Sorry, I can't seem to find my copy of the rights to the Teen Titans. I swear, it was right here...

Beast Boy sighed wearily as he dropped his controller into his lap, his head lolling back against the couch. He had thought that playing video games for five hours straight would be more entertaining, but it was actually rather tiresome. Especially since he didn't have anybody to play against, now that both Cyborg and Robin were halfway across the galaxy.

He had thought Kid Flash would be a good replacement, but the speedster was out of the tower, exploring the city with Jinx - despite the fact that she had previously lived in Jump. Plus, Beast Boy was determined to never get desperate enough to ask the former-villain to join, either, and they were kind of a package-deal.

But there was one more option...

Rolling his head to the side, he stared absently at his remaining teammate, who was sitting beside the window, reading one of her many books. With the others out of the tower, and Beast Boy's game on mute, it had actually been pretty quiet for once. And, obviously, Raven took advantage of the quiet.

Smiling fondly, Beast Boy squinted slightly, attempting to make out the title of her book. It appeared to be in some strange, foreign language, so he quickly gave up that notion, and decided to instead observe the empath.

She was dressed in her uniform, her cloak wrapped around her like a blanket, with only her feet sticking out at the bottom. Her knees were pulled to her chest, and she was resting her book atop of them, her face hidden behind the hardback. She had opted to lower her hood, which was a refreshing sight. Despite seeing her hoodless almost every night, Beast Boy coveted every occasion. It was like she was lowering her walls; giving him an open invitation to get to know her better.

Though he already knew quite a bit.

Like, what her favorite flavor of tea was, or how the sound of typing irritated her beyond belief. She also hated the word "moist", and could never refer to a soda as a "pop." She also hated pop music, and country music, and rap, and rock, and basically anything that wasn't composed by an actual composer. And she hated soup - any kind of soup. It baffled her why someone would elect to "drink" their dinner, rather than have an actual meal.

And it had taken Beast Boy quite some time to learn all this, but he figured it was worth it. It was nice to know even the trivial things of a person so mysterious. Even if these little tidbits were mostly of things she disliked - hell, now he could avoid them.

His earlier quest of becoming better friends with the empath was basically finished - he now regarded her as a best friend, and knew that she secretly felt the same way. But what she didn't feel for him were the feelings that he tried not to feel for her.

But with every moment his eyes lingered on her, he knew that this task was going to be a lot harder.

She was like a forbidden fruit. He wasn't supposed to want her, but that only made her more desirable. He shouldn't have let his feelings get past any kind of physical attraction, but the more physical they became, the more he found himself liking her. Like, liking liking her.

And not just because she had a beautiful face and killer body. It was her freaking personality, for god's sake! He liked what was on the inside!

It confused the hell out of him - she was cynical, and rude, and barely had a sense of humor. And she hated tofu - which was absolutely absurd! But she also had her kind moments, where he got glimpses of the real her, and not just the front she put up.

Her relationship with Starfire, for example. Raven tried her hardest to seem unsettled by the alien's acts of friendship, but Beast Boy knew she secretly enjoyed them. He knew she liked it when Starfire would braid her hair, or when they'd go shopping. He could see past the frown on her face; he could see the smile in her eyes.

He was pretty sure her eyes smiled more than her mouth ever did; hell, he was certain of it. And sometimes they'd smile with him! He barely got anything more than a smirk from her mouth, but her eyes assured him that he was funny. Some of the time.

But as he continued to ponder over the windows to her soul, he realized that said windows were looking back at him.

"Beast Boy?"

Feeling his face grow hot, but knowing he wasn't quick enough to think up an excuse, the changeling merely smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry..."

Raven arched an eyebrow quizzically, before lowering her book. "Care to explain?" she questioned, somewhat amused.

Feeling his face flush deeper, he scrambled for a reasonable explanation.

"Uh, I was... thinking about, uhm... asking if you, uh... wanted to play a video game!" he lied, feeling a small sense of pride at the act. "But then I wasn't sure how to, uh, ask you, so I was like thinking of a way, and I didn't realize I was staring! So, uh, sorry..."

