Krumelmonster: Thanks for reviewing! xD Patience, my friend, healing takes time. One sweet step at a time lol. And thanks for that observation, I actually really appreciate it cause it does kinda bother me in canon when characters like her are only overpowered when it's convenient.

Guest reviewers: Well now yall are just making me blush lmao xD

Thanks to the new favs/follows too! XD

As Long as You're Mine

A few days after the League of Assassins' attack, the Titans got to take a night off to go to a gala event. The Titans East came in for this and they got all dressed up for the red carpet. The Changeling was really excited, because they hadn't done something like this in a while.

"So…Kory and Dick are back together." Bumblebee pointed out as casually as she could.

Conner looked up from where he was lazily leaned back on the couch, already in his tux. "Well, yeah. I saw it coming, too. It's all good."

"Really?"

"Yeah." Superboy shrugged. "Don't get me wrong, I was having a lot of fun. But I don't want a relationship. And they're kinda perfect together, actually."

"So who are you hitting on now?" Wally raised an eyebrow.

Conner sighed. "That's the problem with these Titan chicks. They don't stay single. Maybe I'll hit Barbara up again, that was fun."

Garfield continued playing video games with Cyborg, but he was listening intently to see if Conner or Aqualad would mention Raven. Not that he could do anything about it if they did. He wasn't her boyfriend. But still, he was relieved when they didn't.

"Okay, we are ready for the partying!" Starfire flew in, looking radiant and twirling in the air in her green and black long dress. Jinx and Terra came up behind her and Richard followed, smiling fondly at the alien princess.

"Finally." Speedy exhaled. And then he grinned at Terra when she glared a little. "So worth the wait, though. You look hot."

"Yes, we all look beautiful." Cyborg put an arm around Bumblebee and smiled at her in a way that meant especially you. "Can we go now? I'm starving!"

The Changeling wasn't sure what was wrong once they got there. Everything was perfect. He should be happy. He got more attention than ever from the press and several beautiful women came to talk to him – sure, two of them just wanted to be introduced to Conner, but most of them actually flirted with him. Also, he looked good in his black suit and he knew it. He had mostly embraced his unusual looks by now.

The fact that he was taller, hotter, more confident, and that his powers were more impressive than ever made everyone want to talk to him. Not to mention he was single, and still getting a lot of sympathy points for his last relationship. He shut down anyone who had anything rude to say about Raven by telling them they shouldn't talk about what they don't know, but most girls were clever enough to simply offer support and praise his looks or skills instead.

Everything was exactly like he always wanted, but it all felt…empty. He thought about their last event of this magnitude. He was a scrawny, terribly awkward and insecure boy back then, and he would have given anything for this kind of attention. But that night had been so much more fun than this. He had smiled so much more. That was the night he realized he liked Raven. He'd ordered her a drink and freaked out when guys hit on her and lied about being sick to cover up his feelings. She'd made jokes and said nice things to him and looked mind-blowingly beautiful. She'd spent her entire night with him and then taken him home for even more fun playing video games and talking nonsense. His heart ached at the memory. He missed her so much. He hadn't seen her in days. The Sirens had been laying low since they called a truce.

"Can I get a Moscow Mule, please?" Garfield asked the bartender, trying to escape the crowd for a bit. Of course this sucks compared to that. SHE'S not here.

He took the drink and sipped it. And then he smiled. That was Raven's drink. It's good. Of course it's good. The shapeshifter sighed and leaned on the counter tiredly, drinking his Moscow Mule while he glanced around at the beautiful people partying glamorously. This feels pointless without her. Maybe I could go home with someone tonight. It can't hurt. Maybe just this once. I just miss her so much it burns. Maybe...

"Oh…why you look so sad?"

Oh, shit. Garfield's body stiffened and his heart skipped a beat because I'll Stand by You was playing. It was their first song. His first serenades, their goofy dance on the rooftop, the song she sang to bring him back to light when the Beast was out of control. And he hadn't listened to it in a while. The words felt like a knife twisting inside his heart. His eyes weren't focused on anything as he stared straight ahead and listened, but his mind was everywhere. What the fuck am I doing here? I don't want to be here. I want to be with her. The Changeling loosened his tie and unbuttoned the first few buttons of his white shirt, because he felt a little suffocated. And then he frowned, deep in thought, as he realized several things.

He realized he didn't care that much about labels, or about what they called each other or even about whether she loved him or not. He cared about not seeing her in days. Not seeing her face, making her laugh, hearing her voice, smelling her scent, teasing her or simply being around her. He realized he wasn't okay with that. Secret make-out sessions on dark corners, flirtatious teasing or even exchanging a few romantic words when they rescued each other weren't enough. He realized he didn't need anything from her other than her being Raven. He would gladly give it all up for her happiness, but she wasn't in the Sixth Dimension. She was right there in the outskirts of Jump City. And he was miserably enduring this meaningless night without her. Well, that's just stupid.

