Again, I'm so grateful for the amount of reviews I've gotten, not to mention how many people are following this story. I get excited just thinking about it!


"Good morning, Raven! Ready to go on our first official date?!" Beast Boy exclaimed, looking up from his seat the kitchen table. It had been several days since Raven's late night scream, and the other Titans had all but forgotten about it. The morning after had started somewhat tense when Raven entered, but after Beast Boy attempted to tell a joke to lighten the mood and Raven lightly responded by dumping his bowl of cereal onto his head, everyone knew things were back to normal. A week had passed, and Beast Boy decided it was about time they take a step up on their relationship.

"First date?" Raven raised an eyebrow, her cup of tea flying to her hand. "Haven't we been going on dates this whole time?"

Beast Boy shook his head. "No, of course not! We've just been hanging out like friends do! It's not like we've gone to the movies or a romantic restaurant or anything!" He looked at the other Titans, who were sitting nearby at the table, to back him up. They nodded.

"He's right, Raven," Cyborg stated, spearing his eggs with a fork. "Dates usually consist of romantic places, like the movies, and not like the library. Although," he paused playfully, "according to some people, a couple isn't dating until they've had their first kiss."

"And how would you know that, Jersey Shore boy?" Raven countered without pausing a beat. She sipped her tea as an embarrassed Cyborg rubbed the back of his head, grinning sheepishly.

"Um, what?" Robin interrupted, confused as he hadn't been filled in on Cyborg's latest obsession with the show.

"Err, I uh…," Cyborg spluttered. "That is… Beast Boy! Where are you bringing Raven on your first date?!" he inquired abruptly. Raven smirked, leaning back in her chair.

"Why should I tell you Cyborg?" Beast Boy asked, lifting a green eyebrow. "So you'll come spy on us or something? Dude, I'm not that stupid. And not a word from you, Rae!" He cut her off quickly before she could comment that he 'could have fooled her'. Raven hid a smile. He was learning.

"But please friend Beast Boy!" Starfire pleaded. "Could you tell us where it is that you and Raven are going on the date? I would like very much to know." Beast Boy frowned, thinking over her request, and then shrugged. Leaning over to her, he whispered in the girl's ear. Behind them, Robin and Cyborg drew closer, trying to hear what was being said, but before they could successfully eavesdrop, Beast Boy moved back. Starfire clapped her hands together with joy. "What a wonderful idea! Robin and I should go there!" She turned to her leader. "Would you go there with me someday, please Robin?"

"Once I find out where there is," Robin replied, scratching the back of his head. "What's with all the secrecy, Beast Boy?"

"Well, for one, I don't want this nosey robot to show up while we're on the date," Beast Boy jerked his thumb at Cyborg, who huffed. "And two, I want it to be a surprise! What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn't make the date interesting?"

"A normal one, probably," Raven said. She figured that it took a dual effort to set up everything and not be bored the entire time on a date, though she'd never been on a real one. Dates never had appealed to her. At least she wasn't denying that Beast Boy was her boyfriend anymore.

"Well, then I'm not a normal boyfriend!" Beast Boy grinned.

"I'll say. You're green and hardly ever take a bath," Raven retorted, impassive. While Beast Boy tried to come up with a comeback and Cyborg was laughing his head off, Robin had to smile. Beast Boy and Raven loved playing off of each other, no matter how much the two might deny it. Robin wouldn't have expected it a week ago, but the two kind of made a good couple. Even so, the team would have to wait to see how long it lasted until they grew sick of each other. According to Starfire, there had been a close call one night while Robin was out. He didn't know the details, but he assumed it had something to do with Raven's powers especially. Everything seemed fine now though.

"Alright Rae," Beast Boy grinned, "but you're coming on this date with me, and I know you're going to love it." Raven looked doubtful, but, smiling, Beast Boy assured, "Trust me on this. You'll have a great time! Meet me back here at six tonight." Raven was still cynical. "Please, Rae? I'll even give you a hint to where we're going!" Beast Boy suddenly grabbed her hand and widened his eyes in a pleading expression. The other Titans gasped and dove behind the couch, preparing for a sudden explosion of magic from Raven, but she just rolled her eyes.

