AUTHOR'S NOTE: Greetings! Yes, it has been one year, two months, and two weeks since I posted the first two chapters and to say that I'm late would be a severe understatement. But I've finally picked this up and now, I present to you, the third and final chapter. Fair warning for some out-of-character moments, maybe, and grammatical errors. This is un-edited. But go ahead and read, you be the judge. Enjoy!
DISCLAIMER: TEEN TITANS and all related characters and elements are trademarks of DC Comics.
CHAPTER 3
Rachel tried not to fidget as she stood near the park entrance where she and Jason decided to meet up. She held up her phone to check the time and saw that it was still a few minutes until their intended rendezvous. She had arrived quite early, really, but it was totally Tara's fault as she practically pushed her out the door after she and Jinx had primped her up.
She was too early.
But she never got why this day-out was such a big deal to her friends. Sure, she hasn't really been on an actual date since her English ex-boyfriend over a year ago but as she had said, it was simply a day-out in the park. It just so happened that Jason Todd brought up the idea and she agreed to it. That was the actual way she sees the situation.
But nooo. Jinx had to blow it up by heralding it to the masses as if it were the Second Coming. Tara and Kori were no help either. She didn't really want to think much of it but with the constant teasing and giggling over the week she had started to feel the pressure of it. And now that pressure's making her fidget and wonder if she was dressed... prettily enough for this not-date date.
Did she just think the word 'prettily' in relation to herself? Ugh. This was all her friends' fault.
And speaking of friends, Richard made it obvious that he was totally not cool with the idea of her and Jason Todd going out, together, at a concert in the park. He scowled and brooded the entire week and was even snippy at her. But over seven years of friendship and given her enough experience with his bratty tendencies and she dealt with it accordingly. Although she's certain the boy was probably still griping about it now.
"Hey there."
Rachel turned at the sound of the cool voice and came face to face with her date.
Jason Todd was a tall guy and he wore a confident smile as he towered over her, completely comfortable in a casual tee and jeans ensemble. He had a jacket draped over one shoulder and Rachel felt her femininity swoon at his poise.
"Hey," she greeted back. She didn't miss the way his eyes raked over her figure and fought not to blush at the inspection.
"I hope I dressed appropriately," she suddenly blurted out.
Jason appeared surprised by what she said and Rachel wanted to swallow her own tongue. Heavens, what was wrong with her? Why was she suddenly so nervous? Had she already forgotten how to behave on a date? Not that this really was a date-date. Oh, her sudden nerves were totally Jinx's and Tara's faults.
Jason's chuckles brought her out of her mental rant. He met her eyes with a genuine expression and said, "You look perfect, Rae."
She managed a small smile. "Thank you."
Jason gave a satisfied nod before stepping closer to her. "Shall we grab some lunch first? The program isn't starting until one-thirty."
"Sure," she agreed. She felt Jason put a hand on her lower back and begin to lead her away. It was a gentle touch, careful even, but she felt heat flood her face. She was reacting very unlike herself. If her friends—especially Jinx, God forbid—saw her now, they'd be merciless.
And somehow, the thought of her friends' smarmy faces prompted her to get a hold of herself.
She willed her blush away and looked up to Jason's face as they walked. "Thank you for inviting me out."
Without pausing in their stride, Jason met her gaze with the same smile he's been wearing since he arrived. "We've only just started this day-out. Thank you for accepting my invitation."
"You're welcome."
ooo
"Jinx said they're meeting at the park."
"We know they're meeting at the park. She said they were going to a concert IN the park."
"Well, I don't see them."
Three pairs of eyes discreetly scoped the front of the park from inside a car.
"What now?" Wally asked.
The other two gave no answer as they continued to check the surroundings for any sign of a little dark bird. But no luck.
"Wally, ask Jinx where Rachel could be right now," Roy ordered.
"I don't think that's a good idea," Wally answered while checking his phone. "She'll suspect we're up to something if I ask her any more about Rachel's date. She was already wary when I asked her to describe what Rae was wearing today."