"Dude, where are you going!?" Cyborg asked his best friend when the shapeshifter walked by him hurriedly and decisively.

"Where I need to be!" Garfield yelled excitedly without stopping, and then he rushed to a certain enchantress, leaving a confused half-robot behind.

"Jinx!" The shapeshifter jumped in front of her.

The pink-haired girl was definitely startled and even spilled her drink, grunting in annoyance. "What the fuck, Changeling?"

"You can teleport, right? Like, you could teleport me somewhere else? Because I really, really need to be somewhere else tonight."

Jinx frowned. "I…well, I could, but…not that precisely yet. I mean, I'm working on-"

"Just send me back to Jump City. Please." Garfield said intently.

She stared at him questioningly for a few seconds, but for some reason he seemed really serious about this, so she shrugged. "Fine…let's go somewhere quieter."

The enchantress sent him downtown, which wasn't that close to Siren Mansion, but it didn't matter, because he was hyped and ready. He would run all the way there if he had to. In fact, that was exactly what he did. Garfield thought about turning into something faster, but his formal wear would be ripped and then he would get there naked, which seemed a little distasteful for what he was trying to do. So he ran on his human feet, as fast as he could, as if every second counted. And then it started raining. Of course. Perfect.

Raven had been particularly blue that night. She knew the Titans were out at some big fancy event and her heart just felt a little tight. She wanted to be with them. She wanted to release everyone she'd enslaved and be a hero again. That part of her had been meaning to awaken ever since she regained access to white magic. She was grateful for the truce, because she didn't really have it in her to commit any more crimes. The problem was, she was still scared to be alone. Her heart was still bruised and the Sirens weren't the Titans, but they were some kind of dysfunctional family. If she left them, where would she go?

The empath knew she couldn't go back to Titan Tower no matter how much she wanted to, because seeing him every day would crush her. She went to her room and glanced at the picture of them on the rollercoaster. Then she randomly thought about him licking ice cream off her face after defending her at that church. She smiled sadly and placed the picture back inside the box. The sorcerer knew their relationship messed her up, but there were parts of it she missed. She missed being close to him. She missed seeing him every day. She missed his carefree laughter. But she wasn't willing to give him what he-

Wait…is that him?! Raven frowned because her thoughts had been suddenly interrupted by a familiar aura. That makes no sense. It can't be can't be around. He's at the party. Besides, I'm in Siren Mansion. Why would he come here and-

"Uh…Raven?" Selina called outside her door. "I think you need to see this."

The sorcerer headed downstairs where Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy were whispering to each other. When they saw the Changeling at the gate, waving sheepishly to the security camera, they thought he'd gone insane. They deactivated all the traps to let him in because of their truce and the fact that he was completely alone, but they were still a little suspicious. The villains figured maybe something happened with the League of Assassins, but they were mostly wondering why on Earth he would risk coming in alone instead of just calling Raven on that Titan thingy they had. Besides, he wasn't even wearing his uniform.

"Ah…I think there's someone at the door for you." Ivy smirked at the empath.

Raven looked even more confused as she floated towards the door and opened it at once. And then her heart stopped. Sure, she had sensed him. But she didn't expect to see him standing outside her door, soaking wet and breathing heavily as if he'd just run there, staring at her with vulnerable eyes and looking so absolutely hot with his tie undone, a few open buttons on his white shirt, and an unbuttoned black suit. The black and white contrasted so nicely with his shade of green and the whole thing was just so flattering on his body it was distracting.

And then there were his feelings. He wasn't there to deliver bad news or ask for help, because all her powers captured was deep, undying affection. And a little nervousness. It was like some scene out of a cheesy rom-com movie, which she wouldn't normally like, but this one got to her. Her heart raced wildly and she took a sudden, sharp intake of breath.

"I didn't mean for it to be this corny." He smiled and pointed at the sky. "I didn't plan the rain."

Raven's lips parted, but no sound came out. What is even happening right now?

The Changeling put his hands up in the air while staring at the other Sirens behind her, who were eyeing him suspiciously. "Don't worry, I'm surrendering."

"Why would you do that?" Ivy asked.

Harley and Catwoman weren't as confused, as they had a feeling they already knew what this was. And it showed on their amused faces.

He looked directly into Raven's surprised eyes again. "I need to talk to you. Can I come in?"

The empath realized rain was still pouring over his head and took a step backwards so he could come inside. She found her voice again. "What are you…weren't you at some party…? Also, did you run here?"

Garfield stepped inside and smiled at her. "Yes, and yes. Well, Jinx teleported me downtown. Then I ran here."

Raven was still considerably confused. "Okay…but why did-"

"Whatever your terms are, I'm fine with them." He blurted out.

She tilted her head a little to the side. "Huh?"

God, she's so cute. The Changeling took a deep breath and reached out to take her hands in his. He smiled wider when she let him. "I'm tired of being away from you. I'm so done with that. I know I should have let you go before, but I…well, I can't change that. But I'm here now and I'll spend the rest of my life trying to make it up to you if you let me, so please let me."

