A/N: Teen Titans and its associated characters are property of DC Comics.

It's probably too late to back out this job, right? Raven wondered, knowing that no response would come, besides her own disgruntled thoughts. She let out a quiet sigh. Even if she wanted to, she knew this teaching assistant position was too valuable to give up. This and her other job working at the on-campus library were the only things paying her rent. Raven just had to suck it up through material she already learned, a lecture hall with too many people for her liking, and a clock that made snails look like Olympic sprinters.

For two semesters. Two whole semesters. Is the clock running out of power?

She took a moment to survey the room through her peripheral. Most of the students in the front were diligently taking notes. Raven was glad about this, not because she cared about the general education of other students, but because it gave her some hope that she wouldn't have to talk with many of them. Even if they did approach her, a well-practiced glare made people steer clear.

The class dragged on for most of the hour before Professor Drake wrapped up his lesson. While the thought of just leaving was appealing, she did have to put on a front so that he would be pleased with her performance. After all, he was her boss. Once he dismissed the lecture, most of the students immediately headed towards the exits, the only thing on their minds being how to get to their next class as soon as possible. Some did hang back though, wanting to introduce themselves and get on the professor's radar. They didn't spare a glance at her. Good, time to leave.

Before she could though, she was stopped by the flash of a wide, lopsided smile and one of the brightest shades of green she had ever seen.

She failed to notice the young man approach her, too distracted by her own thoughts. However, she didn't let her surprise show, switching from a bored expression into her scowl. His smile faltered slightly, but never dropped. He stood there for a moment before speaking.

"Sorry, didn't meant to scare you- "

"You didn't," she said, sharply. Okay, maybe didn't hide it as well as I could have.

His smile came back in full force, maybe even bigger than it was. "I wasn't able to catch your name and wanted to say hi. I'm Garfield," he extended his hand out towards her, his eyes sparkling and jovial. Raven looked at it, then back at him.

"It's on the syllabus. He also said it while introducing me," pointing over to Professor Drake.

"He didn't say your first name," Garfield said quickly, "and I haven't really looked at the syllabus, either." He gave a sheepish smile, like a kid who'd gotten caught stealing candy.

Why is that kind of cute? She looked at his hand, still extended out to her. She finally took it, "Raven."

She noticed his canines as he gave her a small smile, "Raven. Guess that means you're one of the smartest people here then?"

"Excuse me?"

"Ravens and other corvids are some of the smartest animals on the planet. They can solve puzzles, remember faces, and even figure out cause and effect."

Well, that's a new one. She gave him a small smirk, "Does that mean you hate Mondays and like lasagna?"

Garfield returned her smirk, "Ha ha. Garfield was also a U.S. president you know?"

She rolled her eyes. "Andrew Garfield," she made sure to put emphasis on the first name, "You also don't strike me as a presidential type. A for effort, though." Garfield gave a small chuckle.

Raven switched back to her bored expression. She couldn't give him too many reactions; she was already humoring him more than most strangers. Still, she didn't immediately hate talking with him. She gave him a quick glance over. He was taller than her but not by much. Although with her 5'5" frame, being taller wasn't a hard feat for most. Her gaze lingered maybe just a second too long on his body, but her focus kept coming back to his face. His smile and attitude were infectious, and she had to actively fight her facial muscles to keep her own smile off. His hair looked soft and she wondered what it would feel like running her hands through it.

Stop it, she thought, a slight dusting of pink brushing her cheeks.

However, when she looked into his eyes, something wasn't right. Behind the intense and happy green, there was a dullness so miniscule, it would have gone undetected by most. Most didn't include Raven.

"So how can I help you?" Raven asked. At this, Garfield dropped his gaze slightly, his posture leaning a bit forward. His hand rubbed the back of his neck as he opened his mouth.

"Oh, right. I was curious- I'm wondering if it's possible- I'm not the greatest when it comes to things like this- "

"Could you hurry it up? I have my own classes to get too."