"Well, I'm not seeing Rachel anywhere here!" Roy protested. "Just text her."
"I agree with Wally about Jinx," Richard said, "she won't say more about Rachel." Richard knew she won't. Jinx was sharp and loyal to Rachel. She was also the most supportive of this 'date' out of every one of them. If they ask her any more about Rachel, she'll know what they're up to and she'll thwart them.
"At least we know Rachel's not wearing a dress," Wally piped up.
Yeah. At least they know that. Richard can recall the very few times he has seen Rachel in a dress. Those few times were usually during special birthday dinners when he would invite her. That being said, he was the only one who has ever seen her in a dress—special best friend privileges, one can suppose. And he would like to keep it that way.
"Then how are we going to find her there?" Roy questioned.
"Maybe she's already inside the park with her date," Wally suggested.
Roy suddenly turned to Richard. "Kori! Call Kori! We can ask her for specifics!"
"Why me?" Richard asked, annoyance lacing his tone.
"Because she probably knows as much as Jinx and she'll tell you anything," Roy answered, "probably gush about it, too."
Richard tried to object to the task but Roy snipped him.
"Just do it!"
"I see them!" Wally exclaimed.
"Where?" Both Roy and Richard looked out towards the park again.
"They just turned the corner over there," Wally pointed towards the right side of the park where a line of cafes and restaurants were located. "It was just a flash of violet hair but who else has violet hair here? Besides, I know Rae's violet—"
But Roy was already out of the car with Richard. "Wallace, let's go!"
ooo
Up until that moment, she was still lost on what possessed Jason Todd to ask her out. They were never that close and she was well aware of the rivalry between him Richard. Although despite that, Jason has always been amicable towards her, never failing to say hello whenever they pass by each other, always trying to make small talk whenever they meet by the vending machine, and once sat with her in the library and helped her with her geometry assignment.
And now here he was, sitting across the diner table, looking at her with a smile that's been rumored to have charmed half of the female population in Jump City High School.
Rachel had to admit that she was pleased with the attention he's been giving her. But she played it cool on the outside.
After a server came and took their order, Jason leaned back on his chair, focusing his attention on her. "The last time we met, you mentioned a book by Huxley."
She mimicked his position and quirked an eyebrow curiously. "When was that?"
"In the library, about two weeks ago." His smile turned into a cocky smirk and she thought that suited him better. "A Brave New World."
He remembered her saying that?
"Yeah," she nodded, "I did."
"Well, I got curious so I picked up a copy the very next day."
A pleasant feeling thrummed in the pit of her stomach. "And what did you think about it?"
As Jason gave her his opinion about the book, they both failed to notice the entrance of three persons who stealthily took the empty booth that was conveniently next to where they were seated.
As Richard slid into the seat on the side that was behind Rachel, his ears quickly tried to pick up the discussion. He did not miss the admiring expression on Rachel's face as she listened to whatever Todd was saying and he did not like it.
A waitress quickly swooped in on them to take their order, eyes greedily taking in the table full of eye-candy, but no one paid her any attention. Wally finally ordered three drinks and a plate of fries for himself and quickly dismissed the girl. They were on a mission here.
"They're talking about books?" Roy asked.
Richard gave a nod.
"That guy can read?" Roy hissed in slight disbelief.
"He can," Richard confirmed.
Wally decided to put in his two cents. "They share a table in the library often, you know."
Richard glared. "What?"
Wally was mentally cackling. They were just too easy. "I had library duty for a month after I got into trouble in Chem class. I saw them there often, in the fiction section."
"Did you?"
"Yep," Wally nodded as he looked around for the waitress with his fries. "It's the most isolated part of the library."
Richard's face became even darker as his thoughts went to the isolated fiction section where Rachel and Todd apparently frequented without his knowledge. But then his hearing caught the mention of his name and he forced his mind to focus on the current event.
"He got me a copy as a birthday gift," Rachel said. "I can lend it to you if you'd like."
"Yeah, I'd like that," Todd answered. "I've only read The Three Musketeers."
