"That's not how the night should've ended."

"Well, it is Raven…. She's always needing time to think. If she doesn't have enough time to filter her thoughts, well, you guys know what happens."

"Right, but if her feelings for B were real then she could've just given him her response right then and there!"

"You know she's not impulsive. Even if she knew how she felt about Gar, it's not likely she'd immediately say anything."

Garfield sighed, flopping backward on his bed. He, Dick, and Victor had been analyzing his date with Raven ever since it'd happen three days ago. Since then, he'd replayed every moment to them at least twelve times, and to himself a million more. Dick had practically demanded every excruciating detail, then ran it past Cyborg, who had dismissed every possible outcome. Beast Boy personally had thought his evening with Raven had gone well. They'd both matured a bit, they hadn't acted like two star crossed teenaged lovers nor fact forward adults. Raven had asked for time, and that was the best response she could've given the changeling. Well, second best…

While the sorceress had left Garfield on a promising note, he couldn't seem to shake the haunting feeling ever since that night. Wherever he turned, whether it be in his room or in battle, Beast Boy had sensed another presence. Not like something with a soul, it was much too ominous. It was as if a lurking, intangible shadow was following him, and it definitely wasn't his own. And every time he thought of Raven, the mysterious eminence's presence grew stronger. Of course, he hadn't told Robin nor Cyborg about it for fear of their responses. No, instead the leafy changeling kept his mouth shut and tried to ignore it.

"Anyway, it's getting late." Robin tugged at the corner of his mask, clearly ready to remove his super alter ego and hit the hay. "We can talk about this more tomorrow." He nodded towards the other guys before leaving Beast Boy's room.

Cyborg glanced from the door to Beast Boy. The hiss of the door closing dissipated and the metal man spoke. "We don't have to talk about this anymore, Gar. I- you just let me know and I'll shut Rob up." He smiled, his deeper voice carrying an unchallenged authority.

"I know he's just trying to be helpful." Beast Boy sighed, sitting upright again. "But it's been a good 72 hours and he's still nagging me. Even I can't talk about Raven for that long." He whined.

The two exchanged a chuckle.

"Well you know how he gets with her," Cyborg explained. "They have that…. bond." He used the last word quietly, hoping it wouldn't spark the changeling's mind too much. But the subtle shift of the younger Titan's weight registered in the metal man's motion detectors. Clasping a couple friendly pats to his friend's lean shoulder, Victor left his parting words.

"Don't think too much about it, Gar. The two birds always look out for each other; it's like they're the same species, that's all."

ooooo

Garfield stared at the ceiling. For hours he'd been stumbling in his thickening thoughts.

They're the same species... that's all.

Cyborg had meant nothing genetic of his words. Raven and Robin thought alike, acted alike, were alike. But Raven didn't have feelings for Robin, nor the other way around. So why was he so concerned? Beast Boy groaned into the pillow, gradually burying himself into the soft down until he ran out of oxygen. Patience had never been his strong suit but he knew that it was completely necessary for any chances with Raven.

Shutting his eyes, Beast Boy tried to sleep. Thoughts of Raven slowly faded as a drowsiness blanketed his mind. He'd nearly reached dreamland when a sudden tapping on the wall rumbled behind his headboard. Immediately, he was awake; his eyes popped open, wide and alert. Though the rest of him stayed still as a statue, Beast Boy's ears lurched forward in hopes to identify the sound.

Silence.

After a couple seconds, the changeling relaxed. He still felt a phantom presence lining the wall above his head but decided to ignore it. If there was a serious problem, the tower would alarm and he would fight it.

Twelve minutes later, Beast Boy had fallen into a deep slumber; a familiar conversation rolling like a movie in his mind...

"You've gotta be prepared, is all I'm saying." Robin's voice echoed in the dark. Beast Boy blinked a few times, searching the room to find his team leader. After a couple seconds of aimless wandering, he concluded that his team leader was intangible and unable-to-locate in his unconscious. Settling onto his haunches like a house cat, Beast Boy closed his eyes.

"I know," Beast Boy eventually dished out a weak response.

"Do you?" The familiar conversation was completel in the changeling's dreams. "Because the way you reacted when she said no the first time wasn't exactly... Well, not exactly the way you'd prepared."

"I know," Beast Boy growled. "But how else was I supposed to react? When it happened, I just flipped, okay? I can prepare for rejection all I want but it'll never be the response any of us like or want. I just wish she -aahhhhhHH!"

Light snores were vibrating from beneath the chestnut comforter, when suddenly the changeling was awakened by his own scream as he was ripped from his sheets.

Rising with a start, Beast Boy panicked, digging his nails into his mattress. The thick material gathered under his claws as an inky manifestation dragged him from his bed. Snarling as his body hit the floor with a thug, the changeling wriggled desperately to get away. He didn't know exactly what had latched itself onto his ankles but he really didn't know where it wanted to take him. His efforts were futile as the cool black tendril wrapped around his leg and slithered upwards over his trunk. With one final heave, Beast Boy tugged away, grabbed his bedpost. But the second he broke loose, he was captured again; the unidentified phantom was swifter this time and now dragging him towards the wall. The tendril struck as quickly as the lightening it was shaped for, dragging him to the border where the floor met the wall.

