AN: I do not own Teen Titans. Follow me on tumblr to keep up to date with my writing process! beautifulpurpleflame . tumblr. com

First Last Date

Beast Boy was whistling as he entered the common room, as he often did when in a good mood. He spotted three of his teammates already there and enjoying their quiet evening, something they didn't have all that often. He smiled upon seeing them and gave them a greeting of, "Hey dudes! What's on the agenda tonight?"

"Starfire and I are going to watch a documentary about how dirty restaurant restrooms are," said an unhappy Robin.

"Would you like to join us?" Starfire asked cheerfully.

"Uh, thanks, but I'm not exactly in the mood to be afraid of the bathroom," said Beast Boy. "The world's scary enough already. So, Cyborg, what're you up to?"

"I was planning on installing the new subwoofers in the T-car," said Cyborg.

"Ooh, can I help?" he asked with bright eyes.

"I'd rather you stayed as far away from the garage as possible," said Cyborg. "Especially after the 'windshield wipers' incident."

"Aw come on, we found them!" he defended himself. "You know, eventually."

"No," said Cyborg with finality.

Beast Boy sighed and pouted. "So I've got no one to hang out with tonight? I don't wanna be alone."

"Please, join us in our documentary viewing," Starfire smiled and patted the couch.

"Please," Robin begged, not happy about having to watch the program.

"No offense, Star, but I'd rather be alone than watch a boring and probably scary documentary," said Beast Boy. "Ooh! Speaking of boring and scary, where's Raven? Maybe I can talk her into doing something with me."

"She's out," said Cyborg, causing both Robin and Starfire to give him shocked looks.

"Out? Out where?" asked Beast Boy.

Cyborg realized his mistake and stuttered, "O-Out…uh…Did I say out? I meant in. Yeah, she's in her room."

Beast Boy gave his friend a queer look. "Okay, I may not have much going for me, but if there's one thing I've got it's good hearing. And you totally said she was out."

"Nope, that's not what I said," Cyborg denied. "Rob, Star, did I say that?"

"No, you said she's in," Robin nodded in forced agreement.

"Oh yes, you most certainly did say she was in her room," Starfire agreed as well. "You did not say that she was out because that would not be like Raven. Raven is not the sort of person to be out of the tower this late in the evening and she certainly would not be out with another person all alone."

"Starfire!" Cyborg and Robin hissed, causing her to slap her hands over her mouth.

"Whoa, whoa, wait a second," said Beast Boy, partially confused and partially putting the puzzle pieces of Starfire's sentences together. "Raven's out with someone? Why would she be out with someone unless…she's…" His eyes grew wide and his jaw dropped before he exclaimed, "She's on a date?!"

"Nice, Star," Cyborg sighed.

"It was not my fault, you are the one who did the slipping of the tongue first," said Starfire, feeling terrible all the same.

"Why didn't anyone tell me?" asked Beast Boy.

"Because she didn't want you to know," said Robin. "You know how private she is about the personal parts of her life."

"But she told all of you," Beast Boy countered. "How come I was kept in the dark?"

"Cuz she knew you'd tease her or spy on her," said Cyborg. "So she made us promise not to tell you."

"What? She really thought I'd do something like that?" Beast Boy asked, hurt. Then his mind began to work. "Although, it would be interesting to see what kind of-"

"Beast Boy, you must not interfere with Raven being courted," Starfire cut him off, becoming very serious and shaking her finger in his face. "I will not allow you to upset our friend who has been working so very very hard to establish a relationship with this young man over the last four weeks."

"Four weeks?!" Beast Boy exclaimed. "She's been seeing this guy for a month?"

Starfire gasped and covered her mouth again. "My tongue will not cease slipping! I must take action immediately." And with that she flew off to find a way to keep her tongue in place.

"Alright, enough of these secrets," said Beast Boy. "I want all the info right now."

"That is all the info," said Cyborg.

"That's as much as Raven's told us," said Robin. "And we aren't going to push her for more."

"I see, so it's up to me to find out all the juicy stuff," Beast Boy said with a devious smile, rubbing his hands.

"No it's not," Robin said firmly. "She'll tell you what you need to know when she sees fit. Until then you need to forget this conversation happened. Understand?"

