I do not own the Teen Titans.

It wasn't even that funny - the joke that had started this whole mess. In fact, he couldn't even remember it. Something about an egg and a hammer... or was it a mallet?

It came out of nowhere, too. No context at all. They were in the midst of battle, and Mumbo was doing some weird hat-trick that apparently involved Starfire, and since his usual, appreciative audience was preoccupied with blasting the magician with a flurry of starbolts, Beast Boy had turned to the teammate closest to him. Well, closest in the sense of proximity.

And that teammate just so happened to be his toughest critic: Raven.

She had been busying herself with righting some over-turned cars, and (for some strange reason) had turned to him when he called her name. And as her pretty purple eyes met his, Beast Boy couldn't help but grin his toothy grin. And then he said the stupid joke (and honestly, it was stupid), and he expected nothing more than an exaggerated eye-roll. Or an irritated glare. Maybe even an exasperated sigh. She was prone to exasperation when in his presence, after all.

Instead, she threw his whole universe off-balance. She smiled. But not just any smile - it was the smile. The one he attempted to catch a glimpse of, every single day. The one that made his heart skip. The one that had plagued his daydreams since he was fourteen years old. That smile. Raven's smile.

Unfortunately, he was unable to fully appreciate it, for Mumbo had decided that the changeling would make an excellent assistant, and Beast Boy suddenly found himself trapped within a top hat.

But that wasn't what was bothering him after the fact.

It wasn't even a full smile. Sure, it was more than her usual smirk, but it wasn't a grin. Nor a beam. Hell, the corners of her mouth had hardly turned upwards, and there wasn't even a hint of her pearly, perfectly straight teeth. It wouldn't have even been considered a smile on anybody else.

But it wasn't just anybody. It was Raven. Stone-cold, unfeeling, no-care-in-the-world Raven. The half-demon. The sorceress. The leotard-clad heroine. The reason Beast Boy had gone through an abundance of tissue in the following months after his voice had dropped (ah, puberty - what a fascinating mixture of embarrassment and hormones). His teammate. His friend. The girl who couldn't stand his jokes.

The girl he could never stop thinking about.

She had given him a half-smile, and he had nearly gotten killed.

(Okay, he was exaggerating a little.)

Letting out a groan, Beast Boy re-positioned the ice pack on his head as his robotic teammate continued to check his vitals. The bleeding had thankfully stopped, and nothing appeared to be broken, so that was cool. Falling head-first out of the villain's hat and landing on asphalt? Not as cool.

"Alright BB, follow the light with your eyes," Cyborg instructed, his finger turning into a small flashlight.

Squinting at the sudden light assaulting his green irises, the changeling attempted to do as told, his pupils constricting.

"Can you maybe turn down the brightness, Cy?" he grumbled, his ungloved hand going numb from the ice. Wait - when had he taken his gloves off? And where had he put them? Crap.

The robotic titan merely chuckled as the flashlight turned back into his finger. "Just making sure you don't have a concussion."

Beast Boy blinked rapidly, his eyes watering ever so slightly as he tried to rid his vision of the large white dot that now obscured his best friend's face. "I think I'm good, dude. It was just a bump on the head."

"A nasty bump," Cyborg interjected, his voice teasing, yet laced with genuine worry.

Beast Boy waved his free hand dismissively as his eyes roamed the room, in search of his gloves. "Oh, come on - I've had worse," he mused absently. He had to have taken them off in here - or were they in the T-car? "Remember when Rae tossed me through the window?" he continued, feeling a fond smile tug at his lips.

It had happened a few months ago. She had been 'meditating', and Beast Boy had apparently 'interrupted' her, and then suddenly everything went black. He had woken up in the Med-Bay a few hours later with seven stitches on the back of his head and an excruciatingly painful headache.

