Disclaimer: blah blah blah Teen Titans

Nothing much had happened in the first couple of days. Both their routines stayed basically the same, and Raven never approached him for "help." But she was acknowledging him. If he gave her a small smile, she'd return it. If he gave her a big smile, she'd roll her eyes. It felt like things were getting back to normal - back to when they were friends.

Beast Boy had to have been the only guy in the whole universe who was more excited for the "friends" aspect than the "benefits." He knew that he had missed Raven, but he hadn't realized how much. Despite her cold demeanor and biting remarks, she was actually pretty fun to be around. Her deadpan humor always brought a grin to his face, and her sarcasm was one of a kind. He couldn't explain how happy being her friend made him.

But don't get him wrong; he was kind of looking forward to the benefits. He was a healthy teenage boy, after all. And Raven was pretty cute, if he were to be honest. He wasn't sure what Raven was going to need from him, but he was willing to find his limit. He was also a little bitter about her surprise attack in the bathroom. If he had known she was going in for a kiss, he probably would have done something. Like, maybe move his lips, or grab her waist, or do something horribly cheesy like in the bad rom-coms Starfire forced the team to watch.

But let's be honest for a second - and you didn't hear this from him - Beast Boy might not have been the most experienced seventeen year old around. Though you couldn't really blame him. Being a superhero was a full-time job; one that ate up a lot of time. So he couldn't very well go out on the town and find himself a girlfriend. And dating another superhero? Yeah, he had made an attempt, and it really didn't turn out well. But this thing with Raven; it had potential. Not in the whole "dating" thing, but it could be considered practice for when he finally got a girlfriend. And it really didn't hurt that Raven would keep everything on the down-low - no matter how potentially horrible Beast Boy's kissing skills may or may not be at first.

There were obviously a few drawbacks, of course. Like, what if Raven developed feelings for him? He had seen plenty of Starfire's movies - and the girl always ruined it for the dude. And Beast Boy really didn't want to break Raven's heart.

But at that thought, the changeling realized something horrible; he could potentially hurt Raven. And he'd never want to do that. He had seen how devastated she had been after Malchior the douche-dragon broke her heart, and he couldn't stand to do the same.

Maybe this was a bad idea?

Beast Boy was sitting on the common room couch, no longer enjoying the cheesy, made-for-TV zombie movie on the screen. No, he was a little preoccupied with staring in horror at nothing in particular as all the potentially disastrous outcomes that his and Raven's agreement could have ran through his head.

How had she not realized what a terrible idea this really was?

He idly heard the doors hiss open from behind him, and with an habitual sniff, he recognized the ashy-herby smell of his teammate.

"Oh, there you are."

He could literally feel the color drain from his face as her approaching footsteps became louder and louder, until she made her way around the couch and sat down beside him.

Like, right beside him.

He could see from the corner of his eye as she stared at him quizzically, before glancing at the TV, and then back to him.

"Don't tell me this movie is actually scaring you?"

Beast Boy attempted to compose himself as he tore his eyes from the screen and his thoughts from where they had been.

"Eh, no, it's not," he laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. He tried not to look her directly in the eyes, but realized that he had to seem normal. Steeling his nerves, he locked gazes with hers, and was surprised to see the dullness from a few days prior had returned to her irises. After their spontaneous kiss, he had noticed that the usual gleam had been restored. But now her eyes looked... empty, or something.

"Are you feeling okay?" he asked hesitantly, resisting the urge to flee as she scooted a little closer.

"Actually," she began tentatively, her words moving slowly through her lips, "I kind of need you a bit, if you're not too busy.

Beast Boy felt the color return to his face, joined by a fierce blush. "Uh, right now?" he asked meekly.

If she noticed his hesitance, she made no indication to it as she gave him an annoyed glare.

"Yes, right now, obviously," she deadpanned, before pushing her side against his and grabbing his arm. He watched in confusion as she laced it over her shoulders, before settling into a more comfortable position. "Since everyone's out of the tower, I figured now would be the opportune time to lay down all the ground rules."

Beast Boy absently wondered where everyone had gone off to, but soon the realization of what he was doing hit him full-force; he was cuddling with Raven. Was this really what she needed? He was expecting a heated makeout session, or something.

"Ground rules?" he repeated quietly, trying to keep his focus on what she was saying, rather than what they were doing. But cuddling? Seriously?

"Yes - rules that you will abide by to ensure that this little... 'experiment' of ours goes off without a hitch. Are you following?"

Beast Boy ignored her patronizing tone as he nodded in understanding.

