Hello again. So this is another one of the stories i've been working on. I hope you like it. Let me know.

Difficult situations

it was spring cleaning day, Robin had assigned a day every few months to clean and rearrange some of the storage rooms in the lower levels of the the evidence room that could quickly fill with sometimes unnecessary junk that Robin never got rid of right away until all investigations and useful research was finished.

Some of the most peculiar as well as dangerous objects were there and were kept under the highest of security systems.

Robin had been checking off the items one by one, recorded the findings and if it was useful or dangerous, he would give it to Cyborg, who after a more detailed inspection would either decide if it was useful and keep it or it needed to be dismantled and disposed of, but that little task right there was a handful as he had to had to keep coming back and forth from the incinerator for minutes at the time.

Starfire was also assisting Robin in the tedious task of paperwork. She could be as meticulous as Robin and made her perfect for the task but truth be told, she was there because more often than not, liked to spend more time with the boy wonder who, quietly enjoyed her company more than he led on and both with a smile and a not so hidden playful look, would resume their task happily.

Across the room, in the mythological section of the evidence room (or that's what it would be called being that only Raven knew where they came from and what to do with them) was the empath herself who was distracted from her task of sorting certain artifacts when a sudden wave of exhilaration rushed thru her, making her look up and with a frown, she looked directly at the source. The two painfully shy and oblivious teammates flirt with each other. Raven simply rolled her eyes, shook her head and reprimanded herself for being so distracted in her task that lost concentration on blocking the emotions around her.

As if it wasn't difficult enough to control her own just so her powers wouldn't be out of control, she also had to block everyone else's and with her being an empath by nature made that task quite difficult at times like this.

Raven took a deep breath and chanted her mantra as quietly as she could and attempted to return to her previous activity when a noise nearby caught her attention. Beast Boy was a few feet away from her attempting to put a heavy crate down. Quietly she observed him with mild curiosity, wondering why wouldn't he turn into a gorilla or something of the sort to lift up the heavy items. Sure he was a bit taller now, a bit more muscular and physically stronger than a few years ago but why go thru all that trouble when he could easily avoid it.

Her eyes lingered in the muscles of his arms as he lifted another crate, how they tensed at the weight and how graciously he handled it until it was on the ground, then the way the muscles of his legs showed how fit he was, his flat stomach giving way to a more defined physique, a slightly wider chest and broader shoulders and a smile that seemed to shine thru … his smile?

"Like what you see, Rae?" Beast Boy said with a playful smile as he dusted his hands off and started to walk in her direction. Raven blinked twice before narrowing her eyes at him in order to conceal her frustration. He had caught her staring and if that wasn't enough, he was calling her out on it. The nerve he had.

"What are you talking about?" she said stoically.

"Oh c'mon Rae, I caught you staring. You don't have to be shy about it, I know you like me" he said with another smile and a wiggle of his eyebrows made her frown further.

"Don't be ridiculous…"

"Then how are you going to explain that…"

"The contents of the crates you so carelessly handled a few moments ago are some of the most delicate and irreplaceable Egyptian urns than contain the remnants of long ago pharos, loaned to me by the Egyptian museum in Cairo to further my research with the sole condition that I would protect them from damage at any cost, no matter what until returned to them and you are making that task very difficult at the moment, Beast Boy" Raven said as sternly and severely as she could.

In response, Beast Boy's smile disappeared and apologized "I'm sorry Raven I'll be more careful next time"

"Don't bother, I'll do it myself". She said and without another word, her eyes started to glow white and with a gesture of her hands, the crates were encased in her dark energy, lifted to the other side of the room where other packages were ready to be shipped out and when she was sure everything was in order, she went back to her previous task.

Out of the corner of her eyes, she watched him walk away and she could sense the wave of disappointment emanating from him and that made her feel the tiniest bit guilty because truth be told, she had lied about the crates to cover up her own frustration at being caught. The sacred urns she had talked about had been shipped out back to the museum months before but she had to divert his attention elsewhere otherwise, who knows what would have happened.

Almost two hours had passed with the incident forgotten, the team was almost done. With everything cataloged, stored and secured or destroyed if there was no more danger or use for it. Cyborg was the first one to leave, heading directly to the kitchen as it was almost dinner time.