"Fine," she sighed, allowing Beast Boy to pull her through the main doors. The remainder of the team glanced at each other with surprised faces.

"Well, that's new," Cyborg stated.


Sitting on her bed with arms crossed, Raven stared at her window with a hard look of concentration. Actually, it wasn't the window she was focusing on; it was the vase set on the table in front of it. Beast Boy's hint consisted of a single red rose. She recalled the big grin he'd had on his face when he'd handed it to her. Raven didn't know whether he was just trying to be cute or had really provided her with a clue to their upcoming date. Whatever the reason, the events of the approaching night had given her the entire day off, most of which she used to meditate and read. It had been a nice break from their constant hanging out together. She glanced at the time and saw five minutes to six o'clock. Beast Boy had told her not to dress up; they weren't going anywhere fancy. Raven doubted that was because he couldn't afford any place extravagant. She immediately scolded herself. Beast Boy had bought a lot of things for her during the past week, despite her refusal for him to continue doing so after the third day. She wasn't helpless; she could buy herself food if she was hungry. Yet Beast Boy ignored her wishes, though he did back off a little if she wanted anything big.

Sighing, she stared again at the rose. It was a strange contrast to the other colors in the room, which consisted for the most part of black, purple, and blue. The scarlet flower was dark enough that it didn't stick out, but was bright enough in color to be noticed. She let her gaze drift out the window. The sun was hovering over the horizon, threatening to set. What did Beast Boy plan for them to do when it was almost dark outside?

Almost as if in response to her thoughts, a knock came at the door. Know it could only be him, Raven levitated off of her bed and floated over. Praying that Beast Boy wasn't wearing some weird clown outfit, meaning they were going to the circus or he was going to try to make her laugh again, she opened the door. Thankfully, Beast Boy was not wearing a comedic guise; in fact, he looked very much the same. He had on his standard Doom Patrol outfit, a familiar grin plastered to his face, and his green hair sticking up haphazardly as usual. The one difference was that he was hiding something behind his back.

"Do I dare ask?" Raven uttered.

"Nope!" Beast Boy smiled, his canine tooth glinting. "And even if you did, I wouldn't tell you! It's a surprise!"

"Of course it is." Raven paused, glancing down the hallway. "Weren't we supposed to meet in the main room?"

Beast Boy shrugged. "Yeah, but I didn't want those snoopers in there to trail us, and I figured you wouldn't either." Raven nodded. "So, in order for us to sneak out, want to teleport us into Jump City?"

"But wouldn't that ruin the surprise?" Raven asked, smirking somewhat. Beast Boy shrugged once more and Raven rolled her eyes. "Alright, where to?"

"The Video Dome!" Beast Boy answered at once, naming the well-known video rental store located at the center of town.

"This is already starting out to be such a great date," Raven groaned, waving her hand. A sheet of black washed over her and Beast Boy, and they were teleported into Jump City. She and Beast Boy appeared in an alleyway beside the game store, and, after walking out of the shadows, Raven faced her date, crossing her arms. "So, what's behind your back?" Beast Boy grinned.

"Surprise!" he cried, not removing his hands from behind him and instead just beaming widely. "This isn't where our date is taking place!"

"Oh, thank goodness," Raven breathed with a quick look at the store next to them. The red and green neon light announcing VIDEO DOME flashed continually over and over from above. Beast Boy was always coming back from the store with some movie he wanted the rest of the team to watch with him. At first they'd humored him, but in the end they all created routine excuses why they could not to go to his movie night. The main reason was that Beast Boy's choices for films were very similar, all consisting of either horror or comedy shows that weren't funny, which was perhaps a hint to where Beast Boy got his taste in humor.

"Yep! Tricked you, huh?" Beast Boy seemed proud before what Raven had said actually sunk in. "Hey, wait! What's wrong with the video store?"

"Nothing." Raven rolled her eyes, changing the subject. "Where is our date then if it's not here?"

"A few blocks away," Beast Boy admitted. "Come on, it's this way." Raven fell into step beside him, thinking that she could just teleport them there faster and get the date over with. She wasn't opposed to spending time with Beast Boy anymore; she just didn't want to have to do it for long periods. As they walked down the sidewalk together, she couldn't help but notice that he was careful to keep whatever was in his hands hidden. She didn't understand what it was about him and surprises, but it was slightly intriguing: slightly. Beast Boy stopped and Raven looked around. Were they there?

