Pairings:
BBxRae

Summary:
It's always the little things that get you first...

Rating:
K+, because nothing bad actually goes on.

Multi-chapter?
No.

AN:
I consider this to be fluff.

Don't be afraid to leave a comment! It gives me a little thrill when I see [New Review] in my emails :3

It's always the little things that get you first.

"Look at her," he whispered, barely hearing the words in his transfixed state.

As if Roy needed further motivation – he also seemed to have the inability to move his eyes from the girl, even as he took a long, much-needed drink from the bottle. His mouth felt so chalky that a few drops ended up rolling down his chin instead. Still, he managed an approving "Mmhm," whilst swishing the cool liquid around his gums and cheeks before finally swallowing. Roy smirked. "And with a leotard like that, you don't even have to have a vivid imagination to see her naked."

A loud slap echoed in the gym as Karen's hand collided with the back of the archer's head. He yelped with a groan following soon after. "What? Can't a guy appreciate a fine piece of ass-shit!" That time it was her fist. His shoulder's muscle barely did enough to cushion the blow, sending him almost tumbling off the bench.

"Quit being such a horny mess," she scolded. "You're acting like a child."

Roy's eyes widened accusingly. "So how come you don't beat him for staring?" he cried, causing Gar to become aware that Raven was sneaking looks of curiosity towards the commotion.

He shot a warning glance at the red-head.

"Because Garfield isn't fantasizing about her sweating and screaming and pressed against a wall," she hissed.

Despite Roy's weary eye-roll obviously signalling that he thought it was complete bollocks (accompanying some words a child certainly wouldn't know), the now off-duty Bumblebee was right. Gar wasn't thinking anything along those lines even as she bent herself to the likeness of a pretzel – he was simply watching and wondering.

Each intricate muscle seemed to flow as one; almost like bones didn't exist to her. Raven's fingers released the tip of her shoe, all three limbs moving at the perfect pace so that when her hands were placed on the ground her foot pointed perfectly in the air. Garfield traced the hyperextension of her shin to her knee, thigh...

Nobody else saw her the way he did. The small things she did were the best ones – the supposedly insignificant, irrepressible habits she'd picked up and never let go. Like stopping the microwave with one second to go, correcting grammar as people spoke, avoiding cracks in the pavements; those sorts of silly little things.

"I swear, if you don't go and talk to her I'll crush you into a puddle of green snot," Karen growled. "I can't stand to see you all sappy and she-doesn't-want-me-like." She strutted away without a second glance, towel tossed carelessly over her lean shoulder.

Letting out a shaky sigh, Roy shook his friend out of the trance. "Hey, I don't want to tell you how to live your life, but if you want to continue past seventeen I suggest you follow orders," he advised.

Falling back into his playful, carefree slouch, Garfield shrugged. "She's not my leader," he reminded Roy, "and therefore I can act on my own will."

Terror danced through his eyes, as though something much more sinister had left that green mouth. "Just because Karen has the finest set of breasts I have ever seen with a butt to match, doesn't mean she makes empty threats. Ever. You do as she says or you're as good as the gum under someone's shoe, dude."

.

It's always the little things that get you first.

Even as Raven slowly righted herself from the remarkably flexible pose, she felt two eyes stick to her every move, the unbroken contact making her metal-grey skin itch. It was probably Roy – that kid had no sense of secrecy and refused to think of his complete disregard for subtlety as a problem, which meant that a certain empathic was constantly bombarded with a display of embarrassingly sexual feelings. Sure, he had his moments where conversing with him was easy and friend-like, but, apparently, if you ever have the misfortune of getting a bikini top torn from your chest by a wave you didn't see coming...

Anyway, for reasons unknown, Roy had become playfully firm in the belief that she'd done it on purpose and regularly teased her for it.

Nevertheless, she stole a quick peek over her shoulder to see who the gaze belonged to. The assumption had been wrong, it seemed, for it was actually two intensely-green eyes that hers found were not the smoky jade Raven had been expecting. He wasn't looking at her face, or even at the other quick-to-spot areas her costume emphasised, but rather her legs. This continued even as she looked away and back; apparently, he couldn't sense her sight upon his wonder-struck face. After all, had Garfield seen that she'd caught him gawking, the teen would have jerked his head back in a state of complete mortification, possibly avoided her for a while.

Raven allowed herself to momentarily revel in it, shamelessly pleased that she could evoke such a trance-like state simply by doing her stretches. Usually this kind of attention was reserved for Kory's intensely-orange, naturally elegant movements. It was strange, having it directed at her for once. It wasn't like the stare was leering or suggestive, but almost... cute. The curiosity found in a cat's eye as it spies a lizard basking on a hot rock had fully taken over his features. Head slightly to the side, frozen, Garfield didn't look hormonally hungry or like he was preparing to make a comment about her figure. Instead, he was just busying himself with marvelling inquisitively at Raven's body.

Like he had never seen another human being in his life.

