Chapter 7: Jealousy

Rating: T

Date: Sunday, December 30, 2018

A/N: If you guys seriously haven't watched Titans on DC Universe, you have to! The only reason I'm writing this is to distract me from having to wait a year for Season 2... It's dropping on Netflix on the 11th of January everywhere but the United States (since DCU is exclusive here). If you can, please do! I promise it's worth it! It's one of the best superhero shows I've ever watched.

This chapter includes mentions of

Cliff Steele - Robotman

Larry Trainor - Negative Man

Niles Caulder - The Chief

Jealousy

Garfield felt glad that gym class went by without any awkward incidents. In fact, the whole rest of the school day went by fairly quickly (mostly because he generally enjoyed Biology with Mr. Palmer even though his friends didn't). When Garfield arrived home, he let out a relieved breath as he realized that Steve was going to be busy at a conference over at Gotham for the next two days, which essentially meant two relaxing days without a fight.

He could hear Rita moving around in the kitchen most likely cooking dinner. Garfield sighed and strolled towards the sound in an unhurried pace while burying his hands inside his pockets.

"Hey, Rita…" his gaze focused on the ground.

"Garfield," Rita acknowledged.

He glanced at his adoptive mother with an ashamed gaze. "I just wanted to apologize for yesterday. I didn't mean to snap at you. I was really angry with Steve, and I shouldn't have taken it out on you," he confessed.

Rita gave him a gentle smile and captured his hands in hers, "Don't worry about it, honey. I forgive you. I know you didn't mean it. Let's just put it in the past and focus on the present," she released his hands and walked to the stove. "Why don't you help me cook dinner?"

Garfield grinned and rubbed his hands together like he was ready to eat, "Of course! What are we cooking today?"

"Nu-uh-uh," Rita waved her finger disapprovingly. "Grab your apron first and wash your hands."

Garfield rolled his eyes and headed toward the pantry. He grabbed a pink, polka-dotted apron from the inside and tied it around his waist. Then, he washed his hands in the kitchen sink. Rita watched him with an amusing smile and a hand on her hip.

"Alright, I'm ready for orders boss," Garfield stood in front of her (looking down as he was a few inches taller than her) and feigned a soldier position.

"Great!" Rita excitedly clapped her hands together. "Let's start by cutting up the vegetables!"

Almost an hour later, excluding the thirty minutes it took them to properly clean all the stains from the kitchen walls (food fights were exceptionally common on days when Steve wasn't home and Gar and Rita could have as much fun as they pleased), they sat together at the table, dinner served and their plates stuffed with food. Garfield practically dug in the instant Rita finished serving her own plate.

"Thish foowd is delishowus, Riwta," Garfield spoke unintelligibly with his mouth full.

Rita swirled her spaghetti around her fork and smiled at him, "Don't talk with your mouth full, Garfield," she scolded, though in a tender manner, before taking a bite of her own food.

Garfield gulped down his spaghetti and grinned widely, "Sorry Rita! You know how I can't contain myself around your cooking."

"Well, you did help me make it, so I don't take full credit," she responded after swallowing her own bite. "How was school?" she asked before taking another.

"It started off a little bad since I fought with one of my classmates…" he admitted. Then, he abruptly perked up, "But we made up, and I think I made a real breakthrough with her!"

"Her?" Rita questioned playfully with a sly smile.

Garfield's cheeks tainted with a nice rose color as he remembered his conversation with Vic, "Yeah, she's a new student at Jump. Her name's Raven, and she's kind of introverted and a bit ill-tempered at times, but she's cool. Although, sometimes she scares me. We kind of got off to a bad start, but I don't think she hates my guts anymore, at least not as much as during the beginning. She's really… different from other girls, I guess. She doesn't try to be fake, and she doesn't do things for attention. In fact, it seems like she hates attention. She's just an honest person in general. During lunch, I started talking about the accident in Africa and instead of apologizing like everyone usually does, she stayed quiet. So I asked her why, right? And she told me she didn't like meaningless apologies. I think we're going to end up being good friends, hopefully at least."

