A/N: Teen Titans and its associated characters are property of DC. I do not own any of these characters.

Okay, it was a bit straightforward. But how else was she supposed to find answers? Kory had placed the seed of curiosity in her mind and now, a section was entirely occupied by Garfield. Why did he need help? Why was he talking with her? And why did he look so cute when he was flustered?

No! Focus! She looked away from his face, focusing on his chest. Which was stretching his shirt with every breath, inviting her to press closer-

Shit! He's answering! Raven shot her eyes back up, looking slightly to the left of his face. She could feel the heat rising in her face, but he didn't notice. At least, she hoped he didn't.

"Umm. Well, you see, I…" Garfield cleared his throat. "I-I'm not…I wanted to…what I'm trying to say is—"

"Garfield." She raised her hand to stop him. Then, she did something that surprised her: she smiled. "Breathe. Relax. I'm not in a hurry."

Where the hell did that come from? She wasn't sure if she was referring to what she said or her own smile. There was something about the young man in front of her; something that made her want to listen. To learn. Not only his answer, but what his thoughts were. Hopefully, curiosity only kills cats.

Garfield straightened his posture more, taking in a deep breath. Raven may or may not have looked down as he did this. She quickly corrected herself, however, as he began again.

"Sorry. Look, what I'm trying to say is: I don't know."

"What?"

"I don't know why I asked you for tutoring. Classes like these; they aren't my thing. So, I wanted to ask for help but I also wanted to talk with you. Have a friend in there who just happens to be the TA. But I sort of…panicked. When I came up to you, I blanked and… that's what popped out." Garfield rubbed the back of his neck again. "That's the best way I can explain it."

Raven's mind began to swirl with a mix of emotions. A small bit of pride ran through her knowing that he indeed had ulterior motives. However, it was drowned out by the guilt of assuming he was just looking for a conquest. It could be an act, but Raven couldn't find any deception in his eyes.

Kory had encouraged her to talk with him. She even vouched for him. That had to count for something, right?

A whole new emotion ran through her at the thought: excitement. Someone wanted to talk with her; spend time with her. Roommates aside, Raven was lacking in the friend's department. It didn't hurt that Garfield was easy on the eyes, either. Blame it on naivete or biology, but a small part of her became giddy at the prospect of spending time with Garfield. There was no harm in making new friends, right? Raven hoped she was right.

"So yeah, sorry for any weirdness I caused." Garfield's voice and small chuckle broke Raven from her thoughts. Feeling reckless, she decided to surprise herself again: she chose to believe him.

"Okay. First, you have to stop apologizing. You've done nothing wrong," she said. "Second, like I said before, I don't offer tutoring. You'll have to make do with the sessions." She saw his face drop, and for once, cursed her monotone. "However, we're technically classmates," she continued, "so we technically could study together for a class we both have. Technically." Hopefully, that recovery was quick enough.

Garfield stood silently for a moment. "Wait. You're taking the tests too?"

Seriously? Raven thought to herself, staring blankly at him with a slightly raised eyebrow. So much for being clever. "No, Garfield, I don't have to take the tests."

"Oh. Oh! Gotcha." His face lit up with a large smile. "That's awesome! Thank you."

"Well, you look like the type of person that needs all the help they can get. Just doing my civic duty," she gave him a slight smirk before walking away.

"Yeah. Hey! What's that mean?" Raven only walked a few feet before Garfield caught up. "Mind if I walk with you?" he asked, already next to her as they headed towards the exit.

Ignoring the butterflies in her stomach, Raven kept looking straight ahead. "It's a free country, you can do as you please. Mind the personal bubble, though." She was giving him a chance, but that didn't mean she had to throw away all her personal rules.

"Oh, right." Garfield backed away a couple of inches. The pair walked in silence, their steps echoing in the almost empty halls of the building. It lasted only a few seconds, as Garfield broke it again. "So, you're Kory's new roommate?"

Oh, she's quick. "Is there a problem with that?"

"No! Nothing's wrong," Garfield immediately responded, as they neared the exit of the building. "It's just…interesting. Already having a shared connection even though we just met on Monday." He gave her another small smile. "Been curious to see who got the room."

"Well, you're looking at her." The evening air hit them as they exited, the warm summer breeze sweeping over them. "She mentioned she hasn't seen you or your roommate in a while. I'm sure she would appreciate you guys dropping by some time soon."

"Funny you say that." He turned to her slightly. "We're actually getting dinner this weekend, then heading to the Pier. I was wondering… if you would like to come with us?"

Raven must have accidentally joined a baseball team with all the curveballs being thrown at her this week. A thought nagged at her, though. "Did Kory put you up to this?"

"Umm…no." They reached the bus stop and he turned to fully look at her. "I mean, I'm sure she'd love for you to join us. But Vic and I wanted to meet you, and it's been a while we've seen Kory and Dick. This way, it's a two-birds, one-stone situation! What do you think?"

Once again, a whirlwind of thoughts overtook Raven. Spending time with Garfield would give her a better idea of who he was as a person. She needed all the information she could get ff she was going to give him a chance. This could also strengthen her and Kory's friendship, which was a plus. And it would give her a reason to get out of her room.

As much as Raven hated to admit it, she was getting bored of staying in the apartment most weekends. She wasn't a nightlife type of person, but even the most introverted people liked going out once in a while. On top of that, opportunities to explore what Jump City had to offer had been few and far between. The Pier had a good reputation, and Raven could try to scope out some cafes or bookstores on the way there. As she kept thinking, Raven realized the positives outweighed most negatives she could come up with.

