"We need to get out of the Tower," Garfield announces as soon as the doors to the common room open. Nightwing stands up from the kitchen table, surrounded by a million police reports. His hand is already hovering over his bo-staff.
"What's going on?" he asks, spreading his legs, probably preparing to shoulder the weight of a briefing on yet another criminal.
"Jesus dude, how are you this stressed out but in such good shape? Do you even sleep?" Garfield asks, strolling past his teammates and grabbing a granola bar from the cabinet. He props himself on the counter, taking a huge bite of his snack. When the Titans' leader realizes they aren't in immediate danger he relaxes slightly, rolling his eyes at his green teammate. He sits back down, picking up one of his reports again.
Garfield jumps off the counter, granola bar in one hand, and snatches the report out of his leader's hand.
"Seriously?" Nightwing asks, blinking up at the changeling, eye twitching. Garfield nods.
"Yes seriously. Look at us," he says, jutting his chin towards his other teammates. Raven's eyes are just barely coming up over her book. Starfire is stroking Silkie absentmindedly. Cyborg is surrounded by thousands of tiny pieces from the sound system he's taken apart thirty times this week. "We look like a pack of stale soda crackers."
"Just because you've decided to live your life on the precipice doesn't mean we're living wrong," Raven says, not sparing him a glance. "We're relaxing."
He rolls his eyes, tossing his wrapper in the trash.
"Relaxing? This is relaxing?" Garfield asks, leaning over the back of Nightwing's chair and scooping up all the papers he has spread out in front of him.
"Those were in chronological order!"
"Who even does this shit on paper anymore?" Garfield asks.
"Computer screens hurt my eyes sometimes," Nightwing says, crossing his arms over his chest. Garfield stares at the back of his leader's head, sandwiching the bridge of his nose between his two fingertips.
"You're literally an eighty year old man."
The changeling quickly transforms into a hummingbird and flies towards Raven. He hasn't even fully transformed back into a human before the book she's reading is snatched out of her hands. He dog ears the page she's on.
"Do you have a death wish?" she asks, reaching for her book. He holds it above his head, using his height to his advantage. "I can levitate you idiot." She lifts herself off the ground, making them eye to eye.
"You've been reading this book for two weeks," Garfield says, causing Raven to drop back down on her feet in surprise.
"What?" she asks, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear.
"You've been reading this book for the past two weeks."
"...so?"
Garfield turns her palms up and gently lays the book back in her hands. He looks down at her.
"It takes you two, maybe three days on average to read a book. Two weeks?" he asks, tilting his head. Raven shuffles her feet.
"It's...it's a hard book."
Garfield sucks his lips into his mouth.
"I've seen you gobble up full length texts written in five, no actually...six different languages," he says, holding up six fingers. Raven rolls her eyes.
"So the book's taking longer than usual? What's your point?"
"My point is that you are stressed out," Garfield says, not missing a beat. Raven's mouth falls open. The changeling looks at Cyborg and Starfire. "We all are."
"Man, we've been stressed out before. It's not exactly a new part of the job," Cyborg says.
"Being a superhero is a job and just like any other job, we can get burnout," Garfield says, repeating old advice Irma gave him. "Look guys, we can't be Titans every hour of every day."
"We can't exactly not be either," Raven says, resuming her seat and opening her book. Garfield kneels in front of her, using his hands to cup the hands she's holding her book open with. He shuts it again.
"Can't we?" he asks, eyebrow arched. He briefly registers how small and cold her hands feel in his before moving away from her and slowly rising to his feet. He looks to his other teammates.
"I'm not saying we abandon the city but don't you think it's kind of big headed of us to think that we are the only ones who can possibly save the day?"
"This isn't the right time to take a day off," Nightwing says, already shuffling his papers back in order.
"We have no clue where Wrath is. Of our two detainees, one is eight and the other is surrounded by walls Trigon would struggle penetrating. Even if Jacob could somehow singlehandedly get past them, Cyborg has tested those power cancelling cuffs on Raven herself. We don't need to be here. What we do need though is a good, warm meal in our stomachs and fresh air," Garfield says, a feeling in his chest straining and stretching.
