The Last Candy

By

Teen Tyrant

Those of you who read the previous chapter between now and when it was posted last Thursday, please know that I have edited it for a few glaring errors that I can't believe I missed. For example, the two stuffed Robin and Starfire dolls that Robin gave to Starfire were actually much larger. For some oddball reason, I wrote that they were two inches high. In fact, they were supposed to be at least ten inches high. Somewhere around the size of teddy bears.

Anyway, here's the Beast Boy/Raven counterpart chapter to the previous one, taking place on the same night. Too late for Valentine's Day, but as a counterpart to the previous chapter, the timeliness can be overlooked I think.

Disclaimer: All that being said, I don't own Teen Titans.

Part 4

Beast Boy walked down the hall of the tower, headed for Raven's room. Tucked up under his left arm was something he intended to give to her when he got there. In his right hand was something else he intended to give her, or rather, share with her.

Arriving outside Raven's door, Beast Boy carefully lifted his left hand, so as not to drop the item tucked under his arm, and knocked. A moment later, Raven slid the door open and looked at him, her hood still up.

"What is it, Beast Boy?" she asked him.

"Well," Beast Boy began. "It's just… remember how last year on Valentine's Day you came to my room and spent the last two hours of the day with me?"

Raven nodded. "Yes."

"Well, I've come to return the favor." Beast Boy said. However, rather than sliding the door open and inviting him in, Raven stared at him for a moment.

"Beast Boy, I came to your room last time because you were feeling depressed and I felt somebody had to cheer you up. You don't have to do the same for me. You know I think Valentine's Day is pointless." And she began to slide the door shut again. Beast Boy quickly stuck his foot in and kept her from closing it.

"Please Raven." he said with conviction and seriousness that wasn't typical of him. Raven stopped trying to close it in spite of herself.

"I really want to spend the last couple of hours with you. In return for what you did for me. It's only right. Besides, I have an extra valentine for you." he said, taking the object from under his arm. He held up to her, and she slowly took it from him, touched but wary of what he could possibly give her. It was a book. Arcane Arts and Literature of Pre-theological History. Raven raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"It's a book about old spells and stories and stuff from a reeeaaally long time ago. Like, before Moses and stuff." Beast Boy explained. "I found it at this creepy old Pagan bookshop across town. All the stuff inside it just seemed to scream out 'Raven'. No offense." He said, grinning sheepishly.

"None taken." Raven said, her tone taken aback. She was actually rather surprised that Beast Boy would not only find a gift that she'd actually like, but that he'd actually taken time to look for such an item. She opened the front cover and saw that he had written on the inside. To Raven, From Beast Boy. Happy Valentine's Day. She was impressed. It was really thoughtful of him. Had she been a more expressive girl, she might even have described it as "sweet". If it was possible for her to be flattered, she was pretty close to it.

"I also brought this." Beast Boy said, holding up the object in his right hand. Raven was also surprised to see this, but only for a moment. It was a large chocolate heart candy, just like the one he had given her last year. The one that they had shared when she had gone to spend the rest of Valentine's Day with him. If he had brought this, then he really meant what he said about returning her favor to him.

Seeing this, and realizing that he wasn't going to take no for an answer, Raven sighed, rolled her eyes, and opened the door for him to enter, resigning herself to an unwelcome inevitability despite her earlier flattery.

Beast Boy walked in and immediately moved over to sit on the bed, patting the spot next to him to indicate for her to join him. At first irritated that he would presume that she'd allow him to sit on her bed, she then softened, realizing that he was truly trying to mirror their time last year, as she had sat on his bed in the same uninvited manner. She walked over to the bed and sat down next to him, lowering her hood. Beast Boy took the chocolate heart from the wrapper.

"My last candy of the day. Saved just for this. Um, I know that I'm the one trying to do you a favor here, but this is the one part where I need your help. You think you could…?" he motioned with his eyes at the candy. Raven levitated it into the air and split down the middle into to perfect halves. She lowered one into Beast Boy's hand and lowered the other into her own.

"Thanks." Beast Boy said. "There's no way I'd be able to split that as evenly as you."