Raven had been beside herself with guilt - or so he liked to think. In all actuality, she was rather calm, though she did seem a tad bit remorseful and quietly explained that it hadn't been on purpose. He had merely surprised her, and her powers had acted accordingly (which, apparently meant throwing him through three-inch thick glass). But, she couldn't help it. It was her 'powers' - her stupid, freaking powers. Sometimes, he really hated her powers. Sure, they were super cool and made her a total bad-ass, but they also made it nearly impossible for her to feel. And there were a lot of things he wanted her to feel; happiness, being the most important emotion, followed closely by lust, and preferably towards him, because hey - he was a teenaged guy, she was super freaking hot, they were both stuck living in such close quarters, and damn, he just wanted to -

"You mean like she always does?" Cyborg teased, his booming voice bringing Beast Boy back to the present.

He could feel the heat of a blush work its way across his face as he forced out a chuckle. "Heh - yeah... That's Raven for you..."

If Cyborg noticed his flustered appearance, he neglected to comment on it. And for that, Beast Boy was grateful. See, the half-robot may have been the changeling's best friend, but he was also the self-proclaimed 'big-bro' to both of the female titans. And, as their 'older brother', Cyborg became very protective of the girls. So, Beast Boy figured that his best bud wouldn't be too thrilled with the way he sometimes thought about his 'baby sis' Raven.

But it wasn't like he was crushing on her or anything. He just liked thinking about her. And looking at her. And talking to her. And sometimes he would fantasize about her and have to take a cold shower to rid himself of his, er - urges before she sensed them with her kinda cool (yet totally invasive) empathetic abilities. But, come on - who didn't occasionally daydream about their incredibly attractive friend being in less clothing than usual? It was totally normal.

And not a crush.

Though, his stomach did flutter a bit when she had smiled at him earlier. You know, before the whole 'head-injury' thing had happened.

Releasing another groan, Beast Boy flopped backwards onto the Med-Bay's bed. Maybe he was concussed.

"You aren't supposed to be sleeping."

Opening his eyes, Beast Boy fought back a smile at the raspy sound of her voice. It was slightly jarring, yet oddly melodic. In other words, it suited her perfectly, and was nothing like the squeaky, irritating sound that came from his mouth. Though, his voice had deepened quite a bit - thanks to that whole 'puberty' thing.

Sitting up slowly, Beast Boy's gaze immediately zeroed in on his lovely teammate as she stepped into the room. She was dressed in civvies - a sight that was fairly uncommon (though not unwelcomed - not in the slightest). Aside from Starfire, who considered herself to be the resident fashionista, most of the team stayed in uniform until it was time for bed. And even then, their pajamas were mostly made up of athletic wear in case of an alert.

But here Raven was, casually sipping on her tea while wearing an over-sized, dark grey sweatshirt and black spandex shorts. She had let her violet hair grow out over the years, and though she never let it get too far past her shoulders, it was now long enough to be pulled back into a messy bun. A few shorter pieces framed her heart-shaped face perfectly, and Beast Boy had to again remind himself that everyone occasionally found their friends to be absolutely stunning.

"Hey, Rae," he grinned.

"Hey yourself," she replied flatly, her mouth hidden by her mug. She had long since given up on getting him to call her by her actual name. Beast Boy had a sneaking suspicion that the nickname had grown on her.

But, aside from her hair and the nickname, nothing else had really done any growing. Raven was maybe half an inch taller than when he had first met her, and thanks to his sudden growth-spurt at sixteen, she was now the shortest member of the titans. A fact that he liked to remind her of every chance he got. She was also, ahem, more womanly now a days, though Beast Boy hardly noticed, since she was his dear friend and totally not the hottest girl he had ever laid his eyes on.

He could feel another blush creep its way up his neck as his eyes traveled down her form. The sweatshirt wasn't really doing anything for her figure, though he somehow found the ensemble to be incredibly endearing. A lazy Raven was a rare sight to behold, merely cementing the fact that she was effortlessly beautiful (and he only noticed that in, like, a friend-way, you know?). But as his gaze slipped down her legs and towards the floor, he felt his eyes widen in surprise.

She wasn't wearing any shoes.

Beast Boy gulped nervously as he memorized her small, delicate feet. He didn't have a foot fetish or anything, but he had never seen her bare feet before - which he found kinda weird. They had been living together for nearly five years; was this really his first time seeing them? And had they always been so tiny? They were slender, and as pale as the rest of her with her toenails painted black. He didn't even know she owned any nail polish.

