Four

It had been twenty-four hours and fifty-two minutes since Beast Boy had kissed Raven; not that he was keeping track.

Twenty-four hours, and not once had she said a word to him. Beast Boy didn't know what that meant. Should he be worried? Or not? Was she just…busy? With what? From what he could tell, there was nothing to be busy with, aside from avoiding him. Which she was doing pretty well at this rate.

Beast Boy hated this. It was like he was in his own personal hell, except he didn't know why. It wasn't like he liked her, right?

Oh, who was he kidding? Of course he liked her. He liked her a lot, and the imposed silence was starting to kill him. Beast Boy knew he had a habit of overstepping boundaries, and he was really starting to worry he'd overstepped a bit too far this time around.

Raven liked her space. She liked things around her to maintain a familiar atmosphere; change didn't bode well with her. It never did. She didn't like his poking and prodding, and she most certainly didn't like his…impulsiveness. He had a tendency to irritate her, which in turn aggravated her powers and caused things to explode. They were a mess, together, and he certainly made the most muck in their relationship.

How could she like him?

Beast Boy glared at the ant-like people below him. Stupid people and their stupid, mindless lives. He was really jealous of their simple monotony at this time; how they could just live in their own bubbles devoid of destiny and fate and falling in love with demonesses.

Stupid people.

The shadows caught Beast Boy's attention, and he sighed. It was getting late; time to meet up with Raven. The two of them had split that morning to cover some ground and investigate more leads that Robin had scrounged up. Because despite the solid lead he and Raven had discovered, Robin wanted to be sure they were barking up the right tree.

Or something like that.

Beast Boy stepped to the edge of the skyscraper he stood on, feeling the wind whip at his hair and face. He wasn't wearing the rings at the moment, as he'd shapeshifted to get up here. No, the rings were safely in the pocket of his specially made jumpsuit. There was a lot of science and maybe even a little magic that went into making the stupid thing. Mento never really divulged the information. Not that Beast Boy cared. It worked, what more did he need to know?

The shapeshifter closed his eyes and leaned forward, adrenaline coursing through his veins as he dropped. He outstretched his arms, smiling with glee as the busy streets below reared up at him.

Halfway through his free-fall, he morphed, his bones and muscles snapping and popping as his arms turned to wings and feathers sprouted across his body. He caught an updraft and shot upward, his free-fall coming to an abrupt halt. Beast Boy cawed, winging off towards the pre-planned meeting point for him and Raven.

Beast Boy's mind wandered to Raven.

And the kiss.

Beast Boy cursed. Or cawed, really. But in his mind it was a curse, so that counted for something, right?

The kiss haunted him, burned in his memory. His lips on hers, her body pressed up against his. The chill of the night kissing at his skin. The footsteps closing in on them; the danger of being discovered mounting with each step. His heartbeat roaring in his ears. The way Raven just…clung to him.

There were many things in life Beast Boy could never have fathomed happening to him until they did. Like developing shapeshifting powers. Or losing his parents. Or becoming a superhero!

Working with Robin, the Robin.

Starting the Teen Titans.

Saving the world. Numerous times.

Kissing Raven.

But he did it. He kissed her, there, in the shrub. In a bout of desperation, guided by a stupid, half-assed plan, he snagged her cloak and yanked her forward, planting his lips on hers. At first, Raven had hesitated, turning as stiff as a board.

Beast Boy panicked, then. The footsteps were like thunder, booming louder and louder as they drew closer. Beast Boy's heart pounded wildly against his chest, and he knew that whatever happened, he had to get her to play along.

So he kissed her harder. And she kissed him back.

His trembling hands tangled into her wig, and he could feel her eyelashes brush against his cheek and her shaking, delicate hands grip at his shirt. Her mouth tasted like herbs and honey, both bitter and sweet.

From that moment on, he was addicted. Just thinking about it made him shiver, as if from withdrawals.