"Oh, really?" Rita's eyes were practically sparkling as Garfield spoke, not that he would have noticed since he was too busy staring off into space. "Are you going to bring her over some time? I'd love to meet this new friend of yours."

"I don't know. We're not exactly friends yet…" Garfield confessed in a sheepish tone.

"From the way you spoke about her, I thought you guys were," Rita tilted her head curiously.

Garfield shrugged and played around with one of his meatballs (ironic since they weren't made out of meat at all), "Like I said, she's really reserved, and she doesn't completely tolerate me, but I think I made a big breakthrough today! I got her to talk a little bit more about herself, besides all the talking I did. And she smiled!"

Rita arched an eyebrow, "Is that not common for her?"

Garfield shook his head and took another bite of his food before replying, "That's the only time I've ever seen her smile, and it wasn't even a real smile. She didn't even smile at all the jokes I told her yesterday, the ones you really like."

"Oh," Rita replied coolly, trying to contain her delight. "So… You like this girl?"

Garfield started to cough uncontrollably, almost choking on his meatball. He took a big gulp of his water to swallow it down. Then, he glanced at Rita who was noticeably trying to hold back her laughter. His face practically looked like a tomato as he replied, "Where did you get that idea from?"

"Hm, let's see," she placed a finger under her chin as if she were thinking thoughtfully about her reasons. "You visibly got really happy when you told me you made a breakthrough with her today, you blushed before you started talking about her, you described her like she was one-of-a-kind, you told her my favorite jokes which means you must have really wanted to make her smile, and you were staring dreamily at the wall throughout the whole conversation about her. But it's just a hunch, though my instincts when it comes to you are usually correct."

Garfield regarded her with an awed expression—his jaw hanging open and his eyes comically wide like a cartoon character. "How… What…?" he stuttered. He composed himself before attempting another sentence, "Rita, you never fail to amaze me with your attention to detail."

Rita chuckled and placed her hand over Garfield's on the table, "It's called being a mother. And by that answer, I assume you're not denying my allegation?"

Garfield looked down at the table, "I don't know. I guess I'm slightly attracted to her… But we just met, you know? And… I don't know, I'm a little hesitant after what happened with…" he choked before he could finish his sentence.

"... Tara?" Rita asked.

He only nodded.

"Honey, it's been a while and… I think it's okay for you to move on. I don't think you should base your chances of a successful relationship on your first one. I know you really liked Tara, but she's not the only girl you'll ever fall in love with."

Garfield nodded again, "I know, but now that she came back and after Steve invited her for dinner and all... I'm not sure I can."

Rita sighed and removed her hand, "Gar, I'll admit that I was also at fault for bringing Tara back. I thought that maybe you two could make up. I noticed that you hadn't taken an interest on any girl after her, and I know that girls are interested in you from what I've heard. So I thought maybe if Tara came back and she was willing to go back with you, you'd be happier. But I realize now that it was a mistake to try to influence your love life. And now that you've told me about your new friend… I think she would really help you forget Tara."

"Rita, not to offend you, but I don't think you fully understand the situation," Garfield answered quietly. "Having Tara around and the fact that Steve wants us to end up together is going to make things really complicated. Not to mention Raven isn't even remotely interested in me."

"Steve is a complicated and stern man. He's also fairly…" she searched around for proper wording. "... short-sighted at times. He loves you in his own way, but he often doesn't base his decisions out of the heart. That's why he said all those things yesterday. Just know that I'll always support you, and I'll always want the best for you. And for me, the best for you involves following your heart, so don't let what Steve wants for you determine your feelings or your decisions. Do what you feel is right for yourself."

"But like I said, Raven isn't interested," Garfield repeated.

"How do you know that?" Rita posed.

Garfield took a deep breath before talking, "For starters, I told you I'm not exactly her favorite person. We're also really different from each other. I mean, I love goofy jokes, and she's super serious. I'm really extroverted, and she's a complete introvert. I like thinking on my feet, and she seems to be the kind of girl who plans things out. I see the cup half-full, and she sees it half-empty," he explained.

