Chapter 6: Apologies

Rating: T

Date: Friday, December 28, 2018

A/N: Here it is! I've been pumping these out pretty quickly, so I'm taking advantage of it while I can. Also y'all, please review! They make me really happy and they're very helpful. Don't hesitate on adding a suggestion or inclusion you want (it can be as ridiculous as you please). Thanks!

Apologies

"Friend Raven? Are you in here?" she heard Kory's voice as she stepped into the girls' restroom (one which was rarely ever used as it was located in a deserted hallway people believed was haunted by the ghost of a theater girl who hanged herself, which was obviously a lie to keep younger students from intruding on the frequent make-out sessions that occurred there).

Raven grimaced as the girl slowly approached her. Her hands tightly clasped the sides of the sink and her head faced downwards, hair shrouding her visage from the newcomer beside her.

"Friend Raven? Are you alright?" Kory placed a hand on her shoulder, causing Raven to jerk away from her. Kory's eyes looked wide with concern. She held her hands together and directed her gaze to the ground. "Did I hurt you?" she questioned with a hint of guilt in her tone.

"I'm fine," Raven responded as she bit her lip. She turned the faucet on and let the scalding water run over her wrists to soothe them. Kory's sight was still turned away from her and fixated on the ground, unaware of the disturbing coloration of Raven's skin.

For a moment, the only sound was of the running water in the sink and the faint air conditioner in the background. Raven turned off the tap, wiped her hands and wrists with a paper towel, and covered them with the sleeves of her shirt. She turned to Kory who seemed like she wanted to speak but was hesitating.

"I'm fine, really," Raven stated as if reading her mind. Kory regarded her with wide and innocent green eyes as if she were afraid Raven could run away at any second—which wasn't far from the truth.

"I am sorry about friend Garfield's attitude towards-"

"You have nothing to be sorry about, Kory," Raven interrupted her in a cool and collected tone. She crossed her arms and sighed, "I'd leave that to him."

Kory frowned, "I do not believe all those vile words Garfield said to you. I hope you do not, as well."

"Don't worry. I don't care about what others say. Garfield might as well have told me to kill myself, and I wouldn't care."

Kory gasped dramatically and put her hands over her mouth, "Friend Garfield would never utter such brutalities! I believe the reason he spoke to you in that way was because he was in a foul mood today. That is what friend Dick tells me."

"If you say so," Raven shrugged. "We should get to class now. We don't want to be late or we might get in trouble."

She tried to walk past Kory, but the girl placed a firm hand on her shoulder to prevent it. "Raven, are you sure you are alright? You can confide in me if something is bothering you. I do not believe that you could have walked away unharmed or upset after you and Garfield's confrontation," she admitted.

Raven sighed and gently removed Kory's hand, "I'm okay Kory. I promise. Let's get to class."

She hesitantly nodded and followed behind Raven, who failed to realize Kory had been fully aware of the marks on Raven's wrists as she'd watched her through the reflection of the mirror next to her. Much to say, Kory felt incredibly worried, and only one question superseded her thoughts at that moment: Could Garfield really have made those marks during their fight?

Garfield felt terrible.

First, he had arrived at his house the day before expecting it to be a good night only to find his ex was there, and she wanted him back (though Garfield doubted it was her true intention). Then, he'd had dinner with said ex alongside his family which ended up in an unsurprisingly ugly fight between him and Steve. Not to mention Rita had attempted to make Garfield feel better, and he had utterly rejected her kind advances by shouting at her. Finally, he had undeniably exploded on Raven and insulted her in all kinds of destructive ways he'd rather not remember. Now, the guilt was inevitably overwhelming as he sat in his English class distractingly watching the old lady he had seen the first-day attempt to cross the street again.

"Mr. Logan, is there something interesting outside that you'd like to share with the class?" Ms. Evans demanded as she stepped beside him.

Garfield avoided eye contact with her and instead stared at the floor, "No Ms. Evans…"

"Well, I'd suggest you pay more attention to the board from now on then. After all, your grades have been reflecting your apparent distracted nature in this period," she declared. Garfield heard a few chuckles from his surrounding classmates. Ms. Evans walked to the front of the class and continued her lesson.

"Gar, you okay man?" Victor whispered from the desk to his left.

"Not really," Garfield muttered as he toyed with the eraser on his pencil. "I feel really guilty. And I don't know what to do."

"Isn't it obvious? You have to apologize for once," Victor stated.

Garfield spared him a look, "I know that, dude. I just don't know how. This is Raven we're talking about. I'm surprised she hasn't killed me yet. She's probably never going to want to talk to me again."

