I am in the process of pretending that I am in the process of owning the Teen Titans
This was it. The end. Beast Boy was going to die - he knew it. At the tender age of eighteen, Garfield Mark Logan would be murdered during the annual charity ball. Cause of death? His own stupidity, coupled with his bad judgement and a dash of horrible timing.
Hell, he didn't even get the chance to tell Raven how he felt.
He gave his date one last pleading look as Bumble Bee hooked her fingers into his collar and pulled him away. Probably to somewhere less crowded, where his screams wouldn't be heard.
But the empath merely shrugged her shoulders, before a small smirk crept onto her face. He should have known she'd enjoy something like this. She always had a morbid fascination with anything that caused him bodily harm.
As he continued to be dragged away, he tried to formulate a reasonable excuse for lying to Bumble Bee. Telling her that it was to save Raven from having to go on a date with fish-boy seemed justifiable enough, though he was the reason for that almost happening. Maybe he could appeal to the Titans East leader's girly side, and claim it was all for his unrequited love for the half-demon.
Well, their feelings may be mutual, but if he were to die right now, he'd never know for sure. And he had to know. So obviously, he couldn't very well be killed.
"Well, Beast Boy, I must say - I never thought you were this stupid," Bumble Bee mused as she finally released the changeling.
He took in his surroundings quickly, noting that his fellow titan had only taken him into the hall, across from the restrooms.
"Uh," he replied absently, idly forming an escape plan in his head.
Bumble Bee sighed in exasperation as she exchanged a glance with Sarah.
The blonde gave the heroine a small smile, before turning towards Beast Boy and extending her hand.
The changeling tentatively shook it, giving her a wary look.
"I've always wanted to meet you guys," Sarah announced in a sweet voice. "Like, Cyborg had planned on introducing us all, but obviously that isn't going to happen now."
Beast Boy arched a brow at the lack of hostility she was showing. She seemed like a nice, level-headed girl, with a toothy smile and dainty features. Very... pixie-like, really.
Sparing a glance at Bumble Bee's wings, Beast Boy wondered idly if Cyborg had some kind of fairy-fetish, shuddering uncomfortably at the thought.
"Cy's told us... uh, well, nothing, really, about you," he responded awkwardly.
Both girls huffed in exasperated amusement, exchanging knowing looks.
"Figures," Sarah laughed bitterly as she crossed her arms over her chest.
"That no-good, two-timing sack of bolts!" Bumble Bee exclaimed, hovering in the air slightly. "He starts seeing you on the side, and doesn't even have the decency to introduce you to his friends!"
Sarah shook her head angrily, glaring at the wall behind Beast Boy. "We should have done more than just short-circuit him," she replied menacingly.
Beast Boy gulped nervously as he backed away, but the Titans East leader grabbed his hand and jerked him back.
"Oh, no you don't, green-bean," she smirked. "If I remember correctly, you're the one who told me Sparky wanted me here, and obviously that wasn't true."
Both women gave the green teen pointed looks.
Smiling sheepishly, the changeling directed his sights towards the ground. "Y-yeah, uh, about that - "
"No, no, I don't want to hear your excuses," Bumble Bee warned, waving a finger in his face. "I did you a favor, and now I expect you to do one for me."
"What is - " he started, but the heroine cut him off again.
"You'll know soon enough," she replied mysteriously, earning a giggle from the blonde. "Now, run along and be a good date to Raven. Believe me, if you were scared of being on my bad side, you definitely don't want to upset her."
Beast Boy nodded timidly, swallowing down the lump in his throat as his fingers brushed over the other object in his pocket.
Seemingly satisfied with her threat, Bumble Bee linked arms with Sarah once more, and both girls headed back towards the dance floor.
Feeling slightly nauseous, Beast Boy slowly made his way back towards his date, who was staring distastefully at a group of noisy socialites.
"You'd think they'd at least pretend to be classy," she mused dryly as the green teen approached her.
Beast Boy spared the sloppy girls a quick glance, before his eyes darted back to the empath.
He was still in awe over how incredibly stunning she was, and the necklace she was now wearing only seemed to amplify her beauty. It contrasted wonderfully with her pale skin, while bringing out the brilliant purple hues in both her eyes and hair. And her dress... he couldn't even formulate any coherent thoughts with her waltzing around in that thing.
"They're just trying to get attention, since all eyes are on you," Beast Boy teased, trying to feign confidence.
