Secret Santas and Mistletoe

Raven settled herself onto the couch, fitting into the middle seat between Starfire and Cyborg. Robin had called a mandatory meeting, and she couldn't for the life of her figure out for what. There hadn't been an alarm in three or four days. They had no major villains breathing down their necks. Jump City had been rather quiet recently. It was like the bad guys had decided to take some time off for the holiday too. "What's this about?" she asked.

Robin held up a finger and looked impatiently toward the doorway. "Wait until we're all here." He glanced at the time on his communicator, his lips pinching in disapproval.

Raven subtly glanced at her own communicator. Beast Boy was two minutes late. "In his defense, you just put out your mandatory meeting message ten minutes ago. He was probably still asleep."

Robin's annoyed glare slid in her direction. Not wanting to be the subject of his ire, she quickly added, "Not that he should still be in bed at this hour. It's after eleven." Since when did she come to Beast Boy's defense anyway? The thought filled her with irritation. She didn't defend others. Especially not Beast Boy. If he screwed up, it was on him to fix it.

As if thinking about him caused him to appear, Beast Boy staggered into the room looking half asleep. His hair was tousled and stuck up all over his head. He was in a wrinkled t-shirt and a baggy pair of pajama pants.

The sight of him sent her belly tumbling. He looked…cute. She frowned at this. She didn't think guys were cute either. Especially not Beast Boy. Though as she frowned at him, she had to silently admit that his wild hair sent a flutter through her tummy. And his sweats hung so low on his hips, giving a hint of his muscled abs as he lifted his shirt to scratch absentmindedly at his stomach.

"Am I late?"

His question broke the spell, and with flushed cheeks, she whipped back around to face Robin, praying no one had noticed her checking him out. The changeling had her catching sly, guilty glances at him a lot lately. And she was terrified someone was going to notice.

She'd been filled with this same kind of worry since Halloween. That's when things had…changed. She'd spent some time alone with Beast Boy and found he was actually kind of fun. He'd helped her let go of some of her anxiety that night, helped her relax. And since, she'd found his presence astonishingly soothing…when he wasn't going out of his way to annoy her.

As a result, she'd found herself spending more and more time with him. Well, not so much with him as around him. She read in the living room while he played video games. She sat next to him on team movie nights. She'd even invited him to join her in a few training sessions. It was all innocent stuff, things she hoped he didn't pick up on. But they were things that had recently begun spreading a warm, comfortable awareness through her.

Her new feelings were terrifying and foreign, and she didn't quite know what to do with them. After the intimate way they'd danced on Halloween, she'd been filled with conflicting thoughts and emotions. So she'd told him the two of them should get pizza together some time. She'd purposely left it vague. The plan was to judge how he felt about her in return by his response to her offer.

He'd seemed really excited about the idea of them spending more time together, so she'd thought perhaps his feelings might go beyond friendship. She hadn't wanted to make any assumptions though, so she'd left it up to him to bring up their dinner plans again, and it had taken nearly four agonizing weeks.

He'd asked her out of the blue one evening while she'd been getting ready to make dinner. And he'd asked her to go right then and there. She'd known it was motivated by their arguing teammates, but she'd still been unable to ignore her excitement at the offer.

She'd rushed to get ready…only she hadn't known what to wear. She didn't date—like ever—so her options had been limited. And besides, she hadn't been sure it actually was a date. She hadn't wanted to dress too nice in case she was seeing something there that wasn't, but she'd also not wanted to come out of her room looking as if she didn't care. So she'd settled on middle ground and chosen something that could go either way. Her plan had been to judge the situation by his outfit.

Finding him in a zip up hoodie, she'd settled on their dinner being nothing more than two friends escaping a chaotic household. But then he'd chased her assumption away with a simple brush of his knuckles against the back of her neck when he'd zipper her backpack up for her. The reaction her body gave…that hadn't been friendly at all. It had thrown her back into a sense of insecurity. And their heart to heart chat over dinner hadn't done anything to settled her growing attraction to him. Seeing deeper intellect to him had been a turn on.

He'd then offered to take her for ice cream, and she'd been sure it meant something. He didn't want their time together to end either. He'd taken his jacket off, zipping her up in it when she got cold. The move had been unexpected and had her hormones dancing with excitement—as had the dress shirt he'd had hidden under his bulky jacket. He had dressed for a date!

But then as bad guys loved to do, they were interrupted by their communicators going off. A mission had pulled them away from their…date? Not date?

Something else had happened, though. They'd dressed together. In a tiny closet. Their backs practically pressed together, his hot skin brushing against hers.

She'd honestly thought she was going to faint. She'd never stripped down in front of a guy she was interested in before, and her emotions had been going haywire. She'd tried to play it off, tried so hard. But she'd felt anxiety coming off of him in waves as well. Had it been because of her? Because of the mission?

Wanting to test the waters, she'd teasingly asked him to zip up the back of her uniform. She hadn't thought he would actually do it, but then he did. And it was hard not to notice the way his fingers trembled as he did. He was affected by her. That was her proof.

When she'd turned to face him, there'd been this heavy moment. She'd gazed up into his eyes and thought—hoped—he was going to kiss her. If there was ever a moment to do it, it had been right then.

But he hadn't. Instead, he'd taken a step back. He'd either chickened out or he wasn't into her the way she was into him. And the not knowing was killing her.

She bit her lip as she tried for the millionth time to figure out where she stood with him. He did nothing to help her unease when he plopped down between her and Starfire, squeezing in and practically sitting on both of their laps. Giving a big yawn, he dropped his head to her shoulder. "I'm here. Let the meeting begin."

Her cheeks flushing, she lifted her shoulder, trying to push him off of her. "I don't want you drooling on my clothing." More like she couldn't handle him being this close. It was torture. Sweet, delicious torture.

