Life update: I bought a house! Otherwise I don't really have an excuse for being absent other than just regular busy life things and little inspiration to write.

Please enjoy the update! 🙃

Also, please leave me fun comments throughout. I really enjoy reading them 😊

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Chapter 16: it's not a "date"

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Raven woke up the next morning to an empty bed. She tried to squash her disappointment when she saw what time it was - it was almost noon. Of course Beast Boy had left for breakfast. Still, he could have woken me up for it. She thought, bitterly.

She stretched her limbs, sore from stretching and bending in unnatural yet somehow pleasurable positions. Her cheeks heated with the thoughts of last night. But it quickly soured to embarrassment as she remembered her actions on the roof at the firepit and during the drinking game. It had certainly been an eventful night. She hoped that most of the other Titans had left already.

Deciding it was about time she got up, she made her way to the bathroom. She had fallen asleep with Beast Boy before getting the chance to wash her face and the makeup left dark patches under her eyes, her lipstick now a faint stain. Her hair was a tangled mess, sticking up odd ways from the pillow. She probably needed a shower, but she settled for washing her face at the sink. She ran a brush through her hair with a detangling spray but ultimately twisted it up into a bun. She would have to shower after breakfast in order to fully detangle it, she decided.

For clothes, she found one of Beast Boy's white t-shirts (he often left them behind after their trysts and she now had a small collection, all smelling ever so faintly of his cologne) and a pair of black joggers. She realized wearing his shirt to breakfast with her friends the morning after a party carried risk of them learning about their activities, but she also knew Beast Boy would like it. She suspected he intentionally left clothes behind for her to wear later. She also realized, that after making the decision to be exclusive last night, she no longer cared to keep it so secret. She wasn't ready to make it a big announcement, but if her teammates asked she would not deny it. Kid and Jinx already knew, and they had been supportive. She figured her other friends could know too.

There was a handful of Titans scattered around the common room. She spied Beast Boy right away. He was seated on the large sectional couch, winning a game of Mario Kart against Karen and Speedy. Starfire was cheering them on excitedly while munching on what Raven assumed to be her breakfast for the day - a bowl of cherry tomatoes smothered in yellow mustard. While not a particularly appetizing meal to Raven, it was hardly the most appalling thing she had seen her alien friend consume.

Cyborg was still in the kitchen, flipping some eggs in a pan at the stove. The twins were at the island counter, chatting amongst themselves as they waited for the food their half-metal teammate was currently working on. She padded into the kitchen to join them and they smiled upon seeing her. The twins each offered a short but enthusiastic 'Morning!' before returning to their own conversation. Meanwhile, Cyborg eyed her attire (the t-shirt that was noticeably too large for her frame) and with a sly grin said, "Good morning, Raven." She forced her face to remain calm and unaffected by his expression as she went to the fridge, tossing back a quick greeting in response to her teammates.

As she inspected the contents of the fridge for a suitable breakfast option, settling on a yogurt, Cyborg spoke again. "B started your tea. It should be about ready." There was something teasing in his voice, like there was a joke she had missed.

"Oh? Well that was sweet of him." She smiled inspecting the teapot that was indeed heating up on the stove, waiting for her. "Timing is perfect too. This is just about ready." She mused, inspecting the steam rising above the water and checking for signs of boiling. There was the slightest tremor to the water and she suspected the roaring bubbles of boiling water were not too far away. She grabbed a mug and began to prepare her tea.

Behind her, Cyborg bobbed his head in agreement, chuckling to himself. "He stalked your communicator signal all morning trying to figure out if you were awake yet." He shook his head with another laugh. Raven paused mid-stir, waiting for the rest of the joke to reveal itself. Except, it didn't seem to be a joke. She wondered just how much her friend knew and when he had figured it all out.

"Oh, well that's a little... ridiculous." She managed to say, only showing her flustered reaction a little. Cy laughed again as he plated breakfast for the twins.

"I think he's trying to make up for your argument yesterday," he offered after he had set the plates in front of the twins. Then he turned back toward her with a sly grin. "Unless he already did that last night."

Raven was less successful this time at hiding her blush at her friend's implication. He definitely thought he knew something. But what? And how? She and Beast Boy were both very careful, discreet with their comings and goings. He was careful about his placement of love bites, making sure he only made them in places that were easy to cover, and she was thorough with her checks each morning to make sure there weren't any stragglers peeking out from her clothes or her hair.

She realized Cyborg would have seen her leave the roof in the elevator with Beast Boy and Aqualad. He might have just been fishing for details on that... Perhaps this was his way of asking if something had happened between them?