The moment didn't last forever though. The footsteps boomed and boomed until they stopped entirely, and Beast Boy could hear a small but audible gasp. He somehow managed the strength to break the kiss and peek up.

There, towering over the bush, was a couple. The woman Beast Boy didn't recognize, but the man, he did. Goosebumps broke out all over his skin, and Beast Boy shivered.

"Ignore them, Marie," Jesse quipped. "It's just a couple of kids. He guided the woman, presumably Marie, away from the shrub, his cold stare searing into Beast Boy's very soul. He gulped, gripping Raven tightly. She seemed to not notice, and when Beast Boy risked a glance at her, she had a very faraway look in her eyes.

"I know," whispered Marie, "but still. It's very improper."

Well, whispering might have been an understatement. To Beast Boy, she was sort of whisper-screaming. Like, her whisper was not actually a whisper. A lot of people did that, and he always found it rather irritating.

"Hmm," Jesse said. "Perhaps." He said nothing else, and the footsteps faded as the two walked away. Beast Boy felt himself relax as the steps faded, and he couldn't help the giddy grin that spread across his features.

"Well, that was close. Huh, Rae?"

She didn't answer. Beast Boy furrowed his brows and shot her a curious glance, noting with growing concern how much paler she seemed than normal. Beast Boy gently nudged her, biting him lip. "Uh, Rae?"

Raven blinked and seemed to shake herself. "Oh, yes. Very close." She pried herself free of him and stood as though in a trance. The empath stared blankly where Jesse and Marie had disappeared, before picking her way out of the shrub without another word. Beast Boy scrambled onto his feet to follow, only to trip and flounder into the thicket of the shrubbery. He barked out a few choice words, crawling out on his hands and knees, when his fingers brushed against something smooth. He plucked the item off the ground, bringing it up and peering at it closely.

It was a business card. There was only one thing printed on it;

Do you wish to learn the truth and conquer the world?

Visit us at the local community center, located on Sycamore Blvd.

Chills broke out on his skin once more, and Beast Boy shook his head and shoved the card into his pocket, before scrambling after Raven.

The rest of the night had been pretty much the same. He would try to engage her in conversation, to no avail. Raven merely deflected any of his questions and only grunted or hummed in response to anything else he said. She ended the night by curling up as far on her side of the bed as possible, ignoring him.

The park came into sight, and he banked sharply.

Dread coiled in Beast Boy's gut, and he flapped his wings agitatedly. Let's just get this over with, he thought. He circled until he found a secluded place to land, and proceeded to drift down from the sky. The shapeshifter landed with as much grace as he could muster, allowing his body to resume his human shape. Beast Boy rolled his head, wincing as his neck cracked. "I've really gotta stretch before shifting," he muttered. His muscles throbbed angrily in response.

Typically, Beast Boy had to do some form of stretches before excessive amounts of shapeshifting. This was mostly because shifting a lot hurt, and stretching eased the pains, much like with running, lifting, and many other forms of exercise. Beast Boy supposed he didn't need to stretch, it just helped save him hours of soreness or even agony after a rough day.

Luckily today wasn't one of those days.

Beast Boy settled onto the ground, staring lazily up into the foliage above. His ears picked up all the little nuanced sounds around him; the birds in the trees, the breeze rattling the leaves, the distant chatter of civilians, and even the odd bark of a dog. A sudden chill made him shiver, and he dropped his gaze to a dark spot on the ground that quickly took the shape of Raven.

She stood in a somewhat defensive manner, with her shoulders curved forward and her arms crossed beneath the folds of her cloak. Her expression, however, was ever impassive, though Beast Boy could detect a hint of tension working at her jaw.

"There you are," Beast Boy said. "I was about to send a search party." His joke fell flat, as Raven's only response was to twitch her eyebrows. Beast Boy scowled then, crossing his arms. "What's with you?" he snapped. Raven blinked, surprise crossing her features.

"Hmm?"

