This morning I came to the sudden realization that I don't own the Teen Titans.
Raven knew this wasn't normal. She never talked about her feelings, or her past, or anything of the like. She hated getting personal, and here she was, doing just that.
Under a table.
With Garfield.
He was really understanding, which she admittedly expected from him, but being proved right was still a surprise. He had also made a few jokes, which was also expected. But most importantly, he made her feel better.
They had obviously moved on from the topic, though not in a way that felt forced. They just started talking.
She told him about some of her good memories from living here, which mostly involved Richard, and he nodded along, giving a slight chuckle when appropriate. She could tell the blonde wasn't too fond of her old friend, but she figured that had something to do with Kori.
A wave of panic washed over her for a moment when she idly wondered if Garfield also had feelings for the redhead. She was unbelievably gorgeous, after all. Following the panic was a wave of confusion; why did she care? Sure, her dear friend Richard was obviously smitten with the sweet girl, so maybe she was worried the two boys would fight over her, and then Raven would no doubt lose one of her friends.
Or maybe it was because Kori obviously only saw Garfield as a friend, and the pale girl pitied him?
Raven knew there was no way in hell that she was the one with feelings for the blonde- he was her friend. And you can't feel that way about friends- especially ones you've only known for several days- regardless of how cute they are.
Not that Garfield was cute.
"...and then Vic just spills the entire thing all over Bee!" Garfield laughed whole-heartedly, literally slapping his knee.
Raven let out a small chuckle as well; she was happy the focus was no longer on her.
The blonde continued with his mirth, wiping away a tear from his eye. "Oh god- it was seriously the funniest thing ever," he sighed, giving her a sideways glance.
"Public school sounds..." the pale girl began as she mulled over all of his earlier stories, "terrifying."
Garfield snorted in amusement. "Once you get past the gangs and supernatural creatures, it's alright," he teased.
She suddenly regretted sharing with him her misconceptions of high school.
"You promised you wouldn't make fun of me," she deadpanned, though he could see the glint of amusement in her eyes.
He grinned cheekily. "Oh, come on, Rae! You really thought high school was like one of those CW shows?"
"That's all I ever had as a basis," she defended, somewhat embarrassed that she had admitted to watching those shows.
"What, no books from this century to read?" he snickered, obviously enjoying her flustered appearance.
"Oh, shut up," she smirked, lightly smacking him on the shoulder. "Speaking of books," she began inquisitively, "how are you liking mine so far?"
Garfield's grin was slowly replaced by a nervous smile. "It's, uh... interesting," he replied.
Raven arched a brow curiously. "Care to elaborate?"
He let out a sheepish laugh as he tried to think of a way to describe it without insulting her. "Well, it's... terrifying."
The dark-haired girl let out a dramatic gasp. "What?! Garfield Logan is scared... of a book?"
The blonde gaped at her comically. "N-no!" he stuttered. "I'm just... appreciating the plot by... reacting in the way the author expected me to react!"
There was a long pause as Raven tried to decipher his words.
"...What?"
He let out a flustered laugh at her confusion- heck, he was confused, too.
"Honestly, I stayed up like half the night reading the damn thing," he admitted sheepishly. "And, uh, the other half was spent cowering under my sheets."
His teammate smiled a genuine smile. "At least you didn't have to suffer through hours of girl-talk."
Garfield cringed dramatically. "Ooh, that's bad," he laughed.
The pale girl nodded. "You have no idea," she deadpanned.
"Actually, I've known Kori since sophomore year, so I've suffered through plenty of... talks," he confessed with a smirk.
Raven rolled her eyes fondly. "But I'm sure they weren't about 'Richard and the date!'" she groaned, mimicking the redhead.
The blonde shrugged in defeat. "You've got a point there."
The dark-haired girl smiled triumphantly.
There was another lull in the conversation as the two teens sat quietly under the table.
"I'm still exhausted," Raven admitted. Physically and emotionally, she added in her head.
Garfield nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that coffee's wearing off a bit for me, too."
The pale girl sighed tiredly. "Do you think Ms. Mae will notice if we sneak up back to our rooms?"
The blonde gave her a quizzical look. "Is... is Raven Roth suggesting we... break the rules?" he gasped, slapping a hand against his heart.
Rolling her eyes in amusement, she lightly smacked his shoulder. "Oh, shut up, Garfield."
He laughed quietly to himself. "I swear, that's like your catchphrase."
Raven let out a quiet laugh. "Whatever," she mused, before getting back on topic. "But seriously, how long were we expected to correct these papers?"
Garfield shrugged tiredly. "I guess until she decided to come get us."
"I say we finish them quickly, and then go upstairs and take a nap."
The blonde gave his teammate a surprised look. "But that's breaking the rules, Rae," he teased.
She shot him her signature glare. "I need sleep."
"How about you head on up to your room and take a nap, and I can stay down here and finish these up."
Raven's eyes widened at her teammate's offer. "Really?"
Garfield smiled politely. "Yeah, after everything today, you deserve a break," he replied, hoping bringing up their earlier conversation wasn't going to spoil her mood.
It apparently didn't as she gave him a small smile of her own. "Thank you, Garfield. That's really... sweet."
"No prob, Rae!" he beamed.
She was about to correct him on her name, but decided to let it slide for now. She slowly scooted out from under the table.
The blonde followed her, his grin unwavering.
As they stood, Raven gave him a curious look.
