Raven paced in her room, trying to come up with a rational reason for her behavior and coming up short.

Sighing, she picked up her mirror and spoke.

"Azarath. Metrion. Zinthos."

On a cliff in Nevermore, her emotions convened.

"RAVEN!" Squealed Happy, lunging for the sorceress and enveloping her in a crushing hug. "You finally did it! Oh my gosh, you actually kissed him!"

"I know, I was there." Raven remarked drily, looking over the pink clone to the emotions gathered beyond her. "What do the rest of you say? Was it a mistake?"

Timid winced. "What are the others going to think? Cyborg will make fun of us, Robin might not trust that we can do our job properly with Garfield around, he might not let us patrol with him any more. And Starfire..." The gray Raven shuddered. "Starfire won't leave us alone if she knew, she would want to find out everything we feel. We aren't ready for this, with how our powers work we could hurt someone, we might even hurt Garfield."

Knowledge adjusted her glasses as she nodded. "Timid is right, there's a chance our powers will act erratically if we pursue Beast Boy further. He might be fascinating and kind, but should we risk our control for that?"

Passion almost leaped at the yellow hooded emotion. "OF COURSE IT'S WORTH IT!" She turned to Raven. "Gar isn't just kind, he's sweet and brave and absolutely GOOD. He won't make us worse, this is what we need! Being without him would tear us apart and not being able to express ourselves wouldn't just hurt us, it'd kill us Raven."

Knowledge tilted her head. "That… Isn't completely wrong."

Rage snorted, a sneer settling on her lips. "He's lazy, weak willed and patronizing, you saw how he was with Gizmo, and Adonis before him, the shifter wouldn't let us fight out own fights." Her sneer turned savage, the four red eyes of Trigon burning under the shadow of her scarlet hood as she turned to Timid, who shied away. "BUT ROBIN WILL NOT TAKE HIM AWAY."

Raven raised her right brow at that, but let it pass, noting Rage's conflicted thoughts on the matter. She turned to the brown cloaked Raven. "Sloth? Do you have any thoughts."

Sloth yawned, rubbed the sleep from her eyes and shrugged. "He would make life easier." She said with an odd finality, turning to Rude.

Smiling lewdly, Rude wiggled her eyebrows and made a suggestive gesture with her hands. "Why get rid of the cow if we haven't milked it yet?" The others groaned and shook their heads disapprovingly. "What? We were all thinking it! The snot has really grown into those tights of his, and he's taller than us now, which is hot." She winked at Raven, making more gestures that had her violet eyes rolling, even though the corner of her lips tugged upwards.

Brave threw her hands in the air. "Why are we even talking about this! Garfield is amazing! He's the perfect guy for us and all the baggage we come with. He's strong, funny, handsome, brave. He's even a different color, just like us! The guy is a catch and we can't let things that may or may not happen hold us back from what could be the best thing that's ever happened to us!"

Lastly, Raven looked back to Happy, who had stepped away from her and remained uncharacteristically silent, her pink cloak fluttered a little in the ever present wind that blew through Nevermore. "I know you like him Happy, but why?"

Happy grew in size, just a little, as she bit her bottom lip hesitantly. Meeting Raven's gaze, her words were simple. "We love him."

The others, regardless of their stance, nodded in agreement.

Raven sighed, rubbing her temples gently. "What should I do?"

Knowledge shook her head. "We don't know. The only other boy we've even tried to love was-"

"Malchior." Spat Rage, her fists tightening.

"He won't be like that." Passion stated. "And we won't act the same way."

"We should wait." Timid said, hugging herself. "We should see what he does next, how he acts. We don't know that he feels the same way."

"Don't we?" Brave asked, laughing. "I don't remember him pushing us away in that alley."

"That was just a kiss though, we're talking about a relationship, about love. What if he isn't ready?" Timid muttered. "What if we scare him away?"

Knowledge pursed her lips. "Waiting would help us see how he feels, and how we feel."

Sloth blinked slowly. "We wouldn't have to do anything, just watch."

Passion gritted her teeth. "If we don't act we might lose him just as easily, he might think we're being capricious, or that we changed our mind! We can't let him think we were leading him on."

"We aren't exactly locking lips with every second guy though." Rude remarked sardonically. "He's an idiot, but he isn't fucking stupid."

"We need a time limit." Knowledge announced.

They all turned to Happy.

"I think," She looked up at the sky, then down to her feet, her gaze wondered until it came back to the original Raven. "Three days. We give him three days to think and to do whatever he decides to do."

Raven sighed. "And if he does nothing?"

"Then we do something."

That night, Beast Boy didn't return to the Tower.

At dinner, Robin told them that he had sent a message through the communicator, saying he needed to "Commune with nature" and that they shouldn't worry, he wasn't going far enough that they would be short a Titan if an alert went out. He was going to be back tomorrow, though he didn't say when.

