Chapter 6 guys! A bit behind schedule, I know, but if you've read any of of my other stories that's normal for me. (I haven't updated my high school AU in like three months 0-0.) But I make up for lost time in this chapter with lots of Tiny Titans cuteness and even more BBRae! Enjoy!
Raven carried the numerous gift bags and packages into the back of the car while waited in the passengers seat. Since all of the Titans could now legally drive, they had purchased a few spare cars in order to go incognito or just for basic transportation. Robin and Starfire had taken Robin's sports car that he bought himself and Victor had, of course, taken the T-Car. The one she and Gar would be using was technically Gar's car considering he had used it to practice driving with and had bought it cheap (with some charity from Vic) at a used car dealership. He always said he'd get a better one, but that never seemed to happen.
Once Raven was done loading the cargo she got into the driver's seat and buckled up. She insisted on driving since, though he had immensely improved, Gar's driving would scare most middle aged people and children to death. "You got my stuff, right?" Gar asked as Raven started the car.
She raised an eyebrow at him. "Of course." She replied.
He smiled cheekily at her. "Just checking." He said. Raven rolled her eyes and drove out if the garage down into the tunnel below the lake surrounding the Tower.
They were silent for a while, Raven just keeping her focus on the road and Gar looked out the window and occasionally at Raven. Finally he got bored with the silence and trued to make conversation. "So...you excited?" He asked.
"I suppose that could describe how I'm feeling." She replied. "You?" She asked.
Gar shrugged. "Kinda worried actually." He said.
"What do you mean?" She asked.
"Well...y'know I want 'em to like me. I mean...it'd suck if they didn't and, well, to be honest, they might not." He said said, blushing slightly.
"Why wouldn't they like you? If anyone finds your jokes humorous it's kids." She said.
"Yeah...but..." He looked uneasy. "...never mind. Guess I'm just worried they'll try and grab my ears and stuff." He chuckled nervously.
Raven looked unconvinced but didn't push the issue and went back to the road. "I'm actually kind of nervous to be honest." She said.
"Why?" He asked. He'd never thought of Raven being nervous of anything.
She shrugged. "They're my family, like the Doom Patrol is yours. Even though they're children, I'm still worried about what they'll think, if they'll be proud of me as the one who's practically raising them."
Gar wasn't sure of how to answer at first. He hadn't considered that seeing your kids after a while would be stressful for the parents too. Maybe that's how Steve feels. He thought. Never thought he'd get nervous about anything.
"Well, I mean, they're your kids, Rae. I...I think they'll be happy just to see you around." He said, offering her a smile.
"Thanks Gar," She said, smiling at him.
The ride went on with Raven driving, Gar listening to music, and the two occasionally chatting about whatever came to mind. Fortunately the ride wasn't long and they were at the monastery within a few hours.
Raven parked the car in front of the large building. "Here we are." She whispered, staring at it. She broke her gaze and they both exited the car.
Gar grabbed the load of gifts despite Raven's protest that she could take her's herself. They came towards the great gates of the monastery and waited to be let inside. Raven rand the bell at the gate and soon a monk dressed in tan robes came to the gates.
"Who are you, sir and madam?" He asked, looking at Gar with suspicion in his eyes.
"My name is Raven of the Teen Titans and this is my team mate, Beast Boy. We're here to see Melvin, Timothy, and Tony Swift." She replied.
"Ah, yes. The children informed us of your arrival. But they did not mention your comrade." He said, eying Gar.
"I brought him along as a surprise for the children. I hope you don't mind." Raven said.
"Oh, no, of course not. Come in, come." He said, opening the gates with his keys. He lead them down the snowy courtyard to the doors and let them inside.
Gar looked around the monastery in awe at its high ceilings, candles, carvings on the walls. He resisted whispering cool, not wanting to make a fool of himself in front of the monk who clearly had it out for him. He was used to that, though.
"The children will be brought to the meeting room where you shall be able to have your time with them for the day. If you intend on taking them out of the monastery today you will need to sign some forms to do so." The monk explained, leading them up the winding stairwell. As they walked they could hear the sounds of children playing, the other ones that lived here in the monastery. Raven wondered how her kids got along with them.
They crossed a short hallway then stopped at a door marked, 'visiting center'. The monk opened the door for them then closed the door behind the three. "You may wait here." He said, gesturing to the couch by a large desk. "I will call the children up." He said. Gar abd Raven sat down whike the monk went behind the desk and pressed three buttons. Signals. Raven thought. They're used on the children when they need to report somewhere.
