Gar woke up on his own at what was for him an uncharacteristically early 8AM. His first instinct was to roll over and go back to sleep, and he almost did, until recalled that Raven had given him a very chaste good night peck on the cheek the night before, after waking up from his nightmare. His parents portrait, which was taken at the now long gone home they shared in Africa, was still in his bunk. He grabbed it before leaping off his bed.

He deftly landed on the floor without making a sound, intending to not interrupt Raven's slumber. When he looked into her bunk, he saw that not only she was gone but her bed was already made. He walked over to his desk, intending to store his parents' portrait. Instead he put it on his desk and pulled out another one, this one where he was about four years old and not green. He looked at the picture with sorrowful eyes before putting it down. He ran into the bathroom, which was a little humid, meaning that Raven had showered not too long before. He also showered, dried off and dressed quickly. Grabbing the second portrait he tucked it under his arm before heading off to the common room.

The hallways were quiet, not surprising as at this hour Robin would be in the gym, Starfire would be on the Tower's roof, recharging herself with the sun's rays, and Cyborg would be in his workshop. Team training didn't start until 9:30, which usually gave him time for a 9:00AM breakfast. The sliding doors opened and he entered the common room.

As expected, Raven was seated at the table having a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast. That wasn't surprising as porridge was her favorite breakfast dish. She preferred European style porridge over American style oatmeal, and she like to have it with blueberries. What was surprising is that next to her a setting was placed: a large cereal bowl, a spoon, a paper serviette, a glass of mango juice, a box of Cap'n Crunch and a carton of almond milk. Gar walked up to the table. Without turning to look at him she patted the chair next to her, inviting him to sit down. He accepted her invitation and after seating himself he handed her the updated portrait.

Raven studied the picture, arching an eyebrow. She turned to him.

"You weren't born with your powers."

"I wasn't." He said as he poured himself the sugary cereal. "And thanks for setting this out for me. How did you know?"

"Cyborg orders Cap'n Crunchit for you every week, and I help him stock the pantry when the weekly grocery order arrives … so, how did you get your powers?"

Gar proceeded to tell her story about the green monkey, the Sakutia virus and the life saving serum they gave him and it's extraordinary side effect.

"You had Sakutia?"

He sighed. "Actually, I still have it."

"Which is why you're green. Garfield, I had no idea."

"Well, only Chrome Dome knows, well and so does Dr. Midnight."

Raven looked back at the portrait. "You had such a sweet smile."

"You mean I don't anymore?"

Raven put the picture down on the table. "You still do. And just so you know, it's what I like the best about you."

He slightly blushed before replying. "I'm disappointed. I thought maybe you liked my butt."

Raven took a long swig of tea from her mug before answering. "I never said that I didn't like it."

His blush intensified just as Starfire entered the room, her arms outstretched in a joyful gesture.

"A glorious morning to you, dear friends. Are you enjoying being the bedmates?"

Gar suppressed a laugh while Raven calmly replied: "We don't share a bed, Starfire, just a room. And we are enjoying each other's company."

"Yes, yes, because friend Beast Boy has the bunch of beds in his room."

"Bunk beds", Raven calmly corrected the princess in her signature gravelly deadpan. Gar saw a twinkle of mischief in Starfire's eyes and winked at her. She giggled, then saw Gar's oversized box of cereal. "Friend Garfield, may I have some of your compressed oats, corn and sugar breakfast nodules?"

"Huh?" He replied.

"She wants to try your breakfast cereal."

"Oh … yeah, sure. Help yourself, Star … uh, you aren't gonna have that with mustard, are you?"

The alien giggled." Of course I will not. Robin has instructed me that it is to be consumed with the lacteous secretions from female bovines."

He blinked a few times before replying. "You mean cow's milk."

"Yes, that is correct. Unfortunately I and all Tamaranians are the lactose intolerant."

He handed her his carton of almond milk, "Say no more, Star. This is the answer to your prayers."

She looked confused. "I do not understand, as I have not prayed to X'hal about the indigestion that I get from cow's milk. Also, I do not understand, how does one get the milk from almonds, as they are nuts and not mammals?"

