Ruin the Friendship

"Hey man, that earthquake yesterday…do you know what that was? Because it wasn't an earthquake. It didn't happen anywhere except here." Cyborg did his best to sound casual.

Beast Boy looked up at his friend. He had been stretching before training and Cyborg sat down next to him to run some programs. "Yeah, about that…that was Raven."

"I knew it!" Victor slapped his robotic leg. "I saw you kissing Flamebird. Is that what that was about?" When Beast Boy just nodded silently, he continued. "Were you just trying to make her jealous or are you actually moving on?"

"I wasn't trying to make her jealous because I honestly didn't know I could do that. I was trying to move on, but…"

"But she was jealous."

"She was jealous." Beast Boy nodded again. He hadn't said it out loud yet and he had to admit he kind of loved hearing it. "But to be honest, the moving on wasn't really working. It's just…not the same, you know? But I can't have her, so…I guess I'll keep trying."

"Well at least you know she hurts for you too. That's something, right?"

Garfield smiled a little. "I know it sounds awful, but yeah. I'm a little relieved about that. What about you? You and Jinx had a fight last night, right? What was that about?"

Cyborg sighed loudly. "I don't even remember, to be honest. But it sucks."

"You two fight a lot."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Cyborg asked dryly.

"Nothing! I just…are you sure you're with the right person? I mean, Jinx is awesome, but you do fight a lot."

"You and Raven fight a lot too."

"That's your argument? We're not even together. We never were, actually. I didn't even know I could make her jealous until last night." Garfield chuckled light-heartedly.

Cyborg laughed too. "Right, duh. I don't know, I love her but sometimes I don't get her. And I don't know if she really gets me. Does that make sense?"

"Yeah, you should be totally and unapologetically you around her."

Victor frowned. "Unapologetically? Your vocabulary definitely improved." He noticed Beast Boy stayed silent. "Was that her influence?" When the shapeshifter just nodded, Cyborg raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Are you totally and unapologetically you around Rae?"

"When I'm not trying to hide my feelings…yeah, I am."

Meanwhile, Raven quietly sipped her tea. She had meditated early in the morning already because this was the worst day yet. From the moment Kid Flash and Bumblebee joined them and had to watch Cyborg and Jinx together, she sensed their familiar heartache. Then last night, Cyborg and Jinx had another fight and now she had to sense their pain and confusion as well. Not to mention Starfire's, because Nightwing and Batgirl weren't doing her any favors. And then there was Beast Boy, of course. He was more confused than ever. Not to mention her own heartache. It was a lot.

"You know, Babs is great." The empath said to a tired Nightwing drinking his coffee beside her.

Dick's eyes sparkled. "She is, isn't she!?"

Raven nodded slowly. "You used to date her, didn't you?"

Richard seemed taken aback by that. He bit his lip. "I forget you're an empath sometimes…it was a long time ago. But yeah."

"Oh, it doesn't take an empath. You two are transparent." The sorcerer raised an eyebrow.

Nightwing's eyes widened. Shit. "Really?"

"Mmhm. If you feel something for her, figure it out faster. If she's just a friend, be careful with how you interact with her." Raven said in a warning tone.

Dick frowned. "Raven, did Kory-"

"Maybe you should ask Kory. I've said more than I should already." She finished her tea and put the mug down.

Raven usually tried to stay impartial, but it was getting impossible. She went to talk to Jinx about something magical – the enchantress had been asking for it – and left Nightwing to his own thoughts. Raven actually thought Jinx was really talented and could definitely do a lot more than just shooting bad luck blasts at people. Besides, ever since the X-Men, she missed having someone to talk to about this stuff. But unfortunately, Jinx was quite distracted at the moment, so Raven just sat there and listened while she rambled about all the reasons why Cyborg was wrong about their fight last night.

Garfield and Victor had been joined by several other young heroes getting breakfast and getting ready for practice. Beast Boy was still stretching and he kept glancing at Raven. She was listening to Jinx. She had her hood down and her face showed no annoyance, but he noticed her foot kept swinging rhythmically. Garfield smiled a little realizing she wasn't feeling as patient as she looked. Reading Raven was all about details. He knew that by now, though he still sucked at reading her whenever it involved him. Like last night. He couldn't stop thinking about it. He'd dreamed about her and that stare. Beast Boy kept replaying the whole thing in his head and wondered if he should have left her alone outside when she asked him to. Maybe she wanted him to-

"Stop staring at her." Red-X said in his cool voice, pulling Beast Boy back to reality. "Trust me. You're too nice for her."

"Yeah, how many times does she need to reject you?" Conner chuckled along with X.

"Well she was jealous when he kissed another girl last night." Cyborg pointed out. He had teased Beast Boy about this infatuation more than anyone, but he was his best friend. These guys had no right.

Garfield shot him a grateful look.

"Did she tell you that?" Red-X raised an eyebrow at Beast Boy.

"Yes, actually." Garfield answered, not bothering to look up at him.

