Yep, here it is!! I thank everyone who is still reading this, cause only you keep me going!!
As for this chapter, I apologize about my lack of details when concerning Control Freak. It's very hard to find a decent profile about the guy and I've only seen him in the cartoon for a little bit. Still, I tried my best.
But this isn't about Control Freak (Thank goodness), no, this is about Beastboy and Raven. YAH! (Cheers all around)
So please enjoy the rest of their date!!
Groaning again, Beastboy turned to look at Raven, forcing a weak smile onto his face.
"Heh, maybe he's just stopping by for a bite to eat," he suggested lamely.
"Now, bow before my greatness," Control Freak bellowed, holding a flashlight under his chin, and then uttering darkly, "Or face my villainous wrath!"
Beastboy, back turned to the scene, visibly flinch at the words. Raven sighed, adopting a dull but weary look on her face.
"I have a strange feeling that he's not here for the cake" She replied dryly, and Beastboy gave a grim nod in return.
Raven was the first to act, standing up from her seat and taking on a defensive position; clenched hands held up slightly in preparation to fight and a small, though slightly annoyed, frown on her face. Beastboy looked up at Raven's dominant stance and found himself smiling again, everything about Raven seemed to entrance him. He was sure that she wasn't entirely comfortable with what she was wearing, her arms and neck exposed by her shirt, and no hood to cover her face; yet, despite her current attire, she took to the fight as if it were nothing. That had always been a strength of Raven's though, her ability to look passed her own discomforts to help those in need, and even before he realized he had deeper feelings for the Empath, it was something he had always admired about her. Raven was truly...amazing. He could not help but be baffled by his own stupidity though; How could he have not noticed before? Had he really been that blind?
Raven looked over at him, lifting an eyebrow in expectation.
"Well?" Raven asked, trying to sound impatient but failing; finding the look he was currently giving her meaningful.
Beastboy blinked and his smile slowly formed into a frown.
"Aw man, do we have to?" he whined, breaking through the intensity that had just lingered between them.
Raven sent him a disapproving frown and he mumbled a faint 'fine' as he grudgingly stood up.
The only question in Beastboy's mind at that point was 'why?'. Why did the universe hate him? Had he done something wrong? Why, in the name of all that is good, could he not just have a normal date?
Raven had similar thoughts on her mind at that moment, but unlike Beastboy, who would rather not contemplate the answers, she was sure. 'Because...' she told herself 'We're not normal'.
She found her gaze travel back toward Control Freak, who had taken these moments to ramble on about his supposed evil plan. Raven and Beastboy had missed most of the epilogue but knew it held little importance.
"And soon you will all be my servants," Control Freak babbled, "And I will rein supreme as ruler of 'Control Freak's Empire'!"
He then started to laugh manically, while most of the costumers gave him strange looks.
"Lacking originality, don't you think?" Came Raven's dry retort as she made her way into view.
Control freak stopped laughing and his eyes widened slightly.
"Dude, seriously," Beastboy said stepping up beside her. "You could have put a little more thought into it. I mean, who'd want to serve an empire with a dorky name like that?"
"Hey! That's a great name." Control Freak argued. "It lets everyone know who's in charge! What would you have called it, huh?!"
Beastboy looked thoughtful for a moment, tapping a finger to his chin.
"Hmmm, maybe...'The remote Empire', no, 'The Empire of Control'...no, no..how 'bout.."
"Argh, it doesn't matter what it's called," Raven said. "There isn't going to be an Empire!"
Control Freak smirked.
"Ha! That's where you're wrong!" he replied, pulling a well-known device from his side, "With my new and improved universal remote, anything is possible."
Raven sighed, "You say that every time."
"She's got a point there," Beastboy added, seeming unconcerned with the so-called villain.
"No she doesn't," Control freak argued. "This remote is top of the line, new and improved, never been used before and.."
"Are we going to fight or not?" Raven asked in a plain but slightly agitated voice.
"Oh right," Beastboy nodded, slipping back into his stance.
He smirked confidently, deciding what form he should take first.
'I'll just change into a...Wait a minute...' he looked down at his out-fit. 'Okay..not good'
"Uh...Rae?"