Robin and Starfire were next, carrying the paperwork back to his office for further filing, or so they said. Raven was scribbling a few more notes on the clipboard on her hands while Beast Boy came back in from a trip to the incinerator. He looked around until he spotted his teammate.

"Where did everyone else go?"

"Back upstairs, we're done cleaning" she said without looking up.

"Why are you still here?"

"I have some last minute findings to add to the files of some of the artifacts that are being shipped out. You can go ahead and join the others It'll take me a few more minutes before I'm finished."

"Or…I can stay with you until you're finished, just so you don't stay by yourself"

Raven stopped her writing for an instant before answering. "In case you haven't noticed Beast Boy, I enjoy being by myself"

"Yeah but, don't you get lonely though? I mean, if all you do is meditate, read, drink your tea followed by more meditation, more reading and more tea, then, how will you ever have fun? That stuff has got to get boring after a while" he said as he sat down a on a nearby chair.

"Beast Boy, just because what I do is no fun for you, it doesn't mean is not fun for me. I like what I do" she said as she put down the clipboard on the desk, took the sheets and placed them in a file folder and scribbled something else on the front before putting it in the file cabinet next to the desk.

"I know but what if… I want to… find something we can… both do and… have fun at the same time?" he stammered and blushed as the words left his mouth.

"You mean you and me?" she asked, suspicion and curiosity invading her mind with countless questions yet, none where voiced out loud other than a bored "Why?"

"Because… I think it would be nice to… get to know each other a little more" Beast Boy was on his feet and edged little by little next to the empath. Raven watched him warily, not entirely aware of his proximity but she made the mistake of looking down to his lips for a split second and to her dismay, she felt a slight nervousness that wasn't there before that made her look away and want to run away.

So, before any of it showed, she pulled the hood of her cloak over her head and walked passed him with a dry "No" and attempted to walk out of the room but she was suddenly stopped by a green, gloved hand that had grabbed her forearm. Raven looked down at his hand then into his face. He wasn't smiling but his expression wasn't that calm either.

Beast Boy saw her confusion and even slight irritation at his bold move but didn't back down. He let go of her arm but stepped right in front her, never looking away from her eyes.

"Am I that bad of a person that you wont even consider spending time with me, Rae?"

"What? No"

"Then why are you avoiding me like the plague?" Beast Boy said with an almost hurt look on his eyes. He wasn't trying to win her over with the famous "face" that Starfire usually succumbed to, he was truly hurt and for some reason that bothered Raven.

"Beast Boy, there is no logical reason for you and I to spend more time together than what we already do. We train together, we eat together, we fight villains together… we just spring cleaned the entire evidence room together, what more reason is there to spend?"

True, most of their daily activities were spent together but not only the two but the entire team when mandatory, otherwise everyone, especially Raven, would step aside and find her own thing to do and that simply didn't set right with Beast Boy who was not exactly sure where the sudden curiosity had come from.

No, that was not true, he knew exactly what had sparked the conversation, that look she gave him not too long ago of certain longing and even mild desire in her eyes when she was staring at his every move, even if she denied it.

Perhaps it was his own mind playing tricks on him being the fact that he had realized he harbored certain feelings for her that made him fantasize and wish she reciprocated his affection or maybe, just maybe, she did and now he wanted to know.

"Because I like you, Raven. I like to be around you" he blurted out without a second thought. Raven's eyes went wide open at his confession and had to look away to hide her embarrassment. She tried to hide the blush that threatened to overwhelm her but, as she tried to turn away, he took her hand gingerly and when she stopped, his other hand gently cupped her face.

Beast Boy looked into her eyes and Raven couldn't help but get lost in his and for a split second her heartbeat seemed to slow down the moment she realized he was getting closer and closer still until their lips met.

