Dearest gentle readers, just so you know, this chapter and the next one are mostly drama-free, but they may get a little kinky, hehe.

Miskwi: Thankooooou so much! I love me some real life issues, honestly. xD

Spider-Menace76: First of all, I'm praying for your puppy! I hope she's alright. Second of all, my girl may have good reasoning behind most of what she does, but that doesn't mean we won't get frustrated with her sometimes, right? Haha. xD

I Think He Knows

Garfield's birthday and Valentine's Day were both coming up and Raven was feeling a little overwhelmed and if she was being honest, a little lost.

"Vic?"

"Yeah, Rae?" Cyborg grinned at her from where he was working on the T-Car.

The empath hesitantly approached him. "So…Gar's birthday."

Victor nodded. "Let me guess. You don't know what to get him."

"No, that's not it. I'll conjure something he wants. I'm just not sure if…should I, like…do something? I mean, other than the party we always throw. Should I do something more? Is that a thing?"

Victor was amused, because she looked more and more confused as she went on. "Aww you wanna do something special?"

Raven became stoic again. "Can we not be ridiculous about this? I just need to know…what are the expectations regarding me in this scenario? You know, as his…"

Cyborg chuckled. "As his girlfriend, Rae?"

"Yes, that."

"You know, I'm nearly as surprised as you about that. When he first told me about his crush, I made so much fun of him for it." The half-robot admitted.

"Oh, I know."

"He told you?"

Raven smirked. "That you called me Satan's daughter? Yes."

Cyborg smiled apologetically. "Sorry."

"It's okay." She shrugged. "Anyway, you didn't answer my question."

"Raven, I'm the last person who should give relationship advice. If I'd listened to the one you gave me last year, I'd be happy now, but I…maybe you should ask Kory."

"I did. But I want to know what you think. You're his best friend. He loves birthdays; he makes such a big deal out of them. What does he expect from me?"

Cyborg chuckled again. "Raven, he's crazy about you. Nothing you do or fail to do will change how he feels, you don't need to worry. You don't need to do anything."

"I know that. I know I don't need to. But…should I? I mean, I don't want to be a bad girlfriend." The sorcerer said pointedly. "And I don't even know how to be a girlfriend. I mean, I'm basically winging it. So…help me."

This time his face was full of endearment. Maybe she does love him. "Aww Rae that is SO swe-"

"Goodbye." Raven stated as she floated away.

"No, wait! Sorry, I'll stop." Cyborg shouted, making her turn around and come back suspiciously. The half-robot grinned at her. "If you're willing, then yes, he doesn't expect anything but he would love it if you did something special. Maybe you should help me with the decorations and the cake and stuff. What did Kory say?"

Raven wrinkled her nose. She basically suggested a day of servitude. "That I should do everything he wants for the entire day, which worries me a little."

Cyborg laughed openly. "That worries me too. I mean, BB would really love that. God knows what kind of ridiculous plans he would come up with, though."

Raven thought about it for a few more days and decided she could let him have one day, as long as there were rules. So she told her boyfriend to make plans that didn't include embarrassing her and they both felt that was a pretty reasonable rule. Garfield was beyond excited at the opportunity to come up with an entire day of activities with her with nearly no restrictions, because they really didn't go on as many dates as he would like them to.

She often needed to work on her magic and meditate, especially now that they were dating, and she still had her own interests. She still went to the depressive poetry place and she still practiced magic at night God knows where and she didn't ask him to tag along. He felt bad because he thought it was because she'd be embarrassed to be seen there with him, but he didn't volunteer either because he loved her deeply, but those places still kind of creeped him out. She also didn't always go to the arcade or the comic book shop when he asked her, which he was told was normal. But in any case, he was excited about this.

"Oh, I've been meaning to ask you." Raven said casually one night, as they were alone watching a movie. "Is there something that you…want? Sexually, I mean."

Garfield stared at her quizzically.

"I'm not saying I'll do it." She said quickly. "But I'd like to know."

"I have everything I want." The shapeshifter answered truthfully. "You."

Raven rolled her eyes. "So you don't have any secret sexual fantasies or fetishes?"

Garfield blushed. Oh. That's what she means. "Uh…I mm…no."

The empath smirked. "Gar, you can't lie to me."

He squeezed his eyes shut and internally cursed her powers. "Riiight."

"Tell me."

"No, you'll hate me."

Raven was amused, mostly because she was almost certain it wasn't that bad. "Why? Is it gross? Or just kinky?"

Garfield bit his lip and whispered. "Kinky…"

I knew it. "Gar, in case you haven't noticed, I don't mind that. Just tell me. Who knows? Maybe I'll do it."

"You won't. Trust me." He muttered awkwardly.

"If it's a threesome with Terra then you're right."

The shapeshifter gasped and got all flustered, blushing deeply.

"Ah, I see." Raven said, fully amused. "Well, that's not happening. I'd get jealous."

Garfield stared at her with an incredulous frown on his face. "That's why it's not happening?" When she just shrugged, he chuckled and tried to clear his thoughts. "No, I…I admit I've dreamed about that once or twice, but…not for a while now. Honestly, my affections are completely undivided."

Raven liked that a lot. She leaned her head on the back of the couch and stared at him. "Then what is it?"

The Changeling shook his head. "Let it go, love."

"Why? Is it humiliating or something?" She was getting slightly concerned now.

Garfield's eyes widened for a second. "No! Nothing like that. I mean, I don't think it is…but seriously, can we not talk about this? I'm not telling you."

"You don't think it is..." Raven narrowed her eyes, gathering all the information she had so far. "It's some kink where you're dominant, isn't it?"

This time his eyes widened and stayed wide. Shit. She knows. Fuck.

Raven was amused again, though still slightly concerned. "You know, now if you don't tell me the specifics, I'm just going to imagine the worst…"

The Changeling closed his eyes and grunted. His entire body tensed up. "How did you know?"

