@beast-or-a-boy continued from here
Raven... well, it had been a long day for her. On her patrol the day before, she’d gotten caught in the beginning of a storm. So, not only was work miserable, she’d also run into a ridiculous amount of criminals, including one she had to chase halfway to Gotham. Because of her unexpected exhaustion, she had actually slept for more than 3 hours. One would think that’s a good thing, but for Raven, it meant she was missing out on precious meditation time.
When she’d finally woken up, Raven had gone to the beach to read. Normally, the roof was more to her liking, but the city had done enough damage to her. She hadn’t even read an hour before Starfire came and snatched her, for a battle. Some fool named Gilliphis. She couldn’t have cared less, except that he claimed to be Malchior’s apprentice. Shock had given her more of a beat down than Gilliphis did, but of course the Titans were successful... after five hours.
Once they returned to the Tower, Raven scurried back to the beach and her book. She wanted to at least feign normalcy despite the horror she felt inside. But of course, Robin wanted an interrogation about Gilliphis’ magic. And then Starfire tried to mask her concern with a trip to the mall. Cyborg didn’t pretend with her, but when it was clear Raven didn’t want to talk, he left her be. As soon as that happened, she dashed to her room, switching her communicator off. She didn’t even realize it had started to storm, or that she no longer possessed her book.
She knew she should meditate. She knew she needed to piece herself back together. She knew the other Titans would recognize something was wrong if she didn’t put on her neutral face. She knew that as long as she did something friendly with that expression, they always figured she was okay. She knew one person who had made her feel okay, and he was currently trapped in pages at the bottom of the chest in the corner of her room.
Her breath shook, heart pounding in her chest, as if it was trying to beat her backwards and begging her to change her mind. Shivering and shaking, Raven reached for the chest where he was locked away. She watched her trembling, clammy hand undo the latch and lift the lid. All she could do was stare. There was only one thing in the chest. The book.
A sharp knock at her door shocked her out of her stupor, and she flinched backwards. She took a shaky breath staring at the open chest. A second knock made her flinch again, pulling her hood up and wringing out her fingers guiltily before standing up and answering the door.
She could only faintly understand what he was saying, something about retrieving her book. Her mind was flying miles a minute, and she was overwhelmed with how much Garfield cared about her. It was unlike how the rest of the team cared; he knew that she needed something indirect. And he didn’t even realize, but he’d also stopped her from doing something awful.
And so, that was how Raven found herself now. Overwhelmed with emotion and clinging onto Garfield. Damn the book. Damn every single book she owned.
The supposed-fear in his voice made her pull away, resting her forehead on his shoulder. Her eyes were closed tightly, and she gripped the fabric of his shirt as tightly as she dared. She wasn’t willing to let go of him completely. Not yet.
“I-I... I’m sorry,” Raven wasn’t putting too much thought into her words, knowing that if she didn’t speak her mind now, she never would, “I just... I needed this. I needed you.” Her words shook with her body, even as she took a deep breath to calm down.
