Fandom Beast Boy and Raven (Closed)

[QuickWords]

Nightwing prepared to charge Deathstroke but a blur passed by him. Slade felt this power before but by a certain Amazonian princess in place of the tamaranian one before him. He managed to break contact but was left with hand shaped holes near his sternum.

“I see the failed Princess has gotten stronger.” He let off an all too familiar cackle before drawing both blades. “Good.” That blow truly hurt Slade, possibly breaking a couple of ribs but to show his belly would mean defeat. Not at the hands of these children.

He charged Nightwing first but was cut off by Starfire. Damn it. She’s faster than I remember too. Spade slashed at her arms before she got the chance to connect in order to give himself more space. Taking advantage of this, Dick connected his batons forming a staff in order to reach Slade from afar while Starfire stayed close.

Terra hadn’t truly meant to bury Beast Boy, it was her emotions getting the best of her, or the worst in this case. She knew if she wasn’t careful Raven would most certainly end her life for what she did to him. She jumped from her rock casing only to be grabbed in mid air by the same beast she believed she crushed.

Gar had wiggled his way amidst the rubble to freedom and noticed the two girls about to clash once more. “Rae the container thing!” Beast Boy tried to yell but his chest was bloody and it hurt to merely breathe. With a fraction of his might he hugged Terra, pinning her arms to her side and shaking his head.

“I’m sorry Terra…” When Raven brought the container closer he threw the earth manipulator inside, watching the doors shut. He shrunk back to himself and fell to his butt, rubbing his chest. “I’m not feeling so hot Rae…Rocks are heavy.” He said laying on his back.

Slade was slowing down slightly, the damaged nth metal failing his abilities to both regenerate quickly, feeling his internal bleeding. Next time he would need better armor, perhaps pure Nth metal instead. Nightwing had caught a slash to the thigh before Deathstroke turned his attention to Starfire. That gave him an opening to quickly to sweep the hitman’s leg with his staff.

Slade felt his mobility leave him momentarily but quickly regained it, only to find Starfire had knocked his blades from his hands. “You think a lack of weapons would stop me? How about we finish this the good old fashioned way, boy wonder?” He said while Nightwing looked over at Starfire.

 

[Beckspace]

Raven wiped the extra eyes from her face and opened her regular ones to see a familiar green beast pin Terra to the ground. He was alive! He was alive and sticking to her plan.

She pushed her relief aside for the moment and focused on the nearest storage container. “Azarath Metrion Zinthos!” The door swung open and she swung it towards the two. Once Terra was tossed inside, Raven quickly shut the doors and sealed it tight. The container slid safely across the floor until it slowed to a stop. The earth quaked minimally beneath it, several small pebbles knocked at the side, but being enclosed in metal diminished Terra’s power as Raven believed it would.

She didn’t care about that now, though, dropped to Gar’s side to look him over. “You’re alive,” she said almost as smartly as Gar declared that rocks were heavy. “I thought you were…,” Raven didn’t finish, instead reaching her hand out in an attempt to heal some of the damage. “You broke a few ribs, but they didn’t puncture your lung.”

Starfire looked back at Nightwing, furious that once again Deathstroke was trying to take her out of the fight. “You will not separate me from my friends again. Nightwing has no reason to fight you alone in the old fashioned way of which you speak. The Titans are a team, you are alone. And now you will lose!” Now that Nightwing was out of range, Starfire had a clear shot of Deathstroke, so she did. She tossed the blades aside and punched starbolt after starbolt at him, refusing to let up.

Raven lifted her head up, hearing the fight across the way. There were flashes of green, but it was hard to see anything else.

 

[QuickWords]

Garfield recoiled at the slightest pressure on his torso, feeling a deep pain from breathing alone. “Broke? I thought it was just a bruise.” He teased with a small smile. When Starfire started blasting Slade, he looked up to see but the light was too much to get a good bite and he was too far to hear anything.

“You know I saw you Rae and I’m proud of you. You controlled yourself and you didn’t do nothing bad.” Gar reached up touched where her other two eyes would’ve been. “You’re the awesomest…” His hand slid down to her cheek, brushing some dust off of it.

Nightwing would’ve certainly taken Slade up on his offer, not to prove himself but because of something Bruce once told him. If you beat a man while having the advantage he’ll see it as a cheap victory but if you beat him on an equal level, he’ll have understand your difference in skill.

A small part of the protégé wanted to destroy Slade both mentally and physically, but he knew that would sink him down to that rat’s mentality.