Raven smiled. "The almonds are pulverized and added to water. It's not really milk, but many people, like Garfield, use it as a milk substitute."

"What she said." He added.

The grinning princess sat down and poured herself a bowl, raised the spoon to her mouth and took her first bite. Her eyes bulged and she spat out the contents from her mouth back into the bowl.

"Earthlings consider this to be food!?" She vociferously complained.

Raven shrugged. "Well, North Americans do. I don't believe Cap'n Crunch is sold anywhere else in the world, but I could be wrong."

The alien rose to her feet. "Please excuse me. I will now make myself Tamararian Slug Cakes for breakfast." And she scurried off to the kitchen.

"She always eats that for breakfast." Gar whispered to Raven.

"I know, and they're disgusting, they smell like... never mind ... we're still eating. This is why I have my breakfast early. I'm going to quickly finish mine now. I advise you to do the same."

They both hurriedly scarfed down the rest of their breakfasts and were gone by the time the princess came back to the table with her stinky breakfast.

"Why is everyone already done eating and leaves when I sit down to eat?" She mumbled sub audibly.

Later that day …

It had been a quiet day at the Tower. Perhaps the criminals had all gone away for Spring Break, but the crime alert hadn't gone off for days. Gar was in his bunk, reading comic books, occasionally softly chuckling to himself.

Raven was levitating in the middle of the room, softly chanting her mantra. He finished reading his copy of latest Captain Carrot and sat up. Raven continued to repeat her mantra, over and over. Its effect on him was soothing and he felt himself relax. He saw the Raven was sitting in the lotus position and he copied her. A strange, but pleasant feeling overcame him. He closed his eyes and joined her in her chant.

A few minutes later Raven was done meditating. She lowered her legs to the floor and opened her eyes, and saw Beast Boy levitating in his bunk, his head just an inch from the ceiling.

"Garfield!" She shouted.

He stopped chanting and opened his eyes. He immediately dropped and landed in his bunk.

"Dude, was I levitating!?"

Raven looked incredulous. "Yes, you were."

"But I can't levitate!"

"I know." She abruptly replied.

"Then how?"

Raven shrugged. "See if you can do it again."

"OK." He said as he closed his eyes and began to chant her mantra.

"Azarah, Metrion, Zinthos. Azarath …"

This went on for a whole minute, until he opened his eyes again.

"I'm not levitating."

"Correct."

He hopped off the bunk. "So what happened?"

"I think you were able to borrow my powers."

"I can do that?"

Raven looked mildly disturbed. I remember being taught in Azarath that I would be able to do that with someone special."

"Someone special? Like someone with special talent?"

She shook her head.

"Hey! Maybe it works both ways?" He enthused.

"What do you mean?"

"Maybe you can borrow my powers?"

"Why would I want to do that?"

"Aw, c'mon, aren't you curious?"

She sighed. "I guess I am. But I'm also scared."

He shrugged. "Hey, maybe we can't do it again. So we forget about it. So are you ready?"

"I suppose I am." She replied

The both sat on the floor, in the lotus position, facing each other.

"So, assuming I can tap into your powers, how do I use them?" She asked.

"Easy, peasy, just think that you're a cat, and you'll become one."

She sighed. "OK, then, here we go."

The both closed their eyes and began to recite Raven's mantra. Within moments they were both levitating. Raven suddenly had a warm, loving feeling spread throughout her body, it almost felt … fuzzy? She then remembered his instructions and thought that she was a cat.

Garfield felt himself floating in the air. He felt so peaceful and he chanted Raven's mantra without even thinking. This continued for a moment, until he heard a cat shriek. He opened his eyes and saw a gray cat levitating in front of him. The spell was broken and they fell to the floor. He saw the gray cat morph back into Raven.

"Ow!" She shouted. "Was that supposed to hurt?"

He rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry, I forgot to warn you, morphing hurts a little."

Raven slowly rose to her feet. "You mean it hurts a lot, though I suppose you're used to it … Garfield, we have a problem."

He gave her a good look. "You aren't a cat anymore. Uh, do you like crave tuna or something?"

She made a dismissive gesture with her hand. "I'm fine"

"So what's wrong? You look like you saw a ghost. Was being a cat really that bad?"