Raven glanced over at him from the corner of her eyes, his face frowning down at his clothes. She had, just like him, forgotten about that minor detail.
"Don't worry," she told him her eyes turning back toward Control Freak. "I can handle this."
Beastboy's frown deepened, he hated having to stand on the side-lines, and he especially hated feeling like he had failed Raven. She could handle Control Freak, he was certain of that, but everything inside him wanted to fight for her.
Control Freak smiled.
"You Titans don't stand a chance," he told them. "I can see right through your disguise."
Beastboy quirked an eyebrow. 'Disguise?'
"What disguise?" Raven asked, confused.
"Ha! You think you can fool me?!" he grinned. "You Titans obviously knew where I would strike first, so you and Beastboy where sent undercover to catch me. We'll battle for awhile and, right when I think I've won, the others will come charging in, taking me down in my weak and over-confident state."
"Dude, that doesn't make any sense at all" Beastboy said, looking strangely at the villain.
"Of course it does," Control Freak replied. "It's basic Villain and Hero stuff, everyone knows that."
Beastboy opened his mouth to argue his point, whatever it may have been, but Raven intervened. She was growing tired of the interruption.
"Azerath Metrion Zinthos!"
Raven raised her right hand up, black energy soaring out in a powerful stream toward the villain. He smirked with determination, raising his remote and pressing down. The black energy halted before him and he relished at the surprised look on Raven's face as he sent it flying back at her.
Surprised, Raven still managed to dodge her own attack, moving swiftly to the side and bumping shoulders with Beastboy. He gave her a sheepish grin.
"Um, I could give it a go," He told her hesitantly. "If you want, I mean, what's a couple of rips and tares."
Raven frowned. "I can handle it."
Beastboy smile faltered and he shrugged. "If you're sure."
"Ha!" Control Freak pointed his remote out. "You've become your own worst enemy!"
'Okay...The bragging is really annoying' Raven glared.
Beastboy watched as Control Freak aimed his remote at several of the tables and chairs, which immediately came to life; evil cartoon-like eyes, sharpened teeth, and all. They came stalking toward the two, while most of the customers screamed and made their way into hiding spots or backed themselves into a corner.
Beastboy clenched his hands into fists, just because his current situation enabled him from transforming didn't mean he couldn't still fight; and at least give Raven an opportunity to get the remote. That was all it ever took to stop Control Freak, after he lost his precious device he was completely powerless; which is exactly why they considered him more of a nuisance than a villain.
Beastboy charged forward, fighting back tables and chairs as Raven tried to use her powers to steal Control Freak's remote. However, the onslaught of the once inanimate objects was preventing her from getting too close and Control Freak continued to block her attacks with just the click of a button.
This was getting a little too serious for Beastboy's liking, and he found himself wishing that the others really were outside waiting to strike, just as Control Freak believed. His knuckles were beginning to ache, and he was almost sure that there wasn't this many chairs when he came in, as he continued to fight them off in his current form.
It was becoming increasing noisy as well; Control freak's laughter, the sound of breaking chairs and tables (as well as some added dishes), and the distant screams of a several frightened customers was beginning to give him a headache.
He paused, breathing heavy, fists throbbing as yet more objects surrounded them.
'Okay...that's it!' he closed his eyes tight.
"STOP!"
And much to his surprise it did, the objects halted, the noises died, and when he opened his eyes everyone was starring. Raven's hands where still aflame with energy and Control Freak still had his remote raised toward her, but each had stopped to look questioningly over at him.
Beastboy shook off the slight uneasiness of the stares and stepped forward.
"Okay," he said taking a deep breath and looking over at Control Freak. "I have some questions."
Raven continued to look over at her date in absolute confusion, surprised at how the heat of the battle had simply died away and Control Freak was actually regarding the changeling with an intently curious expression; only Beastboy could possibly cause this kind of reaction.
Raven found her shoulders easing and her hands lowering, she still kept her stance hovering a few feet in the air, but she was considerably less tense.
"First off," Beastboy continued, a serious expression on his face, "How did you get out of Prison?"
It was a valid question, and Raven admitted that she was curious herself, but before Control Freak could answer Beastboy continued.