Instead of listening, he settled in. "I've seen you with Plasmus goo all over you. A little bit of BB drool isn't going to do any harm."

She frowned but remained silent. If she made too big of a deal about it, it would draw attention. And that was the last thing she wanted. As she didn't even know what his feelings, or hers for that matter, were, she didn't want anyone else taking guesses too. "So what is this about?" she asked, tone monotone and bored.

Robin's frown immediately left his face. A smile graced his lips and he stood up taller. "Titans, I want us to do something different this year for the holidays, something unique." He paused for dramatic effect. "This year, I want us to do Secret Santas."

Raven's brows arched. It wasn't exactly unique. Plenty of people did Secret Santa exchanges. She wasn't about to tell him that, though. Her thoughts had automatically gone to the previous month when Beast Boy explained to her why Robin did all of these group activities. They were his family, and he wanted them to bond. This new knowledge had her remaining silent instead of grumbling or throwing a fit as she normally might have.

Robin had obviously been expecting it, because his gaze honed in on her. "Let me guess, Raven, you think this is a stupid idea."

"Nope," she said easily. "I think it's a great idea."

"And you don't want to participate," he said, as if he hadn't heard her response.

"No." She shook her head. "I'm actually kind of eager to participate."

He frowned at her, his brows furrowed suspiciously. "You're not going to fight it?"

"Nope."

"Not even a little bit?"

"Nope."

His gaze remained on her for a long minute before he finally shrugged. "If you say so." He then went on to explain how it would work. They would still buy gifts for each of their friends. But in addition, they would do small, kind things for the person they'd selected. It would remain a secret until Christmas Eve, when they would exchange Secret Santa gifts. They would save their gifts for the rest of the Titans until morning.

"Then I guess there's nothing left to do but pick names," Robin finished. He pulled a glass dish off of the end table behind him. It was filled with small slips of paper. He'd come prepared.

Beast Boy perked up, his head lifting from Raven's shoulder. "Ooh. Perfect. Rae and I have plans to go Christmas shopping together this afternoon, so we can pick a few extra treats out for our people."

She turned to him in confusion. "We do?" she asked quietly, hoping to keep their conversation private.

"We do now." He offered her a cheeky grin before reaching out and selecting a slip of paper.

Raven frowned at him a moment longer before reaching in for her own slip. Unfolding it, she saw the name "Robin" written across the scrap of paper. With a smile, she slipped it into her pocket. Robin would be easy. They often had similar tastes and hobbies. And she knew the sort of things he liked.

"You aren't going to complain about who you picked?" Robin asked, looking astonished.

"Nope," she said, almost chipperly…well, chipper for her. "I'm happy with who I got."

"Really?" he asked.

"Jeez, Robin!" She gave a huff of annoyance at the incredulous tone of his voice. "I'm really happy with who I picked. No, I don't want to change. Nor do I want to complain in the least. I'm good. Perfect, actually." She waved him off. Had she really been that difficult in the past that those closest to her automatically expected a fight over simple social obligations?

She knew the answer to that. She scowled, unhappy with that unflattering assessment of her own personality.

Robin stared at her for a moment longer, his eyes narrowed in suspicion, before he shrugged. "All right then. Meeting adjourned." He shot her one last look before moseying out of the room, heading down the hall toward the training room.

The instant he was gone, Beast Boy turned lazily in his seat, his upper body draped over the back of the couch. "You ready to go do that shopping now?"

She hesitated, her mind whirring, though she kept a careful frown on her lips. She was torn over how to react. On one hand, she hated how he thought he could pressure her into doing whatever he wanted with a simple smile. On the other hand, she would admit—though only to herself—that she liked that he wanted to spent time with her. And he totally could win her over with just a smile.

"Come on, Rae," he wheedled, taking her silence as a rejection.

Letting out a huff, she finally said, "Whatever."

"Awesome!" He shoved her off of the couch, and had she not been quick to react, she would have toppled to the floor. "Now go get ready."

She stood over him, glaring down into his amused green eyes. Then she sighed and shook her head. Without another word, she trudged off in the direction of her room. She was halfway there when she realized she had no clue where they were going. If they were headed to the mall, it could be stuffy and hot in there. She would want to dress light. If they were going to one of the outdoor markets they frequented, she wanted to wear something warmer.

She turned and headed back in the direction of the living room to ask of his plans, but something had her freezing in the doorway. It took her a moment to focus on the voices in the room and register that she'd heard her own name. It appeared Beast Boy and Cyborg were having what was obviously meant to be a private conversation.

Unable to help herself, she leaned against the doorway to hear what they could possibly be discussing and how it involved her.

"Come on, Cy! Please!" Beast Boy's voice was desperate and verging on whiney.

"I'm not switching you people," Cyborg said with impatience. It was clear this wasn't the first time he'd spoken these words.

"But I've got Starfire. She's got to be the easiest person in the Tower to shop for! She likes all that girly stuff. You and I both know that Raven is difficult to buy for, so you should be thanking me for taking her off your hands."

Cyborg turned on him with annoyance in his eyes. "And how do you even know I have Raven?"

"Because I don't have her. And I know Starfire doesn't have her. I peeked over her shoulder when she opened her paper. And Raven doesn't have herself. That leaves you or Robin. Process of elimination."

Cyborg let out a frustrated huff. "Why do you even want Raven so badly anyway?"

Beast Boy's ears drooped and he gazed up at his best friend with an expression of vulnerability. "You know why."

Cyborg stared at him for a long moment before letting out a little sigh. "Fine. Fine." He shook his head. "But you're doing garbage duty any time it's my turn for a month."

"Two months!" Beast Boy promised, dancing excitedly in place.

Raven had heard enough. She spun away from the doorway and hurried down the hallway to her room. Once there, she closed herself in and leaned heavily against the metallic door.

