Author's Notes: This version of the story was done by ShiningHopeBeast! I am ashamed to admit that somehow I overlooked their contribution and the story remained languishing forgotten in my inbox for months. A very public and very contrite apology to them for my oversight. I hope you enjoy this addition as much as I did!

-=oOo=-

High Stakes

"You should give up right away and save yourselves a lot of pain, dudes!" Beast Boy boasted. "I'm the king!"

His character ran and rolled under a burst of bullets, sprang up and sent a perfectly aimed headshot at Cyborg, then ducked behind a wall before Robin could riddle him. He pulled the pin from a hand grenade and bounced it off the side wall. It exploded a moment later, sending pieces of Robin's character all around.

"YEAH! Two frags ahead, nine more minutes to go!" he chortled while pumping his fist victoriously. "I ain't doin' the dishes today, that's for sure!"

Cyborg and Robin fumed while they waited impatiently for their characters to respawn. This was a high-stakes deathmatch; the loser would have to do the dishes that day. The two older Titans glanced and nodded almost imperceptibly at each other, having reached an unspoken, silent agreement.

The next three minutes they tried outflanking, pincer movements, baiting out and even a plain old frontal assault, but Beast Boy held his own against both of them combined, and even increased his lead to four frags. His opponents scowled in impotent anger.

-=( ShiningHopeBeast's Version starts here )=-

Cyborg and Robin definitely weren't expecting his answer.

"Yeah," he said nonchalantly, eyes remaining fixed on the screen as he yet again increased his lead.

Robin and Cyborg once again exchanged a glance. Was he really that calm and collected? Why didn't the question provoke a stronger response? "Really?" asked the Boy Wonder incredulously, trying to prod Beast Boy into losing his cool.

"Yeah, dude," he affirmed. "I have." He skillfully dodged the combined attacks of the two older boys and retaliated by swiftly killing them. A wicked gleam shone in his eyes.

Both of them were now not only skeptical but also angry that their plan was clearly failing. They racked their brains for ways to push the issue further as to elicit a response from him that would tip the game in their favor.

"Oh, yeah?" Cyborg responded at last. "And who might that be?"

Robin quickly caught on. "Let me guess. One of those obscure Japanese chicks in the Beast Boy fan club. Probably didn't even mean anything."

Beast Boy shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Dudes, what's up with you?"

Cyborg grinned as he fired off a shot, successfully hitting his target. "What's up with you? Seems like your trying to avoid the question. Is it true, then?"

Beast Boy shook his head. "Course not! Are you stupid enough to think that I would just randomly go and kiss some random girl?"

"I do," Robin responded. The half-robot and the acrobat burst out laughing, Cyborg risking taking a metal hand off of his controller to give Robin a high-five.

Beast Boy frowned. "That's totally not funny."

Both boys were beginning to have more fun than they planned. "C'mon, B," Cyborg said. "Just tell us the truth. You haven't kissed a girl before."

"I have too!" Beast Boy retorted. "I'm no liar!"

They reverted back to poking fun at who it might have been. "Was it Terra?" Robin asked. Suddenly realizing what he said, he flinched at his own words, and he and Cyborg braced themselves for his reaction.

Beast Boy faltered for only a second, a second enough to lose part of his lead. He gathered himself again quickly, although a different hint of emotion lingered in his eyes. "No," he said quietly. He picked up his voice, sounding much calmer. "I mean, we almost did, but, it just never ended up happening."

Surprised at his response, both of the other Titans lulled in their efforts. However, as the clock ticked down to two and a half minutes remaining, they silently signaled to each other to renew their attempts. They hadn't done any harm, anyways.

"How about other Titans?" Cyborg laughed. He and Robin continued to pitch in with various other Titans' names at a rapid pace. At each one, Beast Boy grew more and more irritated, thus becoming more and more clumsy with his controller and allowing the two other Titans to close the gap further.

"Kole?"

"Argent?"

"Jinx?"

"Bumblebee?"

