Thanks for all of the amazing feedback! Excited to see so many BBRae fans out there like myself.
Thanksgiving and Pizza
Beast Boy was trying to get himself some dinner. Trying was the key word. He was also trying to mind his own business and stay out of the argument raging around him.
"I wish to have Glorrk served at our dinner of the Thanksgiving!" Starfire yelled, her eyes blazing with anger. "It is a traditional Tamaranean dish!"
"Nobody likes your alien food, Star," Cyborg shot back, just as hotly. "I'm not giving up pumpkin pie just so you can force that garbage on us. No way! I put up with it any other time of the year, but not on Thanksgiving. That's where I draw the line."
"Guys! Guys!" Robin yelled, holding his hands out placatingly. "Can't we compromise? We can—"
"Oh, don't even get me started on you, Mr. Cranberry Sauce," Cyborg accused, turning his ire on Robin.
Starfire jumped onboard, ganging up on their fearless leader. "Yes. Cranberry sauce is the disgusting."
"Hey!" Robin said, jumping to his own defense. "Cranberry sauce is a traditional—"
"And Glorrk is not?" Starfire screeched.
Beast Boy's ears lowered toward his head in pain. This was one of those times he wasn't so thrilled with his super hearing. His face screwed up in a grimace, he tried to focus on the refrigerator's contents.
"You're taking me out of context!" Robin hollered.
At the counter to Beast Boy's right, Raven flinched and her hand tightened into a fist on its surface. Apparently, he wasn't the only one affected by the heated argument. He should have realized that, seeing as the empath was always sensitive to others' emotions. And, right now, they were raging around the kitchen like a wildfire.
Giving up on dinner, he turned to her and raised an eyebrow. "Wanna go get that pizza?" A few weeks ago, she'd offered for them to get dinner together, to hang out just the two of them. But that had yet to happen.
Sure, they hadn't officially gone out, but she'd been socializing with him a lot more in recent weeks. At least he swore it was more than usual. It was hard to tell if it was more often or just his imagination, because he'd become hyper aware of her any time she was in his vicinity. He didn't have to even be facing a room's entrance to know when she'd entered. The vanilla scent of her perfume was ingrained into his senses. He knew when she was coming before she even hit the doorway.
Getting drunk with her on Halloween had obviously thrown him more than he wished to admit. He'd always been attracted to her, but after that night… Well, it was one thing to casually flirt with someone he knew he had zero chance with. But when there was a possibility his attraction might be reciprocated…
Recently, she'd begun sitting next to him on movie nights. She'd started coming into the living room to read at the window next to the couch where he sat instead of holing up in her room. She'd been talking to him more, asking him to play chess more. She'd even started training with him, something they'd never done in the past. No, it wasn't just him. She was different after that night, too.
Brought on by thoughts of that evening, an image flickered through his mind and he had to hold his breath to steady himself. Raven in that Princess Leia costume was forever burned into his mind. Of all the costumes she could have picked, why that one?! It was a costume designed with the sole purpose of toying with the hormones of teenaged boys. No guy his age could look at that outfit and not get turned on.
Then she'd danced with him. She'd pressed her curvaceous backside into his groin and rocked back against him. Over and over again. He'd had half an erection, something that would have mortified him had he not accidentally been drunk.
It was no wonder he couldn't get her out of his mind. She'd awakened a desire in him he wasn't sure how to control. Every time he looked at her—
"Are you all right?" she asked, her brows lifting.
"Me?" he squeaked. "Yeah. Yeah, of course I'm all right. Why do you ask?" Even the dry, monotone sound of her voice sent a chill down his spine. The effect she suddenly had on him was rather alarming.
"Because I said yes about three times," she said, irritation leaking into her voice. "Do you want to get pizza or not?"
He nodded frantically, trying to cover up his awkward thoughts. There was no way in hell he was about to admit he'd been fantasizing about her in her Halloween costume. "Sure! Pizza sounds great."
She stared at him for a moment longer, as if waiting for him to do something else weird. Then she shrugged. "Okay. Let me go get ready." With that, she turned and walked out of the room.
Get ready? What exactly did she need to get ready? Panic welled up inside of him as he wondered if there was anything he needed to get ready.
He knew he was thinking too deeply on her every word. He had been ever since that night. He couldn't seem to stop himself from looking for hidden meanings in everything she said.
But he had to think realistically. She wasn't getting ready as if this was a date. It wasn't. It was just the two of them getting out of the Tower because their teammates were driving them crazy with their bickering. Nothing more to it than that.
Even so… Rushing to his room, he threw open his closet and scavenged inside for something presentable to wear. Awkwardly tugging off his uniform, he tossed it to the bed before donning a pair of jeans. He added a button-up dress shirt in a baby blue.
Rushing to his bathroom, he studied himself in the mirror. Definitely too fancy. Racing back out to his room, he snatched a hoodie out of his closet with a logo for one of his favorite video games emblazoned across the chest. He tugged it on and zipped it all the way up, hiding the dress shirt beneath it.
There! He was casual on the outside, but still had the option for a dressier attire if she came out of her room looking dressed for a date. "It's just pizza," he told himself with annoyance. He needed to stop letting memories of Halloween affect his judgement. There was absolutely no way Raven actually thought about him like that…right?
A knock sounded at his door and it whooshed open to reveal Raven on the other side. "You ready?" she asked.
