Hundred Dollar Kiss
The sun was just rising over the horizon when Raven had exited her bedroom. For too long she had waisted most of her mornings sleeping in due to being sick. It had been late last night—or technically earlier that morning—when her fever had finally broken. Her indigo cloak hid her body from sight and provided comfort as she was back in uniform. Raven turned the corner and came to an abrupt halt in the hallway and raised her eyebrows at the sight in front of her.
The line leading to the bathroom was longer than she had expected as well as the faces sleepily staring back at her. Speedy, Pantha, Jericho, and Herald waited for their turn holding toiletries and tooth brushes as they waited for whoever to emerge out of the shower. Unfortunately, none of the guest rooms were given personal bathrooms. Cyborg had decided against it as it would already be too much too upkeep
She shook her head even more thankful Cyborg added personal bathrooms. "Morning."
"Good Morning." Jericho signed with his hands his own greeting and smiled at her.
Speedy leaned heavily on the wall obviously starting his morning off wrong, "How long does it take to shower?"
"Be patient." Pantha said and nodded at Raven.
Herald looked the empath up and down, "Better get some breakfast before the kitchen's too crowded."
"Right." Raven left the four titans standing in line and hurried to the Ops room.
There were only two bathrooms that Cyborg had upgraded and the bathroom on the opposite wing of the tower had to have been more crowded. The smell of bacon teased her nose as she drew clearer and the doors slid open. Cyborg was already behind the stove with a skillet in his hand and Robin was sipping on his morning coffee with a newspaper at the table. The kitchen area was already crowded but she would still be able to make hot water for her tea over the stove.
Bumblebee shuffled to the fridge and withdrew a jug of orange juice and glass from the cabinet. "So, where's your boo thang, Raven?"
The question was unexpected and the reaction was sudden which caused the tower to tremble. The dishes in cabinets, tables, and items on shelves rattled along with her powers. Raven drew her hood over her face to provide a sanctuary from the embarrassment her friend had caused her.
"Don't gotta be shy about it, Rae." Cyborg laughed and flip the egg in the skillet. "We all knew you had a thing for green bean."
Robin had opened the tower for all the titans so they could spend the night. They had been the first ones to arrive at the tower that night while the rest of them trickled in later. Some had stayed out much later than necessary and were still asleep in their beds. If her whole morning was to be filled with teasing she should find refuge in her room.
"Your crossing the line, Cyborg." Raven tried to bite back her tongue from a cutting remark.
Her silver kettle had already been set out for her, she filled it with water and turned the burner on the stove. Bumblebee smirked and Cyborg continued to laugh knowing that he was treading on thin ice. More titans trickled into the Ops room and Raven left to sit in the long booth with Robin.
"Leave her alone, Cyborg." Beast boy had been on his way to the refrigerator to rummage around for something to eat.
Jinx was seated on the U-shaped couch and turned the volume up on the TV, "Apparently, you wanted some attention with that kiss from last night."
A blonde woman wore a fake smile, "Here we have Jessica Bauer bringing you all the latest celebrity gossip."
Raven inclined her head to the large plasma screen, "We aren't even celebrities."
"Katie Wright and Russel Everett weren't the only ones in a lip lock when the clock hit midnight." The brunette woman—Jessica—laughed as she announced, "Two of our well-known superheroes, Beast boy and Raven were also caught during a brief new year's kiss."
The camera had moved back to the blonde woman and the freeze-framed picture of the said couple. "Who could have guess the polar opposites would match up for the new year?"
Raven's hand tightened on her mug, "What are they, in first grade?"
Beast boy shook his head as everyone else ignored his fuming girlfriend, "You should've known better, Rae-Rae."
It was true, she should have known the not-so-private moment would have blown up in the media. But the thought hadn't been on her mind when she was in the moment of innocently kissing her boyfriend on the lips. Their picture had even had a small section in the newspaper Robin had been reading through. She took another sip of her herbal tea and did her best to ignore the comments from her teammates and the rest of the news. The camera man who had captured their picture priced it ridiculously high to sell which only left the gateway open for Jinx to tease the empath.