"Leaving the Tower defenseless at this time is a gross underestimation of the tenacity of-"
"I would enjoy some fresh air," Starfire says while standing up, effectively cutting off their leader. Garfield is surprised to see her eyes shine like emeralds as they grow wet with tears. He sends her a soft smile, putting his hand on one of her shoulders. "I would really really enjoy some fresh air," she mumbles again, her voice slightly warbly.
Nightwing takes a step towards his girlfriend, reaching one hand out to her. Then the Titans' leader stops as if he'd just come in contact with a cement wall. His shoulders deflate a little. "Some fresh air," Nightwing repeats dumbly, nodding a few times.
"Well, this is boring," Cyborg tells the team, tossing his screwdriver over his shoulder. Raven looks at Nightwing whose lips are pursed as he looks out the window.
"I'm going to stay here," she says, digging herself deeper into the sofa and curling her fingers tightly around the edges of her closed book. She looks down at her lap. Garfield frowns, kneeling in front of her again. He looks down to where her fingers are tightly clutching her book and looks back up.
"Raven," he says, his voice so soft and scratchy it reminds her of when they were sixteen. The sorceress looks up. "No one's going to get hurt if you step away for two hours."
A big breath escapes her lungs; her lips and brows don't twitch but to the changeling she looks so hesitant and small that he considers taking back his suggestion and curling up as a kitten on her lap. He watches as she pulls the edge of her bottom lip into her mouth. The sorceress drops her eyes from his again. He feels himself losing this battle so he does what he usually does when he feels like he's losing. Fills up as much space as he can; desperately trying to make sure his presence isn't forgotten.
"If anything happens, I'll let you put blonde highlights in my hair for my next movie," he jokes, bending his body closer to hers and tilting his chin up so that he can catch her eyes again. "Okay?" he asks, his fang poking through the soft smile he sends her. His eyes are so open and honest that they tear right through her. She scans his face and she really has every intention of saying 'no.' She can feel it on her tongue. On her shoulders.
"...okay," she mumbles reluctantly, surprising them both. He jumps to his feet- Raven might have even seen a bounce or two- throwing a victorious fist in the air.
"Yes! I know exactly where we can go!"
"Comé ay-stas Señora Cuadrado?" Garfield asks, the words tangling awkwardly on his tongue. A short, curvy woman with white hair peppering her sideburns attempts to contain her laughter behind her close lipped smile. The happy wrinkles around the corner of her eyes are like a paper that has been folded along the same line multiple times.
"You're getting there Changeling," the woman says, tapping his cheek. Garfield's cheeks turn brown but his smile is still easy and genuine. Ms. Cuadrado looks behind him at the rest of the Titans members.
"I am so sorry ma'am. Changeling did not tell us you were closed for the day," Nightwing says, reaching out his hand to greet Ms. Cuadrado. He glares at his teammate, stressed by how often the shapeshifting hero crosses people's boundaries. The woman moves forward to shake their leader's hand.
"We're only closed to the public. I've been trying to get Garfield in this restaurant for a family dinner for the past two years," Ms. Cuadrado says. Her eyes linger on Raven; her smile quiets down a little. The cross on her neck glints in the low lighting of the restaurant. Raven's too far away to get a read on the woman; she closes her cloak tight over her body.
"Family dinner?" Starfire asks, politely interjecting. Ms. Cuadrado wiggles her eyebrows at the alien.
"Yes. Family," the woman says through a laugh. "Come join us."
Ms. Cuadrado turns around, walking towards the stairs to the upper level of the restaurant. Garfield looks at his out-of-place teammates and grins, bouncing on the balls of his feet. Raven thinks he might vibrate out of his body.
"C'mon guys," Garfield says, grabbing Cyborg's elbow and dragging him to the stairs excitedly. Nightwing turns to Starfire, one corner of his lips turned up. She sends him a hesitant smile in return. He reaches out his palm. Raven feels his nervousness thrumming through her body like a tight rubber band that's been plucked. After a few painfully long moments, Starfire intertwines her fingers with his and they follow their teammates hand in hand.
Raven hovers behind them, wondering if she should head out or not. She wasn't expecting other people. She stares at the door...even takes a few steps towards it. Then Changeling is suddenly materializing before her. His hands land on either side of her arms. She lets out a surprised chirp.
