Can't Help Falling In Love With You

Rated: M for adult situations

Garfield Logan believed there was a time and a place for everything. Except, time was fickle, and location was as vague as the term itself implied. In his case, a funeral. Of all places, a graveyard. In a strange, macabre way, it seemed fitting for her, but he couldn't shake the feeling of irony surrounding the entire situation.

He saw her easily enough. She was, of course, something he always watched out for in the corner of his eye, and most of the time, he could swear he'd merely just imagined her. His mind liked to play tricks on him — torment and tease him with a whiff of her perfume or a smudge of violet hair in his peripheral vision. However, this time, she was certainly real..

As real as the dark, ominous clouds, and thick, chilling autumn fog rolling in so early in the morning, the sky dressed up to match the gloom and depression surrounding her. He almost smirked; black had always been so becoming on her, and he couldn't help the way his gaze raked her tight form and delicious curves in the high-waisted pencil skirt and matching dark blouse. She had the buttons done up just enough to be modest, but still remain tantalizing with her exposed collarbone and slender neck. Beast Boy felt his throat constrict with a familiar desire, and an impending guilt almost immediately followed it. He was at a funeral, for goodness sake. Still, he licked his lips, and couldn't help stealing glances at her, wondering how her sheer pantyhose would feel beneath his fingertips and what the hollow at the base of her throat tasted like.

And then Garfield spotted him. The strange man next to her initially befuddled the changeling as he couldn't place him as a familiar face on the list of potential guests invited to the service. When it finally dawned on him — judging by how bold the strange man was for invading her personal space so flippantly — it was all he could do to contain the possessive growl that rumbled from within his chest. She'd brought a date, because of course she did. Cruel gods of fate be damned, of course she'd bring a date, and it was like the universe was mocking his misfortune. As if to further hammer the nail into the coffin, her said date had now possessively placed his hand on the narrow of her back and held it there, his handsome features solemn while he focused on the lush grass beneath his fancy feet, acting as if he cared about the deceased at all. Beast Boy's hands were fists at his sides, and he grit his teeth so hard, he was sure his jaw would snap out of place. Despite knowing that he shouldn't have been so affected by this unpleasant turn of events in the first place, he couldn't help his compulsive reaction.

Theoretically, they'd been over for more than a year now, their on and off fling having apparently cooled off for good during the longest stretch the relationship had ever had. And yet, his blood was still boiling.

She looked good, and he wanted her. A goddamn funeral, and he wanted her. Seeing her with himonly fueled his desire even more, and he knew that it was his more primitive emotions responsible for that line of thinking, so he tried to ignore it.

If she'd seen him — or felt him at all — Raven would not make it apparent. Instead, she appeared deeply distraught, staring down at the white casket with red-rimmed eyes, unblinking. It was like she'd barely noticed anyone else around her at all. Not even her date, even though his hand continued to slip dangerously low down her back. Beast Boy's nails dug into his palms and he forced himself to look away — to focus on anything else besides her. Like the priest's droning, dreary voice, or Victor's taller, bulkier presence beside him. Even the pregnant, billowy, grey clouds hanging dangerously low overhead that seemed to be threatening a violent future downpour. Anything but her.

Been there, done that, he reminded himself. More than once.

But Gods, she looked so good. He couldn't keep his eyes off her. Every time he tried, his gaze trailed back like it was magnetism, and he would sneak a quick glance before catching himself in the act and forcing himself to look away. He was anxious for her to notice him, too. There was nothing more that he wanted than to catch the familiar glimmer of recognition — and maybe, desire, too — in those stormy amethyst irises when they would land on him. Garfield merely needed a sign. Something — anything — to help spur forward the moment. Permission, from her, irrevocable in those daring eyes. Date or no date. He didn't care. He could deal with that one later, if it meant a moment with her, alone.

"You gonna be okay, B?" It was Victor's deep, baritone voice that drew him out of the trance. A moment later, the sky rumbled and cracked in preparation for the downpour to come.

