Surprise! I'm back! Sorry for the long wait; I've been in the world of no new ideas (translation: I've had a little bit of writer's block.) I hope this long chapter makes up for it. I actually had a chapter out for this, but I decided that some of the things in it would be too sudden, so I'm writing two more chapters before it (including this chapter, which means after the next chapter will be the one I originally wrote).
This chapter is dedicated to SweetNymph, who gave me and let me use the idea of using ice cream in this chapter.
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"Hey Beast Boy." Robin's voice came from the couch where he was reading the newspaper. It was about noon in the Titans Tower, and the team was all relaxing. Cyborg was playing video games, Starfire was cheering him one and Raven was reading a book.
Beast Boy turned around from inside the kitchen. "Yeah?" he asked, a tinge of annoyance in his voice. He was just about to make his lunch, but Robin just had to interrupt him. Making masterpieces like tofu sandwiches wasn't easy, you know!
Robin looked up from the newspaper. "Could you do us all a favor? Get us some ice cream?"
He shrugged, forgetting his annoyance. Ice cream sounded better anyway. "Okay. What do you want?" Beast Boy knew the best places for ice cream in the whole city, so it wasn't unusual that Robin would request something like this.
"Chocolate for me." Robin told him, turning back to his newspaper.
"Neapolitan." Cyborg called out, not breaking his gaze from the video game.
"I would like...a mustard dairy cream of ice?"
Everyone stared at Star. She smiled innocently, not comprehending that mustard flavored ice cream wasn't a item on the menu. They all shook their heads and sighed.
"O-okay. Chocolate for Robin, neapolitan for Cyborg and cookie dough for Star. Got it." He recited, counting on his fingers. "What about you Raven?" Beast Boy asked hopefully.
She looked up from her book. "How many choices are there?" She usually didn't get an ice cream, but it was a hot day, so she decided to humor him this time. And if she bought ice cream this time, maybe he would stop asking her every time he took orders.
He stared at her. She usually told him that she didn't want any, and he was in a sort of shock when he answered. "Ummm...a lot?"
Real smooth there BB.
Raven rolled her eyes. "What types are there, Einstein?"
"Oh! Well, there's chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, neapolitan, mint chocolate chip, cookie dough, rocky road, fudge, fudge brownie, French vanilla, coffee, rainbow sherbet, orange sherbet, peanut butter, chocolate chip, cookies and cream, almond fudge, dark chocolate, raspberry and lemon." He took a deep breath. The rest of the Titans gaped at him. How could he have memorized that much? Maybe there was a brain underneath all of those jokes.
Beast Boy noticed them staring at him. "What?" he asked them, confused.
Raven sighed. "Nothing. Can you repeat that? I'm not sure that I got all of that."
Now it was Beast Boy's turn to stare. She wanted him to what?! Repeat all of that again?! Wasn't she listening the first time?
Robin, sensing an argument coming, quickly interfered. "Why don't you go with Beast Boy to get the ice cream Raven? That way you can decide there and help him bring the ice cream back."
Raven got up, deciding to come with him. "All right, fine. Let's go Beast Boy."
He followed her outside, leaving the other Titans sighing in relief that another incident between the two had been avoided.
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Beast Boy, soaring through the streets of Jump City as an eagle, glanced at the telepath behind him. She was looking down at the streets. Why she was doing that, he had no idea, but he guessed that she was just enjoying the view.
It was a good thing that she was here. He usually had trouble getting the ice cream back after ordering. Usually he had to walk back, or balance cups on his back while flying. And that often proved disastrous to pedestrians below.
But that wasn't the only reason he was glad she was coming. She was Raven, the 'emotionless' girl of the team. Raven, the self-sacrificing, mask-wearing telepath. Raven, the one who he knew that he liked more than a friend.
