sweet lmao!

Please continue to enjoy my writing!