I don't own the characters, they are property of DC and Warner Bros.

A short, if late, fluffy chapter for a bit of recovery.

We hope you enjoy what we have been cooking up...

Chapter 9

Things fell back into the normal routine after the League had left, or so they appeared on the surface. As far as the other Titans were concerned, Raven was meditating in her room as normal and Beast Boy was doing his flights. What they didn't realise was that the couple had been spending less time together, trying to deal with the new issues that had hit them lately.

Raven started to look more healthy after a week or so, Cyborg kept making all her favourite foods to help her recover quicker. Beyond the odd time it felt like his skin was itchy, Beast Boy had fully recovered within a couple of days; largely thanks to Raven pouring all her healing magic into him.

He still hid in her lap when she read, they didn't avoid each other, but Raven had asked for time to get her mind in order. Specifically Anger, who was still livid about what Grodd had done.

Since then, they had stuck to their routine, stopped the odd crime as it happened, which had been small scale and without a single villain; all while licking their physical and emotional wounds.

On the ninth day since Raven had woken up, he came across her laid on the roof, staring at the sky in contemplation; BB Jr curled up around her neck. Concerned and knowing it couldn't have been comfortable, he sat down next to her and just waited in silence.

"Are we bad people?" he heard her whisper after several minutes, turning to face her in shock and denying it. "I nearly killed him BB, when I saw what he had done to you, I nearly tore him to pieces, lost control in seconds..." He wasn't quite sure from the angle he was sitting, but he could have sworn she looked ready to cry.

"But you didn't" he reassured her, taking her hand in his and squeezing gently. You saved me, again, plus the whole city. You took down a villain who has given the league trouble and you saved me for a second time that day when the beast threatened to break free." Seeing her uncertainty, he gave her one of his trademark grins. "What do you call a can opener that doesn't work?"

"I… what?"

"A can't opener!" he declared, proud of himself when her mouth upturned slightly. It also sounded like Happy had fallen off her chair or something, mental link was a bit fuzzy. "I sold my vacuum the other day, all it was doing was collecting dust!" he rolled into the next one as Raven stared at him in disbelief. "What did the fish say when he swam into a wall? DAM!" he exclaimed, giggling to himself.

Raven facepalmed, groaning at the terrible jokes, but still smiling softly. "What are you doing?" she asked, her hand still covering her eyes.

"A bad person wouldn't have laughed at my amazing jokes" Beast Boy told her with absolute confidence, grinning wider when she removed her hand and looked up at him. Her guard lowered, she blinked when his concern and adoration hit her.

"You really do think of things in the simplest of terms," she replied in her monotone voice as she sat up, BB Jr waking up and leaping clear when he sensed her stirring. "But what's this about the Beast?"

"Oh, right, you were asleep for that part. Grodd gave me a concoction to form me to grow as big as I did when he was… controlling me. It also let the Beast out as a side effect, without your healing he might well have escaped again. He took one look at you and didn't want to mess with us!" He finished the last part with another grin, pausing when she grabbed the material of his suit in her hands and rested her forehead against his shoulder.

"It came back, then ran away from me in fear?" she whispered, too distracted to complain when he wrapped both arms around her and pulled her close.

"No Rae, nothing like that, he ran because he's always got less power when you're around. You always make things quieter and more peaceful, as I know I can rely on you if I need to, and you're the most amazing person I know. You've been putting up with this way longer than I have, so if you can do it, then so can I." The last few words whispered into her hair, as he nuzzled and held her there until her tears had passed and she had regained her composure.

"You…. daft boy" she whispered, he could feel the smile though, so he didn't take offense.

They sat there together, wrapped in the embrace, for a while longer, before Raven remembered the other thing she had wanted to ask before he had mentioned the Beast.

"Didn't I destroy that joke book, where are you getting these new ones from?
"Oh I found them online!" Beast Boy happily pulled out his phone to show her, before he caught the glint in her eye.

"The internet must be… destroyed" she growled, her soul self gathering around her.

"Rae, you can't destroy the whole internet…"

"Watch me!"
"But… it has lots of cute cat videos!"

"...Tell me more"

She was left with his phone, to browse youtube for cat videos, while he went to fetch her some tea and that cushion she had purchased…

"Oh crap, Starfire!"

"Coming!" was the reply Raven got when she knocked on her teammates door, though there was an odd squeak too. "Friend Raven, what can I do for you?" she said when she opened the door, looking slightly flustered.

"I found the cushion again, there is no need for the 'trip to the mall of shopping'. Enjoy" Raven told her, thrusting the item into Starfire's arms, who was ecstatic at how comfy it was, promising to try it out as Raven turned to leave. Teleporting back to the roof, Raven did however smirk at the hint of what she had interrupted.

When Beast Boy returned, he was slightly thrown by how easily she agreed to sit and let him fuss over her, before they settled down to watch the sunset together. He thinks I saved him, but he's saved me too, she thought to herself, as she rested her head on his shoulder and they enjoyed the peace together.

Making sure no one was likely to intrude on them, when she finished her tea and put it aside, she climbed onto his lap. Wrapping her arms around him and nuzzling his neck and shoulder, when she sensed him wanting to ask, she just told him not to question it and hold her while she was still interested. It felt odd at first to have their roles reversed, but Beast Boy resisted the urge to try scratching her head and just held her, as she settled comfortably against him.

Despite his earlier words, when she woke up that night in her bed, she knew it was more than her own dreams. When he answered his door, he was not entirely awake after her knocking, but trying to hide how badly the nightmare had been. He was still stood at the door in shock, when she had floated past him and curled up in his bed and staring at him until he locked the door and joined her.

Curled up together for the first time in over two weeks, they fell into a deep and peaceful sleep curled up together, as they kept each other's nightmares away.