He'd begged to be her Secret Santa. He'd voluntarily taken garbage duty for two months just to have her name. A smile began forming on her lips and she bit the lower one to restrain the giddy reaction. If there was ever a sign about how he felt, that right there was it.

Her mood uncharacteristically buoyant, she made her way to her closet and threw open the door. She would just have to figure out an outfit on her own. She cocked her head to the side, purple hair sliding over her shoulder as she surveyed her wardrobe. She wanted to dress nice, but at the same time, she didn't want to let on that she'd heard their conversation. She knew it wasn't something he would have wanted her to hear.

Reaching into the back of the closet, she pulled out a long sleeved, dark purple shirt made out of some sort of form fitting, clingy material. She'd always thought it suctioned to her body and drew attention to her chest. Before, that had been a bad thing. Now…

Smirking, she tossed it to her bed before grabbing a pair of plain black dress slacks. She pulled on the slacks before slipping into her favorite black flats. Then she tugged the shirt on and fluffed out her hair. Looking at herself in the mirror, she nodded in approval. It was simple and elegant, nothing too obvious, but it also complimented her in all the right places.

She turned to leave, but then swiveled on her feet and headed into her bathroom. Rooting around in the very back of one of the drawers, she finally found what she was looking for. Her hand emerged with an unopened tube of lip gloss.

She quickly peeled off the wrapping and then stared at it almost suspiciously. Starfire had given it to her a few months ago. It had come in a bundle, and Star claimed it went better with Raven's skin tones than her own. Raven had tossed it to the back of a drawer and dismissed it…until now.

Shrugging, she smoothed some across her lips and studied herself in the mirror. Her lips shimmered with a subtle hint of glitter and tasted like cupcakes. Quickly running a brush through her hair, she decided she was done. She smiled and exited the bathroom.

She'd barely stepped into the hallway before Starfire was on her. "Friend Raven," she said with excitement.

"What?" She kept her tone bored and uninterested. She could tell by the excess of excitement wafting off of Starfire in waves that she probably wasn't going to like this conversation.

"I am most excited for your date with friend Beast Boy."

Raven reared back at this. Of all the things that could have come out of her friend's mouth, that was the last thing she'd been expecting. "What? It's…it's…" She shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot. "It's not a date."

"It is the not?" Starfire asked with a frown.

"No. Why would you think that? We're just going Christmas shopping."

"Yes," she said, sounding completely logical. "But every time you go out with just friend Beast Boy lately, you dress nicer than when you go out with any of the rest of us. And—" She let out a dramatic gasp. "Are you wearing the lip gloss?" She gave a squeal of excitement and grabbed Raven under the chin with one hand so she could closer examine her.

Raven scowled and tugged out of her friend's grip. Sure, she had a little bit of a…thing for Beast Boy. But she'd barely been able to admit it to herself. He didn't know how she felt. She definitely wasn't ready for her other friends to know. It would be embarrassing. "I wear lip gloss all the time," she lied. Great. Now I'm going to have to actually wear lip gloss all the time. "And I just happen to like this outfit. I don't dress differently…" She let out a frustrated growl. "Fine. If it will prove my point, I'll change. I can wear an old, ratty sweatshirt for all I care."

She turned on her heels and marched back into her room. As she passed her mirror, she saw how flattering the outfit was on her, how it accentuated her curves. She froze. Damn it. She didn't want to change.

Glaring in annoyance, she spun again and headed back out into the hallway.

Starfire was waiting for her with a smirk of amusement.

"I just don't have time to change," she grumbled.

Starfire let out a delighted giggle that Raven chose to ignore. Instead, she marched down the corridor to Beast Boy's room and banged her fist against his door. "Beast Boy. Let's go!" She wanted out of the Tower as soon as possible. The last thing she needed was for Cyborg to see her. He would tease her relentlessly for days if he knew she was wearing makeup, even if it was minimal.

A moment later, Beast Boy's door slid open. His eyes widened, his gaze roving over her in appreciation. "Wow…"

It was the reaction she'd been hoping for, but she couldn't enjoy it with Starfire lingering farther off down the hallway. "Let's go," she said darkly. Reaching out, she placed a hand on his shoulder and teleported them out of the Tower.

They appeared a moment later in the mall parking lot, just in front of the main entrance. "Is this fine?" she asked. "Or did you prefer we shop in the market?"

"Um…I was actually kind of thinking both."

"Both?" she asked in surprise.

"Yeah. I figured we could shop at the mall for a few hours, get some lunch, and then hit the market in the afternoon."

"That's a lot of shopping. You've only got four people to shop for. How much time do you need?" The instant the question was out of her mouth, she regretted it. She wanted to spend some time alone with him, to see if she could sort out her feelings. Why was she arguing?

"I's gots my Secret Santa shopping to do," he said playfully. "It's serious business. Though I don't want you peeking and finding out which of the guys I have. It's s'posed to be a secret."

She tried very hard to hide her smirk. One of the guys? She knew for a fact he hadn't ever had one of the guys. "So you're saying you have one of the guys?" she asked innocently.

He gave a cry of mock frustration. "You're like a detective or something. Stop trying to narrow down who I have. It's cheating."

She couldn't stop her smile at the effort he was putting in to keep her from knowing he had her. It was…sweet. Since when was Beast Boy sweet? Wanting to keep the game going, she nodded. "All right. I'll stop asking questions…about which one of the guys you have. Let's just start shopping already."

She hesitated a fraction of a second before slipping her arm through his, going for casual and friendly. Starfire often linked arms with her when she dragged Raven out shopping. This was no different…right? "I don't have plans this afternoon, so I'm okay with starting here, getting lunch, and heading to the market. It will be nice to get done with my shopping early."

