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Gar Logan wandered into the kitchen, craving breakfast. Okay, not really breakfast—he just wanted something sugary to drown out the mess of emotions swirling in his head, Between the chaos after After too many late-night missions, and watching Dick and Kory juggle married life like professionals, Gar felt like the odd man out.
The "Chow Room," as Vic had dubbed it years ago, was unusually quiet. No Donna, no Vic, no noise. Just the smell of coffee.. strong, black, and already brewing.
"Good morning, Garfield. Did you sleep well?"
Raven’s voice startled him so badly that he dropped the box of cereal he’d been reaching for. Clattering Fruit Loops rolled across the counter like tiny, multicolored marbles.
"Rae! You can’t just—like—float into a room like that!" Gar clutched his chest for dramatic effect, which earned him only a raised eyebrow.
"I made coffee," she said, ignoring his theatrics. "I don’t know if it tastes good, but considering most of you seem incapable of functioning without it—"
Gar grabbed a mug and took a sip, immediately gagging. "Bleh! Ugh, Raven! This is awful. But, y’know what? It’s still better than Kory's ‘Tamaranean Space Espresso,’ so I’ll take it."
Raven almost smiled. Almost.
"You didn’t answer my question," she reminded him.
"What question?" Gar slurped the sludge anyway, if only for the caffeine.
"How you slept."
"Oh. Uh…like garbage. Nightmares. Too many. You?"
"Well," she said softly, "thank you for asking. I slept very well."
Before Gar could make a joke about her deadpan tone, the walls practically shook with a familiar voice.
"GARFIELD LOGAN!"
Koriand'r, in all her Tamaranean fury, stormed into the kitchen with Dick trailing behind, hands raised like a man walking into a minefield.
"Kory, babe, come on—" Dick tried.
Kory held up what looked like a designer dress, shimmering emerald green with sequins. Or rather, what used to be a designer dress. It now sported odd claw-like tears down the back.
Gar froze. Oh no.
"You…ruined…my dress!" Kory’s eyes blazed like twin suns.
"Wait, wait! Time out!" Gar held up his hands. "I thought it was an old costume from that gala we did! I needed—"
"A towel?" Kory shrieked.
Gar winced. "…Yeah?"
Dick pinched the bridge of his nose.
Kory jabbed a finger in Gar’s face. "You will replace it! You can explain yourself when you’re doing laundry duty for the next month!"
"But—"
"No buts!" she declared, tossing the ruined fabric at him before flying off in a huff.
Dick gave Gar a sympathetic pat on the shoulder before jogging after his wife. "I told you, man. Never mistake Kory’s wardrobe for laundry."
Gar sighed dramatically and plopped onto the counter. He caught Raven staring at him with that inscrutable look of hers.
"What?" he asked.
"I was just wondering," Raven said calmly, "how someone can make so many stupid decisions before breakfast."
Gar smirked. "It’s a gift. But hey! “Guess I’m kicked out of family fun night. Maybe we could start our own tradition?”
Raven blinked. "Maybe that wouldn’t be so terrible."
"Yeah you know.. Dinner, a show, maybe some dessert after. My treat." He shrugged, pretending not to care, though his stomach was already in knots.
After a long pause, Raven’s lips curved into the tiniest smile. "Very well. I would be…overjoyed to accompany you."
Gar almost fell off the counter. "Wait—really? No sarcasm?"
"No sarcasm."
Dinner was better than Gar expected. He’d suggested Chinese on a whim, not realizing Raven had an absolute love for spicy food. Watching her calmly devour fiery Szechuan noodles without even flinching while he sweated bullets was…honestly adorable.
"You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?" he panted.
"A little," she admitted, sipping her tea.
They talked for hours—about Gar’s early acting career, about Raven’s childhood in Azarath how she felt alone at times, about the stories of the Doom Patrol that Raven had never heard. Gar even admitted his dream of performing stand-up comedy, something he’d never told anyone else. To his relief, Raven didn’t laugh at him, well, not in a mean way.
The show—Oklahoma!—was cheesy but fun. Gar whispered terrible jokes during intermission, making Raven roll her eyes and suppress quiet chuckles. By the time the curtain closed, she was humming along to the music, almost relaxed.
And she looked incredible, too. She’d worn a simple white dress threaded with silver, understated but breathtaking. Gar caught more than a few guys staring at her on their way out, which sparked something protective in him. He didn’t like it.
They ended up in a little café in Little Italy, Gar sipping coffee while Raven chose tea. The night felt warm, easy.
"This was…nice," Raven said, her voice softer than usual. "Thank you, Garfield."
"Anytime," Gar replied, grinning. "I mean it. Anytime you wanna get out of the Compound and just…y’know…do normal people stuff, I’m your guy."
Before Raven could answer, the café windows exploded.
Gunfire rattled the night. People screamed. Gar shoved Raven to the floor, shielding her with his body as glass rained down.
"Stay down!" he barked.
"Garfield—" Raven pointed across the room. A man slumped over his pasta, riddled with bullets, blood spreading like spilled wine.
Gar grimaced. "Too late for him."
Raven closed her eyes, trembling slightly. "This wasn’t random. The shooters didn’t want to kill him. Not at first. But something…changed."
Gar scanned the alley outside, noticing cigarette butts, fresh and scattered. "A stakeout. They waited for him."
The wail of police sirens grew closer. Gar pulled Raven to her feet. "Cops’ll handle it. Let’s bounce before they start asking questions we can’t answer."
Back on Titans Island, the other Titans were waiting.
"So, salad head," Vic grinned. "Did you finally get a kiss, or—"
Gar groaned and facepalmed while Raven telekinetically smacked Vic on the head with a spoon.
"Not funny," she said flatly.
"Whoa—wait. You two actually went on a date?" Donna raised her brows. "Huh. Didn’t see that coming."
Kory, to everyone’s surprise, just smirked. "Raven deserves happiness. Garfield is irritating, but he makes her laugh. This is good."
Dick blinked. "Wow. That went better than I thought."
Raven ignored the teasing and noise. Despite the chaos, despite the bullets and blood, she couldn’t help thinking about the way Gar had looked at her when he asked her out. The way he’d shielded her without hesitation. The way he’d made her laugh until her stomach hurt.
He was infuriating, immature, reckless. But he was also brave, kind, and for some reason.. he’d chosen her.
And that thought made her heart flutter in a way that was both terrifying and wonderful.
Later, as Gar collapsed into bed, Raven slipped into his room like a pale wisp of smoke.
"Good night, Garfield," she whispered, pressing the faintest kiss to his temple before vanishing into shadow.
Gar stirred, smiling even in sleep.
Alone in the dark of her own room, Raven touched her lips, still tingling from the kiss she’d just given him. For a long moment, she simply sat there, stunned by the warmth in her chest.
"I…wasn’t expecting that," she admitted softly to the silence.
And for the first time in a long time, she let herself smile.
Fin