Chapter 4

He'd been dreaming of fan girls with mint-chocolate chip ice cream cones and honestly, what was not to love about that? So when the sound of light footsteps and the smell of fresh coffee took him away from a particularly pretty blonde who was winking at him, Beast Boy was less than impressed.

He woke with a frown, knowing instantly that Robin was up.

He looked at his watch and groaned. It was only 5:15 in the morning. The only people that Beast Boy felt should voluntarily wake up at such an hour were shift workers, commuters, parents with young children, and masochists. Clearly, Robin belonged to the latter group.

Beast Boy let out a second groan. He knew that the masked teen was not going to tiptoe around the kitchen and let him go back to sleep, so he might as well try to move.

He could feel Robin's eyes on him as he sat up and stretched.

In his defence, it wasn't an unusual occurrence for Beast Boy to fall asleep on the couch. His late-night gaming sessions were legendary throughout the tower, and getting up at crazy o'clock by his hard-ass leader and being reamed out for drooling over the couch pillows was a usual event.

Under normal circumstances, falling asleep was unintentional. Beast Boy would be up gaming until the wee hours of the morning when exhaustion would usually win out. His head would fall onto the sofa, his hands would be clutched around a gaming controller and the TV would still be blinking "Game Over". It was usually Robin or Raven who would find him thus and would wake him by being purposefully loud in the kitchen. Once awake, he would grudgingly shuffle back to his bed for another couple of hours of peaceful slumber.

But this time was different. This time he had his blanket and pillow with him. He knew that the boy detective would pick up on this and the wheels would start turning as he started contemplating his deductions and assumptions.

Beast Boy did a few of his morning stretches, working out the kinks that came from sleeping on a sofa all night and headed towards the fridge for a drink.

"Morning, Rob," he mumbled as he shuffled past his leader. Beast Boy didn't have to look at him to know that Robin was scrutinizing Beast Boy's every move.

Delaying the inevitable questioning, Beast Boy opened the fridge and grabbed the almond milk. Chugging it right from the carton, he finally made eye contact with the Boy Wonder.

"You know, you really shouldn't drink from the carton like that," Robin said, gloved arms crossed over his chest. Beast Boy could sense Robin's disapproving glare from behind his masked eyes.

"Dude, I'm the only person who drinks this. Chill," Beast Boy retorted, wiping the excess milk off his lip.

Robin continued to stare but gave a curt, "Hmph."

Beast Boy knew Robin was itching to ask what was going on. While Robin respected the privacy of his teammates, he had the curiosity of a meddling neighbour. He also possessed the Batman-like quality of assessing all situations in an attempt to calculate possibilities and eventualities. The guy never rested, never gave up on a lead, and never liked surprises.

The fact that he had waited this long to interrogate the changeling amused Beast Boy to no end. However, out of all the situations Robin was probably determining, he doubted that a trip from a future Titan who snored like a dinosaur was high on the list of circumstances that would evacuate Beast Boy from his bed.

Beast Boy couldn't help the gleam in his eye as he watched Robin's inner struggle. Although he was as still as a statue, Beast Boy's senses could pick up on his leader's hesitation. It wasn't often he used his keen animal senses on his teammates but he was able to pick on subtle changes in Robin's physiology which, when added together, made him decide that his masked leader was thoroughly confused.

It was the slight elevation in his heartbeat, the subtle increase of body order, the small tick to Robin's cheek, and the very tiny, almost insusceptible taste of fear he could taste on the tip of his tongue.

Beast Boy's animalistic flight or fight instincts had taught him from early on to detect this particular emotion. He usually distinctly felt it in battle with his many enemies around him but over time, he found that each Titan would have their own trigger to this particular emotion.

Someone as open as Starfire would cower at the very mention of being locked away. Cyborg was quick to react to the man vs. machine debate. Raven had her issues with control, and as for Robin, the fearless leader was always at a disadvantage when he couldn't understand or predict a situation.

Of course, Beast Boy knew this was only a minuscule blip on the distress-o-metre. Human emotions were incredibly complex and misleading. He was always grateful that he detected only a few of the main emotions that animals seemed to be interested in. Fear being the biggest one and the other being… errr … let's just say it had to do with reproducing. It didn't make it easy, but he was grateful that he was limited to just the big two and not to the plethora of emotions that a particular empath he knew was receptive to.

