I have an addiction. A BBRae writing addiction. Send help. And send me the owners of Teen Titans, I have some negotiations I want to do with them to make them MINE!

Beast Boy was not good with confrontation unless he was the one initiating it. He appreciated how Starfire had been gentle with him in her approach - the shopping, the roundabout questions, the encouragement - but now her insinuations were out in the open. She knew.

And now he was going to have to talk about it.

He sighed, "Star, can we get that pizza now?"

"Only if you promise me that you will not flee," she said sternly, "for I will find you. Speaking candidly with one's friends is considered healthy, yes?"

"Yeah, all right…" he groaned and the two walked down the block to their favorite pizza place. They quickly placed their order - one small Veggie Supreme and one small Starfire Special (mint frosting instead of pizza sauce with anchovies, mushrooms, and bell peppers) - and went out onto the main triangular patio to wait for their order to be delivered.

Beast Boy gave Starfire credit. She was patient. She just waited for him to speak to her as they sat waiting for the pizza. And considering that he knew how impatient she could get, she was showing a lot of restraint.

He had noticed that he'd been a little more sensitive to Raven lately. Ever since Malchior, he found himself seeking her out more, trying to include her more. He didn't completely stop pestering her with offers of non-tea breakfasts, but when she said no, he'd stop and just say that she could stay if she wanted. And in the last month, she sometimes had. She had become his priority in battle too. If something too heavy or fast seemed to be coming her way, he'd find a way to block her from getting hurt.

He had also noticed, though, that he felt… different around Raven. Beast Boy had always had a mission to make her laugh at one of his jokes, but recently it had changed to wanting to see her smile for any reason. He kept tabs on when her teas were running out and went to the store to get them before they did, he made sure he sat next to her on the couch when he could, he looked out for books she might like.

And even his primal Beast form, a form he had had no control over, wanted to protect her more than anything. Something in him indicated she was special, precious, sacred even, and since he couldn't fess up to it, the Beast had done it for him.

"I'm scared, Star," Beast Boy admitted, and Starfire's eyes widened.

"What do you fear? I do not think that the Mammoth and the others will come back today, and-"

"I'm scared of hurting her again," he clarified, knowing Starfire could and would go on a comforting tangent if left to her own imagination, "I'm scared of being hurt too, but… she's already been hurt enough."

Starfire bit her lip. "I will not pretend that I do not understand, Beast Boy. Caring for others is frightening. But I have learned that, even though it may be painful at times, it is still wonderful."

Beast Boy chanced a glance at her and she noticed she was staring in the direction of the Tower with a wistful smile on her face. She continued, "Coming to this planet, I was alone. But I found wonderful friends! And a wonderful… best friend. A Robin."

"Yeah…"

"And I believe you have found yours as well," she said, turning her gaze back to him, though now it was much softer than it had been, "but you have inside you a great fear."

He didn't have an answer for her as the server brought out their pizzas. Starfire happily dug into her strange concoction while Beast Boy idly nibbled on his first of the six slices.

"Should I be scared?" he asked, and Starfire quirked her head to the side in thought.

"Yes? But also no?" she answered, unsure. "You are frightened of hurting her. And that is very sweet. But you should not fear it so much. You may hurt her, but you may also help her, yes?"

He thought about that for a moment. He thought about his parents. He remembered them from when he was young, working together, living together, and just being together. There was always a light in their eyes, even when they were dealing with his illness, that made him feel secure. They had gone through a lot in their relationship; as high school sweethearts, they had gone through all those years of college together before marrying and trying to have children. They tried for so long before they had him, years of heartbreak, but they stood together. And he knew that they could do it because they had each other.

His parents weren't perfect. They fought and had little disagreements like anyone else. But the good far outweighed the bad, and Beast Boy understood what Starfire was trying to tell him.

"Is it worth it?" he asked, and Starfire smiled. She knew exactly what he meant.

"Yes," she said serenely, licking a stray bit of mushroom off her lip, "I would not change a day. He is necessary to me." Beast Boy nodded. Even though he knew that Starfire's feelings for their leader was unrequited as far as he knew, he saw how purely it shone on her face.

He is necessary to me. She needed him. She loved him.

Did he need Raven?

A sudden swooping sensation in his stomach, a roar in his ear, and a wild thumping in his chest answered for him: Absolutely, you idiot.

Heaving a sigh, he slammed his head on the table and muttered, "Okay, you win. I like-like Raven."

"I know," Starfire replied simply.

"And I have to do something about it." This caught the alien by surprise.

"You do?"

"Well, yeah! I mean, you gotta tell the girl you like that you like her, right?" he said, popping his head back up much more cheerfully and grabbing his third slice. He could see the support on Starfire's smiling face, but also a small pain in her eyes. I'm going to smack Robin good. He'd better say something soon, he thought, a growl in the back of his throat.

"Agreed. What will you do?" she asked, daintily wiping her mouth before indulging in her fourth slice. He thought about that for a moment. He had just admitted to himself that he liked Raven after dodging it for months. And while he really cared for her, he wasn't sure what kind of gesture would communicate it to her. Cooking for her was a moot point (he didn't know how to make much of anything else that wasn't tofu-related, and she barely ate), poetry wasn't his strong suit, and she didn't seem like the type for jewelry.

Wait… jewelry? Or maybe-

"Star, we gotta go back to that store that Raven likes!" he burst out, startling Starfire into dropping her crust on her tray, "You said she liked something in there!" A gigantic smile lit up her face as she inhaled the crust and the last two slices in just a few bites.

"Of course!" she exclaimed, her mouth full. She grabbed Beast Boy's wrist and dragged him and their bags up into the air with her, giddily flying back to the glassworks shop. Beast Boy had managed to snag his last slice before she picked him up, so he chomped as he enjoyed his second forceful Star-flight of the day.

Raven had finally managed to clean up her books, but every time she thought of Starfire and Beast Boy together, another one flew out. She desperately tried to shut out the thoughts of Beast Boy and Starfire laughing (whoosh!), hugging (bang!), and having a grand (pop!) old (clatter!) time together (crash!), but they kept coming, and she kept cleaning.

Stupid Beast Boy. Stupid Cyborg. Stupid Robin, she thought murderously as she picked up her damaged and strewn-about items. Why Beast Boy? Why him of all of them? Why do I like him? He's immature, dumb, lazy, irresponsible-

And he's the one who makes you feel safe, cared for, and welcome, her more positive emotions, Happy, Intelligence, and Brave, chided.

Raven sighed and flopped onto her bed. If she couldn't control her emotions when she was awake, perhaps a nap would help clear the thoughts of Beast Boy ogling Starfire in a new outfit-

Aaaaaand she cracked her dresser in half. Great.