"I think you'll like The Count of Monte Cristo as well."
There was a pause before Jason gave his response. "It's your favorite book. I'm sure I'd enjoy it."
Damn.
The pause that followed brought an image of Rachel's smile—the special smile that he knows too well—to Richard's mind. He just knew she was smiling like that. He knew her too well after all. And a different kind of bad feeling began to flow through his veins. It was a different kind of bad feeling as to the one he felt when he heard that his best girl friend was going out with his rival. This one made his insides cold. This one made him dread.
A stray thought pierced through him. He might be losing her.
ooo
Jason Todd was an intelligent man, Rachel concluded. And the way he talked about books with her and remembered stuff she mentioned in passing and kept up with her flavor of humor showed her a different guy than the one he was known to be. And honestly, she was enjoying his company. Very much.
A few ways behind them, their stalkers followed, doing their best to be discreet about it.
Roy watched the couple in front of them with obvious aggravation. He listened to their whole conversation in the restaurant and though it pains him to admit, Todd handled himself exceedingly well. The guy had kept Rachel talking about herself and her thoughts and things she liked and Roy listened to every single word. And when he heard her laugh, when he heard that rare, beautiful sound that seldom graces his ears, he figured it out.
Rachel was comfortable with Todd. With how she talked and laughed with him, it was obvious that Rachel was with someone she enjoyed. Someone she liked.
Rachel liked Jason Todd.
But Roy... Roy kinda' liked Rachel.
Outside of Roy's internal distress, another one was swimming in his own thoughts. Richard watched with sharp eyes how his best friend seemed like a completely different person as she walked shoulder to shoulder with another guy. Well, that's not entirely true. Richard had known that Rachel had an open side to her. He had seen her like this before, expressive and completely at ease. But seeing her like that with another person was different. Seeing her speak so openly and smile so freely and direct it all to Jason frickin' Todd—it seemed different. She seemed entirely different.
Richard had lost his initial displeasure at the date. The feeling was replaced with something like... bemusement, at how someone he had known for so long seemed like a totally different person in a different light. He refused to think Todd to be that different kind of light, though. Nope.
He watched as Rachel laugh at something Todd said and something lurched in his stomach. Had she always been that bright when she laughed?
Bitterness flooded his mouth and Richard frowned. Rachel was his best friend. She always has been. He had known her for a long time and she knew him the most. He had talked to her a lot, bought her favorite books and made her laugh more times than Todd had. But then why was he feeling as if he had just lost in a contest?
"Are you guys okay?" Wally turned his gaze from Roy to Richard. The two had suddenly gone quiet and seemed to have retreated into their thoughts and Wally was left to keep track of their bird and her date.
"Y-Yeah," Roy answered slowly. He sounded as if he'd just woken up. "Where'd they go?"
"That way," Wally pointed towards the direction of the concert ground.
As they walked towards the direction that he pointed, a general feeling of dejection had suddenly blanketed their covert group that Wally began to think that Victor was right—this wasn't such a good idea. Both Roy and Richard were looking depressed already.
"Rae seems to be having a good time," Wally said in an attempt to get his friends talking.
"She does," Richard answered in a low tone, eyes locked on the couple that had stopped in the shade of a tree.
Roy hummed in assent.
"Seems like we didn't need to stalk them after all," Wally stated.
"We had to make sure," Richard countered.
"Yeah, but Jason has been a complete gentleman."
That was all too true.
Before anyone can add anything, Roy's phone went off in his back pocket. He quickly picked it up, barking a harsh 'hello' to the caller without checking who it was.
Wally watched Roy while Richard remained looking away.
"I can't, I'm on a mission right now."
"A what?"
"A mission," Roy grumbled. He raked a hand through his hair in growing aggravation.
"What mission?"
"Something important," Roy answered.
"Well, this is important as well, Roy. You promised."
"I know, but—"
"You promised!" The caller had yelled.
Richard turned to Roy after hearing the yell from the other end of the phone and he and Wally watched as Roy's face twisted in defeat.