"Ready for another surprise?" Beast Boy questioned.

"I don't know if I could handle any more," Raven sighed, "but we might as well find out."

"Keep walking," Beast Boy instructed, pointing in the direction he wanted her to go, "and I'll be right back."

"Beast Boy, if I keep going, then I'll…" Beast Boy was already gone. "End up in the park," Raven finished. She dropped her shoulders and followed Beast Boy's instructions, seeing no other choice if she wanted to find out what his surprise was. She had to confess, she was getting curious to what Beast Boy had prepared, especially since he was taking such precautions to make sure she didn't find out ahead of time. Then again, Beast Boy was always energetic. He was forever running around, so maybe he wasn't acting much different. Raven stopped at the entrance to the park and scanned her surroundings. No sign of Beast Boy. She doubted that he'd forgotten about her; she'd only been walking for a minute, but Beast Boy was a teenage boy and did have the attention span of a goldfish. Ironic, since she'd seen him transform into one several times. With a sigh, Raven walked into the park.

The sun was now cut in half by the horizon, and the sky looked like an artist had spilled their paint cans all over it. Long shadows had begun to stretch across the grass and the temperature was dropping, though it was hard to tell much difference in the middle of summer. There were a few people still around, most beginning to pack up their things and call their kids or dogs back to them so they could head home. Raven passed by them all, searching for a certain green human. She followed the main path deeper and deeper into the park. Soon she was nearing the center, and her patience had grown thin. "I swear, when I find him I'm going to shove him into a tree and…" She died off as she reached the middle of the park. Under a large tree was a small picnic basket placed on top of a blue blanket. There were small plastic plates beside the basket, along with forks and cups. Standing above it all was Beast Boy, a wide grin on his face.

"Ta-da!" he exclaimed, throwing his hands out to the side. "Surprised, Raven?"

Raven stood emotionless for a moment, surveying the scene before her with silence. Suddenly she turned on Beast Boy. "Surprised?" she repeated, walking slowly toward him. "You have me walk all the way through the empty park at six at night to have a picnic and expect me to be surprised?!" She stood nose-to-nose with him now, and Beast Boy could feel sweat dripping down his collarbone. Raven softened, almost smiling. "Because I am." Beast Boy gave a nervous laugh as she shifted back. "The basket is what you were hiding?" He nodded. Raven lowered herself to the ground, crossing her legs. "What did you bring?" she asked, inspecting it.

Relieved that she wasn't going to kill him, Beast Boy knelt down beside her. "Well, I figured that you wouldn't want tofu, which is what I brought for myself. But for the lady," he said, reaching in the basket, "I have provided delicious… ham and cheese sandwiches, accompanied by ice cold water!"

"Huh," Raven said, taking her food. "I would have expected something fancier on a first date."

Beast Boy rubbed the back of his head, blushing. "Well, I would have made something else up, but I can't cook very well. I figured you would want edible food instead of charcoal." He recalled the times he'd tried cooking in the past and how they'd all ended in explosions or dust. Still, he preferred it over Starfire's alien glop when faced with the choice. "The only thing I know how to make is tofu stuff."

Raven swallowed a bite of her sandwich. "If it makes you feel any better, these sandwiches taste fine," she assured.

"But the best part is dessert." Beast Boy reached into the basket again and withdrew a box of cupcakes. "They're sugary and messy; that's the best kind of food! Not to mention they have frosting!"

"I thought you couldn't cook," Raven reminded.

"Oh, I can't. I bought these at the store," Beast Boy grinned.

"Then they sound delicious."

The two finished their dinners quickly and moved onto dessert soon after, chatting throughout their meal. By then the sun had set all the way behind the horizon and a sheet of stars lit up the night. The park was large enough that the city lights did little to hide the twinkling sky from view. Raven found herself observing a patch of roses nearby. She of course now understood Beast Boy's hint, but now another thought had occurred to her. She bit into a cupcake.

"Beast Boy," she began, and he turned to her, "I was thinking about your hint. Were you going to give the rose to me whether or not I wanted to know where we were going?"