Raven's eyes met his for a moment, before looking away shyly. "Uh huh," she replied sarcastically as her face flushed.
Feeling his confidence soar at her timidness, Beast Boy decided to push a little further. "Seriously, though. If I were a chick, I'd probably just give up and go home - there's no competing with you. But I'm a dude, obviously, and because of that, I'm the luckiest guy here!"
Raven's blush only deepened, but she did manage to look him in the eyes. "So I take it they didn't kill you," she deadpanned, changing the subject.
Beast Boy let out a nervous chuckle. "Heh, no... Well, not yet, at least..."
The empath's brow rose curiously, though she didn't push for him to continue.
Giving her a cheeky smile, the changeling glanced around the room. He had been surprised by how nice the convention center had been set up, since it was usually used for tacky proms and motivational speakers. But it actually looked... elegant, and kind of fairytale-ish.
The people attending were dressed in only the finest of tuxedos and dresses, with their white teeth illuminating the room as they socialized and danced. He caught sight of Robin conversing with the mayor, while Starfire stood by, looking bored. He felt a pang of pity for the alien, knowing that she was very fond of dancing, and if the boy wonder didn't wise up soon, she'd probably end up accepting one of the many offers she had already received.
But with that thought, Beast Boy stiffened. Giving Raven a fleeting look, he wondered if she, too, was yearning to dance. Sure, she had said that no-dancing was a part of taking her as his date, but perhaps she was just being her usual, Raven-y self? Maybe, secretly, she was hoping that he would whisk her onto the dance floor and dazzle her with his moves?
Sparing her another glance, his heart skipped a beat as she sighed wistfully, her eyes glued to a couple slow dancing a few meters away from them. Beast Boy took in a shaky breath, preparing himself for what he was about to do.
"So, uh, Raven?"
Her eyes shifted to his immediately, giving him her full attention.
"Hmm?"
Beast Boy could feel his palms began to sweat as he nervously smoothed down his outfit, only to feel the love potion waiting patiently in his pocket. Changing tactics quickly, a smug smile sprouted onto his face.
"So, about that guy you like..." he began with a smirk.
Raven furrowed her brows in confusion as she broke eye contact with him, again looking towards the dance floor. "What about him?" she deadpanned.
Beast Boy attempted to remain nonchalant as he shrugged his shoulders. "I was just wondering if, you know, you've figured out if he likes you back..."
She continued to keep her eyes from meeting his as she replied stoically. "Nothing is certain, but I have a faint idea of how he feels."
Trying not to smile, the changeling nodded absently. "Oh. That's good." Pause. "And how exactly does he feel?"
He could see a small blush form atop Raven's cheeks, though she was still an expert at keeping her cool.
"I'm not sure... he's rather good at... evading my empathy," she mused, tucking her hair behind her ear. "My guess is he's hiding something."
Beast Boy felt a blush of his own creep onto his face as he, too, directed his sights towards the guests. "Huh." Another pause. "What could he be hiding?"
Raven finally looked at him, giving him a playful glare. "I don't know; you tell me."
Beast Boy swore his heart forgot to beat, and that his lungs had collapsed as he stared wide-eyed at the half-demon.
"I mean, you're a guy, after all. Why would he want to keep his feelings hidden from me?"
Choking slightly as he inhaled, the green teen cleared his throat awkwardly. "M-maybe he's not sure if you f-feel the same..?"
Raven's lips twitched into a small smile as she looked away from him once more. "Then he's a lot denser than I had previously thought."
Beast Boy let out a sheepish chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck nervously as his feet scuffed the floor. "Sounds like he's a real winner."
Raven, too, let out a small laugh. "He's... something else, that's for sure."
Every fiber in his body was begging Beast Boy to make a move, or say something clever, or admit his feelings - anything to end the awkward, slightly flirtatious bantering. His primal side was getting rather impatient, while his instincts were feeling a little hesitant - though they, too, were pushing for at least something to happen.
Smoothing down his tux once more, he again felt the bottle in his pocket. Trying to keep his cool, he casually began removing it.
"Well, since you're still not entirely sure, maybe this could help?" He pulled the bottle from his tux and held it out towards the empath, who gave it a bewildered look.
"Is that - "
"The sugar-water from the magic shop?" Beast Boy finished with a grin. "Yep - the only foolproof way to make somebody fall madly in love with you. And my guess is, the dude won't really need it - but it can be your back-up plan."
Raven slowly took the bottle from his hands as she attempted to bite back a smirk.