His gaze immediately went to her outfit. He'd been right to guess civilian attire, as they weren't going out on a mission. She wore a simple black skater dress that he knew she enjoyed wearing like a top. Underneath it she had on black leggings. Her sockless feet were adorned in modest black flats.
Her outfit told him nothing. She could be dressed for a date or a casual dinner out with a friend. The midline attire could tip to any side given different circumstances. This isn't a date, he silently scolded himself. Then realizing he needed to answer her, he nodded. "I'm ready."
She turned slightly so he could see the plain black bookbag strapped to her back. "I've got my uniform in here. In case we get called while we're out. Want me to carry yours as well?"
Embarrassed that he hadn't even thought of that, he grabbed his crumpled uniform from his bed and made his way over to her. When she offered him her back, he unzipped the bag and stuffed his uniform inside.
In his movements, his knuckles brushed the back of her neck and he felt her shiver at the contact. Before he could stop himself, he thought about the last time he'd been behind her like this. They'd been on a dance floor and they'd been doing a lot more touching then.
Shit. He was a wreck. All it took was one little shiver from her—one probably produced because he'd simply tickled her with his knuckles—and his hormones were shoving to the forefront again. He needed to get ahold of himself.
Zipping her pack back up, he spun her around to face him. "Ready."
She stepped forward and placed a hand on his arm.
He almost backtracked, his heart suddenly racing, but then he noticed the swirl of black energy that signaled the use of her powers. She was teleporting them to the pizza shop. It wasn't some act of intimacy. He should have known that immediately. This was Raven, after all.
He forced his tense muscles to relax. She was an empath. If he kept letting his emotions bounce around like this, she was going to pick up on his unease and call off their dinner. As confused as he was, he didn't want that. Whether it was a date or simply dinner between friends, he still wanted to spend time with her.
So when they appeared in the alley behind the pizza shop they frequented, he shot her a bright smile, even if it was a little forced.
She merely arched a brow at him and headed around the corner.
He smiled at this, this one more genuine. Had it been anyone else this might be a concerning response, but with Raven, it was a reassurance that she was still cool. Loping along behind her, he followed her into the shop.
They made their way to a booth in the back where the team often sat and slid across from each other on the vinyl bench seats. Raven picked up a menu, but he didn't bother. He ordered the same thing every time—vegetarian. This place was very good about making sure there was no cross contamination on his slices from what the other Titans ordered, even if it was on the same pizza. It was a big reason why they came here.
Placing down her menu, Raven pushed it away. "I'll just have what you're having."
His brows rose at this. "You're going to eat a vegetarian pizza?"
She chuckled lightly, her low, soft Raven laugh. "I do like vegetables from time to time." She shrugged a shoulder. "Peppers, onion, whatever." She crinkled her nose. "Just no mushroom please."
He grinned, enjoying the fact that she was willing to eat something that fit with his diet. Not that he minded at all if she ate a meat lovers pizza, but it was nice not to be teased for his preferences for once. "And here I was considering mushroom, extra mushroom."
"Don't be cheeky," she said, but the hint of a smile touched her lips.
He grinned down at his hands, not wishing to push her too far, but he was pretty much confirmed in the fact that she found him funny. No matter how much she might protest it.
As they settled in, she let out a long sigh. "The others are driving me crazy this week. They're decidedly annoying about this whole Thanksgiving thing."
He beamed at this. He knew he shouldn't, but he was most often the one she was describing when she spoke of things being annoying. It was nice to not be on the receiving end for once. He liked being on her good side. "You're telling me." He pointed at his tipped ears. "Sensitive hearing, remember? I thought Starfire was going to deafen me."
Raven laughed, her purple eyes dancing in amusement.
Before either could say anything else, the waitress appeared. They quickly put in for an order of a small veggie pizza, and the waitress disappeared.
As she left, the jovial mood seemed go with her. Raven was staring at the tabletop, tapping her still wrapped straw against its surface. He opened his mouth to ask what was wrong, but she spoke first.
"Speaking of our earlier topic…I'm thinking of skipping Thanksgiving dinner."
Silence fell after her proclamation. He waited a long minute for her to elaborate. When she didn't, he opened his mouth, gave a little sigh, and then shook his head. "What sort of reaction are you looking for from me?"
She tapped more insistently at the tabletop, until the straw bent. Frowning, she dropped it and placed her palm flat against the table. Looking up at him, holding eye contact, she said, "Anger? Outrage? Disappointment?"
He remained silent, trying to formulate a reply that wouldn't annoy her. Finally, he said, "Of course I'm disappointed. I enjoy spending time with you. We all do." She rolled her eyes at this, but he pressed on. "I'm disappointed you won't be there. But if it's something you feel strongly about…" When she didn't say anything else, he placed his own palms down on the table and stared at her. "Can I ask why?"
Her eyes slipped away from his and she let out a little sigh. "I just think it's stupid."
"You said that about Halloween too."
"Halloween is stupid," she admitted with a wry little smile. "All holidays in fact. I just…" She wrung her fingers together nervously. "I hate when Robin pushes us to do these things. I guess I just don't see the point."
Unable to watch her twist her fingers so painfully, he reached out and placed his much larger gloved hand over hers. "Does there need to be one?"
