For the most part, Raven preferred remaining indoors when attempting to relax. There were far too many variables in the outside world which precluded sound, relaxing meditation. Granted, the inverse of that statement was true, at least in the space where Raven lived, but she figured she could hurl any of those potential annoyances away with a thought and be morally justified. It was spring, the temperature struck a balance between warm and cool that Raven appreciated, the morning birds provided a calming background chorus, and the rest of her compatriots were still asleep, so she assumed she would be able to acquire a decent helping of sun-assisted meditation before the day truly began.
Her plans were foiled, however, by the arrival of her green-skinned teammate still decked out in his sleep wear.
"Beautiful day, Rae." Predictably, he was as chipper as ever
"Morning, Beast Boy." Raven responded to Beast Boy's greeting with her typical desert-dry monotone. Curiously, she could feel her back arch slightly and her muscles tense up as Beast Boy settled in a spot close to her.
"Really?"
Raven arched her eyebrow slightly and shot him a glare. "Really what?"
"Just 'morning'? Not even 'good' morning? C'mon Rae, why you gotta be like that?"
Raven let out a small sigh as she struggled mightily to continue her meditation in peace. "I fail to see how this day is distinguished from other, extremely similar days."
Beast Boy shifted his body to speak directly to her. "I think it's a beautiful day. Think about it; crime is at an all-time low, every supervillain the cops can't handle is either in jail or long gone, I get to spend time with you, the weather is amazing, and the world didn't suddenly end apropos of nothing. I call that a beautiful day." As Beast Boy hoped, he noted that a slight dash of red appeared on Raven's face when he just so happen to offhandedly mention the whole 'spending time with you' thing. She shifted her face away slightly to hide it from his eyes.
"I suppose when you put it in those terms, it is a somewhat exceptional day."
Her face didn't show it, but Beast Boy knew his comments made Raven a bit happy. He held his body up with his hands and he let his legs swing over the edge of the tower as the two settled into a comfortable silence. That was one of the many things Beast Boy loved about their relationship; they could simply remain in each other's company in total silence without feeling awkward or uncomfortable. Beast Boy loved all of his comrades, but he enjoyed his relationship with Raven most of all. He could be completely opaque with her.
"Wait, is that the right word?" Beast Boy pondered if opaque meant visible or invisible, because he and Raven were totally transparent with each other, for the most part.
"Hey Rae, what does opaque mean?"
Without shifting her body or opening her eyes, Raven responded. "Something that you can't see-through."
A defeated look over took Beast Boy's face. "Oh. I totally used that word wrong" He held his arms to his chest in shame.
"It's good to see that your grasp of seventh grade vocabulary is up to standard."
Beast Boy rolled his eyes fondly as the two continued their mutual agreement to take it easy. As he was thinking previously, he loved simply being able to have an audience with Raven as she was meditating. There was something….nice about it. She was under so much pressure in so many ways, and she deserved to be happy. Something about the beauty of the day, the relaxing temperature, and the angle of the sun filled him with a sense of urgency. He wasn't quite sure why, but he had to ask Raven something extremely important.
"Rae, are you happy?"
Beast Boy immediately regretted his decision as Raven abandoned her attempt at meditation and shifted over to face him. After preparing himself to be hurled into the river, he relaxed slightly as he noticed something odd; the expression on Raven's face had softened, an incredibly rare occurrence, particularly for Beast Boy. "I'm not sure I understand."
Beast Boy clamped his fingers together as he attempted to muster up a follow-up to his bizarre query. "Well, I just, I mean, I wanted to know if you're happy. Like, right now," He held his hands out as if he was trying to sell her something. "Like, are you happy in general? That's was what I was asking."
Raven's mouth arched into a slight grin. "Yes, despite your best efforts, I am happy. As you said, crime is at a minimum, we have our health, and the weather is quite nice."
Satisfied, Beast Boy's toothy grin returned. "Good, because you deserve to be happy." Again, Beast Boy was delighted by Raven's blush. For Beast Boy, seeing Raven smile, laugh, or blush was like eating potato chips; he could never have just one bite. Beast Boy wanted more and more because, as he said, Raven deserved all the happiness in the world Beast Boy could give her, and maybe a little bit more than that.
"Raven," For some peculiar reason, Beast Boy employed her full codename. "Do you like me?"
Beast Boy found that Raven's reaction to his inquiry was comparable to a character in a scary movie encountering the serial killer in a dark alley. "Excuse me?"
It was Beast Boy's turn to experience a fierce blush as he fully comprehended the mortifying nature of his folly. "Gah, I mean, like, not like that, but do you like, like me?" He held up his hands in a preemptive defense. "Like, as a teammate?"
It took several interminable seconds of silence for Raven to respond. "Yes, Beast Boy, in spite of how much you drive me up a wall, I do like you."
Testing his luck, Beast Boy shuffled even closer to Raven. He was about to perform the most dangerous task of his superhero career, bar none. He played with his hands to mollify his mounting anxiety. "But I mean, do you actually like me? I mean, I guess you're obligated to like me because we're teammates and you just sort of tolerate me," He let the words hang in the air for a few seconds before continuing. Raven made no sign of activity. "Do you actually like me, Raven?"
Raven met Beast Boy's eyes, her face practically burning. "I…I do like you Beast Boy. I do," She played with a lock of her hair, a habit Beast Boy found positively adorable. "It's just…"
Beast Boy leaned forward ever so slightly, curiosity racking his mind. "Just what?"
Raven's mouth attempted to act, but she remained ramrod stiff until she hurled her hands forward, gripped Beast Boy by the lapels of his shirt, and crashed her lips sloppily against his. Beast Boy's eyes shot up in surprise as his mind attempted to wrap itself around the situation, eventually decreeing that his body should simply enjoy the sensation of kissing a beautiful woman. He pondered if the scorching heat on his face came from his face or Raven's, concluding that it was a little bit of both. Eventually, the two broke away from their awkward, slapdash, impromptu kissing session.
"Wow," Beast Boy said after several seconds of looking into Raven's curious eyes. "It really is a beautiful day."
Raven's face exploded into a full-on smile as she indulged in holding her arms around Beast Boy's neck. Even a pessimist like Raven had to concede that it was indeed a beautiful day, and she wasn't going to allow it, the fluttering in her stomach, or her love for Beast Boy to ever get away.