Dick had dropped his batons in preparation to do so but began listening to Kory’s rant about their team instead. After the first five blasts, Nightwing used all his might to pull Starfire away from Deathstroke. “Starfire you got him, he’s out cold.” But she wouldn’t stop. He grabbed her wrists from behind and yelled out “Kory!”

After all Slade had put them through her anger was understandable, acceptable even, but there was no reason to take his life. Then they would be seen by the people to be just as malicious as Deathstroke.

Garfield held a hand out to Rachel, trying to get up. “Could you help me up Rae? I think I felt my bones move.” He exaggerated. Nightwing moved in front of Starfire and hugged her close, ignoring his leaking thigh. “It’s alright Kory, we did it.”

He used his communicator to contact the police after calming Starfire down. Garfield held on tight to Rachel, trying to regain his strength as his own enhanced healing worked on his body. “He guys I dunno if we should put Terra in jail…”

Normally Dick would agree to give her another chance but he shook his head, separating his batons into two and putting them on his back. “I’m not sure that’sa good idea Beast Boy, looks like she hurt you pretty bad. What do you think Raven?” The police wouldn’t be there for another five minutes so they needed to decide quickly.

 

[Beckspace]

Raven grimaced at the mention of her outburst. "I was hoping you didn't see that...thanks." She grinned sheepishly.

Starfire would have reduced Slade to ashes if given the chance. On Tamaran, that would have been showing mercy compared to the other preferred forms of punishment for the likes of him. She felt something grab her wrist and she snapped her head, ready to take down whoever was holding her back. She quavered a little, her hands extinguishing as she realized who it was. "He must not come back to hurt my friends! I won't allow it," she argued, but she was deflating quickly, remembering that she was not not on Tamaran. Humans are more humane. She allowed herself to be hugged, then hugged back fiercely, giving up on her Vendetta.

Gar was not fully healed, but Raven believed she did all she could do for now. She pulled him up on his feet and helped him walk towards Nightwing and Starfire, who were currently in an embrace.

While Nightwing called for the police, Starfire went to hug Raven and then Beast Boy, being extra careful not to re-fracture his ribs. "Terra did this to you, Gar," Starfire said, the first time she was truly upset with Terra. "I do not think she is your friend anymore."

Raven looked over at the storage container, no longer quaking. Terra must realize there is no escape now. In another world, another time, that could have been her in there.

"I can reach her," Raven said to Nightwing. "Beast Boy is right. Terra doesn't belong in jail." She handed Gar off to Starfire. "Give me as long as you can."

With that, she broke away from her friends and moved over to the storage container. She placed her hand on the wall and slowly phased through it. It was dark inside the storage container, but Raven could sense Terra crouching in the corner, shaking and afraid.

"Terra," Raven said quietly. Terra stood up quickly, recognizing the voice. She yelled and charged a Raven, fist held out blindly in front of her. Raven caught the fist with one hand and with the other placed her palm on Terra's forehead. "Let me in." Raven's soul flew into Terra's body.

Terra dropped to the floor, "Get...out!" But Raven did not listen crouching beside her, now with both hands on the side of her face. She felt the pain Terra was going through, trying to fight it, but Raven kept on pushing with the hopes of healing her. Then, the struggling stopped. Both of the girls' eyes opened wide, glowing white, as the two minds became one.

Terra and Raven were at the bottom of Titans tower, sitting on the rocks, looking out at the water.

"Why are we here?" Terra asked.

"You tell me," Raven said. "Your mind brought us here." Terra looked around, before replying.

"This is where Beast Boy found out my secret. He promised he wouldn't tell." she clenched her fists. "He lied. He told you. He told all of you!"

"That's not how I remember it," Raven said. She held her hand up and the scene changed to inside Titans Tower, the living room. Robin, Cyborg, and Raven were there, a titan communicator in between them.

"Did you see her on that course? That little lady can pack a punch! We need someone like that on our team!" Cyborg argued.

"She's sloppy, and afraid," Raven said, arms folded. "If she loses control she can really hurt someone, or tear down this city if she's not careful."

"So we train her. Cyborg's right, she's a great asset to the team. You can teach her control, Raven. Give her some pointers?" Robin suggested.

Raven sighed. "It took me years to get to this level of control... I'm not guaranteeing anything, but if she's willing to listen, I'll try."

Terra watched the scene, and Rachel noticed her clenched fists loosen. "This proves nothing," Terra finally said, glaring at Rachel. "He was going to tell, even if he didn't do it yet."