"He's not lying, I heard them." Superboy shrugged casually when everyone stared at him quizzically. "I have super-hearing, remember? But still, that's probably just because you're the only person she's ever been with."

The shapeshifter had been worried about this lately. These two weren't Klarion or Adonis; she could like one of these two. Red-X was smooth and Superboy was basically the most attractive guy in the planet. Garfield was genuinely worried.

Cyborg rolled his eyes. "Don't you guys have anything better to-"

"Well at least I have actually been with her." Beast Boy hissed under his breath.

Conner took offense at that. He wasn't used to losing. "Only because her options were limited." When Beast Boy just frowned at him, he smiled a little and continued. "C'mon, do you really think it would have been you if I was there? No offense."

Beast Boy wasn't finding any of it even slightly amusing. Mostly because he was scared Conner was right. His face hardened. "Offense taken."

The shapeshifter stood up and walked past Conner, purposely bumping into him in the process.

Victor frowned. "C'mon guys…"

Conner stopped Garfield with a hand on his arm. "Dude. I'm Superboy."

Beast Boy shrugged. "Am I supposed to give a fuck?" The sensible part of him was desperately yelling at him to stop, but the territorial part was speaking louder.

Superboy laughed, but his eyes got a little dangerous. "I can beat you at anything. You couldn't even hold your own."

"Maybe you should settle this at training." Red-X suggested, earning a glare from Cyborg.

The only people who took on Conner at training so far were Kara, Kory and Donna.

"Hey Roy, what's going on!?" Jinx pulled Speedy closer when she noticed the commotion.

"Superboy and Beast Boy are going to fight!" Speedy chuckled idiotically.

"What!?" Raven frowned. How stupid IS he?

The shapeshifter had been warming up in the training room already when the empath suddenly appeared beside him.

"Garfield."

"Raven."

She frowned. "What are you doing? You can't fight him."

"Watch me."

"I will not. Why are you doing this?"

"For you." Beast Boy said seriously.

Raven rolled her eyes. "Well, that's ridiculous. I'm not indulging this behavior."

"Fine. Leave if you want. It's still gonna happen."

The sorcerer crossed her arms over her chest and huffed. She wanted to leave. This was stupid and a waste of time and resources. But she was worried. Garfield was strong but he couldn't take on Superboy. Maybe one day, but…not today. Her stomach twirled and she bit her lip. She was really worried. So Raven sighed in frustration and went to sit down next to Jinx. She looked around and felt grateful there were only a handful of people there. Garfield was clearly having some kind of mental breakdown and he didn't need an audience.

"You guys remember Darkseid is coming for all of us in like a month, right?" The empath pointed out to no one in particular. No one seemed to care.

Conner went hard. He didn't like being challenged and he wasn't used to being called out. It bothered him deeply. His dark side came out in moments like this – he was just as much Lex Luthor's clone as he was Superman's. He could take on a T-Rex or even the Werebeast – especially when Garfield was letting his emotions get the best of him – and after a while Beast Boy was too tired to change fast. Superboy knew he probably should have stopped, but he was still upset about the smug look on the shapeshifter's face earlier. So he pushed him and threw the extremely heavy weight bar at his chest. Garfield didn't have time to change before getting hit and he fell on the floor with the bar over him.

Beast Boy winced in pain. Fuck. He had been dreading this because he knew he was getting his ass kicked, but he stole a quick glance at Raven and she had the most concerned frown he'd ever seen on her face. This isn't good. She thinks you're weak. What little feelings she had for you, she's definitely getting over them now. MOVE. He tried to, but he felt sharp pain in his lower chest. Did I break my fucking ribs again? Shit. Don't cry. Just don't fucking cry.

Conner noticed Beast Boy glancing at Raven so he folded his arms looking amused. "Are you done embarrassing yourself in front of her or do I need to whip your ass some more, simp?"

Red-X laughed loudly. He had been encouraging the whole thing being ridiculously entertained by it. Beast Boy shrank a little, deeply regretting this decision now since he was starting to think he would never recover from this.

Superboy walked towards him. He was going to step on the bar and push it down. He would have been extremely ashamed of it later, but right now he felt a little drunk on power. Fortunately, a dark bird manifested between him and the shapeshifter and quickly revealed a very angry-looking Raven.

"What is your problem!?" The empath hissed. She had been holding back from interfering because she thought Garfield wouldn't want her to, but enough was enough. He didn't get to humiliate him. Not while I'm around.

Beast Boy took the opportunity to shapeshift and get out from under the bar, but changing with broken ribs was extremely painful. He panted and stayed on the floor.

Raven glared fiercely at Conner. "Do you get a kick out of being a complete asshole?" She didn't wait for whatever charming reply he had planned when he opened his mouth. She wasn't done yet. "Or are you blaming Lex Luthor's DNA again?" This time he frowned, but she still wasn't done. "Because you know what, Conner? My father is much worse than Lex so I really couldn't care less, the next time you treat my friends like this I will hurt you."

