A/N: Hey folks! Here's the latest chapter for the story. It's a bit of a shorter one, but I felt it was necessary as a good transition point. Thank you all for reading and sticking with it as it goes along!

Teen Titans and its associated characters are property of DC and their respective creators. Story title and chapter titles are taken from the song "Explore This" by Alainite

Chapter 11: 'Cause baby I'll stay, yeah I'll stay, forever by your side

8:59 AM

Garfield had been staring at the clock for the past ten minutes. He figured it was better than looking at the empty chair beside him, waiting for someone who wasn't going to come. Around him, students filed in, mentally preparing themselves for another Monday. None of them were the person Gar wanted to see the most.

He had a feeling Raven wouldn't be here this morning. Hell, it was a miracle he'd shown up. The color around his eye had finally settled into a dark magenta, and his body gave a jolt of pain if he moved too fast.

He needed to be here, though. His mind went crazy if he stayed cooped up for too long, even if it was recovering.

As the numbers changed to 9:00, he drifted back to Sunday's events.

He'd woken up to a knock on his bedroom door, after a restless night. He knew that it was Vic, but after the thorough chewing out Gar got from him for not calling and driving while injured, Gar wasn't in the mood to talk. But the knocking continued.

"It's open," Gar called out. His body was so stiff, he could barely move.

Victor opened the door, concern written all over his face. "How you holding up, man?"

"I'm okay."

"Really? Because you look like shit from here," he said, frowning and crossing his arms.

"Dude, I'm fine. I've had worse hangovers," Gar said, giving Vic a toothy grin.

Vic didn't look at all convinced. Truthfully, Gar was having issues just staying sat up, but he wasn't about to let Vic know that.

Eventually, Vic dropped his arms and reached in his pocket. "Fine. I know better than to keep asking. I got some ibuprofen for you, though," he said, pulling the small bottle out. He moved over to the nightstand, setting it down.

He turned back to Gar. 'Listen, I got a text from Richard this morning. We're going over to the girls' apartment and coming up with a plan to watch over Raven during school hours. Are you coming with?"

Gar stayed quiet for a minute. He was going to help. That much was non-negotiable. But Raven's words echoed in his head. His heart was being stretched to its limits as it was. Time around her might finally rip it in half.

"I think I'm gonna stay and recover. Hate to admit it but I'm not feeling a hundred percent. Or even half of that." Meet in the middle with a half-truth. Hopefully, it would let him off the hook without too many questions.

"I knew it," Vic said, shaking his head, "this is why you should've called last night. You pushed yourself too hard." He walked towards the door. "Take two of those. I'll grab us lunch and text you the plan. And if I come back and you're not in this apartment, I'm barricading the door until you're healed." Vic had surprisingly good bedside manner, helped by the fact that he could back up whatever threat he made to keep his patient in line.

With that, he left Gar alone, who proceeded to flop back down on the bed, staying in it for most of the day.

He received the plan a couple of hours later. Victor and Richard had the least number of classes, and therefore more time, so they would guard Raven anytime she needed to switch classes. Kory was completely free on Fridays, meaning she'd taker over duties that day. The only gap of time left was Wednesday evenings, due to the other three having commitments.

Her study sessions, Gar thought. Probably why he was assigned that block of time.

Gar didn't know how to feel about it. On one hand, less time around Raven meant his crush might finally subside. Maybe she was right. Maybe a relationship between the two of them wouldn't work.

Then again, he knew what he felt wasn't a simple crush. He wanted to talk with Raven. Be around her. Be with her. And for a few wonderful hours on Saturday night, those wishes had become reality. Then Malchior shattered it to pieces.

But was it really him?

Maybe it's me.

First Terra, now Raven. Gar didn't believe in curses, but his love life was making a strong case for them. Maybe he wasn't meant to get a fairy tale ending. He didn't want to believe it, but the thought wouldn't leave.

"…Negativity bias is, therefore, a stronger force cognitively," Professor Drake's voice broke through Garfield's thoughts briefly. "Every part of our brain is affected a lot more, including evaluations, memory…"

As the rest of the class took notes, Garfield only sat in his chair. His mind wandering back to how empty the seat next to him was.

The living room was dark, save for a few streaks of sunlight peeking through the breaks and sides of the closed blinds. The TV was on, a game show with the contestants in costumes playing. Raven didn't pay attention to it. She was lying on the couch, staring blankly at the ceiling.

What time is it? She stopped paying attention to the clock a while ago, knowing it wouldn't make the day go any faster. That was all she was doing at this point. Counting the minutes that Malchior was still out there. The minutes where she felt trapped.

She felt her stomach rumble. Was it already lunch time? Or did she forget to eat breakfast? Probably both.