"You're not the only one who exploded Gar. She also has some fault in the matter. You both do. So not only do you have to apologize to her, but she also has an apology to deliver herself. So I'm guessing you're going to talk to her eventually," Victor reassured him.

Garfield huffed amusingly, "Raven? Apologizing? Yeah, right. When the world burns over, maybe then she would."

"You don't give her enough credit, green bean. She might have a temper, but she's not a bad person," Victor replied.

Garfield arched an eyebrow, "Since when do you know Raven so well?"

"Since we became year-long partners in our psychology class," Victor retorted.

Garfield's eyes went wide, "You? Partners with her? Dude, I'll send over my condolences. Don't worry, I'll make sure your funeral goes by smoothly. I'll set up your favorite music, food-"

Victor rolled his eyes, "Raven's okay. Honestly, I don't know what you do to piss her off, but she acts fine around me. She's only like that with you, green bean." Then he thought for a moment, "Why do you annoy her so much? Do you like her or something?"

Garfield felt a sense of panic overwhelm him, "What!? Psh, no dude! What would make you think that? Raven's not my type… She's not blonde, not tall, she doesn't even remotely enjoy my jokes or at least pretends to enjoy them, and she hates me!"

Victor arched an eyebrow and scanned him suspiciously, "You sure you don't like her? You got nervous when I mentioned it."

"Nah!" Garfield smirked to mask the pink tinge enveloping his cheeks, "Not at all. Either way, I wouldn't try my charms on a girl who finds me annoying. There's plenty of easier fish in the sea."

An idea popped inside Victor's head and he grinned, "Honestly, that can really only mean two things. Either she completely and utterly hates your guts or she's interested," he wiggled his eyebrows.

Garfield snorted, "Clearly, she hates my guts."

"I wouldn't be too quick to judge," Victor pointed out, hoping he'd take the bait. Then again, there was no reason he wouldn't. Garfield was easy to fool.

"Why do you say?" Garfield raised an eyebrow and glanced at him expectantly.

Bingo. Victor had a smug grin plastered on his expression, "I don't know green bean. We did have a short conversation about you during one of our assignments yesterday."

"What did she say about me?" Garfield's eyes popped open all the sudden, and Victor swore he could see a twinge of hope in them.

Victor chuckled lightly, but he remained quiet just to spite him.

Garfield sent him a glare, "Tell me!"

"Aren't you impatient? Nothing. She just told me you were overtly aggravating," he recalled.

Garfield frowned, disappointed with his answer, "Way to get me excited."

"Hm, so you are interested in her?" Victor watched him with a devilish grin.

Garfield jerked in his seat and directed his sight to Victor. Damn him! He shook his head, "Not at all, dude. I just wanted to be her friend. That's clearly not going to happen now…" he finished lamely with an awkward laugh.

"You really do need to apologize to her," Victor repeated. "If you want to have a chance with her at least."

"I'm not into her!" Garfield insisted.

"Sure," Victor grinned mischievously. "And I'm the tooth fairy."

Garfield rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.

"She's way out of your league though."

"Dude!"

Garfield clutched the sides of his tray nervously as he meandered towards Raven's table in the back. Kory was already plopped down next to Dick talking while Raven sat quietly in front of them with eyes glued to her novel. Kory locked eyes with him as he walked, and she frowned suddenly. She glanced at Raven who was still unaware of his approaching presence.

However, as he reached the table, Raven's eyes drifted upwards and locked with his own. She slammed her book shut and regarded him with a blank stare. Garfield wasn't sure if he should've been alarmed at her lack of emotion or relieved.

"Hey, Raven… Can I talk to you?" he asked as he placed his tray on the table and took a seat next to her.

Kory quickly jumped up from her seat, "Friend Dick! I believe we have to go talk to Victor right now."

"What? Why-" But Dick couldn't protest as the girl literally dragged him away from the lunch table (without their food) and towards their usual table.

"What do you want? To insult me some more?" Raven stared expectantly.

Garfield felt his stomach's contents revolve like a carousel. "No, I was actually going to apologize for that. I was in a really bad mood this morning, and I had no reason to explode on you like that. I'm really sorry…" he admitted.

Raven watched him blankly, trying to determine whether he was sincere with his apology. She didn't detect any dishonesty, however. She sighed, "I suppose I was also in the wrong. Like you, I had a bad morning, and I shouldn't have taken in it out on you like I did."

Garfield paused to ponder her words, "Are you… apologizing..?"