He glanced down at their arms, an expression of surprise flitting across his features before he quickly hid it. "Yeah. Sure. Sounds fun." And with a little wink, he led her into the mall.

OOOOO

Raven sat across from Beast Boy at a table at the food court in Jump City's mall. A massive plate of nachos sat between them, a shared meal. It was this that made her realize just why she liked him so much.

Over the past few weeks, she'd discovered there were things about him she found attractive. His ears had always been endearing to her, but other things were starting to surface. Little things. Like the color of his uniform. Why was it that she found him wearing pink with such ease sexy? Or his shoes. They were so big and gangly…and cute. She'd suddenly decided the way his hair fell over his forehead was adorable. But it was more than just physical appearance that drew her. The biggest attraction, the one she was consumed with at the moment, was that he was comfortable to her. With him, she never felt the social pressures that came with hanging out with a guy. She didn't feel the awkwardness or the unspoken expectations. She could just relax and be herself. It was refreshing.

On the few dates she'd been on, she never would have considered splitting a meal with her dinner companion…not that this was a date…or a proper meal.

They both reached for a nacho at the same time, the same one in fact, and their fingers brushed.

She playfully slapped his hand away and snatched up the desired chip. "Back off," she said with a little smirk. "Or I'll go all demony on you."

He held up his hands in surrender. "The lady is possessive of her food. Noted."

She laughed lightly, something up until a few months ago, she hadn't known how to do freely. Then, as she gazed at his hands, she cocked her head to the side in curiosity. "You're wearing gloves."

"So? I always wear gloves."

"You're in civilian clothing. Why do you still have gloves on?"

He froze, his expression becoming suddenly guarded, before he slowly lowered his hands to his lap. "Habit."

She could tell by his reaction that she'd said the wrong thing, asked the wrong question. It wasn't often he showed he was bothered by anything, but right now, he clearly was. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry."

He shook his head, letting out a heavy sigh. "It's all right." He hesitated, his eyes searching her face, before he finally said, "The green face, people are perfectly fine with. But the hands? I've noticed that just because they're green a lot of people assume I don't practice proper hygiene. Like I'm unsanitary or something. They act like just because they're green, I don't know how to properly wash my hands." He shrugged, but his expression gave away how hurtful he found this. "I got tired of getting disapproving side eye, even more tired of the comments. So I started wearing the gloves all the time."

"Are you serious?" She felt Rage push to the surface and was forced to restrain her, like the mental version of holding someone back in a fight. "That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard."

"Yeah, well…" He ran a hand uncomfortably along the back of his neck. "You know what people are like when faced with something "different". It's the fear of the unknown. They always assume the worst."

"People are idiots." As he lowered his arm away from his neck, she reacted. She didn't have time to feel embarrassed or second guess herself. She simply snatched his hand out of the air.

Holding it between both of hers, she tugged at the Velcro strap that held the gray glove in place. Once she had it free, she loosened the glove, before sliding it off and placing it to the side.

She held his bare hand in both of hers, stroking her thumb along the back of his hand. It was unbelievably soft. No doubt that came from always being hidden away. His digits were well protected from the elements. "You wear gloves even at the Tower, when it's just us." Her purple gaze lifted to catch his. "I hope you don't think any of us think that way as well."

His cheeks flushed. "Like I said, it's just habit."

"I hope so. You should always feel safe at the Tower, like you can be yourself. You can't let outsiders make you feel self-conscious about who you are, especially in your own home."

She turned his hand over in hers and traced the line of his palm. "They're just hands, Gar. Nice hands, in fact." They were large hands, but they were warm and gentle. They were the exact opposite of her tiny, chilly ones. She used her index finger to outline the soft creases along his palm, feeling disbelief that he could be self-conscious about his hands. He wasn't the type to be self-conscious about anything.

When she looked up, it was to find him gaping at her in astonishment. She who avoided physical contact as much as possible had linked arms with him earlier and was now holding his hand, caressing it.

Knowing she was blushing, she dropped his hand and pushed the glove across the table to him for him to don again if he felt like it.

He chose instead to remove the other one and shove them into his back pocket with a little smile.

Feeling a need to remove the thickness of the atmosphere around them, she attempted to lighten the mood. "Though I do get why you would want to wear the gloves. They've definitely got sex appeal."

His brows arched. "You think my gloves are sexy?"

Aw, crap. Well, that had backfired, hadn't it? She shrugged, hoping she looked as if the question really didn't matter to her. "Some girls are into that kind of thing."

"Some girls?" He lifted a brow. "The Raven type?"

Damn. He wasn't going to let it go. Too bad for him that she was a master at avoiding topics she didn't want to deal with. Shrugging nonchalantly, she picked up another chip drenched in cheese and popped it into her mouth. She chewed slowly until he gave up and lifted a nacho of his own to his lips.

Swallowing, she decided to turn the tables on him. "When we split up earlier, did you find anything good for your secret person?"

"Oh yeah."

The thick, husky tone of his voice sent a shiver down her spine. She hoped she successfully hid her delight at his comment. "Oh yeah? You seem really pleased with who you have."

"There's nobody else I'd rather have, if I'm to be honest." His eyes stared into hers a moment too long, before he flushed and looked away. "Anyway, I got a couple of really nice surprises."

And she couldn't wait to see them. These next few weeks were going to be a real treat.

OOOOO

They had been walking the market for almost two hours now, and Raven still wasn't ready to go home. They'd had such a nice day out together. Not only that, it had been productive too. She'd picked up a few things for Robin and something for Cyborg.

She was surprised Beast Boy had managed to go the entire time without annoying her. He was getting good at that. When had he gotten so good at that?

"Hey! Raven!" Beast Boy came running over from a booth a few away from where she stood. "I found something Starfire would absolutely love!" He grabbed hold of her wrist and ran back in the direction he'd come, dragging her with him.

