Chapter 5: Fights
Rating: T
Date: Wednesday, December 26, 2018
A/N: This chapter contains a lot of swearing, just a warning. Also, please don't kill me!
Fights
"What are you doing here?" Raven sent both of them a menacing glare. "I thought you were supposed to be in England."
"Your father called me here. He even arranged a flight for me," Malchior responded. He wondered idly around the room, fiddling with a few antique vases and marble statues on the furniture.
"Why is he here?" Raven asked her father through clenched teeth.
"I thought you would like to see him," Trenton grinned maliciously. "Last time I checked, you two were very cozy together. We didn't get to visit England on our trip last week, so I decided to bring him here. His father and I also have…" he searched for the proper wording. "... Business to discuss."
Malchior approached Raven and snatched her hand in a rather aggressive manner, "It really is a pleasure to see you again, my dear," he stated before kissing her hand.
"One that is not returned," Raven pulled her hand back.
"I will leave you two alone while Mr. Nol and I negotiate a deal. Later tonight, we will dine together. Please make sure to dress appropriately Raven," Trenton glanced at her outfit (a black hoodie and some ripped jeans) like she was wearing something obscene. Then, he disappeared inside his office.
Raven glanced at Malchior who stood leaning against the wall with his arms crossed and a venomous smirk plastered on his expression.
"Why are you here?" she repeated.
"You don't sound thrilled to see me," Malchior claimed with an amused tone. "I expected a courteous welcome from you."
"Of course I don't! After what happened six months ago, why would I?" Raven snarled.
Malchior chuckled, "My dear, it was all a simple misunderstanding that you refuse to leave behind."
"How was finding you and some bitch nude in a hotel room bed a misunderstanding?" Raven retorted with spite.
"She was a mistake, and you are very well aware of it," Malchior strode forward before clutching her wrists and pulling her towards him. Raven made no attempt to release herself and instead observed him with a detached stare. "Why don't we…" he placed a finger under her chin and raised her head to lock eyes with her. "Start over?"
Raven felt her blood boil. She shoved him back, "You're an absolute prick if you think I can go back to you after a stunt like that!"
Malchior regarded her calmly before burying his hands inside his pockets. He leaned against the wall and spoke, "I'll get you back eventually. Though, I'd rather have you willing to be my future wife than not. It'll make things much easier, Raven."
"What do you mean by that?" she practically growled.
"I mean that our fathers are very keen on merging their successful businesses and knowing we're both inheriting their businesses means that we must get along… very well," Malchior acknowledged.
"You very well know that's never going to happen," she spat.
Malchior laughed quietly, "My dear, I don't think that's something you get to decide."
"What are you doing here?" Garfield sputtered as he ran his hands through his messy blonde locks and paced around the room. Rita had excused herself to the dining room to set the table and left both Tara and Garfield alone in the living room.
Tara took a seat on the sofa and stared intently at the floor, "I came back to town recently, and your parents invited me over… They wanted us to make up after…"
"After you left me for some college douchebag?" he retorted. He froze in place, facing away from her and clenching and unclenching his fists repeatedly to compose himself. He shut his eyes in an attempt to contain the both angry and devasted tears that longed for an escape.
"Gar…" Tara whispered. "He… He's in the past. It was the biggest mistake I've ever made… Please-"
Garfield extended his hand to prevent her from speaking further. "Tara… I don't want to hear this from you. You've already betrayed my trust enough times. I-I don't…" he swallowed his sorrowful sentiments. "I don't want to afford to trust you again when I know I'll just end up hurt."
"Please don't say that Gar…" she spoke softly. If it had been anyone else listening, it would've been impossible for them to hear, but Garfield could hear her clearly, even though he didn't want to. "I still love you…"
Garfield didn't respond. He knew it wasn't true. She knew it wasn't true. She could only speak lies, as proven over and over again. Years ago, he would've forgiven her in a moment's notice. He had forgiven her in a moment's notice—time and time again, and yet she continued betraying his trust. He had been too naive with her charms, too gullible to discern her true character, too trusting of her words. Now, he realized Tara had only ever come back to him because he was easy to manipulate. She could have him wrapped around her finger in the span of one second. He couldn't let it happen, not again.
"Your father, he was the one who arranged this meeting. He thought maybe if we got back together, I could convince you to inherit his business in the future, and then maybe, our parents' companies could merge and you and I could…"
"Stop," Garfield interrupted her. "Why are you telling me this?"