"Hey." Beast boy walked up beside her as she rinsed out her mug in the sink, "I still owe you a date since the first one was a disaster."
Raven placed her mug on the rack to dry and raised an eyebrow at him, "You don't have to go out of your way to make it up to me."
"I want to." Beast boy walked with her out of the Ops room to escape the prying ears of their friends, "Cyborg even gave us the holo-rings."
The couple stopped at the end of the hallway and faced each other, "Robin said those were for emergencies only."
"I know." Beast boy held out both gold rings for her to see, "Robin said we can use them and we won't be harassed in public."
Raven nodded her head and considered his date proposal, "I'll meet you in the hall in fifteen?"
"Sure."
The couple turned the corner that led to their respective bedrooms to change out of uniform and for the weather outside. And just like promised Beast boy waited for her as he zipped up his coat. His skin was no longer green but Caucasian and his hair appeared blonde but he was the same Garfield Logan. Raven's long hair took on the appearance of black and her skin wasn't gray but instead pale.
"Should we tell the others where we'll be?" Raven asked before they headed out.
Beast boy shook his head, "Nope. They'll just get a kick out of teasing us."
"Might as well leave our communicators." Raven took out the round black and yellow device and left it on the floor in the hallway.
Beast boy followed suit and left his next to hers so they couldn't be traced. They wouldn't be needed anyways if the crime alert went off, there were plenty of titans around to fill in. Without asking, Beast boy took her hand in his and they headed into the elevator that took them to the garage. Raven hesitated on the two steps that led down into the garage, she had suspected that they would be flying.
"Don't worry, I already have keys." Beast boy held up the keyring which held the keys to the ignition and the gas tank. With a beep, all the doors to the T-car were unlocked and Beast boy opened the door for her.
Raven took her place in the passenger seat and waited until Beast boy had the key in the ignition, "Cyborg doesn't know you have the keys, does he?"
"What he doesn't know won't kill him." Beast boy adjusted the mirrors before peeling out of the garage and into the city. "Relax, Rae."
"Don't show off and watch the speed limit." Her hand was curled around the handle and on the edge of her seat to steady herself.
Raven finally relaxed in her seat when Beast boy reasonably reduced the speed limit as the bridge was still icy. "Where to?"
"You'll see." Beast boy grinned and kept one hand on the wheel. "It's kind of a surprise."
It was a good forty-five minutes later when Beast boy pulled over onto the side of the road with an empty parking meter. She had been distracted with their conversation that consisted of Beast boy asking more questions about her and from when she lived in Azarath. Raven had made sure to ask her fair share of questions in return.
"Bayview Aquarium?"
Beast boy nodded his head, he unbuckled his belt and hurried around to the other side of the car all while avoiding traffic to open her door. "I know it's not an ideal place for a date. And I know you've seen all the museums back in Jump so I thought this place would be good."
"It's great, Beast boy." Raven watched as her words calmed the changeling.
Even on New Year's Day, the aquarium was packed with guest even as early as they had arrived. The walk from the car to the aquarium was a bit far though Raven didn't mind it. After paying for admission they were greeted with crowds, laughter, a mixture of conversations with a touch of different languages though the Raven thought the best part was not being the center of attention.
"Where to first?" Raven walked close to him so she wouldn't lose him in the crowd.
Beast boy could see through much of the crowd thanks to his growth spurt, "Let's start from the top."
It was clear that he had visited the aquarium before as he knew exactly where he was going. The stairs were less crowded than the elevators and it would have taken less time anyways. A chilling breeze swept over the couple as they were back outside and one of the popular exhibits happened to be otters. Younger children crowded in front of the large glass and watched as several of the animals swam in the clean water.
"Do you think everyone will be gone by the time we get back?" Beast boy had guided her closer to the thick plexiglass.
