If you take the time to read this, you will come to the realization that I do not own the Teen Titans, but I really wish I did.

"You know, you're a girl..."

Raven held back a snort of amusement at her friend's observation. "Thank you Richard; I'm glad someone has noticed," she replied sarcastically.

Richard blushed slightly in embarrassment as the two made their way towards the hotel restaurant's kitchen. Being the adopted son of the hotel owner definitely had its perks.

"You know what I mean," he laughed, nudging her with his elbow.

The pale girl rolled her eyes fondly. "I suppose I do."

"Yeah," he breathed, before a nervous expression painted across his face. "K-Kori's a girl, too," he mumbled.

This time Raven couldn't hide her amusement. "Wow, Dick. You should be a detective- that was impressive."

The black-haired boy closed his eyes in frustration with himself as they finally entered the kitchen through the employee-only doors. "God, I'm so bad at this," he muttered.

Raven decided to take mercy on him and pulled him towards the pantry- even though it had been a few years, she still remembered her late-night snacks with Richard and the layout of the kitchen.

"Stop being awkward; tell me what you want to tell me," she demanded once they were safely hidden.

Her friend gave her a tired look as he nervously rubbed his arm. "I think I like Kori..." he mumbled, looking towards the floor at the end of his admission.

Raven reminded herself not to roll her eyes as she gave him a blank look. "Really," she deadpanned, crossing her arms over her chest.

Richard let out a sheepish laugh. "Okay, so you knew already."

"Everyone knows; as good as you were at hiding things, I'm surprised you were so obvious with this," she mused, a small smile playing at her lips.

The black-haired teen's jaw dropped slightly at her words. "What do you mean, everyone knows?!"

"Well, everyone, as in each individual person on this planet, and knows, as in you practically have a neon sign above your head that reads 'I'm crushing on Kori'."

Richard gave her another playful nudge, before a terrified expression made its way onto his face. "Does Kori know?!"

Raven looked at him with sympathy. "Kori isn't very familiar with the 'American courting', but I think she has her suspicions," she confessed.

At the look of utter horror on her friend's face, the pale girl realized she left out one very important detail.

"Oh! But she likes you, too," she added quickly.

His horror immediately turned to a form of giddiness and confusion. "How do you know?"

Raven shook her head in amusement. "Well, girls apparently talk about cute boys as a way to 'bond'; much like you and I are doing right now," she smirked. "Only in this case, your 'cute boy' is a girl, and as usual, I have no other interest in the matter."

Richard gave her a knowing look. "So you're telling me there wasn't a guy you were discussing?" he teased.

"Do you know me?" she asked incredulously, though she could feel herself blushing. Oh god, please tell me he isn't referring to-

"Gar seems to have taken a liking towards you," the black-haired teen mused casually, obviously happy that he was no longer under the microscope.

The look of horror on Raven's face was a few degrees shy of comical. "Garfield is just a pain in my ass- besides, have you seen the girls he goes to school with? They're practically Barbie dolls- not that I care," she defended, avoiding his prodding gaze.

Richard continued to give her a smug look. "Something tells me 'Barbie' isn't Gar's type," he grinned.

"Can we please stop calling him 'Gar'- that's like admitting you're friends with him," she complained, attempting to change the subject.

"From what I've heard, you've already admitted to being friends with him," he bit back.

"Only to get him off my back- that boy is the definition of irritating," Raven replied haughtily, obviously uncomfortable with the subject. First Jinx, and now Richard? Is everybody trying embarrass me?

"Hmm, how about we make a deal?" Richard announced suddenly.

Raven gave him a wary look; she didn't like where this was heading.

"You talk to Kori- find out if she really likes me, and if it's safe for me to, you know, make a move," he continued, taking the dark-haired girl's silence as a yes, "and I'll talk to Gar and find out what he thinks about you."

The pale girl shook her head animatedly. "No way! First of all, you're asking me to willingly have girl-talk with Kori- the definition of pep and all things happy. Secondly, I don't care what Garfield thinks of me- he is infuriating," she growled. "Plus, he wouldn't like a girl like me," she added matter-of-factly.

Richard rolled his eyes in amusement. "Please just do this for me, Rave," he begged playfully. "And wouldn't knowing if Gar likes you make things easier? You know, ease your mind if he doesn't, or figure out how not to lead him on if he does?"

Raven groaned in exasperation- she knew her friend was right. "Fine," she seethed, "but only 'cuz I don't want to give Garfield the wrong impression."

Her friend's face lit up immediately at her agreement. "Thanks, Rave," he smiled, clearly trying to contain his excitement.

The dark-haired girl let out a huff of amusement. "I don't even get how you could already be crushing on Kori," she admitted. "Honestly, you've know her for like four days."

Richard instantly turned red as the tables were turned back onto him. "I-I don't know," he stuttered, rubbing his arm nervously. "She's just, you know, really nice and beau- er, pr-, uhm... attractive."

Raven furrowed her brows in confusion. "Just because someone's nice and cute doesn't mean you'll automatically crush on them- don't you have to get to know them first, before you could determine that?"

The black-haired teen rolled his eyes fondly. "Not everything is so complicated, Rave," he laughed, patting her on the back. "Now, not that I haven't enjoyed bonding and catching up, but we really should gather up the supplies- do you know what all we need for cupcakes?"

Raven immediately adopted her signature blank expression. "Do I look like someone who bakes?"

So this chapter was really just to show that Raven and Richard still have somewhat of a "bond" even after the few years where they didn't get to see each other. It's also kind of showing Rae that she definitely over-analyzes everything- especially when it comes to Gar. I'm going to delve deeper into Rae's apprehension with relationships in the next few chapters, as well as build up the RobStar. But fear not, the BBRae is on its way, and it will be fluffy to the max, with a tad bit of angst and a pinch of... adventure? Hmm...

Anywhoooooooo, reviewwwwww? And to those of you who have reviewed, I love you guys! You're the best!