He turned left, on autopilot. He had been to the 'secret' ice cream place so many times that it was ingrained into his memory. Often, when he was alone and by himself on the streets of Jump City, he would find himself at the place, sitting down at his favorite table, ordering the usual cone of ice cream. It was a relaxing place, with soft music and wooden tables that never seemed sticky. It wasn't made out of plastic and wasn't filled with cheesy cashiers. It was a simple parlor, looking more like a small house than a restaurant. The atmosphere was comforting and made him forget everything every time he walked into it. And Beast Boy liked it that way. Because of all these details, it was his favorite ice cream place.
He came in for a landing right in front of the doors. Not many people knew about it, as it was sort of secluded. Even his friends didn't know about it, just that Beast Boy always seemed to bring home the best ice cream. He intended to keep it that way.
But Raven was different. Normally, if anyone else had offered to come, he would have told them that he could handle it. It was worth walking all the way home in order to keep this secret. However, Raven was a different story. She generally didn't order ice cream, and he wanted her first taste to be the best. Because she was special to him.
And besides, if she liked it, she might want to come with him to this place more often. Maybe even go out with him to other-
He shook his head, not wanting to finish that thought. It wasn't as if going to a ice cream place to order food is suddenly going to make her start liking him in that way. And he wasn't sure that she even liked him as a friend.
And although he was beginning to realize just how much he liked her, he knew that she wouldn't feel the same.
Beast Boy started to walk into the parlor, acting normal, because Raven had been holding the door open for some time now, and he didn't want her to get worried or anything.
Not like she would worry about me, he thought, snorting.
All of a sudden, he felt cool fingers on his arm. They were so light that he thought he was imagining it.
"Beast Boy...?"
He looked back at Raven. Her voice was so soft that he thought that he was imagining that too, until he saw the worry in her eyes. There wasn't much, and he knew that he would probably the only one who could see concern there. But he had become so adept at finding fissures in her wall that he could see them without trying. And this was a big one, almost a hole, a hole in her defenses. He had never seen the wall so... vulnerable before. Exposed.
And was it because of....?
But just as he was about to finish that thought, he looked again and it was gone. Swallowed up by the violet of her eyes. He blinked again, rubbing his eyes. Did he see it wrong? Was there ever a hole?
Raven looked impatiently at him. "Well? Are you okay?"
Beast Boy snapped out of his trance, mumbling "I'm fine." But he wasn't so sure. Was feeling like this- like he wanted to make Raven like him, maybe more than like –normal?
He walked up to the cashier. The parlor was pretty deserted actually. It was never really full, and the crowds usually came after lunch. "Hey Kirk." He greeted the sandy haired young man behind the counter.
Kirk looked up from the newspaper he was reading. "Hey BB! I see that you saved the city again yesterday." He grinned pointing to the newspaper.
Beast Boy returned with a lopsided grin of his own. "Just doing my job you know. It's not a big deal."
The cashier shook his head. "No way man, it is a big deal! You save the city, like, every other day, and I'm stuck here, counting out bills. Man, you need a little more confidence in yourself." Kirk told him, standing up.
Beast Boy laughed. "Well, we need to pay the bills somehow."
Kirk smiled, taking his place behind the cash register. "Well, you obviously want some ice cream, so...may I take your order?" he mimicked a waitress in a high-pitched voice.
Beast Boy told him the orders of the other Titans, and then turned to Raven, who was standing silently next to him, looking at the menu. "Did you decide what you want?" he asked her.
Kirk raised his eyebrows, mock gasping. "Could it be? You brought one of your teammates here?"
Beast Boy blushed lightly. "Yeah. This is Raven. Raven, this is Kirk, Kirk, this is Raven." He introduced them.
"Pleasure to meet you." Kirk said, bowing slightly. "Beast Boy's never brought anyone here before, well, besides some of his bird friends. You must be special."
Beast Boy steadily turned redder. "Hey now, this is her first time eating ice cream with us, so I wanted to give her the best ice cream in town. That's all." He told him, trying to remain calm even though his heart felt like it was trying to get out through his mouth.
"I still don't know what I want." Raven interrupted Beast Boy's babbling. "I don't like ice cream that much..." He looked over at her, searching for something. Finally, he decided. "I think you might like the peppermint flavor." He smiled and settled back to wait for her reaction.
Next to him, Kirk's mouth flew open.