He flinched at her tone. "Sorry." He took a deep breath before continuing to speak, "I wanted to see if there are any opportunities for more personal tutoring. Something more one-on-one?"

Now that took her by surprise. She didn't bother hiding her widened eyes this time. She always did everything in her power to stop people from approaching her. Yeah, she was a TA, but she had imagined in those situations, she could answer questions as quickly as possible and move right along. Now, not only had this young man approached her, ignoring everything that made most back away, but he was actively asking to interact with her more?

Who does this guy-?

She stopped mid-thought. He's a guy. A guy who wanted to get her alone. A guy probably looking to get another notch on his bed post. What better way for them to be alone together than for him to pretend to need help and ask her to tutor him, one-on-one? Her nostrils flared; her anger rose as she kept thinking about the scenario. Hell. No.

If glares could shoot daggers, Garfield would have ten in his chest already from the one she gave him. "Sorry, if the study sessions don't work for you, then talk with the professor. I'm not here to give special treatment." She walked right past Garfield, ignoring the confused and crestfallen expression on his face, and got her stuff from her chair. She stormed right out of the lecture hall.

It wasn't until lunch time that Raven started to think about her interaction with Garfield again. The dining hall was loud, but she was able to block out some of the noise to focus. Maybe I was too harsh? All he did was ask for help. She shook her head. No, that's how it always worked. They get close, gain your trust, and once they get what they want, they tear you down and throw you out. "Really hope the library is a bit more uneventful," she muttered to herself.

She didn't get back to the apartment until late. Once past the door, she took off her shoes, not really caring to pick them up from the entryway. All she wanted to do was go into her bedroom, sit on her bed with her sheets over her, and lose herself in a book. Fate didn't seem to like the idea though, as she was accosted by a burst of energy in the form of her roommate, Kory Anders.

"Raven!" Kory immediately bounced up from her position on the couch, ignoring the riveting plot of whatever drama show she was watching. Kory either didn't grow up with the concept of personal space or she didn't care for it, as she embraced Raven in a bone-crushing bear hug. Raven had learned very quickly that her roommate loved showing her affection and care physically. Raven wasn't big on it, but she couldn't bring herself to tell the girl off. It would have been akin to kicking a puppy for wanting to play. "How was your day? Were your classes good? Was work okay? Meet any cool-?"

"Kory! Slow down; I just walked in." Raven pushed herself away from her, slowly getting the air back into her lungs. "Geez, have you ever broken a person in half?"

"Sorry," Kory said with an awkward smile, "I've been told I'm a bit…enthusiastic."

"A bit?" Raven said, though she wasn't upset. A small smile gave that away.

"Shush. You're trying to distract me."

"Where are Karen and Lilith?" Raven pretended to not hear the redhead, who was now giving her a cross between an annoyed and pleading stare. The apartment was quiet save for the TV, leading Raven to believe that one, if not both, of the girls was out. Kory let out an irritated sigh.

"Karen's at Mal's place and Lilith is in her room. Stop stalling," she grabbed the brunette's arm and pulled her towards the couch. Kory sat down and patted the cushion next to her, signaling Raven to do the same. "Now, how was your day?"

"Why do you want to know so much?"

"Because it's your first day at a new school! It's exciting!"

"I'm 22, Kory; not 10. Higher education is a far cry from elementary school."

"Come on. Please tell me!"

"Fine. But you have to share as well." Raven knew she wasn't going to be comfortable sharing details of her day. Talking wasn't her strong suit by any means. At least this might help ease her mind, knowing that someone else was doing the same.

"Of course! Let's see; my Nutrition class went by quickly this morning, as well as my Human Biomechanics class. I've had the Biomechanics professor before and he's pretty nice. We were already assigned a project in English linguistics, so I got to worry about that soon. I had lunch with Lilith and once I finished classes for the day, I went to the gym for a bit. Oh, and I was with Dick for the rest of the evening. I got back about twenty minutes before you, actually."

