Raven @titans-raven - Tumblr Blog

Lost Little Monster

CW: Child neglect, child abuse, blood

When he woke next it was already morning. Adrian was still clinging to him. And when Garfield the Fox lifted his head, there were amethyst eyes staring at him from just outside the bed.

"Good morning," Raven said, reaching slowly for Adrian.

Garfield helped, rolling Adrian toward her so that she could gently pull him into her arms, grabbing Neeko as well. He followed the boy and his bunny out from under the bed, shifting back to himself and wrapping an arm around them so that Adrian was nestled between Garfield and Raven.

"Breakfast time?" He rasped, voice rough from sleep.

She hummed, nodding. "We can have breakfast here before going to the apartment and showing him his new room."

His eyes lit up.

"Oh is it ready?"

She smiled, nodding happily. "I hope he likes it."

Garfield kissed her. "I'm sure it's perfect. Let's wake him up,"he whispered, slowly shaking the little one awake.

"Adrian- buddy. It's time to wake up. We gotta go eat breakfast now. Wake up, little dude."

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Thankfully there were no more nightmares after the first. Adrian began to stir faintly as he felt himself being moved, but settled comfortably into Raven's arms, head on her shoulder. When he felt a gentle shaking his head shifted, rubbing his face against the material of the purple cape with a sleepy sigh.

A moment later it registered in his sleepy brain that someone was actually telling him it was time to get up, and his head popped up almost immediately, eyes looking around anxiously.

When he realized where he was and who was holding him, he relaxed a bit. His Mommy and Daddy would never wake him up like that. They couldn't get mad at him either. Mr. Beast Boy didn't sound mad at all, which was a relief.

"I get breakfast?" His green eyes were a little bleary and he rubbed at them before looking up at the two adults questioningly. He just ate last night. Adrian had thought it was nearly a feast. It didn't occur to him that usually children were fed by their parents, typically multiple times a day. He didn't know that the constant ache of hunger in his belly was actually terribly wrong.

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Garfield swallowed painfully, tears filling his eyes. He shut them for a moment, not needing to look to see that Raven was looking at him with sympathy. From her, it didn't bother him. But he knew what that hunger felt like...

He opened his eyes again, not trusting himself to say more than "Of course you do," before he choked back a sob.

Raven immediately took over.

"Adrian, remember before you went to sleep I told you that we would get breakfast today- I am not angry with you for forgetting. So here are some rules from now on. You will have breakfast, lunch and dinner every day and snack times in between unless you feel like you cannot eat. You will also bathe if not every day then at the very least every two days depending. If you get hurt or feel scared or sad, you must tell us so we can help you. If you want a hug, you tell us. If you don't want something, you tell us. You'll have playtime but you will also have learning time. I have set up a bedroom for you in our apartment, but I'd like us to have breakfast with Cyborg today before we go. He makes the best breakfasts."

She sat up, not letting go of him, just cradling him with one arm, her free hand squeezing Gar's to comfort him. He smiled weakly back at her, sitting up as well after a moment and brushing a hand over Adrian's frankly adorable behead.

"We are going to take care of you now, Buddy," he said, booping his nose playfully. He stood and helped Raven to her feet, making grabby hands for Adrian. "Gimme him," he said, lifting him out of her hold and into his own arms.

He was so small.

"Let's go."

They walked together to the kitchen, Victor already waiting for them. He was flipping pancakes and cutting fruit. There were sausage patties sizzling and eggs being scrambled. He moved like... well- like a machine, his enhancements allowing him to do multiple things at once to absolute perfection. He had already fried bacon before they arrived and there was also a pot of oatmeal on the warmer.

He turned to smile at them brightly.

"Hey, you're awake!" He turned his grin toward Adrian. "Good morning, little dude. This is almost done. Everyone go sit. BB, I made you some oatmeal and the pancakes are also veg friendly. The fruit is all cut up and there's some vegan whip cream for you. Rae and Adrian, yall can pick whatever you want from the spread." Just as he said so, the toasters popped and slices of toast were ready to add to a basket.

