Small Victories
Sometimes there's a fine line between winning and losing.
I no own Teen Titans ;)
Raven was fairly certain that the universe was out to get her. Whether it be some sick, cruel, twisted form of punishment due to her demonic heritage, or just rotten luck, she'd never know. But it seemed, every day, without fail, she'd somehow find herself in the same compromising position. With the same irritating teammate.
"It's not like you own the roof, Rae."
Closing her eyes in frustration, Raven gently lowered herself onto the ground, sitting cross-legged on the edge of the tower, her hands folded neatly in her lap. With her back facing the source of her problem, she opened her eyes slowly, catching the last rays of the setting sun as it dipped below the horizon.
"I never claimed I did." Focusing on the distant waves of the bay, she breathed in the salty air as she waited for his reply.
"Well, you sure act like it!"
She mouthed along to his response, punctuating it with an eye roll, before carrying on with their usual routine.
"I've done nothing of that sort, Beast Boy."
The green titan gritted his teeth in frustration as he attempted to mentally strangle his teammate. He'd be lying if he said that dealing with the empath was easy, but it was a challenge he willfully accepted. For some idiotic reason.
"Yeah, well, heaving a big old sigh every time you hear the door open isn't exactly the most welcoming response," he retorted, crossing his arms over his chest. Biting back a growl of frustration, he watched as the half-demon's shoulders lifted, before hearing the cursed sound of her exhaling as they relaxed once more.
"I'm just mentally preparing myself for what follows the door's opening," Raven deadpanned, unclasping her hands and pulling her cloak tighter around her. Her hood threatened to fly back as a strong breeze assaulted her, but she quickly caught it.
Beast Boy huffed angrily as he watched his teammate stubbornly ignore the wind in order to hold her ground. In all honesty, he had forgotten his excuse for coming up to the roof, but he'd be damned if he let her win.
"Maybe I was just coming up for some fresh air - and not to 'bother' you," he scoffed, hugging himself tighter as the autumn breeze sent a chill up his spine.
"Don't kid yourself, Beast Boy," the empath replied with a dry laugh. "You're always game to bother me."
Feeling his face flush in what he hoped was anger, the changeling stalked over to where his teammate sat.
"Riiiight. Yeah, Rae - I totally plan my day around bugging you! 'Cuz, you know, you're always soooo much fun to be around," he mused sarcastically, before plopping down beside her. Swinging his feet off the edge of the roof, he attempted to sneak a glance at her, only to find her dreaded hood blocking his view. Cursing silently, he redirected his gaze towards the fading light on the horizon.
Raven ignored his close proximity as she shifted her gaze upwards. Despite the lights from the city behind them, she was able to spot several constellations in the darkening sky.
"Something about my company has seemed to spark your interest - otherwise you wouldn't feel the need to pester me every night," she drawled, her eyes tracing the big dipper absently.
Beast Boy huffed in exasperation, sparing another glance at his infuriating teammate. He was able to catch a quick peek of her mouth, which was quirked in what he assumed to be a triumphant smirk.
Seeing her so seemingly pleased with her analysis of him caused his blood to boil. Acting on impulse, he took hold of her hood and yanked it off of her head. He felt a devious smile of his own form as he soaked in the look of shock on her usually stoic face.
Raven stared incredulously at the green teen before her, finding herself at a loss for words. Sure, the changeling had done stupid things before, but this - this was on a whole new level.
"Do you want me to eradicate your existence?" she growled, her wide-eyes narrowing into a fierce glare.
But instead of fear, the empath felt a suspiciously prideful feeling radiate off of the grinning shape-shifter.
"I don't know what that means," he replied with a shrug, the smug smile still present on his face, "but Robin said you'd get extra dish-duty if you throw me off the roof again."
Raven tried to stifle an inhuman growl as she remembered their leader's warning.
"I seem to recall that conversation had also included a month's worth of bathroom duty for the idiot who dared to push me to that point."
Beast Boy shrugged in nonchalance as his eyes searched for the most minuscule amount of emotion on the half-demon's face. He may have had a bit of an unhealthy obsession with getting a rise out of the heroine, but it really wasn't his fault. If Raven willfully showed her emotions, he wouldn't have to annoy it out of her.
Raven huffed in frustration as she reached for her hood, but she barely managed to slip it back on when the changeling pulled it down once more.
"Beast Boy!" she exclaimed, reluctantly finding his obvious death wish a tad bit amusing. She wasn't sure why the green titan was so adamant on pestering her to the point of committing homicide. "I swear to god..." she warned.
