True friendship comes when the silence between two people is comfortable

A/N I guess this one-shot could take place sometime when the Titans hadn't been together all that long, since it makes a lot more sense that way :) Enjoy!

WHITE

Silence.

It was a rare thing to hear in the topmost room of the Titan Tower and a thing Beast Boy soon found unnerved him. It was stupid, he knew, but all this time quarreling with the dozens of villains this city put out, some more menacing than others, had a way of putting him on edge when he was alone. Even if it was in a safe-guarded tower in the middle of the ocean.

Placing the black book in his hands back on the couch, he turned to stare out of the window that took up almost the entire wall behind him. Off in the distance he could see lights from far-off ships and the city reflecting in the water, just as brightly as if they were right in front of the tower. Weird…He'd never noticed that before.

"You're still awake?"

Beast Boy jumped, then cursed himself half a second later for it. "C'mon, Raven. A little warning would be nice." He shot a glare at the un-hooded member to ignore his own quicken pulse.

She just looked at him with shadowed eyes and said with no real enthusiasm, "With ears like yours, you'd think you would have heard me coming..."

"You know you love them," Beast Boy grinned toothily, tugging on his elf-like ears and fixing Raven with a sly grin that she returned slightly before grabbing her normal book off the couch and taking her place on the window sill. Instead of reading, however, she stared out of the window instead much like Beast Boy had done before she had interrupted him.

Not for the first time, Beast Boy felt a growing silence between them and couldn't help but feel a kind of tension spread throughout the room. Like always the strong urge to leave suddenly washed over the titan but, like always, he just ignored it and sat on the couch, turning on the TV but keeping it at low volume as to not disturb Raven. This happened all the time, this awkward silence like neither of them regarded the other, and like every other time, Beast Boy couldn't help but wonder why. How long had the two of them been teammates, facing the same dangers and villains together with the others?

He told himself he was just being silly, but it happened every time and his curiosity was growing. It was a well-known fact that Raven wasn't exactly the most emotional of people (but there was good reason) and more than once Beast Boy thought it was crudely ironic since females are usually so full of emotion, yet Raven had to hold her emotions in. He could understand the reason well enough but was it such a threat to show something? She always seemed so uptight and, in time, Beast Boy's mind told him that Raven's behaviour towards him was a kind of disapproval. After all, when had Raven ever snapped or scolded the others? Or, better yet, why did she do it to him more than anyone else? Why was that? It threatened to drive Beast Boy mad!

Should he ask? Or would he just get that shadowed stare of her's that practically told him 'you're an idiot'? Beast Boy wondered if it was even worth it since Raven probably wouldn't let him hear the end of it if he did ask.

Then he told himself to stop being so cowardly and just do it.

"Hey, Rav'?" Hearing his voice much quieter than he wanted, Beast Boy repeated the other titan's name so she could actually hear him and waited for her to turn from the window to look at him before asking, "Mind if I ask you something?"

"You just did," Raven stated with no noticeable venom or annoyance but was clearly waiting for the real question.

Beast Boy rolled his eyes before saying as serious as he could manage. "Do you like me?" He paused for all of a second, thinking of at least a half dozen ways Raven could take the question the wrong way, before elaborating. "I mean as in, like, a friend or buddy. Ya know someone who you think is a pretty alright person who you can tolerate on a daily basis?"

"I already tolerate you on a daily basis, Beast Boy." Raven said matter-of-factly but, upon seeing the look in her companion's eyes raised an eyebrow. "What brought this on all of a sudden?"

"Nothing," the other titan shrugged, doing his best to appear casual. "Just wondering, is all. I mean, we never get to talk like this so..." He trailed off meaningfully.

Raven eyed him suspiciously, something working behind her dark eyes that Beast Boy couldn't recognize. There was a short silence before Raven's voice broke it with a hint of concern tracing it. "What is this really about?"

Beast Boy grimaced inwardly. Great, now she knows something's up...He was silent for a few more moments, trying to choose his words carefully so Raven wouldn't have too much to blackmail him with later. "It's just that...you're so...secretive." He managed eventually. "No one can really tell what you're thinking, let alone what you think of them. Believe it or not, I think people would like to hear your opinions sometimes." He shrugged again. "I know I would but that's because I'm naturally curious." Turning his gaze to Raven, Beast Boy's expression almost dared her to voice her thoughts on him and that was a challenge she was going to take.

"Well...you're..." She paused to think, this was already proving more difficult than she expected and she had never been a real people person to begin with. "Unusual." Raven struggled to find a better word but couldn't for the life of her find one and sighed heavily. "And I guess, I'm a bit jealous. No matter how bad a situation we manage to get in, you never lose your sense of humour even while the rest of us are struggling to keep our heads. It may be annoying and at times I could care less for your jokes but, in a way, it's…relaxing." She finished sounding as though she had just sold her soul but Beast Boy just smiled at her and she felt obliged to return the gesture.

"Well, someone has to provide the entertainment around here and, let's face it, I am the best suited for the job," Beast Boy gestured to himself proudly. "Besides the only reason I do it is because, in the end, I know everything will turn out for the better. It always does because... we're like a family, ya know?" The titan rubbed the back of his neck slightly abashed at how abruptly he announced this last part.

Little did he know, Raven was just beginning to think the same thing. There was a sense of family here she hadn't had in a long time and it was peaceful despite the villains that sprang up from time to time. "I guess you're right," the female admitted after a short silence.

"So...We're cool right?" Beast Boy wanted to know, looking just as paranoid as he did when their conversation had begun.

Raven looked at him and sighed the sigh of a person who wondered why they bothered to point out the obvious."You're my teammate, Beast Boy and, as long as I have a say in it, always will be. We're cool." She added to dispel any more confusion.

"Oh, so you do care," Beast Boy raised both eyebrows in mock surprise though a content smile had long since plagued his face.

"Don't push it." Raven warned, narrowing her eyes.

Beast Boy smirked as he stood up and stretched up on his toes with his hands over his head while trying to stop an oncoming yawn. "Nothing wrong with a little humility, Rav'. I think I'm going to hit the hay now. See ya." He smiled before waving good-night and leaving Raven alone in the dark room.

The female shook her head, though the smallest of grins had found its way to her pale face as he took another glance out of the window at the lights of the city floating on the water's surface like a thin film. She found it weird she had never noticed how beautiful the city could look. She had devoted herself to saving a city but she rarely took time to appreciate it, or the people in it. Shaking her head, she opened her book and felt a sudden warmth on her face.

Staring back at her was a white rose.

Idiot…

Meanwhile Beast Boy laughed to himself, feeling ridiculous yet oddly humoured by his own wariness, realizing the silence between him and Raven wasn't rejection. It was comfort. They didn't need to say anything because they knew what the other was thinking. They were a breath of fresh air around each other, a chance to relax after the troubles of the day. They were a breath of fresh air to the other, a chance to see things they would other wise miss.

They were more than heroes gathered for a common goal.

They were a family.

And he wanted to do everything he could to make it last.

White: Silence, Secrecy, Reverence, Humility, Youthfulness, "I am worthy of you"

FIN. Sorry if it sucks XD I ran out of inspiration half way through but didn't want to wait for it to come back and I feel like they went OOC :/ If you read please review! :D