Superboy narrowed amused eyes at that last part. Who does she think she is? "Oh, yeah? How exactly are you going to do that? I'm invulnerable, remember?"

Raven quickly glanced at a smug-looking Red-X standing a little behind Conner. "I will make you fall madly in love with Red-X." She said menacingly, enjoying how that finally turned his smirk into a horrified and pale expression. "And yes, I can do that."

Red-X was laughing even harder now.

"And you!" Raven turned her glare to him. "What are you laughing at? Isn't this anti-hero act a bit old? You make fun of people because you're a coward who doesn't admit he cares. You're too much of a coward to even show your face."

That killed his laughter.

The empath looked between the two of them. "You are both pathetic."

Beast Boy was already smiling up at her. This wasn't the plan at all, but he did need saving. But then she turned around and walked to him with kind eyes. And then she kneeled beside him and her hand glowed white. He smiled wider and she gracefully placed her hand over his chest and looked into his eyes while she healed him. Her lips curved up in a small smile.

"Thanks." Garfield whispered, staring back into her eyes.

"I'll heal the rest later. Find me." Raven said quietly before leaning in and gently kissing his cheek. She knew exactly what she was doing. She knew it made his heart stop and his cheeks burn. She found it cheesy and cringe-worthy, but he liked it and it would get them off his back.

Beast Boy inhaled sharply when Raven gave him a sweet peck on the cheek and then he grinned idiotically at her when she pulled back. "I will."

And just like that she stood up, glared at X and Conner one more time, and left without another word. The murmuring and giggling that followed changed the atmosphere entirely.

Garfield jumped to his feet, grinning smugly. "I'm sorry Superboy, you are stronger than me. Now if you'll excuse me, I have other places to be, because…" He headed to the exit. "Well, it turns out you can't beat me at everything!" He gave them one last proud smile and left.

An annoyed Conner turned his head to a still silent Red-X. "…I hate that guy."

Beast Boy followed Raven's scent to her room. He almost walked in uninvited. He had been there so much and spent so many nights there since they got Raven back it felt familiar to him, but that was over now and he needed permission again. So he knocked on her door.

"Get in."

The shapeshifter walked inside and she gestured for him to sit on the bed. He smiled coyly at her, admiring her freely now that there was no one else around.

"Where are you hurt?"

"Uh…wait…" Beast Boy paid attention to his body to figure out where the pain was coming from. They couldn't see the bruises with his uniform on, but he was pretty sure they were there. "There."

Once she started healing him, he closed his eyes to enjoy it.

Raven watched him intently. "What were you trying to prove?"

He frowned. "I don't know. Something stupid, I guess."

"If you wanted to prove you're strong, you don't need to. I've seen it already."

Garfield kept his eyes closed out of shame. "You didn't see it today."

"Well your motivation was all...wrong."

The shapeshifter opened his eyes and saw her frowning disappointedly at him.

When he said nothing, she spoke again, with a puzzled look on her face. "Did you think I would like that?"

"I don't know what I thought, honestly. I think I didn't think at all." Beast Boy noticed her face softened, so he smiled cheekily at her. "Thank you for defending my honor, by the way."

Raven smiled softly at him. "No problem. I hope it doesn't damage your game with Bette or the supermodel. That wasn't my intention."

He noticed she rolled her eyes cutely at the word supermodel and chuckled. "Jill. And she's a regular model. No super."

"Do you know which one you like more? Just so I'm aware of it." She succeeded at sounding completely nonchalant.

Yes, I do. YOU. Beast Boy looked away. "Not yet. I'd have to go out with Jill again."

Raven finished healing him and nodded slowly. "Well I hope you have fun. I mean it."

"I know you do." He smiled a little. Then he thought of something. "But…just so I'm aware of it, are you really not into Conner or X?"

"I'm really not." The empath assured him. "But that doesn't mean…"

"I know, I know. But when you are into someone, could you let me know?"

"That's not going to happen. I don't do that."

Beast Boy rolled his eyes. "Okay, okay, I know. But if it does happen…"

"You'll be the first to know." It's not going to happen, idiot. It's just you.

"Cool. I'll go out with them again, by the way. I'm really trying. I promise." Garfield meant it; if he couldn't have her, he still didn't want to stay single forever. He did need to work on this.

"Good." This will get so much easier when I sense he's over me.

He took Jill out again that same night. Raven watched a violent horror movie with Starfire while they stuffed their face with ice cream. She knew Kory was feeling jealous too and bitterness enjoys company. The next day, Raven avoided him entirely. She really didn't want to know if he was falling in love. Now he was out on a date with Flamebird somewhere and she was working on creating illusions through magic with Jinx to keep busy.

"We could work on portals ne-"

"Rae! I need you!" Starfire shouted from her room.

Raven shrugged apologetically at Jinx. "Sorry. Duty calls."