"They shall be here shortly. From what I know they have been enjoying a holiday gift exchange with the other children." He said, taking a seat behind the desk.
"Thank you." Raven said, nodding to him.
"You are welcome, ma'am." He replied.
After a few moments of waiting they heard the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs. Raven had no doubt in her mind who it was coming up the stairs.
"Raven!" And eight year old blonde girl and a six year old ginger boy burst through the door, bright smiles on their faces. Raven's face lit up when she saw them and she stood to greet the two.
"Hey." She said as they ran up to her, wrapping their arms around her waist. She hugged them back, stroking her hands against their hair.
"We missed you." Melvin murmured against her shirt.
"Yeah." Timmy chimed in.
"I missed you too." Raven said.
Garfield watched the scene in awe, having never seen Raven react like this around children. Then again they were her children so this was different. He smiled at the three, resisting the urge to join in on the loving scene, as he was reminded the kids didn't know who he was.
"I shall leave you all alone." The monk said, smiling at Gar. Gar thanked the old man as he swiftly walked out of the room.
The kids finally released Raven and she kneeled down next to them. "I'm glad to see you again." She said. She looked behind the two and noticed something. "Hey. Where's Teether?" She asked.
"The nurse is bringing him up. He can't go up stairs by himself yet." Melvin explained.
"Did you bring present?" Timmy asked excitedly.
"Of course. We'll open them when-" Raven was cut off when the door opened, revealing a nurse holding a blonde haired baby in her arms.
"Waven!" The child exclaimed, recognizing her immediately.
"Here you go, miss." The nurse said, handing Raven the baby.
"Hello, Teether." She said to the little boy as he latched onto her like a koala.
"Um, Raven?" Timmy asked nervously, pulling on the leg of her pants.
"Yeah, Timmy?" She asked.
"Who's that?" He squeaked, pointing at Garfield. Gar looked around nervously. Underneath his facade he was kind of put off about the looks they were giving him, not that he could blame the kids. He knew this would happen, the kids being scared of him.
"That, Timmy, is my friend and team mate, Beast Boy. But you can call him Gar." Raven
The children looked at each other nervously, unsure of what to do at first. But Teether wasn't. Once the young child got a look at Gar he squealed with excitement and reached out to him. "Up? Up?" He asked Gar.
"Um...sure thing little dude." He replied. Raven held the baby out to him and Gar accepted the infant awkwardly, not having much experience with babies. In return the child stared at him with wide eyes for a few moments. He then reached out and touched Gar's face, feeling his skin.
"Uh, hey lil' guy...whatcha doing there?" He asked as Teether felt around his face. In response Teether just giggled and said, "G'een!" He started to grab onto Gar's ears and pulled on them with his surprisingly strong fingers.
"Hey, easy there. C'mon." He chuckled, wincing. The other children watched and started to laugh at what there little brother was doing to him.
Raven chuckled at them. "That's enough, Teether." She chided, taking the baby from Gar.
"Thanks." He muttered, rubbing his sensitive ears.
"Well are you two gonna say hi or what?" Raven asked the other two. She was beginning to see her children as rude.
They looked nervous but didn't shy away. Melvin walked up to him first, holding her hand out. "Hi. I'm Melvin. It's nice to meet you." She said formally, but it came across as cute.
Gar crouched dow to her level and shook her hand. "Nice to meet you too, Melvin." He said.
Timmy on the other hand was more...forward. "Why are you green?" He asked, looking at him curiously.
"Timmy." Melvin and Raven admonished him.
Gar blushed a little and trued to think of an answer. "Uh...it's kind of a long story, kid. But because I'm green I got my powers." He replied.
"What are they?" Timmy asked.
"Well...I can turn into animals for one." He said.
"Can we see?" Asked Melvin excitedly.
Gar smiled at her. "Sure thing." He said. He crouched down again and turned into a green kitten.
"Whoa!" Timmy exclaimed, taking a step back.
"Cool!" Melvin said, going over to him. He nuzzled against her legs and mowed.
"G'een! G'een!" Teether shouted, pointing at the green cat.
"Yes, Teether. The cat is green." She said, smiling at the three below her.
The cat pounced back and turned back into Gar. "Ta-da!" He exclaimed, making jazz hands.