"Don't 'hmm' me!" He scrambled to his feet, jabbing a finger at her. "You've been acting all cold and distant ever since...ever since that stupid kiss!" Beast Boy sucked in a breath of air, his shoulders slumping miserably. "Did...did I mess up again? I know you're all worried about your powers, but seriously, Rae! If I did something wrong, just fucking tell me!" His words echoed in his ears, and Beast Boy realized that he'd been shouting. He gulped, chomping down on his lip and meeting Raven's shocked stare.

"Beast Boy..." She trailed off, reaching her hands out of her cloak and lowering her hood. "I'm sorry."

Her forward apology caught Beast Boy off-guard, and he blinked in surprise.

"I didn't mean to make you feel like that," Raven said, her voice quiet and soft.

"Well, you did." He knew his snarky remark was probably uncalled for, but the amount of swirling emotions clouding his senses were enough to dull that realization. Instead, he gave a surprised Raven an irritated glare, and crossed his arms over his chest. "Mind telling me what's going on, then?"

The empath bit her lip and sighed. "I was getting to that, thank you." She fiddled delicately with her fingers, looking anywhere but him. Beast Boy watched as Raven reached up and plucked her ear piece from her ear, and flipped the switch, effectively turning it off. He furrowed his brows in confusion, staring in utter bafflement as she indicated for him to do the same.

"Uh, Rae? I don't think-" He was cut off by a tendril of black magic, which slapped across his face like a strip of duct tape. Beast Boy watched, wide-eyed, as Raven lifted a finger to shush him, and stepped close to remove his ear piece. His breath hitched at their close proximity, and he could feel his face burning.

Damn feelings making me lose my damn mind, he thought. Beast Boy stood rigid as her fingers brushed against his ear, doing his best to suppress a shiver. He was frozen as she turned off the gadget, pocketing it along with hers before finally stepping away.

"Okay, we should be fine."

"Raven, what the hell is going on?" Beast Boy blurted. He blinked in surprise of his own outburst, biting into his lip again hard. "S-sorry, I didn't mean-"

"No, it's okay." Raven toyed with the fabric of her cloak, her voice so soft, a normal human probably wouldn't have heard her. Hell, Beast Boy barely heard her! He said nothing though, waiting for her to speak.

"I know who Jesse is." She paused for a beat, seemingly considering her own words. "Or, at least, I have an idea."

"What do you mean?"

Raven sighed, hugging herself tightly. There was a moment where she looked...scared. It passed as quickly as it happened, but Beast Boy noticed nonetheless. He almost stepped towards her, the desire to wrap his arms around her and protect her from everything and anything coursing through him. It was silly, of course, Raven could handle herself. Plus, it was a little terrifying how intense some of his current emotions were.

"I think he's a demon."

Beast Boy opened his mouth to say something, only to snap it shut. A demon? Was she serious? One look at her stoic expression confirmed such notions, and Beast Boy rubbed at his temples. "What, are you going to tell me that Trigon sent him or something?"

"I don't know." She sighed, a faraway look dancing in her eyes. "When we were in the bush, I could sense something...dark. It felt as though he was trying to get into my head." Raven paused, a distasteful expression crossing her features. "He didn't, of course. But that only confirmed my suspicions. Robin, of course, isn't so sure."

Uh oh. Beast Boy furrowed his brows, doing his best to process what she meant. "You wanna go after him?"

"He must be stopped," Raven said, her voice stoic. "Especially if Trigon is involved."

"So why no earpieces?"

The empath quirked a brow at him. Beast Boy blinked, realization dawning upon him. "Oh, right. We're only spying."

"And when I suggested otherwise to Boy Blunder, he nearly had a conniption."

Beast Boy snickered, picturing their red-faced leader tearing at his hair. Yep, that was Robin, alright. Always with his pants on too tight. His grin faded, and the seriousness of the situation kicked in. Raven wanted to go against orders. Not just Robin's orders, but the orders of the League. All on a hunch that this guy was super evil. A damn good hunch, sure, but a hunch all the same. And it seemed as though she was inviting him to join her.