Oh, shit. Raven frowned in absolute distress. "Gar, I can't…I can't give you what you want."

"No, wait. Please let me finish. Rae, all I want is to be around you. I don't care on what terms, I really don't. I'll be your friend, your lover, your prisoner, whatever you want. I'll be a freaking Siren if that's what it takes." He chuckled and took a step closer to her, still looking into her wide eyes. He wasn't worried about offering any of it. He knew her heart, and he knew it was good. He wasn't scared to make promises to stand by her, because there was no doubt in his mind she would eventually turn back once she was ready. And he wanted to help her get there. "Whatever your terms are, I'm okay with them. More than okay. The only thing I'm not okay with is not having you in my life anymore. You're my best friend. I'm sick of waiting for trouble just so I can see you. So…whatever you want, as long as you're in my life again."

"Awweee that is so swee-AHH!" Harley yelped and jumped along with the others when several beverage bottles exploded by the bar and the books flew out of the shelves. Then she giggled knowingly.

Raven was absolutely sure her eyes had never been this huge. She was also sure that if she were anyone but herself she would have just jumped on him and kissed him senseless. And then she felt deficient and insufficient for a second, because he was pouring his heart out and she was still emotionally crippled and she always would be. But then she remembered that he could have had someone else. Someone open and fun. He doesn't want anyone else. He wants me. And he's making it so easy for me. And he meant every word of that.

"Jeez, Raven. Say something!" Catwoman urged her in utter agony.

The empath realized he was still staring at her expectantly, but he wasn't as nervous. He knew she liked it. He knew her well enough to know that. But Selina was right; she did need to say something, so she cleared her throat. "I…I missed you so much."

The Changeling's heart fluttered freely and his smile turned into a blissful grin. He closed the distance between them and cradled her face. Her cheeks were warm and pink against his wet, cold hands, but she didn't even flinch. "You don't need to know what you want yet, just know that when you decide I'll be okay with it. And can I stay here? Please? I'll sleep on the couch if you want; I'll sleep in a freaking cell. I just want to see you in the morning."

Raven kept looking up into his eyes and struggling to keep her powers under control. Why is he so fucking perfect? "O-okay. I mean…no cell. Or couch. I…I want to talk in private."

She wants to talk in private. Garfield's grin got huge and a little greedy. He chuckled when Harley whistled and the empath closed her eyes and grunted, clearly annoyed at it. Then he reluctantly let go of her face. "That sounds perfect."

She walked past her amused teammates, shooting them a warning look to not tease her further while she pulled him by the hand towards her room. Once they were alone, the sorcerer turned to stare intently at him. "I…I don't know what the terms are yet. But I…I really want to kiss you right now. Would that be okay?"

His heart pounded in his ears and his chest ached deliciously. Holy shit she's gonna kiss me. "That would be more than okay."

Raven smiled slightly and stepped closer to him, touching his suit and blushing as she looked him up and down. "It's your fault for showing up at my door all wet and handsome like this."

The shapeshifter looked down at his body then back up at her with wide eyes and flushed cheeks. Wait, she just called you handsome! Charm her. NOW, GO! He smiled. "Well, that…I…uh…" His smile fell a little. Great. Very smooth, Garfield.

She giggled and placed her hands on his neck, pulling his face close and kissing him deeply.

The Changeling smiled into the kiss. Well, I guess that worked. When she separated their lips, he shot her a cheeky, flirty grin. "You think I look handsome?"

Raven grabbed the ends of his tie to pull him closer. "Very handsome."

Garfield felt his stomach flutter with butterflies. She could still make him feel like a teenager. "Yeah? I don't think you've ever used that word for me before."

"I haven't?" The empath smiled sensually at him. She could sense how much he loved it. "Well, that's not right. You're very handsome." She gave him a quick, sweet peck on the lips. "And hot." One more soft kiss and she brought her hands to his hair. "And sexy." Another peck. The more she could sense his pride and blissfulness swelling, the more she wanted to go on, even though her powers made all the candles in her room light up. "In fact, it makes me feel a little jealous to think you were looking like this at some party." She traced his jawline with wet kisses all the way up to his pointy ear, and then she whispered in it. "Heartthrob."

At this point, Garfield's face was hurting from smiling so wide, but he couldn't care less. His heart was soaring and burning with passion. She called me a heartthrob! Shit! I…I need to wear this more often. He moaned when she kissed the tip of his ear. "Oh God, Rae…"

The candles flickered wildly and she pulled away, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. Ugh. My fucking powers.

"Did you really just say all that to me?"

Raven opened her eyes to see Garfield beaming at her like he didn't have a care in the world and she smiled softly. "I did and I meant every word."

The shapeshifter tried to contain his excitement. "Can you even sense how happy I am right now? Cause I'm like…ecstatic. Seriously, I ran like ten scenarios in my head running here and none of them were this awesome."

