AN: Nope, still don't own Teen Titans. Try again later!

Chapter 3: Talks and Walks

Raven sat at the table with the newspaper, a highlighter in her mouth. Today she was looking for a job. Beast Boy said that she really didn't need to get one, but she reminded him that she was planning on moving out and she would need to get money somehow.

While she searched through the wanted section of the paper, Beast Boy was thumbing through a car magazine. They had been in the new house for about four days and it was apparent that they needed a car. Or, Beast Boy needed a car, Raven was fine walking everywhere.

"Hey, Rae, what do you think about a Hummer?" asked Beast Boy.

"I think it's a man's way of crying for attention because his penis is too small," said Raven taking the highlighter out for a moment.

"Right, we'll skip that one then," he said with a grin and flipped the page. "Do you want a two door or a four door?"

"I don't care," said Raven. "It's your car, Gar."

"Nice rhyming skills," chuckled Beast Boy. "But I don't wanna get something you won't like."

"What does my liking of it have anything to do with it?" asked Raven as she highlighted a job. "I'm moving out of here as soon as I can, remember?"

"Oh yeah, I keep forgetting," he said and went back to the magazine. "But, can you at least give me your opinion when I ask you a question?"

"Sure," she said with the highlighter in her mouth. "But you should really start trusting your own instincts and not ask for a second opinion all of the time."

"I know, it's a problem," sighed Beast Boy dramatically. He threw the magazine aside and picked up another one. "What about a convertible?"

"They look cool when the roof is down, but when it's up they look weird," said Raven. "Besides, it's unsafe."

"True," he said and flipped the page. "Ooh! Can I get a motorcycle?"

"Absolutely not," said Raven plainly.

"But you said that I should get something that I want," said Beast Boy as he drooled over the motorcycle.

"Let me rephrase that," she said looking him right in the eye. "You can get whatever car you want."

"But Rae," he whined. "It's so cool!"

"I swear, you're like a child sometimes," she groaned. "Fine, get the damn motorcycle. I just want you to know that when you crash and they scrape your brains off of the pavement guess who they're going to contact first? Me. And I'll have the horrible duty of telling our friends that you're dead and they'll blame me for letting you get the motorcycle in the first place and then I'd have to deal with the grief of losing my best friend. I just want that to be resting on your conscience when you buy it."

"Okay, I won't get a motorcycle," he sighed and tuned the page of his magazine.

"Thank you," she said in a very appreciative voice.

"So, have you found any jobs yet?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Not many," she sighed. "You need experience to apply, but how am I supposed to get experience if they don't hire me?"

"Don't worry, you'll find something that suits you," said Beast Boy.

"What the hell could suit me?" she asked. "I don't have any talents that could be used in the real world. Like I said before, I'm useless."

"Uh uh, no more of this negative talk," said Beast Boy firmly shaking his head. "Right now I want you to say three positive things about yourself."

She just looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "Are you kidding?"

"No, I'm not kidding," he said. "Let's go, three positive things."

Raven sighed and began to search her brain. She couldn't think of a single thing. "Gar, this is stupid."

"Nope, don't say anything unless it's gonna be positive," he said quickly.

"Fine, I'm about to happily go up to my room because I like to be alone," she said with a fake smile and stood up. "Is that positive enough, for ya?" she asked, her face immediately frowning again.

"You want me to start?" he asked, standing up as well.

"No, I'd rather not listen to you gloat and brag about yourself, thank you," she said and began to leave the kitchen area.

"I was talking about you!" he called after her as well as followed. "I'll say something positive about you and then you say something positive about you."

"There aren't that many things," she said in her monotone voice.

"Come on, I can think of five off of the top of my head for you," he said with a smile. "Okay, so I'll start. You're really well read." Raven just stared at him. "It's your turn."

Raven gritted her teeth and closer her eyes, trying to think. "I'm… um… I'm healthy?"

"Good!" he said with a grin. "Now think of something else."

"That's all I've got," she said crossing her arms.

"Fine, I'll go again," he said quickly to keep her from retreating out of this little session. "You're funny."

"I'm funny?" she asked.

"Hell yeah!" he said smiling. "Whether you know it or not. Now you go again."

"Isn't that three things?" she asked.

"No, you have to think of three things on your own," he said. "You've already done one, just two more. Come on, it's easy. Think about what you really like about yourself."

"But I don't like myself," she said matter-of-factly.

"Then start liking yourself," he said in almost a Robin tone. "Now think of two more positive things about you."

Raven tapped her foot and tried to get her mind to work. She really had no experience with thinking positively. "I'm… I'm a friend. Is that a positive thing?"

"Of course it is!" he smiled. "See? It's easy, now think of one more."

"Why am I doing this again?" she asked, really confused as to how this all started.

"You're doing this to build up a little self-esteem," said Beast Boy. "Come on, one more! Just one more!"

"Fine," said Raven and she thought again. "I'm… I'm really good at listening."

"Awesome!" he said with a large smile. "Now whenever you think you're useless or that you have no purpose think of all of those positive things. In fact, you should write them down so you don't forget. Now no more negative, got it?"

"Got it," she said plainly. "Now can I go to my room?"

"Uh, sure, if you want," he said.

"Thank you," she said and headed up the stairs. She went into her room and felt relieved to be away from Beast Boy. He sure was persuasive when he wanted to be. She wasn't sure why she hadn't just teleported to her room before he could make her go through that. He just had a way of sucking her into things. She sat down at her desk and took out a notepad. She slowly began to write down the positive things she had said about herself, plus the two that Beat Boy had said.