"Great. Okay, well, first of all - I only come to you. Got it?" she began, giving him a pointed look. "I don't care if you're bored or lonely or... whatever. This obviously isn't very conventional, and is just a means of releasing my more persistent emotions safely. Do you understand?"

The changeling gave her a curt nod, feeling a little embarrassed at what she had been insinuating, though making no show of it.

"Good," she smirked, before continuing, "Also, we move at my pace, but you have every right to stop me if you feel the need to. Though this arrangement of ours was made to benefit me, I don't want you to feel obligated to go further than you're comfortable with. And to be honest, though these emotions are rather pushy, I am not planning on doing much more than what we have already done."

Seriously? Beast Boy thought bitterly, feeling a little disappointed. Though he didn't want to hurt her, he was expecting a little more benefits than that. But instead of voicing his opinion out loud, he gave her another quick nod.

"And I'd appreciate it if you didn't question me about anything in regards to this. I don't want to explain myself every time I need you. Not only does it feel demeaning - it's rather embarrassing. But feel free to ask any questions you have right now. I want to get them all out of the way."

Beast Boy had about a million questions, but he tried to narrow them down to the important ones.

"Uh, okay," he began timidly, feeling his blush deepen as he gave her a sideways glance. "I know that, uh, your emotions need outlets or whatever, but... what particular emotion is wanting us to... cuddle?"

He could see a light blush surface across Raven's face, but she held her ground. "A very annoying emotion."

Beast Boy nodded absently, though he wasn't satisfied with her answer. "Care to elaborate?"

She shot him a sideways glare, before letting out an exasperated sigh. "Well, this particular emotion holds a part of me that might be a little fond of the idea of a boyfriend. But don't worry - this little exercise of ours allows me to release my emotions, without necessarily feeling them, if that makes sense?"

Beast Boy tried to contain his blush as he weighed her words in his head. "Uhm, it doesn't, really," he admitted sheepishly.

Raven let out another sigh as she snuggled closer to him. "Okay, let me try to put this in a way you'll understand," she drawled, ignoring his offended huff. "Well, when I'm sparring with Robin, I'm releasing my anger, right? But I'm not angry with Robin - he's just helping me to vent out the emotions in a productive way. So, although I'm technically experiencing the emotions, I'm not actually feeling them."

Beast Boy was slowly beginning to catch on, which made him feel a hundred times better. Just because Raven was allowing her emotions to surface more, didn't mean they were affecting the way she was thinking. Meaning that she probably wouldn't develop feelings for him, as long as he didn't do anything to change her opinion of him.

"I think I get it now," he replied, a satisfied smirk resting on his lips. He heard her mutter an irritated "finally" under her breath, but decided to ignore it as he asked his next question.

"Okay, well, how often are you gonna... need me?"

He waited somewhat impatiently as Raven took a few moments to ponder over his question.

"To be honest, I have no idea," she began, somewhat timidly. "I mean, I've never really released these particular emotions before, so I have no guarantee of their consistency. I might go days without needing your assistance, or I might need you multiple times in one day. It won't be routine - that's for sure."

Beast Boy weighed her words carefully, realizing that she was probably going to show up unexpectedly, and probably not at the best times. But he wanted to help her, so he decided that it didn't bother him too much. As long as she didn't eat up all of his free time, then he was fine with it.

"Well, I guess that's okay," he agreed, giving her a reassuring smile.

Raven attempted to return it, before she darted her eyes away from his. He could tell she was uncomfortable with their situation, yet knew she needed his help, and he could see the internal struggle flash across her face.

"I know our friendship has been a bit... lacking, lately, and I want you to know that I do value it," she announced nervously, shuffling slightly under his arm. "And like I said, what has already happened will probably be the extent of it, and I know you don't need to hear this, but I have to say it: anything we do... doesn't mean anything. And if starts to, for you, I need you to tell me. Because I can't be anything more than this, Beast Boy, and I -"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Beast Boy interrupted hastily. "Oh my god, Raven, no! No, no, no!"

Raven turned to face him, her expression a mixture of confusion and skepticism.

He tried to calm himself down as he realized she could potentially feel offended, but he needed to set her straight on setting him straight.

"I love ya, Rae - but not like that," he continued sheepishly. "And I think you're really cool and all, but you don't need to worry about me wanting, uh, more. I'm your friend, and that's all I want to be - but again, you're totally awesome and any guy would be lucky to have you!"

A small smirk played at her lips as she continued to give him an unimpressed look. "Mmm hmm?" she hummed, clearly amused by his rambling.