"Pantha?" (Both boys howled with laughter at this one.)

"Starfire?" Robin was not pleased with this one, glaring at Cyborg out of the corner of his eye. Cyborg shrugged casually in response.

Beast Boy responded once he had an opportunity to speak. "Okay, guys, you really wanna know?" He was annoyed beyond end by their pestering.

"Yes, tell us, man!" Cyborg exclaimed, preparing to have some fun with the answer.

Beast Boy took a deep breath in preparation before he answered. "The girl I've kissed before is-" He took a breath for a suspenseful pause.

"-Raven."

Robin and Cyborg were silent for a moment before bursting into hysterical laughter. With their controllers forgotten, both of them practically rolled on the floor in their amusement.

"Raven!" Cyborg gasped in between cackles. "Now that's the funniest thing I've heard all day!"

Beast Boy glared at them, somehow still continuing to play the video game. "I'm not joking," he warned them.

Robin shook his head. "As if Raven would ever kiss you," he chuckled.

Beast Boy opened his mouth in anger to retort, when suddenly a look of enlightenment came over his features. He grinned. "Think whatever you want to, Bird Boy," he responded smugly. "Cause I've just won the game."

This stopped them in their tracks. "WHAT?!" they shouted in tandem, whipping their heads to look at the screen.

Indeed, Beast Boy was truly the victor.

"WINNER: BeastManGML12345"

"Oh, yeah! I am the KING!"

Both older boys' mouths gaped open. Not only had their plan been foiled, but they had been defeated in a similar fashion.

Cyborg recovered from his shock first, his disbelief morphing to rage and finally a bitter grin. "Hey, man, you may have won the game, but you're still a liar."

Beast Boy turned on him. "Dude, that's not cool. You can't just go and call me a liar just because you have to do the dishes."

Robin joined in. "Beast Boy, it's obvious that you're not telling the truth. You can't fool us. There's no way on earth that you could have ever kissed Raven."

"I have!" Beast Boy insisted, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Yo, man, this isn't funny anymore," said Cyborg. "Just come clean and tell us the truth. We won't make fun of you anymore, honest."

"I'm not lying!" Beast Boy shouted, hurt and anger creeping into his eyes.

None of the three male Titans noticed that the door to the common room opened, as they were too absorbed in their argument.

"Beast Boy, I'm serious. Why do you keep insisting on lying to us?" Robin's eyes were narrowed behind his mask.

"I'm telling you, I'm. Not. Lying." Beast Boy's voice was cold, his eyes darkening.

A quiet voice dissipated the tense atmosphere. "What's going on here?"

The three of them turned to see Raven, clad in her cloak and standing passively, watching them with knowing eyes.

Before the others could speak, Beast Boy walked up to Raven and whispered into her ear. Robin and Cyborg watched closely.

Though her face remained stoic, her eyes glinted. "I would ask you to think carefully about accusing someone of lying without proof," she said slowly. Beast Boy smiled confidently as she spoke. "Now please, watch closely." She turned to Beast Boy and the two of them leaned in.

The chaste kiss was soft and tender and full of sincerity. Though it lasted no more than a few seconds, the impact on the other two Titans was very great.

Cyborg and Robin's mouths dropped open as they watched, completely surprised. They stood open-mouthed even after the kiss was finished.

Beast Boy wrapped an arm around the empath's waist. "Come on, Rae," he said with a smirk. "Let's go do something nice together." He grinned at his shocked teammates. "Have fun doing the dishes!"

After the walked away, it took Robin and Cyborg several minutes to recover. They looked at each with wide eyes.

"Did . . . that just happen?" Robin asked, scratching the back of his neck.

Cyborg slowly nodded. "Yeah," he confirmed. "I think so."

When Starfire entered the room a little while later, the two of them were battling furiously to determine who out of the two of them would be doing the dishes. Raven hovered nearby, watching them with a satisfied smile on her face as she stroked a green kitten curled up innocently on her lap.

THE END