The empath shrugged. "I mean…there have been signs."

Garfield grimaced. She's going to break up with me.

"Why are you so nervous? Does it involve hurting me?" She asked quietly.

The shapeshifter's expression shifted to absolute shock. "What!? NO! Of course not! It's more like, princess Leia's bikini and handcuffs and stuff." He blurted out before he could stop himself. Fuck. When Garfield gathered up the courage to look at her again, she didn't look mad – she looked relieved. He exhaled. "Or like, remember on Christmas when you pointed out you're not a genie? I'm not proud of it, but…"

Thank Azar. None of that is that bad. Raven smiled teasingly. "A genie, huh? So you'd give me orders and I'd fulfill your every desire, is that it?"

Why does she have to word it like that? That sounds hot. "You hate me. I know you hate it when people try to control you, and I swear I don't want t-"

"Gar, relax. I don't think you want to control me. It's just a kink. Even if we did it, it'd just be roleplaying. And you would have asked, not taken."

The Changeling looked at her with surprise in his eyes – and maybe a hint of excitement.

"I'm not saying yes." Raven quickly clarified. "But it's not a big deal. I definitely don't hate you. It would take a lot more than that to freak me out."

"Oh." He felt his entire body relax in relief and smiled cheekily at her. "You're the coolest girlfriend in the world, you know?"

"I've been told." Raven said playfully before going back to her book.

When Garfield's birthday finally came up and he woke up alone in Raven's bed, he figured she'd gotten up early to meditate and prepare for a day of nonstop fun. He didn't love waking up alone or going to bed alone – he really missed her warmth – but in this case it was for a good reason. When he walked out into the ops room everyone greeted him happily with happy birthday cheers – except Raven, who just smiled slightly – and he sniffed something he was very keen on. Well, two things he was very keen on – her lavender scent was one of them.

"Is that what I think it is?" The shapeshifter asked his girlfriend through a wide grin.

Raven's small smiled remained unfazed. "Happy Birthday."

Garfield found the source of the pleasant scent coming from the plate in front of her. It was exactly what he'd thought. She made me vegan pancakes. He beamed and started devouring them, completely forgetting about the don't talk with your mouth full rule. "Thank you, love."

Raven frowned, but decided on not correcting his manners on his birthday. "Don't mention it."

The first thing he'd decided they were doing was volunteering in an animal shelter's adoption fair. Having superheroes there always helped, especially when one of them kept shapeshifting to chat with the cats and dogs then telling people how much they wanted to go home with them. Raven was sitting on the floor with her legs crossed, covered with puppies and kittens as she watched her highly sociable boyfriend interact with both the people and the animals. His new uniform was a hit, especially with young women. The empath's face was stoic as ever, but her mind was troubled. Garfield wasn't the only one with insecurities. How long until the fascination wears down and he's bored with me?

"Is it true?"

The unfamiliar voice pulled Raven out of her thoughts and she turned her head to see a group of young kids about ten years old curiously staring at her. "Oh, hello."

"Hiiii, Raveeeen." A bold blond girl in the front greeted her first.

Some of the kids looked slightly scared – though she looked considerably less intimidating with all the cute animals crawling over her – but not this girl.

"So…is it true?" The little boy beside the bold girl asked for the second time.

Raven raised an eyebrow. "What is?"

"You know, about you and…" The blond girl said, glancing at the Changeling and giggling.

Raven blinked. I could have sworn they were asking if it's true that my father is a demon. "Ah…that. Yes."

"No way!" The little boy chuckled. "Our brother's gonna freak out. He loves you."

"That's true." The girl laughed hysterically. "He has all these posters of you an-"

"What are you two doing? Did you pick a puppy yet?" A goth late-teen boy approached the kids without looking up from his phone.

"Hey big bro, we were just talking about you! Look, it's Raveen." The girl said teasingly.

That got him to look up. When he realized his brother and sister weren't messing with him, his eyes widened. "Oh. Hey."

"Hello." Raven said stoically.

The little boy pulled on his brother's shirt. "She said it's all true about her and the Changeling, you were wrong! You said there was no way in Hell th-"

"Shut up." The teenager pushed his brother out of the way before smiling awkwardly at the empath. "I don't know what they told you, but they're pathological liars."

The girl started counting her fingers. "Only about your obsession and your posters an-"

"I swear I'll take you both home right now with no puppy." He hissed dangerously.

At this point all the other kids were giggling wildly.

"Don't do that. Don't worry, I get it. I have siblings too." Raven said politely.

The goth guy gave her a small, grateful smile. "Ah, do they suck? Mine suck."

"Mine are Capital Sins."

His eyes sparkled and he relaxed a little and started asking her about her heritage. Raven could sense this boy was infatuated with her, but he wasn't saying anything inappropriate or making her uncomfortable, so she conversed with him. The kids became much more interested when she talked about her demonic father.

"So, what's it like to travel through dimensions?"

"Helloooo love of my life!" Garfield suddenly came in and territorially leaned down to kiss her passionately on the lips.

Raven frowned and kissed him back half-heartedly while the kids made disgusted sounds the way kids do when they watch grown-ups kissing.

The Changeling straightened up and fully glared at the teenager. "Can I help you?"

"Ah…no." He answered awkwardly before quickly glancing at Raven one last time. "Thanks!"

The empath offered a small smile while he pulled his brother and sister away and the rest of the kids scattered. Her boyfriend was still staring after them.

"What was that?" Raven asked dryly.

Garfield turned to see his girlfriend glaring at him from the floor. He opened his mouth to answer, but then he realized she was covered in puppies and kittens. Nestled on her lap and walking over her shoulders, tripping on her and falling over, biting her hair and climbing her, licking her face and nibbling her armor, napping on her cape on the floor. Two kittens were nestled on her pulled-down hood and she held another one in her arm. It was one of the cutest, most wholesome, most endearing sights he had ever witnessed and the fact that she was glaring intimidatingly at him somehow only made it cuter. Animals had always been fond of her. To him, that spoke volumes about how pure her heart was. How can someone like that not get into Heaven?