Beast Boy was then forced to tune back into his surroundings, only to discover that the service was over. People threw flowers over the casket as it was lowered into the ground before taking their leave of the graveyard. Garfield watched as Raven held a single blood red rose in her gloved fingers, and tossed it in before turning on her heel and walking away, head lowered in respect. Her date followed, not unlike an annoying tail, quick to comfort her in this time of sorrow, draping his arm over her shoulders and pulling her close just as a drizzle of rain began to fall.

Victor's mechanical fingers then gripped Garfield's shoulder, squeezing gently and in warning as his human eye studied the shapeshifter carefully. Beast Boy immediately gleaned the cybernetic man's meaning behind the gesture, of course. It didn't take a tech-savvy genius to know that he was never quite okay around her. Nonetheless, the changeling straightened up, mustered up his best reassuring smile, and said, "I'll be perfectly fine, Vic."

Cyborg appeared skeptical, his brow raised. "Everyone knows that even the idea of you two in a room together is explosive," he replied.

Beast Boy laughed, but it wasn't genuine. His shoulders shook in a half-hearted shrug. "She brought a date. I can't mess with a date."

Victor snorted. "As if that's stopped either of you before. Poor Bette; she's still a little heartbroken over it, you know."

"Wait — she's not here, too, is she?" Beast Boy panicked, looking around him frantically for a familiar, spry, golden-haired vixen even as people brushed past him to leave.

"No. Chill, dude." Cyborg folded his arms over his chest, fixing his friend with a condescending glare. Then, he sighed, rubbing mechanical digits at his temple. "Just…promise you'll behave yourself, please? I ain't here to babysit your ass."

Beast Boy did a salute — the same one he was used to giving Mento all those years ago. "Scout's honor, sir!" It ought to have unnerved the changeling how good he still was at mimicking it, right down to the tone of voice he used. All this time he'd been Mento free, and he'd expected the old man's tendencies had finally worn off of him. Old habits die hard, and all that jazz. However, Victor didn't find it quite as funny or ironic as Beast Boy did, so the changeling's sardonic smile fell.

With shoulders slumped, and downcast eyes, he finally gave in. "I'll behave. Got it."

Except, of course, he would wind up doing the exact opposite of that, like he already presumed he would. Empty promises were always harder to keep.

It would start when he'd find Handsy-Mcgee gloating to the other male guests at the wake. Somehow, Beast Boy couldn't quite waste the opportunity to put his own foot in his mouth, like he always did. Not when it came with the added bonus of humiliating her pathetic excuse for a plus one, anyways.

"From my knowledge, picking up babes at these functions is easy as pie," Raven's date cockily informed another young man, albeit somewhat cautiously. "Shoulder to cry on, comfort sex, and they usually want nothing to do with you after because of the guilt. It's the sweetest gig." The arrogance was dripping from his tone of voice.

Beast Boy had his back to them, but he rolled his eyes so hard at the dialogue exchange, and he nearly ruptured the plastic cup in his hand.

A small, rational voice in the back of his mind told him not to do it — it warned him, it wasn't a good idea to get involved. However, he'd already spun on his heel and forced an amiable, and tight-lipped smile at the two unsuspecting men, the voice muted and ignored beneath the building adrenaline coursing through his blood. They eyed him warily, taking in the shock of his green skin and hair and immediately recognizing the former Titan. Garfield then scrunched up his nose and shook his head. "Hate to break it to you kind gentlemen, but the funeral scene isn't as bangin' as you might think. Unless you're into a lot of little old, widowed ladies, that is. Who can be sweet, but probably just want to feed you dessert and tell you stories, not really sleep with you."

The two young men stood there, mouths agape, trying to process his words as much as his unwanted presence. Beast Boy took it as an opportunity to continue, his confidence growing in momentum the same way an avalanche did. "Besides, everyone knows that weddings are the best place to meet a fast hook-up. Single bridesmaids, lonely, drunk friends, women who didn't catch the bouquet. Hell, why stop at funerals? Go the full sleazebag routine and fuck the bride herself." His tone quickly turned bitter with his uncharacteristic, vulgar language, his expression darkening despite the forced smile.