Raven only nodded in acknowledgement and bit into the chocolate, and Beast Boy mirrored her. Although neither of them knew about Robin and Starfire's apparent new tradition of Starfire receiving Robin's last Valentine's Day candy, Beast Boy and Raven now seemed to have started their own tradition by unspoken agreement. Sharing a large chocolate heart at the end of the day, when all other candies had been eaten. Although Raven was not one to really care about holiday traditions, she supposed that she could stand this one. She shared a mental bond with Robin, went to the mall with Starfire, and helped Cyborg work on his car. Why not have her special time with Beast Boy be this simple, once-a-year act. It seemed reasonable, and he genuinely seemed to appreciate the actual quality time they spent with it.

"Mmmm, just as good as the one last year, isn't it?" he said to her. Raven nodded.

"Yes. I'm not big on chocolate and candy, but you are good at picking good ones." she said, deciding to give him a compliment for a change.

Beast Boy grinned for a second before forcing himself to take another bite. He was actually enjoying this time a lot more than Raven was. And he was a lot more nervous too. That Valentine's Day night last year, when Raven had come to see him and spent time with him… it had changed something. Something very small, something that grew to larger ramifications between then and now. Beast Boy had discovered something about Raven that had never really dawned on him before, and although she had shown that something before, it had never gotten through because she had never revealed it in such a personal way. Raven actually did care. And she cared about him.

He knew that Raven really did think of him as her friend, there was no question about that. She'd put her life on the line for him countless times before. But he had never known her to be the type to actually care enough to personally show it, and most especially not to him, he who caused her the most frustration and annoyance, despite their tentative friendship.

Beast Boy himself had always cared about Raven and had only been distant with her because she genuinely didn't seem to want to go beyond the barrier of annoyed friendship that existed between them. But that night, one year ago, she had. Raven truly was capable of really feeling and really showing it. And that got Beast Boy to really thinking. And really seeing her for the first time, in a way.

Beast Boy had always known Raven was an attractive girl. However, that was as far as it ever went, and he never consciously dwelled on it. In his mind, she truly was only a friend to him. Same as Starfire, who was equally attractive, if not more so, but never viewed with anything more than friendship. The relationship he had with Raven had certain barriers to it, and he had never thought in terms beyond those barriers. But when Raven showed her tender side for those brief two hours that night, she passed over her own barriers.

Since then, for the last entire year, Beast Boy had been forming a different picture of Raven in his mind. One who was caring and expressive, one who had deep feelings and emotional needs no different than him, who had simply hid that from the world, rarely showing it. And when he had glimpsed it that night, he had liked that Raven. Since then, Beast Boy began to slowly wonder if perhaps they could move beyond the boundaries.

For the last year, Beast Boy had acted subtly different with her. He still played pranks on her here and there, and still told her his jokes and asked her to do things like play videogames which she didn't want to do. He still got on her nerves. But only enough. Enough to let her know that he had not changed and that their friendship had not changed. But he had also cut her more breaks. Left her alone at times when he would have bothered her before. He had respected her space and her wishes with a slight bit more frequency. And he had done some actually, honest to goodness, thinking about the things she liked. Her habits, her qualities. And he found that she wasn't quite that weird and creepy after all.

For the last year, Beast Boy had slowly begun to care for Raven more and more. Just enough to want the chance to see if maybe there could be more than friendship. He was certain that he could show her that he was more respectful of her without changing who he was altogether, and that she could be who she was and not change in order to explore other possibilities in their relationship.

And so it came to this night, one year later. That was the reason for his nervousness, because he was going to see if there could be a beginning. A beginning to finding out if perhaps another possible relationship could exist between them other than a tentative, annoyed friendship. Perhaps a closer friendship, a deeper bond. Perhaps something even more special than that even. Knowing that Raven was softer at heart that she acted, and having developed more patience with her ways, he knew that a chance for any improvement over their current situation did exist. And he was going to find out tonight. He was going to basically do what amounted to "asking Raven out", for lack of a more accurate term.

"So, Raven, did you at least have some fun today?" he asked, going for small talk first.