So, Beast Boy calmly waited for Robin to question him.

After what was most likely an internal struggle, curiosity finally won out. "Any particular reason why you slept in the common room last night, Beast Boy?" Robin asked as he sipped his coffee.

Beast Boy smiled. He knew this dance. It was called delaying the evitable and it was one he intended on performing as long as he was able. So, he made his first step.

"There was a funky smell in my room and after our fight with Plasmus, I was too tired to clean it up. I thought I'd come in here for the night and clean it in the morning." He practised the lie last night so this morning it flowed from his lips with ease.

Relief crossed Robin's face. He gave a crooked smile and shook his gel-haired head. "Okay, Beast Boy, but I don't want you to make a habit of this. Maybe take some time after training today to sort your room out."

Beast Boy smirked, "Sure, Bossman!"

He had put Robin off for the time being, but until he got rid of a certain violet-haired issue, this wasn't the end of the delay-tactics tango.

Giving off a small sigh, Beast Boy switched on the kettle. He knew he would still have some time to kill before the future Raven woke up so he figured he would prepare her morning tea for her.

He was grateful that the boy detective, now fully content with Beast Boy's reasoning, was completely ignoring the green teen as he raided Raven's tea cupboard to snatch another bag for her older counterpart. He decided to go with a decaf English Breakfast (it had Breakfast in the name after all), and after some thought, threw some bread in the toaster as well. Hungry pregnant ladies were probably scary enough on their own but a hungry, pregnant Raven was something he did NOT want to encounter.

With the tea properly steeped and the toast popping out of the toaster, Beast Boy faced his newest dilemma- what to feed a hungry half-demon. In truth, Beast Boy had never paid attention to what kind of food Raven preferred. Did she have her toast with butter only? Peanut butter? Perhaps a jam? But if a jam- which flavour? Other than seeing her nibble the occasional pizza and waffles, Beast Boy had no clue what her usual eating habits would be.

With a new determination to pay more attention to his teammate's food preferences, Beast Boy cut the four slices of toast in half and proceeded to slap a different spread on each side, making sure he noted the difference between the jams. Why they had so many jams in the first place was beyond his understanding but he was certain that she would invariably know the distinctive flavours of each one. For the tea, he plunked in some honey, some almond milk, and a dash of sugar as well.

Throughout this culinary endeavour, Beast Boy had begun to softly whistle under his breath. It was an automatic reaction to being in the kitchen, a place where he spent a large part of his downtime as he tried to make alternatives to Cyborg's meat-filled dishes. Although not usually a morning person, he had a newfound rejuvenation and sense of pride in making breakfast for someone else and it filled him with a sense of happiness that he just couldn't keep bottled in.

However, he neglected to remember the little bird in the corner who had focused his attention back on the unusually cheerful changeling.

As he walked towards his bedroom, Tea in one hand and an overflowing plate of all-you-can-imagine-flavoured toast in the other, Beast Boy heard the attention-seeking cough that Robin had (not so delicately) asserted in his direction.

Deciding to play it cool, Beast Boy turned to his leader with the biggest, cheekiest grin he could muster, "Tickle in your throat, Rob?"

Not to be perturbed by his sass, Robin got straight to business. Seriously, the guy never seemed to let anything go.

"Hungry, Beast Boy? Don't you usually have tofu for breakfast? And… tea? That is odd. Even for you."

Crap. Blew it! Beast Boy thought. Okay BB, time to put your acting skills to the test! Smile, make a lame excuse then race outta here!

Beast Boy grinned, "I'm a growing boy, Robin! Need to try new things once in a while!" He gave what he hoped to be an easygoing wink. "You should try it sometime! Though instead of food, you should start with the hair. I would suggest less gel."

His teasing was rewarded with Robin's face turning a comical red with anger. For some bizarre reason, his hair was a soft spot that no matter how much Beast Boy and Cyborg teased him, he fell for every time.

He didn't wait for Robin's retort as he walked away with a laugh and what he hoped looked like a swagger. Being known as the resident jokester had its perks and this was the perfect opportunity to use it to its full advantage.

He kept up his jovial façade until he heard the mechanical door behind him close shut. Once it had, Beast Boy stopped his confident gait, threw back his head, and gave out a huff of air as he allowed his body to relax.

Daaaaaaaaammmnn!