"Um, yeah. We were able to talk it out." She smiled softly, remembering just how that "talk" had gone. Cyborg quirked an eyebrow, almost amused by that explanation. As though he too knew what she meant.

"Well, I'm glad you got it straightened out." He grinned again, revealing nothing more to Raven. She raised a brow to him slightly, almost daring him to accuse her and Beast Boy of something more concrete but he busied himself with cleaning his workspace instead.

Raven left him to it, moving into the living room and taking a seat at the end of the couch just as Beast Boy won the round of Mario Kart. He cheered in victory and then slid a glance to Raven, sending her a sly wink. Her friends would see it as Beast Boy just being his boisterous self. But Raven knew it was not the teasing gesture she once believed it to be and she hid her smile by taking a sip of her tea. Beast Boy still caught it, if the glimmer in his eyes was any indication.

The rest of the afternoon passed like that. Beast Boy, Starfire and Cyborg took turns challenging the members of Titans East in various video games until the team left around 3. Raven found an opportunity to give Jinx a short update on what had happened after the bonfire. Her friend was very excited to hear they had taken the step to be an exclusive couple, though no labels had been established yet (they're overrated, anyway). Once again, Raven felt a bit relieved to have her friend's approval and support. It had been a natural transition to their new status and she knew it was the right decision to define their expectations as their situation had evolved over the last few weeks. It was clear that they were not nothing and there were some sort of feelings between them. But she was thankful to have bought them both a bit more time before needing to define things more concretely.

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Later that night, after dinner when all the Titans had split off to their own activities, Beast Boy found Raven in her room. She was lounging on her bed with a book that looked old and worn. Beast Boy slipped off his shoes and sweatshirt and made himself comfortable beside her.

"Whatcha reading?" He asked curiously, leaning into her shoulder to catch a glimpse of her book.

"Just an old tome. I was hoping it would have more insights into meditation and control but all it's talked about so far is hoaxy seances."

"Is that a concern we have? Control?" It was the first she had brought it up in the weeks they had been together but he knew it was a continual struggle for her. Her powers weren't designed for Earth or her mortal body.

Raven shook her head to the relief of Beast Boy. "No, not more than usual. I'm just keeping on top of my research. I've been a bit distracted from it recently."

"Oh? By what?" A smirk tugged at his lips at the apparent answer. But Raven would not give him the satisfaction of admitting to it out loud, though a small smile was fighting it's way to her face. Beast Boy leaned over to kiss her flushed cheek, finding her to be absolutely adorable.

"So, what do you want to do? We could watch something." He suggested. As Beast Boy scanned the room for her laptop or inspiration of some other activity they could do, Raven considered the suggestion. She knew where 'Netflix' usually led to, or should lead to, given their agreement. But she was still a bit sore from their activities last night (or early that morning, technically). Not to mention the toll it took on her to maintain control of her powers through the sort of emotional surge sex often brought - and that Beast Boy was especially talented in bringing from her.

"I'm not really ready for anything quite yet." She began to explain. He understood immediately, knowing the pattern of her recovery schedule. He gave her a reassuring smile.

"Do we need to have sex every time we're together?" He teased lightly. "We are friends as well." She scowled, remembering they had a very similar argument not too long ago and that he had won. It seemed likely he would win again tonight. Nothing had changed.

And yet, a lot had changed since they had made the decision to be exclusive. She could tell that he was testing the boundaries of this new step -- seeing how far he could push before she drew a line to stop him. It suddenly felt like they needed more than 3 rules...

Raven pursed her lips, but otherwise didn't argue. Beast Boy laughed softly as he located Raven's laptop on her desk and brought it over to the bed to set up something on Netflix. He was in the mood to watch Mega Monkeys: Super Ninja Warriors the Movie, a movie based on his favorite video game Mega Monkeys 4. A sequel was being released on Friday and he was hoping he could convince Raven to go with him. If he could just get her to watch the first movie with him, she could see that it wasn't that bad. Seeing that his companion wasn't going to stop him, he pulled up the movie and settled in next to her. He knew she wouldn't care much about his choice of movie anyway.

Seeing that Beast Boy had gotten the movie set up, Raven marked her place in her book and set it aside. "What did you pick?" She asked, feigning interest as she snuggled into her blanket. Beast Boy positioned the laptop comfortably between them and settled in next to her.

"Only the greatest piece of cinematography ever." He quipped as Raven looked at the title screen skeptically.

"Can it really be considered cinematography if it's animated?" Raven wondered aloud.

