Dudes and dudettes, my apologies if the characters seem, well, out of character, (especially Superman, I even made him weaker) but I just had too much fun writing this! Enjoy and SMILE!
Chapter 3: Consequences of an insult
The next morning Raven and Garfield woke in each others' embrace still half dressed in their evening attire. They decided that they wouldn't want to wake up any other way anymore and that hiding their new relationship was out of question. No more hidden feelings they swore each other. It wouldn't be easy but when did they ever get something easy in their life?
After they had showered and changed into their usual uniforms they met again and entered the common room holding hands.
Starfire was the first to acknowledge them as they headed to the kitchen. She flew over to them squealing excitedly: "Oh glorious, friends! You finally have admitted the feelings to each other, yes? CONGRATIULATIONS!" She took both of them into one of her infamous bone-crushing hugs, not waiting for an answer at all.
"Thanks' Kori…" Gar gasped and as she released them she flew back to the couch happily cuddling with her bumgorf Silkie.
Raven and Garfield glanced at each other slightly blushing before moving into the kitchen following their morning routine like Vic and Karen were already doing.
"So you finally grew some and got her!" Cyborg yelled joyful at Gar, patting on his shoulder. As the changeling just smiled and poured himself a bowl of cereals with soy milk, Vic moved closer, put his hands on Gar's shoulder and whispered: "But if you'll hurt her you're dead meat."
The statement didn't alter the younger's grin a bit and he joked: "Of course I know that, tin-man. Rae would chomp me for breakfast."
They shared a laugh before Changeling joined his girlfriend at the kitchen table, where the woman of his dreams talked to Karen. Gars' behind had barely touched his seat as Nightwing stormed in pointing furiously at him: "You! Are so! In trouble!"
Karen stopped talking, all eyes immediately were glued at their angry team leader, except Gars' who idly started to eat his breakfast. He knew what would come but he felt no guilt and didn't regret his actions of the previous night. He knew he had done the right thing.
Richard stopped at the kitchen table right in front of the green man, leaning on his hands trying to tower over him. But due to the height difference they were almost on eyelevel.
"You messed up yesterday! Bruce is infuriated! You'll do the chores, you'll get the double amount of training and you'll have the weekend-watches, all for the whole month!"
To everyone's surprise Gar didn't object. He just sat there continuing his meal and nodded. Still their leader hadn't finished.
"And you'll officially apologize to Clark."
At the mention of this name Changeling stiffened, clenching his spoon so hard it bended into strange angles. He swallowed the bite he had still in his mouth and lifted his head slowly, glaring angry at his friend.
"I won't apologize to that asshole," he stated calmly but with a hardly audible growl in the end.
Nightwing stood his ground: "You will, Gar. You punched him with no reason."
Cyborg objected: "He didn't just punch him, Dick, he fucking knocked out Superman!" sounding more like an admirer than anything else while he opened the fridge.
"He had it coming. He insulted Rae," a still glaring Garfield growled even lower, his cereal bowl started to crack.
"So what could he probably have told her to justify such an act of violence I ask you?" Dick questioned doubtful.
Gar lowered his gaze to the table mumbling stubborn: "I won't repeat what that jerk said nor will I allow anyone ever insult her like that again!" The cereal bowl started to tremble under his grip and began to leak out soy milk.
"That bad?" Karen wondered.
Raven felt slightly obliged to help her boyfriend out of this situation; he obviously still was upset by the harsh words of the older hero, although they had been directed at her. The others wouldn't like it either but she'd better get it over, the sooner the better.
"We already discussed this yesterday, Gar" she began monotone, putting her hand on his shoulder and turning her attention back to Nightwing. "Clark questioned the safety status of the planet with me 'walking freely around' as he said and doubted my existence being justified considering the danger I could represent to earths' population."
She didn't even flinch at the memory of the statement Superman had given the previous night, but she was the only one in the room staying indifferent.
Gar growled deeply breaking his breakfast supplies into smithereens.
Nightwing gasped and asked through gritted his teeth: "WHAT?!" holding so tightly on to the table he slightly bended the metal of it.
Vic roared: "That BASTARD!" ripping of the door of the fridge off and crumbling it together like a sheet of paper.
Karen literary grew flames in her eyes, snarling: "He didn't! You should have ripped of his damn head,Gar!" before turning over to calm down an outraged Kori, who had started to vaporize the living room area, loudly screaming tamaranian obscenities.
"Garfield, I take everything back! You behaved yourself better than any of us would have been capable of. I'll have a serious word with Bruce. That Super-dork will apologize!" Nightwing growled on his own and left in a blur.
Cyborg still fuming went over to help his girlfriend stopping the alien woman to blow up their furniture.
Gar took a deep breath before he got up to clean up his breakfast-mess. But Raven was faster than him, let the mess disappear with her powers and grabbed him at his collar pulling him into a kiss.
As she released him he grinned: "How did I deserve this?"
"You really did hold back yesterday night, I see now," she replied with a smile before they kissed again.
Two days later a rather bruised Superman could be seen on the screen of the common room in the T-Tower. Apparently half of the super-community had teamed up to bring him back to his senses. Rumor was that Wally had to chain up an infuriated Jess in the Titans East tower to keep her from joining the fight despite her advanced pregnancy and she still managed to send over a nasty hex crashing Superman to the ground. Nonetheless the most prominent bruise was placed on his chin right where Changeling had hit him.
"… So please accept my apologies, Raven, I deeply regret my actions towards you and your friend."
"I am sure you are," the dark empath replied seemingly emotionless. As deep as your wounds go, she added in her thoughts. "Just remember to attain Martian Manhunters' classes about the dangers of interstellar racism with Miss Lane." She noticed his slight flinch at her comment.
"I will. Goodbye to you," and he was off before she could answer.
Vic, Gar and Dick had stood behind, leaning against the kitchen counter with crossed arms, surveying the encounter. As a precaution Karen had taken Kori to the mall, they didn't need her to damage the living room furniture again.
"How come you still can see where he'd been hit by Gar? The other bruises look only half as bad and were done afterwards," Vic glanced over to his slightly smaller friend. Garfield smirked malicious, not leaving his eyes from his girlfriend, causing goose bumps appear on his friends' skins.
"Oh, you know, I just really put some venom in the punch…"
Initially they looked confused, then Richard realized the true meaning behind his friends' pun and his eyes grew wide.
"What kind of venom, Gar?" he asked cautiously.
"Just a little stonefish, marine toad, jellyfish and black mamba…" he grinned and at the shocked impressions on the faces of his friends he could make out from the corner of his eyes he added: "Don't worry, it won't kill him. He's mostly immune to toxins, remember? It just will remind him for the rest of his life who not to mess with!"
"So… you can put venom in your punches now?" Cyborg asked with a slightly higher pitched voice than usually. As Gar continued grinning like a madman, eyes fixed on his woman, Dick gulped: "Just remember putting on gloves for sparring, okay?"
"I'll try," he replied slyly, "As long as you don't tell Rae about Superman's poisoned bruise…"