The Teen Titans belong to those people who are not me.

Raven quickly averted her eyes after realizing that staring at him wouldn't help the situation. Her head was spinning as she tried to gather her thoughts, which were going off in her mind like fireworks, and refusing to focus. So she kissed him; no biggie-

Oh god, now she was using phrases like "no biggie"- this was very, very bad.

Garfield was still recovering from the shock, his eyes glazed over slightly and a dumbfounded look on his face. Raven had just kissed him. Raven had just kissed him. Raven had just kissed him. What the hell was going on?

He discreetly pinched himself, and suppressing a very unmanly yelp, he came to the conclusion that he wasn't dreaming. That Raven had actually planted one on him. Him! Garfield Logan- the guy she could barely tolerate; and now, apparently, the guy she randomly kissed when stuck on an elevator.

For some strange reason, he decided that he was okay with that title, as long as she'd do it again.

But Raven wasn't currently making any future plans of planting another one on him- she was too busy reliving what had just happened. She had kissed him- not just thought about it, or almost did it; no, she had actually pressed her mouth against his mouth in a sensual manner, which had ignited a strange burning feeling under her skin and drove the poor butterflies in her stomach into madness.

She couldn't tell if hours had passed by, or if it had only been a few minutes. The air in the elevator was thick, and she could hardly breath. Thankfully, Garfield was still dazed by what had happened, which gave her a slight proud feeling. She had caused him to feel that way- which was kind of flattering. She hadn't realized she'd ever have an effect like that on a boy. A cute boy.

Yes, she was admitting (albeit, to herself) that she found Garfield cute. After all, she had already kissed him- no point in denying the truth. Garfield was cute. "Hot" even, if she were one to use terms like that. Perhaps handsome was a better fit, though.

Well, regardless, she was mentally admitting her attraction to him. And wasn't that the first step? Admit your attraction, and then kiss-

Oh dear, she was doing this all out of order.

Finding enough courage to do what needed to be done, she redirected her sights to him.

Bad idea.

He still looked confused, but she could tell that the synapses in his brain were finally connecting back to reality. He was coming to, in a sense, and she knew it wasn't a good idea to wake up a sleepwalker. He might possibly lash out... or kiss her again.

Though for some reason, the latter didn't seem that bad.

He blinked at her slowly, as if he hadn't seen light in days. His stare wasn't hostile or accusing; it was more... lost-puppy.

Cute- but she had established that already.

Garfield stared into her eyes, which were swimming with doubt and confusion. She obviously hadn't meant to do what she just did. Whether or not she wanted to do it was an entirely different story- one he didn't want to focus on at the moment. No, right now called for something to break the tension- a joke, perhaps? Something to remind her that he wasn't anything to be feared. She was like a wild animal, and he didn't want to spook her.

"Maybe we should get trapped in elevators more often."

Raven let out an uncharacteristically flustered giggle at his statement. Not only was it absurd and awkward; it was kind of adorable. Especially the way his voice cracked- he was obviously just as confused and embarrassed as her.

"Though I'm not claustrophobic, small spaces are not my favorite," she replied quietly, giving him a small smile. But as the weight of what she had done began to truly settle onto her, she realized one horrible little detail she had previously overlooked.

Kissing him royally fucked up their friendship.

How could they go back to normal after something like that?

He seemed to be having a similar thought as he let out a weary sigh.

"So, a secret, huh?"

She gave him a bewildered look- what the hell was he going on about?

Garfield sensed her confusion, which caused him to let out a small chuckle. "You asked if I could keep a secret," he reminded her gently.

Realization dawned on her face as her mouth opened into an "o" shape. "Oh."

He nodded timidly, tearing his eyes from hers and focusing on the keypad. There were a lot of floors in this hotel.

"I'm pretty good at keeping secrets," he mused. It was true- he was a very trustworthy person. Plus, they had already shared a lot of personal things with each other, and one more secret to keep wouldn't hurt. And if she had anymore secrets like this one- well, he'd be more than happy to be the person she confided in.

Raven mimicked him as she nodded as well. So Garfield would keep quiet. That was good. She expected it, actually. Despite his lame jokes and immature front, she could tell he was a gentleman. He would never kiss and tell.

But oh god- they had kissed.