"I've never seen B-Boy "Commune" with anything other than a burrito before." Cyborg quipped. "He ain't some spiritual type, what's out in the woods that isn't here?"

Raven knew what was out there, privacy. Here in the Tower, the only place a Titan could be alone was in their room, and even then Raven could sense their thoughts, Cyborg knew their vitals and Beast Boy could hear them. The Tower wasn't a great place if you wanted to be alone.

"That doesn't matter." Robin said. "If Beast Boy wants to spend a night out of the Tower, that's his business. We don't need to know the details." Raven must have been seeing things, because she swore the Boy Wonder glanced at her before rejoining Starfire in conversation.

She didn't sleep much that night, being too anxious to close her eyes. Without Beast Boy down the hall the Tower felt lessened, colder. He would stay up most nights, playing video games or reading comics until passing out where he sat or lay. That was why he slept in so long, because it was morning before he closed his eyes most of the time.

Cyborg had said once, that Beast Boy could hear the waves crashing outside the Tower, that sometimes it distracted him from their games. Perhaps, just as the waves kept him from concentrating on the games, the other Titans kept him from sleeping.

Robin practiced martial arts in his spare time, and his detective work kept him up at night from what Starfire had told her. Cyborg would work on his machines and the T-Car, powering down only when he needed to. Starfire watched internet videos of cats and would talk to Silkie in Tamaranian. Raven herself would read and meditate, often repeating her mantra as she did.

With all that noise, perhaps Beast Boy simply couldn't get to sleep if the others were awake.

Was he asleep right now? Out beyond the limits of Jump City, was he sleeping as a wolf, curled up in a cave? Perhaps he had gone to the ocean depths, an eel amongst the coral. Beneath the dunes perhaps, a rattlesnake lost in the desert rocks and shifting mounds of sand?

Wherever he was, Raven doubted his thoughts were of much else but her. She was surprised to find there was a small comfort in that, at least. The idea that he too, was thinking of what they were and how it might change.

She had asked her emotions if she had made a mistake that day, but none had given a direct answer. She knew now that it was a stupid question, for given the chance to do it over she would kiss him again in a heartbeat.

Finally calm, Raven let herself drift off and rested.

That morning, she found Robin had risen before her.

It had happened before, but only rarely. The young man nodded to her over his copy of the Gotham Times, refusing to break the silence of early morning. She made tea, fetched her book from the coffee table and sat to read opposite him, the routine felt soothing after the chaos that was yesterday. Raven could feel his curiosity burning, something she doubted was a result of the paper, which bore the smug face of Commissioner Gordan and a headline that read "City Sees Unprecedented Second Week Without Major Incident"

Shrugging it off, Raven settled in with her novel.

Breakfast came and went, Cyborg seeming miffed that he was robbed of the carnivore vs vegan argument, Starfire tried to distract them all from Beast Boy's absence with the story of how she had met Batgirl, making Robin blush furiously and stutter as he interjected indignantly. Apparently Dick and "Babs" had been something of an item before Robin left Gotham, a fact that delighted Starfire to no end.

"We spoke much about Robin and life as female heroes-that-are-super, along with beauty tips and the difference in earth arts-of-the-martial and those of Tamaran." She enthused, smiling brightly.

"Didn't you think it was awkward talking with someone Robin used to be… Y'know, together with?" Cyborg inquired, scratching his head.

"Of course not Friend Cyborg! Batgirl is wondrous, and she was happy that Dick wasn't alone here in Jump City." Starfire explained. "She even thought we should go on the date-of-the-double with her and her partner!"

Robin groaned looked to the ceiling. "God, Superman, Bruce. Whoever's listening right now, slay me."

There.

At the edge of her senses, Raven felt him approach.

"Beast Boy is back." She said, turning her page. "He's on the roof."

The elevator dinged a moment later, the doors opening to reveal the green teen, his grin was easy going and confident as he slipped into his seat beside Raven, who had no doubt he could hear her pulse, for it was deafening in her own ears.

"Hey guys, sorry for the solo camping trip, I had some stuff to- I had some stuff." He laughed, picking an apple from the fruit bowl and munching on it. "What'd I miss?"

"Star met Robin's ex-girlfriend, and she's stoked about it." Cyborg exclaimed, eliciting another defeated groan from their leader.

"Dude, what?! Isn't there some kind of fight to the death for that kind of thing on Tamaran?" Beast Boy wondered. "I swear you said there was."

Starfire's eyes were grave as she regarded the changeling. "Only if there is doubt your partner is not loyal to you. If Babs were to try and steal Robin's heart, I would take hers and eat it." The redhead smiled and laughed joyously. "But there is no need for such things, as Robin would not stray from me and Batgirl does not do the pining for him."