Sure, it probably wasn't the most thought-out excuse, but he figured it sounded enough like him to be believable. Especially the spacing-out part.

Raven seemed to be thinking along the same line as she shook her head in amusement, before returning her attention to her book.

"Don't even waste your breath, Beast Boy."

Thankful that she bought it, yet a little miffed at her turning down his fake offer, Beast Boy let out an exasperated huff. "But I'm bored," he whined.

Raven peeked over her book, her brows arching inquisitively. "Rotting your brain no longer appealing?" she mused dryly.

"Ha, ha."

Seemingly satisfied with her quip, she again focused on her novel, leaving the changeling to wallow in his boredom. If it wasn't for their whole arrangement, he would have probably remedied his situation by annoying the half-demon, but now the act seemed rather... childish. After all, their new relationship felt much more mature than just any old friendship - they were trusting each other with a pretty embarrassing secret. He couldn't imagine what the others would do if they ever stumbled upon him and Raven in a compromising position. Or what they would think - it'd be mortifying.

Though he was pretty sure a part of him would feel kind of awesome; at least until the merciless teasing began.

Letting out another sigh, Beast Boy's gaze absently wandered to the ceiling. They were pretty high ceilings - something that definitely added to the tower's resale value. Though not many people were in the market for T-shaped buildings - unless it was for some kind of business. But even then, a building standing alone on an island with no conceivable way to the mainland probably wouldn't be a good business investment.

Furrowing his brows in confusion, Beast Boy hurriedly shook away those thoughts - pondering over real estate wasn't all that fun, either.

To hell with maturity - annoying the empath seemed like a much better option.

"Raaaaeee!"

Her eyes narrowed almost immediately, as if she had been expecting this the entire time. Glaring at him from over her book, she spat out a quick, "What?"

Feeling just a tad bit nostalgic, Beast Boy pushed himself into a more upright position, giving his teammate the best puppy-dog eyes he could muster.

"I'm booooored!"

"Entertain yourself."

"I caaaan't!"

He tried to suppress his grin as he watched her nose wrinkle in irritation, before she lifted her book higher, hiding her face. Stifling a small chuckle at her actions, he continued on with his quest of bugging her.

"Raaaaeee!"

He was prepared to start all over again, but the exasperated growl that sounded from the half-demon made him reconsider. She set her book on the floor before her, and then rose to her feet.

"Do you really want something to do right now, Beast Boy?" she asked, her voice laced with mock-sweetness.

Lowering his ears, the green titan gave her a sheepish smile. "W-what do you have in m-mind?" he stuttered nervously.

He watched as she slowly came closer, her sneer shifting into a blank look. "Well, I don't know how well it'll relieve your boredom, but it is something to do," she mused.

Sensing where this was bound to end up, Beast Boy felt a strange swirl of apprehension and excitement twist in his stomach. He and Raven hadn't done much of anything the past few days, aside from cuddling, and he knew to expect this sooner or later. But he preferred later; as in, not in the common room.

"R-really?" he asked hesitantly, his eyes darting around the room nervously. "Right now?"

Raven was now standing directly in front of him, her arms crossed and her brows arched. She was looking down at him with a mixture of embarrassment and amusement, and he cursed himself for finding the expression adorable.

"Well, since nobody else is home, and you claim to have nothing to do, I thought that now would be a great time to sort out some of my pent-up emotions," she explained, a small blush rising to her cheeks. "I know it's still kind of strange, but it really does help."

Nodding his head slowly, Beast Boy silently lectured himself for being such a good friend. "Well, if it helps..." he agreed shyly.

Raven sent him a small smile, before getting into position. But rather than sitting beside him, like he had expected, she opted to sit on top of him, straddling his lap. He could feel as his face turned beet red, and hoped to god that he wouldn't get too comfortable.

An intelligent "Uh?" slipped from his throat as Raven placed her finger under his chin, guiding his head up.

"This is awkward, isn't it?" she asked in her monotone.