"Why can't someone el-"

"She's my best friend." The empath said, already floating away. She phased through the Tamaranean's door. "Girl talk?"

"Yes, please."

Raven shut the door. "Is this about Batgirl?"

Starfire grunted loudly and collapsed dramatically on her bed. "Why must I endure the suffering and the aching of the heart!?"

"He didn't talk to you about it, then? I thought he would."

"He did! He asked me what I thought about her and I said she's great but you seem really close and then he told me they used to date but assured me they're just friends."

The empath nodded slowly. "And that is bad because…"

"Because I know they are not!" Koriand'r sat down on the bed and looked miserable. "You're his friend. Terra's his friend. Bumblebee and Jinx are his friends. There's something else going on when he talks to her."

Raven bit her lip. "Kor, he loves you. And she won't be here forever."

"But it hurts so much!" Starfire covered her face with a pillow and screamed into it, lying down again.

"Yes, I know."

Kory took the pillow off her face. "Sorry. Are my emotions overwhelming you?"

"It's fine. I've meditated a lot today." The empath lay down next to her friend and stared at the ceiling. "It only hurts because you love him. He gets jealous all the time too, trust me."

"I do love him so much." Starfire's eyes welled up. "I know you'll probably find it silly but I feel like…like we're connected by some invisible rope. Like, all the time."

Raven's muscles tensed up. Shit. That's exactly how I feel. Do I love Beast Boy? No wait, that's stupid. Don't be absurd, Raven. She cleared her mind and then her throat. "That's not silly. Listen…I shouldn't tell you this, but…"

"Oh, please tell me." Kory squeezed her eyes shut and braced herself for whatever her friend had to say.

"You're not wrong, but…Gar feels differently towards Terra too. I think that's normal, right? They were each other's first love. I think it's the same. Dick doesn't feel about anyone how he feels about you."

Starfire's frown slowly turned into a relieved smile. "I'm so happy you're my best friend!"

"Just don't tell anyone I'm meddling."

The Tamaranean giggled and then turned her head to the empath and whispered. "You have the jealousy too, don't you?"

Raven nodded. "I still despise this useless emotion, but yes."

Kory propped herself up on one elbow. "Is he out with Bette?" When her friend just silently nodded, she decided to cheer her up. "Maybe it will be terrible and he will hate her."

"No. He's going to fall in love with her." The sorcerer said blankly.

Starfire rolled her eyes. "You can't possibly know that."

"Yes, I can."

"How?"

Raven sighed. "I know it because I told her to laugh at his stupid jokes."

Kory gasped. "You did what!?"

"Well someone told her about us. She asked me earlier."

Starfire's eyes widened. "And what did you say?"

"I told her something did happen but it's over now. And then she got all happy and asked me what he likes."

"And you told her the truth? You could have told her something less useful. You could have told her he likes tofu or watching TV or something!"

The empath chuckled slightly. "What's the point? He's not mine, Kor. I mean, no one is anyone's, that's literally slavery, but…you know what I mean."

Raven's voice was calm as ever, but Starfire knew her well enough to detect the sadness behind it. The Tamaranean frowned.

"The sooner I give him up, the better for everyone." Raven closed her eyes. "He was never mine. It was just a fantasy."

"Rae." Kory whispered so softly it was barely audible. "Were you his? Or…are you?"

"I'm not anyone's." The empath said quickly. Then she took a deep breath, still keeping her eyes closed. "But if you must know…yes, whatever my crippled affections are capable of…that's his. I think it always has been." She opened one eye to see her alien friend fighting back tears. "Oh, don't be dramatic. No one dies from heartache."

"It's just that if he had any idea how you f-"

"Starfire. He can't know." Raven shot her best friend a fierce stare.

"But what if you-"

"Kory, I'm serious. I'll never tell you anything ever again."

The Tamaranean huffed. "Okay, there's no need to make threats! I promise I won't do the telling of the secrets. But I don't support this."

She really didn't tell, but it was torture. Over the next few days, Beast Boy's fling with Bette evolved and she was often feeding him tofu or ruffling his hair. And every single time, Starfire noticed Raven stiffen, swallow and avert her gaze. It was too subtle for anyone else to notice – even Beast Boy – but Kory knew how Raven felt and she knew it meant her heart was breaking. She also knew Garfield wasn't as happy as Raven thought he was. She'd see his eyes lingering on the empath when she wasn't looking, and how his happy grin just didn't have the same spark. He also made sure to point out Bette and him were still getting to know each other and not officially together. Starfire wrapped her boyfriend's arms around her as soon as she saw the shapeshifter walk in sadly. She felt particularly grateful for her bliss.

"Kor? Is Rae mad at me?" Beast Boy asked her softly.

The Tamaranean blinked at him. It was one thing not to tell him a secret, but lying? "Ah…well, no. She's definitely not mad at you."

"But she's…distant. Ever since the whole Conner fiasco. What do I do?"