"Get that smile off your face, I'm upset with you."

The Changeling only managed to smile wider. "Sorry, but it's your fault. You look really cute."

Raven scoffed and turned her head away from him.

Garfield squatted next to her. He didn't want anyone listening to them, especially if she was mad at him. "Why are you upset?"

"You were really rude." The sorcerer said pointedly.

He frowned. "Oh, you mean to the guy who was totally hitting on you?"

Raven rolled her eyes. "He wasn't, and even if he had been, that gives you no right. Girls flirt with you all the time and I don't do that."

The Changeling seemed a little lost. "Well, that…no, but…you know I only have eyes for you."

"And I have eyes for every warlock-wannabe in Jump City, is that it?" She raised an eyebrow. "Have I given you any reason not to trust me?"

Garfield bit his lip, suddenly feeling a little ashamed. "No, of course not."

"If you trust me then you had no reason to be rude."

"I just, I thought maybe he was bothering you." That's a lie. I was just jealous.

"I can take care of myself. Also, he adopted a black cat. So, you're welcome."

Garfield watched intently as she was trying to be all smug and stoic, but this one puppy that had climbed his way to her shoulder kept licking her ear and cheek, making her flinch. Also, black cats almost never got adopted. His involuntary huge grin came back.

Raven made an annoyed sound. "Are you even listening to me?"

He continued to smile affectionately at her. "Yes, I am. I'm sorry. You're right and I'm wrong, obviously. And I'm taking you seriously; I just can't help smiling at you right now. I love you."

Raven immediately melted. Her heart burned a little at his last sentence. Lately, he would eventually say those words without expecting to hear them in return and then tell her he just couldn't help himself, but this time it seemed like he hadn't even realized he said them.

"Can I kiss you real quick? You look so freaking cute."

She sighed. He was looking at her with so much care in his eyes it was impossible to stay mad. Besides, it was his birthday. "Okay, fine."

Garfield kissed her sweetly and smiled against her lips. Someone took a picture this time.

The empath pulled away and cleared her throat. "Well, that will be all over the internet now and no villains will ever be afraid of me again."

The Changeling chuckled. "Sorry, dating me is ruining your reputation."

Raven shrugged. "Oh, well."

They helped out for a few more hours and she kept holding onto that one kitten that was sleeping in her arm. He was all black and so, so small. And he was purring happily.

"Ready for our day to continue?" Garfield beamed at her.

"Sure. But can we go home first?"

"Actually, we'll have to, because we need to change."

"Oh. Okay, good. Because I'm taking Salem with me." Raven said plainly, holding up the black kitten for him to see.

Garfield's grin grew huge. "We're getting a pet!?"

"I'm getting a pet. But you can play with him." She signed the adoption papers and held her kitten to her chest as she teleported them back to the tower.

"Oh that's so cool!"

"Can I hold him?"

"He's so cute!"

"He can be friends with Silkie!"

Everyone was extremely excited meeting Raven's new pet, but Salem himself was obviously overwhelmed, because he just snuggled closer to her chest and hid his face.

"He's so sweet." Garfield came closer and tenderly caressed the kitten's fur, making him purr. Then he shapeshifted into a kitten himself and conversed with Salem, who seemed considerably less frightened. The Changeling turned human again and beamed at his girlfriend. "He loves his new name! And he loves you."

The empath smiled. "Thank you. So, Star, could you take care of him until we're back? Don't let Silkie eat him and everything."

"Of course I can!" Kory smiled and picked up the tiny animal, holding him up in the air and heading to her room. "Come here you delightful, adorable creature of the night!"

Raven chuckled softly and looked at Garfield. "What's next?"

The shapeshifter theatrically cleared his throat. "The beach!"

She smiled a little. I could swim. "Okay, I'll go change."

After a delicious lunch at a restaurant by the shore – which Raven insisted on paying for, Garfield massaged her back while smearing her with sunscreen, which got a few quiet moans and satisfied sighs out of her. He wrapped it up before her sounds drove him insane and they headed to the water. The Changeling turned into a fish and Raven made a force-field to dive with him. This time they went deeper and deeper to explore the surprisingly colorful depths of the ocean. Garfield loved the way her eyes widened and sparkled with interest at the sights. When they rose to the surface, he turned into a dolphin and swam with her to high seas again.

"You look so happy." The shapeshifter pointed out in absolute joy.

"I like how peaceful it is here." She said softly.

Garfield smiled boldly as a dangerous idea occurred to him. "It's not that peaceful."

And then he blissfully splashed water on her. Raven definitely wasn't expecting that and she choked on it and coughed a few times. Garfield held his breath regretfully while she glared at him in absolute shock for a moment, but then a mischievous smile spread across her face.

"How dare you?" She whispered playfully before using her powers to revolve the water around him, making him turn upside down.

The Changeling reemerged coughing sea water and looking around confused and disoriented. He quickly found her when he heard her carefree, soft laughter. She was having so much fun and it was music to his ears. He couldn't stop smiling at her.

"You're making me really happy today." The shapeshifter stated. "I mean, you make me really happy every day, but today is…like, beyond."

"Good." The empath whispered sincerely.

"Last time we were here you told me I was kind of cute." Garfield gave her his best flirtatious, bold smile. "Do you still think that?"

Raven couldn't fight back a small smile of her own. She looked at him. His fangs were glistening in the sunlight, his green skin was sparkling with water droplets, his hair was wet and messy with his elvish pointy ears sticking out, and his eyes were bright. She dove and swam for a few seconds, just like she did last time, but this time she had a different plan.

