Just a few more.


Beastboy watched intently as Raven's hand, glowing with a dark aura, hovered over his wounded leg. The stinging sensation and pain was washed away by the cool glow and he found himself letting out a soft breath as she finished.

Even when he felt her eyes on him, he refused to look up from his once injured leg; not wanting to see the look of disapproval that he was sure she was giving him.

"You need to be more careful."

To anyone else the words would have sounded dull and uncaring, but Beastboy had trained himself to recognize the subtle emotions within her voice; and he could tell she was concerned.

He smiled, though only slightly.

"And miss this quality time together, Rae?" he asked, in a half joking manner.

She sighed.

"I'm serious." she stated. "This has been happening too much lately."

His smile slipped.

"Guess I'm just...tired." he replied softly.

There was a pause, in which she seemed to consider his words.

"Get some rest then." She told him; but there was something in her voice that he couldn't identify, something that caused him to look up.

Her back was turned to him now, making it impossible to try and decipher the emotion he had heard hidden in her words. She walked to the door, pausing when it swooshed open.

"Raven?"

He was surprised at how soft his voice was, and he wasn't sure if she had even heard him until she turned her head to the side in acknowledgment.

He smiled some. "Thanks."


He stifled a yawn as he sat down a few bags, and he couldn't help but think that shopping for the tower was an even bigger work out than fighting villains. His exhaustion,however, was put aside when he looked up at Raven; who Beastboy had volunteered to help, though she wasn't taking much notice of him now.

Her violet hair was pulled back into a small ponytail, several messy strains of hair sticking out in front and on the sides of her face. She used the back of her hand to wipe some sweat off her forehead and across her diamond chakra, and then let out a sigh. Her lovely violet eyes scanned the bags of groceries she had just helped carry in from the store and she frowned slightly at the work that still needed to be done. With a slight wave of one of her hands, the groceries were engulfed in dark energy, and each item was sent to it's designated spot. A satisfied smirk tugged at the corner of her lips and she placed her hands on her hips; pushing back her cloak and revealing the matching leotard underneath.

He wasn't sure if he was stupid or just too tired to care, but he couldn't help but let out a a soft 'wow'.

She looked up, self-conscious, though she tried to hide it.

"What?"

"Oh..uh..it's nothing," He blushed and turned his head away nervously.

Raven looked skeptical. "You sure?"

"Heh, yeah, it's just kinds stuffy in here," he tugged at his collar and looked back at her. "Don't you think? I mean, you look hot."

Before Raven could even respond, Beastboy began to panic.

"I mean you look like you're feeling hot, not that you look hot- No wait! you are hot just not...uh...," he groaned in embarrassment and looked away. "I'm just gonna go."

He turned, and quickly made his way out of the room, leaving a subtly blushing Raven behind.


Not many things took Raven by surprise, but when she walked into the living room and saw a mountain of books stacked on the counter, and Beastboy seated in front of them with several already open, she had to pause. It took her a moment to register the fact that Beastboy seemed to actually be reading them, as he was leaning over, brow furrowed in concentration and eyes darting back and forth across the pages.

"What are you doing?"

Since Beastboy had not yet noticed her, she had managed to gather herself enough to keep her voice emotionless; though a small hint of curiosity and disbelief could be detected.

Beastboy immediately straightened in his seat, and he turned his head around; his surprise slowly vanishing into an almost embarrassed smile.

"Um, ...reading."

If the roles had been reversed than this would have been a typical exchange between the two, but since that wasn't the case, Raven took a few steps forward and did not try to hide the confusion on her face.

"Why?"

Beastboy lowered his eyes to the ground.

"Well...I...um.."

"Lost another bet with Cyborg." Raven guessed; finding that to be the only logical explanation.

Beastboy looked back at her, surprised, and then blushed with indignity.

"No, I didn't." he stated, sounding almost insulted. "Just because I don't normally read doesn't mean I can't."

Raven was surprised at the reaction, since she wasn't use to hearing Beastboy get upset; although, she also wasn't use to seeing him read. She opened her mouth to respond, but Beastboy cut her off.

"Besides," he smiled some, trying to lighten the mood. "After that last time, I won't be making bets with Cyborg for awhile."

Raven gave a slight nod in response.

"So...why are you reading?" She asked again, trying to sound casual. "That's an awful lot of books."

"Oh..well," again he looked down. "You know how we're going to that art museum thing this weekend."

She gave another nod though Beastboy wasn't looking.

"Yes. As a security precaution for the new exhibits." She answered.

"Yeah, um," He still wouldn't look up. "I just figured, since we're gonna be going under cover, that I might want to brush up on some stuff."

"Oh."

Raven glanced at the pile of books on the counter, noticing for the first time that most of them were books about 'classical and modern arts'. She was surprised that Beastboy would consider going this far with such a simple assignment. Yes they were going undercover (which wasn't easy for Beastboy, who had to use an enhanced version of Cyborgs holo-ring), and though it didn't hurt to have some knowledge about the art that might be displayed, it wasn't necessary.

"I guess that's good." She stated, looking back at him. "But is there any particular reason you're taking this so serious?"

Beastboy lowered his head some, further hiding his face from her view.

"Well..," He fiddled nervously with his hand. "You know how we're suppose to pair up and everything..."

"Yes. Starfire with Robin, Cyborg with bumblebee, and me with you." Raven stated.

Beastboy nodded slightly.

"I just didn't want...I mean...," He paused, struggling for words. "Someone might ask us about...something, and I don't want to...not know."

"Are you worried you'll embarrass yourself?" She asked.

"No...it's not that." Beastboy replied, surprising her. "I just...don't want to embarrass you."

She blinked, not sure how to respond.

Beastboy raised his head to her and gave an almost sad smile.

"I know you kinda got stuck going as my date, Rae." he admitted. "And I know I get on your nerves a lot, but I really wanted to .."

he paused, looking unsure of his next words and lowering his head again.

"If people are going to think that we're...together...I want to be good enough for you." He replied, in almost a whisper."You deserve someone smart."

Raven felt faltered, and slightly overwhelmed. She wanted to speak, say something, but no words came, and Beastboy continued.

"I..I thought that I could at least pretend to be smart enough," he wasn't bothering to hide his frown when he looked up. "But if you want I could just keep quiet while we're there."

"Beastboy," Raven placed a hand on his shoulder. "You don't have to do that...or any of this" she gestured toward the books and then looked back at him. "This is just another assignment, and no one is even going to know who we are as long as we're in our disguises."

He smiled, but it was obviously fake. "Right"

"And Beastboy," she waited till he looked her in the eye before slowly pulling her hand back. "I don't think you're stupid, so please don't think that about yourself, okay?"

Beastboy blinked and he gave her a genuine smile.

"Really?" He asked. "So you think I'm smart?"

Raven was relieved by his usual happy tone and she graced him with a small smile and nod.

He grinned even more. "Really? How smart?"

Raven rolled her eyes and started to walk away.

"Aw, come on Raven," Beastboy whined. "Even if it's just a little bit, I think I deserve to know how smart you think I am."

Raven paused, her back still turned to him, and the next two words she said left Beastboy stunned. Even after he heard Raven walk away and the door swoosh closed behind her, he still wasn't sure how to respond.

"I..I thought that I could at least pretend to be smart enough,"

he turned back around to face an open book.

"I don't think you're stupid, so please don't think that about yourself, okay?"

He slowly closed the book shut and leaned back in his seat.

"So you think I'm smart?"

A hopeful smile tugged at the corners of his lip and he stared up at the ceiling, her words echoing in his head.

'Smart enough.'


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