The redhead let out a heavy sigh. "Fine."
The other two looked expectantly at Roy as he ended the call.
"It was Dinah," Roy explained. "Thea's coming over for dinner and I sort of promised I'd join them."
"So you're bailing now?" Wally asked.
"You heard Dinah," Roy defended. "She won't take no for an answer."
"Yeah, we heard her." Wally laughed at Roy's expression. His adoptive father's girlfriend was pretty scary when pissed. "Rich and I will continue surveillance."
Roy nodded and turned to Richard with a heavy stare. Wally watched as the two just stared at each other for a few seconds before Richard gave a single resolute nod to Roy. Whatever that was, Wally had no idea.
"I can't drive you back, man. I'm staying."
"I'll take a cab," Roy said to Wally. He gazed towards Rachel's direction once more before turning to leave. "Keep a sharp eye on them."
Wally did a mock salute, "Yessir."
ooo
When Argent's group came out to play, Rachel's attention was entirely on them. Jason didn't seem to mind at all, only occasionally leaning in to whisper a question or a comment about the song. By that time, Rachel had forgotten her reservations and admitted to herself that Jason wasn't too bad and she wouldn't mind doing this with him again. Whether it was a date or not—though it was most obviously a date by now—she didn't care to label anymore. She was just glad that Jason did this for her—invite her out for the pleasure of her company.
Glancing at him out of the corner of her eyes, she saw that he was focused on the performers and a small smile was playing on his face. Then taking a deep breath, she reached out and placed a hand on his forearm.
"Thank you," she said to him, leaning a bit closer so she could be heard. "This was fun."
Jason met her gaze with a thoughtful look. He glanced down at her hand on his arm and she got the impulse to pull back. But before she can, Jason gently pried his arm out of her hold and shifted to cradle her hand in his instead, lacing their fingers together.
Rachel felt the heat run up from her neck and flood her face. Jason said nothing. He just flashed a smirk and tightened his hold on her hand, before looking back towards the performance. He didn't see the tender smile that appeared on Rachel's blushing face before she too looked towards the concert.
But Richard did. And he had seen enough.
"We should leave now, Wally."
Wally looked away from the stage to Richard. "Already?"
"Yeah." Richard's eyes were still locked on the couple but the hardness that was in them the whole time that they stalked the date had waned. Richard just looked weary now.
"Are you sure?" Wally asked. "Argent's band's still playing."
"You can stay if you want."
Wally quirked an eyebrow at Richard's sudden sullenness. "What about Rae?"
"She's clearly fine," Richard answered.
She was, wasn't she? Wally looked towards Rachel, hand in hand with Jason, with a contented smile on her face. She has always been known as a sort of Ice Queen in school. It was always a treat to see her smile, to see her smiling. She was clearly happy and that made Wally happy.
But Richard didn't seem to feel the same.
Sneaking a glance at his dark-haired friend, Wally sighed. "So you're okay with this now?"
"With what?"
Wally gestured toward the couple. "That."
When Richard didn't answer, Wally continued, "I know you don't like Jason but he doesn't seem so bad. He's clearly well-behaved as we've seen and he's making Rachel smile."
"Malchior made her smile, too." Richard looked at Wally with serious eyes, "He made her happy, too, before he broke her."
"You can't assume Jason to be like that guy."
"You're right, I can't. But—"
"But you wouldn't really stand against Rachel's happiness, would you?"
Richard looked like Wally just hit him. "What?"
"You wouldn't stand against what or who can make Rachel happy, right?"
"Of course I wouldn't. I just want her to be safe."
Wally nodded. "Right."
Both looked back towards the couple as the music of Argent's band blanketed the area.
"She looks safe," Wally observed. "That should be good enough for now."
"For now," Richard agreed.
ooo
Despite assuring him that it was not necessary, Jason was adamant on walking her home. He said it was the proper thing to do at the end of a date. He was all about propriety, she had noted after the time she had spent with him. He may appear rough but he was actually a model gentleman.
She deeply approved of it.