"Not really 'fun' as you'd think of it. But it was at least a more… enjoyable Valentine's Day than we've had the last couple of years. Maybe I'm getting used to it or something. It wasn't really all that bad for once. Or maybe it was just because Robin and Starfire had more focus on each other and that meant less focus on the day itself." she said, a grin despite herself. Even she was amazed that Robin had actually set up a candle-lit table dinner on the rooftop for the two Titan love-birds.

"Cool." Beast Boy said, but he was mostly inside his own head for the moment. "Maybe I'm getting used to it or something." she had said. Beast Boy felt a bit of enthusiasm rise up in his stomach. If she could get used to a holiday that was almost the epitome of everything she found annoying in the world, maybe she could get used to the idea of maybe letting him past a few of those boundaries they had established between them.

"Thank you for the book, by the way." She said to him, taking him out of his thoughts. "It was really quite… considerate of you. That was more than repaying the favor from last year." she said to him. But Beast Boy shook his head.

"I don't think so. When you came to see me last year, you went above and beyond your normal 'thing'. I figured, in order to really return the favor, I should go above and beyond too. Do something nice for you, for a change." he said, trying to show how sincere and thoughtful he could be.

Raven actually smiled at him. "Nice to see that you've done some growing up this last year." she said, meaning it as both a sort of joke and a genuine observation. Beast Boy forced a smile through his nervousness. The moment was fast approaching.

"Yeah, some growing up." he said, almost absently. Then he summoned his courage and decided to just go for it. "Say Raven, speaking of me growing up a little… I was wondering something." he began. Raven raised and eyebrow and waited for him to speak what he had to say.

"There's this play that's opening in the Metropolitan Theater this Sunday. I forget what it's called, but it's supposed to be some story about a sorceress. It's got kind of a spooky, magic sort of theme to it, but it's also supposed to be partly a comedy. I was wondering if you'd like to go see it." he said to her, feeling his arms shake after saying it.

Raven looked surprised. "Why would you ask me if I'd want to see it?" she asked him, genuinely puzzled. He answered her.

"Well, I wanna see it. It's supposed to be funny, and all the wizard stuff makes it kind of a fantasy sort of thing, which I like. Robin doesn't care about that kind of stuff, Starfire would get scared by the creepy sorceress part of it and wouldn't understand the humor, and Cyborg prefers sci-fi flicks. That leaves you, and I figured you'd like to see something with a dark, creepy feel to it. That's kinda your thing." he explained.

"That… does sound like a nice idea. I really don't have anything to do Sunday. But…" she paused, raising one eyebrow again. Something about this seemed odd. Something about the way Beast Boy was asking, and what he was asking. She just couldn't put her finger on it. Then, it came to her and the resulting answer was quite a surprise.

"Beast Boy, it sounds suspiciously like you're asking me on a date." she said, annoyance showing in her eyes and her voice lowering to a slightly more menacing tone. Beast Boy's eyes widened in panic, knowing that he had to make it clear that that was not quite what he was proposing.

"Uuuuuh… you don't have to really think of it like that. I'm not really sure that I'm even thinking of it like that." he said to her.

"Then what are you thinking of it as?" She asked, now getting seriously frustrated that she was actually being asked such a thing and by Beast Boy of all people. She just… wasn't prepared to cope with the idea of her being asked such a thing by a person that she had such a specific view of. It was too big a leap for how he fit into her reality.

"Well, I just kind of think of it as us seeing if we can maybe spend some real quality time together and see if we could maybe bring down some of the barrier between us. See if our relationship with each other can be better than where it's at now. I mean, we're not exactly the closest Titans on the team." he said, being very honest with her, deciding it to be the least dangerous route. Although still confused and slightly irritated, Raven calmed herself a little as she listened to him and let what he said sink in.

"Better than it is now? Better as in a closer friendship?" she asked. He nodded.

"I'd like to think that it can be." he told her. Then Raven furrowed her brow in suspicion.

"Better as in a romantic relationship?" she asked, trying to get to the big issue. Beast Boy gulped and shrugged.