That had been TOO close. Back in the kitchen, he had allowed his barriers to come down and that could NOT happen again. Not at least until Raven 2.0 had left to go back to her time. Steeling himself and mentally putting his walls back up, he walked down the hallway to his bedroom.

Stopping at his door, he spent a moment looking at his name etched into the paneling. It was his room for now but if what the older Raven had said was true, it would one day belong to her. Her and her mysterious husband, he presumed. He frowned as he tried to picture the scenario. What on earth would convince him to give up his room? Yes, it wasn't much- yes, it had a weird smell that seemed to permeate itself within the walls, and yes, it was constantly messy, but it was his. It was the first room he had had in a long time that felt like his, that felt like home.

But maybe they did just move things around. Maybe his future girlfriend didn't like the way the sunset would fall onto the back wall or the stain he made on the carpet in the first week he was here. Maybe she wanted to start fresh, in a new place in the Tower. Or, he thought with a grimace, maybe he moved out of Tower permanently. Maybe the offer of an apartment in the city or a chance to lead his own group had been too tempting to turn down. Too many possibilities, and too many scenarios. He could probably go crazy about thinking of them all. But a little voice inside his head couldn't stop him hoping that no matter who he was with in the future, no matter where they were, they would make those kinds of decisions together as partners.

Smiling to himself at this, he pressed his combination on the keypad and watched as the door slid open.

He expected to be tiptoeing into a darkened room with a slumbering empath on the bed but was surprised to see all the lights on and said empath at his now clean desk and writing something on a pad of paper.

Vaguely wondering where she had found the paper (and working pen for that matter) Beast Boy set the plate and tea down beside Raven with a flourish.

"Made you something. I didn't know which tea you liked in the morning and wasn't sure what you liked on your toast so I did a little bit of everything." He smiled sheepishly as he saw Raven's eyes light up at the meal.

She smiled up at him and grabbed a slice of toast covered in thick, red jam. "Thank you, Beast Boy. I am quite hungry." A quick bite of the food and she closed her violet eyes in bliss. "Mmmmm. Strawberry Rhubarb. My favourite." She opened her eyes and gave Beast Boy a genuine, closed-mouth smile that for some reason, made Beast Boy feel a flutter in his chest.

"I wasn't even sure you'd be up," Beast Boy said, trying to ignore the warmth in his cheeks. "It's pretty early still."

He moved towards the bed and sat on the neatly made sheets in which Raven had spent the night in.

Raven nodded as she finished chewing, "This baby likes to use my bladder as its personal soccer ball so I don't get as much sleep as I would like." She grabbed another piece of toast. "Don't worry, I teleported to the washroom. No one saw me and I'm not going to show up on any camera."

Beast Boy nodded, relieved he wouldn't have to worry about that particular issue.

They sat in silence for a moment as Raven munched on her breakfast, and went over her list.

"I wanted to get a head start on getting back to my time. I've written down all I can remember from the spell, but I may have to get a quick look at the book to make sure I haven't forgotten anything. What time is training today?"

"Ummm…. Ten o'clock I think…. Wait…. Are you going to Raven's room?" Beast Boy's eyes went wide. Last night the woman was adamant about keeping as far away from young Raven as she possibly could, and now she was actively planning on entering her room where the chances of said meet-up would be that much higher.

"Only briefly. I know where she keeps this particular book. I can faze in and out in only a couple of minutes. She won't know I was even there." Raven said, picking up on Beast Boy's worry.

"So you could be gone by the end of the day? That's… great!" Beast Boy's stomach dropped as he struggled to smile at her. He knew her visit was only a fleeting one and yet he couldn't help the disappointment that washed over him.

Raven gave him a returning soft smile as if she knew what he was thinking. "I wish it was that simple. I have forgotten that some materials for this particular spell can be difficult to come by, and she won't have all of them. Even the ones she does have, if I take them she will know that someone has been in her room…"

"And she'll put two and two together and figure out you're here," Beast Boy finished for her.

"Exactly. There are a few materials I can collect myself. I know where a few of these plants grow in the wilderness, and I can make it there and back without anyone seeing. But for some of the ingredients, I may need someone to pick them up for me…"

"Do you even have to ask? Of course, Rae!" Beast Boy energetically volunteered.