"So, when do we start?"

Raven's expression was priceless. She gaped at him in shock, as though unable to believe he'd really help her. Beast Boy flashed her a cheeky grin, unable to contain his pride.

"What, you think I'd let you go after a demon on your own?"

Her mouth snapped shut, and she shot him a glare. "I'm merely surprised at your enthusiasm. I thought you'd at least try to see about changing our orders or something."

Beast Boy rolled his eyes. "Dude, we both know that ain't gonna happen. Besides, we're supposed to stick together, and if you're gonna track Jesse down, then I have no other choice." He couldn't help but feel giddy at the small smile that crept onto Raven's features.

"I suppose you're right, Garfield."

Tingles shot up and down his spine at the sound of his name rolling off her tongue. He hated that name, but damn, if it sounded like that when she said it...

"Come on. We've got some planning to do." Raven left no time for his whirlwind of thoughts, her cloak flaring out behind her as she whipped around and stalked off. Beast Boy shook himself and stumbled after her, a sense of foreboding tingling within him.

~#~#~#~

Beast Boy flitted from branch to branch, ruffling his feathers agitatedly.

After much deliberation the night prior, a plan of action had been decided upon; they were going into the adder's den. It was unavoidable, of course. If they were going to put a stop to whatever Jesse was planning, they had to interact with him directly. Figure out what his motives were, yadda, yadda. It was the ever basic tactic; pretend to be some lost kids who want 'answers', and get indoctrinated into the cult. From there, they'd be able to learn what was going on and stop it.

Easy peasy.

In theory, anyway.

Beast Boy twittered back and forth with the other birds, adding his song to the morning air. It was relaxing, really, singing with the birds. Of course, in this state, he could actually comprehend the messages behind the songs; desires for mates, shouting matches about territory, warnings of predators, and other things of the like. Still, Beast Boy enjoyed interacting with nature. It was a part of him, after all.

"Having fun?"

Beast Boy cocked his head and glanced down, Raven's bemused expression meeting his gaze. He twittered back at her. "Hell yeah, I am!" Of course, Raven didn't understand. She didn't speak bird like he did. That never really stopped him from talking back; the Titans had no idea how often he chatted at them in animal tongue. It was his own personal inside joke, sort of like Starfire's occasional slip into Tamaranean.

Beast Boy launched himself from the branch and fluttered down to the ground, allowing his muscles and bones to reshape mid-flight. His feet hit the ground with a thump and he shot Raven a cheeky grin. "Mornin', Rae."

Raven raised a brow. "It's twelve in the afternoon."

"So? It's morning to me." It was true. For once, he'd gotten the chance to sleep in, thanks to Raven disposing of their earpieces. And boy, did he take it. It was refreshing to sleep until the sun was high overhead, without Robin yammering for him to get up and at it. Just his pillow, the blankets, and undisturbed bliss. Of course, Raven had been gone when he awoke, presumably meditating. Or something.

"We should run through the plan again."

Beast Boy's smile dropped and he sighed. "Again?"

"We need to make sure we know exactly what we're doing," she said.

"Yeah, yeah," Beast Boy muttered, "I know." Truth be told, they'd gone over it so much that Beast Boy was pretty sure he had dreams of it last night. But he could sense Raven's apprehension, and knew she'd feel a little better if they went through their plan one last time. So, he leaned against the tree and slid to the ground, getting comfortable. He looked up expectantly at Raven, who fidgeted with her cloak nervously.

"My name, is Rachael Roth. I'm a runaway whose had some rough times. I'm tired of being looked down upon for not finishing school and want the answers for a better life." She paused, meeting his gaze. "And you are?"

"Liam Smith. If anyone asks, my dad's a dick who's a bit free with the backhand." He scrunched his face up in distaste before continuing. "I made friends with you at a club, and told you about this meeting, which I saw a flyer for in a diner."