"Yes, it can. Now hush and watch my movie. And pay attention. There's a sequel coming out on Friday and I think we should go see it." He announced.

"We?"

"Yeah, I was thinking it could be fun to see a movie together. Just us." He shrugged, trying to hide his nervousness. What if she said no?

"That sounds a lot like a date."

"Two friends can't see a movie together platonically?"

"Does the night end with sex?"

"I certainly hope it does."

"Then it's a date."

"Fine, then no sex. I won't even kiss you." Raven laughed in disbelief. "I swear. It will be a completely platonic night."

Raven sighed in defeat. Would seeing a movie with Beast Boy be so bad? It definitely smudged some of the chalk lines she had been trying to draw between them.

But maybe it could be fun. She knew Jinx would encourage her to go -- to at least see what a "date" could be like with him. And, to an extent, she would be right.

"Fine." Raven finally grudgingly agreed as the opening credits began to play. "I will go to the movie with you on Friday if I don't completely hate this movie and you promise it's not a date."

Beast Boy grinned and pulled Raven closer so he could kiss the crown of her hair. "Not a date." He promised. And they both fell silent to watch the movie.

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Raven hated to admit it, but the movie had not been entirely terrible. It was animated and made for preteens, but the storyline was actually interesting - even despite the corny jokes. This did not, however, mean that she was excited to watch the sequel on Friday. She wasn't.

And if she was, it was only because of the cliffhanger from the bonus scene that Beast Boy had found online and it set up the storyline for the next movie. It had piqued her interest, nothing more.

Of course, Jinx had a different theory for her nervous excitement for the evening. When her friend had texted Raven mid-week to check in and ask if she had plans for the weekend, she had been truthful and told her about the movie plan. Raven now regretted being so honest and open.

A DATE??!!

Jinx had practically squealed through the text. The text may as well have been a voice message for as clear as Raven could hear it.

She quickly set the record straight, explaining that it wasn't a date (he promised!). But now every time Jinx texted her, she found a new way to slip in the word 'date'.

What are you wearing for your date? We should go shopping so you have new date clothes. Is it a date if he gets you dinner? It's definitely a date if you end it with sex.

By the time Friday finally came, Raven was a nervous ball of energy over the non-date. She knew it shouldn't be a big deal to go to a movie with Beast Boy (normal friends do it all the time!). But there was a part of her that worried if it meant more to him -- or if it meant something more to her.

She smoothed out her top in the mirror for what had to be the thousandth time. She decided to dress more casual -- it was just the movies and it wasn't really a date. Besides, did she really still need to try so hard to impress Beast Boy? Jinx would say so, but Raven knew dressing up any more would have just made the night feel even more like a date. So she had decided on a pair of dark washed skinny jeans, the gray sweater Beast Boy had picked out at the mall last weekend with a black lace bralette that peeked out the low back of the sweater and her favorite pair of black boots. She kept her makeup minimal and styled her hair as she normally did.

Jinx was less than enthused with the outfit but Raven felt comfortable in it. And she knew Beast Boy would appreciate her wearing the sweater he suggested she buy. Not that she had dressed for his approval.

She had wasted enough time debating her appearance, though, and it was time to meet Beast Boy in the common room -- she figured that was more platonic than if he collected her from her room as he originally suggested. But now she ran the risk of running into one of her teammates on the way or if she got stuck waiting for Beast Boy to meet her. Cyborg had been extra nosy the past week -- making suggestive comments to her or Beast Boy and smirking anytime he saw the two of them together in any capacity, even if it was just existing on the common room couch at the same time, not even talking. And while it didn't seem to bother the green changeling very much it was starting to worry Raven. How much did he know? She had been meaning to ask Beast Boy about it, but every time they were alone together other things seemed to take priority and the worries slipped away. So she just hoped her teammates stayed clear of the common room until they had successfully left. They didn't need any more cause to suspect there was something between them.

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Beast Boy had a ridiculous amount of time until Raven was due to meet him, but he was tired of pacing the length of his room. So instead, he waited in the kitchen, casually sipping on a glass of water and trying to not let his impatience show. He wasn't nervous about Raven not showing up for their non-date, but the thought had crossed his mind.

Cyborg entered the kitchen to grab a soda from the fridge. He eyed Beast Boy's street clothes skeptically. "Got a hot date, Beastie?" He teased. A blush spread across his cheeks despite his efforts to conceal it.

"Nah, not really." He mumbled, remembering his promise to Raven. It wasn't a date. Just friends seeing a movie.