"Secondly," He said counting off two fingers with one hand, and now sounding more annoyed, "Where did you get that remote? I mean, really, how many time's have we taken it from you? Do you have warehouse full or something?"
Another valid question, Raven mused.
"Thirdly," Beastboy listed and at this point he let out a long sigh. "Why Here of all places? Why can't you just rob a bank like everyone else?"
He was sounding a bit whiny now, but the question, again, was reasonable.
"And fourthly," he said, slumping forward and pouting, "Duuude, why couldn't you wait til tomorrow? You're totally ruining my date."
Up until this point Control Freak had actually been smiling, fully ready to boast about his escape from jail and his ingenious retrieval of the remote, which would eventually lead to his entire pathetically evil plan. However, at the very mention of the word 'date' his expression changed. At first it was blank, as if not believing he had heard the changeling correctly, and then his gaze shifted between the two.
"Wait a second," he said, eyes wide. "You two are here on a date?"
"Duh!" Beastboy said. "Of course we are,...right Rae?"
He looked over his shoulder for conformation, his expression becoming slightly doubtful. Raven looked from him to Control Freak and nodded.
Control Freak blinked and then looked at the two again, the silence was almost deafening before...
"Hahahahaha"
"You almost - had me there," He gasped for breath, "Pfft..you and Raven- on a date? Yeah, right."
Beastboy frowned indignantly. "Dude it's true!"
"You think-haha- I'd let my guard down-ha- that easy," He said, "To believe a crazy story like that. I mean, Robin and Starfire? Now that makes sense, but you two? "
He laughed some more and Raven imitated Beastboy expression. Was it really that hard to believe?
"I mean, really," Control Freak laughed as he continued again. "Beastboy, the puny jokester of the group, and Raven, the dark emotionless goth, together!"
"Hey!" the both yelled in unison, defending both themselves and each other.
'I'm not puny and Raven's not emotionless' Beastboy glared. 'He doesn't know what he's talking about'
"Like a guy like you could even stand a chance with someone like Raven," he said. "That's the craziest thing I've ever heard. She's so out of your league."
Beastboy clenched his hands into fists. Control Freak probably didn't even know what a date was, and so it was more than a little infuriating for him to say anything to Beastboy on the matter. Okay, yeah...it did sound crazy, and maybe Beastboy didn't deserve Raven, but that didn't change the fact that they were there. Him with her.
"I got lucky" Beastboy said under his breath, just barely loud enough for Raven to hear.
She frowned, Beastboy still didn't think very much of himself.
'Maybe...we can change that' Love replied.
Raven took a deep breathe, she had used more energy then she had thought with just the short trip from the tower to the edge of the park; but how was she to predict something like this would happen. She turned to look at Control Freak, practically snorting with laughter still. Frowning, she clenched her hands and raised them up for attack when...
"Shut Up!" Beastboy yelled.
He ran forward, and Raven barely caught the switch between his human form and that of a Rhino, which was now charging at Control Freak. The jacket he was wearing ripped completely and she was sure that other parts of his clothing had suffered during the change as well. The contact was made, knocking Control Freak back into the wall, and the remote harmlessly falling to the ground. The objects around them imitated this, careless falling limp and lifeless to the floor.
Taking the opportunity, Raven used her powers to levitate the microphone stand on the stage over toward the two. Control Freak was slumped on the floor rubbing his sore head when he felt the stand coil around his form, the cord serving as addition rope, and he was bound. He wriggled and grunted in a futile effort to break free before giving up.
Beastboy slowly turned back into his human form, his shirt was ripped around it's collar and at the edges of his sleeves, with small additional tares of fabric on the shirts chest and back. His pants now looked more like long shorts, stopping at his knees, with ripped fabric hanging down.
His expression was still set in anger, hunched forward, brows furrowed and teeth clenched. He straightened his posture suddenly, hands down at his sides and took in a deep breath through his nose.
"Not so funny now, is it?" He asked.
Raven froze at the sound of Beastboy's voice, so un-like him, it was harsh and low; threatening. Raven didn't think it was possible for Beastboy's voice to ever reach such a tone.
Raven stepped over toward him, hesitating before placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. He tensed for a moment and then relaxed, sighing.
"I know, " Beastboy said, his voice normal as he gave her a slight smile, "I shouldn't get so worked up over it."