She shook her head. "No it's not that … Gar, I'm only supposed to be able to share my powers with a soul mate."

His eyes widened. "You mean like a husband?"

"Exactly."

"But we're not married."

"I know … if we were married and were … intimate … we wouldn't have to meditate to share powers. We could just do it."

He sat down on her bunk. "Dude! Does this mean we have to get married?"

"No, of course not. I mean, that would be unthinkable."

"It would? You mean, you don't like me, Raven?"

"No, I didn't say that."

"Then why is it unthinkable?"

"BECAUSE I'M ME!" She shouted.

He looked at her with an bewildered expression. "I don't get it."

She heaved a weary sigh. "Garfield, who in their right mind would hitch their wagon to me, Trigon's daughter?"

He seemed startled at first by her remark, and then replied in a very calm tone: "You're selling yourself short. You aren't him."

She sat down next to him. She looked utterly sad. "Look, I'm different, I mean really different from regular girls."

"That just means you're more awesome."

A tiny smile appeared on her face. "And you're a good friend … and … you mean a lot to me."

He beamed back at her. "So do you."

He then learned over and pecked her on the cheek.

"I think you needed that."

She rubbed her cheek. "Perhaps I did. Thanks, that was very sweet of you. But can I ask you for a favor?"

"Anything, just name it."

"Please don't tell the others."

He laughed. "I know. Star would probably drag you off to a bridal shop."

" You joke, but that is exactly what she would do. And Cyborg would probably sing that stupid kissing in a tree song."

He burst out laughing. "I could so see him doing that. Don't worry, I won't say a word."

"Thanks, say what is the name of that vegetarian restaurant you always want the team to eat at?"

"You mean The Flying Saucers?"

"Yeah that one, why is I called that?"

"They claim they serve Vulcan food."

Raven smirked. "I see, so in addition to being vegetarians, they're weird. How about I treat you to The Good Earth instead?"

"Well, The Good Earth isn't strictly vegetarian."

"But they have food both of us would like."

He nodded. "OK, you got a deal … say, is this a …. date?"

"I prefer to think of it as two friends going out for dinner." She replied.

Raven's signature black disk flew over Jump Bay, towards the downtown district. There were two passengers aboard: the green changeling and of course, Raven, who was sporting a light scowl on her face. This did not go unnoticed by the changeling, who knew this was a time to be silent. Especially since Raven kept grumbling under her breath.

"You think you know your teammates and you think they'd be understanding, but you would be wrong."

It had begun innocently. Raven entered the common room, where Robin and Cyborg were playing a videogame and Starfire was reading some inane teen magazine. Raven approached the couch and in her flattest deadpan said:

"Garfield and I are going out for dinner, so don't make anything for us. Call us if something comes up."

In perfect synchronicity, Starfire put her magazine down, and the videogame was paused. All three turned towards the sorceress.

"You're what?" Robin blurted.

"We're going out. To have dinner. Downtown. Is that too hard to understand?" Raven growled.

"Uh, yeah, it is, even with my new Maxx-9 processor." The Tin man replied.

The princess stood up. "Glorious, this is your first date!"

Raven face palmed. "We're not going out on a date."

"So what are you two doing?"

"We're just going out to share a nice dinner and spend some time together."

Robin turned to Cyborg and grinned. "Sounds like a date to me."

"No argument from me … Raven and BB sitting …."

"If you sing that stupid and insulting song I will throw you into the bay!"

The three Titans began to giggle. Raven turned around and thundered out of the room and heard Cyborg sing "sitting in a tree …" as the doors slid shut. Her face was red as a tomato.

(back in the present)

Raven and Beast Boy were gone for four hours. When they returned from their "not a date" date, she headed to the kitchen to make herself a cup of herbal tea. Robin was already there, reading some martial arts magazine. "Hi Raven." He greeted her without looking up. She did not respond and silently filled her electric kettle with water. Robin put his magazine down.

"Where did you go for dinner?"

Again, she did not reply. Robin stood up.

"Hey, we're sorry about teasing you earlier. I guess we were bored."

"I see."

"Look, we're all really glad that you and BB …"

"His name is Garfield."