"Let me go!" He snarled, shifting into a silky black panther, writhing and clawing at his carpet. Despite his fierce, impressive efforts, Beast Boy was shifted into his original form as his body was tugged upward towards the ceiling, pinning him to the wall.

"Hey, get off me!" Beast Boy screamed at the dark eminence. He didn't recognize the ghostly creature; the tendril seemed to have emerged from the wall and only grown stronger with every struggle. Shifting a mile a minute, Beast Boy finally settled on a majestic black bear, slashing furiously at the unidentified manifestation. Nonetheless, it didn't matter how big nor small he was, nor how hard he scratched or bit. The thing held him as its prisoner, faceless and silent. The only thing familiar about it was the frigid, eerie touch that seemed to match Raven's magic.

Raven!

His mind called desperately for hers.

"Gar!" Came the audible response.

Raven's voice interrupted the changeling's panicking mind. His trunk had been bound to the wall by these strange black, seemingly undamaged bindings. Although he'd never stopped wrestling, Beast Boy's tedious work was futile and he'd decided to conserve his energy. He'd been sorting out routes of escape when Raven had punched in his override code and appeared in his doorway.

"Raven! Thank Mungu," Beast Boy panted.

"Are you alright?" Raven levitated closer, amethyst eyes narrowing at the tendrils who bound his waist.

"Sure, I'm fine." Beast Boy raised his brows. "Not totally traumatized or anything," he joked, still trying to free his arms from where the darkness had bound them behind his back.

Raven lifted a single brow. Floating upwards so she was eye level to the changeling, she spoke.

"Garfield, I need to tell you something." She whispered, eyes scanning his face.

Beast Boy frowned. "Right, of course Rae.. But first, don't you wanna-"

"Free you?" She chuckled, pressing a fingertip to the tentacles gathered around his waist. "That's what I'm doing."

Beast Boy crinkled his nose. As far as he could see, the sorceress was levitating before him, ready to have some kind of long, involved conversation. No part of her seemed even concerned with the foreign magic that had been holding him hostage in his own room for almost half an hour. Certainly the mysterious, monstrous manifestation had been terrifying but part of the changeling suspected that what the sorceress was about to say would be spine chilling by tenfold. But if she said she was freeing him, he wasn't one to argue. Wriggling against the wall once more for emphasis, Beast Boy settled his gaze on Raven.

"This is a mental projection." Raven stated, watching him cock his head. Humming a bit, Raven tried to decide how to approach her explanation. "I.. it's a mental projection that pinned you to the wall like this."

"So the thing that dragged me outta my bed like this was a big scary monster you made in your mind?" Beast Boy's patience ebbed as he felt his back ache from the tightness around his waist. Shifting again, he looked deep into the sorceress's eyes. "Got it. Now that you've acknowledged this thing, can you tell it to release me?"

Raven swallowed, staring downwards at the space between them. She never expected this simple explanation to be so hard but the words latched to the back of her throat like a leech. She'd rehearsed what she'd say to Beast Boy since he'd admitted his feelings for her three days before but now, as she stared into those beautiful emerald eyes, her mind had gone blank. Being with the changeling put her under a stronger spell than she'd ever cast. Raven tried to ignore the piney aroma of his room and the faint, spiced cologne that clung to his leafy skin. Her eyes longingly traced the shadows of his bare collarbones while she waited for her mind to begin working again.

"Rae," Beast Boy spoke softly, momentarily ignoring the constriction around his waist. "Just speak from your heart."

Raven nodded timidly, lifting her eyes to his once more. She was surprised she hadn't lost her levitation amidst the heavy storm that was currently striking her mind. Her mind thumped with the thunder of emotion and when lightning struck her mind, Raven made her move.

Leaning forward, Raven pressed her lips to the changeling. From the heart… His voice repeated in his mind as she placed her hands on his cheeks, her fingertips light against his shimmering, clammy cheekbones.

Beast Boy's eyes remained open wide. Desperately observing her face, he felt his lids slowly close with every passing second, until his touch was the only sense he still held alert. Raven's lips gently suckled against his bottom lip and her shy touch was now brushing his overgrown jade locks behind his ears. A tiny heat prickled over his lips, igniting a spark and sending the fire towards his mind where his thoughts erupted by tiny fireworks. His mind was still harboring miniature, happy explosions when she pulled away.

As she kissed him, the black tendrils surrounding his waist dissolved. His spine slid slowly down the wall, and he landed lightly on his feet. The creepy feeling in the forest and the thing that had grabbed him from his slumber earlier that evening suddenly made sense; they were mental projections from Raven's suppressed romance traced emotions. Feeling a whelm of relief, Beast Boy pressed closer to her, taking her cheeks and craning her neck closer. His mind was spinning with bliss. Though they stood in the dark, his mind was blinded with his happiness.

