It was rare to find the tower so quiet. With most everyone gone for the day, it felt tranquil. Starfire had journeyed to the mall of shopping in hopes of finding cute sundresses for the summer. She had, of course, dragged an unwilling Robin along with her. He hated shopping with a passion, but his love for Starfire came with a passion too, and ultimately won out. Although the team thought that he'd never admit it, they all knew that he had a thing for the alien princess. They had planned for a picnic following their shopping adventures since it was a sunny and warm day. Cyborg had gone to visit Titans East for the weekend. He needed to make repairs to their security system, but, in a way, he used that as an excuse to go visit Bumblebee. Like Robin, he would never admit this infatuation, but everyone knew about it regardless. With three Titans gone, that left Raven alone in the tower. Or, at least, almost alone.

"Oooh Raaaaven!" the excitable changeling called out behind her.

Raven was sitting on the couch in the Main Ops room. She was reading a novel and sipping on an herbal tea. It was rare to find the tower so quiet, and the tranquility that she had experienced mere moments ago was now gone.

Raven turned her head towards Beast Boy, who was in the kitchen making tofu eggs. He wore a large grin on his face, his happiness practically beaming off of him. She raised an eyebrow at him, indicating that she had heard him.

"Want some tofu eggs? I made some extra!" he said happily as he scooped the warm vegan meal onto a plate. The smell of the egg substitute wafted throughout the room. It didn't necessarily smell bad by any means, but it wasn't that good either.

"No thank you," she replied, returning her attention back to her book.

"You sure?" he asked again.

"Yes. I have an herbal tea," she responded, not looking up from her novel this time.

"Okay then. If you change your mind, there's some in the fridge!" he said.

She didn't respond to him this time. She could hear him rummaging through the cabinets in the kitchen in search of something to store his leftovers in. Finally, the clanking of containers stopped as he found what he was looking for. He scooped about half of the pan's contents into the plastic container and placed it on the top shelf of the fridge. He then placed the still burning hot pan into the sink and ran cold water over it, eliciting a hiss from the sudden temperature change of the metal.

Beast Boy made his way over to the couch where Raven was sitting, plate and fork in hand. When he sat, or rather bounced, onto the couch, the entire piece of furniture somewhat jumped. He placed his feet on the coffee table in front of the couch, causing the mug of herbal tea to shake mildly.

Raven peered out of the corner of her eye at the changeling who sat next to her. He was stuffing the meal into his face as he stared out the window. He had luckily elected not to turn on the TV, which Raven appreciated. Although she had learned over the years how to read over the many noises of the other teens, she still found it easiest to do so when there was silence. She returned her gaze to her novel, continuing the story.

After a few more pages of medieval drama, Beast Boy stood up from the couch and made his way back over to the kitchen. He placed his empty plate into the sink next to the now cooled pan, and ran water over it. Since it wasn't his night to do dishes, he didn't bother with trying to clean any of it.

Just when there was silence and Raven was sure that he had left the room, she felt a presence behind her. Or, rather, on her. Beast Boy's chin rested on Raven's head and he was hugging her from behind. It was awkward since there was a couch separating the two, but that didn't stop him.

"Can I help you?" Raven said as she attempted to continue readings. Her attempts were futile though. She could feel a blush creeping up on her face as he wrapped his arms around her chest.

"I'm just bored, Rae. Wanna hang out with me?" he asked, grinning widely.

"I'm reading," she responded. There was no use in even pretending to read anymore, and both of them knew that.

"You've been reading all day though. Aren't you getting bored of it?" he asked.

"It's a good book. Unlike you, some people actually enjoy reading," she responded to him.

She felt his embrace leave her chest and his chin leave her head. His presence then moved next to her when he flopped backwards onto the couch. His head rested on the cushion while his body was vertical, his feet dangling off the back of the couch.

"What's it about?" he asked, referring to the book.

"You really want to know?" she asked, someone shocked by his sudden interest.

"Sure, why not? You're interested in the story, so therefore I am too," he responded, kicking his feet slightly against the back of the couch as if he couldn't contain the boundless supplies of energy within his small frame.

"Well, it's about a young girl from medieval times. She's trying to escape her oppressive community in hopes of finding a better future. It describes the challenges in which she encounters and the different battles that ensue," she explained to the changeling.

"Medieval, huh? Are there any dragons?! Or knights?!" he asked excitedly.