Raven sat up, pushing the blanket away from her form. A small headache pulsed inside her skull. She didn't turn the lights on as she began making tea, knowing where all the items were by heart. She stared blankly at the kettle as it began to boil.

Two loud knocks caused her to jump backwards, breaking her trance. A wave of fear washed over her as she walked towards the door. On a small table besides it was laying a small can of pepper spray that Karen had given her. Raven didn't know when she had gone shopping for it, but she was grateful for it in this instant.

When she reached the peephole, the person on the other side spoke.

"Yo Raven, it's Vic. I brought lunch."

Raven let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. Putting the can down, she opened the door to find Vic grinning widely, holding a large plastic bag and two water bottles.

"Hey there, little sis! Brought you a sandwich!" Vic said.

Raven raised an eyebrow. "Since when are you my big brother?"

"Since right now! Wanted to try the nickname out. Thoughts?"

"It's annoying."

"Got the role down then!" Vic pushed past her into the apartment, making Raven quickly dodge to the side. As bad as she was feeling, she didn't intend on getting crushed today. "Also, are you a vampire? It's too dark in here!" Vic said, opening the blinds. The sudden brightness forced Raven to squint her eyes to not be blinded.

"Ow. What time is it?" Raven said, rubbing her eyes.

"Almost 12:30."

That late already? "Vic, you didn't have to bring me anything," Raven said, following Victor as he laid the bag down in the kitchen. "We have food here. Besides, I'm not that hungry."

It was at that moment that her stomach decided to betray her, letting out a large rumble that echoed in the room. Vic raised an eyebrow, handing her the sandwich. Raven said nothing as she took it, her flushed cheeks enough of a tell.

"Turkey. You're welcome!" Vic said, grabbing his own sandwich and sitting down at the small dining table. Raven took his lead and sat across him. They ate in silence for a bit, Vic scarfing down his while Raven pecked away slowly at hers.

"You okay?" Vic said, catching Raven off-guard.

Raven sighed. "I've been better, to be honest."

"They'll find this guy, Raven. And in the meantime, we got your back."

"Thanks, Vic," Raven said. "…How's Gar?"

Vic swallowed a big bite before letting out a breath. "Doing what he does: pretends everything's fine and doesn't bother with the actual problem."

"Does he do that often?"

"Ever since I've known him. Man thinks he can handle everything by himself. His ex, his parents, this." Sadness filled with his voice. "He's good at the whole acting thing. But not perfect."

Raven felt a pang of guilt wash over her when Vic mentioned the Malchior situation. But curiosity also peaked through that guilt.

His ex? And his parents again? What was going on in Gar's life? Questions for another time.

"Sounds familiar, doesn't it?"

Raven shot Vic a glare. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Come on, Raven. A few minutes ago, you were about to turn down free food even though it's lunchtime. All the curtains are closed—"

"I'm trying to stop my stalker from seeing me!" Raven interrupted.

"You live on the third floor. He'd need magic to see you up here. Also, don't think I didn't notice you almost said no to our plan."

She bit back a huff. He had a point there.

"Thought so," Vic said, putting the sandwich down. "You want my guess? You're not used to having people around who care. At least, not multiple people. Fortunately, you're one of us now." His voice was firm, but kind.

"So, I'll tell you what I told Garfield: You're not alone. We got your back, Raven."

Silence filled the space between them.

Raven huffed, "What are you, a psychologist?"

"Nope, just observant. I think psych is your department."

Raven wanted to protest. To tell Victor that he was wrong and that she wasn't hiding anything. But she couldn't. Her whole life, she refused to ask for help unless it was dire.

Help made her a target. And people couldn't be trusted. Hell, broken trust is what led to the Malchior situation in the first place. Everyone showed their true colors in the end. In the end, she would wind up hurt.

But what about Victor? Or Dick or Kory? What did they have to gain by helping her?

Nothing. That was the answer. All they wanted was to help someone they were close to. A friend. Or a sister if she wanted to believe Vic's earlier statement.

Imagine that. Creepy, lonely Raven now had a brother. It felt…nice.

Maybe it was a sign of weakness. And maybe she'd end up being hurt again. But it was worth a shot.

"Thanks…bro."

Vic laughed a deep laugh of joy straight from the gut. "Anytime, sis. Now finish up. I'm not leaving until that sandwich is gone."

Raven gave him a small smile. For the first time that day, Raven smiled. And as she ate her lunch, she felt a weight lift from her chest. Maybe she could get by, with a little help from her friends.

A/N: Bit of a sad/fluffy chapter but I still liked how it felt in the story. As always, if you've enjoyed the story so far, please fav/follow and leave a review. If you think there's something I could improve, let me know. I'm always open to constructive criticism. Have a good one!