"But-"

"Understand?"

Beast Boy sighed with a huff. "Fine. This conversation never happened."

"So I guess I'll just hafta 'accidentally' see her on her date," he chuckled to himself as he hid behind a row of shrubbery outside of a well-known café.

It hadn't been easy finding her but the moment he caught the slightest hint of her scent he knew she was his. And after following the scent trail he found her and her 'boyfriend' sitting outside enjoying a cup of tea. He got his camera out and focused the lens on the two.

"Okay, let's see what happens when Raven goes out on a date. If I'm lucky I'll catch them kissing. That'd be sweet!" He snickered to himself…until he realized he was hoping to watch Raven kiss another boy. And that made him uncomfortable and he squirmed behind the bush. "Okay, maybe not kissing. She probably wouldn't kiss a guy unless they'd been going out for, like, a year. So…maybe they'll hug? Or hold hands? Ugh, none of that seems right to me. Well whatever they do I'm definitely gonna capture it!"

He watched carefully through his camera from his spot behind the shrubbery as Raven and her date sat at their table. They sipped their tea, they gazed at the other patrons, they sipped their tea, they watched the traffic drive by, they sipped their tea. They didn't look at each other, they didn't talk to each other, they just sat there in silence watching the world pass them by. Beast Boy became so bored he found himself more interested in a flock of pigeons congregating on the sidewalk. He actually forgot about why he was there in the shrub for a few minutes.

"This is not a date," he said to himself, upon remembering his purpose. "I don't know what this is but it's definitely not a date."

He decided to get a good look at the guy. He seemed somewhat familiar but he couldn't quite place him. He wore dark clothing, dark eyeliner, and his hair partially covered his face. He looked like the type of guy she'd end up with; not that that necessarily meant that he was right for her. And he didn't seem interested in her in the least. He'd looked into the bottom of his cup more times than he'd looked at her.

The green teen continued to survey this so called date and actually began to fall asleep he was so bored. And it was as he was just nodding off when the unthinkable happened: someone spoke!

"Read any good books lately?" Raven asked.

"There are no good books," the young man replied. "Books are either filled with lies or skewed truths. I find literature pointless."

Raven said nothing to that and Beast Boy found himself growing angry at that statement. He wasn't a fan of books but he knew Raven was. And even he knew that books weren't pointless. And they weren't all lies. So why wasn't Raven defending her love of literature? If he'd said something that ignorant he knew she'd lecture him with big words that would hurt his brain. But instead she was just sitting there, looking at the engraved tabletop.

After that short lived conversation the two continued to sit silently. The changeling was ready to rip his hair out. If he'd known that this was what constituted as a date for Raven he'd have stayed home. Was she actually enjoying herself? Was this the kind of romance she wanted? Did she find this gloomy guy who wouldn't give her a second glance attractive? He hoped there was something about all of this he was missing because none of it made sense to him. And if anything it made him a little agitated.

The hour he sat behind that bush was the longest hour of his life. He watched as they did absolutely nothing apart from having their tea refilled once and avoiding eye contact. He was considering suing the pair of them for his wasted evening. Of course he could leave. And most would have by now. But he wouldn't. Not until he saw something that made him believe that these two were actually on a date and actually did like each other. He didn't spend his night behind the shrub for nothing! And he finally became so frustrated and bored he couldn't contain it inside of him any longer.

"Do something!" he found himself shouting in aggravation through the foliage.

Everyone in the café jumped and looked his way. He quickly regretted his explosion and ducked as far down behind the shrubbery as he could. His mind raced and he found himself frozen, holding his lips shut with his gloved hands. He knew he should probably transform into something and either hide or get out of there but he was too scared to move.

He heard the conversations within the café continue and realized they must have decided to ignore his outburst. He carefully and slowly looked back through the leaves. He spotted Raven's table and saw that the guy was still there, sitting and looking at nothing…but Raven was gone. And then his view was blocked by a figure standing right in front of him. His hair stood on end and a chill went down his spine. He gulped and slowly looked up. And there she stood, glaring down at him.

"Uh, heh, hi," he said lamely with a nervous smile.

"Trouble," she hissed. "Big trouble." She grabbed him by the ear and dragged him away from the café, getting everyone's attention as he whimpered and flailed with pain. She brought him over to the sidewalk and released her hold of him. "Who told you I was here?"