As they walked under the dusky sky, her hand was gently cradled in his. She had been surreptitiously glancing at their connected hands in between the silences in their walk, liking the warmth it brought to her. Jason wasn't really too bad. Maybe it wouldn't be too bad to do more of this with him.
"Are you sure the corner is as far as I can walk you?" Jason's question cut through her thoughts. "I wouldn't mind just going all the way to your front door."
Rachel looked up at him and shook her head. "The corner is fine. Besides, you have somewhere else to run off to, remember?" She was referring to his part-time job that he told her about.
"Yeah, but-"
"Jason, zip it." She was comfortable enough with him now to bring out her usual curtness, much to Jason's amusement.
"Yes, ma'am." Jason chuckled.
A few moments later, they had reached her street corner. Both stopped, hands still locked in a hold, and Rachel turned to face Jason.
"Again, thank you." She smiled genuinely at him. "I enjoyed today."
Jason returned her smile and squeezed her hand in his. "Maybe we could do this again."
Rachel had somehow expected that from him and her smile brightened. Yes, she wouldn't mind that. "Why not?"
Her answer seemed to be what Jason was just waiting for as he brought their intertwined hands up to his face and placed a gentle kiss upon her knuckles. "It has been a pleasure, Miss Roth."
Rachel's flushed at the intimate gesture. "Y-Yes. Same."
What the heck did she just say? Yes, same?
But Jason didn't react to her nervous answer. He merely nodded with a content smile on his face as he stepped back. "See you around, little bird."
"See you, Jay." She watched him walk back the direction they came from and didn't look away until she saw his form turn the other corner. After he disappeared from her view, she only noticed that a small smile was still plastered on her face and instead of chastising herself at smiling like a loon, she only grinned wider and turned to walk up to her street.
The day-out had gone much better than expected.
She continued to ruminate about the trip that she missed the figure squatted in front of her doorstep.
"Raven."
She blinked and found Richard in front of her. "Robin."
He gave her a tired smile. "Hey."
"What are you doing here?"
Richard shrugged. "Waiting for you."
Rachel raised an eyebrow at the vague answer. She neared him and plopped on the space beside him. "Why?"
Richard shrugged again. "Nothing much. I just thought maybe you'd like to watch a movie or something."
Rachel sensed that something was off about her friend. She side-eyed him critically, taking note of his tells. "A movie sounds good."
Richard was looking at the waning light of dusk, appearing melancholy and somehow defeated. The sight of him slowly eroded the good feelings that she was just basking in moments before. It was slowly replaced by concern. She scooted closer to him and bumped his shoulder with hers to get his attention. "Did something happen?"
"No, nothing happened." He shook his head and turned to her with a smile that was even wearier than the one he had before. Richard was really terrible at putting up a happy front when he clearly was not. "How was the date?"
His question surprised her. It brought to mind his disapproval and taking into account his obvious sullenness, her synapses fired to formulate a proper response. In the end, she decided to be honest to him.
"I enjoyed myself," she said, looking out towards the same space as Richard was.
Beside her, Richard nodded. "Was he... good?"
That wasn't quite the word he wanted to use with his question. He tried to think up of another word to use to rephrase but—
"He was," Rachel answered. "He was a perfect gentleman."
Richard felt a pang in his chest at her answer. The soft, admiring tone of her voice brought the image of her holding hands with Todd as they watched the concert into the front of his mind. He fought the bitter feeling flooding his veins and blinked away the unwarranted picture.
"So I'm guessing I'll be seeing you with him often now."
There might have been something in his voice—probably the bitterness he was feeling lacing it—that hinted at Rachel that he was being insincere. He saw her placid expression turn into a scowl.
"You don't approve?"
He mentally hit himself. He remembered her smile earlier but now she was frowning because of him. "No, I—"
"Of course you don't," she cut him off, "you don't like him."
"No, Rae, that's not it."
"Then what is it? What's putting that expression on your face? If it's not Jason then what's—"
"I don't want to lose you!"
Her eyes widened in shock at his exclamation. There was silence as she gaped at him and he avoided looking at her.