He laughed, running a hand through his hair. "Well, I kinda figured you would want to know no matter what, so I just came prepared."

"That's true." Raven looked at him. "But would you have given me the rose?"

Beast Boy opened his mouth to reply when something else caught his notice. A streak of light darted across the sky. "Dude, a shooting star!" He jumped to his feet and ran out from under the tree to get a better look. Raven had to roll her eyes. He had worse than the attention span of a goldfish sometimes.

"What, you've never seen a shooting star before?" she asked, walking over to him.

"Of course I have!" Beast Boy replied. "Just… not for a long time!" Raven grunted, close to a laugh. Beast Boy looked at her wide-eyed, unable to believe that she'd almost laughed at something he'd said. Raven lifted an eyebrow.

"What?"

Beast Boy hastily moved his attention back to the sky, smiling to himself. "Nothing, nothing." He sat down on the grass, placing an arm on his knee. Raven joined him, leaning her own arms against her knees. "Aren't you supposed to make a wish after you see a shooting star?" Beast Boy asked her.

"If you want," Raven replied.

Beast Boy pondered what to wish for. World peace? Naw, it was too mainstream. More video games were always a good wish, but he could buy those with money. He figured that the wish should be for something that he couldn't buy, or at least something that was mind-blowing expensive. No, this had to be something very improbable that he could ever get. Glancing at Raven, an idea struck him. Closing his eyes, he thought 'I wish that Raven will laugh at one of my jokes someday. And not kill me afterwards,' he silently added. That was something he thought for sure would never happen without a little help from a shooting star.

"What did you wish for?" Raven's voice interrupted his thoughts.

He opened his eyes, grinning. "I can't tell you. It won't come true if I do!"

"Uh huh," Raven said, leaning back and watching him doubtfully. "Don't necessarily expect it to come true either way."

Beast Boy dismissed her advice with a shrug of his shoulders and looked back up at the star-scattered sky. After a minute of thought, he pointed at a bright cluster of stars. "Hey, aren't there supposed to be like animals in the stars or something? Constipations or something?"

Raven bowed her head, swallowing hard, and tried desperately not to crack up with laughter. Beast Boy was at his funniest when he wasn't trying to be. "Constellations, I think you mean," she said, recovering.

Beast Boy caught her expression and furrowed his eyebrows. "What was wrong with the thing I said?"

"N-nothing," Raven guaranteed, again smothering her hilarity. "Nothing at all." Just don't go repeating it to other people, she thought. Beast Boy, certain that she was hiding something from him, frowned and looked back at the sky. Raven also returned her gaze to the stars, but after a moment glanced at Beast Boy. "Do you know at least where the North Star is?" she asked. His sheepish expression spoke for itself, and, sighing, Raven pointed up. "Find the Big Dipper first," she directed. "You do know where the Big Dipper is, right?"

"Of course! It's right over… Um…" Beast Boy waved his finger in big loops across the sky. Raven rolled her eyes.

"There," she assisted.

"Right!"

"Okay, now going from the bottom of the Big Dipper-."

"Wait, like the bottom bottom," Beast Boy interrupted, "or the side bottom?"

Raven looked at him like he was crazy. "What?"

"Well, it's kind of tilted on its side, so do you mean the bottom of it like it was a normal spoon or the bottom from where we see it? The bottom for us?" He was clearly confused, as Raven was also, but because of what he was saying instead of the star positions.

"Uh… T-the first one," she stammered. Shaking her head, she focused back on the North Star. "Now going in a straight line off of the bottom—the 'bottom bottom'— a little further in this direction, you'll see the North Star. It's a little brighter than the rest."

Beast Boy looked at it for a moment. "That's it? Dude, that's so lame! All that work to find a lousy star? My head hurts!"

"Mine too," Raven agreed, heaving a sigh and rubbing her temples. "Ready to go back to the tower?" Beast Boy nodded, and helping Raven to her feet, they headed over to the picnic basket and packed up their things. As she folded the blanket, Raven spoke. "This was… enjoyable. Not nearly as bad as I expected a date to be."

Beast Boy tilted his head. "So… you liked it?"