His voice was so sad it broke Starfire's heart. She opened her mouth to speak, but her thoughts were interrupted by loud music when Superboy, Wonder Girl, Terra, Speedy and a few others came in with snacks, drinks and a large sound box.

"You want to have another party?" Nightwing frowned. "Don't you think that's a bit m-"

"Darkseid gets here in like, two weeks. What if the world ends? Then won't you wish we'd had more parties?" Terra argued.

Richard smiled. "The world isn't going to end."

"True. But some of you will definitely die." Conner pointed out.

Damian scoffed. "Ignore him, but we could use a break."

Dick turned to his girlfriend. "What do you think?"

Starfire just beamed at him. They had been training really hard. A break would be nice.

"Hey Doomsday, should we have an end of the world party?" Damian shouted at a floating Raven who had just entered the ops room.

The empath pondered for a second. "Sure."

Damian, Cyborg, Terra, Kory, Garfield and the others grinned at Richard, who looked shocked.

Raven shrugged. "Could be fun." The truth was she needed people to relax; everyone was so tense and stressed at this point, she was having trouble meditating. She could use it too, after everything she'd been through. Maybe she would even dance with Kory.

Nightwing sighed. "I guess we're having another party."

Bette came in and softly nudged Garfield. "Hey, can we talk?"

The shapeshifter smiled at her and nodded. She pulled him towards her temporary room.

"So what's up?" Beast Boy asked her once they were alone.

Flamebird bit her lip. "Do you still like Raven?"

He inhaled deeply. Busted. "I…why are you asking me this?"

"Well, I've noticed the way you look at her and…I guess I'm trying to understand. I mean, why do you like her?"

Garfield frowned. "Look, I know you don't really know her, but-"

"Wait, that came out wrong. I didn't mean to imply she's unlikeable or anything like that. I'm sure she's nicer than she seems. But still, she can't really give you anything, can she? Don't you want someone who can actually like you back?"

He looked away. "Well, I..." That's kinda why I'm dating you, actually.

She stepped closer to him. "Because you deserve that. And I do, Garfield. I really like you. But I feel like you're still so attached to her you've been holding back with me. And I think you should give us a real chance. I think…I mean, don't take it the wrong way but I think I'd be so much better for you. She doesn't like you as much as I do, I don't even think she can."

Garfield tried to ignore how much that bothered him, because Bette couldn't possibly know how Raven felt and she was just trying to be honest with him. "I like you too."

Flamebird ran her hands up his arms and smiled sensually. "Good to know."

Beast Boy smiled back, but it was half-hearted. Not all the logical reasoning in the world could change the fact that the way Raven made him feel was still unmatched. "But if I'm being completely honest with you, Bette…and I want to be…you're not wrong. And I want to get there, I do. But I'm not quite there yet."

She nodded. "I know. But I think I can help you with that…if you let me." She got on her tiptoes to kiss him passionately, wrapping her arms around his neck as he kissed her back, thinking that he probably just needed time.

In spite of all that, later that night Beast Boy told Flamebird he was getting a drink, because he needed to get away. The truth was he was having a hard time at this party. Raven suddenly decided to participate. There was a side french braid on her hair, she'd put on that little black dress – the one she wore to her date with Aqualad – and she'd definitely done something to her eyes to make them look even deeper. And now she was dancing with Starfire and Bumblebee in that same fluid, sensual way she'd danced on karaoke night. And he couldn't look away, because it was absolutely hypnotizing.

The part of this he loved was seeing her happy, especially after everything she'd gone through lately. Her little smile as she looked down and raised her arms above her head absolutely warmed his heart. But it also made him want her really badly. It made him crave her. And it made him insanely jealous. Selfishly, he didn't want the rest of the world to know how hauntingly beautiful she was. So much for giving someone else a real chance.

Beast Boy basically forgot all about his date when she stumbled over to the couch and collapsed on it with a peaceful expression on her face, because he knew he wasn't the only one who'd noticed her tonight and he could definitely see movement towards the couch out of the corner of his eye, so he made sure he got there first.

"Can I sit here?" The shapeshifter smiled sheepishly at her.

Raven looked up at him and shrugged playfully. "I'm not the boss of you."

Garfield immediately sat down next to her, noticing the pink color on her cheeks from all the dancing and the tiny sweat droplets over her exposed collarbone. His voice got involuntarily lower. "I'm not so sure about that."

Raven flushed deeper and then she elbowed him lightly.

Beast Boy chuckled. "What? I'm serious. You can boss me around all you want. Especially when you look like that."

The empath rolled her eyes. What happened to no flirting? "You're breaking the rules."

"You broke them first."

"What rule did I break?" She frowned indignantly.

The shapeshifter leaned back on the couch and smiled innocently at her. "The not looking way too cute rule."

Raven scoffed. "Are you drunk?"

Possibly drunk on love. "No, I promise. Scout's honor."

"You're not a scout." The sorcerer folded her arms and narrowed her eyes.

