After an intense make out session during Kid Flash's birthday, they ended the night with promising to go on a date the following Friday.
They told each other to keep it hush hush, in order to avoid teasing or any interruptions from their friends.
This was Raven's idea.
She did not want anyone making it a bigger deal than it really was, and she was trying to convince herself that it wasn't, but it was.
She was going on a date with Gar, Garfield, Beast Boy.
It wasn't the casual flirting he often threw at her, it was no longing looks across the room, it was a full-blown date. Her strategy was to just not think about it until it was the day of. They agreed to each make up their own excuse.
Garfield would tell them that he had a date. Which obviously wasn't a lie. But, if they asked for details, which after a while they stopped since most of his dates never turned out to be serious, he would have to lie but he was hoping it would not resort to that. He was a terrible liar.
Raven on the other hand, would just tell them that she was meditating and wished to not be disturbed. She had it simple.
The details were not drawn out the day they decided on the date.
"Why do I have to decide what we are doing? What if I choose something you hate or something?".
It was late one night, and he sneaked a note underneath her door to meet her in his room to talk. She was nervous at first because she was not sure what exactly he wanted to talk about.
What if he wants to call off the date…
Good. We will not have to stress out about it anymore.
What if he wants to do something physical again? Last time it was a heat of the moment thing…what if he expects that on demand now that were dating?
…Are we technically even dating if we have not even gone on our first date?
Her concerns got worse when she saw Gar in his sleeping attire, aka nothing but his underwear. He had a faster than normal metabolism which naturally made him hotter…
More than he already is…
Enough.
Which led him to sleep in only his boxers.
He probably noticed her discomfort when she gave him the up down and blushed and looked away from him when she entered, so he settled with putting on a white tank.
"Oh c'mon Rae, don't be such a prude. You have seen me naked countless occasions with shifting accidents, you shouldn't feel shy seeing me shirtless".
Sensing that he was dressed she turned to him and said in her usual monotone but with a hint of playfulness, "Yeah but that is on accident and everyone is there, it is only me here, it's just different. Before you ask, it just is".
"You know I am just teasing ya…but if you ever want to see me shirtless or with anything less just let me know and I will be happy to oblige. Also, I want the record to note that I am a grower not a shower", he gave her a wink.
She could not but help but give an eyeroll and plopped herself on his bottom bunk, "Why am I even here again?".
"Oh yeah! Right…Well aside from obviously trying to cop a feel, I wanted to ask you what you wanted to do during our upcoming date?".
"Is it not traditional for the man to choose the first date?", she replied smugly.
Now it was Gar's turn to give back an eyeroll. "Well, we are not exactly the traditional couple, now are we? I don't want to choose something that will make me dead on arrival, so give me some of your ideas".
Raven gave him a sarcastic shock face, "Couple? So we are a couple now?".
That earned him a blush, he began fidgeting, "Oh…um…I mean…if you think we are then we could be?...I am pretty sure we are at least dating right?...but we haven't gone to our first date…we are currently pre-dating?".
She lifted her hand to end his spiraling down confusion. "Let us go on our first date at least before we put any labels to whatever we are".
Gar gave a sigh of relief, "Sounds good, so any thoughts in that pretty mind of yours?".
She was worried that he would choose somewhere that she would have a dreadful time, but she was willing to go through whatever he proposed. She just hoped he would keep her in mind. "Why don't you figure something out but cross reference with places or activities I hate".
"You got to give me some leverage here Rae, I don't think it would be appropriate to have our first date in your room. What would the paper say?".
She gave a small smile. "Quit it. I am serious. Pick somewhere that we would both enjoy. You do not have to cater to something I only like. For example, you know I am not vegan, but it is not like I am Cyborg where I need meat in every bite. Be creative, you said you have had an interest in me for quite some time, right?", she asked teasingly.
Garfield gave her a small chuckle and sighed looking towards the ceiling, "You have no idea".
Even though she wore only a small smile, Raven was beaming inside.
"Then use your creativity. Just don't do anything dramatic or over the top. Simple is good". She got up and walked the few feet away that he was at. "I trust your judgement, or at least I will try. Don't overthink it. Goodnight, Robin has us training early tomorrow, you still have two more days to think".