Cyborg finshed putting it all together while Raven took the boy from Gar and sat Adrian down to set the table for them. They were eating at the actual dining table instead of the island. She put eggs, two strips of bacon, a sausage patty, a slice of toast and a pancake with syrup on Adrian's plate. She also put a small plate of fruit on his placemat, a small cup of oatmeal and a cup of orange juice before buttering the toast for him.

"Eat what you like and what you can and dont rush. Make sure you chew your food. I only put so much there because I want to know what you like. If you can't finish it, nobody will be mad. But if you do finish and want a little more, nobody will be mad. You are allowed to ask for more food if you are still hungry. Do you understand?"

Garfield watched this unfold with an unreadable look on his face. The entire situation made him wish he could seek revenge om Adrian's behalf even if he knew that was already over with. But watching Raven try her best to make sure Adrian had clear expectations so he wouldn't worry about not knowing rules. He wouldn't be in trouble anyway but at least the kid would know what to expect.

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Oh no.

Adrian immediately felt his anxiety spike as he watched Beast Boy's expression turn unbearably sad. That must have been the wrong thing to say. At least Beast Boy didn't seem mad, but he didn't like seeing him sad either. He had been really nice to him, and come to think of it, there really wasn't an animal in here, so it must have been the green man.

He'd have been embarrassed about waking up crying and clinging to him, but found himself distracted as he was assured he was getting breakfast. Mr. Beast Boy looked and sounded like when he was trying really hard not to cry.

It was necessary to blink back his own tears as Raven patiently reminded him that she'd told him about breakfast before bed last night. He was glad she wasn't mad, but he felt ashamed at forgetting. Nevermind that yesterday had been a very long, traumatic day for him, all he knew was that he'd forgotten something important and made Mr. Beast Boy sad.

Adrian tried very hard to pay attention and absorb all these new rules. They seemed unreal. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner? Snacks? Daily baths, playtime, learning time.

Hugs. Seeking them out when he was hurt or scared or even just sad. He had forgotten that Raven had said he'd get his own room. Everything was a lot. This seemed more like something out of a fairy tale than actual real life to him.

"I'll try to remember." The boy promised quietly, and he would try.

He still couldn't help the slight flinch before the gentle hand brushed over his hair. Adrian flinched again when his nose was booped. It was reflex, usually a hand coming towards him meant pain. He wanted to believe them when they said they'd take care of him. He really did. It was just hard to believe because every grown-up in his life up to this point had let him down.

When Beast Boy stood up and reached for him, Adrian twisted his body towards him and immediately wrapped his arms around his neck, clinging to him much the way he had last night after his nightmare.

"I didn't mean to make you sad." He whispered softly in apology. Not because he was afraid of anger or repercussions, but because he genuinely didn't want anyone to be sad because of him, and especially not the people who had been so nice to him.

Adrian didn't fuss when he was transferred back to Raven's arms, willingly letting go of his hold on Beast boy and wrapping his arms around the nice hero lady that had saved him the night before briefly before he was settled into his chair at the dining table. It was actually clean and the place mats were nice. Nobody really used the table at his old home.

His eyes got wider with every new thing added to his plate or set in front of him. It was so much food. He looked between Raven buttering a slice of toast for him and the plate as she gave him more instructions, more rules he tried to commit to memory.

"I think so…" Adrian honestly wasn't sure if he could wrap his mind around the idea of not only being given so much food, but being allowed to ask for more or to not finish anything he didn't like.

Honestly he only knew what some of it was because he'd seen it on TV. He'd never actually eaten most of this stuff. Toast he knew, or at least, buttered bread. He got that sometimes. The scrambled eggs, oatmeal, bacon, sausage, and pancake he recognized but had never tried. Oh, he had orange juice before! It was a little overwhelming to have so much choice when he was used to having almost no choice at all.

He settled on starting with what he sort of knew, taking measured bites of his toast and chewing carefully like he was told. It was slightly crispy and it was warm so that it melted the butter!

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Raven watched him eat with a smile before digging into her own food.

"This is so good, Cy. Thank you for this."

Cyborg smiled warmly, taking a big bite of eggs. "No problem, Rae."