"What do you mean by that?"
"I dunno," he answered, sighing heavily. "It means what it means."
"But you're not," she protested, voice soft, still in disbelief at his outburst.
"But I am. I'm losing you to Todd."
Rachel shook her head fiercely. "No, you're not."
"Can you promise me that?"
Once again, she was shocked silent. Richard turned to her and held her by her shoulders, his blue eyes staring fiercely into her violet ones. "Can you promise me that, Rae?"
Rachel was confused. What was he saying? Lose her? Of course he wasn't going to lose her. That's ridiculous. They've known each other almost their whole lives and she wasn't about to trade years of friendship for some other relationship. Jason hadn't even stated his intentions yet. But one look in Richard's eyes told her that he was scared. Scared of what exactly, it was unclear to her. One thing was for sure though—him losing her was just unthinkable.
"Robin," she placed a hand on his arm, returning his tight hold on her, "What are you saying?"
Richard looked at her a hint of exasperation in his eyes. Why can't she understand what he was trying to say?
Why can't you just say what you really want to say? His mind echoed.
"I..." he started, looking at their clasped hands, "don't want to lose you. You mean too much to me."
That was all he was willing to say. For now.
Rachel didn't say anything. She took a moment to look at her friend, see him more clearly, to try to figure out what was really going on with him. She realized this was something bigger. That whatever was bothering Richard was stemming from something deeper, something that he wasn't ready to let her know yet judging by the evasive answer he gave her. She wanted to know what that was. She wanted to ask what really was bothering him so she can help him figure it out and deal with it. That's what best friends do.
But she knew Richard enough to know when he's not ready to let her in on his issues. He'd drop hints but it would be up to her to piece it together. At the moment, she didn't have enough pieces to paint a picture. The only picture she has was of Richard's despondent face and it was breaking her heart.
"You won't lose me," she finally said. "Ever. I promise."
At her firm statement, Richard raked his gaze all over her face, examining her thoughtfully, probably looking for any hint of whatever was it that he was searching for. She made sure that her expression was serious, resolute, to convey that she was truthful with her promise.
Richard's mouth curled up into a smile. A small one. But it cleared enough of his blue eyes that he looked alive again. He let go of his hold on her hands and wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her to him.
Rachel let herself be held. She heard him sigh, felt it through his chest. Then she felt him place a tender kiss on her hair.
Both didn't say anything else.
After a few moments, Rachel broke the comfortable silence. "Are you feeling better now?"
There was a thrum in his chest as Richard chuckled. "Yeah."
The sound of his laughter assured her that he was back to normal. She smiled at him and said, "Now how about that movie?"
"The finale of Game of Thrones is tonight," he informed her.
"Perfect," she answered, snuggling closer in his embrace. "Hey."
"Hm?"
"You can tell me anything."
He didn't reply immediately but a thoughtful look passed Richard's face.
"Something is bothering you," Rachel continued. "I just want to remind you that you can tell me anything. You don't have to tell me right now. But when you're ready, I'm here. You have me. Alright?"
Richard nodded. "Yeah."
"Good." She slowly pulled back from his hold and proceeded to stand up. "Let's go prepare for GOT now."
Richard stood up after her but refused to let go of the hand that was still in his grasp. He held her tighter even, as she pulled him after her. As he trailed after her through the front door, her words echoed back in his head. You can tell me anything.
Looking at the slight woman in front of him, the woman that's been his friend and confidant and all other things that brings out the best in him, he then decided.
If he didn't want to lose her, then he'll just have to do something to keep her.
I'll tell you soon, Rae. I promise.
FIN.
AN2: I haven't been writing for a while so pardon the inconsistency of the mood all throughout the story. Doing this chapter was like stretching my metaphorical writer wings, hehe. I wanted this to be funnier too, y'know, include the other friends, but yeah, that didn't happen. I hope you guys still liked this, though. Drop me a review, if it's not too much trouble. I'll be working on No Saving Grace next. But for now, I leave you here. See you soon. And thank you!