She pulled him close by his tie again and kissed him slowly and sweetly this time. "I can." She whispered. "It's why I haven't turned my powers off yet. I like sensing your happiness."

The Changeling wrapped his arms firmly around her waist and buried his face in the crook of her neck, inhaling her scent.

Raven giggled softly, because it tickled a little. "Gar?"

"Mmm?" Yes, my love?

"I…I think I trust you."

Garfield pulled back to look at her with grateful, wide eyes. "You don't have to know it tonight. I'll earn your trust back, no matter how long it takes. I promise. You're safe with me."

That made her smile affectionately at him. I'm safe with him. I do feel safe with him. But I got so hurt before…but…he's different now. Raven breezily played with his wet hair. "Because I'm the exclusive ruler of your heart?" She chuckled when she saw his huge eyes and sensed his astonishment and embarrassment. "Yes, I heard you."

Oh, fuck. "You did!?" He squeaked. "What…what else did you hear?"

"Mmm…just something about you being completely, helplessly and deeply in love with me, I think." She tilted her head and bit her lip to fight back an amused smile. "General stuff about missing me every day and never being that happy again and all that…oh, and I definitely heard you claiming to be entirely devoted to me."

The Changeling had turned red at this point. "So…basically everything."

Raven shrugged cutely. "Basically."

He looked away awkwardly. Okay, so…she knows. Well, at least she's not uncomfortable or freaked out. She still kissed me and said I'm hot and stuff, so she's cool with it. I deserve to be uncomfortable and embarrassed anyway.

"There's no reason to be embarrassed." She whispered. When he looked into her eyes again, Raven smiled at him. "It's been replaying in my head ever since and…well, I liked it."

"You did?" Does that mean she still loves me too? Or is she just really flattered?

"Mhmm." Her eyes were seductive as she slowly removed his suit, dropping it on the floor.

Garfield swallowed. "I just…I wasn't sure you'd want to know since…well, just know that if you don't love me like that anymore that's okay, like I said I just want you in my life."

"I got that." The empath whispered while she pulled his tie and dropped it on the floor as well, with that same lustful look on her face. "But it made me feel safe."

"Oh." Just give her all the cards. You hurt her so much, it's the least you can do. "Well, in that case…you should feel safe. I'll tell you again. I'll tell you every day if you want." She giggled and he unbuttoned his shirt, feeling encouraged. "Because I do, Rae. I love you. I love all of you. I know I said it before but then I couldn't love the part of you that chose freedom over me. I know that, but I…I do now. I finally really do love all of you."

A few lightbulbs exploded. Raven stared into his eyes and she knew her own eyes were teary now. "I…I don't want to turn off my powers tonight. I want to keep sensing you."

"Okay." The shapeshifter nodded and smiled. "That's okay; we can just hang out or cuddle. Whatever you want."

"Well, I…do you remember our first times?"

Oh…wait. "Y-yes."

"I…that was different for me. It felt nice to have my powers…"

"Do you…do you wanna go somewhere?" Garfield's eyes got huge.

"Would you want to go with me?"

He chuckled light-heartedly. "Is that a serious question? I'd follow you anywhere."

Raven smiled and pulled away to go get something from a hidden drawer. It was the amulet she'd made for him when they were in X-Men Mansion. Then she gently placed it around his neck while he beamed. "I really thought you'd try to steal this when you were prisoner here."

"Nope. I'll never betray you again. Ever." Garfield said devotedly.

She gave him another sweet kiss and exploded a few more lightbulbs. And then the sorcerer opened a portal to a relatively close Earth that had been completely destroyed. Everything there had been extinct for hundreds of years. Perfect. She performed an enchantment so that she could breathe in this wrecked world's atmosphere and when she went to do the same for him, Raven realized he was breathing normally.

The shapeshifter smiled at her amazed face. "Some creatures can breathe anywhere. I just changed my lungs."

The empath's eyes widened. That's kinda hot. She eagerly pushed him to the floor, straddling his lap and kissing him passionately. He helped her out of her clothes and she gently pushed him until he was lying on his back, getting on top of him and kissing down his neck and chest, muttering against his skin. "So you left the red carpet to run and knock on my door?"

The Changeling moaned and tangled his fingers in her hair. He felt like his entire body was burning with desire. "Y-yes. All I could think about was you."

"I was thinking about you, too. I'm so glad you did this." Now waves of destructive power poured out of her freely, but she didn't care. She was aching for him.

Raven planted sweet, wet kisses up his chest and arms, sending chills down his spine and making his chest swell with bliss until she reached his lips again, then she kissed him hungrily, biting lightly on his bottom lip. Garfield smiled into the kiss and lovingly caressed her hair, her cheeks and her neck as she removed his pants. They made love under a starry night sky. Slow, romantic, deliciously intimate love.