Raven looked back at him in mild surprise, Beastboy had known exactly what she had been thinking, and that caused a comforting warmth to rise in her chest.
"But really, Control Freak!" Beastboy emphasized. "It was so worth ripping my clothes just to shut him up."
Raven felt the corner of her mouth turn up into a small smile.
"All things considered," Raven replied in a content voice. "I'd say it was a pretty good first date."
Beastboy looked surprised but pleased by her comment. He smiled warmly, opening his mouth to respond when..
"YOU MEAN THE TWO OF YOU ARE ACTUALLY ON A DATE!" Control Freak yelled, having been listening to the conversation with wide-eyed curiosity.
Beastboy growled, turning his attention back to their immobile enemy.
"Dude! I already told you that!"
"Yeah but I never thought, I mean, this is, Whoa," The villain grinned madly. "Wait til the rest of the on-line geek community hears about this! It's a like a modern day Beauty and the Beast, only with super powers and...Mmmmhmm.."
Black energy formed around Control Freaks mouth preventing him from continuing his rant.
"Okay," Raven stated with a small smirk. "Now it's perfect."
"Serves him right for calling you names, huh?" Beastboy grinned slyly over at her.
Raven looked over at him and glared 'You can't be serious'.
Beastboy chuckled nervously.
"Relax Rae, I'm kidding" he said. "You're totally the picture of Beauty, and I'm...uh"
He paused, suddenly finding the sentence difficult to finish.
'The Beast'
Raven frowned questioningly at Beastboy's hesitant and slightly fearful expression.
"I mean, I'm uh," Beastboy stuttered nervously.
"The prince in disguise?" Raven offered.
"Y..yeah, the prince," Beastboy nodded and grinned nervously, "Lets go with that."
"Guess we should start heading back to the tower," Raven said in neutral tone, her hand falling back down to her side.
"Huh, Why?" Beastboy asked.
Raven looked over at him.
"I just figured you'd want to...change clothes," She said, "And the cops will probably be here any minute so.."
"No way Rae," Beastboy grinned with determination "I'm not gonna let some second rate bad guy ruin our date."
"Beastboy, the place is mess," Raven noted. "What reason could..."
Her question faded in her throat as soft music began to play. Both Raven and Beastboy looked around before finally spotting the source. A small stereo was placed upon the half destroyed counter in the middle of the room, Becky turned the volume up and looked up at them. By the smile on her face, you would never have guessed that her Restaurant had just been attacked. She casually leaned forward and folded her arms on the counter, giving them a small wink.
Beastboy grinned slowly, catching her meaning and turning to Raven.
"May I have this dance m'lady?" He asked with a small formal bow.
Raven looked at him strangely, caught between uncertainty and plain refusal.
"Beastboy.." She replied, a slight warning in her tone.
"Come on Rae, please?" He grinned hopefully. "Just one dance before the police show up and ruin the fun?"
'Does he even know how weird that sounds?' she wondered.
"I don't dance" She replied looking away, uncomfortable, "Besides, people will...stare."
Beastboy blinked and then let out a short laugh.
"Well Duh, I mean, I'm in rags, and you look gorgeous," Beastboy replied with a lighthearted smile, "I'd be worried if people weren't starring. Besides, this place is practically deserted anyway."
She looked around, yes a few people remained, gathering up their things and trying to resume the evening as normal, but for the most past the place was empty.She sighed, how was it that Beastboy could act so shy and self-conscience around her but not care to make a complete fool of himself in public. She wasn't like him though, she didn't want people to notice her, she didn't like the attention, she wasn't that brave.
"Control Freak really knows how to clear a room, huh?" Beastboy laughed some.
Raven almost smiled at the remark, but at the last second decided against it. Beastboy looked down, frowning at Raven's obvious discomfort. It wasn't him, or at least he assured himself, it was everyone else that made her uneasy. Still, the room could be full of people and Beastboy wouldn't have noticed a thing, the only one that mattered to him was Raven; he just wished she felt the same.
"Um, ya know what, lets forget the dance" Beastboy said, hoping to clear the air around them.
Slightly startled Raven looked up, Beastboy's eyes refusing to meet hers until he heard a response.