"No one," he said and rubbed his poor ear. "I found you on my own."

"Then who told you I was out?" she pushed.

"Oh, uh, I don't think I should say," he admitted. "Cuz you're probably gonna hurt them and it wasn't really their fault. It was an accident that I found out, honest."

"And did they explain to you why I didn't want you to know?"

"Yeah, they said that you were worried that I would make fun of you or spy on you or something. I'm actually kinda hurt you think that of me."

"You did spy on me."

"Well yeah! It's not every day you get a boyfriend. And, I've gotta tell you, I am totally not liking this relationship. I mean, is that what it even is? He's not really your boyfriend, is he?"

"I've never officially called him that but I suppose he is. And I don't really care if you approve of my relationship or not. Now go home."

"Why? So you and goth boy over there can keep sitting in silence and not looking at each other? You realize that that's not normal, right?"

"I'm not normal. Now go."

"No, not until I figure out what's going on here," he planted his feet. "Why are you dating someone who doesn't look at you or even talk to you? And how can you be okay with what he said about books? That's not like you at all."

"He was just stating his opinion."

"If I said something like that you'd be all over me about it and you know it. Why does he get a free pass? Do you really think he's cute? Is he your type? Cuz I think you can totally do better. Like, someone whose eyes aren't hidden behind random fringes of hair. Someone who knows how to smile and stuff. Someone who actually likes being alive. He looks like a manikin with eyeliner!"

"I don't judge on outward appearances. It's what inside your heart that counts."

"Oh yeah? What's inside that guy's heart that makes him so attractive then? He actually said that literature is pointless, Raven. How good can a guy be if he doesn't at least respect books? Even I respect them even if I don't read them!"

She sighed and pinched her brow. "Why are you so concerned about him? What difference does it make to you whether I date him or not? He's a guy that asked me out, I went out with him, he didn't make my emotions get out of control, and he asked me to go out again. I don't need anything more than that."

"If he didn't make your emotions go out of control then you don't need him at all!" he exclaimed. "You're supposed to feel something when you go out on a date. Whoever you go out with should make you feel happy and special and actually look at you. They should try to hold your hand and kiss you and get all close to you. If this guy isn't making you feel anything then why bother? If you're lonely get a pet! I'd be totally okay with you getting a cat, provided you don't put a tight collar on it and didn't confine it anywhere. Anything's better than being with a guy that doesn't respect what you love and doesn't even look at or talk to you. And don't give me all that crud about you wanting to keep your emotions under control. You've got a lot more freedom with them now so why would you not want to have a real relationship? Why would you settle for…this?"

He felt quite good with his speech and would stand by every word he'd said. And he knew he'd hit some sort of nerve in her by the way she was uncomfortably staring at the sidewalk now. Finally she looked back at him and shrugged.

"He's the first guy that actually wanted to spend time with me. He doesn't see me as creepy. He doesn't judge me at all. And that means a lot to me."

"I think he doesn't judge you at all because he couldn't care less about you," he said frankly and he watched as her breath caught for a moment. It was subtle, normal people wouldn't have caught it, but he had. And he saw how an actual expression began to corrupt her face. He couldn't quite place the emotion he was seeing but it was something between sadness and deep thought and pain. Finally she snapped out of it, it had only lasted for a total of four seconds, and gave him a cross frown.

"Go home, Beast Boy. And don't let me catch you spying on me again."

And with that she turned and headed back to the café and the table where her boyfriend sat, looking as apathetic as ever. The changeling wanted to continue debating the issue but wasn't about to make a scene on the sidewalk. Well, not a bigger one than he already had, anyway. So he decided it was best that he did go home now. After all, he'd said what he'd wanted to say and knew there was nothing left for him to see. He turned into a falcon on the spot and flew back towards the bay and the tower.

When he arrived home he went straight to his room and was glad to see that no one had noticed that he'd been gone. The night was still young so he decided to find his handheld gamestation and practice for his next tournament with Cyborg. Unfortunately, he spent more time looking for the darn thing than actually using it. He spent a half an hour looking for it in his mess of a room before remembering he'd put it under his pillow so that he wouldn't lose it. He finally retrieved it and settled into his bed to freshen up on his skills. And that's when he heard a knock on his door.