"Perhaps. I'm not going to say that I'm trying to sweep you off your feet or anything, but I wouldn't say it can't happen." he admitted. A vein throbbed on Raven's forehead.

"Why?" She asked him. "Why do you want to attempt such a fundamental change in our friendship? Where did this even come from?" she demanded. Beast Boy sighed.

"From what you did for me last year." he said. Raven actually relaxed by a degree. Beast Boy scratched behind his ear and continued. "It really meant something to me that you would do that for me Raven. After all the rough times we've had, you showed that you actually do care about me." Raven's eyes widened just a little, causing her scowl to look more like her normal expression.

"Of course I care about you Beast Boy. In your own strange way you're actually my most valuable friend. Because you actually care enough about my well-being to go against what I ask you to do, all for my greater good." she told him. Beast Boy was surprised to hear her be so blunt about how much he really meant to her.

"Well, I never really knew that. Until last year. You actually showed me that you cared enough to put down a few of the boundaries between us and make me feel better when I really needed it. And ever since then, I haven't really been able to see you quite the same. And I've tried to respect your wishes a little bit more. I… I really want to see more of the Raven who came to me that night." he confessed. But Raven frowned again.

"Beast Boy, do you really think that one night of spending time with you, that taking time every Valentine's Day to…" she looked at the small bit of chocolate heart she still had left in her hand. It was starting to melt over her fingers. "… Eating these candies… you really think that will bring us closer together into a possible romantic relationship? Or even a closer friendship?" she asked almost fiercely. Beast Boy slowly shook his head.

"No, I don't. But I do think it's a start. I think it shows that we can have a closer friendship. And please don't take this the wrong way Raven, but over this last year, thinking about all of this, I've actually started to sorta, kinda, maybe like you a little, tiny, itsy bitsy bit. So if we can have something better than we have now, maybe even better than just friendship, that'd be great. If that doesn't happen but we still have a closer friendship than we have now, that's just as great. But I'd really like for us to be closer than we are now. After finding out what you can really be like when you put your barriers aside… what we have now just isn't going to do anymore. Not for me. And I know that's kinda selfish that I want to put away some of those barriers already when you're only learning about all this now, but I really think that we can be better friends if nothing else."

Raven listened to this. She knew he was serious. There was no question of that. She also knew that he truly believed that they could be closer friends… and perhaps a little more than that if it turned out that they could actually be any closer at all. And despite the fact that this had come completely out of left field and the concept of her and Beast Boy actually getting along on a more regular basis was barely able to fit into her head, Raven had to grudgingly admit that Beast Boy was right about one thing. It was possible. She herself had been the one to open the door, with her random act of atypical sympathy and kindness to him last year.

Reluctantly, she nodded. "Okay." she said simply. Knowing that she had given an acknowledgement of what he had been saying, not an answer to his earlier question, he decided to ask again, just to see what page they were both on.

"Soooo… do you want to go see the play with me?" he asked. At first he didn't think she'd do it. She paused for at least ten seconds before she answered him and her frown increased even more as she gave the question serious thought. Then, at the count of ten in his mind, Raven's expression suddenly relaxed and she closed her eyes and said…

"I'll go."

Then she used her telekinesis to lift the final bit of his last candy from his hand and popped it into his grinning mouth before he could say anything more, and lifted her own melted piece to her own mouth to finish it off.

He had made his case, asked his question, and she had answered. She had enough pride to know that she did not have to say anything more to him for the rest of the night, and for the next hour and a half until February 15th finally came around at last, the two of them retained an awkward but friendly (though somewhat grudging) silence.

Well folks, that's it until next year. You'll know how Beast Boy and Raven's attempt at improving their relationship will have turned out during the year between this chapter and the next. And Robin and Starfire will have a longer, more interesting chapter as well, I promise. Oh, and that book that Beast Boy gave to Raven? Purely made up by my imagination. So don't go trying to look for it at your local bookstore. If you do and you find it, let me know and we'll be surprised together! Until next Valentine's Day, this is Teen Tyrant, signing off. Enjoy your last candy!