"I want to regain your trust, Gar. I really do. I know it won't be easy, but I promise I won't ever make that mistake again… I won't ever leave you. In fact, we could run away together if you really don't want to stay here. We could go to a college far away and you could seek a degree in zoology for your dream career and I could study engineering and we could move in together and we could-"
"Tara, please," Garfield's voice cracked. "I don't want to hear this! I could forgive you, but I won't. I've already given you too many chances! Even before we were dating, back when we were best friends. But you keep proving time and time again that you don't really care about me. You only care about yourself, and I've been hurt too many times by your narcissistic actions."
Tara remained silent. Garfield wiped the tear stains from his cheeks before turning to look at her. He regarded her with a blank stare, "Besides, I already found someone else." He exited the living room before she could respond properly and stormed upstairs to his bedroom.
The silence in the room as they dined could only be described as asphyxiating. Raven felt that at any moment now, the uneasy sentiment would implode and detonate the place. In fact, she felt that at any moment, she could be the one to explode from her turbulent feelings of animosity, irritability, and admittedly, heartache.
She stabbed one of her green beans with her fork as a way to release even a bit of her resentment towards both her father and Malchior. She had barely touched her food, and she avoided eye contact with anyone on the table at all costs.
"Raven," her father began. "I hope you and Malchior have made up."
Raven frowned as she stared at the severed pea, "Why do you say?"
"Because he will be staying here for the next few weeks," he stated.
She looked up in an instant with wide eyes, "What?"
"You heard me. I have arranged for Malchior to stay in the guest room for the next three weeks. His father is going to be handling business in Gotham for the time being, and we believe it would be… beneficial for you two to bond in the meantime," Trenton explained.
"I don't think that's a good-"
"Raven, do not contradict me. It has already been arranged, and you will make sure to welcome him properly. You two must learn to get along. In fact, you must learn to get along with him. Malchior has already demonstrated his willingness to amend your damaged relationship. You, however, have not. As such, you will learn to interact properly with him as your future relationship will be crucial for the success of our businesses."
"Future relationship?" Raven clutched her fork and glared daggers at her father. "Malchior and I have no future together. He proved that months ago when he betrayed my trust."
Trenton glanced at Mr. Nol who cleared his throat, "My son is regretful of the situation that occurred. Trenton and I have also arranged a marriage for both of you in the future as it will be most beneficial for our merged businesses."
Raven gritted her teeth and slammed her fork on the table, "An arranged marriage? We're not living in the eighteenth century."
"Perhaps we are not, but that does not impede this marriage from taking place. Our plans are already set. However, we will give you time to pursue your studies and strengthen your relationship," Trenton added.
"And if I don't agree?" Raven challenged.
"You cannot oppose this. The same way you cannot oppose inheriting my company," Trenton continued. "In fact, if you-"
Raven stood abruptly and interrupted him, "I have never wanted to take over the corrupt, reprehensible business you use to mask your involvement with human trafficking and the drug cartel as well as the severity of your crimes. In fact, the only reason I'm even here is because my age and your ability to locate individuals so easily prevent me from running away. When I'm able to, I won't hesitate on escaping this hellish place and your demonic influence. So if you believe a ridiculous arranged marriage will prevent my future plans of departure, you're very well incorrect. Excuse me."
With that, she stormed out of the dining room and up the stairs to her bedroom. When she walked in, she sat down on her bed, crossed her legs, placed her hands on both knees, and began to chant her mantra—to travel to a place that would alleviate her spiraling emotions.
"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos…" she recited quietly until eventually, she subdued her thoughts and cleared her mind.
Though it was completely silent, Garfield swore the room resonated with the no doubt jumbled thoughts of every individual at the dinner table.
Garfield pushed his food around the plate as Tara's surprise visit had left a bad taste in his mouth and had certainly eliminated his appetite. As usual, Steve had made the situation worse by insisting she stay for dinner considering Rita had cooked a colossal amount of food.
They ate quietly, seemingly readying themselves for the impending argument between Garfield and his adoptive father.
"So, Tara, how are things at home?" Rita attempted to ease the tension in the room.
"Things have been a bit hectic since I returned with my mother working from home after her surgery and my father attempting to reinscribe me into school so late in the semester," Tara explained. "But despite that, everything's been great, thank you for asking Mrs. Dayton," she smiled and continued eating her food quietly.