As he tugged, his hand slid from her wrist down to her hand. They came to a stop, but he didn't let go. He continued to hold on to her as he pointed out some large vanity mirror that shockingly had Tamaranean symbols etched into the frame.

He was right. Starfire would love it, especially since the seller claimed the words etched into the wood were inspirational.

Raven tried to focus on what the seller was saying, but she was having trouble concentrating on anything other than their joint hands. She wanted to look at them, but she also didn't want to bring attention to them. He was holding her hand! She forced herself to concentrate on the mirror. "Starfire would really like that. It's a good find."

As he discussed price and the seller's willingness to ship it to the Tower for him, Raven glanced down at their hands, feeling it safe as he was thoroughly distracted. Ever so slowly, she slipped her fingers through his, twining them together. She stared at the jarring sight, his green fingers linked with her ghostly pale ones. A soft smile curled her lips despite her desire to remain stoic about the situation. She just really liked the sight…

It took a moment for her to realize things had fallen silent. She looked up to find him staring at her in amusement.

"I'm gonna need that hand back to get into my wallet."

She yanked her hand back as if burnt. He'd caught her staring. She'd been staring. And had there been a smile on her face? She prayed there hadn't been a smile on her face. She crossed her arms around her waist and took a step back.

What was wrong with her? She was turning into…into…into a girl! She was so busy fretting, she failed to realize he'd finished his transaction.

"Come on, Raven. I smell pretzels up ahead, and I want a snack." And with that, he grabbed her hand, linked their fingers, and tugged her farther down the row.

OOOOO

Two days after their trip to the market, Raven entered the kitchen intent on making her morning tea. When she entered the room, she came to a sudden stop upon seeing a small box on the counter with her name on it.

She glanced over her shoulder into the hallway behind her, but it was deserted. Smiling slightly, she made her way over to the box and read the slip attached to the outside.

To a very special half-demon. I hope this starts your morning off right. From your Secret Santa.

Her heart pattered in her chest as she lifted the top off of the box and looked inside. Nestled in some dark blue tissue paper sat a mug and a second, smaller box. She lifted the mug first and turned it over in her hand. A cartoon caricature of herself glared back at her, with the words, "I hate nosy journalists" scrawled in fancy handwriting above her head. It was a picture a cartoonist from Jump City had run in the paper last year. It had been a mean-spirited piece on how she didn't respect the local journalists, but she'd found it deeply amusing. It meant the fact that she didn't cave to their demands for pictures or pointless interviews was getting to them. It meant she was winning.

The other Titans had been afraid of her reaction to the cartoon. All except Beast Boy. He'd shoved the paper under her nose with a chuckle and—while the others waved their hands frantically for him to stop—shown her the comic strip.

The mug would have kind of been a giveaway as to who her Secret Santa was if she didn't already know. She was pretty sure the others were still waiting for her to seek revenge against the journalist.

Smirking and rolling her eyes, she set the mug aside and lifted up the smaller box. It was a Christmas advent calendar, but instead of pieces of chocolate, there was a different tea bag in each slot. She saw a few unique options, like Christmas Spice and Cinnamon Orange. All of them sounded delicious.

It was a twelve-day calendar, which meant she could start right away. Setting the kettle to boil, she then moved to the sink and quickly scrubbed out the mug, just to make sure it was clean.

She was just pouring hot water onto a ginger peach tea bag when Beast Boy entered the kitchen. The sight of him sent a jolt of excitement through her belly and she couldn't help but remember holding hands with him at the market. The rest of their trip after buying Starfire's mirror, he'd kept his fingers linked with hers, his thumb caressing her hand when he thought she wasn't paying attention.

Even after that, they'd still returned to the Tower to behave as if nothing had happened between them. It was like they were trapped in a dance neither of them knew how to end. It seemed apparent that there were reciprocated feelings there, but neither of them knew how to take that next step.

He gave a yawn and stretched his arms over his head, pretending to be tired. He didn't look all that tired. He looked like a guy who'd been awake for a while, trying to set up a gift for his secret person. She smirked slightly and turned her back on him, not wanting him to see her amusement. "Good morning. You're up early."

"I couldn't sleep." He crossed the kitchen to stand beside her at the counter. "What have you got there?" he asked, barely managing to contain his excitement at seeing her using her gifts already.

"Oh, just a little something from my Secret Santa." She lifted the mug to her lips and took a delicate sip. The warm, ginger taste brought a groan of approval from her. He'd gotten the good stuff, not he generic brand garbage the local supermarket peddled.

She showed him the cartoon of herself that decorated the ceramic in her hand. "My new favorite mug." She smirked before adding, "My Secret Santa is hitting it out of the park. You're going to have to do something really special to keep up with my person."

His lips tugged into a grin, and she wondered for half a second if he knew that she knew. Then she dismissed it. She had a feeling he was enjoying the game. Her knowing would put a damper on it for him. "So it would seem. Your person must really like you to go through all of this trouble."

She grinned into her mug, taking another sip of the tea. "They must." Their eyes locked for a moment before she walked away from him, hiding her amusement. "I'm guessing it's Starfire."

She would have given anything to see his expression at her mock guess, but there was no way she would have been able to keep a straight face. So without turning around, she exited the kitchen without another word.

OOOOO

Training with Robin was always difficult, but it seemed he was ironically punishing her for gifting him that book on advanced fighting techniques. It seemed he was trying them all out on her. Totally uncool of him…not that he knew the book came from her.

She swung her right arm in a circle, trying to loosen the muscles as she headed to the locker room. She needed a hot shower and a fresh change of clothes after this latest brutal session with her team leader.

She kicked off her shoes and reached toward her locker for her clean clothing. As the door swung open, she found herself staring in at a single red rose dangling on a string from the center clothing hook. It was tied to a simple note.