"Hey man, no one asked you!" Raven's date piped up angrily, moving to stand in front of Garfield while puffing out his chest.

Beast Boy's smile only widened — just what he wanted. Victor's words were but a faded memory as something more primal dominated the forefront of his mind. He now felt a surge in adrenaline, the animalistic side of him encouraging the confrontation. He glared down at the shorter man, and stared into the puppy blues of his eyes, his jaw clenched. Amber swirled in his otherworldly stare, the threat imminent in the way he bared his teeth in a menacing grin. He was sure to showcase his sharp, pearly-white canines as he got into the other man's face, somehow having them look longer and pointier than usual. His opponent immediately backed up defensively, gulping, fear growing in his expression, his eyes wide like saucers. Beast Boy could see the way his pulse jumped at the side of his throat.

"Does your girl know what a stand up guy you really are?" Garfield snarled, invading the other man's personal space until he'd forced him to knock into a table nearby. "Does she know about all your exploits and conquests? How women are just some sort of a game to you?" The man visibly quivered, shrinking down against the wall in an effort to get away, but Beast Boy had him pinned, slamming the palm of his hand against the wall next to his head.

He was thoroughly enjoying every moment of exerting his dominance over such a pathetic little man, and so utterly consumed by it, that he hardly had time to pick up on her entrance until she'd spoken up.

"What the hell are you doing?"

Raven's voice dissipated the budding tension between the two men, like a douse of cold water on a rising fire. Beast Boy, looking away to finally take notice of the empath's deadly glare, eventually eased off, and straightened her date's tie, patting his chest lightly in mock apology. The other man flinched at his touch and opened and closed his mouth, like a fish out of water, still visibly shaking in fright. He looked pale, and one might have argued that he'd seen the deceased ghost instead. Beast Boy smirked at the reaction. "No hard feelings. We were just having a debate about-"

"Cut the shit, Gar," Raven growled, interrupting him. Before he even had a chance to formulate his defense, she moved to step between them, and glowered at him, protective of her rather rattled date. "Can you be civil for even one minute?" she seethed, arms folded over her chest while still holding her beverage in one hand.

He snorted and rolled his eyes. "I was being civil! Your little munchkin over here is the real piece of work, Rae!" He jabbed his thumb in the other man's direction, who was still as silent as stone.

"Don't call him that," she warned, her voice low and eyes narrowed into amethyst slits.

But Beast Boy didn't quite know when to stop, especially when he knew he'd gotten under someone's skin. "Does he come in carry-on size, too?" he quipped, giving her a sardonic smirk. "Do you bring him around in your purse, like one of those yippy little dogs?"

She threw her drink in his face.

By now they'd attracted a small audience, and they all collectively gasped at the sound of the splash, somehow the loudest thing in the room. His face ached from the chill and shock of the ice cold beverage, and he blinked at her in bewilderment, the liquid dripping down from his hair, to the slope of his nose, only to stain the front of his crisp, white dress shirt and shoes.

Certainly not the reunion he'd imaged for the two of them, he surmised, sputtering through the cool cola dribbling down his lips and sticking his lashes together. Somewhere in the crowd, he knew Cyborg was around, probably preparing the tongue-lashing he planned to give him the minute he had him alone.

Raven stood before him, still visibly fuming, her unshed tears shining in her passionate, glassy eyes. She was shaking on the spot with barely contained emotions, gritting her teeth while she continued to stare him down with narrowed eyes.

Beast Boy finally swallowed the lump in his throat, and spoke in a soft, monotone voice, "Enjoy your date, Raven."

He then bowed his head, and turned to walk away, pushing his way through the crowd while ignoring any of their questions and mumbled gossip. His skin still tingled where her drink was drying and sticky, and he wondered if it would ever stop feeling as numb as the rest of him.