Beast boy was happily adding strawberries to his oatmeal and loading a plate of pancakes. "You always make the best good man. If the whole superhero thing doesnt work out you should be a chef."

That earned a laugh from the other man. "I'll think about it. For now, I just enjoy feeding this band of misfits when I have the chance."

Raven turned her attention back to Adrian. "Adrian, when we finish breakfast I want to show you your new room. I also ordered some clothes and shoes for you."

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When the toast was gone, Adrian moved next to the cut up fruit. It was so sweet! He tried to remember to eat slowly, but it was so tempting to gobble it up quickly. The fruit disappeared pretty fast despite his attempts to chew carefully and slowly.

While mostly focused on eating, he still kept looking between the adults, watching them cautiously. Did he really expect them to suddenly take the food away or get angry? No, but he couldn't say he didn't think about it on some level. These adults had been nice so far but he still didn't understand why they were being so nice to him. Why would they feed him or bathe him or clothe him?

It didn't make sense to him.

Adrian listened to them talk about the food, while eating his bacon. He was happily humming as he at, it was so good! Everything was so yummy, and they said he could have as much as he wanted. Adrian wasn't sure he was brave enough to test that, plus they'd given him a bunch.

He turned to look up at Raven when she addressed him, eyes wide and nervous. She had mentioned he'd have his own room more than once, but he wasn't sure what to really expect. Adrian had never had his own room before, or any room for that matter. He simply had to find places where he could be out of the way so his Daddy wouldn't get mad at him for bothering him. Having his own space was honestly mind boggling.

Learning he was being given clothes and shoes too was a lot to process. Why would she get him so much stuff? Adrian didn't want to be troublesome or a burden. He would have been perfectly fine just to have a roof over his head so he wasn't left in the cold or rain. It wouldn't have been hard to stay out of everyone's way, and that way he wouldn't be a bother.

The anxiety was spiking again, not sure what he was supposed to do.

"…okay. Thank…you…"

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Raven felt it- his anxiety. Of course she did.

She hummed thoughtfully.

"You deserve nice things of your own. And you will not go without again if I can help it. Remember what I said. Eat what you like and dont be afraid to grab more. There's more than enough."

Garfield piped in next to her, "That's right, little man. We take care of you now. You're safe with us. And it's okay if all of this is new and scary. And we know it will take time to get used to the idea. But we want you here with us."

Victor nodded, "I always make enough food to get extra," he said, extended his arm and putting more fruit in his bowl and extra bacon on his plate. Adrian hadn't asked but he seemed to enjoy that the most so far. "You're a growing boy and eating good will make you big and strong."

Raven smiled at their words. "We will protect you. I promise. All you need to do is be honest about how you feel so we can help you. And let us do the rest.

They finished the rest of their dinner in peace, nobody saying a word if Adrian didn't finish his food or ate more of what he liked. Raven did remind him once to wash his food down with juice. She also didn't want him to be thirsty.

At the end they gave Victor a hug goodbye with the promise to come hangout soon if a sudden mission didn't call them to fight first.

Victor held his hand out to ruffle Adrian's hair from where he was held on Raven's hip. "I'll see you soon little man. You gotta come to the weekly Titans movie night. Maybe we put on some Disney movies and make popcorn."

With that they left back to Raven's room and she opened the secret door to her apartment with Garfield following close behind.

The door lead them straight into a huge entry with a grand staircase, the mystical vibes heavy in the air with magic and gothic aesthetics prominent. There were also depictions of nature that had been added over time- Garfield's influence. They made their way upstairs and down a hall with many doors. She pointed to the very end of the hall to a purple and green door. "That is mine and Garfield's room. If you ever need us during the night we will be right next door."

It was true, as the bedroom just before it had a soft green door. That was the door she opened and walked them into. She gently set Adrian down. "I spent most of last night pouring magic into creating this for you. I hope it's to your liking. Go ahead and look around. It's all yours."

Garfield stepped closer to her, wrapping his arm around her with a smile. His eyes sparkled at the green tones. "You really went all out, Rae. I love the green."

She smiled lovingly, pecking his cheek. "Me, too."