Garfield watched intently, feeling his heart race wildly as his girlfriend slowly emerged from the water right in front of him like a freaking mermaid. Her deep violet eyes were out first and stared at him sensually before the rest of her face emerged. He gulped.

Raven wrapped her arms around his neck. "You're very cute."

The Changeling's heart ached deliciously. He instinctively wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a passionate kiss. He held her and massaged her body underwater while they moved their legs in sync. Raven lazily brought her hands to his hair while she kissed him. When the sea suddenly started agitating with dark energy, she pulled away, breathing heavily.

"You're my everything." The shapeshifter told her passionately.

Raven frowned and bit her lip.

"What's wrong? You know I don't expect you t-"

"It's not that. It's just…I don't want to be your everything." She said quietly. "I mean, you have so much in life other than me. The Titans and all our friends, your powers and connection to animals, your values and dreams..."

"Right, but you're a huge part of all of that, and all of that would feel empty without you now."

Raven's frown deepened. "Please don't say that."

Garfield frowned too. "What did I do? I'm sorry; I didn't mean to upset you."

"It's just…" Her voice was whispery and alarmed. "…being responsible for all your happiness? I…that's huge, Gar. It's a lot of pressure."

I'm overwhelming her. "You're right, I'm sorry. You know me, I'm just being dramatic."

"You don't need to apologize so much. I'm just saying…I mean, what if I die? I'd want you to be okay."

His eyes widened and filled with fear. "Don't even joke about that."

"I'm not." Raven sighed. "But I shouldn't have said that. I'm not dying anytime soon." She quickly added when she remembered it was his birthday. "I can do anything, right?"

Garfield's carefree grin returned. "Yes, you can. My almighty, all-powerful girlfriend."

The empath blushed deeply and rolled her eyes. "So, where to now?"

"Paint date!" The Changeling announced excitedly.

Raven frowned; confused about why he thought she would know what that meant. "Okay…"

Once they were out of the water he told her to teleport them to the park and when she did, Raven spotted a reserved area with a huge blanket on the grass and two easels with canvases on them. Several paints and paint brushes were scattered all over the blanket.

"Oh, paint date. I see." Raven said calmly, walking over to the secluded area. "You should have told me to set this up. It's your birthday."

Garfield grinned widely. "I'm just glad you're here with me."

They sat on the blanket, still in their bathing suits, and he admired her wet hair dripping over her shoulders, as well as her exposed, shapely legs.

"So how does this work?" Raven asked blankly.

"Well, we get creative and express ourselves! Nature is supposed to inspire, but…now I think I'm painting you…" The Changeling smiled coyly. "…if that's okay."

She looked at him with that undecipherable expression. "I can't paint, you know?"

"Anyone can paint. It doesn't have to be a work of art; it's supposed to be fun." He said reassuringly.

Raven skeptically raised an eyebrow. "So you're not judging mine, then."

The Changeling scowled. "Of course I'm not judging, that's absurd!"

She just shrugged and picked up a paint brush. Garfield smiled and did the same. They spent a while in comfortable silence – except for when the shapeshifter became uneasy with all the quiet and began casually singing Stutter. He kept glancing over at Raven and then back at his canvas. If he was singing, she stole glances at him too, and then he took the opportunity to wink at her and either make her blush or chuckle softly and roll her eyes.

"I'm done!" The Changeling said happily, hiding his canvas from her sight to make a revelation.

"Me too." The empath said calmly.

He looked at her work and his eyes widened in horror. It was dark and twisted. Black and red filled the canvas with undefined, disfigured images that he couldn't quite name, but made his stomach turn anyway. It seemed to refer to something hopeless, painful and distressful, though she'd seemed completely unbothered while painting it.

"You said you wouldn't judge."

Garfield looked at his girlfriend's face to see her practically glaring at him. "I'm not! Seriously, it…I mean, it's good. It's just…"

"It scares you."

Her voice was calm as ever but he detected a hint of sadness behind it. You made her feel bad. Fix it. "No." He said surely. "I promise. It's just really good and it gives me chills, but that's a good thing. Art makes you feel stuff. I'm just…worried."

Raven's expression softened significantly. "Don't be. I've lived with my darkness my whole life. It's helped me many times. It's part of me."

Garfield smiled. "I didn't mean to…I love your darkness. It's just that…well, your light is missing." He pointed at her canvas and chuckled slightly. He was still a little worried.

The empath poorly fought back a smile. "My light has been getting a lot of attention lately. It's my darkness that needs expressing right now."

His smile grew wider. "Is that your way of saying you're happy?"

"Maybe." Raven stated and then examined her painting. "Anyway, I like it. There's a weird beauty to horror and despair and I'm quite fond of this." She smirked. Maybe when I want to sleep alone I'll just hang this in my room.

"You're right. It is beautiful, in a traumatizing kinda way." Garfield chuckled.

She chuckled along with him, though much more softly. "Show me yours."

"Okay but you should know this one is mine. You can't have it; I'm keeping it."

A soft, shocked gasp escaped her lips when he turned his canvas. It was her. It was her as she was in the moment, in her bathing suit under soft sunlight, still slightly wet, looking focused and peaceful at the same time while she painted on a canvas and surrounded by nature. There was a glow around her. She looked all luminous and ethereal. And there was a tiny Monalisa smile on her lips. Raven took a few seconds to recover.

"I love it when you blush."

The empath turned her head to see her boyfriend smiling affectionately at her. She did feel her cheeks warm up. "Well, it's a flattering painting."

Garfield huffed. "It doesn't do you justice." Then he grinned charmingly. "But I'll get there. Perfection takes practice."

She fought back a huge grin and her lips contorted comically in doing so. He thought it was the most adorable thing he had ever seen.

"Let's do another one before the sun sets." The shapeshifter suggested.

