Chapter Text
“Please Raven. It will be nice to have the experience of a ‘girls’ night out’.” Starfire pleaded, sitting next to Raven on the sofa. Raven sighed and closed her book, using her thumb as a bookmark.
“A night away from the tower would be nice it’s just... A nightclub?” Raven replied, raising an eyebrow sceptically.
“I have heard that such places are the top choice for such times between friends.” Starfire replied innocently. Raven watched her for a second, trying to decide what ulterior motive was behind this.
“Fine. I’ll go clubbing with you.” Raven relented, rolling her eyes.
“A nightclub? No offence, Robin, but I don’t see you in a nightclub. Ever.” Beast Boy pointed stated, twisting his controller as his car turned a corner.
“Well,” Robin began, furiously pressing buttons on his controller in a desperate attempt to make his own car speed up. “I need a partner so I don’t draw attention to myself.” He explained.
“So this is an undercover thing?” Beast Boy asked.
“A bit.” Robin replied.
“Why didn’t you ask Starfire? Set it up as a date?” Beast Boy inquired, staring at the screen, eyebrows knitted together in frustration.
“Too easy to be distracted.” Robin said bluntly. Beast Boy smirked at the implication.
“Alright, I’ll help with the undercover thing.” Beast Boy agreed, crossing the finishing line smoothly.
“Are you sure about this?” Raven asked, peering through the doors of the nightclub. The line had been short and the bouncers took one look at Starfire and let them both in.
“Of course I am, friend Raven.” Starfire replied, easily.
She did look nice tonight. She had a deep purple, backless halter-neck top on that fastened around her neck and around her hips only. The top was coupled with white skinny jeans (which made her hair and skin glow) and knee-high flat boots that were similar to her costumes’.
The club atmosphere was dark and pulsating with teenage hormones. Heavy bass drums were reverberating off the walls and muted spotlights crossed each other, throwing light over the dance floor. Bodies were moving fluidly to the beat. Neon signs glowed from the walls. The smell of sweat and perfume shrouded the people and fog machines made it hard to see the floor.
Raven made her way through the crowd, trying to get to the bar where it was quieter. Starfire followed quickly, weaving in and out of the crowd much more smoothly than Raven did.
They broke through the crowd, breathing easier in the less-dense bar area. Raven leaned against the counter, letting her loose hair fall over her ears.
Her hair was getting longer these days, starting to grow down her back. She hated it. It reminded her of when Slade and her father nearly ended the world - not good memories. She’d have to cut it soon.
Starfire had insisted on helping dress her for their ‘girls’ night out’. Right now, Raven had an ink blue off-the-shoulder shirt that was surprisingly comfortable. The long sleeves flared out towards her wrists and the hem had small, elegant embroidered stitches in the shape of minute birds. She had black shorts on, held up with a thin gold belt, which left a lot of her legs bare. Black ankle boots with a modest heel completed the outfit. It was different to how Raven would normally choose to dress, but similar as well.
“This is possibly the worst idea I’ve ever gone along with, Kory.” Raven stated. Starfire smiled at her reassuringly.
“Can I get you lovely ladies a drink?” The bartender asked, resting his forearms on the bar and leaning towards them. He had a couple piercings along his eyebrows and a nose stud. Tattoos rolled up his arms and he looked like the human personification of the club environment.
“Just water.” Raven ordered, glancing over the crowd.
“I would like to taste a ‘screwdriver’.” Starfire said sweetly. The bartender smirked at her knowingly and slid backward to start making the drink.
“Erm, Kory, are you sure you want that drink?” Raven asked, a note of concern in her voice which she tried to mask. She didn’t really want to have to take care of a tipsy Tamaranean.
The bartender slid a bottle of water to Raven and a glass of orange liquid to Starfire. Raven nodded at him gratefully and placed a few bills on the counter. It surprised her that he didn’t bother asking either of them for ID - she vaguely wondered if it was worth reporting to Robin in the morning, though she would probably have to explain what they were doing in the club in the first place.
Starfire sipped her drink cautiously. Raven shrugged and twisted the cap off her bottle of water, gulping down the contents.