"No. There's no dragons to slay in this novel, and no knights. Or, at least, not as main characters," she explained. Although she had a love for medieval literature, she tended to stray away from stories that involved dragons ever since the events of a few years prior. She did genuinely enjoy dragon slaying novels, but the wound that Malchior left in her was too deep and too raw, leaving that specific topic less than pleasant for her anymore.

Of course, the team didn't know that. They knew that he had hurt her, but she never went into the specifics with them. She didn't need anyone prying into her relationship like that. It made her feel vulnerable and weak, and that was unacceptable for her. She couldn't afford to be weak. So, she went along and pretended that everything was okay. And, eventually, it was. But even though she was okay now, she still didn't like the topic of literature.

"Hmmm," the changeling mumbled as he thought to himself, "still seems cool though, even without all the slaying and stuff."

"Yes, it's quite a good book," Raven agreed, finally able to get back into reading. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the changeling studying her. It used to make her somewhat uncomfortable since she hated the attention, but he did it so often that it didn't faze her anymore. She rarely even noticed. Besides, even if she didn't like the attention, it's not like she could avoid it. Beast Boy was practically her shadow; he was always talking to her and hanging out with her. She used to always act as if it annoyed her, but deep down, she appreciated it greatly. It made her feel accepted and welcomed. Now, she didn't act annoyed. She actually accepted it without question.

She saw the body of the green teen disappear, or at least grow smaller. Before she knew it, there was a small kitten next to her on the couch. He kept nudging at her hand with his little wet nose as he meowed repeatedly.

"Beast Boy, I'm reading," she repeated herself.

He, in response, simply meowed at her again. Sighing, she bookmarked her page and set her book down, leaving her lap open. Beast Boy happily made his way onto her lap, walking in small circles on her legs before finally settling down. He looked up expectantly at her, purring joyfully when she set her hand on his head and began petting him.

"You just don't give up, do you?" she said, trying to act irritated even though it was obviously fake. The blush on her face and the small smile that followed was enough to prove that. He looked up at her and meowed blissfully, a smile somehow managing to cover his face even as a cat.

He stood up and rested his two front paws on Raven's chest. He licked her nose, causing her to giggle. She continued to pet his back as he licked her nose. Suddenly, he transformed back into his human self.

"Nope. I never give up. That's how I got you, isn't it?" he said delightfully, blushing. The blush on Raven's face changed from a light rosy shade to a burning red.

What he said was true. He had been so stubbornly determined to go out on a date with her all those months ago, and finally, she had given in. She would have never admitted her affection for the changeling, but like with Robin and Cyborg, it was obvious to everyone. So, they went out on the date, and to her surprise, it was one of the best nights of her life. From that moment on, they were together. Always stealing kisses from one another and constantly in the presence of each other. Starfire was overjoyed for the two, and although Robin and Cyborg were happy for them as well, they teased the two about it relentlessly. But they didn't care; they were happy together, and that's all that mattered to them.

"I have to admit. Your persistence is admirable," she said, her small smile growing wider.

"And don't forget about the ears. You know you love the ears," he smirked, wiggling his ears back and forth.

Beast Boy leaned in and kissed her on the lips, to which she returned. As soon as their lips departed from one another, Beast Boy transformed once again into a kitten, meowing lovingly at the empath. She laid down on the couch, patting the spot in front of her chest. Beast Boy moved to the spot, cuddling up against his girlfriend.

No matter how much pain Malchior may had caused her, it had healed, mostly in thanks to Beast Boy. Even before they had started dating, he was so adamant about making sure she was okay and making sure that she was involved in team activities. He refused to let her hide in her room, cut off from the rest of the world. And for that, she was immensely grateful.

Beast Boy purred contently as he snuggled up against Raven. She rubbed her hand across his back, taking in the softness of his fur. Who would've thought that the jokester of the group and the goth of the group would have found one another in such a loving way? No one had expected it, especially when Raven could throw Beast Boy out of the window and into the ocean below with little to no provocation on his behalf. And he could annoy her relentlessly and often just generally get on her nerves purposefully. But, nonetheless, they had found one another, and they were happy. Raven would still lob the changeling into the ocean, and he would still spend his free time bothering her. It didn't matter that they were so different. It didn't matter if anyone else understood them or what they felt. None of that mattered. What mattered the most to them was that they each understood each other and that they both felt happiness. And they did.

So that's where they stood. Two complete opposites finding the light in each other, and, by default, in themselves as well. And as the two laid on the couch with one another, they couldn't help but feel pure bliss. Maybe the tower didn't need to be quiet for there to be tranquility. Maybe, they just needed each other.