Because you deserve it. From your Secret Santa.

A rose. He'd given her a rose. No one had ever bought her flowers before. It was stupid and girly and just the kind of thing she would hate.

With an annoyingly giddy smile, she freed the blood-red flower and brought it to her nose, inhaling delicately.

Beast Boy had been smart to beg Cyborg to switch him people. If he'd been hoping to win her over with his gifts, it was working. She pressed the rose to her mouth to hide her smirk, the silky petals stroking her lips. It was more than working.

OOOOO

Raven limped in the direction of her bedroom, too tired to even levitate off of the ground. They'd been in a battle with some low-level villain with mild telekinetic powers. It should have been something easy, but somehow she'd gotten hit by a stray mailbox.

The blow had stunned her, enough so that Robin sent her to talk to the arresting officers—something he usually handled—while he helped round up the last of the henchmen. Though she'd enjoyed the reprieve from battle, it kept her at the scene longer than the rest of her teammates. They'd arrived home a good half hour before her. She grumbled about this as she trudged to her room. She was tired and achy and irritable.

She entered her room and instantly froze. She was very particular about her personal space and knew immediately that someone had been into her room. Her outraged gaze darted to her bathroom door. It was ajar—she never left it ajar—and there was a light on.

Her chest puffed with stored oxygen as she prepared to go full demon on whoever was in her bathroom. But as she entered the room, she let out that breath in a whoosh.

Tealight candles flickered over different surfaces, lending the room its only light. The bath was filled to the brim with steaming water and lavender scented bubbles. A small end table had been pulled up next to the tub. On it sat the book she was currently reading, her new mug, and a folded slip of paper. Beast Boy. This was his handiwork.

She flitted between delight and anger. He'd invaded her personal space, but he'd planned such a nice surprise for her while doing it. Finally, she got over her initial irritation and settled on delight.

Unable to help her affectionate smile, she crossed the room and lifted the folded piece of paper. Flicking it open, she read the message inside.

I figured you'd earned this after the day you had. From your Secret Santa.

She couldn't have stopped the cheesy smile that spread across her lips if she'd tried. Luckily, it was just her in the room…and the little green fly on the wall.

Wanting to tease him a bit, she said, "I could just kiss my Secret Santa."

She heard the distinct buzz of excited wings.

Smirking, she unsnapped the buckle at her throat and let her cloak slip to the bathroom floor. Then she kicked out of her shoes. "I can't wait to get naked and in that bath." She reached for the zipper of her leotard and the little green fly went zooming frantically out of the room.

She laughed at this predictable reaction as she finished stripping. "Thank you, Garfield," she whispered, knowing he was too far away to hear her. She kicked her discarded uniform to the side and stepped gingerly into the bath.

Sinking into the steaming water, she let out a grateful groan. The heat was blissful. Lifting a dripping hand, she pulled the mug toward her and took a sip. For a second, she recoiled in surprise, but then she smiled. Hot chocolate. Not tea. She'd been expecting tea.

She should have known he would have given her hot chocolate. He was a surprisingly observant guy. He'd noticed she drank hot chocolate on particularly tough days. The stronger, the better. And this was a blast of sugary goodness.

"I could definitely kiss my Secret Santa."

And suddenly, that was her goal.

OOOOO

Christmas Eve had arrived and the Titans were in full celebration mode. Dinner was coming to a close, and they would be revealing their Secret Santas very soon. Raven's stomach was a mess of nervous knots. Knowing Beast Boy was behind all of the thoughtful gifts bestowed upon her these past few weeks was one thing. Him confessing it to her was a whole new world of complications. It would mean finally talking about the thing that was happening between them. They'd spent months carefully avoiding the examination of the situation. They'd been flirting and going out of their way to spend time alone together, but they'd yet to vocalize anything. That thought terrified her.

She wasn't the most forthcoming person when it came to her feelings. And he wasn't the best at holding his in. It was a recipe for a disastrous conversation. Maybe they could avoid the entire thing if he simply kissed her. Then they could acknowledge that things were obviously different without having to discuss it.

Determined to see this happen with a little plan she'd been working on since before dinner, she made to push up from the table when Starfire suddenly gave a cry of surprise from beside her.

The alien princess suddenly reached out and latched onto Raven's wrist, halting her escape. "What is this?"

Raven looked down at the delicate silver bracelet on her wrist and flushed. It had her name engraved on it in scrawling letters, only the 'A' in her name had been replaced with a little heart. "A bracelet?"

"But you do not do the wearing of the jewelry. I've never seen you wear the jewelry before."

Raven shook her arm uncomfortably, trying to get Starfire to release her. "It was a gift from my Secret Santa, okay?"

Starfire's eyes narrowed. Lifting Raven's wrist to eye level, she closely examined the bracelet. "This goes far beyond the gift of a Secret Santa. My Santa has given me many wonderful things, but nothing like this. This is a gift of the romantic kind. I don't understand why—" She inhaled sharply and suddenly went quiet.

Raven arched a brow at her. "You okay there, Star?"

Starfire stared up at her for a moment in silence, her green eyes wide. "I just…I think I know who your Secret Santa might be. That is all."

Raven closed her eyes and let out a soft exhale. Starfire might be oblivious to many things, but other times she was far too observant for Raven's liking. "It's fine, Starfire. I know who it is too."

Starfire's eyes went impossibly wide. "And yet you are wearing the heart bracelet anyway. Are you trying not to hurt his feelings? Or…" She trailed off, her eyes somehow widening even more. "Friend Raven! I was right before when I accused you of behaving differently around him! I knew it! You do have the warm feelings for Bea—"

Raven clamped a hand over her friend's mouth. "No! Shhh! Don't. Don't say it." Her words were pleading and desperate. She looked around to make sure no one else was in hearing range. "I don't know, okay? Maybe? Let's just say I'm entertaining the idea, but I haven't quite got it figured out just yet. So could you not say anything for a little while? Please?"