Rita processed his words for a moment before asking something completely unexpected: "Do you ever wonder how Steve and I ended up together?"

"Uh… I mean, I guess sometimes," he scratched his forehead in confusion.

Rita smiled and looked up like she was reliving her memories, "We were co-workers in a laboratory back during our college years. We worked with your uncle Cliff and uncle Larry under the leadership of Mr. Caulder who we called the Chief. We used to call ourselves the Doom Patrol as a joke since we all had some kind of disability or illness back then. The first year Steve came in was a bit of a disaster. Your uncles hated him, and it seemed like Steve had really only joined to impress me. At first, I kind of disliked him. He was strict, bossy, and arrogant. We were nothing alike, so I didn't even bother looking his way. By some miracle, he actually managed to woo me off my feet, and we ended up together after that. And though we disagree sometimes and our mentalities are very different, we still love each other in the end, and we wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice ourselves for one another."

Garfield nodded as she spoke, "I understand… But why are you telling me this now?"

Rita regarded him with an affectionate gaze. She held his hand tightly before telling him, "Your father and I might be at complete ends of the spectrum, but we still love each other. So don't completely eliminate the possibility that Raven might like you or eventually grow to like you. After all, you know what they say..." she giggled.

"What?" he asked.

"Opposite's attract."

*Irritated.

That's how Garfield felt at the moment. He supposed that was Raven's thing, but right now it seemed like Raven wasn't exactly acting like herself.

First, she hadn't shown up for Government at all. He had no faint idea what she was playing at, but she might have as well gotten expelled for missing so many days. She had already missed nearly two weeks of school!

Second, because she hadn't shown up for Government, he was left alone in the back seat waiting for her like an idiot while the cute girls in the front row giggled at him.

Third, when she finally did show up for lunch, she had proceeded to ignore all of his attempts at a conversation and his jokes. She hadn't even directed him a glance, keeping her eyes fixed on the book she held. And to think he had been convinced that he had made a breakthrough with her. Garfield had finally given up twenty minutes into lunchtime and started talking to Kory and Dick.

Finally, during seventh-period Pre-Cal, she had plopped down next to Victor who waved her over (she completely ignored when Garfield did it), and he was left to witness as Victor somehow managed to make the impossible come true. He made Raven laugh. The impossibly unemotional soulless girl Raven laughed at the presence of his best friend Vic (though he was seriously doubting their friendship right now). How? He was clueless. While Garfield had essentially told her jokes for almost half an hour but to no avail and embarrassed himself more times than he'd care to admit, Victor had made her laugh in the course of a five-minute conversation. Of course, it hadn't been an obvious full-blown cackle, but it had been a chuckle nonetheless. Perhaps Garfield was overreacting, but Raven laughing (even as a faint chuckle) was kind of a big deal or so he thought.

Garfield wasn't jealous. On the contrary, he was frustrated that it hadn't been him to derive the first signs of amusement from the apathetic girl. Okay, so maybe he was kind of jealous, but it was for a valid reason.

Unbeknownst to him, the reason Raven had "laughed" had technically been because of him. The conversation had gone something like this:

"Something wrong Raven?" Victor questioned as she took a seat by him.

Raven pursed her lips and muttered a single word, "Garfield."

Victor let out a small chuckle, "What did he do now?"

"He talked and joked almost throughout the whole lunch period despite the fact that I ignored him, which is usually a sign that people don't want to talk," Raven spoke through gritted teeth. "How do you even stand him?"

"Meh, the little guy stopped being annoying to me years ago," Victor dismissed her statement. Then, he smiled faintly as an idea came to mind, "He's always been like that. It's hard for him to give up on any goal he sets his mind to," he locked eyes with her, "And it seems like his goal right now is to make you laugh."

"What does he gain from a random girl, who hates him, laughing?" she rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

"You're not a random girl, at least not to him. You're his friend…" He thought about it for a moment and grinned, "Our friend. Not to mention, the little guy's grown strangely attached to you. What did you do to get that to happen?"