Raven's smile went wider. "Thank you, Beast Boy. The ritual itself doesn't take too much time, so once I've confirmed the spell and collected the necessary ingredients, I can be gone in only a couple of hours."

"Take all the time you want. Hey, maybe you can see this as a vacation or something! I mean, it might not be the best vacation spot," Beast Boy grinned, gesturing to his room, "But I've got a TV, GameStation, and a bookcase full of comic books for your viewing pleasure. Not a resort in Mexico, but at least you can relax."

Raven gave him the most Raven of all looks and rolled her eyes. "A teenage boy's room- where every girl dreams she'll be taken to on her next holiday."

Laughing, Beast Boy comically raised his eyebrows, "Not just any boy's room, Rae, it's Beast Boy's room! I'm sure I'll be fully booked with reservations from all the single girls in Jump City in no time." He put his hands behind his neck and pulled his feet up onto the mattress posing in the classic, cocky, douche-bag stance.

Raven snorted at this, "Let me guess, hot chicks only?"

"Well, obviously," he snickered. Beast Boy knew he was being an arrogant ass, but he couldn't help laying it on a bit. "Blondes get a special discount of course."

"Aren't they the lucky ones," Raven deadpanned and shook her head. She pretended to seem annoyed at his evident chauvinism, but Beast Boy could see her hide a grin from behind her third slice of toast.

"Vacation retreat aside, you didn't even spend the night here last night. Did you fall asleep playing video games again?" Raven asked between bites, attempting to bring the conversation away from the more suggestive one they were falling into.

Beast Boy's bravado fell in an instant.

How the HELL was he supposed to tell her the truth?

Well, Raven, you snore so loudly that I honestly thought that a guinea pig was giving birth to a T-rex while being knocked on the head by giant baseball bats.

"Umm….." He sat back up to the edge of the bed and fiddled with his hands, wrestling with the idea of how to talk to her about this particular subject. Beast Boy was not usually known for being tactful, and this delicate topic needed a lot more consideration than would normally warrant for his typical conversations.

Looking at his feet, he haltingly answered, "Well… You see, Raven. It was a little… loud in here last night."

He gave it a long moment before gathering his courage to meet her eye.

She frowned and blinked twice at the green changeling but was silent. Beast Boy nodded his head and raised his eyebrows as if encouraging her to find the answer within his cryptic text. Her frown only became deeper at the gesture as she continued to watch him.

He started to feel agitated. It was unusual for the highly intelligent woman to not put two and two together and it made Beast Boy even more nervous than before. Maybe he needed to elaborate? Did she need a re-enactment? Was there a more polite word for snore?

Just as he was cursing himself for the lack of a Thesaurus in his room, Raven let out a groan. "I hate it when he's right." She looked off to the side and punched her thigh in what Beast Boy thought was a gesture of defeat.

Relief filled his system, and he felt himself let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "Who?" he asked, genuinely curious.

"My husband," she replied, shrugging her shoulders slightly. "He said that since I've gotten bigger, I've started to snore. Another one of those fun pregnancy quirks no one tells you about."

"Oh yeah? Like pregnancy brain?" Beast Boy teased.

"Don't joke- that is clearly a thing." She gestured her hand, referring to the last couple of minutes. "Apparently," Raven continued, "It's only been a couple of months, and only when I sleep on my left side. At least that's what he said. I didn't believe him but… I guess I have to now. Sorry, Beast Boy."

Beast Boy laughed, "Don't worry about it! I have no problem sleeping on the couch for a little while- I spend most nights there anyway! Only trouble is, we might have Robin snooping a bit. I had to tell a lie or two to get your breakfast in here." He pointed towards the almost empty plate of toast and the tea. Beast Boy gawked and struggled to remember a time he had ever seen Raven eat so much in one sitting. Apparently, eating for two was another pregnancy rumour which rang true for the half-demon.

"Ah yes," Raven frowned, picking up the hot mug for the first time. "I doubt such a change in appetite will get past Private-Eye Robin."

Raven took a sip of the tea and grimaced at its flavour.

"Sorry," Beast Boy said, immediately feeling guilty. "I guess I was bound to get something wrong. Points for effort?" he said with his mischievous, lop-sided grin.

This made Raven break out into one of her rare, breathy giggles. "Lots of points. Thank you, Beast Boy." Her eyes shined with mirth. She gave her own cheeky grin in return, "Maybe I can show you how I like it. Maybe we can even find something you like."