Raven didn't fail to notice the way Kory's smile widened when she mentioned Dick. Raven had met him twice, but she could tell quickly that the two were made for each other. The first time Raven met him was the day after she moved in, although met was a strong word for what happened. She accidently walked in on a heavy make-out session on the very couch she was sitting on and proceeded to immediately walk out and give them space. The second time was a few days after that. Dick and Kori decided to buy dinner for everyone in the apartment and he introduced himself properly, although Raven had a bit of a hard time looking him in the eye. However, he was polite and apologetic about the whole incident, and they were able to move quickly past it. For most of that dinner and hang out, Raven saw the two at each other's side, only parting when Dick had to leave.

"Your turn!" Raven snapped back to reality at the other girl's words. "No more stalling."

"You're not going to let this go, are you?"

"Nope." To drive home her point, Kory busted out her ultimate weapon: her puppy eyes. Raven knew she lost at that point. "Besides, aren't you supposed to talk and hang out with your friends?"

Raven took a moment to think about her words. Friends. She didn't like letting people get close. Kory was different, though. In the past year, Raven had been forced to leave her entire life on the East Coast behind. That included transferring to Jump City University, one of the schools she had thought about before deciding on the University of Gotham. She had no family or friends this far out of the way, so when she joined a social media group for JCU housing, she hadn't expected much, if anything. She certainly didn't expect a beautiful young woman to reach out to her on the first day and offer her an extra room at what looked like a very nice apartment complex. Kori's bubbly and happy nature was apparent even through text, and Raven couldn't help but trust her. Now, a month after fully moving, Raven was still grateful to Kory; the least she could do was play into her idea that they were friends.

"Fine. There's not much to tell though. Classes were okay. I liked working at the library more than being a TA. Professor Drake is good though; really, the only bad thing about that class was a guy asked me about one-on-one tutoring- "

"Did you say yes?"

"Of course not. If the students can't get by with what we're offering, I'm not going to give them anything else."

"I guess that makes sense." Kory paused, another question already on the way. "Was he cute?"

"Kory!" That's what she was focused on? "Why does that matter?"

"Well, it could be an opportunity for you to get to know someone! Plus, maybe he really did need help, and what's the harm in mixing business with some pleasure?" Kory gave her a wink and Raven blushed hard at whatever implications she was getting at. "So, was he cute?"

"…Yes. His appearance isn't going to change my mind, though."

Kory clapped her hands together, excitement evident on her face. "Ah, this is great! What's his name?"

"He told me his name was Garfield. I thought he was joking." Raven let out a small smile at the memory of her own joke regarding his name. Kory, however, didn't notice, a look of confused surprise on her face.

"Wait, Garfield is in your class?"

"You know him?" Now it was Raven's turn to be surprised.

"Well, there aren't that many Garfield's. And if it's who I think it is, he and his roommate are friends with Dick. Small world, huh?" Kory leaned back on the couch. "Also, if it is that Garfield, he really does want and need help." She squeezed Raven's hand.

"Right. Well, if you're vouching for him, I might consider it." Raven told Kory about the rest of her day, and then joined her in watching the rest of her drama. The plot wasn't interesting though, and they spent most of their time commenting on the subpar acting or predictable story. Kory threw one more curveball at Raven when she asked about going to the mall together at some point, to which Raven only replied with a non-committal "We'll see."

When the show ended, Raven went to her room to get ready for bed. She switched into her pajamas, did her nighttime skin-care routine, and grabbed her copy of Her Paper Heart. A closet romantic, the story helped Raven to ease her mind. Soon, she found her eyelids getting heavier. As she placed the book on the nightstand next to her and turned off the lights, her mind kept flashing to a pair of green eyes as she fell asleep.

A/N: I appreciate you all for sticking with the story so far. If you enjoyed this chapter, please review/follow. Constructive criticism is always appreciated.