She let go from their impromptu hand holding. She gave out a sigh but did manage to tell him, "There is not much to talk about. I did it out on a whim. I am really sorry for not asking you ahead of time if it was okay, I really am sorry".

"So you're still going to tell me that it meant nothing?". Garfield's face was serious, something that was not common.

Raven gave him an incredulous look. Of course she was going to tell him we're just friends but somehow those words did not leave her mouth. She was aware that she has been dreading this talk, but did not entirely understand why it was so difficult for her to just outright tell Beast Boy that they were just friends and that they will only ever be friends. When she finally managed to reply she said "Beast Boy, we are teammates. We're friends even though I deny that every now and then, but nonetheless friends".

Beast Boy shook his head and then followed with "So if Robin was next to you, you would have done the same?".

Raven looked offended by the question, she hastily replied, "Of course not. Robin is my brother and my best friend's boyfriend. I'm not that evil".

Beast Boy then followed with, "Okay what about Cyborg?"

No, he is also like my brother, my big brother. Remember how he almost hacked into that gossip magazine's server when they posted that picture of me?".

Oh, Beast Boy remembered that picture all right. It was taken during a mission that Cinderblock had Raven's cloak entirely ripped off when he threw her, and she fell into the nearby bushes which consequently ripped off part of her leotard. The "journalists" had a field day and big brother Cyborg was furious and did not react well towards the "news", nor did Robin. They were not sure if Robin's anger was due from the lack of respect towards his team or because of his respect towards Raven. It was safe to say it was a mixture of both. But now the media could not post any lewd photos of any of the team, or else the team would qualify their offices as a "low priority" for protection during attacks. Safe to say the journalists respected their wishes since then.

"Ok what about Starfire?"

And there it was. It was surprising he was able to be so serious as long as he had. "Are you asking me if I would kiss Starfire? Aside from the obvious that again she is dating Robin, I am straight. I have nothing against dating the opposite sex but it's just not for me. So no, I would not have kissed Starfire and don't put any images in your head".

"Okay, okay, maybe the last one was just for me. Now last question. Do you see me as a brother?"

Sure, Beast Boy annoyed Raven and some might see their interactions as a sibling relationship, but she never really saw things that way. Maybe that was why she was even able to fathom kissing him even for that split moment. And after he outright kissed her, she knew he didn't see her as a sister either. She knows that Beast Boys always meant well when he pestered her and that he just wanted to include her in things, she always just saw it as acts from a concerned friend.

So no, Raven did not see Beast Boy as a brother.

The lack of response prompted Beast Boy to say, "I'm going to take that as a no. So, you're telling me that I am the only one from the team that you were willing to kiss?".

"Woah woah", Raven raised a hand took a step back. "That doesn't mean that I've been wanting to kiss you".

"It also doesn't mean that you were not willing to kiss me".

She did not know how to follow that, but he cut her thoughts short.

"I kissed you. I don't regret that, but I also do want to apologize for doing it without your permission. It was a spur of the moment thing, I guess you have experience in that field too. But I thought that because you kissed me it would not have been such a big deal, but you have been avoiding me since, and I am pretty sure that you would still be avoiding me if I did not ask you to volunteer. I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable Rae, that's the last thing I ever want to do. It might not have meant nothing to you, but it meant everything to me".

Beast Boy stepped closer to Raven, but she took another step back and felt herself step into the kitchen counter. He was a foot away from her, but the intensity of the situation was getting to Raven.

"If you feel absolutely nothing towards me that goes beyond just your teammate and friend, or you think that you never will, let me know now and I swear I will drop this altogether and I will never bring this up again.

Again, Raven just wanted to scream at the top of her lungs telling him that they will only ever be friends. She only saw him as a friend. She couldn't even have anyone like that even if she wanted to, at least that's what she's told herself her whole life. However, she realized that she couldn't deny what he said outright. She was not sure if she exactly felt the same feelings and emotions that Beast Boy was currently displaying, but she knew for sure that Beast Boy was not a brother to her, and he was something beyond more than a friend, she just didn't know what to exactly think of him.

Beast boy saw her silence as a response in itself. "I am not going to put words in your mouth Rae, but I know you. You could have easily sent me to another dimension or toss me into the Bay if I was just annoying you. And if you really did not see me as any more than a friend then you would have said it with ease".

Raven felt her words coming back to her…

"But again I will not try to make something a bigger deal than it is. So, I just want to openly tell you that I kissed you for a reason and I meant it. You let me know if you ever want to talk about it further or anything of the matter on your own terms. I will drop it. But at the same time I do think that you and I should talk a bit more and hang out. There's a reason why you don't see me as a brother unlike everyone else here. It either means that we're not close enough in order for you not to see me that way or that there may be something more underneath".

Raven now had a thing or two to say about them hanging out by themselves. "You think us hanging out more will make me have feelings for you? Beast Boy we have been living together and have been working as a team for years now. What makes you think that will change my opinion?".

"Well for one, yeah, we might have known each other and been living under the same 'T' for years, but how well do you think you know me?"

"Well, I know how all you do is play video games, you turn to animals and don't eat any of them and can't stop reminding us about it every 2 hours, you're green and annoy me whenever you're not making poor jokes".

Now it was Garfield's turn to give an eyeroll. "Really Raven, is that all you would say about me?".

Raven gave out a sigh that she was not sure how long she was keeping in.

"No, you are also extremely selfless. You would sacrifice your life and absolutely anything for any of your friends or even a stranger. I know how you always put others before yourself. I also know you don't give yourself enough credit in life". Another sigh. "I also know how patient you are with me, and I never realized how thoughtful you can be. Now you are volunteering to visit these kids and at first it surprised me due to the responsibility toll it would have, but at the same time it was a very 'Beast Boy' thing to do".