"What?" he asked self-consciously, looking down at his shirt for food stains.
"You're going to walk me to my room, right?" she asked hesitantly, not wanting to give him the wrong impression, but really wanting him to do it. "I-in case Adoofus spots me all alone and makes a move, I mean," she added hurriedly.
Garfield's smile widened. "Sure! Don't want him stealing my girl!" he teased, linking his arm with hers.
She rolled her eyes in exasperation, though she secretly enjoyed the attention. "Let's just go," she deadpanned.
The blonde complied excitedly, and they quietly crept out of the room and towards the elevators.
Garfield watched as Raven fumbled around with her room key card as they stood in front of her door.
"I swear, I'm about to drop dead any second," she muttered as she finally got it to work.
Her teammate gave her a quick side-hug before she went into her room. "Sweet dreams, Rae! Oh, and keep your phone next to you so I can call you if Ms. Mae shows up. I'm sure I'll be able to stall her long enough for you to get back."
Raven gave him a small smile as she fought back her blush. "Alright, but don't just call for the hell of it, 'cuz I'm seriously exhausted," she warned halfheartedly.
Garfield smiled brilliantly. "No promises!"
She rolled her eyes as she went into the room and shut her door. Sleep sounded absolutely amazing, though she couldn't help but feel a little bad that Garfield had to endure his sleep-deprivation. Especially since it was partially her fault for giving him the book.
She shook off her worry as she sauntered over to her bed. In a very un-Raven like manner, she plopped onto it, experiencing a somewhat euphoric feeling as she drifted into unconsciousness.
A rude knocking at her door quickly brought her out of her reverie.
"Garfield," she groaned, wondering what he had forgotten to tell her. She slowly lifted herself from her bed and slumped towards the door. "This better be impor-" she began, but stopped quickly when she saw who was at her door.
"You busy?" Adonis sneered.
Garfield felt a strangely exhilarating feeling pulsing through him as he stood silently in the elevator. He had hugged Raven! Sure, it was an awkward side-hug and he had attempted those on her several times now, but he could have sworn she sort of hugged back- or at least she would have if he didn't pull away so fast.
He grinned to himself as he shoved his hands in his pockets, before realizing he didn't have his phone on him.
Damn it! I must have left it in my room! he groaned to himself as the elevator doors hissed open. He quickly pressed his floor and sighed to himself as the elevator went back up.
"W-what do you want?" Raven asked nervously as the Hive student slowly pushed her door open wider.
"I just want to talk," he laughed, leaning against her doorway nonchalantly. "I saw your boyfriend bring you up here, but I'm guessing he didn't stay?"
The pale girl shook her head, becoming less nervous and more annoyed with the skinny guy's presence. "What do you want?" she repeated, crossing her arms defiantly.
"I told you, I just wanna talk," he mused, giving her an appreciative once-over. "I feel like we've gotten off on the wrong foot, and I'm hoping we can make things right."
Raven looked unconvinced as she eyed him warily. "I'm fine with where we stand," she deadpanned.
He gave an unamused chuckle, shaking his head slightly. "You're kinda feisty, you know that?"
She stared at him blankly.
He rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Fine, whatever. I just wanted you to know that I'm not some creep you need protecting from. I just thought you were cute, and I like flirting with cute girls."
Instead of blushing at the word like she did when Garfield called her it, she narrowed her eyes. "Well, I have a boyfriend, and neither of us appreciate your 'flirting'."
She tried shutting the door, but he promptly pushed it back open. He was a lot stronger than he looked.
"Listen, you little b-" he began, but was unable to finish as he was slammed against the wall beside the door.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Garfield growled as he positioned his forearm against the Hive student's neck.
"Whoa, there, buddy! We were just talking-"
"She doesn't look like she wanted to, buddy," the blonde seethed, applying more pressure.
"Garfield, stop," Raven demanded. She hated physical altercations.
"What did he do to you, Rae?" her teammate questioned, ignoring her demand.
"I didn't do any-"
"Shut it, you prick. I was talking to R-"
"Nothing, now let him go!" she interrupted angrily.
"Better listen to your girlfriend," Adonis sneered.
Garfield continued to pin the skinny teen against the wall.
Raven let out a sigh of frustration as she pulled the blond off of the Hive Student. "Seriously, Garfield! Stop this!"
Her teammate reluctantly released Adonis, and the pale girl quickly pulled him into her room and shut the door.
"What the hell was that?" she seethed, smacking the blonde on the shoulder.
Garfield gave her an apologetic look. "I didn't know what he was doing, and Jinx said-"
"I don't give a damn about what Jinx said," Raven interrupted. "All he was doing was being a nuisance, but that's no reason to go all alpha-male on him!"
"I just thought-"
"No, Garfield! I am perfectly capable of protecting myself- and news flash- I'm not really your girlfriend!"
"But that doesn't mean I'm just gonna sit around and watch that slime-ball creep all over you!" Garfield protested, waving his arms around dramatically.
The pale girl still looked livid. "Why do you even care so much?!" she screeched angrily.
"Because I like you!"
Both teens stopped their yelling and stared wide-eyed at each other.
A look of horror crossed over Raven's face, while the only thing crossing Garfield's mind was one word.
Shit.
Ahh! Longer chapter and a cliffie!
Uh-oh, how's BB gonna talk himself out of this one?
Please don't hate me if I don't update for a while- I have to work for the next couple of days! Put away the pitchforks and torches!
Review?