"Well where are you heading out to then?" Cy nudged his friend's shoulder, sensing his embarrassment.

"The new Mega Monkeys movie is premiering tonight. I got tickets." He explained vaguely.

"Aw sweet! I forgot they were making a sequel to that. Wait, who are you going with?"

"Um, I kinda only got tickets for Rae and me." Beast Boy explained, rubbing his neck. He hoped his friend didn't take offense about not being invited, but at the mention of Raven a smirk curled upon his face.

"So it is a date." The half-robot man surmised.

"No it's just... Just a friendly movie hang." Cyborg snorted out in laughter at the lame explanation. And as he struggled to regain his composure, the elevator dinged signaling it had arrived at the common room floor. Beast Boy hoped it was Raven even though it was still a bit early for her to arrive. His hope dimmed quickly as he saw Robin stride out and toward the kitchen.

"Hey, guys! Wanna play a round of Zombies?"

"I'm game. B's ditching us though." Cyborg responded. Beast Boy checked the time on his phone.

"I might have time for a short round..." he said thoughtfully. The movement caught Robin's eyes and he noticed the attire of his teammate - he was not dressed for a casual night in of gaming. The casual black plaid shirt over a clean grey t-shirt and jeans was a classic date outfit. He even had his leather jacket ready to go. Robin smiled.

"Well, who's the lucky girl tonight?" He asked curiously. (He wasn't aware of him seeing somebody new...)

"There is no 'lucky girl'. It's not a date." Beast Boy explained, growing impatient. Robin raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"So what's the special occasion then?"

"Not special, just going to see the new Mega Monkeys movie that released today." Beast Boy said in a way that he hoped was convincingly casual. Robin brightened at the idea.

"We haven't had a team outing in a while, maybe we should all go." He suggested. As Beast Boy scrambled for an excuse for why that couldn't work (without exposing the fact that this was a special outing with only Raven), Cyborg jumped to his defense.

"I think the tickets are all sold out - I looked online earlier."

"Yeah, I must have snagged the last two. I didn't know if you all would be here this weekend. Sorry I didn't get more." Beast Boy grabbed the lifeline.

"Oh. Yeah, I understand. We've been gone a lot, haven't  we? Well, you deserve a night out then! So, who is the other ticket for?" Again, Beast Boy was at a loss for a lie -- he should've prepared for this.

But the universe answered for him as the elevator dinged once again. It was Raven arriving at the exact time they had agreed to meet, punctual at the worst possible time. Robin and Cyborg both turned to watch as she exited. She seemed startled to find them all there.

"Um, hi?" She greeted the group tentatively. Cyborg wore a smug smirk as he eyed her street clothes and the extra effort she had put into her appearance. Not a date my ass. Robin turned to grin at Beast Boy, the pieces in his head sliding together.

"Well this an interesting turn of events." Robin muttered.

"Hey, Rae. You look nice." Cyborg said cheekily.

"Yes, you look very nice." Robin agreed, a sly smile of his own adorning his face.

"Thanks, guys." She said softly, awkward with the praise and trying to read the situation. How much did they know?

"Off to the movies too?" Robin confirmed verbally, even though it was pretty clear.

"Yeah, since I wasn't sure if everyone would still be here I asked if Rae would take the other ticket." Beast Boy swiftly explained.

"Right, makes sense."

"But since you are here, we could see if more tickets are available?" Raven suggested. Beast Boy knew it was awkward to not at least invite the other team members and he was glad Cyborg had already given him the sold-out tickets excuse. 

"No, you two deserve the night off after managing the Tower by yourselves for so many weekends. Besides, Cy said the tickets are all sold out." Raven nodded in agreement and glanced to Beast Boy, appearing relieved by Robin's encouragement to go but skeptical about how easy it had been.

"Well, we should probably get going then. Ready?" Beast Boy asked, grabbing his jacket and car keys. Raven nodded and followed him out, waving goodbye to their friends as they shouted goodbyes at their backs.

"Enjoy the movie!" Robin grinned.

"Have a nice night." Cyborg smirked.

Beast Boy shook his head at their antics as he quickly led Raven down to the garage. But his heightened sense of hearing picked up Robin's voice as he turned to Cyborg to ask, "What exactly is going on between them?"

To which Cyborg replied, "It's not nothing, but it's something for them to share when they're ready."

And Beast Boy was glad he had chosen to confide in such a good friend. Maybe if the date went well, they wouldn't have to keep secrets from their friends for much longer.

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Hope you enjoyed the update! What are your predictions for the date?? Comment your ideas! 😊

♡ Rain