She rolled her eyes again and let out a soft sigh. "I guess my issue is that holidays are a family thing. It's about gathering with relatives and wanting to spend time together. And we…" She shook her head with a derisive snort. "Well, I don't really have a family to speak of. So holidays just seem like a cruel reminder of the fact that I'm alone."
She tried to slide her hand out from under his, but he tightened his grip. "You aren't alone," he said in a moment of rare seriousness.
"I don't have a family."
"You do." He squeezed her hand. "Listen, I get it. I do. My dad wasn't a demon seeking to destroy the world, but…" He shook his head with a weary sigh. "Let's just say it wasn't the easiest thing growing up for me either. I never truly felt at home, like who I was meant to be. Not until Robin invited me to be a part of the Titans. And sure, Starfire's got blood relatives, but look at them. Blackfire only cares about herself and emotionally damages Star any time she makes an appearance. Starfire would much rather spend her holidays with us. Vic? He lost his mom in the accident that changed him into who he is now. He never felt like he belonged after that, not until he found his way here. And Robin's a lost little orphan just like the rest of us. He's got nobody either. Nobody but us."
He paused, letting all of that sink in. None of them had been given great backstories. It seemed to be part of what being a super hero was about. "So I understand how you feel. Outside of that Tower, I don't have anywhere else I would call home. But that's the point of why Robin pushes these things. It isn't team building, though that's what he calls it. It's family building." He shrugged a shoulder sheepishly. "You guys are my family."
And right there was a big reason for much of his guilt. Raven was like family to him. The last thing he should be doing is drooling over how soft and curvy she was, how good it felt to have her backside pressed up against him.
He flushed, unable to stop the reaction. Even when he was trying to chastise himself for such thoughts, his mind kept wandering to how good it had all felt. He lifted his eyes back to hers. "I get that what I just said was super cheesy and lame, but—"
"No. It wasn't cheesy. It was exactly what I needed to hear." She fell silent and stared at him from across the table. Finally, she opened her mouth to say something else, but the waitress chose that moment to arrive with their pizza.
Raven let out a soft, derisive chuckle, as if happy the waitress had interrupted whatever she'd been about to say, as if it might be something she would have regretted later. She extricated her hand from his and sat back in her seat so the waitress could place the pizza down in front of them.
Once the woman had walked away, Raven leaned forward and pulled a piece of pizza onto the small plate in front of her. "You know, every time I think you're all practical jokes and foolery, you say something profound and remind me there's substance buried under that goofy surface."
He shot her a crooked grin as he grabbed his own slice of pizza. "Just don't tell anyone. I would hate for that information to get out."
She laughed lightly before taking a delicate bite of pizza.
He watched her chew, his eyes fixated on her mouth. Family, he reminded himself. Thinking about what it would be like to kiss those lips was wrong. That also meant that Princess Leia sex fantasies were completely inappropriate. He forced his eyes away from her lips and up to her eyes. "So you'll come to dinner then?"
She swallowed, then took an exaggeratedly long sip from her drink. Finally, lowering her glass back to the table, she slowly nodded. "Sure. I guess I'll come."
"Good." He took another large bite of pizza. Talking around the food in his mouth, he added, "It wouldn't be the same without you there."
She rolled her eyes at his lack of table manners, but there was a slight smile on her face. It was exactly why he'd done it, to ease the seriousness of the conversation.
"Just don't ask me to eat Glork," she said with the hint of a smile.
"Oh, definitely not." He took a large swallow of his drink. "I'm not exactly sure what's in it, but I just use the vegan excuse for most of Star's cooking. It's convenient."
"Extremely," she said dryly.
Then the pair of them burst into laughter.
OOOOO
"I can't believe we ate that entire pizza," Raven said, pushing her empty plate away from her.
"You underestimate my appetite," he responded with a chuckle. He popped the last piece of crust into his mouth just as the waitress returned.
"How am I splitting this up?" she asked, waving a small slip of paper she held between her fingers.
"Split the bill in half, please," Raven said, reaching toward her bag for her wallet.
Beast Boy forced down the rough piece of crust, nearly choking on it. "No." He waved toward the waitress and the small slip. "Give it to me. I'm paying."
"Beast Boy," Raven said with impatience.
"I'm paying," he said firmly. "I asked you out to dinner, I'm paying." He reached into the pocket of his jeans, trying not to think too closely on his wording. "Asked her out to dinner" sounded an awful lot like a date. This wasn't a date…right? Right! It was just dinner between friends. Nothing more.
Shaking his head at his wandering thoughts, he pulled out his wallet. It felt almost odd. He was so often in uniform that being in civilian clothes felt peculiar. He handed over a twenty dollar bill. It would more than cover the twelve dollar pizza and drinks. "Keep the rest."
The waitress nodded, took the money from his hand, and walked off.
At Raven's expression, he rolled his eyes. "It's pizza, Raven. Not a new sports car."
Her expression relented and she offered an amused smirk. "Was there a sports car on the table? Why didn't I get that option before I settled for pizza?"
"Because I know the true way to your heart is through your stomach." The second the words were out of his mouth, he flinched. Why had he said that? Why? He didn't want her thinking he was trying to find his way into her heart. Even if he was, he wouldn't actually do it with pizza. Even he wasn't dumb enough to think that would work.
Raven didn't seem to notice his panic. "You're not wrong there. I guess I'm not like most girls."
"No. You're not."