"Do I have to be a scout to have scout's honor?"

"I think so."

"Why have you been so distant?"

Raven looked at him and her heart skipped a beat. He looked so absolutely vulnerable in that dark-green hoodie, staring expectantly at her with those wide childish eyes. But he looked hot too, with those broad shoulders and that messy hair and those fangs. "I'm giving you space…to…you know…get over us." She managed to say.

Garfield frowned pitifully. "But I miss you."

"You'll live."

"You don't know that. You think I'm tougher than I am."

"Well you think I'm tougher than I am too." The empath shrugged, faking indifference. I'm not the one kissing people in front of him.

"Nope, you're the toughest person in the room. You were tortured for eight months without caving. I barely functioned in the same period."

She rolled her eyes again. "Not true. You functioned well enough to save me."

"No, that…I wasn't strong. Not for most of it. You wouldn't be proud, actually. I was petty, grumpy, depressed, angry and downright desperate. And I slept in your room a lot." What the fuck? Why am I telling her this!? Shut up, Garfield!

Raven raised an eyebrow at him and ignored her heart racing. "You did what?"

"I, uh…slept in your bed. It smelled like you..." I need to stop talking. Someone please stop me before I embarrass us both to death. When Raven just blinked at him and no one stopped him, Beast Boy kept talking. "You have no idea what seeing you dance and smile tonight means to me. It was all I could think about for eight months. Seeing you smile again."

"I thought about your smile a lot while I was there too." She blurted out before she could think. And then she felt it. A sudden and intense rush of shock, excitement, desire and hope emanating from him.

Garfield watched her with intense, wide eyes. "Y-you did?"

"I mean…" Raven bit her lip. Why did I have to say that? "I need some air."

She stood up and started floating away but he followed her, so she teleported instead. The shapeshifter quickly realized he could still sniff her, so he followed her scent to the roof. She was staring at the city and hugging her knees to her chest.

"Go back inside." Raven whispered.

Beast Boy took a deep breath for courage. Not this time. "No. I left you alone the other night when you told me to and I regret it. I'm not doing it again. You're sad. I'm staying."

The empath huffed softly. "You can't fix this, okay?"

Garfield walked towards her. "I can try."

"It won't help." Her voice became more alarmed.

"How do you know? Why are you pushing me away so much? And don't say it's because you're giving me space, because I don't want it."

Don't say it Raven, don't you da- "Because you're the reason I'm sad, Beast Boy." You said it. So much for staying in control. She grimaced at her own thoughts.

He stopped dead in his tracks. "I'm…what do you mean? Did I do something wrong?"

"Why are you here?" Raven got up hastily. "Why do you want to comfort me so much? It isn't your job. You should be with Bette, or Jill, or someone else. You spent all those years waiting for girls to like you and now they do, so you should be enjoying it."

Beast Boy frowned, feeling more annoyed than ever. "Stop telling me to date other people already, okay!? I'm so sick of it. I'm…putting my…foot down?" It started out confident, but then his voice got gradually unsure as he went on.

She folded her arms and frowned skeptically. "You're putting your foot down? What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, I…" Garfield bit his lip and slowly recovered his confidence. "It's just…I am sick of it."

Raven huffed, feeling just as annoyed as him. "I'm just trying to make sure you're happy!"

"But I'm not, am I?! And you don't need to like me the way I like you but you need to stop demanding I get over you and date other people just so we can be friends again. It's not fair. And it doesn't work like that! I'll move on when I decide, not you."

The empath was still irritated, but now she was confused too. "I'm not demanding it."

"Really? Great, then I'll stop, because I'm done." Beast Boy said pointedly. "I said I'd try and I did. It's not working. I don't want to date anyone else."

Raven frowned and ignored the butterflies in her stomach. "You don't mean that."

"Oh but I do!" The shapeshifter said exasperatedly as he poured his heart out. "Don't you get it? I don't want them, I only want you! Nothing feels right if it's not you. Raven, I lov-"

"Don't." She said as she put a finger on his lips to silence him and stared at him with huge sad eyes, trying to keep her lips from quivering. "Don't say it." Raven whispered.

Garfield silently swallowed and she pulled her hand back. Awkwardness and sexual tension filled the air. Beast Boy rubbed his arm and Raven looked away.

"We should go back inside. We can talk about this later." She said quietly.

"No, that's okay. I mean, yes, let's go back, but…we don't need to talk about it. I got carried away. I'm sorry." He shrugged slightly, trying to emanate support.

They were slowly walking side by side in silence down the corridor heading back to the loud and crowded room when his words – including the ones he didn't say – kept echoing in her mind over and over again. Raven's breathing became a little shaky. He loves me. She could sense it too. It poured out of him in delicious waves. She searched his emotions for anything that could indicate his feelings for her weren't exclusive anymore. She found devotion. Then she found longing. Then she detected frustration, loyalty, adoration, confusion, fear, intimacy, respect, warmth and concern. And at that point her heart was racing and her knees were weak and it was just too much for her to bear.