She sent Starfire her most pleading look, something she was not very experienced at. "Let me figure out what is going on in my head before you go getting all excited."

Starfire opened her mouth to respond, but Robin poked his head into the kitchen and cut her off.

"Come on, you two! We're ready to exchange gifts in here!" With that, he disappeared back into the other room.

Raven reached out to stop Starfire's exit. "Starfire. Please."

Starfire gave her a sunny smile. "Your secret is safe with me, Raven. Especially since I don't see it being a secret for very much longer."

Frowning, Raven followed her into the adjourning room.

The boys had been busy distributing gifts. Robin sat on the couch with her present to him in his lap. On the seat beside his was a hot pink package she assumed to be Starfire's gift from Cyborg.

Starfire trotted over and sank gracefully into the seat beside Robin, her hand automatically seeking his.

Cyborg was lounging on the floor with a silver wrapped box next to him.

Beast Boy was a few feet away from him, also stretched out on the floor. He had a green package with an artfully tied bow on top.

Right beside him on the floor sat another box, this one wrapped in dark purple paper. It was small and ominous. She found her heart beating faster and her hands sweating. That little box would officially bring to light all of the nice things he'd been doing for her, that they'd been from him. And Starfire was right, they went beyond Secret Santa gifts. Running her a hot bath, giving her an engraved bracelet…that wasn't something someone did if they wanted to be just friends with you.

He looked up and saw her standing hesitantly in the doorway. "Over here, Rae! I saved you a seat."

Beside him. It would have been conspicuous had he not done that sort of thing all the time…unless it had always been conspicuous and she'd just been oblivious. Shaking her head at her own jumbled thoughts, she crossed the room and slipped down beside him. "Don't call me "Rae". It's Raven," she grumbled, but he paid her no mind.

Tugging the package into her lap, she fiddled with the black ribbon across the top. It was sloppily tied, unlike the very precise bow on the package he held. Smirking, she realized she suddenly knew who had Beast Boy. Only Robin would tie a bow with that much precision. He was a perfectionist in everything he did.

Still, she liked her sloppy bow. It went perfectly with the often-sloppy boy beside her. It was…endearing. Leaning closer to him, she whispered, "You used too much tape. You always use too much tape."

She saw his ears tint red in embarrassment as he realized she knew the present was from him, but before he could even turn to look at her, Robin shouted out, "Titans, unwrap!"

Swallowing thickly and unable to even glance at Beast Boy, she flicked open the small tag attached to the ribbon.

From your Secret Santa—Garfield.

He'd signed it Garfield. Not Beast Boy. That somehow made it feel all the more intimate. They didn't often use their real names, so when they did, it held meaning.

Still not looking at him, she tugged at the string of the ribbon and it came free easily. Getting past all of the tape was more of a challenge, but she finally found an available spot of paper and ripped the present open.

In her lap sat a small box, its contents still unknown. With trembling fingers, she lifted the lid to find a folded slip of paper. Picking up the paper, she unfolded it and silently read over its contents.

What she held were two tickets to the symphony. Good seats at the symphony. She loved the symphony, but didn't often get to go. There just never seemed to be any time, and no one else seemed to enjoy it like she did.

It was such a thoughtful, perfect gift. She felt tears burn at her eyes and widened them in horror. She was not going to tear up! She didn't do things like that.

He leaned in against her shoulder and whispered hopefully to her, "Do you like it?" His cheeks were tinged with a blush. "I figured we could head into the city, get a nice dinner, then go listen to the symphony."

"It's perfect," she whispered back. "More than perfect."

His expression was so pleased it made her heart hurt. Why did she continue to have these types of reactions to him? Why was it so hard to resist his goofy smile?

He opened his mouth to speak, but Robin cut him off, dropping down to the floor in front of her.

"Thanks for the present, Raven. I'm definitely going to put this to good use. Mine was getting worn." She slowly turned her attention to him as he held up the new motorcycle helmet she'd gotten him. It was customized just for him, with a giant "R" running down the side of it that matched his uniform.

Beside her, Beast Boy became engaged in conversation with Cyborg, so she gave Robin her full focus. It seemed their talk would have to wait. "Worn is an understatement. That thing was cracked. You were one slip up away from a fractured skull."

He grinned sheepishly. "Yeah…well…" He chuckled. "I appreciate it. Seriously. This is a thoughtful gift."

She nodded, pleased he liked it. "You're welcome. I only ask that you start using it immediately and protect that head of yours. We can't have a leader with brain damage." She smirked. "Nor can I have your IQ going down. I'd be the only one left with intellect then," she teased playfully.

He laughed, shaking his head in amusement. "Don't let Cyborg hear you say that."

"Maybe I should let him hear," she said lightly. "It might get him to question all of the hours he spends playing video games."

"Unlikely." Robin's eyes darted across the room and he suddenly leapt to his feet. "Who wants eggnog?" he called out to the room.

Raven watched him dart off, shaking her head in amusement. "Eggnog sounds good." As she climbed to her feet and crossed the room after him, she realized that she and Beast Boy had managed to once again avoid that talk. Robin had become the perfect distraction, interrupting whatever they'd been about to say to each other. And then Cyborg had pulled Beast Boy off to show off whatever gift he'd received. It seemed their conversation was going to be pushed back again. She found herself slightly relieved about that.

Her earlier idea popped into her head and she angled herself around the table she'd been about to lean her elbows on. Instead, she purposely placed herself under the mistletoe just behind it. All it would take was one kiss, one touch of their lips to say everything she was too afraid to voice aloud.

