Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans. Sorry.
* * *
Beast Boy barely looked up as Robin entered the room.
"Well?" he asked pathetically.
"Beast Boy, I –"
"Forget it. I heard you yelling."
"I'm sorry, B.B."
"Shot down, eh?" Beast Boy had a kind of sad smile on his face. "I'm ruined. How can I go on like this?"
"I'm telling you, you've got to put it behind you."
"Robin," said Beast Boy, "you're a heck of a crime-fighter."
Robin smiled.
"But you don't know beans about love."
"You call this love? Then God forbid I should ever love anyone."
"Get serious for a second!"
Robin broke into his best Shakespearean accent.
"You've quelled the passionate fire in my breast! I shall never love again," he declared.
Beast Boy was laughing despite himself.
"This is just something I want. Something I've always wanted," he managed between chuckles.
Robin was back to his normal self:
"You feel pretty strongly about this."
"That's an understatement, I think," said Beast Boy.
"We'll figure this out," said Robin in what he hoped was his most reassuring voice.
Beast Boy smiled. "You're darn right we will. You're a good friend."
The Boy Wonder felt a slight pain in his stomach.
"But we need help," continued Beast Boy. "We need some way to catch her totally off-guard. I'll be back."
With that, he got up and disappeared down the hallway toward Cyborg's quarters.
* * *
"You're asking me for help? Let me grab a pencil. 'Dear Diary: today Raven asked for help . . .'"
"Would it be too much to ask for an answer?"
Cyborg paused in the middle of his repartee. He narrowed his organic eye.
"What kind of help?"
Raven took a moment to compose herself. She wasn't used to opening up to people. She shook her head. This wasn't opening up. This wasn't about emotion. This was strategy. War.
"Beast Boy wants to date me. Starfire is helping me to convince him otherwise," she said simply. "But Robin's on his side. We want you to join us."
Cyborg sat heavily on a reinforced chair.
"I dunno, Ray. B.B.'s a friend of mine."
"Let me explain: this date will not happen. I've decided that much. The problem is, he won't take no for an answer."
"He sounds committed," said Cyborg.
"You have no idea."
"So you're looking for some persuasion power?"
"Starfire's drawing up a plan. We'd like to have your confidence."
"Well, I –"
Beast Boy burst into the room.
"This way, Cy, we can't lose a minute," he said, grabbing Cyborg's arm and using all his strength in an attempt to pry him from the chair.
Cyborg stood, more to stop the changeling from hanging on him than from any compulsion to move.
"Come on, Cyborg. You need to be part of our think tank," tried Beast Boy.
"What's the rush?" asked Cyborg.
Suddenly spying Raven, Beast Boy lowered his voice.
"I can't alk-tay ow-nay," he whispered.
"He wants to date me," supplied Raven.
"Oh, thanks a lot!" Beast Boy turned to Cyborg. "I guess secrecy isn't an issue. Anyway, come on."
Cyborg slowly moved to follow him out of the room. Beast Boy was a friend of his, after all. Well, he thought, he'd play along.
Cyborg kept his eyes on Raven as he walked from the room. She was expressionless, as always, but he was not.
Raven walked back to her own room. There was nothing to do now but wait for Starfire to show up. Cyborg was not on their side, but she recognized the emotion that had crossed his face: it was reluctance.
That sealed it. They had an ally in the enemy camp.
* * *
Beast Boy barely looked up as Robin entered the room.
"Well?" he asked pathetically.
"Beast Boy, I –"
"Forget it. I heard you yelling."
"I'm sorry, B.B."
"Shot down, eh?" Beast Boy had a kind of sad smile on his face. "I'm ruined. How can I go on like this?"
"I'm telling you, you've got to put it behind you."
"Robin," said Beast Boy, "you're a heck of a crime-fighter."
Robin smiled.
"But you don't know beans about love."
"You call this love? Then God forbid I should ever love anyone."
"Get serious for a second!"
Robin broke into his best Shakespearean accent.
"You've quelled the passionate fire in my breast! I shall never love again," he declared.
Beast Boy was laughing despite himself.
"This is just something I want. Something I've always wanted," he managed between chuckles.
Robin was back to his normal self:
"You feel pretty strongly about this."
"That's an understatement, I think," said Beast Boy.
"We'll figure this out," said Robin in what he hoped was his most reassuring voice.
Beast Boy smiled. "You're darn right we will. You're a good friend."
The Boy Wonder felt a slight pain in his stomach.
"But we need help," continued Beast Boy. "We need some way to catch her totally off-guard. I'll be back."
With that, he got up and disappeared down the hallway toward Cyborg's quarters.
* * *
"You're asking me for help? Let me grab a pencil. 'Dear Diary: today Raven asked for help . . .'"
"Would it be too much to ask for an answer?"
Cyborg paused in the middle of his repartee. He narrowed his organic eye.
"What kind of help?"
Raven took a moment to compose herself. She wasn't used to opening up to people. She shook her head. This wasn't opening up. This wasn't about emotion. This was strategy. War.
"Beast Boy wants to date me. Starfire is helping me to convince him otherwise," she said simply. "But Robin's on his side. We want you to join us."
Cyborg sat heavily on a reinforced chair.
"I dunno, Ray. B.B.'s a friend of mine."
"Let me explain: this date will not happen. I've decided that much. The problem is, he won't take no for an answer."
"He sounds committed," said Cyborg.
"You have no idea."
"So you're looking for some persuasion power?"
"Starfire's drawing up a plan. We'd like to have your confidence."
"Well, I –"
Beast Boy burst into the room.
"This way, Cy, we can't lose a minute," he said, grabbing Cyborg's arm and using all his strength in an attempt to pry him from the chair.
Cyborg stood, more to stop the changeling from hanging on him than from any compulsion to move.
"Come on, Cyborg. You need to be part of our think tank," tried Beast Boy.
"What's the rush?" asked Cyborg.
Suddenly spying Raven, Beast Boy lowered his voice.
"I can't alk-tay ow-nay," he whispered.
"He wants to date me," supplied Raven.
"Oh, thanks a lot!" Beast Boy turned to Cyborg. "I guess secrecy isn't an issue. Anyway, come on."
Cyborg slowly moved to follow him out of the room. Beast Boy was a friend of his, after all. Well, he thought, he'd play along.
Cyborg kept his eyes on Raven as he walked from the room. She was expressionless, as always, but he was not.
Raven walked back to her own room. There was nothing to do now but wait for Starfire to show up. Cyborg was not on their side, but she recognized the emotion that had crossed his face: it was reluctance.
That sealed it. They had an ally in the enemy camp.