The moment Raven closed her eyes she couldn't help but give in into the sensation that was so wonderfully overwhelming that she couldn't think of anything else other than how gentle and sweet he was and Beast Boy couldn't help but get lost in her scent, her taste. Raven was softer and warmer than what he expected. Not that he would have mind if she felt as cold as she seemed but the fact that she felt better than what he imagined, made his heart skip a beat. Even more so when she hesitantly kissed him back while her hand shyly explored his chest before…

"Beast Boy!" Raven called out in a more severe tone. Beast Boy blinked repeatedly before focusing his attention at what was happening. He had stopped midway towards her. Raven still had the clipboard in her hands with a bored look and an arched eyebrow. "What is the matter with you? Are you that distracted that you completely forgot what you came back in here for?" Raven asked sarcastically as she put away the clipboard in the same file cabinet as before.

Beast Boy shook his head at the sense of déjà vu that suddenly invaded his mind. He shook his head mildly as if to shake the memories off and nervously smiled.

"Kind of" was his only answer. He came to stand a few feet from Raven and leaned against the desk while she absentmindedly, adjusted her cloak behind her shoulders, revealing her defined figure.

Raven felt his eyes on her and she narrowed her eyes at him making him look elsewhere.

"Beast Boy, what exactly has been going on with you lately? I thought you had grown passed the daydreaming stage and short memory lapses"

"Ha, ha. Very funny Raven" he said as he folded his arms over his chest. "For your information, daydreaming is very much like chess. It helps in figure out your opponent's possible move and possible outcome"

Raven lifted an eyebrow. "You staring out into space is hardly called silent strategizing but ok, let say your statement holds resemblance to… logic. What were you exactly strategizing about if you were staring in my direction?"

Now Beast Boy was at a lost of words. He opened his mouth but nothing came out. For the first time in his life he actually thought before acting, or in this case blurting out what he had been fantasizing about. Telling anyone that they had just had the most vivid fantasy about them lost in a passionate kiss was sure to grant a shocked response from anybody. Telling Raven however, would not only gain him a severe reprimand but also a free pass to the next dimension with no chances of ever coming back, even though she had stopped to repeat that threat a long time ago, there was no doubt she could do that and more if properly reminded.

"Um… " he managed to say and Raven in response, simply rolled her eyes and walked passed him while mumbling "That's what I thought" and with that, she exited the room without another word leaving Beast Boy to his own thoughts.

He was confused, to say the least. Never had he had such a vivid fantasy, so real that he still felt the lingering feeling of exhilaration that such intimate contact had created. It wasn't in his nature to daydream, not about things like that at least, especially about Raven who had such strong personality that it was hard to imagine her differently.

Again he shook his head before making his way back upstairs to join the others.

…

Raven walked down the hallway at a brisk pace and reached the elevator. Emotions, emotions. The kind of emotions that left the nerves on the border of exhilaration and anxiety. The kind of emotions she shied away because it might trigger something rather dangerous that she might not be able to control and yet, those very same emotions had been directed at her… and she rather liked it.

She knew the difference of sensing pulsating emotions from someone else, like when Robin and Starfire were around. Those she could block almost effortlessly but when those emotions were directed at her, they were hard to ignore and that's exactly what had happened. Whatever Beast Boy had been thinking about, it had included her in its entirety and the mere thought brought a blush to her cheeks.

No, it couldn't be. Maybe there was too much going on with Robin and Starfire in the vicinity that she couldn't block or simply lost concentration but then again… she was alone when Beast Boy came back.

She stared absentminded at her reflection on the walls of the elevator while she pondered quietly on her own thoughts but as the humming noise of the lift filled her consciousness, she realized she was looking up and down at her reflection and outlined the curves, muscles and waistline on the image. Raven had never given into vanity but she had to admit that the years of demanding physical training, had rewarded her with a very firm and strong physique along with more defined curves. Of course she wasn't as statuesque as Starfire but Raven no longer felt the ugly duckling of the team and to give credit for that was Beast Boy's own uncontrolled emotions earlier.

Of course, Raven was not letting that little detail to her head, after all, any and every male, human or not, was wired essentially the same, to react at the sight of a physically attractive female, but the fact that she was able to sense certain attention from one of her teammate was something like a complement though she would never admit it to anyone and as the doors of the elevator opened, she caught a faint smirk on her reflection and a very subtle smile graced her features momentarily and gone seconds before she met with the rest of the team in the common room.

