The Tea Sorcerer
Coming Home

Raven walked beside him silently, her hands hidden in her cloak as they wandered down one of the side streets, looking around at the people moving around them. Some of them cast glances and whispered to each other under their breath, pointing out glimpses of Garfield's skin. He was used to the stares and tuned them out after a while, trying to engage Raven in conversation as she stayed next to him. However, Raven was not used to this unwanted attention, and it was obvious that she preferred to have more solitude an anonymity when she traveled.

Beast Boy stopped outside a small shop and shuffled his feet as Raven stared at something being displayed. As she moved to point at the item behind the glass, her hand unconsciously brushed against his own and he blushed, looking down at her. She didn't seem to think anything about the contact, and instead continued talking as if it hadn't happened. Before he could ask her another question, his stomach growled loudly and his blush darkened. It had been several hours since they stopped for tea, and his body was trying to remind him that it was nearing supper.

Raven chuckled and looked up at him. "I think it's time for supper, don't you?"

"Um… yes. I would agree." He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly as his stomach growled again. This was certainly embarrassing. "Why don't we head to my home and I'll make us something to eat?"

"That sounds like a fine idea, Garfield." She smiled and held out her hand, looking up into his eyes.

Garfield stood there, his heart pounding as he reached forward and threaded his fingers through her own. Heat spread from their skin up his arm and into his heart, and before he could stop himself, he had leaned forward and pressed an innocent kiss to her cheek. Her eyes grew wide, and she turned her face away from his, blushing as a smile worked its way across her lips.

As they walked down the street in the direction of his house, Garfield heard her mutter, "I must say, Garfield Logan, I have certainly missed those lips of yours."

He nearly tripped over his own feet in response.

Raven chuckled and tightened her fingers in his as they walked through the crowds now returning to their homes from their day around town. A few people jostled against them and whispered harsh insults under their breath, but Raven's hand never faltered. She stood next to him the entire time, supporting Garfield with her quiet, stoic strength, and he could have never imagined a stranger being so kind him.

But wait… was she a stranger?

He pondered that for a moment. Perhaps, but not really. She was still a little unusual and a bit unknown, but after today she felt closer to him than anyone he knew. His fingers tightened against her own and he pulled her closer, nearly drowning in the scent of tea as it brushed up against his senses. The smell was warm and familiar, and it reminded Garfield that she was not a stranger - she was home.

"Is this your house?" She looked up at his small one-roomed house with genuine interest. Her eyes entranced with the bright red door that shone from the dark wood and windows on either side of the building.

He blushed, embarrassed that he'd been so caught up in his own thoughts that he hadn't noticed their travels. When had they gotten to back to his home?

"And you live here… alone?"

"Mm. Yes. I do… recently I had a friend live with me-"

"The friend who upset a forest troll?" Raven interjected, smirking. "I suppose everything turned out fine with her and the tea I made… otherwise I imagine you would have a statue outside your front door."

He chuckled and opened the front door to let her in. The smell of dark must and smoldering embers hit his senses. "Yes. I guess you're right. I don't think she would have lasted much longer. If you want to take off your cloak, I know I have at least a few things around here to create a simple meal…"

He drifted off as Raven moved closer to him, her cheeks flushed and her eyes wide. She moved closer to him and picked up her slender hands to the scarf wrapped around his neck and mouth. Garfield stood perfectly still and let her hands trail over his face before unraveling the fabric around him. She worked with slow precision as if she were unwrapping something precious and rare. As her fingers brushed against his skin, he felt the world around them melt away. The embers in the in the fireplace were their only light, but it was all they needed to see each other.

Raven trailed her fingers down his arm and unwrapped the fabric woven around his hands and through his fingers. After his hands were freed, she slid her cool fingertips under the hem of his shirt and pulled the fabric over his head, leaving him bare-chested in front of her.