"Sorry! Sorry!" he says, panting. He's rubbing up and down her arms which normally would have gotten anyone else punched in the face but strangely enough, it does quiet the thumping in her chest. "I forgot how you get around crowds. We can leave."
"What?" Raven asks, her lips parting. Garfield nods.
"Yeah, we can go...if it's too much."
"But you- we?" Raven asks, pressing her lips together tightly. Garfield nods, practically throwing his whole body into it.
"You're not staying at home alone Rae. I'll come with," Garfield says, already turning towards the door. She grabs his arm before he does. He turns to her, eyebrows crinkled.
"How-" she clears her throat. "How many people are up there?"
"About ten but listen Rae, I shouldn't have pressured you if you are going to be more comfortable at-"
"I'd like to meet them," Raven says, sucking her bottom lip into her mouth. Garfield's eyes widen.
"Rae seriously, you don't have to do this for me."
"...I'd like to have fun," Raven mumbles. Gar blinks a couple of times, his agape mouth melting into a huge, gooey, smile. He pats her arms, leaning in close.
"These people are the most fun, " Garfield whispers like it's a secret. The corners of the sorceress' lips turn up slightly. Garfield notices the slight change in her face; his smile grows so big in return that his eyes are swallowed up by his cheeks.
"Come on!" Garfield shouts, holding out his hand. He barely waits for her to grab his hand before they are practically flying up the stairs. Garfield turns to Raven when they get to the top of the stairs, checking for her reaction before she can even see what she's looking at. As if there was any way she could feel anything else but his bubbling excitement in her chest.
She pulls her eyes from the golden boy in front of her to take in the scenery behind him. There are fresh flowers everywhere of various colors. String lights hang from the ceiling. Pictures of strong Latinx figures are on every wall. Spanish music plays softly in the background. Raven can smell the tomatoes and paprika in the air. A few guests look at the pair when they walk in but most are too enthralled in their conversations with each other or the other team members. Kids twirl around the gaps their parent's legs make, their arms slicing the air.
"It's beautiful," Raven says. She's happy that she means it because she knows it's exactly what Garfield wants to hear. He beams at her.
"I knew you'd like it!" he exclaims, grabbing her hand again and racing over to the table of food. "You should try the empanadias. Some people call them empanadas but Ms. Cuadrado says that's not right. Or no! The rice? No, wait, I know! You'd love this-" Garfield says, holding a spoon of a thick brown paste towards her mouth. She moves her head back, blinking. He pushes the spoon forward more, opening his mouth as if he was the one accepting the food. He urges her to taste. She hesitates before slowly wrapping her lips around the paste. She shuts her eyes when little explosions of paprika, garlic and oregano pop in her.
"Wow," she mumbles, opening her eyes slowly.
"I know right!" Garfield exclaims. "Here-" he says, scooping another large spoonful and holding it out to her. She looks down at the spoon and then back at him.
"I can...feed myself," she says, reaching for the spoon. A brown tint crawls up Garfield's neck and cheeks.
"Right," he squeaks, handing her the plate. "Sorry, just got excited."
She can't help it when a giggle bubbles out of her lip. Garfield's eyes widen. Hers do too.
She distracts herself with another bite of the delicious paste.
"Pastele," Ms. Cuadrado says, coming up to the pair. Raven looks at her. "Like a plantain paste."
Raven swallows, nodding. She briefly considers reading the restaurant owner's emotions now that she's closer but she knows she has to keep her guard up if she was going to survive being this close to this many people at once.
"It's delicious," Raven says, suddenly feeling her shoulders tighten uncomfortably. She moves a strand of hair behind her ear. The older woman smiles at her.
"Thank you," she says, bowing her head. Raven's tongue feels a little heavy, unsure of what to say now. Despite an extensive vocabulary, she isn't a stunning conversationalist. Garfield puts a hand on one of his friend's shoulders, sending her an encouraging smile. She clears her throat, playing with the food on her plate with her spoon for a few seconds.
"How do you know Changeling?" Raven asks, looking up at the cross on the woman's neck again and shuffling her feet nervously.