He got another canvas and he didn't quite know how to paint his chaotic, overwhelming feelings at the moment, so he frowned and focused for a bit before deciding to just splash paint on it. He enjoyed that feeling. Raven had been focused on her own thing but she raised an eyebrow at him when he kept hastily splashing different colors on the canvas.

"You should try this, it's so much fun!" Garfield laughed hysterically.

"I don't think so, that looks messy."

Eventually he got a little too excited and threw black paint too harshly, so it splashed on her. Raven inhaled sharply and glared at him, with black spots on her left cheek. Garfield remorsefully bit his lip, but the paint made her way less intimidating and he couldn't help the laughter that escaped his lips. He analyzed her expression and decided she wasn't mad and it was safe to tease her. He prayed that he wasn't wrong.

"Now you look messy." The Changeling chuckled and splashed red paint on her on purpose. It stuck to her still wet hair and neck.

Now Raven was absolutely outraged. She used her powers to lift all the brushes she had been using and splash every color on him at the same time, making him look like a multicolored Dalmatian. The Changeling gasped loudly.

She just smirked. "Who looks messy now?"

His features were slowly taken by a wicked and excited grin. "Oh you're gonna pay for that."

Garfield picked up the brush from the green paint and in a swift move he pulled her by her legs making her lose balance then tackled her, making her yelp. He attempted to paint her face but she kept blocking him with her hands. She wasn't using her powers though – maybe because the uncontrollable giggling made it difficult to concentrate or maybe simply because it was his birthday and she decided to let him have this – and in fact, she was obviously trying to keep them under control. Her giggles only encouraged him. The shapeshifter gave her arm a huge brush stroke and her eyes widened.

"I'm gonna paint your whole face green." The Changeling teased, grinning enormously while he moved her hands out of the way. He was having so much fun his cheeks started hurting from smiling so much.

"N-no!" Raven chuckled and struggled half-heartedly to keep the brush away from her. Her efforts to stop him were weak, because the truth was her heart wasn't in it. As much as she didn't want paint on her face, it was difficult to struggle when he was this happy. "Stop it!" This is so stupid. He's such a dork. Why do I love it?

He gave her chest a nice stroke, and then her shoulder. Garfield's cheeks were aching by now but he only smiled wider because she was a colorful mess with her wet hair and the red and black spots and green strokes of paint. Not to mention she was flushed from all the giggling and struggling. She was being so free and playful it made him love her ten times more. More than that, it made him want to protect her and keep her happy forever. He managed to lower his body on top of hers with his elbows on each side of her head so that her half-hearted efforts to push him were no longer effective and he held the brush inches away from her face, smiling mischievously.

Raven gave up struggling and eyed the brush with fearful eyes. "You're not really going to do that, are you?"

"Beg for mercy." Garfield whispered provocatively.

She gave him a smug, daring smile. "Never."

He already knew she would say that. Garfield gave her right cheek a brush stroke and fought back laughter at her outraged reaction. He knew she had collected herself enough to safely use her powers by now, but she didn't. He gave her other cheek a quick stroke.

"You're going to pay for this." Raven said warningly, but there was no real menace in her voice or her face.

Garfield chuckled and gave her forehead a stroke and then quickly brushed her nose. Raven let out a cute gasp and he couldn't contain it any longer. His heart was aching with passion. The sunset was giving her that golden glow and it made her irresistible to him.

"I swear you're gonna be the death of me." He said happily before letting go of the brush to lean down and kiss her sweetly and deeply.

Raven returned the kiss just as deeply and her hands found their way to his back, pulling him closer. After a few seconds, Garfield pulled away to stare at her.

"What?"

"I'm just admiring you." The Changeling said sincerely. "And memorizing."

Raven sighed. "I look ridiculous, don't I?"

He smiled endearingly. That was one word for it. Now on top of everything she had green paint all over her face. "You're the cutest thing I've ever laid eyes on."

She chuckled softly and his face became more serious. When he leaned down to kiss her again, it felt different. It was urgent and desperate, as if he wanted to consume as much of her as he could as fast as he could. Raven kissed him back passionately, but this time it was too intense. All the paints exploded and thankfully the previous canvases had been put aside, because everything around them became a gooey, colorful disaster. She had been extremely proud of controlling her powers so far, but sadly all that work was gone in a second. Raven regretfully squeezed her eyes shut as her boyfriend just laughed hysterically. Now they were both sticky and ridiculous, and he was worse than her now because he'd covered her body with his.

"Sorry."

"Don't be." He gave her another quick, sweet kiss on the lips and chuckled. "You win, love."

She smiled fondly at him for a second, but then frowned at his state. "Gar, your hair…"

"I love you, Raven." Garfield blurted out truthfully, caressing her cheek and mixing colors in it with his thumb.

The empath swallowed and looked into his eyes. "I…me too."

His heart skipped a beat. "Wait, you too!? You too what!?"

"I mean, I think maybe…I'm not sure what that even means in my case, but…whatever that is, I think I do." Raven explained breezily.

The shapeshifter stared at her wide-eyed. "You think you love me? Is that what you just said?"

Raven rolled her eyes. "Can we not pretend we didn't know about this?"

For once in his life, Garfield Logan was speechless. She did just let me smudge her with paint. Flawless Raven let me do that. How obvious does she have to be? Am I that clueless?

The sun had set at this point, so Raven gently pushed her speechless boyfriend off of her and sat up. "Let's go back. We need to shower before your party."

When Garfield finally came into the ops room for his official birthday party, he grinned excitedly at how big it was. Many of their new allies and friends were there. The decoration was all jungle and animals and there were party games everywhere. The cake was huge and the snacks were delicious – all vegan, of course. He was so happy it took him a few seconds to get over his childish bliss running from one place to another and hugging everyone to realize what Raven was wearing. She had a dark-green strappy shirt, ripped jeans and combat boots on. He would have found her beautiful anyway, but the fact that she was wearing green really made his heart soar. It was subtle and it was a small detail, but he knew it wasn't a coincidence because he had never seen her in anything green before. And it was such a nice and welcome small detail.