Beast Boy calmed his mind as they walked. He didn't regret anything. He couldn't regret anything. This girl walking next to him was the most complicated person he'd ever known but she was also the most important person in the world to him. He'd seen too much of her heart and soul to get over her that easily. He would just have to live with this and she would just have to accept that. I just need to stop coming on too strong. She probably misses our friendship too, so I can probably charm my way back into her good graces if I just-FUCK!

Beast Boy panted and froze in shock when Raven interrupted his thoughts by suddenly and swiftly pushing him against the wall – or rather pinning him to the wall by pressing her body against his. He couldn't quite read her expression because her face was too close. In fact, her lips were only inches away from his and he could feel her breath on his face. Garfield's heart pounded violently in his chest and his mind got hazy.

He closed his eyes and whispered. "Don't play with me."

And then she kissed him. Not in a gentle, soft way either. She kissed him deeply and urgently. Beast Boy immediately wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her back just as deeply. He felt her smile against his lips and then there was a loud sound as several lightbulbs exploded. Raven broke the kiss long enough to cool down, but she kept her eyes closed and her lips parted. Garfield waited patiently until she kissed him again. He melted into it, bringing one hand to her neck while she pulled him even closer by grabbing his hoodie.

He got the weirdest sensation when she phased them inside her room through the wall, but he never stopped kissing her. Beast Boy's chest ached and burned in the most wonderful way as her books flew around the room and a crystal ball cracked. He whined quietly when she suddenly pulled away and started urgently going through her stuff looking for something. The shapeshifter stared at her in confusion for a few seconds, but then she pulled out her power-blockers and stared at him with bright and sensual eyes.

Garfield's own eyes widened and he rushed to her side, grinning lustfully and wondering if she just thought of this now or if she'd been wondering about them as much as he had. Wait, they used those to torture her. There's no way… "Are you sure?"

Raven just tossed the artefacts to him and stretched out her arms, panting heavily. "What are you waiting for?"

She didn't need to ask him twice. Beast Boy clumsily put them on her and Raven immediately pulled out her dress to reveal her practical black underwear. She helped him out of his hoodie as he stared at her with dilated pupils and then put her hands on his shoulders and jumped onto his lap to straddle him. Garfield firmly held onto her thighs and their faces were once again only inches away from each other.

"I'm defenseless now." Raven whispered provocatively.

He was very aware of it already, but her saying it out loud drove him insane. He leaned his head back slightly to look into her eyes and make sure she felt safe. "I'm always defenseless when I'm with you."

They became aware of the music coming from the ops room at this point because Take me to Church (Hozier) just fit the moment perfectly. She cradled his face in her hands and pulled him into a passionate kiss. Beast Boy moaned into the kiss and stumbled towards the wall. He slammed her body against it – a bit harsher than he meant to – and pinned her there so he could deepen the kiss.

"Sorry." Garfield mumbled against her lips.

Raven wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed up his jawline and ears. "No, I like it." She whispered in his ear before softly nibbling the tip.

If her whisper sent shivers down his spine, the nibbling did it. Beast Boy moaned loudly and pressed his body against hers kissing down her neck.

"No hickeys." Raven whispered as she leaned her head back to give him more space, moaning loudly in between giggles.

Beast Boy chuckled against her neck. Okay, babe. Then he pulled her closer and carried her across the room while teasing her collarbone and chest with his fangs. The empath adjusted her body to give him more access and urgently tangled her fingers in his hair. He pulled back to admire her looking all disheveled and flushed and staring at him with big dark eyes and then he dropped her on the bed. Raven smiled cheekily at him, propping herself up on her elbows as he jumped on top of her. Garfield kissed her passionately again and resisted when she tried to spin them around. The sorcerer frowned and grumbled into the kiss.

"Just for a little bit. I want to see you writhe." He whispered in her ear.

That turned her on a lot more than she thought it would. "Fine."

Beast Boy made every second on top of her count. He kissed down her body while he teased, massaged and squeezed every inch of her in every way he wanted. The best part though was watching what it did to her. She was writhing, panting and moaning under him. Her eyes nearly rolled back in her head, which was leaned back. Her lips were wet and parted so he traced them with his fingers, and then she started sucking on them, one finger at a time.

"You're all I'll ever want." Garfield said before kissing her lips again, still passionately but more sweetly now.

Raven smiled freely into the kiss, thinking she was crazy to have given him up in the first place. "You made me writhe."

"Yes, I did."

"My turn." She spun them around and sat on his stomach, smiling mischievously at a very unresisting Beast Boy.

In the back of her mind, Raven hoped they weren't loud enough for anyone to hear them over the loud music, but she couldn't care enough to worry. Whenever he touched her like this, pleasure overpowered everything else. She made sure to make him feel amazing too, and she took her time doing it. Everything they'd gone through since they last did this flashed through her mind and made her want to kiss deeper, thrust harder and caress sweeter. By the time they got tired it was nearly dawn. Raven was sleeping peacefully on her stomach as Beast Boy rested his head on her back and intertwined their fingers, because he couldn't bear the idea of sleeping without touching as much of her as he possibly could.