"Thanks Rae, I appreciate all of that I really do. I do not want to undermine any of that because while those things may be true, except you know about my jokes being poor, but did you know that I was raised in Africa? Do you know how I got my powers? Did you know that my favorite color isn't green? Did you know…"

"Wait your favorite color isn't green?", Raven was not sure why that random fact stood out to her the most. After she asked she did want to know the answer to the other questions, but Beast Boy's favorite color isn't green?

"See? That's what I mean. No, my favorite color isn't green. I actually hated the color until one year in with the Doom Patrol. It was a constant reminder of how I would never be able to fit in. It reminded me that it was the same color that made people give me funny looks. It was the same color that would never allow me to have a normal life. Rita eventually made me appreciate the color. She told me that green was the sign of life. She told me that green symbolized nature, just like how my powers reflect nature. She taught me to be confident in myself, or at least she taught me how to have more confidence".

Again, Raven was grateful that Beast Boy had Rita by his side growing up. "Okay I see your point. Does everyone else know that?".

"About the Rita and why I didn't like green? No, you are the only one that knows that. Cyborg and Robin know how I got my powers though. Cyborg has to know due to our check-ups and Robin knows when he did out background checks. I am sure Robin has told Starfire at some point. They all know about Africa because I have mentioned it one time while you were in your room and we were having a movie night that you opted out of and the movie took place near the region I grew up in. See Rae, there are a lot of stuff that they know about me that I am sure you don't, and I don't think it is anything personal, but it's just because we don't hang out as often. You and Robin have your morning talks, you and Starfire hangout during your girl timeand you and Cyborg even hang out fixing the T-car and other little tech stuff every now and then. I am the only one you don't talk to whether it's not a team bonding thing or fighting crime".

Sure, Raven skipped out on some down time with the rest of her team, but she has been living with them for years, and they worked the same job. Was not not enough? How much could she possibly miss out on by skipping some gatherings? Well, Garfield answered that question for her.

"I see your point Beast B -, Gar. You are right. I do shut myself out too much and I should know more about you and everyone else. We are all friends and I should know these things. Thank you for knowing it is not personal, but it is hard for me. Nonetheless I promise to make an effort". Raven meant it. She could not help but feel a tinge of embarrassment about knowing the least about her friends. It was not because she wasn't interested, she just didn't know.

Garfield smiled warmly back at her and just looked at her for a moment before, "Thanks Rae, that is all I can ask for. I want to know more about you too, without having to hack the team computer again. I know that this has all been pretty intense for you, so I won't make you make any promises you can't keep. I know you are also tired so I will let you go now. We have that party coming up for Kid Flash next week. I know Robin forces all of us to go in order to keep ties fresh with the other Titans, but I want you to consider actually hanging out with all of us and letting everyone get to know you more".

Raven hated parties and these forced get togethers. Kid Flash was always nice but also a total flirt. He was like that to every girl, so it is not like she felt she was singled out but still. What Beast Boy was asking was reasonable. She should know more about the team and the extended team.

"Okay, I will try to be more present than just being present, but baby steps okay?".

"Okay Rae, baby steps. Goodnight Rae".

Beast Boy proceeded by giving Raven a hug, "It was a good thing you did today, and I hope we can do it again sometime, but just remember to take it easy okay Rae?". With that, Beast Boy left Raven alone with her thoughts.

Raven made some herbal tea and went to her room. Today was a lot to take in. She was drained in every way possible.

Raven was just so surprised with how the conversation turned out. She really thought Beast – Gar, boy will that be hard getting used to, would keep on grilling her about the kiss, but he was very mature about it.

Even though he basically confessed to Raven that he saw her more than a teammate, she had to admit that it did not surprise her entirely. Garfield was no Kid Flash on the flirting department, but he flirted with her from time to time. She just didn't think, nor did she really ever consider that those feelings where all that deep. Garfield has dated here and there since Terra. They were all pretty and very blonde. No one really lasted more than a month or two and Raven assumed it was due to the job or that he liked dating around.

Couldn't blame him, not many in the animal kingdom were really monogamous, nor were exactly demons. Not that it would be relevant to her of course.

Raven was not going to lead Beast Boy on. They were friends and that is what they will keep on being. Sure, Garfield has shown Raven that he actually pays more attention than what she gave him credit for. He has shown to be growing up more. She also was not lying on how patient he always was with her.

She also didn't realize how much he has grown until he cornered her earlier during their conversation. She was aware that he had grown taller and he was still pretty skinny, but he did grow muscles compared to how he was as a teen due to all of the team's rigorous training and fighting. He was green sure, but that didn't bother her at all surprisingly, nor did the ears really. This was probably due to her demonic heritage since demons had a vast diversity of physical properties. The fangs? She hated to admit it, but she did notice her palms to sweat a bit more when she was staring at them while he was talking to her.

What Raven hated to admit all together was that Garfield was actually pretty attractive. He was an attractive, patient, thoughtful, kind...

teammate. Yeah, teammate.

Raven really needed some sleep.

This is the longest chapter I have so far uploaded!

Life finally has caught up the me and I have some hard deadlines in the next three weeks so writing likely will be limited. I will try to upload another by Sunday night but updates will not be constant throughout next week.

My goals for this story is to have 3 segments, I have the third segment half way done, right now I am focusing on how to finish the first portion (the setting that it is currently in) and the in between. I have some ideas, just at this point I need the times to put the words together.

Stay safe everyone!