Maybe I'm insane and it IS just a coincidence. It's not like I own the color green. And she's not wearing it just to make a statement that she's my girlfriend or something. The Changeling cleared his throat and walked up to her. She had been talking to Starfire while he greeted everyone. "Hey, love."

Raven smiled slightly at him. "Hi. Do you like your party?"

"Best. Party. Ever." The shapeshifter grinned gigantically.

She seemed pleased. Then she noticed something and chuckled softly.

"What?" Garfield asked innocently.

"You have a bit of paint left…here." Raven rubbed the tip of his pointy ear to remove it, making him shiver indecently and nearly moan. She chuckled again.

Garfield blushed and smiled coyly. "Ah, thanks…I uh…I like your shirt." Smooth, Garfield. Very smooth.

Raven smiled tenderly. She hadn't been sure he would notice such a subtle gesture. It was nice to know he did. "I thought, maybe…green, you know? Because…"

His smile widened considerably. It IS a statement. "Because of me!?"

She frowned slightly. "Okay it's not that big of a deal, relax."

Garfield tried to relax. He really did. But it was hard. "Right. No big deal."

Raven could sense he did think it was a big deal and she second-guessed her plans for later for a second, but then she decided to go through with them. It was his birthday. She could lower his expectations any other day. "So, are you enjoying your day so far?"

He stared at her in awe. The whole day flashed through his mind and he felt emotional. "Rae." His voice got whispery. "Today was perfect. This is the best birthday I've ever had. Thankou."

She gave him a small, genuine smile. "I'm glad." And then said smile became mysterious and suggestive for some reason. "It's not over yet. I'm giving you your present later."

"There's more!?" Garfield grinned excitedly and his eyes sparkled with curiosity. "What is it?"

"It's a surprise." She said plainly.

"Oh no please tell me! You have to tell me, it's my birthday!"

"I do not. Now go enjoy your party and meet me in your room later." Her eyes glistened mischievously.

Garfield got goosebumps because she'd used her commanding voice and he took a few seconds to understand what she said. His eyes widened. "My room!? Why my room?"

Raven shrugged. "It's your birthday."

Are we having sex in my room? He lowered his voice to a whisper. "Are we having sex in my room?"

The sorcerer chuckled quietly. "Something like that."

Raven in my room. Raven naked in my room. Raven naked on my bed. Garfield smiled idiotically at his own thoughts. "You spoil me."

"I do no such thing. I'm simply temporarily pampering you because it is your birthday. Make no mistake." The empath said pointedly.

That gave him butterflies. The fact that she just said she was purposely pampering him made him feel amazing. Garfield grinned innocently. "Gotcha!"

He forced himself to stop obsessing over whatever would go on later with Raven and enjoyed his party. He refrained from drinking – even though now he could do it legally – because he didn't want to get drunk and ruin whatever deliciously filthy surprise she had planned. Instead, he merrily chatted with everyone – even Connor, who said he wouldn't hit on Raven out of respect for his birthday – and played every party game there was. He also tried all the food and occasionally found his girlfriend to steal a kiss. She politely dodged his arms around her a few times, she didn't let him feed her anything and she avoided long kisses, but that was all normal for her. Still, she returned his needy kisses every single time.

Salem was done napping and he came into the party with Silkie, so everyone got to meet him. At some point, Starfire squealed because of something she saw on her phone – it was a picture of Raven covered in puppies and kittens with a happy Garfield crouched next to her while they kissed. Obviously everyone else made sure to see it too and Raven had to find a quiet corner to escape the awwws and provocations about how they always knew deep down she was a softy. She made a mental note to figure out how to restore her reputation later. Garfield enjoyed the attention a whole lot more and tried to get people to leave her alone. Then he opened all his gifts – except for Raven's – and celebrated every single one.

The Changeling had been sleeping in his room more often now that they didn't spend every night together, but she had never slept there. He liked his room, but it felt lonely now because it meant sleeping alone, which he hated. She appreciated the solitude though, so he wasn't complaining. They alternated fairly. But the point is they'd always go to her room to make out, to do it or to cuddle – usually all three – so he was excited about this. But nothing could have prepared him for what he saw when he finally walked into his room after everyone had left. Raven was standing there, with her hands on her hips and a perky smile on her face, looking unbelievably sexy in a dark-blue and lilac genie outfit.

"Hi, master." She whispered playfully. Raven had been dreading this part, unsure of how she would feel about it, but it was so corny it was impossible to take it seriously, so it didn't really bother her that much. The hardest part was actually trying not to break character and laugh.

Garfield on the other hand was frozen in place while his brain tried to understand what he was looking at. His jaw was on the floor and his pupils were already dilated. Holy shit she's actually doing this. This is happening. He tried to speak, but only incoherent stammering came out, so he cleared his throat and inhaled deeply while staring at her now extremely amused face. "Excuse me for just a second, please."

He stepped outside and Raven waited patiently as she heard his celebratory sounds through the door. When he started giving himself a pep talk she couldn't hold back a light chuckle. Maybe she would enjoy this too. She enjoyed watching him enjoy things.

Garfield came back inside calmer and collected and quickly realized from the look on her face she'd probably heard him through the door. He smiled coyly. "Sorry. I wasn't expecting this."

"That is quite all right." She had the perky cliché little smile on again.

He also noticed her crystal was on his bedside table, which probably meant she expected to have sex by the end of this. His eyes sparkled and he walked up to her, looking her up and down and practically eating her alive with his eyes. "So…how does this work?" The shapeshifter grinned flirtatiously. "Do I get three wishes?"

"You get as many wishes as you want for the night, master."

