Disclaimer: I own nothing. I swear!

I'm sorry I took so long on this chapter. I had repulsive amounts of homework all week.

Chapter twenty-two! Woop! Wow, they finally confessed, huh? Aren't you glad? Weren't you getting sick of them denying it? Didn't it make you want to hit them with a stick? Or was that just me that felt the urge to knock some sense into them?

Moonchild: Hey, you! It's go time! (whips out stick)

Raven: (raises eyebrow)

BB: What are you gonna do with that?

Moonchild: Make you two confess the fact that you're in looooooooove.

Raven: (vein pops) Go away now. (uses powers to throw her out the window)

Moonchild: Currrrrrrrse yooooooooooou!

BB: (looks at Raven) Soooooooooo…..

OK, enough mindless rambling. I'll get on with the story now.

Just to clear up any misconceptions: Beast Boy and Raven did not fuck. There. Hope any misunderstandings are now righted.

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Beast Boy became conscious to the fact that he was awake, but didn't open his eyes for a moment. When he did, he saw Raven watching him.

"Hello," she said quietly. Beast Boy grinned at her. He had woken up beside her before, but it had always felt different. She had been a friend there to comfort him when he was hurting. She had been there to watch over him and make sure he wasn't going to hurt himself again. Now, they were only together for the pure enjoyment of each other's company. It felt so much less uncomfortable. Beast Boy put a hand on her cheek and stroked her features lightly, just happy to be in her presence and not need to hide anything.

"Hi," he said. "Sleep well?"

"Better than usual," Raven said, yawning slightly.

"Did you change your clothes or something?" Beast Boy asked.

"No. Why?" Raven asked, looking down at herself and realizing that she was dressed completely in white. "Oh, this. It has to do with my mental and emotional state. I guess it's because I'm…at peace."

"Oh. That's good," Beast Boy said, though she could tell he had no idea what she was talking about.

"It's because you've made me very, very happy, and that doesn't happen very often," Raven said, smiling at him.

"Oh. Well, I'm glad I can make you happy," Beast Boy said, positively beaming.

"Me too," said Raven.

"What time is it?" Beast Boy asked, sitting up slowly.

Raven glanced at the clock beside her bed. "Shit. It's almost noon," she said in surprise.

"Whoa! Is it seriously that late?" Beast Boy asked. "You never sleep that late! I never even sleep that late! How did we stay asleep until noon?"

"I don't know. I was actually having…good dreams. Maybe that's why I didn't wake up," Raven said. Beast Boy nodded. He looked around the room. It was still the same place it had always been. It was still a dark, secluded cave of gloom. It didn't seem creepy to him anymore, though. It seemed almost comfortable and inviting, and he would stay here by choice, now. Maybe it only had to do with the fact that it was Raven's room. But the change surprised him. He had been changing a lot lately. His feelings for Raven had transformed him in many small ways. He no longer looked at things the way he once had. The truth was, he was maturing because of it, something that he had never expected to happen.

"We should probably get up before everyone starts to wonder," Raven said, lifting up and gliding over him to the floor. "And jump to conclusions."

"Yeah," Beast Boy agreed, getting up and morphing into the shape of a kitten, beginning his morning stretches. Raven giggled slightly, and he turned back into his normal form and stared at her.

"What?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You just…giggled," he said. Raven blushed slightly in embarrassment.

"Oh. I just…I'm sorry. I just found that a bit…cute," she said, looking humiliated and furious with herself.

Beast Boy goggled at her. "Whoa. You thought something was cute?" Beast Boy asked. "Something involving me?"

"Yes, Beast Boy. I too have the gene that makes girls stupid over furry animals. And I always think you're cute," she said, looking more and more ashamed to be saying this. "Ugh. Cute. That word is disgusting."

Now it was Beast Boy's turn to be embarrassed. The legendary Raven thought he was cute. Raven, who was known for being emotionless. 'Emotionless my ass,' he thought, smiling slightly. Cute was not a word he enjoyed being associated with, but he decided it must be a compliment coming from her.

Raven started for the door, and Beast Boy followed the white-cloaked girl quickly as she started down the hall. They were both very aware of each other as they walked, as though they both felt like they were being watched. When they reached the door to the living room, Beast Boy was grateful for a break in the silence.

XXX

Raven was meditating silently when she became aware of someone watching her. She slowly dropped her concentration and opened her eyes. Beast Boy was peering up at her where she hovered in the center of the living room.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

"Uh…yeah. Hey Raven, I was wondering if maybe you wanted to go…you know…do something with me?" Beast Boy asked, twisting his fingers together, a nervous habit for him.

Raven landed on the ground and watched him carefully. "Like what?" she asked suspiciously.

"I don't know. I didn't really think about it. We could go to the movies or go to one of those creepy places you like…or go to the park and talk for a while," Beast Boy said, tripping horribly on the words.

"That last one sounds…nice," she said, smiling at him.