Raven raised an eyebrow. "Peppermint?" She had never heard of that before and it wasn't on the menu. She shrugged. Beast Boy was the one who knew this place the best, so there must be a peppermint flavor. It's not like she had anything else better to eat. "Okay, I'll have that."
Smirking a little, Beast Boy turned to Kirk. "Okay then, peppermint for Raven and mint chocolate chip for me." Kirk's mouth went, if possible, wider. "Oh, and stop trying to catch flies Kirk. It's creeping me out a bit." He immediately closed his mouth and repeated the order back. "One chocolate for Robin, one neapolitian for Cyborg, one cookie dough for Starfire, one peppermint for Raven and one mint chocolate for you coming right up." Kirk disappeared into the back to get the ice cream.
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Raven sat at the table nearest to the open window, breathing in the fresh air. She liked this place, and could see why it was Beast Boy's favorite. It gave of the appearance and atmosphere of being at home, cozy and warm. You couldn't help but feel comfortable here.
Beast Boy slid into the seat across from her. "It'll take a few minutes to get the ice cream ready. They make it here you know." She nodded, and sat back to relax.
It was obvious that he came here a lot. He knew everyone here, and by the way he rattled off the ice cream flavors at the Tower, it was obvious that he ordered ice cream here even when the others didn't ask him to.
"Do you come here often?" Raven blurted out.
"Yeah." He admitted. "Almost every day."
It had surprised her, to say the least, how modest Beast Boy was. He would usually brag about many things. And although she had never heard him boast about saving the city, she had assumed that he did. But when he had talked to Kirk, he had replied that he was 'just doing his job' and that it was 'no big deal'. Was that really how he felt? It seemed that he was a different person.
And suddenly, she realized that she didn't know anything about Beast Boy.
Sure, she knew that he joked around a lot, and that he played video games way too much, but those were things that anyone would pick up if they lived with him. What about his past? Why did he become a Titan? Raven frowned. She knew Starfire's past thanks to the Puppet King, she knew about Cyborg from when they worked on the T-Car, and Robin told everyone where he came from on the first day. But Beast Boy had never offered a hint or a clue about where he was born, or how he came to be a hero. And it bothered her that she had never even thought about this before. She didn't even know about this place, and how many times he had come here. Of course, it didn't help that she spent almost all of her time in her room meditating or reading a book, but she usually knew what was going on. How could she not have noticed that he went missing?
"Hey..." Beast Boy touched her arm, and she blushed a little at the warmth of him, "are you okay?"
She was saved answering that question by the dinging of a bell that signaled that their order was ready. She got up, grateful that her blush had gone down. She walked up to the counter while Beast Boy picked up their order.
"Here's the money Kirk..." Beast Boy offered some money to Kirk.
"No way man, you save the city. It's on me." Kirk smiled. "Least I can do."
Beast Boy sighed exasperatedly. "How many times do I have to tell you Kirk? It's what I'm supposed to do. So are you going to take the money or am I gonna have to let the next monster who terrorizes this city eat you?"
Kirk shook his head. "Nah, that's okay. You win...as usual." He glared at Beast Boy. "Someday I'm gonna make you take the freebie."
Beast Boy smirked. "That's not gonna be anytime soon, if you haven't noticed in these last few years. Come on Raven, the gang'll be waiting for us."
Raven started to follow him outside, but Kirk's voice stopped her. "Hey, Raven, can I talk to you for a minute?"
She looked at him. What could he want? "Umm...okay..." She turned to Beast Boy. "I'll catch up with you in a minute." He looked uncertain for a moment, but nodded and left.
Turning back to Kirk, she asked him "What is it?"
He looked at her. "Look, I know Beast Boy, if you haven't noticed by now, okay?" he told her in a low voice. She raised an eyebrow. "Anyway, like I said, he never, ever tells anyone about this place, or brings anyone here. Never. This is like, his favorite place in the city. He told me so himself. And that flavor you got, peppermint? That's also his favorite flavor. BB made it up himself actually, and only certain people can eat it with his permission, since it's in short supply. It's usually what he orders. Almost always. Has he ever mentioned that before?"
