Disclaimer: Woo!

Chapter fourteen. Hoorah. What an accomplishment. I feel special. I like cake.

Hope you enjoy.

And thanks so much you guys for the reviews so far. I don't think I've ever gotten this many reviews for a story. You have made me a very happy Moonchild! Seriously, don't think it's not a big thing, it is to me.

I'll try to get the next chapter up soon.

Wow. 'Birthmark' was slightly unsettling. Made me worry about Raven. I wonder what's going to happen next.

Toward the end of this chapter, it gets a bit sappy. Heh. I will beat myself with a shovel, now.

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Beast Boy wandered absentmindedly onto the roof, in a daze. It had been a few minutes since they'd gotten back from the mall, and he was still bewildered. He loved Raven. He, Beast Boy, was in love. With Raven. One of the last people he had ever expected to be his first love. He had never thought he'd get close enough to her to actually fall in love with her.

He was extremely happy, now, that Raven had saved him. If she hadn't, he would never have known what love felt like. He felt glad to be alive, glad to feel the cool breeze against his face. He was filled with the simple joy of just existing and knowing everything was alright. And then he felt a twinge of sadness. Terra would never get to feel like this again.

Terra.

Beast Boy felt extremely guilty for not thinking of her much today, being much too preoccupied with Raven. He had promised himself that he would think of Terra often, and that he would never allow himself to really forget her. He still had the chance to think of her now, and he let his mind wander.

He wondered what Terra would say if she knew that he was in love with Raven. She would congratulate him, no matter what her feelings were. She was his friend. That was what friends did. He imagined the entire conversation.

"So, you love Raven, huh?" Terra would ask. Beast Boy would nod.

"Weird, huh?" he would say. Terra would shrug. Then she would get that deep look she got when she was thinking hard about something. Her brows would get slightly furrowed with concentration.

"It's not really too weird if you think about it," she would tell him.

"Really?" he would ask.

"Really. I always kind of thought it would happen." she would grin. "I think it's kind of cute."

"So it doesn't bother you?" Beast Boy would ask in surprise. Terra would shrug.

"Not really. I'll get over it," she would say. "I just want you to be happy."

And then Beast Boy would tell her what a good friend she was and he would hug her, and say he was OK with it. And then maybe Terra would punch him on the arm and say something encouraging.

He really wished Terra were here now. Maybe then he would be able to figure out what to do. He really missed Terra, but it seemed like it was in a different way than before. It was no longer his heart aching with his feelings for her and knowing he would never be able to tell her how he felt. Now, it felt more like he would if Robin or Cyborg or Starfire died. He missed his friend.

There was a strange thud to his left, and he turned around and looked. A small, pale gray bird was lying on the rooftop beside him, barely moving. It had run into one of the volleyball poles (dumbass bird. They're in plain sight!), and was lying still on the ground, the only movement the rapid rising and falling of its tiny chest.

Very gently, Beast Boy slid his hands underneath the tiny bird and picked it up. It was very fragile, so helpless in his hands. He looked at it for a moment.

"Hey, little guy," he said quietly. It was very clear that the bird's wing was broken. There wasn't really much it could do. Beast Boy sat there staring at it. It almost reminded him of himself and his brief brush with death. It was lying there in the hands of another human, totally vulnerable. All he could do was trust that someone else could make it better. That was never a sure thing. "Hey, it's OK," he told the distressed animal.

"Who are you talking to?" said a very sudden voice, scaring Beast Boy out of his mind. He turned his head and saw Raven standing a few feet behind him, cloak and hair blowing slightly in the breeze. When he didn't answer, she walked over and sat down on his right side, looking at the small gray heap in his cupped hands.

"His wing is hurt," Beast Boy explained. Raven nodded. She leaned over slightly and put her hands on top of his, cupping the bird between the two sets of hands. Her hands stared to glow white, and a strange warmth grew in them, traveling over the bird and Beast Boy could feel it in the places where their hands touched. A few minutes later, Raven's hands turned back to their normal color, and she slid them off of the bird and rested them on Beast Boy's fingers to watch what was going to happen next.

The tiny creature hopped to its feet in Beast Boy's palms, standing there and blinking up at the two with its minuscule jewel-bright black eyes. Beast Boy inhaled sharply in wonder. The bird surprisingly sat there for a moment, and then it leaped off and with a flutter of small wings, it flew away from the Tower, across the bay and toward Jump City. They watched it go, leaving them behind with Raven's hands still on Beast Boy's.

She realized this, and blushing ever so slightly, she started to pull them away. But as she did this, Beast Boy clasped her fingers gently and held them there. Though she tried like mad to conceal it, Raven's blush grew several hundred times, her cheeks heating up severely. She could feel his fingers pressing against hers through his gloves. She didn't want to get this strange floating feeling inside when he touched her. But she did. He ran his gloved thumb gently back and forth over her index finger, and she nearly went out of her mind resisting the urge to touch him too.