Considering locking himself in the bathroom briefly, Garfield had an inkling that isolating himself that way would only further provoke his cybernetic friend. Deciding against it, he eventually meandered and slipped into the kitchen — which was significantly emptier now that all the food trays had been set out — and waited for Victor, who would no doubt have followed after him once the spectacle died down. Leaning against the counter by the sink, Garfield ignored the way some of the ladies stared at him and his soda-soaked hair and clothes. Eventually, they went away, too, smart enough to know not to ask questions from the Titan. Beast Boy stared at a point on the floor where the liquid dripped in a small pool by his dress shoes, until Cyborg's feet obscured his view of the ceramic tiles. Something cool touched his cheek, and when Garfield looked up, Victor had a wet cloth to wipe away the sugary drink from his face. He was avoiding his eyes, but the disapproval was evident in the tight, set line of his mouth.

Beast Boy sighed and slumped forward dejectedly. "Go ahead. Say it. Get it out of your system now."

Victor shook his head. "You never kick a man when he's already down."

"Huh." Garfield considered his words.

"You wanna plead your case?"

"Is it even worth it?"

"She threw her drink at you, and Raven doesn't do violence like that unless you've really crossed a line. So, yeah. I'd say it is."

"I called her date pint-sized."

Cyborg chuckled a little. "Of course you did."

"He deserved it. He only came here because he thought it'd be easier to get into Raven's pants. And if she turned him down, he was already looking for a backup plan. He's a scoundrel, Cy. She can do so much better. She deserves so much better."

"Hmm," Victor contemplated, humming as he wiped down the changeling's forehead. "And I'm guessing that'd be you?"

Beast Boy's shoulders sagged, and he went back to staring at the ground. With a defeated sigh, he shook his head. "Tried that, didn't work."

Victor didn't say anything to that, the older man having no more wisdom to impart on the subject. They'd long since exhausted that topic of conversation by break up number three.

This time, the shapeshifter smelled her before he saw her enter the room — the delectable scent of vanilla and lilacs from her perfume wafting gently into the kitchen. She never did put on enough to mask the musky scent of old books and candles, though. To his senses, her smell overpowered everything else. Food, baked goods, grief, overbearing cologne — like the one her date was wearing — even the linger of death itself seemed to cling to everyone's skin.

Cyborg had paused in what he was doing to acknowledge her, obviously as perplexed as the changeling at her unprecedented appearance. Raven was looking at them both, but it was as if she stared right through them, her face devoid of any significant emotion. She was like night and day, the ferociousness from earlier having dissipated from her fine features as if it had never been there to begin with. Now, she was like a porcelain doll — gloomy, eerie, and yet strikingly beautiful with those high cheekbones and thick, black lashes. She walked towards the pair like she was on a mission, her black pumps clicking against the kitchen tiles noisily. Starfire's handy work, of course. Raven had never been good at walking in heels.

Beast Boy stood up straighter and sucked in a deep breath, bracing himself for what he only could figure was round two. However, Raven didn't even look to be annoyed anymore, either. Instead, when she reached them, she paused and folded her arms over her chest, her expression a blank slate.

"Victor, do you mind giving us a moment?" she asked, her eyes never leaving the changeling's face.

Beast Boy gulped and clutched at his friend's robot arm. "Don't do it," he pleaded, staring up at Cyborg. It was meant to be in jest, but he also was in no mood for a tongue lashing from his ex girlfriend.

Cyborg gently wrenched his hand free and shook his head. "I warned you." He then moved away and grabbed all the bottles of pop and juice still sitting on the counter nearby. "Just in case," he assured the other Titans, cradling them in his arms. As he turned to leave, Raven scoffed and rolled her eyes.

Beast Boy fidgeted awkwardly on the spot, looking anywhere but at her. He was still overcome with a sense of shame and embarrassment. It may have had to do with the fact he was currently sticky with soda.

Raven meandered over next to him and picked up the wet hand towel Cyborg had left behind. Gently, she began dabbing at his cheek, then down his jaw and neck.

"I think you owe me an apology," she told him straight.

"I owe you an apology?!" Beast Boy stared at her, bewildered.

She remained stoic and focused on her task, her fingers working diligently. "Yes."

"For what?!"