"I catered a movie he was working on. He was the only one that would talk to me-"
"Now hold on! You were the only one who talked to me!" Garfield says, throwing his arm around the much shorter woman. She grins up at him, playfully pushing him away. The changeling looks at his teammate. "It was one of my first movies."
"I think the unknown old Latina had a little bit more trouble making friends than the superhero turned superstar."
"Hey it's not easy for the green dudes either," Garfield jokes, throwing his hands up. Ms. Cuadrado's smile melts to a much softer, much more open look. She puts one hand on Garfield's cheek. The shapeshifter quiets his huge smile to fit the more serious tone Ms. Cuadrado was setting.
"Ay niño. With that smile? That heart? You still don't understand the impact you have on people," Ms. Cuadrado whispers, almost as if she's casting a spell. She lets her fingers linger on the man's warming face. Garfield smirks. Even through her emotional barrier Raven can feel how those words land in his heart. She feels her own eyes start stinging so she looks down at her plate. Garfield puts his hand over the older woman's hand.
"Thank you," he whispers, tapping the woman's hand with his own.
"You too," Ms. Cuadrado says, suddenly turning to Raven. Raven's head snaps up.
"What?" she asks, her mouth hanging open. Ms. Cuadrado smiles at her patiently. "You don't know me."
Raven clenches her eyes. Was that a rude response?
"Sorry," she mumbles.
Ms. Cuadrado laughs, moving away from Garfield and putting a hand on Raven's shoulder.
"I know enough. Enjoy your food," Ms. Cuadrado says, walking away. Raven cringes.
"Relax Rae," Garfield says, rubbing her back. "She likes you. She liked you before she met you."
The half demon takes a bite of her food so she doesn't have to respond.
The hours pass with laughter, dancing, and good food. Starfire asks Nightwing to dance a couple songs. She moves gracefully and he tries not to look like a calf. Garfield, unsurprisingly, is the life of the party, dancing goofily between family members, playing with the kids, and singing karaoke in broken Spanish. Cyborg eats enough food to put the place out of business. Raven attempts conversation a few times but finds herself comfortably on the edges of the gathering like always. Her teammates stop by to talk to her throughout the night. Garfield shoves about twelve different dishes her way to try. All of which are delicious and welcomed.
Now she stands on the balcony outside the restaurant. Her stomach is full. The music and chatter is muffled by the closed glass door behind her. Her fingers are wrapped around the hot mug of green tea Ms. Cuadrado graciously gave her. The sorceress closes her eyes, lifting the mug to her lips and inhaling the scent. She rubs the rim of the cup against her lips. Cars whirl by on the street below her. It's an unusually clear night, the stars prominent in the sky.
She notices movement from the corner of her eyes and lowers her mug. Garfield takes a seat next to her. He looks up at the sky himself, his chest expanding as he takes in a deep breath.
"This was a great idea," Raven says, taking a sip of her tea. Garfield smirks slowly, closing his eyes and humming.
They sit there for five (ten? maybe thirty?) minutes in silence with the moon above them.
Both teammates are unaware that the other is just as scared to measure just how comfortable they are.
"Friend Raven!" Starfire squeals, causing both of her teammates to jump out their quiet stupor. The alien pushes forward enthusiastically, practically twirling in the air. She's dragging a man behind her which would have been impressive if it were anyone else considering the man was at least 6 feet tall. But this was Starfire. The man looks uncomfortable, his eyes darting around until they settle on Garfield.
"What's up man?" the man asks, holding his hand out to Garfield. The changeling grabs the man's hand and they swing their other arms around each other in a loose embrace.
"Nothing much bro. Just tryna give my feet a break," Garfield jokes. The man laughs, his dimples showing.
"Yeah man that's legit, these Puerto Rican parties don't end until the sun comes up." The men throw their heads back in laughter, making small talk. Starfire bounces on the balls of her feet, her eyes darting impatiently between Raven and the unintroduced man. Raven narrows her eyes at her orange friend.
Raven watches as Starfire visibly tries to hold her tongue, waiting for a polite moment to interject. She looks like she's about to take off like a rocket. Finally, the alien gives up.
"Friend Raven!" Starfire says, a little more loudly than normal. Both the men stop their conversation and turn their heads to the pair of ladies. "Have you met my new friend Augustine?"