He sighed in defeat. She did not give him much room to work with. "Okay, but if I just so happen to choose the worst possible first date for us, I want a do-over, you hear me?".
She gave him a small chuckle, "Have faith in yourself, you have gotten so far. But do give me a heads up for what I should wear. I don't want to be over or underdressing for wherever we are going, we stick out enough as it is".
He gave her a light chuckle back, "Hey speak for yourself. Do you think we should wear our holorings just in case?".
"Yeah, I think that is a good idea…huh never thought I would ever say that towards you", she snickered.
"Yeah well, it was one of the mere genius ideas I have had as of late. Technically speaking, me asking you out counts…and that is the most smartest thing anyone could have ever thought up of".
She laughed at his likely non-ironic poor use of grammar. Well, it was good while it lasted.
He gave her a small peck on the cheek. "Goodnight Rae, sweet dreams and hope you see me in them, see you tomorrow".
She summoned a portal to her room and gave him a small wave.
When she reached to her room, she touched the place where he gave her the departing kiss.
She felt the warmth radiating from her cheek and knew she was smiling as wide on the outside as she was on the inside.
It was the day of their much-anticipated date and they were still recovering from their encounter last night with Control Freak. He was no threat, actually, he was Beast Boy's favorites to go against because they would sometime banter back and forth in-between fighting regarding the latest sci-fi craze or whatever geek trend of the month.
However, it was late at night, 3 am, where they got the call that he broke into the studio set of the upcoming horror movie, Wicked Scary VII: The Prequel. Allegedly, the reason why he broke in at the unholy hour, was well, because it was regarded as the unholy hour so what would be the best time to break in to steal some production artifacts of the scariest and most cursed franchise?
The battle did not take too long because Raven decided to show him what unholy really meant.
Safe to say, he left more terrified than he had ever been, and had the souvenir of a recurring nightmares from the experience for nights to come.
When Raven woke up the following morning, she noticed a small, folded note that read:
You really scared the hell out of him. Get it?...Anyways, for our evening later, wear something comfortable and casual. We are not going to go running or anything, but something you don't mind walking a bit in. We can have dinner first, nothing fancy but it does not have a dollar menu I can assure you…because I already checked. Looking forward to it, pick you up at 6.
With affection,
Gar
Raven found herself laughing at his jokes sprinkled throughout the letter.
Pick me up? We live together and I am going to teleport us there.
She did find him funny, as long as his jokes weren't cheesy. She would never tell him that though, it was more fun not giving him the satisfaction. Plus, she liked the extra effort he would put to entertain her.
Now…what to wear?
No one expected a thing when Raven announced her recluse back to her room. Garfield made sure to tell Robin he was stepping out. He asked the least number of questions regarding his dates, Cyborg would tease him and Starfire would ask 101 questions each and every time. Even though Robin was a control freak, he respected his private life. For all he knew, maybe he did background checks without him knowing. He really hoped he didn't, at least not for this time.
They ended up choosing going to a Thai place for dinner. The place had family style portions, so they ordered food that would meet Garfield's dietary restrictions, as long as they didn't have tofu.
"Really Rae, order whatever you want. It doesn't have to be vegetarian, just choose something you like, we don't have to share".
She gave him a small assuring smile, "I planned to eat something that would not offend you today before we even left the tower. Besides, everything sounds good regardless of protein choice. Are you okay with Pad Thai?".
He appreciated her sentiment and noticed her free hand on the table and gently held it and rubbed his thumb over it while still looking at his menu. The small touch startled Raven for a split second, but quickly accepted and enjoyed the small act of affection.
"Yeah, I have had it here it is one of their best. Do you like curry? Do you have a spicy threshold or do like a specific color?".
"I can handle some spice, but not too much. I am not too picky, I chose a dish already, so you choose the other".
He grinned and the waiter soon came over to take their orders.
The holorings gave them an appearance of what Cyborg would expect them to look like if they were not metahumans. Garfield had dirty blonde hair with a surfer's tan with green eyes. He was born with blue eyes, but he liked to keep one part of his real identity true. He wore brown Sperry's with high light wash jeans and long-sleeved white collared shirt that had the first few buttons unbuttoned.