His words hung in the air, and he wanted to kick himself. Why did he keep saying things like this? It was like the more he tried to remind himself that Raven was like a sister to him, the more he wanted to fight against that assessment.
She took pity on him and changed the subject. "I'm really not looking forward to going back to the Tower. I'm not sure we've been gone long enough for the yelling to have quieted down."
His ears perked up at her comment, and then he made a pointed effort to lower them. On Halloween, when she'd been drunk, Raven had confessed that she found his ears to be cute. Ever since, he'd been self-consciously watching every movement he made with them. He liked that there was something about him she liked, but at the same time, she'd told him in confidence. He didn't want to make her feel embarrassed by being too obvious with his "ear flirting"…if there was such a thing. He'd become acutely of his ears, and it was making him a little crazy. "If you don't want to go back yet, there's this little ice cream shop a few blocks away. We could walk down there and get dessert."
"That sounds nice." Picking up her bag, she slung it over her shoulder and slid from the booth.
He followed her to the door, pleased that they were continuing their evening out together.
As soon as they started down the sidewalk, he noticed that the temperature had dropped considerably since they'd eaten. He also noticed her little shiver.
As he walked, he shrugged out of his hoodie. "Here." Grabbing the small loop at the top of her backpack, he tugged it down her shoulders. Once it was free, he handed her the sweatshirt.
She stared blankly at the fabric in her hands. "I'm fine," she said in her usual monotone.
"You're shivering."
Her eyes traveled over his now exposed dress shirt. "Won't you be cold?"
"Nah. I'll be fine." He offered her a lopsided grin. "If I get chilly, I'll just turn into something with fur."
She rolled her eyes, but slipped her arm into the sleeve.
He watched her pull it up her shoulders before reaching out toward her. "Here. Let me. The zipper sticks. It's one of my favorites, so I can't bear to get rid of it…" Tugging at just the right angle, he drew the zipper up. He stopped as it reached her breasts, pausing. "Is that good?" He wasn't about to zip her all the way up to her chin. It wasn't that cold.
"It's very good."
Something in her tone had his gaze flitted up to hers. He hadn't even thought twice about offering her his jacket, but as he stared at her bundled up in his clothing, the too-long sleeves falling over her fingertips, his stomach somersaulted. Just friends. Just friends. Seeing her in his hoodie brought out a very primal instinct in him. He could feel the Beast beneath the surface, proclaiming her to be theirs. Just. Friends. Just. Friends. The words ticked through his mind in time with his beating heart.
Her lips quirked in amusement, and he wondered if she was reading him, using her empath powers to discover just how scrambled she had his head right now. "Raven…"
Her communicator beeped, saving him from having to form a sentence. He was grateful, as he had no clue what he would have said. She stepped away from him and had to push the sleeve of the jacket up so she could get to her wrist.
As she spoke to Robin, he paced in a small, tight circle. He needed to get himself together. They were just two friends who'd gone out together for pizza. Sure, he'd paid. And yeah, she was wearing his jacket. But it didn't mean anything. This was Raven. Raven.
She didn't have thoughts like that. At least not about him.
"Well, looks like we're going out on a mission."
He snapped back to attention. "Where are we meeting the others?"
"We aren't," she said with a little shrug. "It's just us."
"Really?" he asked, arching his brows in surprise.
"Yeah. Robin said Mumbo stole some priceless artifact from the local museum. From what I understand, he believes it can summon some type of fortune demon from another dimension." She offered a little growl of annoyance at this. She always took it personally when demons were involved.
"Mumbo is currently across town causing a bit of havoc at one of the banks. Robin and the others are going to round him up, quiet him down. While they do that, we're breaking into his storage building and getting back the artifact."
"Oh…cool."
Sure," she drawled. Then looking around, she said, "We need to find somewhere to change."
He nodded, craning his neck to check out their surroundings. Though he was easily recognizable with his green skin, they were in civilian clothes. People usually left them alone when they were out and about, living like everyone else. But the moment they stepped out in their super hero gear…the fangirls flocked. If they wanted to get to where they were going without drawing attention or being delayed, discretion was probably a good idea. That meant marching into a store or restaurant to change into their gear was out. Besides, even if it didn't draw fans, them hurriedly changing into uniform could cause panic. It would mean there was a potential emergency in the area, and people tended to get concerned about that.
"There," he said, pointing. "That warehouse." It was a storage facility for paper products. There was a sole worker walking along the outside, unloading a pallet full of printer reams. "We can sneak in when his back is turned, get changed, and get out of here."
Raven nodded her approval, and with light, soundless steps, she hurried across the sidewalk and down a short alley until she reached the building that took up a large chunk of real estate.
Luck was on their side and the worker was now on his phone. He had his back to the building and was busy with whatever conversation he was having. He'd also left the door propped open.
The pair slipped inside unnoticed.
Beast Boy stood guard, watching the door while Raven rummaged in her bag for their uniforms. She had just nearly gotten them untangled when he heard a noise approaching the door. It appeared their luck had run out. The man had finished his phone conversation and was headed in their direction.
"Time's up," Beast Boy hissed under his breath. Grabbing Raven's elbow, he yanked her quickly in the direction of the first door he saw. Unfortunately, it was a tiny little closet. The moment the door closed behind them, they were engulfed in darkness.