"Garfield. There's something I've been meaning to talk to you about," Steve began. "As you know, Tara's return comes at a bit of a random notice," he acknowledged the elephant in the room. "However, there is a reason for it. Mr. Markov and I have been talking about our respective companies, his based on construction and mine based on materials. Our companies have a long history of working well together, and it's proved to be extremely beneficial. Considering both you and Tara will be inheriting our businesses," Garfield frowned. "... We believe your current conflict would hinder future work relationships. Though it's true that personal and business relationships should not be mixed, we'd rather not take the chance. Considering Tara has returned with the intention to fix your relationship, we believe it'd be advantageous for you to attempt the same. And because-"
"Steve, you're stalling. Just get to the point…" Garfield interrupted in a dry tone.
"Your romantic relationship worked well as proved by your long time together and your tight, lifelong friendship with each other. We hoped you two could makeup as we believe a matrimonial relationship would be perfect for a merger between our companies in the future."
"You want us to get married!?" Garfield exclaimed. His fork slipped from his grasp and fell to the floor with a cling.
"After pursuing your studies and preparing to inherit the company-"
"You're arranging a marriage for us against our wills! Isn't that illegal!?" Garfield slammed his fist on the table. He could feel his temper rising, and he felt that at any moment, he was going to explode.
"I wouldn't call it an arranged marriage, exactly," Steve's voice remained calm, though by the way he was clutching his utensils, it was clear he was also beginning to lose his temper. "Tara agreed. It's only a matter of time before you-"
"What the hell do you mean by that!?" Garfield growled.
"Watch your language boy!" Steve exclaimed, startling Rita who was sitting by him. She tried to intervene but Steve held his hand out to keep her out of the discussion. Tara simply sat silently and avoiding explicit eye contact with anyone.
"I have given you everything you need. When Rita and I adopted you after your parents died, we hoped to raise you to be a respectful man like your father Mark Logan was. I realize now that you're only a scoundrel who can't understand the sacrifices we've made for you!"
Garfield sent him a piercing glare, "What sacrifices? My illness? Well, guess what Steve, I could care less! You might as well have left me to die!"
Rita gasped and Tara shifted uncomfortably in her chair. Steve observed him with stern eyes and without hesitance replied: "Maybe I should have."
Like yesterday, Garfield abruptly stood up from his seat and stomped out of the dining room. He slammed his bedroom door and placed his hands over his face, making sure to let out the frustrated howl he'd been holding in.
"Raven," Trenton opened his daughter's bedroom door without knocking.
Though she heard him, Raven ignored his presence and continued chanting her mantra quietly with her eyes closed.
"Don't ignore me girl!" he exclaimed as he slammed her door closed.
She didn't flinch and instead opened her eyes and watched him with an unemotional stare.
Trenton approached her bed and stood in front of her, regarding her with a ghastly expression that arose a tinge of fear within her and almost caused her to frown.
"I have done everything for you. I have moved heaven and earth for your sake, and this is how you repay me?"
Raven didn't reply.
"Say something!" he hollered.
Silence.
Within the blink of an eye, Trenton grasped her wrists and pulled her off the bed in one swift motion. Raven barely managed to keep her balance.
"You think you're so clever, girl? You're going to regret treating your father this way!" he squeezed her wrists tightly, restoring the ache from her previous bruising. Then, he shoved her to the ground causing her to strike the side of her forehead against the corner of her nightstand which undoubtedly would cause another nasty bruise.
Raven inhaled a deep breath before taking the next beating without resistance.
"Garfield…" his mother spoke softly as she walked into his room.
Garfield kept his stare fixated on his bedroom ceiling. He heard the bed creak next to him, indicating Rita had taken a seat.
"How are you?" her voice trembled, almost afraid to continue speaking. He felt his heart break at the sound.
Garfield sat up and looked her in the eye, "I'm upset."
Her mouth opened and closed like she was searching for something to say, "I'm sorry about Steve… You know, how he is. You know he didn't mean it."
"That's the problem, Rita. I know he meant it. I could tell," he replied.
Rita took his hand and continued, "That's not true Gar. He-"
"It is true!" Garfield screamed as he snatched his hand back, causing Rita to flinch. He covered his face with his hands. "I'm sorry. I just need to be alone."
"But Garfield-"
"I said I want to be alone!"
Rita jumped back from his bed and regarded him with frightened eyes. He almost felt apologetic. Almost.
After she left, he buried his face inside his pillow and waited for sleep to overtake him. Finally, after almost an hour, the world turned black and Garfield surrendered himself to a peaceful slumber.
It was going to be a dreadful morning.
Raven knew it.
Garfield knew it.