Oh Azar. Raven glares at the red-headed woman, realizing her motivations immediately. Not wanting to come off rude, the half demon looks at her guest and sends him a small, albeit tight, smile. He seems to understand Starfire's motivations too, seeing as how his face turns an embarrassing shade of red.
"I saw him inside but we haven't been formally introduced," Raven says, holding her hand out to the man. He gently grabs her hand, shaking it a couple of times.
"I'm Augustine," the man says, then clenches his eyes tightly, sucking his lips into his mouth. "...and Starfire already said that...okay…"
Raven looks away from the stranger, wanting to make him feel more comfortable. She makes eye contact with Garfield whose lips are uncharacteristically straight. He smiles at her when he notices she's looking but something's off about it. Maybe she's reading into it.
After a reasonable amount of time she looks at Augustine again who seems to be trying to rub the nerves out of his neck.
"My new friend Augustine is Ms. Cuadrado's progeny," Starfire jumps in. Augustine nods, smiling softly.
"...that's nice," Raven says, bringing her mug to her lips.
"Indeed it is. What a splendid family to be a part of? Don't you think, friend Raven?"
Raven chokes on her tea. Garfield there to pat her back instantly.
"Yes. A splendid family," Raven repeats.
"I'm sorry to bother you," Augustine says, finally finding his tongue. Raven shakes her head.
"Please no, after all your hospitality, it's no bother at all."
"I just...wanted to say thank you," Augustine says, looking down at his feet. His curly hair covering his hazel eyes. Raven places her mug on the patio table next to her.
"Thank you?"
Augustine looks up again, running his thumb between his index and middle finger.
"...yeah. Um you probably don't remember me. From before the party I mean," Augustine stutters, looking at Raven for confirmation. She shakes her head.
"Right," he says, nodding a few times. "You...um….well-"
Augustine pauses and suddenly he's chuckling. He looks at her face, pulling himself to stand straighter. His eyes twinkle with such unbridled wonder that she has to lean back in her seat.
"You healed me," Augustine says, smacking his lips a few times. "Actually those aren't the right words. You saved my life."
Raven squints.
She liked you before she even knew you.
She turns her head to Garfield whose smile is as soft as the low lighting around them. Raven looks at Augustine.
"I...sorry, I didn't know," Raven stumbles. The man smirks, scratching his ear.
"I know," he says, nodding softly. Augustine doesn't blink when he looks at her, his entire aura still bathed in amazement. Raven feels her face grow hot, pulling a strand of hair behind her ear. Augustine holds his hand out again. She looks at it, before taking it in her own.
"I just wanted you to know," the man says.
Raven's eyes widen when he runs his thumb over her knuckles. The man pulls away, heading back to his family.
Once he's out of sight, Starfire lets out a squeal so intense that Raven has to put one hand on her ear.
"Friend Raven, he is most handsome and very clearly enamored with you!" Starfire exclaims. Raven stands up, placing a hand over Starfire's lips.
"Shhh, Starfire! Jesus, he just got through the door!" Raven says, her eyes darting between her friend and the door. Starfire licks her hand.
"Ew, what the hell Kori," Raven says, rubbing her hand on her cloak.
"It would hurt me immensely if that miserable dragon was the only experience you ever had," Starfire says. Raven's eyes dart around, always taken aback by the alien's honesty.
"Kori...he's got stars in his eyes 'cause I helped him in a tricky situation. He isn't experiencing real affection for me," Raven explains. Starfire rolls her eyes.
"You always find your way out of vulnerability."
Raven's mouth falls open with a huff. She looks at Changeling who has been quiet this entire time.
"Aren't you going to say something?" Raven asks. Garfield stares at her for a few beats, folding his hands over his stomach.
"What would you like me to say?" the changeling asks. Whereas he has a tendency to practically sing any other time he talks, this question comes out in an even, steady pitch. Raven's eyebrows crinkle.
"I...well nothing I guess," she says, shaking her head.
"Come! Come! Let's talk to him some more before he leaves!" Starfire says, dragging Raven away. Raven looks back at the smoke coming off her tea mug and the back of Garfield's head.
She doesn't understand why it feels like she's yearning for something the minute she steps through the door.