"Aw come on," he whined and turned the toy off. He climbed down off his bed and dragged himself over to the door. He slid it aside and was about to say, "What?" when a large dark energy fist bonked him on the head. "Ow! What was that for?!"

"You," Raven pointed at him, seething. "You owe me a boyfriend."

"What? What are you talking about?" he asked, rubbing his head.

"I was perfectly content with what I had," she spat. "I knew it wasn't much but it was mine and I was thankful for it. And then you had to come spying on me, just like I knew you would, and point out all of the negative things that I should have done something about. You blatantly tore my relationship apart and made me look pathetic in the process."

"I didn't do that, I just told you the truth!" he defended himself. "Wait a second…did you actually break up with him?"

"I wasn't planning on it but now I can't look at the guy without your accurate and honest words rolling around in my head," she frowned then crossed her arms. "So now you owe me a boyfriend."

"Why me?"

"Because this is all your fault."

"You honestly want me choosing your next boyfriend?"

"Well you're the one who seems to know exactly what I need."

"Raven you can find a new guy, just look for someone who would actually make a good boyfriend," he said and then began to list qualities on his fingers. "Someone who'll talk to you and is cheerful and will let you be yourself and go out of his way to make you feel special. He should probably have a sense of humor, too. You need to laugh more. Someone who will make you feel safe and won't ever make you question your worth or how you feel about yourself. Someone who keeps you on your toes but also makes you feel comfortable. To put it simply, someone who is the complete opposite of that goth boy."

"You're the complete opposite of that goth boy," she pointed out. "Are you saying that I should be dating someone like you?"

"M-Me?! No! Not me," he objected quickly, his cheeks rouging from the idea. "Me and you? Heh, that'd never work out, right?"

"I didn't say you I said someone like you," she clarified, the apples of her own cheeks becoming enflamed.

"Well good cuz I definitely shouldn't be your boyfriend or anything," his voice cracked he was still so flustered. "Not that I'm saying I wouldn't make a good boyfriend, I'd actually make an amazing boyfriend! Heck, I'd probably be the best boyfriend you ever had."

"You honestly think that?" she asked skeptically.

"Oh yeah, I'd be a great boyfriend," he said. "Heck, you'd be lucky to have me."

"Good, then find me someone like you and set me up with him next Saturday at seven," she said. "If you know so much about what I need then I shouldn't have any reason to worry."

"You actually want me to find someone like me? he asked. "How am I supposed to do that? There's no one else out there like me! You of all people should know that."

"Hey, you're the one who basically said that I needed a boyfriend like you," she crossed her arms. "And if you're the only one out there that's 'like you' then I guess that's what I'll have to settle for, won't I?"

"Settle for? What's that supposed to mean?" he began to fume. "No one 'settles' for me."

"If you and I were together then it's pretty clear that I'd be settling," she said plainly.

He frowned and growled, "Fine, you wanna do this? We'll do this. Next Saturday at seven I'm taking you out and I'll show you what it's like to have a good boyfriend."

"Fine and we'll see if you live up to your own reputation," she agreed. "And if you don't then I want you to stay out of my love life permanently. No more spying on me, no more criticizing my dates, and no more advice. Got it?"

"Got it," he replied.

And with that she turned and began walking back down the hall while he closed his door. He stood there for a moment smiling, feeling that he'd won the argument, until he realized what exactly had just happened. Had he really just asked Raven out on a date? Well he didn't ask her out as much as tell her he was taking her out. But the fact remained that they were going on a date next Saturday. And as the realization of this hit him he knew he'd made a very big mistake.

He threw his door open and jumped out to go after her to call it all off but spotted that she'd spun on her heels and had the same shocked look on her face that he had on his. It seemed she'd had the exact same realization as she was walking away. They both just stared at each other for a few seconds, on the edge of talking and yet releasing no words. It seemed that though both were unhappy with the end result of their chat neither would be the one to back down. They were too stubborn, too proud. Neither wanted to be the one who chickened out. So, with a glare at both ends, they parted ways for the night once again.

It was official. Next Saturday at seven o'clock in the evening they would be going on a date.

End