Beast Boy, suddenly having lost his appetite, put the apple down. "I was joking Star, holy crap. People are METAL on Tamaran."

Cyborg nodded sagely. "We honestly shouldn't be surprised, she keeps telling us all the messed up stuff that happens there."

Robin, having gotten over his brief period of abject horror from Starfire's declaration, cleared his throat. "Well, moving on from that. Now that Beast Boy is back I can tell you about the Gala we're going to."

"What?" Raven barked.

"Damn." Came Cyborg's defeated mutter.

Beast Boy was quiet, and, as Raven reached for his emotions to gauge his reaction, she gasped quietly.

She couldn't feel them.

Stealing a glance at him from the corner of her eye, she found Garfield's eyes blank and his face slack, his mouth moving slightly in silence.

He was blocking her out.

Robin held up his hands, unaware of the silent battle between the shapeshifter and the sorceress. "I know, I know, but we have to go to this one. Our battles do a great deal of damage to the City, and even though most people know it's to protect them, that doesn't change the fact that insurance can only go so far. We have to show up, all of us, because this event is a fund raiser for "Damages Beyond Control Of The City" The Mayor wants us there, she made it very clear we are required to attend."

"Man, I thought the Justice League had that covered?" Cyborg asked, leaning back with a sigh.

"They have funds available for reconstruction and reparation, but it can only stretch so far for non-League members like us." Robin told them, shrugging sympathetically. "Bottom line is that we're going."

"When is it?" Raven asked, noting that Beast Boy's lips moved a little faster when she spoke.

"The day after tomorrow, 7pm sharp. They said we could bring guests if we want, and that we should wear "Something other than the tights we fight in"." Robin shrugged again and moved to leave, Starfire close beside him. "Sorry guys, it has to be done."

Cyborg grumbled as he got up and gathered the dirty dishes from around the table, cramming them all in the dishwasher before heading off to the garage so that he could calm down with some good old car maintenance. This, of course, left Beast Boy and Raven alone.

Raven kept her eyes on the words of her book, though every time her team mate moved she felt it in her bones.

"Raven."

Her name, all it took was for him to say her name and a chair was thrown across the room. It clattered noisily against the wall, but did not break. "Yes, Garfield?"

"Look at me, please." He urged, apprehension filling the room as whatever defense he had mounted against her empathy fell. He didn't smile when her eyes met his, that blank facade still covering his expressive features. "Did you mean to- What I mean is, do you feel... Are we a thing now?"

"I don't know." Raven said truthfully. "I'd like if we were, but I'd understand if you don't, if you don't feel that way about me."

Garfield, in mind and expression, was overcome with surprise. "So yesterday wasn't some fluke, one time only accident? It wasn't a mistake?"

"Do you think it was?" Raven frowned, unable to stop the hurt from creeping into her voice.

"No!" Beast Boy exclaimed. "I was… I am- Dieu vous êtes assez!" He let go an explosive breath, looking away from her. "You're everything I could ever want. I only regret that I didn't make the first move."

Raven hesitated, before reaching over and placing her hand on his knee. "Who needs to make the second move, so that you don't regret it?"

The gears in Garfield's head jammed for a moment, as he processed what was happening. Raven gasped a little at his swiftness, for one moment he was frozen in his seat and the next his eyes were inches from her own, a pause lasting only a heartbeat, as the changeling waited to see if she would pull away.

She didn't.

Their first kiss had been like wildfire, all passion and primal emotion, burning between the two without an understanding of what it meant or where it would lead.

The second was a slow burn. Garfield's lips brushed hers lightly, his hands tracing the curve of her back and the line of her jaw. A tingling sensation followed in the wake of his fingers, and as the kiss deepened, she felt herself slip.

The blender shattered.

They broke apart by reflex, Beast Boy's eyebrows arching upwards at the sight of the murdered kitchenware and a wordless question to Raven in the tilt of his head.

"Oops." She whispered.

They both laughed softly, getting to their feet and moving to clean up the remains of the appliance. "I suppose that means you didn't hate letting me lead this time." Beast Boy said smugly, accepting the dustpan and brush from Raven as she rolled her eyes.

"I could do without the after show commentary." She observed, doing nothing to lessen the grin that was spreading over Garfield's face. "I need to meditate, but I'd like to talk with you later, about this." She said gesturing between them with her finger.

"No problem Rae." The shapeshifter acknowledged. "Just knock on my door when you're done."

Raven nodded shakily, levitating up towards the roof. "Oh, and Beast Boy?"

Garfield looked up curiously.

"Let's keep how I don't hate kissing you a secret for now."

As she disappeared, Beast Boy almost broke into dance.

Almost.