Raven was aware of Beast boy standing too close behind her, "Of course not. If anything, they'll eat all our food." She winced as her throat became too dry from speaking.
It wasn't necessarily the first time when all of the titans—honorary and all—had wiped them out of their food supply. Cyborg had been utterly surprised while Robin had to restock the pantry and fridge and that had only been two years before.
"I think this might be a mistake." Raven's words were mumbled but Beast boy could depict what she had said, "
"It's won't be easy, I told you that." Beast boy pulled her close and relaxed his posture when her head rested against his shoulder, "Trying is part of it too."
She shook her head and stopped when a sharp pain entered her skull.
Beast boy gently squeezed her hand and ignored the fact that she was trying to slip away from him. It was clear that she was becoming uncomfortable with the situation at hand and if he didn't act soon she would hide back in her shell.
"Then why don't you think it will work?" Beast boy watched as she continued to fidget. He thought their current concerns had already been solved. "I want a legitimate reason. For my sake."
Raven stopped trying to pull her hand out of his and racked her brain for an answer. Simply saying she was afraid wouldn't be enough although it was quite true. The feeling of dread and vulnerability couldn't be justified as they were only excuses and Beast boy was searching for an explanation.
"I don't want this to end badly." Raven's eyes met his and it felt as if her heart had dropped into her stomach. She internally cringed as the words left her mouth and disappointment that radiated from the changeling had unsettled her. "What if this somehow puts the team in danger?"
"You really think a relationship will be that bad?" Beast boy released her hand and left to sit on a dry bench that was unoccupied and Raven did the same. Without letting her answer he changed tactics, "I can take you home if you want."
"I haven't meditated in days, Garfield." Raven massaged her temples and allowed her eyes to close momentarily, "I…I do know how I feel about you."
"I'm confused. So, do you want to date or not?" Beast boy had folded his arms across his chest in frustration. "You're being indecisive and I don't want to be put through this anymore."
Raven was quiet as his words continued to repeat in her mind. She had agreed several days ago that she would at least try. That was all he had asked of her and she was easily being unfair. Six days was hardly a chance for anyone to make an impression despite all the effort he had made during their vacation.
"I'm sorry." She bit her tongue and instantly wished they were in a more private setting. "I'm sorry for doubting. I said that I would try and I will."
"Do you promise?" He asked. The question caught her off guard as well as the seriousness of his tone.
Raven nodded her head once, "I promise."
"Then apology accepted."
His happy-go-lucky mood had smoldered and wasn't nearly as strong as when they had left the tower. Beast boy guided her to the other exhibits which consisted of jellyfish, sea turtles, and African penguins. He had been more interested in watching the animals themselves while Raven took her time to read the information of to the side.
"Something wrong?" Beast boy asked, she was much quieter than usual which sent up red flags. "You don't seem like yourself."
Raven shrugged her shoulders and her eyes wandered around the butterfly room. The drastic temperature change inside had caused her to remove her coat. So far, they were off to a rocky start and Raven couldn't blame him for his nervousness. It was difficult when each of her emotions pulled her in different directions.
"You don't need to worry." She smiled when a blue butterfly with black tipped wings landed on his shoulder without his knowledge.
She knew for a fact that Beast boy would continue to worry until was certain she was okay. Raven released a shallow breath and tried to separate her own emotions from the crowd.
"Let's just take it one day at a time, Rae." Beast boy draped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close as they moved on to the next exhibit.
Raven nodded her head and expelled her worries and focused on the present. Cyborg was sure to have a cow when the couple would return to the tower. And the other titans would tease the two but none of that mattered. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath before giving Beast boy her undivided attention on their date.
A/N: This fanfic is complete. I will begin revising and editing from beginning to end to make the dialogue and everything else flow better. Don't be surprised if some scenes are completely deleted and new ones are added. The ending will more likely be different. All my Author's Notes will be deleted after I finish revising. So if you see any more updates of this just know that it's because the spelling/grammar/sentence structure has been corrected.