Having not ever really had a crush before, Raven couldn't tell if the little things she noticed were creepy on her part or just plain funny. For example, Garfield's sense of humanity being thrown off-balance. That wasn't to say he was feral or cruel or rabid, but he did have certain emotional tendencies towards his friends that one wouldn't have should they be one-hundred percent human. Simple things, unnecessary things, things that you'd rarely see—or if you did, you wouldn't think anything of them—if you didn't spend a few extra seconds with the person in question.

Things like protecting his team-mates.

Sure, everyone does it with force-fields, kicks, glowing blasts or even an uncomplicated yell of "Look out!" but with Garfield it was more than that. This sense of family—of instinct—merged with his natural, irrepressible urge to touch and feel made things very interesting indeed. It was because of these two factors that he'd been able to have Raven instantly backed into a wall when he'd heard someone coming down an alley.

With a hand at either side of her body, chests pressed together as though any space between them would be too much, her fingers gripping automatically, mercilessly, into his surprisingly firm biceps, breath at her ear, it had been hard enough to not turn into a dizzied mess. He was leaning over her, dominant and protective, and smelled like sweat – not the odour of gym clothing or the boys' locker room, but heated. Nice. Raven remembered Garfield was wearing the new uniform – a sleeveless vest showing off both arms, classic Doom Patrol pants with matching belt and rocker boots... Goddess, those boots...

He looked like a total badass.

Basically, he looked delicious.

Undeniably, it took every bit of Raven's monk training and meditation methods to not completely lose control in his arms. She was trying, though, and succeeding.

But then he whispered "Don't move," and Raven nearly collapsed purely out of excitement. Heart racing, lungs no longer working, lips aching to take advantage of the position, she'd waited as patiently as possible for him to step away.

Before he even got to see the desperate, unmistakable want etched out across her bare skin, Raven resumed her mask of dull boredom.

"They're gone," he'd said.

"I know."

"Sorry for pushing you up like that."

"It's okay."

She hadn't minded one bit – aside from the fact it was because they were in the dodgiest part of Jump City, huddling away from two thugs wielding guns, tightly wedged in a dark gap between two scrummy buildings.

However, she still wasn't complaining.

Once the impulsive action had ended Beast Boy immediately began to worry. There was no limit to where Raven aimed when she got pissed off at the warningless physical jolts that made her yelp – it could have been the nose, ribs, ear, foot... worse...

Instead, the two carried on in silence.

Neither ever mentioned the against-the-wall incident again.

Continuing her usual routine, Raven pressed the sole of her shoe into her palm, knee to chest, and straightened. It hurt just a little bit, but was mostly okay, okay enough to edge it a little further-

She winced and lowered her leg achingly slowly, careful not to drop it as she was so tempted to. Raven took three deep breaths.

"You okay?"

"I'm fine, Garfield," Raven lied, further confirming his suspicions as she ground her teeth when she tried to correct her posture.

She watched the concern build in his eyes and thought about just how harsh the contrast was to that of his fighting style.

Richard used tactic.

Victor used power.

Kory used emotion.

Garfield was just fierce. Unstoppable. Instinctual.

Dangerous.

Responsible, but still dangerous.

It'd changed since he was fourteen, when puberty really kicked in with more than just big hands and feet. Having Roy as a friend certainly didn't help when he took more than a friendly interest in girls. Egged on by the demands of his body, Garfield didn't need further persuasion to chase after Terra. When she'd ditched, it was horrible. Watching him cry, mope, eat vegan ice-cream, swear off girls, get over it... All in an excruciatingly-slow ladder back to his former self – or as close as Garfield could get.

Then there was the Beast. That little jolt in his DNA, warped enough as it was, had changed everything. He'd only used it in dire situations; however, that didn't stop the Beast from using him.

It first started a year or so after Garfield had been doused in strange chemicals – he'd suppressed it up until that point. Then, gradually but surely, a daring, confident sparkle entered his gleaming eyes and his muscles became lean and beautiful. Whilst it wasn't to the extent of his previous encounter with this somewhat-demonic "freak of nature" as he had dryly put it; the presence of more testosterone and pure animalism strengthened the bond between the man side and the writhing, pulsing, creature side of Beast Boy. This wasn't such a bad thing. Now, the felines he morphed into held such a glorious, proud elegancy unmatched by the finest silk dress or ballet performer. The birds swooped and soared and danced as though they were made of liquid, mere illusions that made people blink, gape, stand in awe. Even the tiny things—sparrows, rabbits, insects—were all trained to move with such incredible accuracy that it was almost as if he'd practised his whole life to become that one being.

Like that was truly what Garfield was – an animal.

"Anything I can help with?" he asked.

Then he would speak in a voice so sweet and eager to please, and Raven remembered that he was still the same green teenager who at one point had worn a mask to protect his identity, had one fang slightly bigger than the other and always won people over with those big, sweet, gorgeous orbs of the most stunning green...