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Adrian hunched down in his seat as suddenly the attention of every adult was on him. He honestly wasn't entirely sure what Raven even meant by 'go without' beyond the context of being showered with food between dinner last night and breakfast now. There was simply no frame of reference in his limited life experience.

It was Beast Boy's words that really cracked through the anxiety. He said it was okay if everything, all these changes, were scary. Instead of just telling him not to be scared, he let him know that being scared wasn't wrong and that he could take time to get used to things instead of simply being expected to immediately adjust to his new reality. Even if every aspect of his life was about to improve, that didn't mean that he had to be okay with everything all at once.

An overwhelming amount of emotions crackled in his chest as Cyborg added extra fruit and bacon to his plate and bowl. They were all just so nice. He looked up at Raven as she promised once again that she, that they, would protect him.

"Thank you." He said quietly, fidgeting briefly before picking up a piece of the extra bacon he'd been given, relaxing a little once everyone else started eating again.

By the end of the meal the extra bacon was gone, so were the eggs, the pancake, and he had ended up putting the extra fruit in his oatmeal like he had seen Beast boy do before finishing that too. His orange juice was gone by the time he finished eating. He took one bite of the sausage, but left it after that. Adrian was honestly kind of stuffed after all that, but it had been so good.

He clung to Raven from his position on her hip as the grown-ups said goodbye to each other. When his hair was ruffled he hunched up a little, but smiled shyly. Whatever movie night and Disney was, he was sure it would be as nice as everything else here.

"Goodbye Mr. Cyborg, thank you for the food. It was yummy." Adrian waved as they started off back towards the room he'd slept in last time, Raven's room. He was still a bit confused about everything, especially about going to see "his" room. If that was where they were going why'd they go back to this room?

Adrian openly gawked as they stepped through a doorway from the room he knew and into a giant room with enormous stairs.

"Woah, magic!" It had to be magic. Since Raven was magic it kind of made sense that she'd have a whole magic portal. Still, this was mind blowing to a four year old that until the previous night had never seen magic in real life. Adrian didn't bother trying to hide how awed he was as he seemed to be trying to look at everything as he was carried upstairs and towards the bedrooms.

The door at the very end of the hall was pointed out as Raven and Garfield's room, and he filed that information away in his young brain. It would be very easy to find, although he was skeptical about bothering them at night when they'd be sleeping. Adrian noted that he would have to be extra careful not to make too much noise since apparently his room was right next to theirs, but that was okay, he was accustomed to being quiet.

When the light green door swung open and they stepped inside, his eyes nearly bugged out as he gaped at his surroundings. Adrian didn't move at first when he was set down, simply looking around in stunned silence.

This was all for him?

At Raven's encouragement he took some hesitant steps forward, running a hand along the low table, then the couch it was in front of, it was like a tiny living room. The cushions felt soft. He wandered over to the bed, marveling at the sheer curtains that flowed delicately around it. Adrian climbed up and sat down on the edge, gently running his fingers over the comforter. Everything felt both soft and sturdy. He let his eyes roam over the room, all the shelves for books and toys, the little nooks that looked cozy and somewhat hidden, and everything about it was airy and comfortable and happy.

She had made all this for him?

Those overwhelming emotions were crackling like static in his chest again, his chest and throat felt tight, and before he knew it the magical room around him blurred as tears welled up. It was so much. Why would anyone give him all this?

Why hadn't his Mommy given him anything?

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Garfield smelled it at the same time Raven felt the energetic rush of emotions.

Tears.

They both approached, not rushing so as to not startled him.

Garfield kneeled down in front of him, holding his hands gently and peering into his eyes searchingly.

"Hey, Buddy... everything okay? If you don't like something we can change it. It's not- you're not a bother. And we know none of this is what you're used to. But you deserve nice things. And to feel safe. To be comfortable. So I'd really like it if you told us how you're feeling right now. Is that okay?"

Raven nodded next to him, reaching over to smooth a hand over his hair.

"Gar is telling the truth, Adrian. I'll do whatever I can for you to be happy here. That's all we want, little one."