Why was she doing this, why was she letting herself get worked up again? Beastboy was being so...wonderful, and she couldn't even get through one dance with him. Why?
'People are watching..' Timid reminded her. 'Everyone's l..looking at us. W..what will they think?'
'That you're here with a major hunk, that's what!' Bravery boasted.
"Beastboy, it's not that I don't want to dance with you," She admitted hesitantly. "It's just...I'm not use to this."
Beastboy finally looked into her eyes, feeling foolish and more than a little guilty. Of course Raven wasn't use to this, she had only recently began to allow herself to express emotion, and Beastboy was only making things harder.
"That's okay Rae. We'll take it one step at a time, no dance pun intended," he told her with an encouraging smile, "I guess I just wasn't thinking, I mean, I'm pretty use to people starring at me."
Despite his lighthearted tone, as soon as he said that, she felt ashamed of herself. It wasn't as if Beastboy could pull a cloak over his head and hide himself away from the world like she had done for so long, but Raven had gotten so use to being around Beastboy, that she had never thought to look at him from someone elses perspective. His appearance, though far from unattractive, was still very different. It was probably very rare that he walked into a place without receiving some kind of look, and she wondered if he simply did not mind or if he had just grown accustomed to it.
"Beastboy, I'm sorry," She replied in a low tone "I'm not being very fair to you."
"Whadda ya mean?" He asked, stepping back to get a better look at her face.
"I have a tendency to over-think things," She said looking him in the eye, "It's something else I'll need to work on."
"Yeah, but then you wouldn't be you, Rae," he told her teasingly, and then added sincerely, "And I like you being you."
Raven rolled her eyes, though still touched by the sincerity of his words.
"The songs almost over," She stated. "Are we going to dance or not?"
Surprised, Beastboy nodded eagerly and stepped toward her, taking her left hand in his right and laying his other hand on her hip. Raven drew slightly closer and placed her right hand on his shoulder. The music was slow and soft, and dancing didn't really seem to be an issue; since they both just swayed slightly to the rhythm. For the first few seconds Raven found herself staring nervously at Beastboy's chest, trying to push her previous doubts from her mind, which proved to be less of a challenge then she had first thought. In fact, it surprised her how quickly she settle into the comfort of Beastboy's touch.
She sensed a calming warmth radiating from his entire being, it was soft but distinct, and Raven realized how rare it was for her to be able to distinguish Beastboy's emotions. Absolute peace, as if he had never felt more at home then right there with her; a thought that filled her with a similar emotion, and she wanted nothing more than to stay lost within it forever. She wasn't even aware that she had moved closer toward him, her forehead now resting just below his shoulder, and her right hand now resting on the side of his bare arm. Before recently, she had never really thought about how his skin might feel, but being presented with the perfect opportunity to find out wasn't one she'd pass up. Letting her right hand gently grip his arm, she was surprised by it's baby soft texture, his skin feeling like velvet beneath her fingers, she relaxed even more against him.
Beastboy realized that at this point he should have been nervous, afraid, able to hear his heart pounding, but he didn't. It wasn't as if he felt nothing either, far from it, he felt overwhelmed. It was as if all the negative thoughts inside him had disappeared, as if he only existed in this one moment that would last him the rest of his life...and he wanted nothing more than to believe that it were true, that he could hold her in his arms, and somehow how stop time. Beastboy found that both his hands had wrapped themselves around Raven's waist, pulling her to him, as Raven's other hand now lay on chest. He wasn't even sure if the music was still playing, or if the two had even bothered to move at all since they had come together; but it didn't matter. For as long as Raven would allow it, he would hold her.
Raven closed her eyes, almost certain that if she were not standing she would have fallen asleep. It was quiet, not the kind of silence that left an undesired void, but the kind that comforted ever part of your soul. She had barely given any thought to world around her, as if it had melted away and left only the two of them floating. There was nothing to be said, even her emotions remained silent, and she didn't even bother to make sure her powers weren't acting up; though somehow she knew that they weren't. She was too at peace to even question any of it, and only wished that she keep this feeling forever; whether it be real or not.