"As my only date I've ever had, yes, it makes number one on my list," Raven answered, suppressing a smirk. Beast Boy, despite the disclaimer to her words, grinned. As far as he was concerned, they'd had a breakthrough tonight. Raven's almost laughter was a first, and in his mind he made it a personal goal to get her to laugh freely before they finished dating. And with the help of the shooting star, he might be able to obtain his objective. With these thoughts, Beast Boy faced Raven, throwing the picnic basket over his shoulder as he faced her, and was surprised to find her grasping an unconcealed rose in her hand. Raven caught him looking at her, and, with impassive violet eyes, held the scarlet flower out to him.

"What's this for?" he asked, examining it.

Raven folded his fingers over the stem. "Think of it as a thank you," she smirked, stepping back. "And a reminder that you never answered my question." Beast Boy opened his mouth, but, waving her hand, she cut him off. "No, it's fine. I don't really need to know." A blanket of black swept over the two Titans, Beast Boy smiling as Raven teleported them back to the tower.

The instant Beast Boy and Raven appeared in the main room in the tower, Cyborg was all over them. "Where have you two been?" he cried, jumping up from the couch where he and Robin were watching 'manly' football. Robin had been updated on the whole 'Jersey Shore' incident, and was trying to help Cyborg kick the habit by watching sports. Robin had also made the comment that they make sure Starfire didn't watch the show anymore either. There were enough things he had to worry about her picking up in the real world without help from television. "We were wondering if you two had forgotten about your own date!" Cyborg exclaimed. "Why didn't you meet up in here like you said you were going to?! It's ten thirty!"

Raven looked at him emotionlessly. "Why would that be important to you, Cyborg?"

"We-well," Cyborg faltered, "I want to know where my friends are at! What happens if you went missing or are attacked, hm?" he asked, sitting back up on the top of the couch, certain he had recovered well.

Having been careful to hide Raven's flower from sight the instant they'd entered the tower, Beast Boy called from where he was putting leftovers in the fridge. "Dude, Starfire knew where we were and we have our communicators with us. I don't think you'd have any trouble finding us."

"Speaking of which," Robin interrupted, muting the T.V., "where did you go? Starfire wouldn't tell." Raven glanced at Beast Boy, who shrugged and nodded. It didn't matter to keep it a secret anymore.

"The park," Raven answered emotionlessly, "on a picnic."

"That," Beast Boy added, sliding over beside her, "I prepared."

"Really," Cyborg said, disbelieving. He knew first-hand how bad Beast Boy was at cooking. He leaned over to Raven. "Did he feed you charcoal or tofu? Either way, was it like eating dirt?" he whispered.

"Dude, I am right here," Beast Boy reminded.

Raven gave Cyborg a cool look. "I had a pleasant meal." Beast Boy acted triumphant while Cyborg was surprised. He hadn't expected Raven to defend Beast Boy, but then, as Cyborg always assumed, maybe something juicy had come up.

"So," Cyborg started, placing his hand in his chin and swinging his feet back and forth like a gossiping girl chatting with her peers, "do anything interesting?"

"I learned about stars!" Beast Boy exclaimed.

"Star," Raven corrected. "A star. Singular."

"Anything else?" Cyborg provoked.

"Uh," Beast Boy shrugged, "we had cupcakes."

"Ooo, cupcakes?! Where?!" Cyborg cried, instantly alert and forgetting all about his gossip session. Beast Boy pointed to the fridge and Cyborg dashed over, finishing off what cupcakes were left. While Cyborg was shoving food into his mouth, Robin tapped Raven on the shoulder.

"Before I forget, you two had a call while you were out," he said.

Beast Boy and Raven exchanged glances, confused. "Who from?" Beast Boy asked.

"Remember a while ago when I was talking about interviews?" Robin questioned. The two teens nodded. "The people from your competition called and they're talking to people ahead of time since some of the parts of your show are going to be live. They want information soon, so tomorrow afternoon you'll be going over to their studio for an interview as a couple." Robin pointed to the counter. "I wrote down the address on a piece of paper over there."

Raven and Beast Boy again glanced at each other. They'd only just gone on their official first date, and were expected to have an interview about their relationship the next day? Raven sighed. "This whole dating thing just keeps getting better and better."


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