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If he didn't like something? Tears fell faster, his breath stuttering as it grew wet. Adrian didn't want to cause trouble, didn't want to be a bother, and even if they said it wasn't a bother he didn't think he was worth the effort. How was he even supposed to explain how he felt? Nobody had ever asked him how he felt before. He wasn't even sure how he felt, let alone the words for it.

"It's not that. I love - love it. I've never had my own room be - fore." His breath hitched and when Raven smoothed his hair he leaned into the comforting touch. "It's just - you're giv - giving me so - so much."

Adrian pulled his hands away from Beast Boy so he could rub at his tear face with the sleeves of his sweater, even though it didn't help much as his crying wasn't calming, it was getting worse. Not quite full blown sobs, but it was getting there. Throwing his caution away, he practically threw himself against Raven and clung to her.

"Why? Why - why would you give - give me so much? Why did - didn't Mo -Mommy give me a bed or ma - ake me pa - pancakes or tu - tuck me in or pro-protect m - me?" His trembling voice was barely coherent as he dissolved into heartbroken sobs against Raven's chest.

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Raven barely felt her own tears, sharing a helpless look with Garfield as she clutched Adrian to her chest. She kicked off her shoes, her fiance taking the hint and doing the same as they both carefully crawled onto the bed with Adrian nestled between them. She let him cry his little heart out for a while so that he could release the emotions that had been plaguing him.

Finally, she tilted his head up gently, her hand cupping his cheek.

"Listen to me. I am so glad you love your room. You will always have your own room and a bed. And I am so happy to give all of this to you because you are my- mine. You are mine. And that means I take care of you now. And this is how I care about the ones I love. I love you so much already, you have no idea. And I always will. Forever. That's why I give."

Garfield turned the little boy so they he could easily turn and look at either of them. "As for your mommy... look, kiddo- I don't know what kinda mommy you had, but I can guess. And you always deserved better. That doesn't mean you stop loving your first mom. It just means that some mommies don't know how to mommy. They don't do things mommies do or say the things mommies say. They're not good at it. That doesn't make you bad. That doesn't mean its your fault. And it certainly doesn't mean you can't forgive her. But if you're okay with having a new mommy and daddy, then we can do things right for you. Will you give us the chance to do that?" He asked, giving Adrian time to process.

Raven kept petting the boy's hair, taking one of his hands and kissing his little fist. "You are good, Adrian. You are loved. You are special. And want to be your parents. We want your happiness."

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Adrian clung tighter to Raven as she and Beast Boy crawled into his bed, with him tucked between them, safe and held and there. If he had cried like this before, someone would have yelled at him to shut up. Now he was being held and comforted by the grown-ups that had decided to take care of him.

It was strange, to just let himself cry without worrying about making anyone angry, and it was also relieving to sob out all the pent up sadness and fear and grief. His parents might have been negligent and abusive, but they were still his Mommy and Daddy. No matter the reason they were gone, he still felt the wound of loss keenly.

Eventually he cried himself out, his sobs quieting into the occasional hiccups. Adrian didn't resist as his face was tilted up to look up at his hero with red, puffy eyes. His bottom lip was still wobbling as he listened to this person who had only just found him under a park bench the night before tell him that he was so very loved and would be forever. It still sounded too good to be true, that he would have his own room, as much food as he wanted, and love for the rest of forever.

He turned when he felt Beast Boy guide him so he could see them both easily. The way his new green guardian spoke about his Mommy briefly made him want to defend her, he didn't want to believe that his Mommy wasn't a good Mommy, but what he said made a lot of sense. Adrian had seen good Mommies on TV and Beast Boy was right, his Mommy didn't do any of those things those good Mommies did.

That made him sad. His Mommy didn't know how to be a good Mommy? Did her Mommy not show her how? Even if she wasn't a good Mommy she was his Mommy and he would always love her, but Beast Boy said he didn't have to stop loving her even if she wasn't a good Mommy.

Adrian wasn't sure what to say about them being his new Mommy and Daddy. Raven had mentioned it last night too. She also said that it might take time for him to see her as his Mommy. Was that okay? Right now he wasn't sure he could ever see someone else as his Mommy. His little heart squeezed at the idea of anyone replacing his Mommy. Even if she wasn't the best Mommy he felt a deep attachment and loyalty to her. Even if she was bad, and even if she was gone.