Realizing he'd been a bit rash, he was glad she couldn't see his blush. "Sorry. The guy was coming and…"
"It's fine," she said calmly. "I wasn't about to change out in the open anyway. You might be okay with it, but public nudity isn't on my list of things I enjoy."
He chuckled lightly at this, accepting the accusation easily. Being a shapeshifter, he sometimes forwent clothing. Animals had no need for pants. And on occasion, he'd found himself in his human form without a scrap of clothing to cover up with. He'd long since gotten over being embarrassed by it. Granted, he never tried to be caught nude, but if it happened, he shrugged it off. "Point taken."
Raven fumbled in the dark for a moment before cloth was shoved into his hand. "Here," she said. "Get dressed."
"In here?"
"Why not?" she asked distractedly.
"Together?"
He heard her impatient sigh. "It's dark. And we're on a schedule. Stop being weird and just get dressed."
Beast Boy gulped nervously. Sure, it was dark, but he kind of had a little bit of night vision. It came with the animal abilities. He knew it was probably pitch black to her and she couldn't see a thing, but he could. Sure, it was muted and lacked color, but he could clearly make out the pale flesh of her upper body as she tugged her shirt up over her head. Her bra was dark, either purple or black.
With a little yelp, he turned his back, his heart pounding in his chest. Okay, he couldn't say anything about his night vision now. Not after… He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to erase the sight of her bare skin from his memory. Shit. It wasn't working.
Feeling unbelievably self-conscious, he undid the buttons of his shirt. Every sound behind him was a reminder that Raven was getting naked. His face burning with embarrassment at their situation, he tried to distract himself with thoughts of their mission. Mumbo. The artifact. Breaking and entering. Raven's bra. Shit. A month ago, this wouldn't have even phased him. Now, he was acting like a kid who just hitting puberty. Girls hadn't affected him like this since before he was twelve.
Moving as quickly as possible, he tugged down his jeans and kicked them to the side. Then he hurried into his uniform, stepping his feet in and yanking it up over his hips. They were so close in the small closet that his elbow bumped her waist, and at one point she backed up into him. They were far too close for his comfort.
He was just stuffing his arms into the sleeves of his uniform, when Raven spoke.
"Zip this for me?"
His heart about stopped in his throat as he slowly turned to face her. She had her back to him, offering up the zipper on the back of her costume.
"I can barely lift my arms in here. I can't reach the zipper."
His face grew hot as he gaped at the pale expanse of exposed flesh at her back. He knew he couldn't say no, as that would just make things weirder. But there was something very intimate about zipping up the back of her uniform. With trembling fingers, he eased up the zipper. He was halfway finished when the amusement in her voice during her request sank in.
Amusement. From Raven.
"You're messing with me." He should have realized that immediately. Even if she couldn't reach in the dark, she often used her powers to move things anyway. She could have simply done that if she couldn't get her uniform zipped.
"I'm messing with you," she confirmed. "I could feel the anxiety wafting off of you, and it was driving me crazy." She stepped away from him once he had her zipper up and lifted her cloak from her bag. "We're just changing for a mission, Garfield. We've done stuff like this before. Relax."
He frowned, choosing not to comment. Sometimes he hated how easily she could read him. Surely, she had to realize how messed up his head was since last month. It wasn't like he was very good at hiding it.
"If I was trying to get you alone and naked in the dark for reasons beyond our mission, it wouldn't be here in this dirty closet," she said in her usual monotone.
He sucked in a sharp gasp and lifted his gaze to her face. She still looked amused, and he wasn't sure what to think about that. Was she making fun of him? Because of his suddenly unrestrainable feelings for her? If she was, it was a rather cruel joke.
Or was there a chance she liked him too and this was Raven's attempt at flirting? He didn't even want to think about that. He was already having enough problems dealing with what was going on in his own head. He didn't need to add what she was thinking to that mess.
Laughing at his stunned silence, she bent and scooped his discarded clothing into her bag. Then straightening, she stepped in close to him and grabbed his hand. Placing it on her hip, she teleported them.
Beast Boy's head swam for a moment as his vision was engulfed by true darkness, the kind even he couldn't see through. He wasn't afraid though. Raven had teleported him more than a few times, and he trusted her. So he waited out the odd sensation, and sure enough, a moment later, they touched down in the back alley outside the building Mumbo used as his "evil lair".
She remained close for a moment, staring up at him. It was almost as if she expected him to do something, but he couldn't for the life of him figure out what. After the silence stretched a beat too long, she sighed and took a step back.
His hand fell away from her waist and he flexed his fingers nervous. When had he become so incredibly bad at this? He usually knew where he stood with women, and he'd never before had trouble telling when one was interested in him. But Raven? She was an enigma, one he couldn't figure out.
"Come on," she said quietly and he couldn't help but feel almost like he'd disappointed her somehow. "We have an artifact to recover."
OOOOO
Beast Boy stared into the room where the museum's artifact was being kept. The space was otherwise empty, with a small dais at the back. The item appeared to be some type of stone or gem. It sat out in the open, easily obtainable.
He started forward, but Raven suddenly reached out and grabbed onto his arm. "Stop," she hissed.
He turned to give her a look of surprise. "What? Let's get this thing and get out of here."
She shook her head. "Did you not listen to anything Robin said?" He was pretty sure she knew he hadn't, but he wasn't about to admit he hadn't been paying attention, so he waited for her to explain. "Security lasers," she added impatiently, pointing to faint red lighting that dominated much of the room.