Raven nodded, seemingly satisfied. "Good. Make sure you-"

"Don't use my real name, I know." He sighed, smiling softly at the empath. "Everything's gonna be fine, Rae. I promise."

She nodded, though Beast Boy sensed she wasn't convinced. Unfortunately, there was nothing more he could say. Instead, he patted the ground next to him. "Why doncha sit for a bit? I can tell you what the birds are saying."

Raven furrowed her brows, snorting. "Really, now?" She came and settled on the grass, leaving a respectable distance between them. "And what would that be?"

Beast Boy fell silent. He listened to the songs and chatter bouncing from the treetops, snickering. "Well, there's a pair of robins over there singing love songs. The females aren't very impressed though." This earned him a soft chuckle, only egging him on.

"That warbler across from us is mad that someone ate from his berry bush. So hes screaming threats to any birds that come close."

"What kind of threats?"

He jutted his bottom lip out, tilting his head as he listened. "Well, he's saying stuff like; 'I'll peck a hole into the next bird's skull that eats my berries!'"

Raven laughed. It was a wonderful sound, music to his ears. Beast Boy found himself grinning so much it hurt. It was probably no secret that he loved her laugh. It was husky and low, like an old copper bell ringing in a church tower. It was one of many reasons he strove to make her laugh. That, and to make her just a little bit happier.

She deserved it after all; happiness. And Beast Boy was determined to give it to her.

It had been his mission almost since the day they first met. Beast Boy could sense a great sadness within her, a sadness much like his own. That was what had first prompted the crudely hashed mission. Ever since his own misfortunes, he'd always made it a point to help ease other people's suffering, lest he spared them of the horrors he went through as a child. Raven had been no exception.

Then they became friends, and her happiness became more important to him. Beast Boy was incredibly loyal; it was probably a side effect of his animalistic nature brought on by his powers. So he cared fiercely for those he considered friends, and was always concerned with their well being. The process of falling in love with said friend was only exasperating these concerns.

Beast Boy flushed at the thought. Falling in love? Was that what this is? He didn't have much time to consider it, for Raven's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"What's that bird saying?" She pointed at a cardinal, pecking at something on the ground. Beast Boy squinted, focusing on the red bird.

"Well, he's grumbling about losing a squabble with another dude. I guess he missed out on a lady, if you know what I mean."

Raven snorted. "Wow. Is that all they think about?"

"Pretty much," Beast Boy said. "Mates. Territory. Food. That's life for most critters."

She hummed, and they both fell silent. There were times when Beast Boy wished he could shed his responsibilities and respond to the call to the wild that coursed within him. He certainly wouldn't mind spending his days as a wolf or a fish, not having to worry about civilians and destroyed cities or losing his teammates. It would just be him and nature, one in one, forever existing in a peaceful harmony. Or, as peaceful as nature could be, anyway. But the warmth of Raven's companionship and the casual brush of their shoulders reminded him of why he stayed.

He'd miss people. Especially his friends.

Especially Raven.

His face grew hot. This was definitely a bad time to develop feelings for someone. Especially given that in a few short hours, they were about to infiltrate a known cult in hopes of uncovering and stopping a demon, of all things. But he couldn't help it; his gaze lingered on her profile, and how her features softened as her lips curved in a gentle smile. A demoness she may have been, but her beauty far surpassed any depictions of angels Beast Boy had ever encountered. And with each passing day, his feelings grew.

Raven stood, her cloak rustling. "We should get going," she said. ""It'll be dusk soon."

Beast Boy nodded, climbing to his feet. His heart hammered in his chest, though whether it was from the soft glance she gave him, or the impending suicide mission, he knew not. Still, Beast Boy followed behind the empath, bracing himself for what was to come.

Author's Note:

At long last-the next part. I know this has taken awhile, and for that I apologize. Unfortunately, life got a bit in the way. It didn't help that I was having trouble piece this chapter together properly. But, here it is! Hopefully, it isn't too dull, lol.

Thanks for the support, as always. :)

-vixensheart