Turning his attention back to Raven, who was gently stroking his hair in a comforting way, he watched her take his little hand to kiss, reassuring again that they wanted to be his parents.

"I don't want you to leave me. I want to stay with you." His voice was hoarse from his sobbing, and his head was starting to hurt. It wasn't an acceptance of thinking of them as Mommy and Daddy right now, but he knew that it was true that he wanted to stay with the people that were being so kind to him, who were taking care of him. His one hand was still clutching tightly to Raven. "Do I have to call you Mommy and Daddy?"

His lip wobbled again. He didn't think he could call anyone but Mommy that way right now, and Daddy…Adrian did love his Daddy, in some way, but he was less distraught over him. Mostly Daddy was just associated with so much bad that he couldn't imagine calling someone as nice as Beast Boy by the name he called someone that scared him so much.

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"Oh, sweetheart," Raven whispered, pulling him close, tucking his head under her chin. "Of course we won't leave you. You're with us now. And no... you don't have to call us that if you don't want to. We can be Raven and Garfield for as long as you like- even if it's forever. We don't want to force you to do that. Okay?"

"That's right," Garfield agreed, wrapping and arm around them both. "We don't need that to still be a family. All families aren't the same and it's okay if ours looks a little different. It's still a good family. And it doesn't make us love you less."

They stayed like that for a while, until Raven pulled away first, not leaving the bed. "Come on, little one. There's still more of your room to see. You can look around more and I can show you your bathroom and closet. You even have your own fridge for drinks and snacks. Let's go look, yes?"

Garfield groaned in complaint. "I wanted a fridge in our room and you said no."

Raven arched a brow. "You aren't a growing boy, Gar. Adrian is."

He laughed, sticking his tongue out at her. "One day, I'll convince you. Come on, kiddo. Let's go see the rest. I haven't even seen it yet so it'll be a surprise to me, too."

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More than happy to bury his face against Raven's neck as she tucked his head under her chin, Adrian felt himself relax. The reassurance that they wouldn't leave him soothed something in him that he couldn't name. He was glad they didn't expect him to call them Mommy and Daddy right now. Maybe he would one day, but it was okay if he didn't. It felt nice when Beast Boy - Garfield - put an arm around them, he was never held and comforted like this before.

Adrian had never realized how badly he craved it until now. He didn't know the words for touch-starved, but he was definitely aware of the feeling now. They said that he could ask for hugs when he wanted them, and while he wasn't sure he was brave enough to actually do that, he definitely was enjoying it while it was being offered.

"Thank you." The words were quiet as he lay cradled between his new parents. Thanks for feeding him, thanks for bathing him, for giving him a home - for being his new family. He didn't have the words for all his gratitude, but he felt it all the same and hoped they knew how glad he was they had found him.

When Raven pulled away after some time, he didn't complain even though he'd really enjoyed the cuddles, reminding himself that he could always ask for more hugs if he needed them.

"I get a whole bathroom just for me?" That was absolutely mind-boggling to him and his tone of voice reflected his amazement. He didn't need a whole bathroom all to himself. Adrian wouldn't have minded sharing a family bathroom that was for all of them. The idea of having a closet wasn't that strange, most bedrooms had one - at least the kind he was thinking of. A tiny room where you could hang your clothes and store your shoes, he had hidden in his parent's closet often enough.

Wait - fridge?

"I didn't know fridges could be in bedrooms. I thought they were just for the kitchen." Not that the one in his old kitchen saw much use. It was often empty or what little was in there was left to rot and mold. He had learned not to eat food from the fridge after getting deathly ill once.

Still, clearly Garfield wanted a bedroom fridge and it seemed unfair that Adrian got one and he didn't, despite Raven's reasoning.

"It's okay," he grabbed Beast Boy's hand, "You can share mine if you want, I don't mind." Since the rooms were right next to each other it would be closer than the kitchen fridge he assumed. Maybe it wasn't exactly the same, but he was very earnest in his offer. Plus it gave an excuse for his new Daddy-not-daddy to come see him. Normally he never wanted his first Daddy to see him, but Garfield was really nice.