Beast Boy groaned into his hands. "Not this tea business again! Honestly, I don't know if I believe you. Me and Raven, friends? Friends who drink tea together? Even if I was the last guy on earth and Raven was the last girl, she'd drink toilet water before having tea with me. Are you sure you're her future?"

Beast Boy carefully watched Raven's reaction, hoping that she'd hint at something about the future. She'd let slip a couple of tidbits, albeit insignificant ones last night, and maybe, just maybe, after a good night's sleep and some sustenance, she was willing to reveal a little more.

In all honesty, Beast Boy knew that out of all the Titans, Raven was the best one to keep secrets- especially ones that could potentially create a time paradox that could cause a chain reaction and destroy the universe. But he needed to throw out the line and dangle some bait. If you don't sneakily ask, you'll never know, he thought.

Raven gazed at Beast Boy as if assessing his intentions. Or maybe she was assessing what she was going to say to him. Or maybe she was assessing where to hit him. Beast Boy couldn't decide.

Finally, as if holding back a grin, she answered him, "Raven's not going to go fishing with you anytime soon, but you both find common ground and your friendship gets better."

Beast Boy's face fell. She was not going to bite. And by her using that expression, Beast Boy figured she knew exactly what he was trying to do.

Epic fail.

"But this Raven," she gestured to herself, changing the subject again, "Will not be drinking this today. Anything else you can make me? Preferably without it killing all of my taste buds?" Wrinkling her nose, she put the mug on the desk and pushed it away from her.

Beast Boy glowered at the empath. This wasn't the end of his pestering; oh no. Beast Boy knew how to play the long game and persistence was his middle name. But he recognized and admired the ability Raven had to shift the topic to lighter things so he rolled with it.

"Sure thing Ms. Tea Snob, but we still have Robin to worry about. I can't lie through two teas in only a couple of hours." An idea struck him, and he jumped off the bed in excitement. "Hey, why don't I fly out and pick you something up? I think your favourite Café is just opening! I can sneak out the window- no one will know!"

A look of relief passed the older Raven's face. "That sounds perfect! I'll have… let me write it down for you." She grabbed another piece of paper and started scribbling. "I wonder if it's too early for the muffins to be ready…. Or maybe chocolate croissants…." Beast Boy saw her eye the now empty plate of toast and looked back up to Beast Boy, cheeks flushing. "….for later."

Beast Boy laughed and held up his hands "No judgement here. I'll get whatever you want. I would never stand in the way of a pregnant lady and her food."

"Thanks, Beast Boy," Raven smiled happily at him as she handed over her (rather long) list. "Hotel Beast Boy is doing pretty well. I could get used to this room service."

Making his way to the window, Beast Boy chuckled, "Hey, don't push your luck. I just feel bad 'cause you're pregnant and stuck in my room. I wouldn't go fetch these things for just anyone."

With a mischievous look in her eyes, Raven curled up an eyebrow and smirked, "So, you can be any animal, and yet you've never been a Go-pher?"

Beast Boy's first reaction was to throw his head back and laugh but then, realizing who told the abysmal gag, he abruptly stopped what he was doing and gawked at her. "Wait, did you just tell a joke? I mean, it was a terrible one… but Raven… joking? I'm … I'm not sure if I should be impressed or alarmed! Seriously, how are you, Raven?"

Raven smiled shyly and shrugged her shoulders. "You practically walked into that one. I can't even take the credit for it."

Beast Boy shook his head in admiration as he opened his window. Then his face slid into a wily grin. "Well, I have to admit that it was a little… Pun-ny," he whooped in delight at his dreadful retort while Raven slapped her palm to her forehead and groaned.

Still giggling quietly to himself, Beast Boy climbed out the window and morphed into an eagle. Clutching Raven's food order in his talons, he spread his wings and started towards the awakening city.

As he flew over the Bay, still astonished at the fact that stoic Raven had made an actual joke, he couldn't help but wonder if what they were doing back there was, in fact, flirting.


Author's Notes:

A slower chapter but a necessary one nonetheless.

Massive thanks to all of the guest reviewers! I wish I could message you personally as your comments are so very valued and motivating! Thank you so much!

Next week is a chapter that I didn't mean to write, didn't want to write, and yet somehow it ended up being one of my favourites. Can't wait to see what you think!