The empath felt wonderful, because his joy, love and lust kept feeding her and mixing with her own in an amazing whirlwind of passion and tenderness. Garfield was a hundred percent sure there wasn't a single soul in the whole Multiverse happier than him at the moment, because she touched him with so much affection he felt like his heart would burst. Waves of power continued to cross the entire length of the planet as if they meant to devour it, but that didn't scare them. In fact, they both felt completely safe.

They woke up intertwined with each other. She had an arm over his chest and the other under his neck, with lazy fingers still touching his hair. He had one arm wrapped around her waist and his other hand was resting on her thigh, which was on his stomach. She was nuzzling the crook of his neck and his head was slightly turned towards her. Garfield woke up first, feeling eternally grateful, blessed and peaceful, because waking up with her like this had been beyond his wildest dreams for a while now. He gently caressed her waist and thigh, relishing in how smooth her skin was while kissing her forehead.

Raven smiled slightly after waking up to his tender, soft touches. "Mmm."

"Morning, ruler of my heart." He whispered, smiling into her hair.

She chuckled so softly that if he hadn't been holding her he wouldn't have known.

The empath started playfully rubbing her feet against his. "Mmm…morning."

The Changeling pulled back slightly to look at her and realized her eyes were still closed. He gently rubbed his thumb up her nose, over her eyebrow, cheek and lips, just captivated by the shapes and textures.

Raven's lazy smile grew a little wider. "Watcha doing?"

"Worshipping you." Garfield answered playfully, but truthfully. "Remember? It's what one does if one is lucky enough to wake up next to a Goddess."

If there had been lightbulbs around, they would have exploded for sure. She slowly opened her eyes to see him staring lovingly at her while running his thumb over her bottom lip. And then his eyes widened and her powers captured an absurd level of joy and relief.

Raven eyed him suspiciously. "What?"

"Your…your eyes, love." Garfield said incredulously, already beaming. "They're violet."

She gasped quietly. "They are?"

"Yes." His eyes glistened with emotion. "Just like they used to be."

The empath gave him a heartfelt smile. "Well, that makes sense. Last night was…"

"Transcendental!" Garfield exclaimed excitedly.

"You really like using that word for sex, huh?"

"Only with you."

Raven blushed and rolled her eyes. "I was going to say special. But sure."

Garfield chuckled freely and kissed her happily again. Then his face became a little serious. "I'm still okay with whatever your terms are, Rae. I promise. I meant that."

She bit her lip, lazily playing with his messy hair. "What if they include never doing this again?"

He nodded without hesitation. "Yeah, of course. I'm fine with that. I know I've said this before and then I…but this time I mean it. This is so much more than I expected already. I told you, I just want you in my life again."

Raven sensed sincerity in every word and it made her heart full, so she smiled softly and went back to rubbing his feet with hers. "Okay. Let's just stay here a few more minutes."

Garfield smiled and stroked her hair. "Hey, Rae?"

"Yeah?"

"I promise I'll never be selfish with you again."

She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Again with the promises you can't keep. That's impossible. You're human, humans are selfish sometimes."

The shapeshifter chuckled slightly. "Okay, smart-ass. Then…if I ever start acting selfish with you again, just tell me to get my shit together and I will. I promise."

This time Raven lifted her head to smile up at him. "Now that's a nice promise."

He grinned brightly at her and they stayed like that for a few more minutes, enjoying each other's warmth and inhaling each other's scent until the empath finally moved to sit up.

"So, I…I think I want to go home. To the Titans, I mean." She said softly, staring at the horizon.

Garfield felt happy tears in his eyes. "Rae, that's amazing! I can't even-"

"But Gar, I…I don't want to be your girlfriend."

Yeah, I figured. "That's okay."

"Well, not just yours. I don't want to be a girlfriend, actually. It's just…I got so…I never want to feel that out of control again." Raven shot him an apologetic look.

The Changeling smiled lovingly at her. "You don't need to explain, Rae. You want to go back to being friends, right? I mean, I hope you'll let me be your friend. I might accidentally flirt with you sometimes until I'm used to it, so I apologize in advance for that but-"

"Can we just…" She interrupted him. "Can we maybe just be Gar and Rae? I really don't see the point in denying how we feel about each other or pretending we don't know…can we just be friends and fight the forces of evil together and give each other a hard time and protect each other and…well, if we sometimes find our way to each other's rooms in the middle of the night, I don't see the problem in that. Is that possible?"

Garfield held his breath as he allowed her words to sink in. Is she serious? That's a sweet deal. Like, beyond-my-wildest-dreams sweet. He grinned a blissful, enormous, toothy grin. "That sounds perfect, actually."

Oh, thank Azar. Raven finally smiled at him again. "And I know that means you're technically single, but…I do ask for a heads-up if you're taken with someone, okay?" Also, could you maybe wait a few years before you fall for someone else? Well, I can't ask him THAT.

The Changeling sat up, leaned back on his hands and huffed, rolling his eyes. "As if."

