"We're having a moment here, don't ruin it." She told him.

He merely giggled in response. The events of the night seemed to be so trivial now. They were both alive and well, having a good talk. It hurt that she was the only one who bothered to come out here to talk to him, but being alone with her like this had a calming effect all of its own. Beast Boy knew that he'd been crushing on Raven for a while now. It was hard to pinpoint exactly when it started, but it seemed to only get stronger the more time he spent with her. The recent events with Malchior and Adonis seemed to only amplify his feelings for her.

"What are you smiling at?" She asked him.

Beast Boy was shaken from his idle thoughts.

"Oh, nothing," He started, "Just thinking about how lucky I am to know you."

She blushed. "You're not that lucky." She simply said.

He disagreed. "No, I think I am." He rebutted.

She stared at him in response, time seemed to slow down as he waited for her to reply.

"Raven," he began, "Can you sense what I'm feeling right now?" He asked quietly.

She nodded.

"And?"

"I.. I think I feel the same way..." She started.

"But?"

"But I don't think it would be wise to act on it."

"Why not?"

"I wish I could tell you."

He frowned, "Raven, you know that's never enough for me."

"I know, it's one of your best and worst traits." She sighed. "Please, just for once, let me come out with it when I'm ready."

He took in a deep breath. "Ok, Raven, I'll wait."

She sensed his hurt at the reluctant rejection.

"Beast Boy, I promise you that I feel very strongly for you. However, acting on these emotions will lead to nothing but short term happiness, followed by long term depression. It's not a good idea to pursue these feelings for me."

"I can't just shut them off Raven." He argued back.

"I know, and I'm not saying that you can't have feelings for me. Just don't expect anything to come out of it anytime soon."

"I'm not going to give up on this so easily."

She paused, "It's your call Beast Boy, but, just know that for now, my call is that I'm not ready to for a relationship. I swear it's because of me and not you, as cliché as that sounds."

Beast Boy contemplated her answer, "Alright, I won't expect anything serious for now."

They stared into each other's eyes for what felt like an eternity. Neither of them realized it in the heat of the conversation but they had moved closer and closer to each other as their talk continued on and on.

"What?" He asked, noticing her stare.

She closed the last remaining distance and kissed him.

It was a brief kiss, one he was overjoyed to experience and return as best as he could. They both only wished that it had lasted longer before Raven broke away.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that."

"No, it's fine." He reassured her.

"Next time if I ever do that, I'll make sure to ask first."

"Next time?" Now he was confused, first she was trying to not start anything with him, now she was talking about future smooching opportunities.

"There's no telling what the future might hold, Beast Boy," she said, "if we end up in a life threatening situation ever again, I have no idea how my emotions might react."

"So you're saying you'll need to kiss somebody if you think you're going to die?"

She smirked, "A bit blunt, but yet. Basically. And I want it to be you."

"I see," he smiled back at her, "Hey, Raven?"

"Yes?"

"Can I at least flirt with you? When it's just between us, at least?"

She looked him in the eyes.

"Flirting might be fun. Just don't tell the others."