But before he could answer with an "It's the most awkward thing to ever happen in my life", she captured his lips in a slow, tentative kiss. He was used to her more aggressive approach, so he remained motionless and wide-eyed for a few moments, before coming back to his senses. Letting his eyes flutter shut, he began kissing her back, just as gently.

It was the first time kissing her since discovering the return of his feelings, which turned it into quite a momentous occasion. He knew that he couldn't outwardly make a big deal out of it, but inside, he was doing a little happy dance. Kissing Raven before wasn't necessarily nothing, but it did feel more like a business transaction. Now, it felt like everything was right in the world, and that his lips belonged against hers. He successfully suppressed the purr in his throat as she moved her hands from his neck and into his hair, gently running her fingers through it. He responded instead by slipping his own hands beneath her cloak, firmly grasping her waist and pulling her closer.

One of her rules was "moving at her pace", but he figured that he was allowed to encourage her a bit, wasn't he? Feeling daring, he waited for her to part her mouth slightly, before tentatively running his tongue across her bottom lip.

She immediately pulled away, causing his eyes to burst open and his heart to drop into his stomach. But what he saw wasn't the twisted face of a pissed-off half-demon, but rather the blushing face of his mildly surprised teammate.

She was still rather close to him, causing his eyes to cross ever so slightly as they focused on her, but she was far enough away that their lips were no longer touching.

A heavy silence fell between them, causing Beast Boy's fears to build to a somewhat irrational level. He knew that he had technically broken a rule, but he had no idea what his punishment was going to be. Probably something extremely painful, yet clever enough to make him somewhat appreciate it.

"Can I ask you a question?" she spoke suddenly, breaking the silence and derailing his train of thought.

Gulping nervously, Beast Boy responded with a small nod, their noses brushing against each other's. She was probably going to ask what type of torture he preferred, or if he really wanted to be sent to another dimension, or die, or -

"Should I cut my hair?"

Okay, that wasn't exactly what he had been expecting. Leaning his head away from hers, his brows knitted together in confusion as he regarded the empath.

"What?"

She began to lean away as well, shifting her weight from his pelvis and more towards his knees, though she remained firmly in his lap.

"My hair," she repeated, running her hand through her violet locks timidly. "It's gotten a bit longer, and though it's not necessarily unmanageable, I was debating on whether or not I should cut it."

Beast Boy blinked slowly, dropping his hands from her waist as his eyebrows rose towards his hairline. Was his punishment a bout of girl-talk or something?

"Uhm, if you want?" he answered skeptically.

She automatically rolled her eyes at his indecisiveness, before glancing at the ends of her hair.

"I mean, I'm trimming it regardless, since I have quite a few split-ends, but I was wondering if I should go back to my old cut," she continued, ignoring his unhelpful answer.

Beast Boy tilted his head to the side as he observed her hair. It had grown a bit since the team had first formed, but it wasn't necessarily long. It now reached her shoulders, the front dipping past her collar-bone, while the back brushed against the tops of her shoulder blades. But her hair had always just been her hair, and though he thought that it was very nice hair, he had never paid much attention to the way she styled it.

"Well, it's up to you, I guess," he supplied lamely, earning a dirty look. "Why are you asking me, anyway?"

Her eyes darted away from his and back to her tips, which she continued to sift through absently. "Well, I was going to ask Starfire what she thought, but never really got the chance, and I didn't want to go through with it without a second opinion," she explained.

Unsure of what came over him, Beast Boy pulled his hand out of her cloak and ran his own fingers through her locks tentatively, before the realization of what he was doing set in. Adopting a look of horror, he froze mid-stroke, his fingers tangled in the ends of her hair.

But, surprisingly, Raven seemed entirely unphased by his actions.

"Well?" she asked pointedly.

Slowly removing his fingers, Beast Boy opened his mouth to respond, only to be silenced by the look of terror that crossed his teammate's face. Before he could get out a single syllable, he found that he was no longer on the common room couch, but instead on Raven's bed.

Unprepared for the sudden emptiness behind him, Beast Boy fell backwards, the back of his head hitting against her headboard, while her forehead smacked against his.

"Ow," they moaned in unison.