She woke up after a few hours and mumbled lazily, squeezing his hand in hers. "Gar…"

"Mmm, morning." Garfield woke up and began planting lazy, sweet kisses on her back. "I was scared it was just a dream."

Raven chuckled against the pillow before speaking in a sweet and loving voice. "Get off my back, you're heavy."

"Ops, sorry." The shapeshifter laughed sheepishly and lay down on his side beside her.

She turned around to lie on her back and he brought one hand up to gently stroke her hair and admired her happily.

"That was even better this time." Raven said plainly.

Beast Boy smiled widely. "Yeah for me too. It just keeps getting better every time." He noticed her muscles got slightly tenser and frowned, allowing his main concerns to creep in. "So…will there be a next time? I mean, what does this mean?"

"I'm not sure. Is that okay?" The empath said softly before looking at him with sincere eyes. "Can we not talk about it now? Can we maybe just…"

"Yes!" I can be this happy a while longer, I'm not saying no to that. Garfield lazily ran his thumb over her lips and she parted them slightly, making it impossible for him not to kiss her. "Of course." He muttered against her lips.

When he finally stopped kissing her and lay down next to her again, Raven sighed contently at her bedroom's ceiling. "Stay here. I'm making breakfast."

Beast Boy stared at her quizzically, but she just stood up, wrapping the sheets around her body, and started looking for acceptable casual morning clothes. He folded his arms behind his head and watched her while she put on shorts and a strappy black tee.

"Do you mind?" Raven stretched out her arms for him to remove the bracelets.

The shapeshifter smirked and held her wrists, swiftly pulling her down into one more passionate kiss. When she pulled away for air, he removed them.

"The audacity of you." Raven whispered playfully, clearly faking outrage.

He just chuckled breezily, so she ruffled his already messy hair and straightened up. His blissful expression intensified and he watched intently as she strutted out of her room. Beast Boy allowed a happy celebratory sound to escape his lips before jumping to his feet to look for his boxers. He felt amazing, so he decided to do some morning push-ups. Is this what Nightwing feels like every day?

When Raven came back with a tray, she stopped at the sight of Garfield doing push-ups in his boxers, which were white with a bunch of tiny green dinosaurs. She couldn't help but smile at it, but what made her blush was the way his back muscles tensed and popped with the exercise. She didn't get to admire it for too long though, because he jumped to his feet and beamed at her.

"That smells amazing! What is it?" Beast Boy's eyes sparkled. He was really hungry.

"Pancakes." She said as she put the tray on her bed.

They sat across from each other with their legs crossed and he started devouring the pancakes in a very ungentlemanly way. Raven had learned to cook when she was hurt and that meant vegan food too. Garfield found her vegan pancakes absolutely delicious. She rolled her eyes at his eagerness and took a small bite.

"I think you need to change your codename." The sorcerer said casually.

"What?" He asked after taking a bite. "Why?"

Raven frowned at his manners, or at the lack of them. "Don't talk with your mouth full."

The shapeshifter swallowed sheepishly. "Sorry."

She sipped her tea. "Well, Beast Boy is getting a little juvenile. I mean, it's become painfully visible that in spite of your childish underwear, you're no longer a boy."

"I don't know if I'm insulted or flattered. You don't like my underwear!?" Beast Boy looked down at his dinosaur boxers. Normally he would feel self-conscious about it, but they had just had sex. There was nothing she could say that would actually offend him after melting under his touch like that.

"It's very cute." Raven stated plainly.

He beamed again. She must really like me. She's not like this with anyone else. I have no idea why, but she MUST like me. "Hey maybe it's finally time for Beast Man or Beast Dude!" The shapeshifter said theatrically.

The empath cringed and grimaced. "Are you changing careers to male stripper?"

Beast Boy flushed and chuckled coyly. "Okay, you don't like those. But then…what?"

Raven shrugged casually. "I'm sure you'll think of something."

Garfield watched as she took another bite of the pancake. She even eats cute. I'm going to marry this girl. He made sure the moment lasted as much as it could by suggesting they meditated together. When they finally heard people's voices down the corridor, Raven reluctantly said they needed to end it before it became suspicious and teleported him back to his own room.

Cyborg narrowed his eyes at his green best friend as soon as he stepped into the ops room. "What happened to you last night? You totally disappeared."

Starfire's head immediately turned to Raven because she had disappeared as well, but the sorcerer purposely avoided her gaze. Now Cyborg wasn't the only one with narrowed eyes.

"Ah…I was too tired and stressed about the whole end of the world thing. I went to sleep."

"Huh." Victor shrugged. "Maybe I should have done that. You look all rested and untroubled."

Ruin the Friendship (Demi Lovato)