"Foolproof, huh? And what if the guy I like is a total fool? Will the effects be moot?"
Beast Boy snorted in amusement as he dug his hands into his pant pockets. "It's foolproof, Rae. And like I said, it's a back-up plan. Though, in my opinion, if the guy doesn't already see how amazing you are, he doesn't deserve you."
Raven nodded slowly as she turned the potion around in her hands. Beast Boy could tell by the slight moving of her lips that she was chanting her mantra silently, meaning that her powers were threatening to freak out.
Feeling a little guilty, Beast Boy removed his hand from his pocket and slowly cupped it over the potion in her hand. "But I really doubt he's gonna need it," he repeated with a shy smile.
Raven gave him a sideways glance, before a shy smile of her own appeared on her face. "Well, he can be a total idiot sometimes, as well as completely clueless, so this might just come in handy."
Beast Boy opened his mouth to respond, but was interrupted by the sound of a microphone squealing to life.
All the muffled chatter in the room hushed as the music turned down, while all eyes looked towards the stage.
The Mayor of Jump, a stout, jolly-looking man, stood atop the stage with a welcoming grin. Next to him stood Robin and Starfire, smiling politely.
"Welcome, my many friends and colleagues, to the annual Jump City Charity Ball!" he announced cheerfully, earning a round of enthusiastic applause. Once the noise began to die down, he began speaking again. "I am very pleased to inform everyone that this year, we were able to raise over three million dollars!"
An even louder round of applause, coupled by a "Booyah!" from the half-robot and a "Sweet!" from the changeling echoed in the large room.
The Mayor nodded along excitedly, before continuing. "Now, it is my great pleasure to welcome two of our local heroes, Robin and Starfire of the Teen Titans, to the stage, so they may announce the two charities we have sponsored this year!"
Another deafening bout of applause greeted Beast Boy's ears as he watched his teammates approach the microphone.
"Hello there, citizens of Jump," Robin began professionally, but Starfire quickly took over.
"Yes! Many of the hellos to you all!" she enthused, earning a few wolf-whistles from the crowd. Blissfully ignorant to the hostile glare her boyfriend was giving the audience, the alien continued. "We have done the raising of the funds, and it is our greatest pleasure to announce that the charitable donations will be awarded to the Foundation of Children's Wishes, and to the local shelters of the homeless, here in the city we reside in!"
It took a moment for the guests to decipher the alien's speech, but once the message became clear, the audience burst into frenzied applause.
Beast Boy jumped up and down as he voiced his excitement out loud, while Raven stood beside him and clapped politely. The green teen glanced at her several times, wondering if the craziness of the room was getting to her, but the content smile on her face seemed to say otherwise.
As the noise became more manageable, Robin reclaimed the microphone to wrap up the speech.
"Well, I'd say it has been a job well done, my fellow citizens, and taking into consideration how much we raised tonight alone, I feel it's best to inform you all that tonight's proceeds will be donated to the local public schools here in Jump."
Beast Boy felt a slight headache come on as the crowd cheered once more. He tried to block out the noise as Robin wrapped up the speech, and the music began playing once more. Glancing around, he noticed almost everyone had moved onto the dance floor, including the boy wonder and his girlfriend.
Feeling the sneaking suspicion that they were expected to do the same, Beast Boy slowly turned towards the empath.
Raven rolled her eyes fondly, removing the bottle that was tucked under her arm and placing it on a nearby table.
Swallowing down his nerves, Beast Boy reached his hand towards her, feeling his heart skip a beat as she placed her own hand in his palm.
Silently, he pulled her to the dance floor, making sure to keep to the outskirts of it, as not to overwhelm her.
Raven gave him a grateful smile, before she laced her arms around his neck. Letting out a deep breath, the changeling tentatively placed his hands on her waist, and slowly began swaying them to the music.
He knew his face was beet red, but he couldn't stop the dopey smile that appeared on his face. Feeling a small bout of confidence, he slowly leaned in.
"I thought you said no dancing?" he whispered coyly in her ear. He pulled back slightly, coveting the annoyed expression on the empath's face.
"What did I tell you about asking questions?" she bit back.
Beast Boy merely grinned sheepishly - he seriously doubted anything could ruin this moment.
Whew, that was a long chapter! Lol
So I think the next chapter will probably be the last, so it seems we are coming to an end! Though I will save my thank-yous and goodbyes for the epilogues lol
I hope you guys stick around!
Heck, maybe even leave a review? ;D