Robin inhaled before continuing. "… that you and Garfield are bonding. We know that you're just friends and that you've cared about each other for a long time."

Raven turned and looked at her fearless leader, whose rising anxiety she could sense.

"And?"

"And we know that there is nothing romantic going on between the two of you."

Raven took a sip of her herbal tea.

"Well, that's a relief." She said as she took another swig. "Because now I won't have to tell you about the hotel room we rented after dinner."

Mug in hand, she phased into the floor as a stunned Boy Wonder stared at her.

"Good one, Raven." He laughed nervously. "Good one."

Raven knocked on the door before entering. Gar shouted "Come in"

He was already in his pajamas and was tidying up the room.

"Star came by. She said some of your replacement clothes should arrive tomorrow."

"Good. Only two of my bras survived the attack, and I was wearing one of them."

He stopped cleaning and turned to face her.

"Hey, speaking of that. What happens if the crime alert goes off when we're in our sleepwear?"

"I guess we just do what we always do, get ready as fast as possible."

"But I might see you in your underwear."

"I'll live."

He nervously rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh, are we getting too comfortable with each other?"

"Maybe, and speaking of that, Robin told me that the local press call us, as in you and me, the old married couple."

"Oh yeah. They've been doing that for a while."

"And you never told me?"

"I thought you knew. It was all over the TV about four months ago."

"Further proof that TV rots your brains." She said as she crossed her arms.

"Oh, and Star also left a shopping bag for you. It's over there."

It was a plain brown paper bag, with no printing on it. She looked into the bag and grimaced.

"While our friends are not evil, they are jerks." She grumbled.

"OK, what did they do now?"

Raven rolled her eyes and pulled out the bag's contents: a matching set of see through lace panties and bra. Gar laughed out loud.

"I suppose asking you to model them for me would be a waste of time." He said between guffaws.

"You suppose correctly." She said as she dropped them disdainfully into the bag, which she then tossed into a trash can. "Garfield, why are they doing this?"

"I don't know. Maybe they want us to fall in love?"

She face palmed. "I give up. They can think we're secretly married for all I care."

He smiled at her. "That would be cool."

Raven looked at him and smiled back at him. "Thanks, that was a sweet thing to say."

"Hey, I have an idea. How about we make a pact?"

"A pact? You want to make a pact with a half demon?"

"Not that kind of pact."

"Then what kind of pact?"

"How about this? If we're both still single when we turn 30, we get married."

Raven stared at him, awestruck. "Are you serious?"

"I am."

Raven fell silent. He could figuratively see the gears turning in her head. She frowned before finally responding.

"OK, I agree. If we are both still single when we both are 30 years old, I will marry you. There, it's done."

"Actually, we have to seal the pact with a kiss."

She smirked at him. "Aha, I knew it! You just want to kiss me."

He shrugged and climbed into his bunk. "Good night, Raven."

"Goodnight, Garfield." She said in a disappointed tone.

His head poked up from his pillow. "Just call me Gar."

"OK. Goodnight Gar."

"Goodnight."

Gar watched as Raven disappeared into the bathroom. He closed his eyes was about to doze off when he sensed a presence. He opened his eyes and found himself staring into her amethyst orbs.

"I was serious, Gar."

He sat up in his bed. "So was I."

She looked lost in thought. Then a tiny smile formed on her face.

"Ok then, pucker up."

They exchanged a very chaste kiss on the lips.

"Just so you know, that was my first kiss." She whispered.

"Me too."

Her eyes widened. "So it wasn't Terra, it was me?"

"I never kissed Terra."

Raven smiled. "Goodnight, Gar."

"Goodnight, Raven."

She glided down to her bunk. He closed his eyes, that is until he sense her presence again.

"Raven?"

"I just want it to be clear that this doesn't mean we're a couple or that kissing is something we do. And if you tell anyone that we kissed, I will deny it."

"You have nothing to worry about."

Raven slid back down to her bunk, and with a flick of her wrist turned off the lights in the room. Gar tossed and turned for a bit until he found the perfect spot in his bed. He smiled as he closed his eyes.

Raven also smiled as she closed her eyes. They both slept very well that night.