Beast Boy tried to reel himself back in as he realized they were both on the same page. "Right, so, uh... is that everything you wanted to talk about?"

He watched as Raven furrowed her brows in thought, before her usual blank expression surfaced. "I believe so. You don't have anymore questions?"

Beast Boy tilted his head back as he sifted through his mind, before turning back to her and giving her his signature grin. "Nope; I'm good!"

Raven nodded solemnly, before removing his arm from her shoulders. She stood up stoically, before giving him once last pointed look.

"And I think it goes without saying that you should keep up with proper hygiene habits - I am not a fan of your natural... musk."

Beast Boy scoffed incredulously, having half a mind to rebut, but the empath had already started making her way back towards the exit. He turned his head to watch her go, suddenly finding his mind filling with even more questions, but not having the nerve to call her back.

Slumping back onto the couch, he replayed their conversation in his head several times, before deciding that they had covered the most important aspects of their arrangement. And he was, admittedly, a little relieved that she wasn't planning on taking things too far - despite the fact that he wouldn't mind testing the waters. But he knew not to push her boundaries, because she was Raven, after all. And he pushed Raven enough to know that she didn't have a habit of holding back.

As he turned his attention back to the TV, his enhanced hearing picked up the pounding steps of his robotic teammate nearing the common room, and he wondered idly if Raven had sensed him returning to the tower, and that's why her exit seemed rather abrupt.

Shrugging to himself, he stretched his arm to reach the remote, knowing that Cyborg would either request a round of video games, or make him change the channel to something else. As his fingers grasped it, he heard the doors hiss open, and his teammate pound down the steps.

"Whatcha watching, grass stain?" Cyborg boomed fondly, hopping onto the other side of the couch.

Beast Boy gave his friend a nod of acknowledgment as he began flipping through the channels.

"Nothing, really."

He could see Cyborg nod from his peripheral vision, before the half-robot turned his head to face him.

"Well, I bumped into Rae on my way in here, and you're obviously still alive, so I take it that it's safe to leave you both alone?"

Beast Boy gave his teammate a sideways glance, feeling his face flush slightly. "What do you mean?" he asked sharply.

Cyborg seemed not to have noticed the bite in Beast Boy's voice as he let out a hearty laugh. "Well, I was worried y'all would kill each other or something, but she didn't look pissed. Usually when you two get left here, she gives me a lecture about common courtesy!"

Beast Boy felt a small smile tug at his lips, before his friend's words registered completely. "Hey!" he exclaimed, slamming the remote down on the couch as he sat up. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

The robotic titan let out another chuckle as he settled himself onto the couch. "Nothing, man. I'm just saying that you two don't have the best track record of getting along, and I'm surprised nobody died while I was out."

The changeling huffed irritably as he slumped against the couch once more, picking the remote back up to continue to channel surf. "Yeah, well, we're starting to get along better, so I don't care what you think," he muttered, just loud enough for his teammate to hear.

Cyborg snorted in amusement, obviously unconvinced.

Feeling angry that even Cyborg had noticed the recent distance between him and Raven, Beast Boy vowed to himself that he was going to get closer to the empath, regardless of their new situation. Sure, she had said that he couldn't approach her about the benefits part of their relationship, but she didn't say anything about the friendship part. And he was going to make good use of that loophole.

Smiling deviously to himself, Beast Boy settled on a random action movie as he began to formulate his plan. He was positive that he and Raven would become best friends in no time, and that their new arrangement would do nothing but strengthen their trust. And her asking him for help with this situation was already a good sign that she trusted him wholeheartedly. Strengthening their friendship would be a piece of cake.

Thank you guys for the reviews, follows, and favorites! As you know, I'm a little hesitant on stepping out of my comfort zone, but the encouragement really helps! And if some of you are concerned that I am heading in a totally different direction than what you're used to with my writing, do not fear! I will still keep the same kind of humorous tone, even when dealing with the more serious situations. But I will try not to let that affect the overall feelings that are being displayed, so I guess it's like a little test for me! Also, regarding the rating, I am not planning on rating it above a T, though it might end up being a high T. I love reading M-rated fics, because they're usually so gritty and exciting, but I don't think I'm to that point yet. Also, I don't plan on writing smut, because I favor the emotional journeys of the characters, rather than the physical. But this is only the second chapter, so I guess I can't make too many guarantees right now!

Anywhoo, sorry for the hella long author's note! I'll try toning that down a bit (but hey, my chapters are getting pretty long!) Leave a review? They're like super appreciated!