“This beverage is delicious.” Starfire proclaimed, smiling at Raven. “Would you like to try some?”
“I’ll pass,” Raven replied. The bartender placed two new drinks on the counter in front of them. Raven raised an eyebrow at them.
“From the boys down there.” He said, responding to Raven’s raised eyebrow. He nodded down towards the other end of the bar to two boys. One of them had dark red hair while the other was blonde. The blonde boy winked at Raven while the other was watching Starfire.
“Oh, wonderful, we should go thank them.” Starfire said, picking up her own drink and sipping it. Raven picked up her drink and sniffed it cautiously. The alcohol in the drink was strong and smelt like something Cyborg would use to clean the toilet.
“I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” Raven said cautiously, putting the drink back on the counter.
“But it is polite to thank someone when they give you something.” Starfire argued, giving the two boys a small wave. She started walking towards them, abandoning Raven.
“Wait!” Raven exclaimed, following her and catching her arm. “This isn’t a good idea.” She warned.
“Hello.” Starfire greeted, stopping beside the two boys that sent them the drinks. “Thank you for the beverages.”
“Our pleasure, sweet cheeks.” The red-headed boy replied, smiling at her cheekily. Raven suppressed a shudder on Starfire’s behalf.
“My name is Kory.” Starfire introduced, holding her drink loosely in her grip.
“Ed.” The red-haired boy replied.
“This is my friend, Raven.” Starfire continued, drawing the attention to Raven.
“Really? This is my friend Joe.” Ed replied, briefly turned to look at his friend. Joe looked up at Raven and gave her a small smile.
“It is a pleasure to meet you both.” Starfire said pleasantly.
“Do you want to dance?” Ed asked, leaning against the bar on his side.
“That would be nice.” Starfire replied. Raven pulled her shoulder back cautiously.
“Erm, Kory? What about Robin?” Raven hissed in her ear.
“It is only a dance, Raven.” Starfire said innocently. Ed began to lead her away. Raven quickly took the drink out of her hand before she left, deciding it was better that her super powered, alien friend didn’t have any more alcohol in her system.
“Don’t you just hate it when friends do that?” Joe asked, giving her a shy smile.
“It’s her fault I’m here in the first place.” Raven said, pushing the drink away from her.
“You look really pretty tonight.” Joe complimented, looking down shyly.
“Thanks.” Raven replied slowly.
“Do...you want to dance?” Joe asked timidly. Raven saw the fear and nerves in his body language and sighed internally. She picked up Starfire’s left over drink and downed it in one go.
“Okay.” She agreed, resisting the urge to cough at the horrible taste of the drink.
“How did you know about this club?” Beast Boy asked, leaning back in his seat. Robin was sat opposite him, dressed casually in a red top and jeans. He had a pair of dark glasses on instead of a domino mask so his identity was still secret.
“I got a tip about this place a while ago and I was just waiting for the right time to investigate. I think the club is a front for shady gangs.” Robin explained.
“Tell me again why you couldn’t have taken a Titan that actually had a secret identity?” Beast Boy asked, feeling stupidly self conscious, even though the lights were so low that it didn’t really make a difference. Robin had picked a booth to observe the whole club from that was in the darker area - probably because he knew Beast Boy was insecure.
“Star and Raven were unavailable and Cyborg wanted to stay in the Tower.” Robin replied.
“Where are Starfire and Raven?” Beast Boy asked, crossing his arms over his chest. He had an old shirt on and jeans, trying to draw as little attention to himself as possible.
“Starfire wouldn’t tell me.” Robin admitted, sulking a little bit.
“So what do we do? Sit here all night to see if anything happens?” Beast Boy asked.
“We blend in.” Robin stated. They sat in silence for a while, watching the people in the club. A figure wandered into view and Beast Boy sat up a bit straighter.
“Is that Starfire?” He asked. Robin followed his gaze and his face went blank.
“I think I feel like dancing.” He stated, standing up and walking onto the dance floor. Beast Boy laughed at him but quickly followed, praying the lights were dim enough.