Melvin giggled. "You're funny." She said.
"See? She gets my sense of humor!" Gar said to Raven, pointing at Melvin.
Raven rolled her eyes and shook her head. "So...didn't you guys say something about presents?"
"Yes!" Melvin and Timmy exclaimed.
Raven lead them over to where she had the presents and handed her gifts out as Gar did with his. The children seemed more than overjoyed at their presents. Raven took it they didn't get them often. Raven changed Teether into a cat baby romper while Melvin abd Timmy played with the Hot Wheels set they got from Gar. They played there for a while when Teether eventually fell to sleep and the young adults were exhausted.
"Wow. Who knew people so small had that much energy." Gar sighed as he sat beside Raven. Melvin and Timmy finally gave them a break and were entertaining themselves with Timmy's remote control car.
"Yes. They remind me of you in the early years." Raven replied.
"Heh. Yeah." He said, remembering the times when his energy caused him to literally bounce off of walls. "How long have we been here?" He asked.
"A few hours. It doesn't feel as long though." Raven said, watching the kids. Gar stared at the tranquil expression in her face. She looked so peaceful, relaxed, and beautiful; he wasn't going to deny that to himself. His expression darkened a little when he remembered his conversation with Victor this morning about Raven.
This morning...
Garfield entered the Ops room, still in his pajamas and his hair all over the place. He stumbled inside, rubbing his tired eyes as he yawned. He clearly could've slept in later this morning.
"Uh, morning, B. What're you doing up?" Vic asked. He went back to his coffee machine, which was now done, and started making himself a drink.
"Well I told Rae that I sleep in even on Christmas, so I'm gonna surprise her by being up before her." He replied, smiling cheekily.
"Are you now?" He grinned mischievously at him.
"What?" Gar asked, noticing his look.
"Is that the only reason you got up three hours before you usually do?" He asked suggestively.
Gar's face began to heat up. "Well, I uh..." He stuttered.
Vic laughed. "Oh man! You are way too obvious!"
"I am- I- Well...shut up..." He stammered, giving up denying the truth to Vic. He was likely to find out at some point or another.
"And the truth comes out. How does it feel?" Vic asked, grinning at him. He already knew Gar had a thing for Raven. It was so obvious a blind man could see it. All he seemed to do lately was talk to her, spend time with her, and stare at her more than he stared at a TV screen. He even had this dopey grin on his face whenever she wasn't looking or when she was around. He had it bad and he knew it.
Rather than telling him to shut up again Gar didn't say anything. His mood went from embarrassed to melancholy and he just slumped at the counter his face in his hands. "To be honest? It's hopeless." He said, a sad smile on his face.
Vic gave him a startled look. "What are you talking about?" He asked, forgetting about his coffee.
"Don't you get it, Vic?" He droned, looking up at him.
"Get what? BB, what's going on?" He asked.
Gar let out a deep breath. "She doesn't like me like that, dude. I can't think of anyone who does." He murmured the last part.
"What do you mean?" Vic asked, sitting across from him at the counter.
"I mean...you know... Remember...remember what Mariah said, the day she split with me?" He asked, not looking directly at Victor.
"Yeah?" He replied, knowing where this was going.
"Well...it's just... What if Rae doesn't like me for the same reasons Terra, or Mariah, or whatever didn't? I mean, now that I think about it, she had pretty good reason not to..." Gar said, staring solemnly at the counter top.
"B, you can't keep focusing on the stuff Mariah said. You know it's not true and you know damn well Raven doesn't believe that." Vic said. "What she said was bullshit. No one thinks that of you." He assured him.
"Terra did." Gar muttered.
Vic let out a disappointed sigh. "Gar. I know you liked her, okay? A lot, I know. But let's face it, if you're ever gonna move on and get with someone else you can't spend you're life dwelling on her. It's hard. I get that." Vic said, putting his hand on his shoulder.
Gar shrugged his hand off and looked up at him. "No you don't. You have know idea what I'm going through." He snapped.
"I do actually. I wasn't always like this you know." He said, gesturing to himself.
"I know you weren't, but-" Gar tried to abject.
"Let me finish." Vic said in a calm voice. "Before this happened, I had a girl like you had Terra. But the thing is, despite all the things I told her and how much she seemed to like me, when this happened..." He sighed. "She dumped me the second she looked at me."