She decided to meditate for a little while after that. Her mind was very confused with all of this positive thinking and she needed to calm it down. He really did know how to throw her off balance.

Beast Boy was lying on the couch flipping through the channels lazily. Raven had gone to her room two hours ago and he felt quite bored. As much as she refused to do anything that he considered to be fun, she was still nice company. He actually got a kick out of her dislike for all of the things he found to be great entertainment.

His ears picked up the sound of Ravens door opening and then closing. He knew she would float down the stairs, so he wouldn't hear her footsteps. He sat up and looked to the stairs exactly as she turned the corner. She was a little startled that he was looking right at her gave a small gasp.

"Do you have to do that every time I come downstairs?" she growled and tried to get her heartbeat back to normal.

"Yup," he smiled. "Whatcha up to?"

"I was going to make myself some tea," she said and headed over to the kitchen. "You?"

"I'm doing absolutely nothing," he sighed. "I'm so bored. Wanna do something?"

"Not really," she said.

"You wanna watch me do something?" he asked with a grin.

"Depends, what shall I be viewing you doing?" she asked as she put her teapot on the stove.

"Not sure," he shrugged. He thought for a little while and this gave Raven time to make her tea and sit next to him. "We could go for a walk."

"You want to take a walk?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "But you don't like to do anything considered exercise unless you're either saving the city or someone makes you."

"Yeah, but I'm not calling it exercise," said Beast Boy. "I'm calling it Gar and Rae time."

"We live in Gar and Rae time," she said trying to hide the fact that she thought the idea was actually kind of sweet.

"Do you wanna take a walk or not?" he asked standing up. "Cuz I'm going with or without you."

"Well, I'll be worried sick about you if I let you go alone," said Raven sipping her tea. "So I might as well come."

"Cool," said Beast Boy starting to stretch out. Old habit, he supposed, from all of the times they had stretched before training.

"Just let me finish my tea," said Raven.

"Okay," he said bending over and touching his toes. "Hey Rae?"

"Gar, it's Raven," she said sighing. "And what?"

"Why would you be nervous if I went alone?" he asked, giving his back a few good twists. "Do think I'll get kidnapped or something?"

"Well… no," she said. "I just get these bad feelings whenever I'm alone. So I always think something bad is about to happen."

"So, you don't think I'm weak and won't be able to protect myself?" he asked with his arms crossed above his head.

"No," she said shaking her head. "I haven't been nervous about that for about two years now." She gave him a smirk and finished her tea. "Well, I'm going to grab my ring and we can go."

"Oh, that's right," he said following her. "I need to grab mine, too. Do you know I almost went outside today without it on? Thank God I remembered at the last moment."

"We're not used to hiding who we are," said Raven simply. "Well, you're certainly not, at least."

"Hey, I used to wear a mask to hide my secret identity," said Beast Boy as they both climbed up the stairs. "Of course, you're the one who pointed out the fact that I was green and that it didn't matter."

The two separated, went to their rooms, and came out completely different people. They joined at the top of the stairs and made their way back downstairs and left.

"How did you find this house, anyway?" asked Raven as they left the driveway and walked down the sidewalk.

"Well, while you were all in denial in you room, I was busy," said Beast Boy with a smirk. "I've seen like fourteen houses and this was the best one all around."

"It is really nice and I like the neighborhood," said Raven. "It's quiet."

"Yeah, it's a real change from the city," said Beast Boy.

"I'm really going to hate having to move," said Raven.

"Well, I'm not forcing you out anytime soon," said Beast Boy smiling. "Stay as long as you want."

"I don't like taking advantage of you," said Raven.

"You're not taking advantage of me!" said Beast Boy. "At this point, I'm practically forcing you to take my generosity."

"But that's just it," said Raven. "You're the one always helping me, making me feel better, and trying to make me happy. I don't do nearly enough for you as you do for me."

"Well, I don't ask all that much of you," said Beast Boy. "Besides, I like taking care of you."

"Well I don't," said Raven. "I feel like I'm using you, and I don't want to do that."

"Rae, I know what it feels like to be used," he said softly. "And, trust me, you're not using me. If you were, I probably would have said something and then you would've gotten mad at me and then we wouldn't be friends."

"Please don't tell me that you're letting me use you because you don't want me getting mad," she said looking down as they walked.

"Again, you're not using me," said Beast Boy. "And, no, I don't care if you get mad at me. I'm used to it by now."

"I'm sorry that I get mad at you all the time," said Raven. "But, in my defense, you do get on my nerves a lot."

"Well, I'm sorry for that," he said wrapping his arm around her.

"You're touching me," she said in a monotone voice. Somehow, it was scarier when she spoke monotone then when she yelled.

"Yeah, I know," he said holding her closer against his side.

"You sure do push your luck, you know that?" she asked looking at him.

"What can I say?" he said. "I'm a risk taker."

"And someday it's going to get you into trouble," said Raven.

"Not as long as I've got you looking out for me," said Beast Boy.

"Well, I won't always be there to look out for you, Gar," said Raven. "We've all got to grow up eventually."

"Not if we try hard enough," said Beast Boy in a very sweet voice. He had a small smile on his face and was looking out ahead. Raven looked up at him for a moment, and then felt herself smile slightly as well. She wasn't sure how, but sometimes Beast Boy had an almost wise way about him.