She awoke two hours before dawn. She got up, showered, thoroughly sanitized her open wounds, changed into a black long-sleeve and some dark jeans, and began to apply make-up over the bruising on the side of her forehead. The make-up didn't conceal the bluish tint very well so she decided to hide it with her hair. She practically swallowed down a whole fruit and hurried out of the house before either Trenton or Malchior awoke.
He awoke nearly half an hour before school started. He stumbled out of bed, took a quick rinse, changed into some random band t-shirt and blue jeans, and gobbled down some toast before rushing to his car to drive to school.
She still felt agitated from her father's beating, and she felt like she would snap in a moment's notice.
He was still uneasy after his fight with Steve, and he felt like his temper would explode at any second.
They were both inevitably extremely inattentive of their surroundings, and as fate would have it, they selected the same entrance to the school. By the time they were on the floor after colliding, both aggravated and unready to deal with each other, their fight was unavoidable.
"Can't you watch where you're going?" Raven snapped.
"You ran into me! Why are you always acting like such a bitch!?" Garfield exploded.
"Why are you always acting like an annoying prick!?"
"I don't know Raven, I'm the one who's always attempting to act friendly with you but you constantly reject me like I'm some sort of douchebag!"
"Well, I'd hope you get the hint and left me the fuck alone!"
Garfield chuckled humourlessly, "Yeah, that's what the creepy witch wants, huh? To always be alone and push people away so she doesn't make any friends. Why do I even try with you!?"
Raven crossed her arms, "I have no damn clue. I've been trying to get you off my back since day one, but it seems you don't learn. What? Do you have some sort of mental condition that prevents you from realizing people don't want to hear you continuously ramble and make stupid jokes!?"
"It seems the only person who thinks that is an antisocial selfish sociopath who pretends to think she doesn't care about what other people say about her!"
"I don't pretend to not care. I don't care at all! This conversation is useless, and I'd rather not hear it!" Raven tried to push past him, but he clutched her wrist and pulled her back.
"I'm not fucking done with you, Raven! I don't understand how you can act like some depressed goth chick who puts down others because she thinks she's above everyone else and not feel guilty about it! What? Do you not have feelings? I'd honestly be convinced if you told me you were some emotionless robot!"
Raven attempted to free herself from his grasp, but he only gripped her wrist harder, "Let me go you egotistic asshole! I'd rather not hear your meaningless insults!"
"If they're so meaningless, why can't you hear them? What Rae? Are you afraid to admit that you have feelings? That you're a breathing, living person and not some unemotional ghost? That it fucking hurts when people talk to you like this!?"
"Shut the fuck up you bastard! I don't care about your opinion! If you'd just left me alone from day one, we'd both be happier!"
"STOP!" Kory's scream echoed across the school parking lot. Victor managed to tug Garfield away whilst Dick pulled Raven away. By then, it seemed like half the school had their attention and neither had noticed that Kory had been insisting for them to stop throughout the duration of their argument.
Victor placed his hand firmly on Garfield's shoulder to prevent him from pouncing on Raven again. Meanwhile, Raven jerked away from Dick. They glared at each other intently, threatening each other to speak again.
No one spoke, however, and for a second, the silence was so thick it was deafening to their ears.
Finally, Raven stormed into the school building and essentially ended the confrontation. Kory sent Garfield a nasty look before hurrying behind her.
"What the hell is wrong with you Gar? I've never seen you speak to a lady like that," Victor frowned disappointingly at him.
Garfield huffed and crossed his arms, unbelieving of the fact that his best friend was defending her, "She's no lady. And why the fuck are you defending that witch?"
Victor observed him intently, attempting to discern his countenance, "Dude, I'm not defending anyone. You're both at fault. You're lucky no teacher heard your brawl or you'd probably be expelled. Do you want to get expelled?"
Garfield was about to retort something rude but decided against it. He stayed quiet for a moment, making sure to breathe properly to calm himself down. Then, he looked at Victor, who scrutinized him with worried eyes.
"I'm sorry, Vic. I'm not sure what got a hold of me," he admitted. "It's like I exploded all the sudden, and I couldn't control what I was saying."
Victor sighed, "I'm not the one you should be apologizing to green bean."
A/N: Woah, that was a ride. It was admittedly difficult to write this chapter. We'll see what happens next, I have a feeling it'll be hard for a friendship to bloom after this.
YourDemonicAssassin - I love Kory, she's going to be like this through the duration of the fanfiction. Lots of people tend to write her as completely naive, but I don't believe she is.
Rachxel - Welp, their relationships are going to be complicated. And nope, Gar won't forget about Raven at all. Though with this fight, it's going to take a while for them to ever be an item.