"I like being your friend."

Garfield's eyes darted back to hers as his chest tightened at her statement. Here it was- the dreaded "we can still be friends". Sure, they weren't really breaking up or anything, but he felt the context fit. This was the part where she'd friend-zone him into oblivion, and he'd never see light again. Or kiss her again.

Raven inhaled a shaky breath as she prayed her resolve would hold. She wasn't sure what she wanted from the blonde, but she knew that they were moving way too quick.

"I like being your friend," she repeated, casting her eyes downward and focusing on the small space between them. Were they really still sitting that close? She shook away that thought as she continued with what she needed to say. "And I... I think I like you." Oh god, admitting it out loud was as terrifying as she had imagined. She couldn't bring herself to look at him.

At the same time, Garfield couldn't bring himself to look away. Had Raven actually admitted that she liked him? Him? What was happening?

His confusion was cut short though when she started talking again.

"B-but we've known each other for a week, and I'm not sure how this sort of thing works in public school, but a week is a little too fast for me..."

Okay, so she wasn't exactly friend-zoning him. Well, it wasn't indefinite, anyway.

A temporary friend-zone; he'd just have to slow down a bit and wait out the construction. He could handle that. They could take a detour down friendship avenue, at least until she felt they had known each other long enough. And then he'd get to kiss her again.

"I totally understand, Rae," he replied with a small smile. This whole ordeal was definitely unexpected, but he knew in the end that all the confusion would totally be worth it. Hell, they had the rest of this trip, as well as two whole years at college to figure everything out. There was no rush.

Raven nodded, feeling a lot more confident. So he was okay with waiting- that was great. No, that was better than great; that was amazing. He was willing to wait for her to sort out all of these new feelings, regardless of how long it took. Though for the sake of his sanity, she knew not to take too long.

"Thank you." She wasn't sure if she was thanking him for understanding, or for his willingness to be patient- or even if it was simply for being himself. Either way, she figured he deserved her gratitude.

He felt himself beam as she looked into his eyes again, and though they were still filled with doubt and apprehension, and sense of peace was present as well. She was easing herself into her feelings for him, and he had no problem wading through them with her.

"These maintenance people sure take their time," he laughed, deciding that they had shared enough for now.

She rolled her eyes in amusement at his observation. "We might possibly be stuck in here all day- Richard and I had to spend the night in his private elevator once. He was seriously considering installing a few beds and a bathroom, since it happens so often."

Garfield let out a hearty laugh at her story. "Damn, you'd think a 5-star hotel would actually have working elevators."

Raven giggled in agreement, feeling slightly strange for doing so. How in the world did this boy manage to get her to giggle? "I guess their priorities lie elsewhere," she mused.

Her teammate smiled in agreement, before leaning his head against the wall. "Dick sure had the right idea with installing beds- this floor isn't very comfy."

"No, it isn't." Raven paused for a moment, debating on whether she should do what her body wanted her to do. Sure, she had just laid down the law and explained how she wanted to remain friends for now, but surely this was only a friendly gesture?

Deciding to throw caution to the wind, she tentatively laid her head on his shoulder, feeling him tense up at first, before slowly relaxing again. They were probably going to be stuck here a while, and like he had pointed out, it wasn't the most comfortable place. And besides, whether or not her gesture was considered friendly, he probably wouldn't mind.

She closed her eyes slowly and focused on her breathing. She wasn't exactly tired, but the peace she felt within was incredibly relaxing. She almost reached a state of total tranquility, but Garfield clearing his throat awkwardly ruined it.

"I, uhm, I forgot to tell you something..."

She remained silent, suppressing a growl and waiting for him to continue.

Garfield felt his face heat up as he tentatively leaned his head onto hers.

"I... I think I like you, too."

Okay, so the peaceful feeling wasn't completely shattered.

Awe! Wasn't that cuuuuute?

So I feel like this chapter seems kinda like a good ending point, but I'm not done yet. I didn't mean for it to sound so final or whatever, but it was basically just the climax of them admitting their feelings. Now they have to deal with the awkwardness that will surely follow, as well as keeping their little elevator incident a secret. Plus, they still have a competition to win, and there are plenty of cats to be fed!

So, yeah... leave a review?