Raven was pale with blue-black hair. She had deep dark blue eyes to still give her signature mysterious edge. She wore some makeup that highlighted her small but full lips and a subtly but shimmering lilac eyeshadow. She wore a laced black butterfly sleeved shirt with ripped dark jean shorts with black slip on shoes.
In the waiter's eyes, all he saw was a typical Southern Californian guy out on a date with his goth girlfriend. He did not see that every day, but it was much more less of a shock compared if he saw the two Titan's out on a date.
Garfield told him they would have one Pad Thai with extra peanuts on the side along with curry.
"What type of curry sir?".
Gar got the menus and handed them over to the waiter and looked at Raven's hologrammed appearance with a wink, "Medium spicy and green please".
Dinner went well. They have been alone before of course, however the stakes were much different now.
Raven was a bit tense in the beginning of the night, worried if the date turned out bad, it would ruin their friendship entirely. He caught on and told her that there was no pressure, and that even if they were dating and if it were to end, they were friends first. That eased her worries and the rest of the dinner felt like she was just getting dinner with a friend.
A friend that held her hand and played with it until the food arrived.
A friend that gave her these looks that made her forget what she was about to say.
A friend that leaned over the table to wipe up a smear she created of the dark lipstick she had on with his thumb, where she felt like she was about to accidentally summon a portal beneath her seat.
This was a date, and it was going good.
They had a small dispute over paying the check. Naturally, Raven insisted that they would go halves, but he got up and left the table and paid before the check even arrived.
"Don't worry Rae, you can get the check next time".
She raised a brow, "Second date? How are you so sure?".
Garfield expected that from her, but he did still feel a bit clammy after that response, but he did not let it show. "Well, I can say I am pretty sure, given how hot and bothered you got when I simply helped you with your makeup".
She gave him a death glare, but there was no use to deny her reaction. But she could try. "I was not hot and bothered, I was just taken aback. I had to hold back my desire to slap your hand away".
"Mhhmmm sure Rae. You know you're not the only one with extra senses you know?".
She had enough of him cornering her, making her try to admit to her reaction. "I guess you really don't want that second date huh?", she jokingly threatened.
He laughed nervously, "Okay I had my fun, we can go now. We still have one more stop to go to and it is a bit of a walk from here, hope you don't mind".
She was curious what he had planned for the date. Hopeful that he took her advice in not choosing a place that would guarantee her an uncomfortable time, but she was delightfully surprised with the results. It was a 2-mile walk, but it breezed right by given they were toned and conditioned for extreme battle conditions.
"Okay, we are here!".
She looked and saw that they were in front of the city's botanical garden, that was closed.
"You are aware that it is night, right? And that this place is closed, right?".
"Yup! Which makes it perfect for us. No crowds, so c'mon, let's go".
"Are you saying we are going to trespass? You know we enforce rules, not break it, right?".
"Please Raven, stop being such a narc. You are aware we can still use our powers with these rings, right? You can teleport us inside and there are no cameras here, it is a garden for crying out loud! Nothing to steal. They just have a gate and have to be closed in order to prevent graffiti or littering after hours".
"And how are you so sure there are no cameras here?".
Garfield was shifting back and forth on the ball of his heels, "I may have scoped the place out last night before we got back from Control Freak. You in or what Rae?".
She was in a mental conundrum. The idea of a garden walk under the moonlight seemed nice, dare she say, romantic. But the trespassing was a concern. She took a deep breath and held his hand, "Okay, but this is the first and last time I am breaking the law for you".
He gripped her hand in response, "Cool, I ain't making any promises though", and they entered inside.
She teleported them at the center of the garden and looked around to find all types of flowers, plants and trees around. It was breathtaking.
She then noticed he didn't let go of her hand once the portal was closed, and she didn't appear to mind. They walked around for a little over a half hour, pointing out little features here and there. They found a small bench so they could sit and admire the man-made waterfall cascading in front of them.
"So, did you have a fun time tonight?", he asked.
She looked at him and felt her hand was now let go once they sat and found to be missing his. "I am quite pleased. It was simple, yet enjoyable. Thank you for planning this", she smiled.
"Even with the little B & E we did to get inside?", he smirked.
