Sting

Raven stared down at the floor as her foot hit a jingly-bell across the room. Eyes wide, she watched it roll across her hardwood floor until it was stopped by a tiny brindled feline with a tiny purple collar. The cat looked up at her, mewed, and then playfully continued on with saving the world from the brightly colored ball.

"Oh no…" Her heart sunk and she looked around the small apartment, trying to sniff out evidence of where this cat had come from. "Garfield! Get out here right now, or so help me, I will throw you off Titan tower!"

A second small cat crawled into existence from under the sofa, staring up at her with wide, green eyes. He mewed playfully before joining the first cat in chasing the ball around Raven's living room. Her patience was wearing too thin right now to find the sight even remotely adorable. She kicked off her high heels and reached down to pluck the little, green cat from the floor and drop it onto the sofa.

"Change. Now."

The cat disappeared and Beast Boy looked up at her sheepishly, rubbing at the back on his neck. He tried to give her a smile, but she wasn't buying any of it. "Um, Merry Christmas…?"

"What is that?" She pointed to the small kitten, still batting around the little ball.

"It's a kitten, Rae." He smoothed out the front of his shirt and stood up, shrugging.

"And…? What is it doing here?" She tapped her toe and glared at him.

"It's your new pet."

"I don't have pets."

"Well, you do now."

Raven groaned and fell down onto the sofa, looking up at her boyfriend with something that could only be described as the glare of death. "You bought me a kitten? What the hell for? I don't even like animals, you're the only exception to the rule, and I just tolerate you."

"Come on, Rae. Peg-leg is going to love you."

"Peg-leg?"

Beast Boy sighed and scooped up the small kitten, depositing it in Raven's lap. It looked up at her with a small, high-pitched mew and tried to reach her face with its dark paws. Correction: paw. The poor thing was missing a front leg, but that didn't seem to bother him. He gave up trying to get her attention, and curled up in her lap purring softly. Raven's lips twitched and she felt obliged to pet it, as if it were drawing her under a spell. Okay, maybe the little, three legged kitten was kind of cute.

"It only has three legs."

Beast Boy laughed and scratched it behind the ears as it started to fall asleep in her lap. "I always knew you had a soft spot for lost causes. I guess I'm case-and-point."

"So… what made you pick up a broken cat and bring it to me?" Raven raised an eyebrow, her eyes never leaving her boyfriend's face. She knew better than to trust a gift like this. "I know Christmas is a week away, but you're not normally an early shopper. So, what's going on? Am I harboring stolen goods?"

"Nothing like that. I just didn't want you to be lonely…"

Raven's face didn't betray her confusion, and she continued to stare at him, expression blank. "You're over here almost every other day… what part of 'lonely' is that considered?" She gave a bark of laughter and shook her head. "Hades, I see you more now than I did when I was living at the tower."

"I have to leave for a while."

"What?" Raven blinked, her hands falling to her sides. The kitten looked up at her in question before rolling over on its back, ignoring Raven again. "You're leaving? When? Why?"

"In a few days. I have to go." He rubbed the back of his head again, sighing as he looked into her eyes. "The Brotherhood is stirring again over in Europe, and I have to go with Robin. I know that this isn't exactly how you wanted to spend our first 'couples Christmas' but I don't have a choice. I promised him I would go… " His hand reached out and stroked the cat in her lap. "... I didn't want you to be lonely while I was gone."

"And you thought a cat was going to fill that space?"

"No." He shrugged. "I just hoped it would ease the separation a little."

Raven sighed and looked out the window at the cold rain misting down from the heavens. She wouldn't try and lie to herself, she had been looking forward to spending real time with Beast Boy over the holidays, and having him take that away from her was upsetting. This was supposed to be a time where they enjoyed each other's company, but he had to work, and Raven was going to be at home alone. But this was the job of a superhero, and she was all too familiar with the time and social constraints.

A little voice in the back of her head whispered: you could go with him if you were still a Titan. She shook her head and looked down at the cat, forcing herself to ignore the thought that now whispered through her mind. She wasn't ready to entertain those thoughts, at least not yet.

"Okay." She looked over at him and forced a broken smile. "I understand. I know what kind of life you lead, and I accept that. I won't say I'm not disappointed, because that would be lying… but you better make this up to me when you get back."

Beast Boy laughed and kissed her, his hands burying in her hair. "I am sorry. And I will give you anything you want as soon as I get back from Europe. I promise that I'll make this up to you however I can."

Raven raised an eyebrow and let a slow smile work its way across her lips. "However you can?"

His ears fell and there was a sudden look of panic in his eyes. What in the world did he just promise?

)O(

This really doesn't have a point. Roll with it. I was looking to kill a lunch-break at work and this was what came out. I promise that the next chapter will have a lemon, maybe some development, but unlikely. Just lemons. In all shapes and sizes.
Thanks for being awesome. Please let me know what you think, if you think this is worth reviewing.