"Really?" Beast Boy asked, his ears perking up. Raven nodded.

"Come on, let's go before Starfire finds out and wants to come with us," she said.

"Sure!" Beast Boy said happily, heading for the front door. Raven followed him mutely.

When the two reached the park, they found a place under a tree and sat down. Beast Boy lay on his back in the cool grass and closed his eyes for a moment before Raven spoke.

"So…" she said, unable to think of anything to fill the silence.

"So…how's it going?" Beast Boy asked.

"Fantastic," Raven said (wow, who would have thought that word would be in her vocabulary?). "And you?"

"Pretty good," Beast Boy said, sitting up. She sat there looking at her for a moment. "Hey…Raven?"

"Hmm?"

"I know this sounds kind of…dumb. But…why do you…you know-"

"Why do I love you?" Raven asked.

"Exactly," Beast Boy said.

Raven considered this for a moment.

"Because…well…you awakened something in me that I never even knew existed. You made me feel…like I wasn't so alone. You made me feel. That's not something that most people can do, Beast Boy. You made me want to be around you. You made me feel…special. And I feel like…dare I say it…you understand me," Raven said. "What about you? Why do you love me? I'm not…fishing for compliments or anything. I just wondered…why me? Why me when there are plenty of girls out there who don't treat you like a pest, who will laugh at your jokes…who you have more in common with?"

"We have tons in common. And I don't care if you don't want compliments. You're getting 'em. Why would you even ask why I love you? You're incredible, Raven. You're smart, and you're funny, and you're always there for me when I need you the most. You're like…Superman in a cloak. And you made me feel whole again when my world was pretty much torn apart. You showed me how to laugh again. And I don't care if you say you're emotionless, you're still the most caring person I know. And you're beautiful. But I don't mean your face, even though that's beautiful, too. I'm talking about inside," Beast Boy said.

"That was pretty deep for a comedian," Raven said with a hint of sarcasm, though he could see that she was smiling. "No one's ever…well…described me like that before. I'm just so used to hearing the word 'creepy' in reference to me."

"Aww Raven, you're not creepy. People just think that because they don't know anything about you. Even I don't know anything about you," Beast Boy said. Raven disregarded the fact that he had been one of the people who had called her creepy in the first place.

"You're right. We should tell each other things more. Get to know each other better. We know nothing about each other, or each other's pasts, or even each other's real personalities," Raven said.

"Yeah, I totally agree. Why don't you start?" Beast Boy said, looking as though he had won a great battle by not having to go first in talking about himself.

Raven looked slightly reluctant. "Alright. My name is Raven Roth. My mother's name was Angela. She accidentally released a demon named Trigon from another dimension. He raped her…and that's where I come in. To keep Trigon from finding her, she was taken to a place called Azarath…an alternate dimension. She changed her name to Arella. And then I was born. I my mother never really got to see me. Azar…the ruler of Azarath…trained me to control my powers. Then when he died, by mother raised me for a while…until eventually I came to Earth," she said.

"Whoa. That's so…sad," Beast Boy said, gawking.

"Yes. It is. It would have been better if I had never been born. Now, what about you?" Raven asked, changing the subject quickly.

Beast Boy sighed. "OK, then. My name's Garfield Logan. You know about my parents taking me to Africa. When I was younger, in Africa, I got this weird disease that killed everyone who got it…except for animals. So my dad used this weird, untested machine on me. It cured me, but it turned me green. I didn't find out about my powers until a while later when my mom was in danger." Beast Boy took a deep breath. "And then one day we were in this boat and I wouldn't shut up and so my dad was distracted and the boat hit a sandbar and they died and I could have saved them but I was too slow and I feel like it's all my fault," he said in one breath.

Raven was staring at him. "Beast Boy…that's not your fault," she said gently, putting an arm around him.

Beast Boy rested his head on her shoulder and sighed. They sat there that way for a long time. Beast Boy finally sat up.

"Thanks, Raven," he said, smiling again. "I feel better now." he paused for a remarkably long time. "Um…Raven?"

"Mm?"

"Uh…I know it hasn't been so long since I told you how I feel about you…and I know it might me kinda quick but…I was wondering if maybe you wanted to be…um…you know…my girlfriend?" Beast Boy answered nervously.

"I can think of anything I'd like more right now," Raven said, giving him one of those smiles that were getting less and less uncommon as time went on.

"Awesome," Beast Boy said, unable to stop smiling. "You think maybe we should get back to the Tower?"

Raven leaned forward slightly so there was only a small gap between their lips. "Or maybe we could stay here for a few more minutes?" she said.

"That would be fabulous," Beast Boy answered in an over-exaggerated movie star voice before closing the gap between them.

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Yay! Next chapter soon.

Did anybody notice the JTHM quote in here? It was from issue number two. I just couldn't resist. I know this chapter felt a bit choppy and I apologize. I couldn't think of any way to fix it.