But as he continued to stare, his mind began to wander. There was a lot of Raven he had yet to see. What other surprises was she hiding? Piercings? Tattoos?

His gaze lifting back up, he let his attention linger on her slender, muscular legs. Besides her face, her long, pale limbs were a part of her that he was the most familiar with. In fact, the curve of her hips, the thickness of her thighs, and the definition of her calves were permanently burned into his memory. He couldn't help it, though; her attire always had her legs on display. She was always traipsing around the tower, knowingly showing them off and unknowingly driving him wild. Not that he could blame her for it - she had killer legs.

Nearly a minute of silence stretched between them, before the realization that he was openly checking Raven out jerked him from his thoughts. His attention snapping back to her face, he quietly sighed in relief as he noted the way her eyes stared blankly out the window.

Maybe she hadn't noticed his ogling. Although, he ogled for quite some time. Hell, he was almost always ogling her. How hadn't she picked up on it yet? Did she realize, but not care? Or did she like it? Maybe she liked the attention. Or maybe that was just wishful thinking?

Thinking. Beast Boy had been doing that a lot, lately. Though, his mind was often in the gutter. Was Raven wearing anything else under that sweatshirt?

Feeling his focus drift away again, Beast Boy mentally chastised himself. Stop being pervy. Creep.

Huh. Creepy... like Raven...

When had she even gotten that sweatshirt? A shopping trip with Starfire? Raiding Robin's closet? It was definitely too big for her; swallowing her petite frame completely. She looked so small and delicate. And really freaking cute.

Weird. Was he allowed to think that she was cute? 'Cuz she totally was - especially in that sweatshirt. Why was she wearing it, though?

"Laundry day?" he mused aloud, breaking the silence and gesturing to her outfit.

Her gaze remained fixed on the ocean outside. "Just didn't feel like squeezing into a fresh leotard," she deadpanned, entirely unaware of the uninvited visual that now plagued the changeling's mind.

Locking away that image to... ponder over later, Beast Boy nodded. "I get that - my uniform's been feeling a little tight lately," he began, casually flexing his biceps as he hooked his fingers behind his head. "Probably from all that extra training I've been getting in." He grimaced slightly as his hands pressed against the bump on his head, though he did his best to conceal it.

Raven spared him a sideways glance, her brow arching as she regarded him skeptically. Her mug was still obscuring her lips, but Beast Boy was fairly certain she was smirking.

"Probably," she agreed in her monotone, not allowing a single drop of amusement to leach into her voice.

But Beast Boy was used to it - besides, he had already gotten her to smile once today. His quota was filled. Dropping his arms back to his sides, he gave the empath a lazy grin. Their relationship had improved tremendously in the past year or so. Sure, he still got on her nerves, and yeah, she definitely had her bitchy moments, but things were easier now. Especially since she was often the one starting conversations.

"Robin's scheduling a few extra training exercises for me," she said simply, her eyes lingering on him for a moment, before she directed her gaze back to the window. "He doesn't want me relying on just my powers." She took another sip of her tea, before Beast Boy forced himself to look away as she absently licked her lips. "Says I need to work on my strength."

Nodding idly, Beast Boy filed away that image as well. "Huh," he offered dumbly.

"Maybe we can work out together."

Her suggestion caught him off guard, and it took several moments for her words to sink in fully.

"Um, t-totally," he agreed, cursing himself for stuttering.

"Only if you want to, of course," she continued, ignoring the anxiety he was undoubtedly sending her way (again, kinda invasive). Did she have to be an empath? Couldn't he have found somebody to obsess over who couldn't read his emotions? Somebody who didn't short-circuit his brain with so much as a smile?

Shaking away those thoughts, Beast Boy inhaled slowly, counted to three, and then exhaled. It was a trick Mento had taught him years ago; breathe and relax - a calm mind is harder to read. And even though that seemed totally backwards to him, Beast Boy had heeded the man's advice.