"Garfield…"

"What part of exclusive ruler of my heart do you not understand?" He chuckled happily.

That made her stomach flutter and her chest ache in the best possible way. Her cheeks warmed up too. "Okay, but Gar…it will happen eventually. You won't stay single having casual sex with me for the rest of your life."

"That is exactly what I'm planning to do. Or at least for as long as you'll want me."

Azar, I hope he's serious. But I can't hold him to that. "Well, you might find out you need or want more than that. Like…going on dates, you like those. Or kissing in public. Or sharing a room or even a house with someone, getting married, having children…all of that."

Right. Of course she thinks I want that. "Rae, I…I don't care about that stuff anymore." When she shot him a skeptical look and raised an eyebrow, he chuckled breezily. "I don't! Not in the way you think. Look, all that stuff would only make sense or mean anything if it was with you. I'd only want any of that with you." He meant it. He'd thought about all of that already. Moving in with Raven? Sure, let's do it. Moving in with some other girl? No way. Marrying Raven? Dream. Marrying someone else? No, thank you. Having children with Raven? Yes, please. Having children with anyone other than Raven? Doesn't feel right. "I don't need any of that from you, just to be clear. I'm perfectly happy with your plan. I'm just saying that if it's not you, then…I don't really care."

He meant that too. The way he saw it, sure, he would love to do all those things with her, but he'd forced her to settle for less happiness than she deserved by making her stay, so why should he get everything he wanted? Besides, living with her and acting on their feelings every now and then was way more happiness than he expected already.

Raven could sense his sincerity and her powers had gone a little rogue during his speech, but again, they had no reason to care about that on this Earth. Azar, I love him so much. "Gar, that's…but…that…that could change."

She needs reassurance. The shapeshifter smiled at her. "Okay, Rae. I promise that if I ever change my mind, you'll be the first to know."

She exhaled, looking peaceful again. "Okay. In that case…I should go talk to the Sirens."

"Oh, while you're doing that can I draw your throne? I've been meaning to draw you sitting on it but I couldn't remember exactly what it looked like."

Raven chuckled softly and blushed. "Sure. I'll kind of miss it, actually."

"Me too. Maybe we should take it with us and put it in the ops room." Garfield got on all fours so he could reach out and kiss her again, smiling against her lips. "You look soo sexy on it, like some underworld Goddess."

The empath giggled into the kiss. "You just think everything I do is sexy."

"Yes, I do. Guilty." Garfield chuckled and gave her a sweet peck. "But also it really is sexy."

Raven gently pushed him. "I need to meditate a little before I can take us back. Go do something other than stare at me."

The Changeling whined cutely. "Oh c'mon, I'll be quiet."

She fought back a smile. "Your feelings are distracting."

Garfield scratched the back of his head. "Ah…right. Yes, I can imagine. I'll just, uh…" He put his boxers on and looked around. Welp, there's nothing to do here. "I'll take a walk."

"Good. Oh, by the way, I know it was a while ago, but…belated happy birthday."

The shapeshifter beamed at her. That's so sweet. She's so sweet. I should do something for HER birthday this year. "Thanks, Rae!"

Once they were back in Siren Mansion and fully dressed, Raven gathered the Sirens by the bar for an emergency meeting while Garfield sat with his legs crossed on the floor in front of the stairs and made a sketch of Raven's throne – after telling Cyborg he was okay and there was no need to worry because he was just taking care of some things and would be home soon.

"What's up with your eyes?" Selina folded her arms and raised an eyebrow.

Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn were also shooting the empath slightly judgmental looks.

"I…actually, that's what I need to talk to you ab-"

"Hey, Changeling! Are you drawing that? With Raven in it?" Harley suddenly yelled at Garfield.

He turned around to look at her and grinned. "Yeah!"

"Do one of me too!" The blond villain clapped, jumping up and down. Then she saw Raven staring at her incredulously and shrugged. "What? I saw that other sketch before you defensively took it back with your voodoo powers, he's good! I want one."

The sorcerer sighed tiredly. "Harley, he's not going to make you a-"

"Yes I am!" Garfield shouted excitedly. He actually liked this idea. Regardless of everything, this was her home for a while. And he could eternalize it somehow. "I'll do allfour of you!"

They chuckled and raised their eyebrows suggestively while Raven just rubbed her temples. "Well someone's confident!" Poison Ivy teased.

He suddenly blushed deeply and smiled sheepishly. "No, I…I meant I'll draw all four of you! I mean, you know-obviously!"

"Yes, I think that's a more reasonable idea." Catwoman said, thoroughly amused.

Garfield stammered some more incomprehensible gibberish as they chuckled again, and then he cleared his throat and opened his mouth, said nothing, closed it and quickly turned around to go back to sketching.

"Thankou, Changeling! You're a sweetheart!" Harley yelled happily.

He gave her a thumbs-up without turning around, because he knew his face was still flushed.