That's when she felt it, that flicker of doubt and insecurity, though she wasn't sure if it was from him or herself. It scared her all the same, her eyes opened and her grip on Beastboy's arm tightened as she felt his hands pull away from her waist tentatively. She pulled back some too, looking up at his confused expression, sensing something was wrong but not certain what it could be.
The growing sound of sirens, accompanied by red and blue lights flashing through the restaurants windows ended the dance completely. They pulled apart as several police officers entered, finding Control Freak bound near the door and the two titans, dressed quite strangely, before them.
Raven opened her mouth to address them but was cut off.
"As you can see officers, everything's under control" Becky said, making her way quickly in front of them.
"I see," an older, and somewhat larger looking, officer nodded absently in her direction while looking around the place.
"I'm assuming you're the one who hit the distress button, correct miss?" He asked looking back at her.
"Me?" She smiled sheepishly. "With two of the city's finest heroes dining here tonight? Must have been someone else."
A younger looking officer stepped up from behind, tall with sandy blond hair and green eyes.
"Looks like everything's clear here, sir." he said, eyes momentarily pausing on Becky before looking away.
The older man nodded. "We'll be taking Control Freak back to prison then."
"Uh, you might wanna put some extra bars on that cell," Beastboy commented lightly. "No way am I battling this guy anytime soon."
The older man frowned in annoyance and Raven elbowed Beastboy in the arm, letting him know that he was to watch what he was saying.
"What?" Beastboy asked rubbing his arm. "I'm just making a point Rae. We wouldn't have to fight so many bad guys if they could keep them in prison."
The officers frown deepened further, Raven glared over at Beastboy who didn't seem to understand what he had done wrong.
"No worries," the younger officer replied with a calm smile. "Always glad for the assist. Only wish we could have helped out more."
Becky smiled warmly at his kindness.
Sighing, Raven nodded to him, "You're welcome."
"Yeah, no prob," Beastboy grinned. "By the way, what's your name dude?"
The young officer looked a little caught off guard by the question. "Uh, John, the name's John."
Beastboy grinned and stepped forward to shake his hand, John smiled and accepted.
"Nice to meet you John," he grinned, "I don't suppose you've met my friend, Becky?"
This caught Raven off guard, as well as Becky who had only met the changeling a couple of hours ago.
'What is he up to?' Raven wondered, suspiciously.
"Um, no, I suppose not," John looked up at her and smiled nervously. "Good evening miss."
Becky blinked and smiled back. "Evening officer," she greeted quietly.
Raven looked surprised, she had never heard Becky use such a quite tone before, and a soft warmth stretched between the two.
"Becky's part time owner here," Beastboy chimed in, "And the best and most helpfullest host you'll ever meet."
Beastboy looked over at Becky and winked, and no one cared to point out that 'helpfullest' wasn't even a word.
"well, I try," Becky grinned modestly, "But I enjoy helping people."
"Me too," John grinned, "It's the whole reason I went into law enforcement."
Raven blinked, understanding what Beastboy was trying to do. But how had he noticed so quickly, and even before herself; she was suppose to be the empath here.
"Enough small talk," The older officer intervened. "We're wasting time, and therefore wasting the city's money. We have a job to do, kid."
John winced at his words and frowned. "Uh, yeah, sorry sir."
"Dude, you so need to chill out," Beastboy said. "Everything's fine, it's not like Control Freak's going anywhere."
Raven gritted her teeth and John and Becky both sent Beastboy pleading looks in hopes that he wouldn't make the situation any worse.
"Uh, I mean," Beastboy sweat-dropped under their gazes, "Carry on."
"Right then," The older officer replied, in a very unkind voice as he turned away.
Beastboy let out a breath and smiled over at John and Becky who were exchanging shy smiles.
"Now that we're all acquainted," Beastboy grinned. "I think an exchange of numbers is in order here"
John blushed.
"Well, I," he looked up at Becky, and summoning up all his courage, boldly asked , "You doing anything tomorrow?"
Becky blushed and looked over the place. "I think I'm free for at least a few weeks"
She smiled back at him. "How's a movie sound?"
John's eyes widened. "Great. You like sci-fi?"
"love it." Becky nodded.
"pick you up at 7?"
"Yeah."
Raven looked on in surprise as Beastboy grinned approvingly. Closing her eyes for a moment she walked up beside him shaking her head with a soft smile.