Raven frowned at him, "Yes, unless you don't want me to-"

"No, no, no! I- thanks, I mean. For the apology! How about we start fresh? Forget this morning happened?" Garfield scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

Raven hesitated, but she replied, "Okay."

Garfield's grin expanded like the Chesire cat's, "Sweet! Friends?"

"Not quite," Raven told him which made his expression falter. She felt a tinge of guilt at his disappointment, but she masked it with a dull stare. "... Yet," she said before she could think properly about her words.

His face brightened at that. He took a bite of his peanut butter sandwich and spoke with a mouthful, "So what was Dick doing sitting here?"

"Kory brought him along. He's alright. Doesn't ask too many questions or attempt to rope me into a conversation, so I'm fine with him sitting here. Plus, it distracts Kory from bothering me," Raven replied as she opened her book again.

Garfield nodded and watched her intently. He frowned as he noticed something the moment she turned the page.

"What's that on your wrist?" he questioned with furrowed eyebrows.

Raven tensed beside him but recovered before he could notice. "I bruised my wrist when I tripped yesterday," she spoke calmly.

Garfield wasn't sure why it was, but he didn't fully believe her excuse. "You should put something on it… It doesn't look nice. We can go to the nurse so she can-"

"It's really fine, Garfield. It looks worse than it feels," she interrupted.

"Are you sure? I feel bad about putting pressure on it this morning when we had our argument. What if it made it worse? I did grab you really hard…" Garfield said quietly.

"You didn't make it worse, I promise," she reassured him.

"Can I at least see it?"

"I don't need you-"

"Raven. I won't back off until you show it to me. You said it's not bad, and if it's not bad then it shouldn't be a big deal if I take a look," Garfield insisted.

Raven was about to refuse, but she knew it'd be pointless to argue with him. She raised her wrist and pulled her sleeve back, hoping that he wouldn't make such a big deal out of it.

"Raven… This looks really bad… Did I really do this?" Garfield gulped down a sensation of apprehension.

"I said I bruised it yesterday when I tripped," Raven repeated with a hint of annoyment.

Garfield gently took her wrist on his hand and examined the bluish and purplish color surrounding it, "I don't think you can bruise your wrist like this by just falling. It looks like something was gripping you… Are you sure it wasn't me?"

"Yes Garfield," Raven snatched her wrist back and pulled up her sleeve. "I'm sure."

Garfield furrowed his eyebrows and regarded her with concern, but he decided not to push her further, "If you say so…" he murmured.

"Why were you so upset this morning?" Raven clutched desperately to the first question that popped to mind to change the subject though she didn't outwardly show it.

Garfield's stomach sank, and he suddenly remembered the reason for their fight, "I… I had a fight with my adoptive father yesterday over some things, and I woke up in a bad mood today."

"Oh," Raven wasn't sure where to take the subject. "You're adopted..?"

Garfield found himself relieved that she didn't ask why they fought (not that he would've told her, but he'd rather be honest with Raven to encourage her to open up). "Yeah, I was adopted a few years after my parents died in a boating accident in Africa, back when I was five years old," he told her. Then, he braced himself for the inevitable apology she would utter as everyone else did.

Raven didn't reply, however. Garfield turned to her with confusion. She was picking at her food and generally avoiding his eyes. "This is the part when people usually say they're sorry…" he blurted out.

"Why would I say it? I wasn't there, and it's a meaningless apology people like to say to fill the silence after a revelation like that," Raven admitted. Garfield chuckled at her response, and she observed him with confused eyes.

"Sorry, no one's ever really not apologized, so it caught me off guard," Garfield confessed. "You're one of a kind, Rae," he stated in a moment of impulsiveness before his whole face turned red.

Luckily for him, she didn't seem too bothered about it. Perhaps she was getting used to his charm? "Is this another one of your attempts at flirting with me?" she deadpanned.

"Ah, no…" he chuckled nervously. "It was a compliment. You know, after I called you all those nasty words this morning and all-"

"The past is in the past Garfield. It only hinders your ability to live in the present if you let it," she countered. "I'm over it. You should be too."

"... Okay," he smiled. "How about you? Why were you so upset this morning?" he asked curiously.

"I also had an argument with my father, and it left me with a particularly vile taste in my mouth this morning," she spoke truthfully.

"Ah…" Garfield unconsciously glanced at her covered wrists, but he rapidly dismissed the dangerous trail of thought. It couldn't be. "Trouble at home?" the words came out before he could contain them.

Raven arched an eyebrow and watched him intently, trying to discern what brought about that particular choice of wording, "... Something like that."