Raven shrugged her shoulders impassively.

"Hm, that's funny," Victor pointed out. "Maybe he thinks you'll grow to like him,"

Before Raven could contain it, she let out a faint chuckle, "I don't grow to like people that easily… But perhaps we can be friends."

"Well looks like the little guy succeeded," Victor grinned cunningly.

"With what?" she snapped.

"In making you laugh."

"I'd hardly classify that as a laugh."

"Sure thing Raven," Victor chuckled again before turning to the front of the class. Raven only rolled her eyes at that.

And so Garfield sat glaring at Raven and his best friend for the whole class period, his stomach turning with only one sentiment.

Jealousy is a dangerous feeling.*

"Yo, what's wrong with you today, green bean?" Victor asked him as he rapidly pressed the buttons of his PlayStation controller. "You've been more… aggressive with your playing."

Garfield let out a frustrated grunt when the words 'Game Over' flashed across the screen for the third time in one hour. He fell back on the bean bag he was sitting in and basically glared a hole through the basement ceiling.

"Dude! For real, tell me what's up. You look like you've got lasers for eyes right now," Victor placed his controller on the table in front of them and turned off the TV. He faced Garfield and observed him worriedly.

Garfield huffed in a passive-aggressive manner, "What were you talking about with Raven today during Pre-Cal?"

That caught Victor off-guard and he arched a curious eyebrow, "Where did that come from?"

"Just answer the question, dude…" he muttered.

"Well, we were talking about you," Victor replied.

"What about me?" Garfield narrowed his eyes.

"She was telling me how you keep annoying her, and she asked me how I deal with you," Victor told him.

Garfield bit his lip nervously, "What did you tell her?"

"Nothing bad," Victor chuckled. "Why does this have you so bitter?"

"I don't know… Maybe it's the fact that I've been trying to make her laugh for the past few days and the first time I see her laugh is with you…" Garfield spat out before he could contain it.

Victor did the most unexpected thing at that moment—he burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?" Garfield glared.

"Are you…" Laugh. "... seriously ..." Laugh. "... jealous of me and Raven?"

Garfield crossed his arms and pouted, "... No."

Victor rolled his eyes, "Don't deny it green bean. You literally just exploded on me."

"Okay, fine! Yes, I'm jealous!" Garfield confessed rather loudly. "And?"

Victor blinked at him before grinning "... And you want to know what she told me after I told her that you were doing all these things because you thought she might grow to like you?"

"You told her that!? Dude!"

Victor ignored his allegation, "She told me that she didn't start liking people that easily…" he paused before continuing. "But that perhaps you two could be friends."

Garfield's eyes popped open, "She really said that?"

Victor nodded, grabbed a hold of his controller, and raised it up, "Now can you calm down, and we can continue our gaming session?"

"... Yeah…" Garfield murmured before taking his own controller. He continued to die repeatedly in-game for the next hour, though this time it was because a certain indigo-eyed girl clouded his mind.

A/N: Yes, I know that was shorter than usual, and there wasn't a lot of fluff, but I really wanted to explore the interactions between Garfield and Rita as well as sprinkle in some Victor. The part in between *stars* was an idea for a scene I got from jean carter (can't type your actual username for some reason). Thank you!

If you guys have any ideas or want me to include anything, write it in a review and I'll try to include it! I promise next time we'll find out why Raven didn't show up for half the school day, and perhaps there'll be a little bit of drama to ensue with the whole Tara and Malchior situation.

YourDemonicAssassin - Thank you!

Guest (1) - I'm not sure who you are, but I'm guessing you're one of my old followers. Anyhow, it has been years, but I'm finally back! No more PJO though, sadly.

Guest (2) - Thanks!

jean carter - Thank you for the scene suggestion! You're the first one to take advantage of the recommendations thing! If you want me to include anything else, I'll try my best! (I will also include your second scene in a later chapter, I also really liked it).

jonylol - Don't worry! She'll get away from her father's influence. Though I don't think I can promise a happy ending... It depends on what you consider happy. And thanks for rooting for me! It's really encouraging!