Garfield swallowed hard, but was unwilling to break the spell between them. He hadn't felt this vulnerable since his first, rushed time with Tara, when he was awkwardly trying to understand his way around a woman's body. Tara had always been a little put-off by his appearance, and made him stay mostly clothed during their moments together, but Raven seemed entranced with his skin. She ran her fingers over the planes of his chest, tracing up and down his sternum with her fingertips before running over a scar near his shoulder.

"Have you ever heard of a stone called jade?"

Her voice was barely above a whisper, but in the quiet of his home, it sounded almost as if she were shouting, and it pulled Garfield from the spell she had been weaving around him. He shook his head, looking down into her eyes. "No. I haven't."

"Jade is considered the most precious stone above all else in countries far to the east of here. It's highly valuable and regarded the most beautiful and rare of every mineral that exists on earth." She paused and her hands hovered over his heart, feeling it pulsate under her touch. "It comes in many colors, but the rarest and most highly prized of all jade is a deep, rich green."

His breath caught in his chest as she tilted her face up to look into his eyes. She brought one hand up to tangle in his dark, green locks that hung around his face. A few minutes of silence passed between them again, and she finally whispered, "I was not lying when I said I missed your lips, Garfield Logan."

He took that as an invitation and leaned down to kiss her. Her hands splayed against his chest, still touching his skin as his mouth moved experimentally over hers. She tasted of tea and a touch of sweetness from their small meal this afternoon, and this strange flavor seemed to be like an aphrodisiac that rushed straight to his head. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her tightly against his body, his mouth tilting to the side and feasting on her.

Raven made strange little mewls in the back of her throat, and the sounds only seemed to make the fire inside Garfield burn hotter. He nudged her lips open and dipped his tongue inside, wanting to taste the inside of her to see if it was just as sweet as her lips. It was, and it was just as addicting as the rest of her.

Raven pulled away, gasping for breath. Garfield took the opportunity to admire her as she was in this very moment. Her lips were moist from their kisses and her cheeks were flushed a bright, innocent red. She stared into his eyes for a few seconds longer before leaning up on her tiptoes and closing the space between their mouths again.

"Hey, Gar! I heard that you…" The door swung open and a man stood in the doorway, flooding the dark room with light from the outside.

Raven pulled away from Garfield as if she'd been burned, blushing furiously. She groped for the hood of her cloak and yanked it over her head, trying to hide in the comfort of her own shadows. Garfield hunted for his shirt in the darkness around them, mumbling curses as his friend laughed from the threshold.

"I see the rumors are true. You did bring a guest over." He held out his hand to Raven, offering a small, polite smile. "I didn't mean to interrupt, miss. I'm Richard, I happen to be Garfield's friend."

Raven glanced from his hand to his face and back again, and eventually slid her hand into his to keep up propriety. "Hello."

"I was just coming over because I heard Gar had a visitor, and I was told by my wife to come invite you to have supper with us." He was fighting to hold in his laughter and Garfield pulled his shirt over his head, and had turned to desperately searching for his scarf. Richard just continued to grin. "I'm sorry if I intruded at a bad time…"

"You did." Garfield had found his scarf and had taken to wrapping it around his neck and mouth. He glared at his friend and turned to wrapping his hands. "We were… er…."

"Otherwise engaged?" Richard laughed at their awkward, embarrassed expressions. "I see that. Look, we're just inviting you over for dinner this evening. Why don't you come over and I can save you from Garfield's rather limited cooking skills."

Garfield snorted. "Kori's skills are not that much better."

Richard blushed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, you're right."

Raven managed to gather enough composure to look at Richard with an affirmative nod, breaking the awkward banter between them. Her face had shifted into it's normal, unreadable facade and no one could quite tell what she was thinking. "We would be most appreciative of a supper invitation."

"Alright. I'll let her know." He grinned at the two of them, leaning back on his heels as he stared. "I'll let her know you'll be over in a little bit." He started to head out the door, but paused before he had completely left. "Don't take too long!"

Raven blushed brightly and glared at the back of his head as he sauntered away. "He seems like a bit of a pest."

Garfield snorted. "You have no idea…"