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Garfield was touched by Adrian's innocent offer.

He couldn't help but ruffle his hair.

"Aww, buddy ... you don't have to do that. Besides, it's called a mini fridge. It's in case you get hungry or thirsty in your room and need something quick. I appreciate it though. It was very kind of you to offer. Kitchen food is for everyone in the house but your mini fridge will be just for you, okay?"

He rolled off the bed, "Man your room is cool. It's exactly the kind of room I wanted as a kid."

Raven smiled fondly, crossing her arms. "Is that right ?"

"Yeah! Maybe I'll just turn into a cat and come chill in here on my days off."

"Only if Adrian wants that. It's his space," she reminded him.

"Sure," he shrugged, "but he's only got us right now and we're all attached," he reminded her gently. "He can kick us out whenever if he minds so much. You were never shy about telling me when you needed space."

She gathered Adrian in her arms again, balancing him on her hip before pecking Garfield on the cheek. "Thanks for not taking it personally. I love you being in my space now."

"As if I would've given up on you," he scoffed. "Now let's go check out this bathroom and closet situation. I'm sooo curious."

She nodded, leading them to the bathroom first and opening the door for Adrian to see. "This is where you can do your business, bathe and brush your teeth. All that good stuff," she said, walking around so he could see everything before walking back out to open another door that lead to the closet. "This is where all your clothes and shoes go as well as some extra things in here for you like spare blankets. I ordered clothes in your size to start."

Garfield marveled at everything.

"Wow, Rae... you went all out. This looks awesome."

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"Okay…" That was a confusing swirl of emotions. Happy that he had seemingly done something good by making the offer, and a little disappointed that it was refused. Adrian tried to bury the niggling feeling worming in the back of his mind. Had he really done something kind by offering to share if it was for a selfish reason? Was it bad that he was disappointed?

The disappointment didn't last too long.

"I don't mind! You don't have to be a cat…" Would his new daddy really come spend time in his room with him just because he thought it was a cool room? Adrian still was a bit overwhelmed by just how extravagant his new home was. This bedroom alone was probably almost as big as his whole old apartment, but despite his gratitude for all these over the top things it wasn't the room or the clothes or even the food that he wanted so badly it ached - it was the attention, care, and love.

Raven seemed to like to carry him a lot, he observed as the heroine picked him up once again to carry him towards the next door. His eyes grew comically wide as the door swung open to reveal his bathroom. It was magical - literally but also in the sense that it felt like he really had been brought to live in a storybook.

"Whoa - it's so big!" Did he really need all this? Was he worth all this? It was hard not to question it as Raven walked him around showing him everything.

The closet practically had his eyes popping out of his head. This was a closet? It was unrecognizable to Adrian. This could be a whole room all by itself. There was no way he could ever have enough clothes to fill this whole place up! Who needed that many clothes? His Mommy and Daddy - his first ones - had always said that there was no point in getting him many clothes because he was just going to outgrow them.

"It's so big…" Not an awestruck exclamation this time, more of a subdued whisper of dawning realization that his reality had been so altered that he might as well be in a whole new world - one he was wholly unfamiliar with.

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"And it's all yours," Raven whispered, kissing his temple. "The very best. Exactly what you deserve. Now let's pick something for you to wear. There's all new clothes and shoes and everything here for you."

She walked over to the closet, pointing at a soft looking green hoodie.

"How about this. You could match with Neeko. See? The hood has bunny ears attached."

She inclined her head, eyes free from judgment or expectation.

"But its up to you. There's several things to choose from."

She walked around to show him everything.

"There's socks and underwear in these drawers. Pajama sets in this one. All your other shirts and pants and the like are on hangers. And all these shelves have your shoes. I left some shelves empty for things like backpacks. We'll pick those out together later."

Garfield piped up behind them, "For the record, I'm definitely team bunny hoodie," he grinned, promptly turning into a small rabbit and hopping around for good measure.

Raven giggled at his antics. "You're impossible."

She finally set Adrian down gently on his feet, gently guiding him forward. "Go on, little one. Pick whatever you like."

She caught the little bunny Garfield, petting his soft fur.

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