Raven blinked. This was quite a lot to take in. "Umm...no. I didn't even know that he came here..." she tried to remember when he told her all of the flavors, "...no, not when he told me the flavors to pick."
"Thought so. He's an unpredictable guy, but like I said, he doesn't give out info on this place. That's why...I'm thinkin' that you might be somethin' special to him. Are you guys going out?" he asked her.
She blushed lightly. "No. We're just friends." Kirk seemed to be studying her face intently, which made her blush more.
"Uh huh. Okay, well, just...keep that in mind, 'kay? Now I'm sure he's out there waiting for you, so don't keep your 'guy that's just a friend and yet I blush at the mention of him' waiting." He smirked. She glared at him. She spun around towards the door and started to walk, but something stopped her. She turned around once again, and asked him one last question.
"Does he always pay for the ice cream?"
Kirk smiled. "Yep. In all of the two years that I've known him, he always, without fail, pays, no matter how many time I tell him that he doesn't have to." He told her. "Which, by the way, is every single time."
"Oh." She said, unsure of how to process this. The whole conversation had her head spinning in circles. "Well, I guess I'll see you later..."
"Yeah, okay. See ya." He turned back to the newspaper that he had been reading when they had walked in.
She walked out of the door, into the bright sunshine where Beast Boy was waiting. "Sooo...what'd Kirk say?" he asked as she levitated the ice cream.
"...nothing."
"O-okay." He didn't press the matter any further. "Well then, let's go home."
"Okay." She wasn't about to tell him, but she had a lot on her mind and was looking forward to the long silent flight home. It's a good thing that Beast Boy can't talk when he shapeshifts, she thought, and immediately felt guilty for that. The Beast Boy she thought she knew wouldn't refuse to take the food free, or be so modest about being a hero. Maybe everything she knew about Beast Boy was wrong, and maybe there was more to the lighthearted jokester of the team. She didn't know about that, but she knew that the soul of Beast Boy, the soul of the green shapeshifter.
The soul of the one who she liked more than a friend.
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Kirk turned the page of the newspaper, reflecting on the visit from his best customer and good friend.
"Lucky BB...saves the day, gets his own free food, gets his own tower and now gets his own girl. He really should ask her out...it's so obvious that they care for each other." He chuckled. "Never knew he had it in him to get a girl in the first place though...especially with that other Titan, Raven...way too lucky for his own good. But he better get his act on soon...and this doesn't mean I'm not gonna stop givin' him freebies!"
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And so, another chapter comes to a close, ending with a confused Raven, a content Beast Boy, hungry Titans and a determined Kirk (who is mine, by the way). This chapter had a little humor, revelations about our favorite green Titan and a helping hand from a plain cashier. Not to mention my favorite type of ice cream (besides chocolate chip cookie dough)...peppermint! I can only get it at Shaws though...
Alas, our story is coming to a close. I predict four or five chapters before the ending. After that I'm going to start on a new series, called Letting You Go. It's a much sadder story, with plenty of romance, tragedy and angst (as if Charade is bad enough...). Here's a summary...
Beast Boy and Raven are happy together. But Terra is back in town, and when she threatens to kill the one thing that means most to Beast Boy, he realizes that in order to keep Raven alive, he's going to have to do the hardest thing he's ever done...let her go.
Sound good? I'm itching to write it, but I'm restraining myself so that I can finish this fic first.
Also, has anyone besides me read the series Fingerprints? It's about this girl who can read your mind when she touches your fingerprints, and how this person wants to kill her. Excellent story, has romance (although not until the third book), mystery and supernatural powers, although it's a bit...mature in some places.
Thanks to: warprince2000, K9 and Co, raven 1322, new identity, Change-Of-Heart2, Elucidation, RavenGhost, Raven-Vegeta, RavenForever, Nagaina, audi katia, Bee Bop, red52, RebelRikki, ScarletAngel68, Twin-Lupus, lil-c-girl2218. All of your reviews mean so much to me, so thank very much! Let me know what you think of the chapter! See ya!