"Sorry, I don't mean to pry. You don't have to talk about it…" Before he knew it, he was spilling all of his own thoughts. "I know I don't like to talk about my fights with Steve. They're mostly about my future really. He refuses to give up on this stupid idea of me running his company in the future. Me? I'd rather study for a zoology major and work as a wildlife biologist in a national park," his eyes practically sparked to life at the thought. "Just working outside identifying species of birds with a pair of binoculars, observing wolves' behaviors from a close distance, feeling the breeze during a windy day while analyzing lake water, lying on the ground and relaxing in the sunlight. It sounds like a dream, honestly. I'd rather enjoy myself outside than feel entrapped inside an air-conditioned office with boring meetings all day long-"

Raven nodded as he spoke, growing more invested in the conversation as he expressed his future aspirations. She had to give him credit. She had assumed that he would dream of some couch-potato lifestyle playing video games in his parent's basement and eating junk food all day long. She hadn't considered that he could be such a free spirit with an adoration for nature. She admired that really. She wouldn't dare to attempt a career in the outdoors as her pale complexion didn't bide well with the sun and her dislike of sweat prevented her from spending long periods of time outside.

"What about you Rae?" Garfield suddenly perked up.

"What about me?"

"What does your future look like?"

Raven considered the question carefully. She hadn't put too much thought into it. She'd been trapped within her father's influence for so long she didn't see a life without it, though she couldn't exactly tell Garfield that. "I haven't thought about it…" she replied.

"What do you mean!?" Garfield exclaimed. "Like at all? No future dreams? You know... Like having twins, living in a suburban home with a nice spouse, traveling to Africa with your family on business trips…" Garfield didn't realize he was unintentionally illustrating his own desires for his future life.

"Nope," Raven declared.

"Why not?" he tilted his head curiously.

Raven shrugged, "I tend to live in the present and let life happen." It's inevitable to escape your destiny, after all.

"Well, why don't you think about it now?" Garfield challenged.

"Think about what?"

"What you want for your future! Come on, there has to be something you want to do!"

She thought about it for a second and responded, "Sitting down in a quiet place to enjoy a good book."

Garfield rolled his eyes, "You can do that right now! I mean as in, big dreams like getting married or having a job or naming your children!"

Raven huffed, "I don't want any children."

"What!? Why not!?"

"They're dirty, expensive, and vexing. I'd rather not have them," Raven shook her head. Garfield pouted, though he wasn't exactly sure why.

"Fine. What about other dreams?"

"World domination," she spoke the words firmly and clearly without missing a beat. Garfield felt a chill run down his spine at her abrupt claim.

"Uh…" he faltered. "You're kidding, right?" he laughed nervously.

"Who says I am?" A small, contented smirk played out in Raven's expression as she uttered the words.

Garfield pointed an accusatory finger at her, "There! You're smiling!" It took a second for him to process his own assertion, and when he did, Raven assuredly went back to frowning. "You smiled!" he attested in shock.

"Yes, and?"

Garfield knowingly grinned, "So you're not an unemotional robot."

Raven glanced at him impassively, "No, I'm not."

"I knew it!"

"So you are as ludicrous as I had predicted," she stated in her customary monotone voice.

"Joke's on you!" Garfield claimed smugly. "I don't know what that means!"

Raven almost laughed at his undeniable absurdity. Key focus on almost.

Garfield was about to say something when the bell signifying the end of lunchtime interrupted him. Instead of finishing his running thought, he grinned, "I'll see you next period, Rae?"

"I told you to stop calling me that."

"Too bad I've never been good at following directions!"

A/N: I personally thought that was really cute! My cousin told me to add the world domination bit and though I hesitated, I did, haha.

YourDemonicAssassin - Yep! Some of these chapters are meant to parallel key moments in the show and the comics. They will definitely have a heart to heart eventually since their situations are very alike. However, it will take a bit since Raven isn't the kind to open up so quickly, and I want to keep this as in-character as I can. I'm glad it made your night! Thanks for reading!

Miss geek - Their personalities are very polar, so it's only natural for fights to occur until they get used to each other.

AwritingLlama - Thank you! I can't wait either (I barely have any of this story planned out, only faint ideas. I write on impulse, really. It works better for me). Also, I'm flattered that a writing llama is enjoying my story!

Rachxel - Raven will slowly begin to get used to Gar and understanding their situations aren't too different. I tried to include what you said in this chapter without rushing it. It's a slow transition with her, however, since it's hard for her to trust people. And thank you for always reviewing even on chapters that aren't necessarily your favorites! It always makes me really happy!