Gar wasn't sure what to say. He knew that Vic was kind of a Casanova in high school, but he never knew he ever got attached to anyone. It must have been painful, having someone leave you for something you couldn't help and that you hated about yourself.
"Vic I...I had no idea..." He stuttered. He felt bad for snapping at him before. He should've realized he wasn't the only one suffering through this stuff. And since Vic had a girlfriend now, it made it clear to him it was possible to move on.
"I didn't tell you to make you feel guilty, B. I just wanted you to know that you can move on. And just because somebody says otherwise doesn't mean you have to listen." He said, walking over to the coat rack to grab his winter jacket.
"I'm gonna head out now. You and Rae have fun with the tykes." He said, pulling his arms into his sleeves.
"Yeah... Merry Christmas." Gar replied, a little out of it after taking in all that Vic said.
"You too. Tell Rae I said hi." Vic said smiling at him before closing the door behind him.
Gar mulled over his friends words for a few minutes, hardly moving. He had been trying to move on for months now, and for the most part was successful. He didn't have many feelings for Mariah aka Terra anymore, but was still unable to regain the courage he had when he was with her. It was holding him back and he knew it needed to stop. But there was always this fear and insecurity that it would all fall apart again, that he would be rejected just like last time. He didn't want to feel like that ever again.
Soon after Raven met him in the kitchen and he once again played the role of the guy who would always be just her friend.
"You alright?" Raven asked him, snapping him out of his thoughts.
He faked a smile. "Yeah...I'm good."
They children were still playing, having the time of their lives, when three monks cane bursting in. "Forgive our intrusion." They greeted them. "But we're afraid visiting hours are finished. We are sorry, but we must ask that you leave and allow the children to prepare for bed." The first monk said.
The kids groaned in disproval but didn't argue and began picking up their toys. Once they were done they said their goodbyes to Gar and Raven, minus Teether who was still asleep. "I'll contact you both soon. Maybe we could do something like this for your birthdays?" Raven asked them.
The kids smiled at her. "That would be nice." Melvin said. Timmy nodded.
The kids went in for a hug which Raven returned, holding them close. She soon released them and looked at them fondly. "I'll miss you both. Take care of each other." She said.
"Don't worry, Raven. We'll be fine." Melvin said.
Raven stood up. "I know you will."
"See ya guys." Gar said kneeling down to them. He offered them a fist bump but instead Melvin gave him a hug.
"I had a great time with you here." She said, smiling at him.
Gar was a little taken aback at first but returned the gesture anyways. "Same here." He said.
He looked over to Timmy who looked at him shyly. "Hey." Gar said, holding his fist out. "I'm glad I got to meet you today." He said, smiling at him. Timmy gave him a small smirk and fist bumped him back.
The three kids followed the monks out of the room to be lead upstairs to their bedrooms, leaving Gar and Raven alone.
"That was fun." Gar commented.
"Yes." Raven agreed. "I didn't realize how much I missed them until I saw them again."
"I know what you mean." He replied, a knowing look in his eyes.
The two Titans left the old building and got in the car. Raven drive just as last time while Gar was silent. Raven had been keeping mind of how Gar would seem to space out or look solemnly into the distance from time to time and it was starting to concern her. He had done it today in the monastery and had been doing it frequently in the recent weeks, and she had a feeling she knew why. She had the ability to find out what was wrong with her telepathy, but decided not to, knowing it was an invasion of privacy. Therefore she had to figure it out the old fashioned way.
Raven held off on interrogating him until they got home. Both of them were tired from visiting with the kids, but Raven knew this had to be settled soon. As she drive home, she devised a plan.
They finally arrive back at the Tower. Evening had come, setting the sky in a shade of orange. Gar had dozed off on the ride home, but seemed more refreshed once he had woken up and returned home. Gar excused himself to go to his room, saying he had a game he wanted to catch up on. But, as usual, Raven knew he was lying. He was, rather, on the roof when she went looking for him some time later. Now, she knew, was a good time.
"Good evening, Garfield." Raven saud, walking up to him from behind.
He turned to look at her, an expression on his face that could only be described as depressed. "Oh. Hey, Rae." He said. He was standing on the roof, facing the sea.
"Sit, I'm here to talk to you." She ordered, sitting on the ledge of the roof.
Gar looked nervous but complied, taking and seat next to her. Raven was silent for a few seconds, eying the ocean as he had been. "We both know that you haven't exactly bedn yourself lately, Gar." She stated.