"Okay cupid," Raven said to him in a slight mocking tone. "If you're done playing match maker, we can head home now."
Beastboy smiled proudly at himself and blushed in her direction.
"What can I say Rae, I'm a hopeless romantic," He boasted.
"You got the hopeless part right," Raven teased slightly as she walked by.
"Hey! No fair," Beastboy grinned as he walked beside her out the door. "Are you saying that you didn't have a good time tonight? Cause I distinctly remember hearing you say-"
"-No, I had a great time," Raven replied softly.
Beastboy blinked, being caught of guard.
"Okay," he said slowly. "So.."
"So?" She looked over at him. "Are we walking or flying home?"
Beastboy rolled his eyes.
"Duh! Walking, of course," he replied gesturing to the two of them.
"Not what I meant," Raven sighed. "Don't you think it's cold out right now?"
She knew he was barely dressed at all and she had also left her jacket behind.
"Maybe a little, " Beastboy admitted rubbing his upper arms. "But I know you don't have enough power to get us back to the tower, and a walk through the park still sounds like the perfect thing to end our date with."
"What do you mean 'don't have enough power'?" Raven asked, with a slight glare in Beastboy direction as they entered the park.
"Oh come on Raven, you teleported us to the park and fought Control freak," Beastboy reminded her. "And I know how much energy it took just for the teleporting thingy."
"Oh really?" Raven raised an eyebrow slightly. "One date and you're already an expert on all things Raven."
"Hmm, pretty much" Beastboy shrugged though sounding confident.
Raven made a 'hmm..' sound and looked forward as they walked, her pace now quicker than his, and Beastboy had to jog to keep up.
"Yo Rae, you mind slowing down a bit?" Beastboy asked from slightly behind her. "I'm having troub-AH!"
Raven stopped and looked back, a knowing smirk on her face when she spotted Beastboy. He was hanging upside down, black energy gripping his right foot and letting him dangle awkwardly. He grunted and twisted his hips, waving his arms frantically, almost afraid he was going to fall.
"HEY! No fair!" He yelled stopping his struggles and folding his arms over his chest. "This is so not cool!"
"Thought you would have seen it coming," Raven smirked as she stepped closer to him, "With you being an expert on me and all."
Beastboy sighed. "Point taken."
"What's that?" Raven asked feigning ignorance. "I'm afraid I didn't hear you?"
"Raaaeee," Beastboy whined. "All the blood is rushing to my head."
"And?" Raven asked.
"And..uh...," He grinned slyly, "You do realize that from this angle I can see right down your shirt, right?"
That was all it took for Raven to be completely taken off guard and release him, he made a painful grunting noise as he hit the ground.
"Ow, never going to get use to that," He mumbled.
Raven glared down at him, though her cheeks had tinted a slight shade of Red.
"Heh, I was only kidding Raven," he smiled pulling himself up. "That would be totally disrespectful of me."
"Oh?" She asked walking away but looking over her shoulder at him. "You mean like you trying to feel me up earlier today?"
Beastboy frowned in shame as he ran up beside her.
"I already said I was sorry," he replied. "I thought you forgave me? I even still have the bruise."
Raven let out an exaggerated sigh, the cold air stinging her skin as she kept moving forward ahead of him.
"Raven Wait!"
Beastboy grabbed her wrist and she stopped, slightly out of breath, and turned toward him. They were now at the edge of the park, the tower looming high in the distance over the ocean, barely visible in the night sky.
Beastboy was simply staring at her, caught among the mix of emotions inside him. The wind was blowing Ravens hair to the side, her eyes full of emotions that he wished he could identify, her skin seeming to glow against the moon hovering above them in the sky.She was breathing heavily through her nose, but there were no traces of anger in her face; nor did she try to pull away from Beastboy grip.
He stepped closer to her, still holding onto her wrist, he brought his other hand up and cupped the side of her face. Raven literally froze as his gloved hand touched her skin, his thumb gently stoking her cheek and his eyes lingering on her lips, longingly. Something about the way he did this made her feel safe, protected, wanted, and she closed her eyes awaiting what she knew was coming next. She felt his lips connect gently with hers, the wind whipping around the two, their lips parting in a soft sigh exchanged between them before the kiss furthered.