Garfield's insides twirled with anticipation. Every time she called him that, it made him horny on dangerous levels. He took a deep breath to chill – because he wanted to take his time with this – and narrowed his eyes at her. "As many as I want? And you'll grant them?"

The shapeshifter realized how unlikely that sounded. It's just make-believe, right? She's not ACTUALLY offering this.

Raven felt a twinge of worry. "I would greatly appreciate restraint. But yes."

He studied her face to try and figure out if she was serious. "Can you make me a cheeseburger? I wish for a cheeseburger!"

The empath broke character for a moment to stare at him quizzically, because he'd had a whole bunch of snacks and cake at that party. "Didn't you just eat?"

Garfield chuckled and shrugged. "I could have a cheeseburger."

Raven shook her head in disbelief before straightening up and getting in character again. "Yes, I can. I can do anything you want. Vegan, right?"

"Yes, please." He nodded excitedly.

She stretched out one hand and tilted her head. A silver platter with a vegan burger appeared out of thin air. Garfield was really enjoying this whole bit. The way she was moving and acting was really adding to it. He made an awed sound and picked up the burger to take a bite, then he hummed in surprise and satisfaction, because it tasted really good. The silver platter disappeared and Raven's hand was back on her hip.

The Changeling proceeded with devouring his burger. "Can you fix animal cruelty?"

Raven's smile faltered. "Okay, I can do almost anything you want. I can't interfere with other people's free will, no matter how much I would love to."

Garfield smiled at her. He already knew that. "So then you can't make me supreme ruler of the world either?"

The sorcerer struggled not to laugh. "I cannot."

"But you can make me better at fighting than Nightwing?" He was starting to wrap his brain around the possibilities involved in this opportunity.

"I can…" Raven searched her brain for a way around this. "…for twenty-four hours."

His eyes widened and sparkled. "Oh, cool! That, I wish for that."

Raven realized she would be spending a whole lot of magic tonight. She made a hand motion and Garfield felt a weird energy rush through him.

"Done." The empath said cheerfully.

His grin was gigantic. "Can you make me rich?"

"I can, but technically that would be a crime." Raven said worriedly. She never materialized money for a reason.

Garfield chuckled. "Okay, forget about that then. I don't want to turn you into a criminal on a whim."

She smiled gratefully, gradually feeling more at ease with this whole thing.

"Oh! Can you make me those sneakers that we saw at the mall the other day!? I wish for those!"

"Yes, I certainly can." Raven tilted her head and an exact replica appeared on the floor.

His voice got high-pitched. "You're so awesome! Can you make a pinball machine!?"

"Of course I can." I hope I don't need to use powers tomorrow. Nightwing is going to kill me.

"I wish for a pinball machine in my room!"

Raven focused and conjured it on the only empty corner his room had left. Garfield turned around and gasped happily but he didn't run towards it – his eyes came right back to her. She looked slightly tired now and he figured it was time to stop wishing for stuff.

"Hey, genie?" The shapeshifter said casually.

"Yes, master?"

Fuck. Such a turn on. Garfield swallowed and concentrated. "What's the policy regarding relationships between genies and masters?"

Raven's smile gained a hint of mischief and her voice became seductive. "Would you like me to please you sexually?"

He had to fight back the urge to jump on her. "Only if you want to."

"I do. Very much."

His smile grew wide and greedy, and then he remembered something. "Oh! Hold that thought!" Garfield rushed to the toilet and brushed his teeth, making sure his breath was fresher than ever. He had just eaten a burger and she was being all cute and sexy. It was the least he could do. When he came back, she was smiling flirtatiously at him. "So um, we'll need to turn your powers off for this, right?"

"I'll do it when you tell me to. And I'll still answer to you. I'm yours all night." Raven said sensually. The truth was this was starting to turn her on as well.

Garfield's eyes widened at her words. His heart was pounding and his mind was blurry again. "So…when we're…you'll still…"

"That's right."

The Changeling smiled cheekily. She's really committing to this. Holy shit. "Wait, does that mean you're gonna do what I tell you?"

Her stare became openly naughty and her voice whispery. "Of course. Your wish is my command." She could sense how turned on he was and if she was being completely honest, the idea of letting him be in charge for a whole night for once was exciting. She had fully enjoyed his more dominating moments so far. And she did trust him.

Garfield's eyes were full of lust and desire and his breathing was unsteady. He was so excited he could barely contain it. But Raven was giving him control – as in, she was willingly giving him total control. He didn't want to waste it by being too eager. Who knew when it would happen again? If it ever did.

"Go lie on my bed." He said in a low and commanding voice.

She liked that voice. It gave her chills. "Top or bottom?"

"Top." Let's avoid head injuries here.

Raven's own heart was racing with the way he was looking at her and the level of lust that was pouring out of him. She lay down on his bed and he climbed on top of her and kissed her exposed stomach, making her moan. Then he moved up to kiss her chest and Raven ran her hands up his arms. Garfield pulled away and stared at her with hungry, dark eyes.

"How would you feel…" He said softly as he took her wrists in his hands and brought them together above her head, touching the headboard. "…about cuffing your hands there?"

Raven exhaled heavily. It gave her goosebumps – she just wasn't sure if they were good or bad yet. She noticed his eyes were lustful, but kind – not that she would have expected anything different from him. Besides, if he went too far, all she had to do was turn her powers back on and push him away. "I'm okay with that. Do you want me to do it?"

His eyes darkened even more. "Yes, I do."

Raven summoned handcuffs and bound her wrists to the headboard. "Like that?"

"Perfect." Garfield's smile was growing wider and more mischievous by the minute. "Now, make yourself powerless for me, will you?"

Her breaths became shaky at that. She closed her eyes to focus and figured it was probably better to remove her powers already before she destroyed her boyfriend's room by accident. "O-okay."