He always tried so hard, too. Not just with fitness and exercise, but with people. Trying to make them laugh. Trying to keep them cheery.

Sacrificing his own happiness simply because he couldn't bear to have his own problems bring down other people.

Raven could help him with this, she knew that much. If he would just let her open his mind and have a real conversation about things that mattered to him instead of the stupid cover-ups. Although some of his ploys were funny, the mask of jokes was a trap far too easy to become encased within.

"I just need to stretch," she answered slowly, containing the little urges her voice had to jump and leap simply because he was reaching for her ankle.

Garfield smiled reassuringly, flashing that tooth that'd made Raven chew her lip for the past three years, almost as if creating the feeling for herself. She'd always wondered what it'd feel like for him to simply bite her...

The sensitive, plump flesh received such abuse at that exact moment, the slight pain keeping her from floating off to Cloud Nine as he lifted.

"When it starts to hurt let me know, 'kay?"

She could only nod.

Garfield interlocked his fingers, allowing her heel to rest on the knuckles, as he pushed further, and-

"There," she stated.

Glancing her up and down, his face took on that excited, boyish look. "That's so cool!"

Raven panicked as her face took advantage of the heart-throbbing grin, promptly—uninvitingly—increasing the temperature of her cheeks to an uncomfortable heat.

.

Gar watched the pink tinge colour the typical grey, his own response being to add "I mean, it took till this-" he gestured to the foot still just higher than her head, closer to his shoulder, "-before you felt anything? That's pretty impressive."

She uttered a quick "Thanks," before asking "Now what?"

"Press down," he instructed. "Gently, gently. Five, four, three, two, one. Okay, now edge it up until it hurts again. Just... make a noise or something."

Doing as she was told, Raven was ready to say "Stop," right as something pressed into her back.

"Balance," he said hastily, returning her lingering blush with his own deeper one.

"Stop," Raven murmured, unable to croak her voice up higher than a small breath from her throat.

That was how they went, each struggling to catch the air in their mouths to form some sort of word, or even to just breathe in general. Both wondered how they got into this stupid mess; let alone how to get out of it.

Not that either really wanted to.

"There," Gar finally grunted, unable to meet Raven's eyes. He really shouldn't have put himself so damned close to her, with that skin-tight leotard, her face so naïve, beautiful, gentle, and especially since the only hands not gripping the bar behind Raven were his.

Where were they instead, you ask?

Holding her.

And it was agonizing that he couldn't do anything with that window of opportunity. Should he have tried, Gar's best guess would have been that the metaphorical glass would have smashed to smithereens and promptly sent slicing through his skin. There were only so many ways this could end, with Raven's slender, freshly-shaved and vanilla-scented leg propped up to reach for the ceiling, Gar's fingers pressing lazily against the smooth calf muscle. It'd now been five seconds since he'd spoken, having successfully carried out what he had claimed to come over to do.

Consequently, this meant he had to lower her foot and leave Raven be.

Yeah, just walk away.

So Gar softly, slowly, brought her heel back to the floor, noting that the girl's sight didn't leave him for one moment, even as he dropped to one knee, let go, and stood.

"Thank you," she smiled, tone well-shaped to sound both formal and friendly. Kinder than usual. Almost... warm.

Casual and light-hearted as always, the façade re-plastered itself firmly as he ignored the urge to run through that exercise one more time. "All good," he grinned. "Any time."

Raven nodded favourably. Any time, huh? She'd be sure to take him up on that offer...

.

"Now or never, Raven," she mumbled.

Garfield's ear twitched, spinning back a few metres towards the bench. "What?"

"I was just wondering if, maybe," her ribs rattled as Raven tried to form some sort of coherent speech, "you'd like to have a drink. Give me twenty minutes and I'll be showered and in my civilian clothing."

"A drink?" Garfield repeated dumbly, like he'd never heard of such a thing.

Raven swallowed. "Yeah – I'll get tea if you want a coffee. I'll pay."

She mentally begged him to say yes, not to humiliate her. He rocked from one foot to the other, looking smug and dominant and my Goddess so damned handsome.

"Ever seen me on caffeine, sweetie?" Garfield shook his head with a smirk. "Not pretty."

He could get a vegetable smoothie or a tofu-shake for all she cared. "It doesn't have to be a drink," Raven reasoned. "It's nearly six-thirty. How about dinner? My treat."

Too stunned at the prospect (but of course not allowing the shock to show) for the word "Yes" to materialize from the suddenly-blank hole that was his brain, Garfield continued to question her. "Where would we go?"

"Where-ever you want," she replied. "China, New Zealand, Scotland, France. I'm-" Then a small idea caught her, a once-in-a-lifetime spark of humour that usually never actually escaped Raven's throat on the rare occasion that it entered her mind. She bit the side of her lip and released it quickly.

Garfield smiled the moment the words were said: "I can go for anything – I'm flexible."