Raven cleared her throat. She wasn't showing it, but she was amused too. He IS a sweetheart. "So, anyway…"

"You're leaving." Poison Ivy stated pointedly.

The empath blinked at her in silence.

"Yeah, we figured." Selina rolled her eyes, but smiled anyway.

Harley Quinn leaned over the counter and whispered excitedly. "We're not judging you, Ravey. That stuff last night was like, really romantic."

"I mean, I'm judging a little." Ivy smirked. "But…" She glanced at Harley. "Yeah, we get it."

The sorcerer was slightly taken aback, because she could sense some sincerity in them. "I…but…I'm going back to Titan Tower. I didn't mean to leave you guys, I just…"

"Raven, chill, we know. You've had another change of heart. Even your eyes turned lame again." Catwoman said in a friendly tone. "We sorta saw it coming for a while now."

The empath exhaled and frowned. "What? Have I been obvious or something?"

Pamela smiled teasingly. "Well, your eye color keeps changing back and you've been kinda depressed and less fun lately."

"Oh…right. I suppose that's true." Raven cleared her throat and straightened up. "I will have to set these people free from my grip…" She gestured towards their slaves. "…and make them turn themselves in to go to jail."

That made them huff, grumble and roll their eyes all at once.

"I suppose you'll also lift all the curses and magical traps that keep us safe? And release all the cops and judges under your influence and basically dismantle our empire?" Selina asked.

Harley Quinn pouted. "We'll have to go back to hiding?"

Raven grimaced. Oddly enough, she felt a little guilty. "Sorry, Quinnie. I…I kinda have to."

Pamela sighed and turned to the other two villains. "Well, I hate to say I told you so, but…no, wait. I love saying it. I told you so."

"I really didn't plan this." The empath said truthfully.

"Okay, Ravey, but are you coming for us?" Harley whined. "Cause that's just mean."

"No." She answered surprisingly quickly. "I mean…I don't want to. Maybe you guys should go back to Gotham, cause all sorts of trouble. Just…don't kill people. If you go too far I will have to come for you. But at least the League of Assassins will leave you alone. And if you ever need me for real, I'll be there." She tossed them her communicator. "Here, keep it. I'll get a new one. Maybe we can team-up again in the future. If Darkseid comes back or something."

They seemed to like that plan.

Ivy took the T-communicator and smirked. "Okay, prophecy child. We'll see you around."

Raven took some time releasing their slaves and making them head to the police one by one, lifting all the spells she'd cast and gathering all her things. Garfield made drawings of every Siren on their thrones and they made copies. Selina and Ivy smiled at theirs, clearly pleased. Harley Quinn was euphoric though; she jumped up and down and grinned gigantically at him – her smile was still a little scary.

"Thanks for not trying to fix my brain, Ravey!" The blond Siren spread her arms wide as they were saying goodbye.

"I wouldn't mess with your brain, Quinnie. Besides, you're not that bad." Raven realized she was waiting for a hug with her arms open like that and frowned. "I…I'm not really a…a hug person…" She sighed when the blonde pouted, giving her a quick hug then blankly addressing Poison Ivy. "I know you didn't ask for advice, but…don't be so scared of your feelings. They won't make you less badass."

Pamela smirked. "Yeah…maybe." She folded her arms. "You're okay, Raven. It was fun having a demon-witch on the team." Then she looked at the Changeling. "By the way, we saw what you did to the warlock traitor through the security cameras. You're okay too."

Garfield felt a little self-conscious, but grinned proudly nonetheless when the other two villains nodded emphatically in agreement. He'd gotten a bit dark there, but he'd done it to protect Raven, so he would never regret or apologize for it.

"Oh, can I have that footage, actually?" The empath asked. She glanced at the green boy beside her, blushing and scratching his neck. I definitely want to watch him kick Klarion's ass.

"Sure thing." Catwoman chuckled.

Raven turned to her next. "You. I'm not sure you should be doing this either, to be honest. But…you know. Take your time. Just be brave to admit when you care."

Selina saw this one coming. This girl had been reading her feelings for a while now. She knew she cared more about Bruce than she admitted and that it had been changing her perspective lately. "You're just full of unrequested wisdom today, aren't you?"

"Oh this is just regular me. I suck." Raven said in a playful tone.

"Actually, that's true. She does this all the time." Garfield grumbled. Then he saw her glare at him a little and realized what he said. "I mean, not the you suck part! You don't suck." He smiled sheepishly. "You're awesome. And smart. And really pretty."

Harley laughed hysterically and hugged the Changeling tightly, making him stiffen and hold his breath. Raven was tense too and ready to stop her from suddenly harming him out of nowhere, but the blond girl wasn't offended. She liked being unpredictable and feared. "Thanks for the drawings, Beasty! They're sooo lovely!"

"Yeah. Sorry for trying to kill you and then make you eat bacon." Poison Ivy smirked.

"Ah…" He waved a hand to dismiss it. "Water under the bridge. Thanks for taking care of Rae."