"What? What do you mean?" He asked, worried that she had found out about his feelings.
"You've been, for lack of a better word, in a funk. You've been feeling blue." She said. "Don't try to deny it because I can feel it when whenever you get like this, and I want to help."
Gar sighed. "I don't think you can Rae." He said, looking at his feet.
"Then at least tell me what it is that's bothering you. It'll make this much easier." She said.
Gar knew that Raven wouldn't let this go unless he gave her a reason, and a true one at that. But he didn't want to just come out and tell her yet, or ever for that matter. "Rae...I'm sorry, I just..."
"Then I'll ask you again. Does this have anything to do with Terra?" She asked.
"No...well, kinda...I mean..." He stammered. It kind of did. It was the issue with Terra that had made him so apprehensive about what he felt in the first place. "Yes." He finally admitted.
"Garfield, when you say Terra, do you mean the old Terra or the one who broke up with you a few months ago?" She asked.
"The one who broke up with me...again. I should be over it by now, but..." He trailed off.
"Is it Terra herself that's bothering you or what she did?" Raven asked.
That was a tough one. "Well, both, really. I mean, I still miss her, both the one I first met and the one that was my first girlfriend. But what bothers me the most is that it feels like I did something wrong to them. Like...I didn't make them happy, or, I dunno."
"What did you do that would make either of them not happy?"
"I...well... It's not something I did, just...y'know... Being me." He stated.
"Care to elaborate?" She inquired.
"Rae. Look at me. Scrawny, green, and half primate aren't exactly on a girl's wish list." He said, gesturing to himself. "It seems like because of that everyone important to me has either left me or disliked me. I mean, Terra did it like four times and even my parents didn't like it..." He said, growing more and more saddened with each word.
"What do you mean?" She asked.
Gar looked down at his lap. My mom...my real mom...she said that...that there was no way I'd fit in. That I would never find anyone to love me..." He said. He sniffled a little at the memory. "She didn't know I heard her, but still..."
Raven grabbed his hand in hers, surprising him. "Well they were wrong." She said firmly. "Because I'm not Terra."
Gar looked confused. "What do you mean, Rae?"
"Listen, I know you probably don't want to hear this, but I know." She said.
Panic came over him. "Know what?" He asked, his voice a little higher.
"About your...feelings for me." She said, looking at their hands and blushing.
"Wh-what? How did you-" he stuttered, terror overtaking him.
She smiled coyly at him. "Your mother, Rita, told me. Apparently you talked and wrote about me a lot. That and she said she noticed the way you were looking at me." She explained. Gar looked terrified and avoided her gaze. Instead of relenting then Raven got closer to him and said, "She also noticed the way I was looking at you." She said in a smaller voice, her cheeks a soft pink.
"Wait. Does this mean that you...like...me?" He asked in disbelief. There was no way. He must have misheard.
She chuckled. "How could you tell?" She asked, sarcasm in her voice.
He let out a weak chuckle. "Okay. You're still being sarcastic. Maybe I'm not dreaming."
"Aw, you dreamed about this? How sweet." She drawled, but remained grinning at him.
Wasn't the only thing I dreamed about. He thought. "Yeah, yeah. In my dreams though you weren't this sarcastic." Her retorted.
"If you like me so much you should be used to it by now." She replied.
He chuckled and scooted closer to her. "So you like me. What now?" He asked. He was still smiling, but his ton was serious.
Raven's smirk wavered away. "I'm...not sure, really. I suppose this either means we forget what just happened or you take me out for coffee and see how this goes." She said in a matter of fact way.
His eyes immediately lit up when she said that. "Sweet! I mean, I'm all for it!" He said, grinning widely and standing up.
She gave him a small smile. "It's a date. This Friday at three." She stated. She started to turn around before he placed his hand on her elbow.
"Wait. So...does this mean you're my girlfriend now, or...?" He asked nervously.
Raven's smile turned into a smirk. "You'll have to wait until after our date." She said. But before she turned to leave she leaned gave him a small peck on the cheek. Gar was too shocked to react and just stood there, awestruck. He tried to say something, anything. But as soon as her lips left his cheek, she was gone.
Gar touched the spot where she kissed him, where her pillowy lips had been. "Wow." He breathed. He slowly went inside the Tower again, wondering if he'd get another kiss like that on their date.
Worth the wait? Definitely ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)