Beast Boy heaved a weary sigh as he attempted to suppress a smile. Slipping into an oddly comfortable silence, both titans continued gazing out at the ocean before them.
Raven didn't even attempt to pull her hood back up, instead letting her hair blow freely in the light breeze. She was starting to get used to the cold, which was usually her sign for retreating back to the tower, but she couldn't very well let Beast Boy win.
What the prize was, she hadn't a clue. It was just a routine that both of their stubborn personalities caused them to go through every night. She was proud of herself for never losing, but at the same time, she had never really won either.
But unknown to the empath, Beast Boy considered every night to be a small victory for him. If he managed to stay dry, in this dimension, and with his ego still intact, it was quite the accomplishment. He had a morbid fascination with pushing her to the edge, but it seemed he was able to push a little further every night. And he considered that progress.
Sneaking a glance at her, he idly wondered why he was so entranced by her. He knew that her reaction alone was enough to keep him entertained, but there was something more. Sure, he had a bit of an idea of what that more was, but he couldn't really explore that thought with her sitting right beside him. After all, progress meant not being tossed into the bay.
Plus, he had already acknowledged that he was somewhat attracted to her; in the physical sense, at least. He'd have to be blind not to think his teammate was cute. But from an objective standpoint, all of the titans were blessed with good genes. Hell, basically all heroes. So finding the half-demon pretty wasn't really a big deal.
And yet... there was something more that he couldn't quite understand. Something more than a simple, friendly acknowledgement of her good looks. He had talked to many cute girls before - teased, flirted, the whole nine yards. But with Raven... it was different.
Raven could feel Beast Boy's eyes on her as she remained focused on the horizon. Judging by the confusion she felt pour off of him, he was most likely examining his feelings for her. And despite him not knowing what he felt, she had a pretty good idea.
It was mild; the feelings. Similar to how Robin had felt around Starfire for the first couple months they all lived together. Confusion, denial, contentment, and sometimes anger. It was the simple formula of a budding crush.
And sure, she could snip it in the bud and carry on with her life, but she was finding that the longer she let it go on, the less it bothered her. Really, it was Beast Boy, for crying out loud. The kid had a new celebrity crush every week. He flirted with anything that smelled nice and giggled at his jokes - he'd most likely get over it on his own.
But until then, Raven would just have to tread carefully around him. She couldn't give him any incentive to pursue her, though that wasn't very hard for her. She was an expert at pushing people away, so leading him on probably wouldn't be a problem. Plus, she was hopelessly lost when it came to flirting, anyway.
Not that she had ever really tried to flirt - and especially not with Beast Boy. The idea itself was completely absurd.
Feeling the wind pick up, Raven dared a glance at her teammate. Though she knew it was coming, the locking of their gazes still made her stomach churn uncomfortably.
Beast Boy held his stare for a moment, before his eyes darted back to the bay. He didn't want to make his slight ogling of her totally obvious, and yet he couldn't bring himself to brush it off with a convincing amount of nonchalance. He hated retreating, but he didn't see any other option.
"Not that this hasn't been - "
"I think I'm gonna - "
Both titans gave each other a bemused look, unsure of who should speak first.
Taking initiative, Beast Boy gave the empath a cheeky smile. "I think I'm gonna head back in," he laughed, before pulling himself to his feet. "You don't plan on freezing out here, do you?"
Raven snorted in amusement as the green teen reached his hand towards her, in what she assumed to be a peace-offering. Gently placing her own hand in his, she allowed him to help her to her feet.
"Freezing to death isn't on my agenda, no," she deadpanned, slowly pulling her hand from his. She could detect the faintest of blushes rising to his cheeks, though she attempted to pay no mind to it. Nor did she acknowledge the flustered and confused feelings pouring off of him, or the way his eyes lingered on hers for a moment too long.
She also decided to ignore her own lingering gaze as her eyes swept across his face, before focusing on the roof's exit.
Beast Boy silently followed his teammate to the door, jumping ahead in time to open it for her. Bowing dramatically, he motioned for her to go first, earning an exaggerated eye roll for his chivalry.
But he also earned a small, barely-there smile, which she hid quickly by pulling her hood back on and passing him. Beast Boy couldn't stop himself from grinning as he followed behind her, sparing one last glance at the rooftop, suddenly remembering why he went up there every night.
So obviously, I've decided to make this my random one-shot dump! Yay?
Haha thank you for the reviews and favorites! Hopefully me continuing this is seen as a good thing? :P
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