"Not trying to pressure you, though!" he said, as Raven looked up at his face. She realized that her frown had deepened slightly, a habit of hers when lost in thought. "You don't have to say yes. Sorry, that was probably too much." Garfield tried to turn to see the bus arriving but was stopped by Raven putting a hand on his shoulder, grabbing his shirt slightly.

Raven's violet irises sparked with annoyance. "What did I tell you about unnecessary apologizing? Also, you didn't even let me answer." Raven let go of him, focusing on his face. She had one more question to ask. "Do you want me there?"

Garfield's focused on her face in less than a second. "Yes." It was a fast response but determined. A jolt of giddiness ran through Raven's body. Focus!

"Good. Then I'll ask Kory about the details when I get home. Speaking of which," she looked at the bus, "this is me."

He gave her a wide smile that kicked the butterflies in her stomach into overdrive. "Mine's the next one. Live that way," he said, pointing over his shoulder without a care. "Guess I'll see you Saturday night. Night, Raven."

"Goodnight, Garfield." Once Raven stepped on to the bus – and was sure Garfield could no longer see her face – she couldn't help the smile that appeared on her face.

If Jump City was noisy during the week, then weekends brought along a whole cacophony. The girls' apartment building was filled with the steps and chatter of college students heading to whatever bar, club, or house party they could get into. Outside of Raven's window, the twilight sky was a beautiful canvas of purples and oranges. The chatter of people, the hums of car engines, and the occasional stray song filled the air. On nights like this, the only thing Raven could look forward to was a persistent headache until she went to bed. However, tonight was different. Her mind was occupied with other matters, blocking out the outside world.

Waves of anxiety lapped at her brain as she stared into her closet. Why was she so worried? Raven was above caring about what other people thought of her. Sure, she was meeting Vic and his date for the first time, but that wasn't a big of a deal. She already knew three people there: Kory, Dick, and…Garfield. Okay, she didn't know Garfield that well either, but that was one of the main reasons she was going out in the first place. To find out who he was as a person. Really, what she wore had no impact on her goal.

However, seeing as she had spent the last fifteen minutes deciding her outfit, she was having a hard time convincing herself. Raven let out a huff of frustration.

Settling on the reason – and only the reason – that Kory would be wearing something nice and casual, Raven decided on a dark purple crop top, black ripped jeans, a black denim jacket, and black cone-heeled boots. Lastly, she wore her red amethyst necklace, the stone sitting just above the neckline of the top. She gave herself a quick glance over in the bathroom mirror.

The outfit was modest, but it accentuated her figure. She had to admit, it felt nice showing what she had to work with. Raven never put herself in a situation where she drew too much attention. Unfortunately, her natural hourglass curves tended to bring a lot of unwanted stares. With a quick look at the small wooden clock that hung on her wall, she noted that the others should be downstairs soon. At that, she finally stepped out of her room to wait for Kory.

Or she would have, had Kory not already been lounging on the couch, her long tan legs propped up on the coffee table. Raven slightly grimaced at the unsanitary action, but quickly reigned in her annoyance. Kory looked away from her phone and turned to Raven, a bright smile flashing on her face.

"You look amazing!" Kory said, happiness almost radiating off her.

"Thanks. I can't compare to you, though." Kory was wearing an off-the-shoulder pastel pink top, washed-out denim shorts, and wedges that made her seem even taller than she already was. Kory's fiery red hair cascaded past her shoulders, and her green eyes sparkled with joy. In Raven's opinion, Kory could have worn a potato sack and she would still be the most beautiful person in any room.

"Shush, you're beautiful. It's not a competition." Kory had the beauty, but her heart was what really drew people in. She always tried to build others up, encouraging them to be their best. She was a walking, talking ball of positivity. It wasn't hard to see why Dick had fallen completely head over heels for her. "How come you don't wear something like this more often?"

Raven shrugged. "Why would I? I don't go out much in the first place." She looked down at her outfit. "I'm just hoping I make a good first impression."

"Well, I think a certain someone is definitely going to be impressed." Kory's smile turned into a grin. Raven narrowed her eyes.

"Are you implying I did this because of Garfield?" Raven glared at her roommate, but Kory wasn't fazed.

"Nope. You just did, though," Kory replied, her grin holding true.

"What?! How dare-I did not!"

"Then why are you blushing?" With that, Kory turned away, leaving Raven to try and think of a response. Something to prove that she wasn't blushing, and she didn't care about Garfield's reaction. Her mind came back blank.

Kory walked over to the small dining table in their apartment, picking up her purse and hanging the strap on her shoulder. She also picked up a small sun hat that Raven hadn't noticed earlier. "Do you think it's too much?" Kory said, putting it on to model it.

Grateful for the topic change, Raven shrugged. "I mean, it's almost nighttime. There's probably only thirty minutes of sunlight left."

"That's good enough!" Kory gave Raven a wink. Raven only shook her head, amused at Kory's justification. At that moment, the purse let out a loud ding. Kory reached inside, pulling out her phone. She let out a small squeal of happiness as she read the message.

"They're here! Let's go!" she said, grabbing Raven's arm and rushing them out the apartment.

"Kory, slow down!" Raven's plea fell on Kory's deaf ears, echoing out into the city.

A/N: Hey folks! Apologies for the longer time between uploads. I do have good news though: I'm uploading two chapters this time! Hopefully, this will make up for being slightly late in my upload schedule. As always, if you enjoyed reading, favorite/follow/leave a review. If you think there's something I could improve, let me know; constructive criticism is always appreciated.