"How do you do it?" he asked after a while, shaking Raven out of her daze.

"Do what?" she asked, watching the slow and hypnotic motion of his thumb across her finger.

"Every time I have a problem, you find some way to make it better. How do you care so much about other people all the time when you should be caring more about Raven?" he asked.

"I don't know. The needs of my friends are far more important than my own. It's a matter of priorities. If you're hurting, I need to do something about it. It doesn't matter about what I need then," Raven answered.

"But why?" Beast Boy asked, looking confused.

'Because I'm fucking crazy about you, Beast Boy,' Raven wanted to say. But she didn't.

"I don't know. It's just something that happens. Some things, it's best not to question," she said, hoping that it would be good enough for him. It seemed to be, because he didn't speak for a few minutes.

"Raven?" he asked finally.

"Yes?" Raven asked him softly.

"I just wanted to say that I-" he began. Raven almost passed out. "I…..I wanted to say thank you."

Raven was slightly disappointed, though she was careful not to let it show. 'What did you expect him to say? Tell you he has some kind of feelings for you?' she scolded herself mentally. "For what?" she asked out loud.

"For saving me. Jesus Christ, Raven, if you hadn't been there, I would be dead right now. You saved my life. I owe you my entire existence." he paused. "So, thanks. Thanks so much. I'm sorry I was so shitty about it at first," he said. "I was really a jerk."

"It's fine. You were desperate and depressed. It doesn't matter now," Raven said. "As long as you never try to harm yourself in any way ever again." she smiled. "And you're welcome."

Beast Boy grinned at her. "Aww. Raven….I….I…." he began, and then leaned forward and kissed her quickly on the lips. Raven melted completely. For the brief moment that their lips touched, Raven was completely and utterly happy. His lips fit onto hers like a key into a lock. It was almost as though they were designed to kiss each other.

Her cheeks an electric pink, Raven stared at him for a moment in wonder.

"That was for saving my life," he said, grinning.

Raven was having an astonishing amount of trouble breathing. It surprised her that her little green teammate could make her feel this way. She was surprised that he could get away with kissing her and still keep all of his limbs. She was surprised that he could kiss her and she would like it. The truth was, she had liked it. Her lips were tingling from it.

Raven was confused by her feelings for him. It didn't make any sense. He was the complete and total opposite of what she had expected. He was the complete and total opposite of her, too. Maybe it was true that opposites did attract. Maybe it was supposed to happen.

Looking at him, she realized for the first time that he really was attractive. She had never thought of him this way before. She realized that she actually found his green skin endearing. He was slightly scrawny, it was true, but Raven had always been slightly grossed out by the body-builder type anyway. Raven thought that his pointed ears and fangs really gave him character and made him even more charming. Despite the fact that he was conscious to the evils of the world, there seemed to be an air off innocence about him. And what she loved most were his eyes, those deep green, honest eyes. Looking at them now, she thought that they were the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen. He was so funny, she realized. She had always secretly liked his jokes in some small way. He was hilarious, he was kind, he was sincere. Why were her feelings so confusing?

Beast Boy watched her, surprised that she hadn't punched him for kissing her. She just sat there, blushing of all things, and watching him intently. He had never seen anyone look so beautiful. He didn't care what anyone else thought. He thought her grayish skin was lovely, he thought her purple hair was gorgeous, and he thought her eyes were the most beautiful shade of violet he had ever seen. It didn't matter if she was a little out of the ordinary. That was just fine with him. He was extremely out of the ordinary, too. She was unique, and it just made him love her more. He loved her more every second he looked at her. He knew that somewhere inside her, she was just a normal person. She had the capacity to laugh, to love, to cry. Just because it wasn't on the surface didn't mean it wasn't in there somewhere. He just wished he could find it.

They both exited their thoughts about each other at the same time and just sat there for a moment. Beast Boy slowly released Raven's hands. Raven pulled her hands back and dropped them into her lap, feeling foolish and glad beyond all reason that he hadn't been able to read those thoughts.

"So….." Beast Boy said. Raven coughed a few times.

"I have to…read," Raven said lamely, unable to think of a better excuse. She needed to think, to be alone, to meditate. She was completely off-center. She was a wreck. She needed to get herself in a better mental state before she made a complete idiot of herself. "I'll….see you later, Beast Boy."

Beast Boy nodded.

"Uh….yeah," he said. He watched her go silently, wishing he knew what to say.

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I'll get the next chapter done as soon as possible. Beware the flying navel squid!