"Don't ruin the moment…so why did you choose here?".
He responded with signaling around their surroundings, "Because look at how nice this place is! I would've loved to come in the morning or just earlier in general, but I didn't want to risk too much of a crowd and we already set our date for at night. Besides, the privacy allowed us to appreciate it a bit more, don't you think?".
She nodded to agree, but replied, "I can manage a crowd, it is just I do not prefer them so I…".
He cut her off, "…And I wanted to have both of us have a good night".
She once again nodded in response and looked towards the surrounding garden. The whole place was really beautiful, she could only imagine how much nicer it was when it was during the day.
"Sooo, what is your favorite flower?", he asked breaking the silence.
She gave a small chuckle, "Depends what for.
He gave her a confused look, "Huh?".
She smiled and rotated her body to face him better. "If you were looking for a straightforward answer, the answer would be lavender. It is one of my favorite scents and has a lot of healing properties. I think one of the nicest looking flowers however are orchids. They are long lasting, unique looking, and just overall lovely to look at".
"So, if I were ever to buy you flowers…theoretically of course…orchids would be the way to go?".
"Okay so don't laugh, promise?". After his nod and solemn swear, she finished with, "I do think red roses are a timeless gesture. They smell so delicate and technically do have some healing properties...I don't know. Something about them always piqued my interest, but orchids are a unique and beautiful flower to gift as well… Again, all theoretically of course. No one has ever gotten me flowers before so I wouldn't know…". She didn't mean to say that last part, because she knew now that he would make sure to get her flowers, hell he might even try to collect some right here and now…before he could make a move, she asked, "Do you have a favorite flower?
He took a deep breath and looked to be concentrating in thought. "I do think flowers are nice. Like you, I have never received them which is fine with me because I am picky when it comes to my scents. I will give you a detailed answer like you gave me though. I think when it comes to aesthetics, Casablanca lilies are my favorite because they were my mother's favorite".
He paused for a second and took a deeper breath. She analyzed all of his features to see if he was okay since he never brought up his parents or his life before the Titans often. The most he would ever discuss was his time in the Doom Patrol, and even those stories were sparse. She did not want to drag any painful memories, so she did not question him further, but instead searched for his hand and gave a small reassuring squeeze in response.
Once he was back in his headspace, he intertwined their fingers and put them on her lap and he looked into her artificial dark blue eyes, "To finish, my other favorites are lavender, because that is how you primarily smell like".
Now her breathing was affected. He did not drop his gaze and he was closing the gap between them and she encouraged it.
They teleported back home and he gave her a departing kiss goodnight before she went into her room. Raven had so many thoughts and emotions running through her head, but somehow was able to peacefully sleep. She went to sleep with a smile on her face, something she hadn't have done in a very long time.
She slept for longer than she normally did, and she only woke up due to a tapping to her door. She got up to answer and looked down to see a vase full of two dozen deep red roses bunched together with branches of white orchids interwoven in between. She looked around and found no one, but she knew who it was from without having to read the green card that was attached. She brought them inside before anyone else could notice and once again was reading another small note from the residential changeling.
Hope you had a good time like I did last night. We both knew you were going to get flowers today, right? Hope they don't disappoint.
XO, Gar
He was right. She did know that he would eventually buy her flowers, given the trap she walked right into last night. She did not expect to see such beautiful flowers and could not help but feel tingly knowing that they were chosen for her.
Garfield made sure to wake up early to go to the florist to choose Raven's flowers. He knew a place where you could make your own bouquet and where they would just add the extras for you at check out.
Even the front desk receptionist was surprised, "From the time I have been here, no one has put both orchids and roses in a bouquet, but I may say they look beautiful".
As he was reaching for his wallet, he smiled, "The bouquet has to match the girl you know?".
When he got back, he was surprised to hear Raven was not awake yet. Normally she would have been in the living room reading a book or something after her tea, but Robin said she was still sleeping. He knocked and as soon as he heard her footsteps coming towards the door, he turned into a fly to see her reaction but not let her see him. When she went inside, he went to his room and was about to go do his laundry when he heard a knock on the door and saw a small lavender scented note slid underneath. It read with a calligraphy like print:
So, when is our next date?