"Freedom means the opportunity to be what we never thought we would be."-Daniel J. Boorstin

~#~#~#~

"Burgers are ready!"

Cyborg's voice lured Beast Boy free of the water. He scurried over to the grill beside his metallic friend, eagerly snatching his veggie burger, much to Cyborg's disdain. That didn't phase the shapeshifter though, instead he happily stopped by the condiments table to deck out his sandwich. Seriously, veggie burgers were the bomb. After slapping on some hotsauce, mustard, cheese and lettuce, he was practically drooling.

Beast Boy hummed as he made his way to an empty beach chair. Today was the annual Fourth of July picnic that the Titans held every year. This year, it was at the Jump City tower, and Titans from all over the country milled about on the beach and within the confines of the tower. It was one of few days the whole organization came together, and Beast Boy enjoyed relaxing with friends he didn't see all that often.

He sighed contentedly as he took a bite of his burger. Grill outs were the best.

"Hey, Beast Boy," Aqualad said as he settled into the chair beside him. Beast Boy gulped down his burger, smiling at the Atlantian.

"Hey, dude! What's up?"

He shrugged. "Nothing new, Steel City's pretty quiet lately. It's driving Bee nuts."

The two chattered a bit about crime rates in their respective cities, sharing stories of repeat criminals they've had to deal with. The conversation slowly turned towards more lighter topics, like their shared interest in animals. Aqualad was really the only person around who truly understood his distaste with meat, as the Atlantian didn't eat fish out of respect for the finned creatures. They often went swimming together and shared many animal friends, due to their shared ability to communicate with them.

Eventually, Beast Boy's gaze began to wander, finding its way over to a certain empath hovering at the edge of the party. He watched as she chatted idly with anyone who spoke to her, her expression content but reserved as she watched their friends interact around her. Watching her had become a favorite hobby of Beast Boy's, as he found Raven absolutely fascinating.

"You're not gawking at Raven again, are you?"

Beast Boy tore his gaze away from the demoness in question, his face heating up dramatically. "W-what are you talking about?" he asked nervously, forcing a chuckle. Aqualad shot him a knowing smirk.

"You should just ask her out already. What's the worst that could happen?"

The changeling huffed, his ears hot. "I don't wanna ask Rae out. She...she's just my friend, dude." Yeah, his friend. His really hot, pretty, amazing friend who he sometimes thought about kissing. No biggie.

Aqualad laughed, doubling over. "Okay, sure. Whatever you say, Beastie." He pet his head affectionately, ruffling his hair, and wandered off to chat up some of the other Titan girls. Beast Boy glared at him as he left, swiping at his rumpled hair-do. Okay, so maybe he had a tinsy-tiny crush on Raven. So what? It wasn't like she liked him back. He'd just enjoy the crush while it lasted, and move on with his life.

Besides, he liked being friends with Raven. Even if he really wanted to kiss her.

The party carried on as the stars began to peek out in the sky, and out came the sparklers. Beast Boy loved playing with sparklers; they were bright, colorful, and he could make designs in the air with them. Beast Boy ran across the beach alongside Starfire, both giggling as they waved the flaming sticks in the air. The beach was filled with splashes of colored sparks as many Titans waved their sparklers about. It was a pretty sight to see, and Beast Boy paused to gaze in awe.

A hooded figure caught his sight, and Beast Boy's feet automatically set off in Raven's direction. "Hey, Rae! Wanna sparkler?" He held out an unused stick, beaming at the sorceress. Raven eyed the stick with an unreadable expression and frowned.

"Why?"

He blinked. "Uh, 'cuz it's fun?"

She reached out and took it with a sigh, her hand brushing against his as she plucked it out of his grasp. Shivers ran up and down his spine, and Beast Boy was half tempted to snatch her slender hand and never let go.

"How do I do this?"

Beast Boy shook himself, fumbling to pull out his lighter. "You uh, light it with a lighter..." he paused to flick the lighter on, carefully lighting the sparkler. It quickly started spitting sparks, and he stepped back with a grin. "And you wave it around! You can trace pictures in the air and stuff. Like this!" Without thinking, he grabbed her hand and jerked it in the air, tracing a circle with the sparkler.

"Oh," Raven said, her voice sounding strained. He shot her a confused look, only to see her staring wide eyed at his hand, which was still wrapped around hers. Blushing brightly, Beast Boy let her go as though her hand was a hot coal. Stupid, stupid stupid! he chanted in his mind, his gaze firmly locking on his feet.

"So...when are we doing fireworks?" Raven asked. Beast Boy risked a glance up at her, the empath's face pink beneath her hood. He shrugged, a lopsided grin forming on his face.

"I dunno. I think Robin's in charge of that. Though I bet they'll be soon."

Raven nodded, toying absently with her sparkler, which was almost out.

"Wanna get more sparklers?" he asked awkwardly, unsure of what else to say. Raven rolled her eyes, but followed him to the box. They lit up another pair each, twirling the sparking sticks in the air. Beast Boy had the most enthusiasm though, as Raven seemed more content to just hold it and watch the sparks as they travelled down the stick. He didn't mind; Raven was having fun in her own way, and that was what counted.

Soon, it was time for the fireworks. Beast Boy threw their used sparkler sticks in one of the designated buckets, and turned to the empath. "Wanna maybe watch the fireworks together?" he asked shyly. "Y-you don't have to though! I just wanted to sit on the rocks, but I don't wanna go alone, you know?" His words were rushed, and he was shocked when Raven dipped her head in a nod.

"Sure," she said. A wildly happy grin broke out on his face, and Beast Boy snatched her hand and pulled her towards his rock.

"Come on then!"

They made it just in time for the show, settling on the stony outcropping and watching the exploding colors in awe. Whenever Robin was in charge of the fireworks show, it was always a good one as the Boy Wonder really loved explosives. It also helped that he seemed to have an incredible amount of wealth stashed away somewhere. Beast Boy had some theories about that, but so far that was all they were.

Raven shifted beside him, her hand brushing his. His whole body tingled at the touch, and his gaze somehow became locked with hers. Raven's eyes were so pretty; deep pools of amethyst that reflected exactly what she was feeling at any given time. It was the one place where her emotions couldn't hide, something he'd learned after years of staring. Almost instinctively, he leaned closer, basking in her gaze. She leaned too, and for a moment, they were only inches apart.

Curiosity got the best of him, and he took the plunge, pressing his lips against hers. Raven stiffened for a second, before cautiously leaning into the kiss. It was everything Beast Boy had hoped for; sweet and simple, but full of passion and spark. He felt like he was on fire, and he revelled in the sensation. All too soon, they broke apart, staring at each other wide-eyed.

"Wow," he breathed. Raven bit her lip, a blush painting her features. They sat there, frozen, lost in each other's stares, the fireworks forgotten. It was Raven that broke the spell, lurching forward to kiss him again.

Author's Note:

Happy Fourth of July! Here's a little something for you all to celebrate with. (And for those of you who aren't American, happy independence, whenever that is for you! I still hope you enjoy the story as well!)

Thanks for the support!

-vixensheart