/

The next morning, after the team had had breakfast and trained, the team had gathered in the common room as they usually did. Robin read the newspaper at the table while sipping on his coffee, Starfire sat across from him, happily reading a magazine while sipping on her own beverage, lifting the glass to her lips with such grace and finesse that one could never deny she was raised in a palace.

Of course, all that could come into questioning when one looked at her drink closely and realized that, instead of a fine wine, what graced her lips after every sip was mustard that she delicately retraced with her tongue so innocently that she didn't realized the effect it had on her teammate across the table.

Next were Cyborg and Beast Boy in a heated, competitive banter of wills as they played their video games. The racing games were the most popular among the two friends as one would always take pride of his skills over the other and that usually was Cyborg, and today was no different. Each moved according to the direction their racing car was maneuvering, each with a devilish smirk every time one would pass the other and at the moment Cyborg held the first place as it neared the last round.

"You can't pass me, you can't pass me…" Cyborg kept repeating as he pushed a button on his controller and making his virtual vehicle sprout a rocket in the back and made it go even faster and his smile grew even wider as the finish line came into view but suddenly, Beast boy came across a bonus reward just as he was feeling himself defeated yet again but this time it seemed that luck was on his side and thanks to that bonus feature, his vehicle, not only went faster but also allowed it to fly and to make matters even worse for Cyborg, he sadly realized that Beast Boy's new flying car, not only was closing in but it also had missiles deployed from its wings.

Cyborg felt as if time slowed down and observed with grate mortification as his car suddenly exploded just a few yards away from the finish line. Beast Boy let out an evil chuckle the moment his friend started to whine about his predicament. The car would reappear and continue but it would be without the supersonic rocket and before it could reach a decent speed, Beast boy would already be celebrating on the other side of the finish line.

But then, the impossible happen. Beast Boy's attention was diverted to a movement on his peripheral view. Raven sat at the other end of the sofa, reading as always, but for some reason, he thought he saw her cross her legs and smile at him playfully over her book which caused him to take a double look, just to make sure he was seeing right but that also caused for his flying vehicle loose altitude and simply crashed right in front of the finish line.

Cyborg was not one to waste an opportunity like that and before Beast Boy's car reappeared, he was already crossing the finish line at a crawling rate of thirty miles an hour, proclaiming him the winner to which he let out a thunderous "Booyah!".

Beast Boy did yet again another double take, this time at the screen "Heeey!, that's not fair"

"What do you mean not fair grass stain, you crashed, I came back to life and won. No tricks" said Cyborg with an even bigger smile.

"Still no fair, I got distracted" whined Beast Boy once more as he put down the controller.

"Distracted with what?"

"Raven's le…" thankfully, he stop himself before finishing the sentence as he noticed that at the mention of her name, Raven looked up from her book with an inquisitive eyebrow.

"My what distracted you?" her cold tone hinted curiosity as well as a warning.

"Um… your um… " Beast Boy was speechless. How could he possibly explain what he thought he saw without sounding like a perv. He knew he was stalling and sweating bullets and growing nervous and terribly anxious by the second and starting fidgeting with the controller while his gaze kept going back and forth towards the empath who was visibly annoyed.

Raven wince before glaring at the green young man. She could sense his erratic mix of emotions that went from embarrassment to pure excitement and anxiety and other countless waves that she could no longer handle.

"That's it! This is pointless" said the empath before closing her book loudly. Got up and quickly fell into one of her portals.

Beast Boy breathed a sigh of relief. What exactly had that been all about? First he was deep in concentration on his game, he finally had the chance to win and suddenly, his mind played tricks on him. Was he going insane at his tender age of nineteen?

"Earth to Beast Boy!" came the loud voice of Cyborg who was waving a hand in front of his distracted friend causing Beast Boy to blink several times and shake his head slightly before acknowledging the metal young man.

"Yeah Cy, I get it, you won" Beast Boy said somewhat irritated and without another word, he tossed the controller on the coffee table in front of him, got up and left mumbling to himself and Cyborg simpy shrugged and continued playing by himself.

That night Beast Boy had a restless sleep and in the mist of the foggy memory of a dream he heard her voice. A sensual, alluring yet soothing voice that called his name "Garfield" .