"Easy," he said confidently. "I'll just turn into a bird and—"
"No!" Her eyes flashed with irritation. "Once again, Robin explained the particular security of this room. At least I paid attention to Cyborg's hard research." She arched a challenging brow at him, but he merely shrugged.
Sighing, she continued. "Mumbo attempted to make this room "Titan proof". He used some type of magic spell on it. If anyone uses magic, an alarm is triggered. If anyone uses powers, an alarm is triggered. You bump one of the red lasers—"
"I get it. An alarm is triggered."
"Precisely." She eyed the laser beams warily. "This is something that is going to have to happen manually."
Rolling his shoulders, he nodded. "Okay. So I go in and—"
"I go in," she corrected. "In animal form, you can move rather gracefully. In Garfield form…" She trailed off, her eyes traveling down his body. "I've seen you trip over your own feet before."
"Hey!" She wasn't exactly wrong, but when he put his mind to it, he could be stealthy. He was sure he was capable of getting the job done if need be. Still, with all of her meditating, Raven had immense control and patience. They both knew she was the better choice for the job. "Fine," he grumbled. "What am I supposed to do while you're busy being James Bond?"
"Seriously, were you listening at all?"
"We've already established I wasn't. So fill me in."
She rolled her eyes but continued. "Mumbo hired two guards to walk the building. It isn't that big, so there's probably no chance I finish this before they make their rounds. When they show up, take them out." She raised a warning finger. "But remember, no turning into animals. No powers. You'll have to find some way to take them out as is. Before they trigger the alarm."
"Not sure you could sound less confident in my fighting skills," he grumbled.
"I could," she said with a hint of a smile as she unclasped her cloak and gathered the material in her arms. "I was giving you the most positivity I could possibly muster."
"Oh har har—" His mocking laughter broke off suddenly as she dropped her cloak to the top of her bag. All words left him as he stared at her in uniform without her cloak. He'd never realized just how much it covered her, how much it hid. Sure, he'd caught glimpses, but nothing like this.
She didn't nearly have the height of Starfire, but Raven's legs were long. Her uniform left a stretch of muscled, alabaster flesh bare to his view. Her breasts were ample; she definitely had Star beat in that department…not that he ever looked at Starfire's chest. It was bad enough he couldn't keep his eyes from straying to Raven's. Her uniform—void of the cape—outlined just how well-endowed she was.
He swallowed thickly, averting his gaze. Just friends. Just friends. How many times would he have to remind himself of that today? When he looked back, she had turned to face the obstacle of lasers. And that was when he realized just how high cut the back of her uniform was. He could see the hint of the globes of her butt, and the sight taunted him. There was no way she wore anything other than a thong under that thing. He gave a pained groaned and turned his back on her. He gazed up at the ceiling, trying to distract himself from thinking about the alluring sight behind him.
"Beast Boy."
Her voice drew him back, and he reluctantly turned to face her. "Yeah?"
She was about to head into the maze of lasers. As he flitted his gaze over the shining red lights, he realized why she'd ditched her cloak. It would flutter about, getting in her way. She needed to be as stealthy as possible.
"Make sure you take care of those guards. We don't want Mumbo aware of what we're doing." With that, she headed into the lasers. She stepped easily over the first one in her path. But next one sat at elbow height, and there was another near her knees. She lifted one leg over the one at her knees, then bent and ducked under the one at her shoulders. She looked like one of those wrestling divas he sometimes ogled when they got into the ring. It was an even more pleasant sight with Raven as the star. Lifting her other leg over the laser near her knee, she paused to catch her balance.
He took this as his cue to turn his back again. If he kept watching her, it would lead to nothing good. He wasn't looking to repeat the embarrassment of Halloween. Friends didn't repeatedly get erections around friends. He was pretty sure that would be viewed as rude.
Rocking on his heels, he listened for noises from her, but she moved rather soundlessly. So instead, he focused his attention on the door. The moment the guards showed, he wanted to be ready. He needed to be ready.
He wanted to prove to himself that he could still function while being around Raven, that she wasn't in his head as much as he feared. And he kind of wanted to prove to her that he could handle himself in a fight without the ability to shapeshift. Sure, maybe the second part of his desires conflicted with the first, but he wasn't going to look too closely at that.
A shuffling sounded in the hallway beyond their room, drawing his attention. His ears lifted, straining to hear. He caught the sound of voices getting closer. Time to prove himself.
He crouched next to the door, waiting. The instant the men passed the doorway, he leapt. He grabbed the first man by the collar of his shirt and slammed him face first into the wall.
It was a perfectly timed blow and the man fell to the ground, unconscious.
One down, one to go.
"What the—"
Before the other man could fully get his sentence out, Beast Boy brought an elbow back into his chest, effectively knocking the wind out of him. When the man buckled over, the changeling grabbed a fistful of his hair.
He was about to bring his knee up into the man's forehead to knock him out, but he chose that moment to lift his eyes. He immediately wished he hadn't. At the same time, he wished he'd been looking the entire time.
Just as he lifted his gaze, Raven dropped sensually to the floor. He doubted that was what she was going for, but sexy it was. There was no denying it. She was on her hands and knees, her shoulder blades pressed back into her spine as she gazed at her next obstacle.