"For trying to beat up my date at a wake."

Beast Boy grit his teeth, his jaw muscles tensing. "Your date," he stated, "is an asshole."

"I know that, but you still shouldn't have behaved that way," Raven explained calmly. "Because youare not."

The changeling blinked at her, surprised by her backhanded compliment. "So, let me get this straight." He licked his lips. "You knowingly bring a scummy boyfriend to a funeral, where he all but gloats about getting to sleep with you. I call him out for acting like a turd, you spill a drink on me for trying to defend your honor, and now you're demanding that I apologize?"

Raven sighed, and paused at his collarbone, where a single button of his dress shirt was undone. "He's not my boyfriend, and I don't need you to defend my anything."

Garfield rolled his eyes at her. "Yeah, because that's the main takeaway here," he chided her sarcastically.

Raven groaned, a vein at her temple pulsing as she closed her eyes and inhaled through her nose. "Why can't you just say you're sorry? Why do you have to be so stubborn all the time?"

"That's hilarious coming from you! Do I need to remind you that you spilled a drink in my face?!" He motioned at his stained, satin white shirt. "And since when do you drink soda anyways? You hate that stuff!"

Ignoring his question, she, instead, glanced down at the ugly mark the brown beverage had left — effectively ruining what looked to be an expensive shirt — and bit down on her bottom lip, a flicker of guilt shining in her eyes.

Raven then ran her fingers down the ivory buttons, lingering softly at the splattered soda stain. "…I'm sorry, about the drink," she breathed, unable to meet his gaze.

Beast Boy sighed and slouched against the counter, his hand finding her delicate, pale wrist and encircling it. "And I'm sorry for making fun of your date."

She lingered at the buttons, playing with a single stud even beneath his warm grip. "You should probably take off the shirt, to see if we can remove the stain…," she suggested coyly, eyeing him beneath a thick fringe of lashes.

He smirked. "Going to take it to get dry cleaned for me, Rae?"

She flicked a button and then made it come undone. Beast Boy let go of her hand, only to have it brush along the small of her back, ever so subtly. Almost accidentally.

Raven leaned into him, undoing another two buttons to reveal the flat expanse of his green chest, and his other hand gripped her waist in response. Arousal was keen to his senses, and he could smell hers a mile away.

"What about the pants?" he whispered huskily against her ear, his warm breath against her skin earning him a soft gasp from her lips. "I think you got a spot there, too." He then guided one of her hands to his belt, where her fingers slipped down along his zipper to feel the beginning strain of his throbbing erection.

Raven licked her lips as Garfield hummed to her touch.

"I want you," he growled against her ear, but it was more like a promise than a confession.

The arch of her palm curved perfectly against him as she moved it slowly up and down along the fabric of his dress pants. "Are you going to take me at a wake?" she chuckled playfully. "Bold, even for you."

"That's not a no." He nipped at the lobe of her ear with his teeth and felt her shiver beneath him.

Raven gripped him with a squeeze, causing him to throw back his head and inhale sharply. Her other hand had traveled beneath the undone buttons of his crisp dress shirt, to feel the warmth of his skin under her palm. She explored the width of his chest, the ridges of muscle, and fine dusting of hair along his pectorals, until she could feel the steady beat of his heart. It picked up in speed at her touch, and a small, satisfied smirk tugged at the corner of her lips.

"It never is with us, is it?" she whispered against his cheek before pressing her lips softly to him.

"How can I help it? You're the loveliest person I know. Even when you're angry with me," he breathed heavily, laboured as if he'd just run a marathon and back.

She didn't wait any longer; she reached up and captured his lips with hers, pulling him in towards her by grabbing him by the shirt collar. Beast Boy easily melted into her touch, his arms encircling her waist…

"You have got to be kidding me!"

Victor found them in the cantina, red-handed. He ran his cybernetic hand over his face and groaned inexorably as the couple quickly separated and scrambled to put on their clothes. Beast Boy made a grab for his belt and black dress pants that had been carelessly tossed to the floor, while Raven gave Cyborg her back and attempted to clasp her bra back on.