As he and Cyborg made their way over for eggnog, she leaned her hip against the tall table they'd drug into the main room for the celebration. She braced against it, putting herself perfectly under the mistletoe. She'd slyly attempted this earlier with the mistletoe in the kitchen, but Beast Boy had seemed oblivious to its presence. Maybe a second attempt would work.

As they approached, she tried to lock gazes with him. If she could catch his attention, draw it to the mistletoe above her head…

Except Starfire darted in the way. The alien princess suddenly dashed in and pressed her hands to either side of Raven's face. Then she swooped in and pressed their lips together.

Raven gave a squawk of surprise and leapt backward. "What the… Starfire! What are you doing?" She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, gaping at Starfire in disbelief.

"You are under the mistletoe, Raven. You looked like you were waiting for the mouth kisses. I thought…" She blinked at Raven, confusion in her green eyes. "Did I do it wrong?"

Feeling sympathy for her friend, Raven gave her a reassuring pat on the arm. "No. You didn't do it wrong. I was just…not looking to kiss you. No offense."

"Oh." Then realization dawned in her eyes. "Oh!" She covered her mouth with a delicate hand, her expression horrified. "I did not mean to ruin your kiss! I am very—"

"Shh!" Raven waved a hand for Starfire to silence whatever she'd been about to say. Then she swept her fingers frantically through her hair and leaned back down under the mistletoe just as Cyborg and Beast Boy reached them. She tried her best to look inviting—something she usually tried the opposite of.

"I don't know why you're standing so threateningly under that mistletoe, Rae, but I am not kissing you," Cyborg teased.

Starfire sent an annoyed glare his way, which earned her a look of confusion.

Meanwhile, Raven's eyes darted up and she feigned surprise. "Oh! I didn't even see that silly thing there." At this point, the mission was a failure. She was not about to have the entire team know she was waiting for Beast Boy to make a move. There was no way she would be able to live down that humiliation. Lounging around under a mistletoe? Had she really become that desperate?

Snatching a glass of eggnog from Robin, she darted across the room and back over to the couch. She flopped down on it, her face burning with embarrassment.

She stayed this way for a while, sipping at her drink and cursing her inability to do anything even slightly seductive. She became so lost in her thoughts that when someone sat down beside her, she glanced over in surprise.

Robin sat on her right, his own mug cradled in his hands. "Hey."

Getting the feeling he had something to say to her that she'd probably rather not hear, she responded warily. "Hey."

He smirked, obviously picking up on her defensiveness. "I noticed you hanging out under the mistletoe…" He arched a pointed brow at her.

She stared at him for a long moment. Then horror washed over her. She'd done her best as his Secret Santa. Surely, that hadn't given him the wrong impression… "No. That's not… I mean, you're a really great guy, but… I—"

He drowned out her protests by bursting into laughter. He laughed and laughed and laughed. Until he fell over on the couch and had to pick himself back up. "You thought I thought you were waiting under there for me?" He shook his head and laughed some more. "Rest easy, Raven. I know you weren't looking for a kiss from me."

She let out a sigh of relief and relaxed back against the couch. "Good. Because I wasn't waiting for you." Then realizing how incriminating that sounded, she corrected herself. "I wasn't waiting for anyone. It was just a coincidence."

"Uh-huh," he said, sounding thoroughly unconvinced. He took a sip of his eggnog before shifting to face her. "I think it's a great idea."

"You think what's a great idea?" she asked in irritation.

"You. Him." He shrugged a shoulder. "He'd been good for you, good to you. You've been through a lot. You deserve to be happy. You deserve someone who works his ass off to make you smile." He smirked and lifted his mug to his lips, taking another sip. "And he does."

Raven frowned, her eyes trained on her mug. She could not believe they were having this conversation. Did everyone in the Tower know about the uncertain situation happening between her and Beast Boy? It sure seemed that way. "Yeah, well, I'm not even sure what I want yet. So I think you're jumping the gun on your approval a little bit."

"You sure seemed as if you knew what you wanted. If your desperate attempt under the mistletoe was any indication," he said with a teasing snicker. She shot him a glare, which he ignored. "Look, I'm not over here to do anything more than tell you I think it's great you two are…bonding. I'm not going to meddle. I promise. I just wanted to remind you that he's not the best at social cues. He may have left you hanging under the mistletoe, but he'll get there. He just needs a nudge in the right direction."

Raven rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

"Whatever," Robin said mockingly. Then he climbed to his feet. "I just want to see you happy, Raven. I think Beast Boy could do that for you. Not sure what my opinion is worth, but I wanted to let you know I approve." With a little salute, he turned and made his way back over to Starfire, his arm sliding around her waist when he reached her side.

Raven stared after him, watching as Starfire turned to feed him a bite of her cookie. Despite her lack of enthusiasm in response, inside she was beaming. Robin approved. She was her own person, but Robin's opinion always held weight with her. She thought he was one of the most intelligent people she knew. Knowing he supported such a relationship made it feel much less daunting to give it a try. If Robin didn't think it was a crazy idea, then maybe it wasn't.

Her eyes shifted over to Beast Boy, who was deep in conversation with Cyborg.

Only…his eyes were trained on her.

She blinked in surprise, then lifted her hand in a little wave.

His lips curled into a smile meant just for her.

Okay, so maybe he hadn't rushed over to kiss her under the mistletoe, but perhaps that had been expecting too much of him. Was he really going to kiss her for the first time out of the blue, with all of their friends watching him? Not likely.

Robin was right. Things would come together eventually. Naturally and on their own. Until then, she just had to be patient. Besides, they had a date on New Year's Eve. An intimate dinner and the symphony. Something would happen then. She vowed it. Because if it didn't, she was going to take matters into her own hands.

By the start of the new year, he would know exactly how she felt about him. She refused to accept anything less.