As he watched, she lowered her upper body to the floor, which effectively arched her backside up for his viewing while she slowly slid under a laser close to the floor.
It was like his entire brain glitched. He froze, unable to do anything but stare. Laser beam security was so cliché and lame. There were so many better things out there. He'd been silently mocking Mumbo for his choice—until now. Now, he was contemplating thanking the magician. He was going to have to send him a fruit basket to show his appreciation or something.
He gawked as Raven slid slowly under the red laser. He'd been trying so hard all day to be a good friend, to keep his thoughts appropriate. But his limits had just been reached. Any delusional thoughts that he wanted to be "just friends" with Raven went out the door. He didn't want to be just friends. He wanted to be the guy she pressed that delicious backside against when she danced. That being said, he had no idea what to do about that.
Raven suddenly climbed to her feet and shook her hair out of her face. Then she turned her purple gaze to him. "Beast Boy. What are you doing?" She motioned to the guard's head he still had clutched in his hands. "Knock him out already and stop screwing around."
Beast Boy blinked, slowly coming back to his senses. "Yeah… I was just…" Clearing his throat uncomfortably, he brought his knee up roughly into the man's forehead.
The guard collapsed to the floor at his feet, his eyes rolling back in his head.
Beast Boy smirked proudly. Even though he'd been thoroughly distracted, he'd taken out the guards without even breaking a sweat. And he hadn't let them sound an alarm.
Raven rolled her eyes as she reached out for the artifact. Lifting it up from the pillow it rested on, she lifted it up. "Catch."
The stone came soaring at him and Beast Boy snatched it out of the air.
"Now, tie those two up and lean them against the wall while I come back through this maze," she ordered.
He was glad for the distraction. He could not watch her maneuver through the lasers again. He wouldn't survive it. Turning back to the unconscious men, he pulled zip tie cuffs from a pocket in his uniform and bent down.
Keeping his back to Raven, he maneuvered the first guard's arms behind his back and restrained his wrists. Leaning him carefully against the wall, he then moved on to the second man.
He was just finishing up with the second guard when a hand touched his shoulder.
"You ready?" Raven asked lightly as she picked up her cloak and slipped it back over her shoulders.
Beast Boy slid the man against the wall so he wouldn't be too uncomfortable when he woke. Then he climbed to his feet. "Yeah. We should get back." He was disappointed their evening out together had been interrupted, but at the same time, he didn't think he could spend any more time with her right now. He needed to figure some things out first.
She cocked her head to the side, staring at him thoughtfully. Then she shrugged and picked up her bag. Reaching a hand out to him, she teleported them back to Titan's Tower.
OOOOO
Beast Boy popped a bite of roll into his mouth and looked around the table at his friends. Thanksgiving dinner was in full swing. The table was laden with food—including Glorrk, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie. There was way too much food, but everyone had gotten what they wanted, and everyone was happy.
Starfire had the brightest smile he'd ever seen on her face as she scooped more Glorrk onto her plate. She leaned over toward Robin, whispering to him, and he smiled.
Cyborg was cutting himself another slice of ham and talking animatedly to Raven about some new improvement he'd put in the T-Car. His face was lit up in excitement, and there was a small smile on her lips as she listened.
Beast Boy grinned, pleased with how the evening had turned out, pleased Raven had shown up. He'd been telling the truth—it wouldn't have been the same without her.
Robin chose this moment to climb to his feet. "Titans." He placed his hands on his hips, staring at each of them in turn. "Let us not forget the most important part of our dinner. We should go around and each say what we're thankful for."
Beast Boy expected a groan from Raven, but instead she shot a sly glance in his direction and offered a small smile. He arched a brow in surprise, and she simply shook her head.
Robin started them off. "I'm thankful for another successful year of defending Jump City from crime. This city depends on us. The citizens depend on us. And this team never lets them down." He gave a moment's pause for everyone to absorb his words, then he waved a hand to the woman beside him. "Star, your turn."
She bobbed her head, her hands clutched to her chest in joy. "Thank you, Robin." She beamed at him before continuing. "I am thankful for this delightful planet. Everyone here has been so welcoming and wonderful to me. Even when I do not understand things at times, all of you are very patient with me. I appreciate this very, very much. It makes me feel more at home here, like I actually belong."
Robin returned her smile and reached out to squeeze her shoulder. There was no mistaking his look of affection. He quickly recovered, though, and shifted his gaze to Cyborg.
The biggest Titan paused for a moment before a grin spread across his face. "I would say I'm thankful for the difference we've been able to make this year. And I don't just mean fighting crime. Being a hero isn't just about stopping villains. It's about making a difference in the day to day lives of people." He smiled. "We helped raise money to build that children's center this year. Raven and Starfire spent time at the women's shelter volunteering their time and gathering donations. I feel like we've really mattered to the community this year."
Starfire placed a hand to her heart and made a cooing sound. "That was the beautiful."
"Thanks, Star." Cyborg offered her a playful wink before training his gaze expectantly on Raven.
Robin raised a brow at Raven. The expression on his face blatantly stated he expected her to be reluctant to share.
Instead, she shot Beast Boy a quick, subtle smile. Then she spoke. "I'm thankful that I had a friend who reminded me what the holidays are really about. I'd kind of lost my way." She stopped, and he thought she was finished, but then she continued. "I'm thankful that even though I don't have a blood family to celebrate with, I have you guys. You're my family. And I'm beyond grateful for that."