"Seriously? At a wake?!" Victor groaned, incredulous at their behaviour. "What if someone else came in here, like, say, Jericho, or Rose? You really think either of them wanna see the two of you going at it like rabbits when their mom just died?!"

Beast Boy hung his head in shame after he'd thrown on his still stained dress shirt, running a hand through his tousled green hair. Raven had both her bra and shirt on, and was now adjusting her skirt back down over her thighs.

"I'm sorry, Vic. Couldn't help it, I guess…," Garfield apologized, still too cowardly to meet his friend's eye.

"You're seriously telling me that y'all couldn't keep it in your pants until we got back to the hotel?" Victor then quickly glanced behind him before leaning in and hissing at them, "You're lucky I blocked off the kitchen for you two, otherwise it'd be crawling with grief-stricken old folks right about now."

Raven was doing up the buttons to her blouse when she said, "It was my fault; I initiated it this time."

Garfield shot her a dubious look, surprise evident in his features. He shook his head. "No way, I definitely made things go further than they should have."

Raven merely pursed her lips in stubbornness. "I'm the one who wanted to have sex." When she dipped her chin down to continue buttoning up her clothes, she additionally muttered, "It's been so long since anyone other than me has given me an orgasm…"

Victor sputtered on the spot, covering his ears with his hands and squeezing his eyes shut, as if to block out the mental images. "Too much information, Rae! Too. Much. Information!"

Beast Boy ignored Cyborg, and rolled his eyes at the empath. "Pft, like I didn't want to have sex. Do you even know me?"

That earned him a tiny smirk as Raven regaled him, her gaze slipping to his exposed torso where he'd left his shirt open and her plum lipstick kiss was still etched on the spot over his heart. Lust lingered in her eyes, and it made him throb and lick his lips in anticipation, still tasting the remnants of her. It was pointless to think that they were anywhere near finished with one another. Her lipstick had been smeared all over his neck and down his body, too, and she seemed almost proud of the marks she'd left on him.

"You two done yet?" Victor interrupted, annoyed.

Raven had done up her last button, and was combing through the strands of her disheveled hair with her fingers in an attempt to adjust it. "I can't lie to you; sex is a pleasant distraction from all the surrounding grief and sorrow."

"So what you're saying is, you guys are back together?" Victor folded his arms over his chest, cocking his head to the side as he examined them both with an amused scrutiny.

At this insinuation, both Garfield and Raven exchanged dumbfounded glances, neither truly knowing how to proceed with answering the question.

Cyborg chuckled at their reaction, shaking his head. "Don't really know why I bothered askin' a question we all already know the answer to." He waved his hand at them, as if to be dismissing the idea entirely, before turning his back to leave. "Y'all have about three and a half minutes to look presentable. That's as long as I can hold them off," he threw over his shoulder before disappearing out the doors.

Alone now, Raven cleared her throat unceremoniously and quickly looked around for both her heels and the silken black panties that had been tossed to the side in their fit of passion. The heels were easy enough to spot, but her underwear was currently hanging off the doorknob, and she snatched them with an embarassed flush growing over her cheeks. Beast Boy scratched at the nape of his neck nervously.

"So," he coughed, adjusting his belt. "Where do we go from here?"

Raven slipped her heels back onto her feet after she'd shimmied her panties back on. "The hotel room, duh."

He had to laugh at that. "Not what I meant, but okay."

"I know what you meant, I just don't really have an answer for you."

"Fair enough," he shrugged. "Ready for the walk of shame?" Beast Boy extended his hand to her and smiled genuinely.

Raven shook her head. "I was thinking we'd just sneak out the back door and avoid all that."

Much to his surprise, she did take his hand, though. "You always were the smart one in the relationship," he confessed.

Just the feeling of her fingers lacing with his was enough to make his heart swell with emotion. He reached down and kissed her forehead, just below her chakra and in between her brow.

"What was that for?" she asked, confusion drawing her features.

He shrugged, still smiling like a fool. "I guess I really just couldn't help myself."

FIN