Raven spoke, her gravelly voice cracking. "I was never good with words."

"That's alright, Rae." He kissed her forehead, right above her chakra. "I think I understand what you're trying to tell me."

That's when he noticed the tears in her eyes.

"Rae?"

"No, you don't understand... And you wouldn't, even if I told you."

"I don't even get the opportunity unless you do," Beast Boy pointed out, placing his hands on her thin frame. The light, blissful aura of his mind was rapidly disintegrating. The sorceress's voice had just cracked like cement, and like cement, her voice was rare to be broken. Her lilac tresses hung in a lifeless braid and her supple lips were scarred with evidence of her habitual lip-biting. Raven was the picture of worry, and if she was concerned, he was too. "Please, Rae. Whatever it is... we can get through it together."

Raven returned to her habit, folding her arms. Her body seemed to drop in the air, and the changeling could barely hear the words that escaped her lips.

"Th-that's just the problem."

Beast Boy's benevolent gaze narrowed and he leaned back against the wall that had previous held him captive. "What are you trying to say?"

"Garfield," Raven's voice quivered more now and she head fell forward onto her chest. "Gar... We can't be together, ever."

The changeling's eyes were round as full moons, shining brilliantly against the relentless darkness of both his bedroom and the room's aura.

"Wha-why? Did you not feel that kiss?" He cried, his stance suddenly defensive. Scalding tremors of anger, passion, and confusion infiltrated his mind as he fought her words. He didn't have to be an empath to know she was blatantly lying to him. He just couldn't figure out why. "You can't tell me... you can't tell me you don't want to give this, give us, a try."

"No, I felt nothing." Raven's voice was laden with guilt. "I'm sorry, Gar..."

A shuddering breath exited her limp body. Raven squeezed her eyes shut, letting hot tears stain her cheeks. She tried to stop them, to hold back her emotions, but the mixture of her own feelings and his unrestrained emotions crashed against her mind like unforgiving tidal waves. She wanted to tell him everything so badly, but she couldn't. She had to stay vague or he'd run straight to Robin with the information she had planned to share with him. But now, being here, with his heavy emotions seeping into the peaceful crevices of her mind like lava, she knew she couldn't tell him her secret, why they could never be together. Squeezing her eyes shut, Raven pressed her fingertips to her temples in a last ditch effort to restrained her mind.

"YOU FELT NOTHING?" The changeling roared. He was seething now; nothing made him angrier than her dishonestly. He thought they were closer than that, that they were above the petty lies and mistrust. "Raven, that's not even true! You, you had mental projections that found a leak!" Her suppressed emotions had betrayed her again. Venom dripped from his fang as Beast Boy continued, pointing at her critically. "If you felt nothing, then why did your emotions find another way out, huh? Why would you even agree to go on that date with me if you didn't think we'd work? And why would you come in here for the best damn kiss of your life, only to deny your feelings?" His throat scratched with effort as he forced himself to finish. "You.. you love me too, Raven. And you know it, so I just don't understand why you keep denying-"

"Garfield," Raven rose above him, her mind had taken control. Her lovely amethyst pupils were now white hot with her power. Her seemingly meek body was now taught, her fists were balled with charged onyx energy and her neat braid had scattered into a tousled mess. Her broken, gravelly voice seemed mended by adrenaline, though it was still undeniably Raven. Even seeing her in the air, amidst all of her righteous, roused vigor, Beast Boy could still see the glistening trail of tears staining her flushed cheeks. "

"Feeling is a downfall.. a curse." Her silvery voice was mourning as she continued. "That's what I've been trying to tell you, Garfield."

Her levitation fell and her eyes faded to their usual crystalline violet. Placing her cool palms on each side of his neck, damp with effort, she brought herself and the changeling to their knees. Raven took a tentative breath as she tipped his head to hers until their foreheads touches above her chakra. Tears still decorated her eyes as they met emerald ones, which were equally wet. Beast Boy shook under her crestfallen stare, as his desperation built with anticipation. His voice was as hoarse as it was tight, and he felt pathetic as he begged her for answers.

"Please, Raven..."

With a final sigh, Raven nodded sadly. She knew he'd hate her either way but he had to know the truth.

"Garfield... I'm cursed."


a/n: Hello everyone! I hope you liked this chapter. It finally had a little more action than the others and I hope it came across well. (: I also hope it was clear that Raven's suppressed romantic feelings found a way to escape, similarly to in the episode "Fear Itself," in the Teen Titans cartoon.

I will probably upload the next chapter in about a week or less but after that I may be taking a tiny leave of absence from this story due to a personal break. Just a heads up!

Anyway, as always, I hope you enjoyed! You all have pleasantly surprised me with your liking for this story! Thank you x a million for reading and reviewing. xoxo!