Everyone's eyes at the table had widened, all of them staring at Raven as if she'd grown a second head. Beast Boy frowned. Raven was so closed off when it came to her emotions. If they made a big deal about it when she did open up, she wouldn't do it again.
Wanting to take the focus off of her, he blurted out, "I'm thankful for Raven's uniform." He'd wanted to take the focus off of her, but the moment the words were out of his mouth, he felt mortification well up. That wasn't what he'd been going to say. He'd had something appropriate and somewhat sappy prepared. Instead, he'd gone and spouted off about the one thing he couldn't get off of his mind—Raven's scantily clad body.
"What?" Robin asked, his expression one of astonishment.
All eyes were suddenly on Beast Boy, but at least they were off of Raven.
He laughed sheepishly and rubbed at the back of his neck. Then, seeing the relief that flashed across Raven's face, he decided to just own it. He never did mind being the comic relief, especially when it saved someone else from unwanted attention. "I said I'm thankful for Raven's uniform. She took her cloak off yesterday afternoon and I had an unhindered view of—"
"Why am I not surprised?" Raven said dryly, cutting him off.
Starfire sent him a disapproving look. "You are the inappropriate."
"Well, what can I say…"
"You should be ashamed, dude," Cyborg said with a shake of his head.
Robin placed his hands on the table with a shake of his head. "Yes, well… Let's get some dessert, shall we?"
OOOOO
Forty-five minutes later, Beast Boy was sitting on the couch by himself. The others were still in the kitchen, picking at food and cleaning up. He'd excused himself to the quiet of the adjoining room to clear his head a bit. He could still hear them, loud and exuberant in the other room, and it made him smile.
He was eager to get back to them, but he just wanted a few minutes alone to think. It was something he found himself doing more and more often recently. He had a half demon to thank for that.
He would rejoin the others soon, though. They probably wouldn't even notice he was gone. It was only a couple of much needed minutes…
So it was a surprise when a shadow fell over him. He hadn't expected anyone to come looking for him. It hadn't been long since he'd crept away, after all. His gaze lifted from the floor to find himself staring up at Raven.
She was holding two plates in her hand, each holding a generous slice of pumpkin pie. "Care if I join you?" she asked.
He blinked at her in surprise before nodding and motioning toward the spot beside him on the couch.
She eased down next to him before handing him over one of the plates.
He accepted it, lifting the fork to lick a dollop of whipped cream from its surface. With a sound of approval, he sent her a smile. "Thanks."
She nodded, staring silently at her slice of pie for a moment. "Thank you."
"For?" he asked curiously.
She took a delicate bite of pie before tilting her head to the side as she gazed at him. "I know what you did in there."
"Oh?" He kept his voice carefully neutral.
She sent him a dry look. "I know you purposely spouted at the mouth to take the focus off of me." She licked at her fork, drawing his attention to her mouth. "I appreciate it."
He swallowed thickly and nodded. "No problem. That's what friends are for."
"Friends?" She smirked in amusement at his choice of words. "Since when do friends check out each other's asses during missions?"
He choked on his next bite, pounding a fist against his chest. "You…you, uh, caught that, huh?"
"You weren't exactly subtle." She shook her head and took another bite of pie. "It's all right. I figure you did more good than bad yesterday." She shrugged a shoulder as she dipped her index finger into a glob of whipped cream and brought it to her lips.
He watched her suck on her finger, before forcing himself to avert his gaze until she was finished. He was fairly certain she'd been placed on this earth to torture him. "Yeah?" he asked, his tone pained.
"I'm serious," she said, lowering her plate to her lap, her expression becoming suddenly solemn. "I hated holidays. A lot." She smiled lightly. "You've made them…tolerable." Then with only a slight hesitation, she tucked her head in against his shoulder. Quietly, she took another bite of her pie.
He froze, surprised at the comfortable weight of her head leaning against him. "Glad I could be of some assistance."
She gave a small, intelligible mumble and took another bite of her pie.
Following her lead, he scooped up a bite of pie and popped it into his mouth. They remained silent, sitting against each other, simply enjoying the companionable quiet.
As his side warmed from having his teammate tucked so closely against it, he realized that there was no going back. He didn't want to be her friend anymore. He wanted more, and there was no sense denying it.
He might be the comedic relief of the group, something he'd thought would always stand in the way of her seeing who he was underneath, but that didn't mean he didn't have serious desires in life. It didn't mean he couldn't act like an adult when the situation called for it. It didn't mean he didn't have plans for the future. He did. And right now, those plans involved making sure the half demon next to him realized he wasn't just her friend. He was ready to be something more.
Now all he had to do was figure out how to get her to admit she felt the same way. But until then, he was fine being the comic relief. Seeing her smile was one of his favorite things in the entire world. "And just so you know…I check out Robin's ass all the time during missions. Don't go thinking you're something special."
Silence fell for a moment. Then she burst into laughter, a snort issuing from her–an actual snort! "Beast Boy, you are terrible."
But despite her criticism, there was a smile on her face. And that was truly what he was grateful for, the fact that he'd learned how to make her smile—really smile. There wasn't anything else at the moment he wanted more than to simply see her happy.
A proud smirk on his lips, he took another bite of pie. He had a new life mission. He would get her to realize how he felt about her. And maybe, just maybe, she would feel the same in return.