"Nah, that'd be fun," he replied, sending her a genuine smile.

He watched as she spared him a bored glance, before giving him a slow nod. "Then it's a date," she drawled casually.

Again, her words took him by surprise, and Beast Boy felt himself freeze beneath her gaze. She was regarding him blankly, her violet eyes peering into his with a quiet intensity.

He wondered if he was meant to respond; if she was waiting for his confirmation. He knew it was just a saying - it obviously didn't mean anything. Why would Raven ask Beast Boy on a date? A date that consisted of working out, no less.

No, this was Raven. His stoic, intelligent, inhumanly beautiful teammate. She was leagues above him. There was no way she had been serious. It was just a saying.

"Heh, sure," he laughed, feeling his face heat up once again as he sheepishly rubbed the bump on his head. The pain had lessened considerably, thanks in part to totally numbing it with ice (shit - he really needed to find his gloves), but also because the half-demon in front of him had healed the injury somewhat on their way home. She was always healing him, it seemed. And sure, he was definitely the most accident-prone hero on the team, but a part of him felt kinda special that she was always there to help him feel better.

But now she was the one inflicting pain as his stomach churned violently. His nerves were getting the best of him, and he had to again remind himself to calm down. Hiding his emotions from the empath was hard enough without the added stress of butterflies. Was that a common symptom of concussions? All that fluttery, girly shit? He couldn't even remember the last time he had felt so pathetic. Well, okay - that was a lie. But it hadn't been recently. Though, it had involved Raven. And one of her smiles. It always had something to do with her smile. Why was she so pretty? And confusing? She was so freaking pretty and confusing and -

Beast Boy shook his head, mentally cursing himself for letting his mind wander yet again. Sparing his teammate a glance, he felt himself freeze up once more as his eyes met with hers.

Raven continued to stare at him, her stoic facade unwavering as another embarrassed chuckle escaped the chaneling's lips and broke the silence between them. How long had he been spacing out? God, this was so awkward. Why wasn't she saying anything? Why was it always up to him to end the silence? Why couldn't -

"Don't fall asleep," she reminded him dryly, before turning from the window and heading towards the exit.

Beast Boy's mouth fell open as he watched her leave, too confused to even take advantage of ogling her backside as her words echoed in his mind. 'Then it's a date.' A date! Raven had just asked him on a -

No, he mentally scolded. He wasn't going to kid himself. He knew it meant nothing; that it was just a saying. But fuck, why did she have to say it? There were a million alternative phrases! 'Sounds like a plan' or 'see you then' immediately came to mind, and neither of those gave him heart palpitations. Hell, even a simple 'okay' would have sufficed. But no, Raven just had to drop the D-word and throw his whole evening out of whack. And what was with that smile from earlier? Was she trying to get him killed?!

Lowering himself back onto the bed, Beast Boy stared blankly at the ceiling above him, his mind racing. Raven had smiled at him. And then asked him to hang out. And used the word date.

Another groan escaped his lips as he ran his hands down his face. What was with Raven and sending mixed signals? It was getting beyond frustrating at this point. Sometimes he wondered if they were even friends, and then when crazy things like this happened (or when she would randomly hug him or sit beside him or even just glance at him), he'd wonder if they were maybe something more. But then he'd remind himself that this was Raven he was dealing with, and she was literally the definition of an enigma, and that it would be stupid to take anything she said at face-value. Was it really too hard to just say what she meant? Did everything she say have to be impossible to decipher?

A date. She had used the word date. She never said date, or talked about dates, or went out on dates. So what did this mean?

Squeezing his eyes shut in frustration, Beast Boy sighed. He knew he wasn't supposed to sleep for a while, but a part of him wondered if he was already dreaming.

So I have found that I really enjoy writing in Beast Boy's POV (or, at least, the third-person equivalent of it), and even though I still have part two of Wingman to write, I decided I wanted to start on another multi-chapter fic. This one is probably going to be shorter than The New Normal (which I still have an epilogue of that to write lol), but hopefully it'll be just as enjoyable?

Please leave a review! Or follow or fave! However you chose to show your support, I appreciate it!