Unsure of what hurt more, Beast Boy attempted to sit up while Raven rolled off of him and onto her bed, rubbing her forehead delicately.

"I'll admit that I hadn't thought that through," she deadpanned, giving him a sympathetic look.

Beast Boy attempted to glare at her, but the absurdity of the situation caused him to let out a pained chuckle.

"What the hell, Rae?" he laughed, rubbing his forehead gingerly, before wincing in pain.

A small giggle escaped through her lips as she reached towards his head, her hand glowing. "I'm sorry," she replied sheepishly, healing his throbbing head. "I forgot how fast Kid Flash was, and their auras returning so suddenly surprised me."

"They're back?" Beast Boy questioned, feeling a small sense of dread at what could have happened if Raven hadn't sensed them. "Oh god, that could have been bad..."

"You're telling me," she agreed, a small smile etched across her face.

Beast Boy happily returned it, before the fact that he was now in the half-demon's room began to sink in. Glancing around curiously, he found that it still looked as creepy as ever.

"So, I'm guessing you haven't felt the need to redecorate?" he teased, his eyes returning to his teammate.

Raven gave him an unamused look, before smacking him on the back of the head.

"Ow!" Beast Boy exclaimed, feeling his previous pain return. "Gee, Rae - you don't have to take everything I say so seriously..."

"I don't take anything you say seriously," she smirked, before glancing around her room. "And I like the way I've decorated, thank you."

Huffing in mock-irritation, Beast Boy gently pushed her shoulder. "What's a guy gotta do to get you to be nice to him?" he joked.

She gave him a quizzical look, tucking her hair behind her ear. "I was under the impression that I was being nice," she admitted, her expression looking slightly ashamed.

Realizing that she had taken his last statement to heart, Beast Boy scrambled to amend it.

"No, no, you are being nice, Rae!" he insisted frantically. "I wasn't serious, I promise!"

She continued to look bashful, until a small smirk tugged at her lips. "I know, Beast Boy; I wasn't being serious, either."

Staring at her with a mix of confusion and embarrassment, Beast Boy let out a nervous giggle. "I can't figure you out," he confessed, shaking his head in amusement.

Raven rolled her eyes fondly, before pushing the changeling towards the edge of her bed.

"You don't have to," she deadpanned, her smirk growing into an actual smile. "Now, get out of my room, Beast Boy."

Well, a giggly Raven is bound to be a good sign, isn't it? BB's obviously enjoying the chance to see this side of her, even if it causes him bodily harm. But he also seems keen on pushing his boundaries a bit, which probably isn't the best idea. Good thing she's in a good mood lol. Can't say the same will be true tomorrow, though ;P

Oh, and to the guest who left the really long review (unsure how else to word that lol), I didn't find your review harsh at all - you were just expressing your opinion, and not in a rude way! And I'm not uncomfortable with sex and sexuality in general; just when I write about it. There's a difference between talking about it out loud and typing it out, and I'm not really used to the latter lol. And I'm not meaning to project my morals or anything; I'm actually pretty lax with the subject, though I do think it's a very personal subject. And I'm writing the characters in this way because they've grown up differently, and haven't really been in the best position to embrace their sexuality. I like to think that being a superhero has matured them in many ways, but has also stunted their growth in others. They don't really have time to date, unless of course their chosen partner is living with them (like in Robin and Starfire's case), so sex doesn't cross their minds too often. At least, that's what I would expect - I don't really have many real-life examples of superheros to go off of lol. I'm glad you took the time to voice your concerns, though I do think it is important to focus on the subplots every once in a while - especially since Starfire's sickness does play a part in what Raven is seeking from Beast Boy (girl-talk, for example). But the trip to Tamaran won't be focused on, except of course when Robin calls to give/receive updates. So now the focus will be more solely centered on BB and Rae's growing bond. Sorry for the hella long reply - I would have PMed you, but that isn't possible lol.

And sorry for the long author's note to everyone else! Just ignore that part (unless you've already read it... putting the "ignore this" at the end probably isn't very efficient lol)

Anywhoo, review? :)