Catwoman raised an eyebrow at the empath, picking up Salem to caress his fur one last time. "Rae? That's adorable."

Harley Quinn approached her to pet the kitten as well, giggling at the nickname.

Raven cleared her throat. "All right, well, time to go. You've been gone for hours, Nightwing is probably worried." She said, pulling the Changeling by the hand. "C'mon, Salem." The kitten meowed at the Sirens one last time and then jumped on the sorcerer's cape and climbed it to comfortably lie on her shoulder.

Back in Titan Tower, everyone gasped and jumped when a dark energy raven appeared in the middle of the ops room. They exhaled in relief when the purple-haired girl emerged from it with a green boy. The Titans East were still there. Krypto jumped on Raven and made heart eyes at her until she scratched behind his ears, then he happily jumped around Salem and they immediately started playing together.

"Man, we were so worried!" Cyborg pulled the shapeshifter into a crushing hug. "Where the Hell were you!?"

Jinx placed her hands on her hips. "Yeah you tell me to teleport you in the middle of a stand-out night and disappear for like a whole day, what's up with that?"

"I was just-"

"And why were you with Raven?" Conner raised an eyebrow.

"Well that's what I-"

"Did something happen with the League of Assassins? Because we should all know about that." Damian folded his arms.

"No it's-"

"Maybe she had to get him out of trouble." Bumblebee shrugged.

"I went to-"

"Why are you in your old uniform?" Starfire narrowed her eyes at Raven, noticing she had her old armor and cloak back on; her hood was even pulled over her head.

"Well, about that-"

"Maybe they don't want to tell us what they were doing, guys." Terra giggled.

"I'm trying to-"

"You can't just disappear without explaining yourself for this long." Nightwing pointed out. "What if you had-"

"Everyone shut up!" Raven practically shouted, immediately getting their attention. As absolute silence reigned, she cleared her throat. "Let him talk."

Garfield beamed at her. "Thanks, Rae. So, um, anyway. I was getting Raven!" He gestured towards the girl beside him. "Tah-dah!"

The empath frowned at him. "That's it?"

He straightened up and scratched his head. "Well, I…yeah!"

Raven rolled her eyes and addressed Nightwing, who looked just as confused as everyone else for once. "He means that…well, I'd like to come home. If you'll all have me, that is. I understand if you don't want me back, but I'm willing to- argh!" She stopped talking as she was suddenly enveloped in a tight group hug by several people. "Does this mean I can stay?"

"Are you kidding me!?" Starfire squealed. "This is the best news!"

"Hellz yeah, Doomsday. Welcome back." Damian said from where he was leaning on the wall.

The group hug had accidentally brought her hood down and now Terra noticed something that made her smile brightly. "Raven…your eyes!"

Cyborg gasped, examined her face and grinned. "Oh, yeah! Damn girl, you're really back!"

Everyone else gathered to take a look and the sorcerer took a step back. "Yes, yes. I'm feeling more like myself again."

"When did they turn all violet?" Ravager asked curiously after coming closer as well. She tried to cover it up, but she was extremely relieved. Happy, even.

"Ah…it just sort of happened. Like, right when I decided to come back." Raven lied.

Cyborg narrowed his eyes at the Changeling, because he could see him blushing and sheepishly looking away. "Right…"

"Anyway, I gave all the stuff I stole back, except for the Kryptonite spear, but I'll return that too. And I released the people I enslaved…they're in jail now." Raven started counting her reparations on her fingers. "And I've-"

"Are you two a thing again?" Conner indiscreetly gestured between her and the shapeshifter.

Garfield choked on his own saliva and Raven buried her face in her hand while he coughed with a finger up in the air as if he had something really important to say. Once he recovered, the Changeling cleared his throat. "Ah…no."

Superboy smiled charmingly at the sorcerer. "Awesome. Also, can we take a vote on the uniform? I kinda liked the other one."

Garfield felt his heart tighten a little, but he regained control quickly enough to not let jealousy get the best of him. It's okay. She likes me, not him.

Raven rolled her eyes and put a hand in the air motioning for an enthusiastic Aqualad to keep whatever he was about to say to himself while she addressed Conner. "Out of the question."

Starfire couldn't fight back another squeal. "I just can't believe you're back!"

The empath smiled slightly. "Just like that? You don't…like, resent me or anything?"

Ravager shrugged. "Half of us have been villains at some point, right?"

"Besides, you kept saving everyone's lives in your free time." Bumblebee chuckled. "It kinda made resenting you a bit harder."

While everyone chatted happily and asked Raven a million questions about the Sirens and her villainous times there, Nightwing approached the Changeling, who was now watching her affectionately from afar.

"You did this?" Richard asked him through emotional eyes. "How?"

"I guess I…I just talked to her again." Garfield answered coyly.

Dick nodded slowly and placed a hand on the younger boy's shoulder. "Well, whatever you did…thank you."

As Long as You're Mine (Wicked)