That smell. He would recognize that smell anywhere. She was turned on. She only smelled like this when she was…well, wet. He waited patiently until she did her enchantment and there was no more danger. And then he started playing with her. He kissed and licked on her neck while massaging her breasts, making her arch her back, giggle and moan at the same time. Garfield sat on her stomach and watched her chest rise and fall with her heavy breathing. Her eyes were closed.

"Open your eyes. Look at me." He instructed dominantly.

She did. Her breathing got even shakier and every breath she took was audible now.

Garfield took his shirt off and teased and massaged her body while looking into her wide eyes. "You know…" He said in a soothing, but firm voice. "You look really beautiful all vulnerable and exposed like that."

Raven stopped resisting. Surprising as it was, she was extremely into it. So she allowed her lips to part and her body to squirm in anticipation under him. She allowed her eyes to show him how turned on she was. Her voice came out a lustful, but still playful whisper. "You like me at your mercy, master?"

That did it. His senses heightened, and yet all he saw, heard, smelled and tasted was her. He let desire guide his actions because his mind was a complete blur. Some deep dark instinct took over and knew exactly what to do. He teased her mercilessly by caressing, sucking and licking every exposed inch of skin before slowly removing her top to kiss her breasts. He glanced up at her and the sight was extremely fulfilling. She was a disheveled, whimpering mess. As much as he loved it, his mind was present enough to worry about whether she would resent this or not once the pleasure was over. He took comfort in knowing she could stop it at any time – not to mention she smelled like she was fully enjoying the whole thing – but he still wanted to make sure she was cool with it.

"Are you okay?" Garfield whispered tenderly.

She nodded affirmatively with her eyes closed and a peaceful smile on her face.

"Are you sure?"

Raven opened her eyes and tried to slow her panting enough to form coherent words. His care turned her on as much as his desire did. She gave him an eager smile. "I feel great. Please just take me."

The Changeling's heart burned with passion. He smiled wickedly and moved down to remove her bottom. How does she have complete power over me even now?

"Spread your legs." Garfield said in his low, lustful, commanding voice as he took off the rest of his clothes.

She immediately and obediently did so and it drove him absolutely insane. He positioned himself between her legs and placed his hands on her knees to keep them apart and for support before leaning down and kissing her thighs. She giggled with the tickles and her legs instinctively attempted to close, but he firmly held them apart and she moaned loudly at the sensation. Garfield took a second to admire her. She was completely exposed; writhing desperately, whining and panting, with her head leaned back and her lips parted.

"Still okay?" He asked her in a softer voice. He loved this girl, he wasn't about to let lust take him too far and ruin everything.

Raven nodded eagerly as her lips spread into a wide smile and she chuckled softly. "Do I need to beg you?"

That sparkled something primal in him. Garfield smirked. "That would be nice. You're in the perfect position for it, all spread out like that. Do it."

The sorcerer let out a loud whimpering moan and squirmed violently, spreading her legs wider and thrusting her hips up.

Close enough. If Garfield's pupils were dilated before, now they were gigantic and he simply couldn't wait another second. She was so into it – he could see it, but he could also smell it all over her – and it made him feel powerful. He got on top of her again, kissing her passionately, muffling her moans and whispering against her lips. "All right, pet. Don't hurt yourself."

Raven's eyes rolled back in her head when he made love to her while deeply kissing her wet, soft lips. Garfield explored her smooth skin with his mouth, on her cheeks and jawline, on her neck and collarbone, and on her shoulders and chest. He squeezed and caressed her body gently, but firmly. He had teased her so much already that they climaxed at the same time for the first time ever.

Garfield collapsed on top of her and they were both panting heavily in exhaustion for a few seconds. Then Raven chanted her words to get her powers back and freed herself. She tenderly wrapped her arms around him, caressing his hair. The Changeling gratefully nuzzled her chest, immediately realizing she didn't resent him one bit.

"I can't believe you just let me do that." He murmured, smiling against her skin and inhaling her scent.

Raven chuckled softly. "Why? I trust you. Shouldn't I?"

"Of course you should." Garfield smiled widely and kissed her hand. "But that doesn't necessarily mean you'd be willing to do something like this."

"True." Raven said lazily. "I guess I feel safe with you."

"You are safe with me. I'll never hurt or disappoint you. I promise."

"Well, that's not a promise you can keep. Everyone hurts everyone, especially in a romantic relationship. Just promise you'll never betray me."

He smiled at how pragmatic she was. "Okay, love. I promise. I'll never betray you."

Raven kissed the top of his head. "Any more requests before the night ends?"

"Mmm…be my girlfriend for forever and ever?"

"Sorry. No wishes for forever and ever."

The Changeling whined playfully. "So many ruuules."

The empath giggled and he grinned at the sound.

Garfield sighed peacefully. "Fine, then…sing to me? If that's okay."

"Honestly, the things I do for you..."

The Changeling grinned hugely and moved to lay his head on the pillow next to her. He rested his chin on her shoulder and took a lock of her sweaty hair in his fingers to lazily play with it. "Best. Birthday. Ever."

Raven began softly singing the sad and beautiful lyrics of Sally's Song (The Nightmare Before Christmas) while soothingly running her fingers through his hair. She could sense his love, his bliss, his devotion and his peace.

Garfield sighed happily, drifting off to sleep to her calming, ethereal voice. The romantic lyrics made him feel all warm and fuzzy inside and he slept like a baby, thinking that she sounded like an angel.

Okay so the next chapter is basically a continuation of this one and I'll try to publish it tomorrow. It will be the last "quiet" chapter before shit starts happening, so let's enjoy the cuteness and sexy times while we can.

Actually, there might be a little foreshadowing there with Sally's Song for those of you who are familiar with it…hehe. I mean, no apocalyptic-level threads this "season", the main conflict will be much closer to home. Okay, I'll stop teasing now. Sorry xD

I Think He Knows (Taylor Swift)