Though it was true they had both kissed each other before, something about this time made it all the more special. Last time Raven had been so preoccupied with her own emotions and thoughts that she had not even taken notice to what he had been feeling at the time; though she was certain he had enjoyed it too. This time there was a strong desire coming off him, an undeniable urge that she found almost difficult to place, and she could not deny that she found it both frightening and exiciting at the same time. Her own emotions seemed to blend with his too, her excitement, happiness, hope...
'Please let this be real'
Beastboy pulled back suddenly, leaving them both wide eyed and out of breath. They stared at one another for what felt like an eternity, the moonlight glimmering against the snow as it began to gently fall around them.
"Wow," Beastboy said heavily, still out of breath. "That was totally 'the best' kiss in the whole entire universe."
Raven blushed, but agreed, Beastboy rubbed the back of his neck nervously.
"Um, Rae?" He asked, looking very nervous."Does this mean that, um, you and I are like...ya know.."
He looked down at his feet, unable to form any of the words properly.
"Isn't this the part where the handsome prince says something profoundly touching?" Raven asked with a weak smile.
Beastboy grinned up at her.
"Something like that," he replied sheepishly, "But feel free to jump in at any minute, Rae; Women's equal rights and all that."
Raven rolled her eyes but then looked up at him.
"Beastboy I, I'd...really like to go out again sometime," she told him.
"With me?" Beastboy asked hopefully, and Raven sighed impatiently.
"No, with Cyborg" she replied sarcastically.
"What!"
"Beastboy, I'm joking," Raven told him in a neutral tone, "Of course I mean you."
"Oh, right, heh," He grinned. "So..are you saying that we're like official now?"
"Officially what?" Raven asked moving closer toward him.
"Well...I mean-"
"-yeah" Raven asked now only inches way from him, enjoying watching him squirm.
"Me as you're..and you being my...us," he stammered, suddenly feeling weak and light-headed.
Raven leaned closer, brushing her lips gently against his for a few brief moments, allowing her emotions to run away with her.
"As long as you don't mind having a half-demon for a girlfriend," She whispered.
"N.n.no," he stutter in a hushed tone, feeling dizzy, "Don't mind."
She pulled away from him, feeling suddenly more aware of herself, and of Beastboy.
"Whoa," he said putting a hand to his head. "I think I may need to sit down."
Raven smiled at the compliment but noticed that he was indeed beginning to fall to his knees. Alarmed, she managed to catch him in her arms as he fell forward, bending down on one knee to try and support his weight.
"Beastboy," She said, hating how detached she sounded despite her concern, "What's wrong?"
His brow furrowed in concentration.
"Not...sure, I guess," he chuckled softly, half open eyes looking up at her, "You take my breath away."
Only Beastboy could take a moment so completely serious and still find the time to say something so very corny. It lessened her concern slightly before his head fell onto her shoulder, unconscious. She took a brief moment to try and draw a conclusion to what just happened; he hadn't really eaten anything today, he had wore himself out during the battle, or maybe...
Had her emotions, her powers, somehow done this to him? That was a thought almost too terrifying to be true.
Wrapping her arms around him, she prepared to teleport them back to the tower, and into the medical bay to find out for sure.
"You're lucky you're worth the trouble Beastboy," she told him, and she could almost make out the tired smile that crossed his face before they both were engulfed by darkness.
Hmm...don't know what to say. I feel like I may have been lacking inspiration on several parts, but I just couldn't stand waiting any longer to post it.
Can't say for sure when the next chapter will be up, so I'm hoping that me making this chapter long helps the wait. Heh.
OH! I got my permit today! Yes, I must share my joy with the world!
Me: Go kayla, it's your birthday, get to drive now, oh yeah!
Ahem...also, here's a little something that didn't make it into the chapter.
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Beastboy frowned as he looked down at himself.
"Aw man," He complained "Robin's going to kill me."
"I thought you may have borrowed that from him" Raven mused with a raised eyebrow.
"Huh...how?" Beastboy asked, wide eyed.
"The jacket," Raven replied with an amused grin "It was leather."
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I just didn't find a place to fit that in.
Until next time! Please Review!!!