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Are you really that blind? Did you not see the way he looked at you, how we all looked at you?" Multiple different scenes passed before their eyes this time. Playing volleyball on the roof, the training course, saving Titans tower from sinking into the ground, the list went on, all focusing on the faces of the titans members, right up until the date, when Terra first revealed her betrayal. And even after that, scenes showed of the titans reaching out to her, trying to save her.

"Stop! I don't want to see anymore," Terra cried, clutching her head, unable to shut her eyes. Raven did not listen. She needed to see. Needed to know. And so the scene it all led up to played out. Terra, changing her mind, fighting against Slade and ultimately giving up her life to save the city, turning into stone.

"You betrayed our trust. You tried to have us killed. But we never gave up on you, not even when you turned to stone," Raven explained. Raven held her hand out and changed the scene again. Her and cyborg in the Tower library. Cyborg on the computer researching Terra's DNA, Raven studying piles of arcane books. "We spent hours, days, weeks, trying to find a way to bring you back. We never stopped believing in you, Terra."

Terra was crying now, the pain and the realizations overwhelming her. "Why you? Why would you spend so much time on me? Like you said, I'm dangerous. I betrayed you all." Raven turned to look at her, tired and sad.


"Because you were right. I did consider you my friend. And, in many ways, we are very much alike. You aren't the only one who has a control problem. I understand what it's like to be afraid of yourself. You never had to run away to Slade. I could have helped you. I could have tried."

With that, Raven pulled her soul out of Terra's mind. Both girls cried out at the pain of separation, the feeling of pulling of a bandaide but inside the mind and 10x worse. They both fell onto their backs, breaking away from the connection. Raven was the first to recover, standing up in the dark and reaching out for Terra's hand. Terra made the decision to take it.

"Could you help me now?" Terra asked. "I don't want to be like this anymore. I want to go back to my normal life, but I don't know how."

Her soul energy all spent, Raven knocked three time on the container door. As it opened, she grinned at Terra. "Ever worked at a bookstore before?"

 

[QuickWords]

Garfield shook his head and spoke up for their friend. “It’s not that bad, I’ll be okay but if we lock her in jail she’s never gonna be okay!” He stressed as Nightwing contemplated the chances of this being a bad idea. Before he was able to give a fully fledged reply, Raven stated she was able to do it.

Dick nodded his head, Gar hugged tightly without regards for his own ribs (a mistake). “I trust you Rachel. Do what you need to do.” Nightwing said while Gar draped an arm over Starfire. “You got this Rae.” He gave a gratuitous smile, watching her walk away.

Initially Beast Boy was patient but after the first thirty seconds he let go of Starfire and went over to the container to press his ear against it, hoping to hear what was happening. Nightwing stopped Starfire from hindering him and explained why. “It’s best if we let them fix things, I’m sure he’ll be able to handle walking fifty feet.”

When the knock was heard, Beast Boy grit his teeth and struggled to pull the doors open but did so successfully. “What happened? You guys okay? Did it work?” He asked leaning forwards with one hand on Rachel’s shoulder and the other around his ribs.

Terra stepped forwards and seeing him immediately made her heart hurt worse. She hugged him, tears running down her face. “I’m so sorry Beast Boy…I should’ve just listened to you from the start.”

He tensed up from the sudden affection but hugged her back moments after. “It’s all cool Terra. I’m just glad you’re okay.” Garfield never thought this day would come but it finally had and he truly couldn’t have felt better. Well, he couldn’t have felt better emotionally speaking. His ribs were still very much broken. Over Terra’s shoulder he smiled at Rachel. “You’re the bestest ever!” He mouthed, hoping she got the gist.

Nightwing inspected Slade from a distance, crouching down and eyeing his body. The Nth metal had been torn to shreds by Starfire’s energy bursts. It must be impure to have sustained this much damage…
When the police arrived Terra, Raven, and Beast Boy had already left the container and approached as the officers left Nightwing, carrying Slade off on a gurney with specialized cuffs around his wrists, neck, and ankles.

Dick denied any medical attention and decided he’d fix up anything at the tower. “I told the police that Slade was the only aggressor and that we’d deal with Terra.” He raised an eyebrow. “You are on our side right?”

Garfield for once was very silent and tired, his body craving substance and rest. He gave a thumbs up instead of an answer when asked if he was alright and Nightwing gave a nod. “Well I guess we should head back. Anyone else thinking about some pizza?” Dick loved the feel of being back and Garfield turned into a Mushu, floating up and laying on Rachel’s shoulder.

 

[Beckspace]

Raven tried not to show her exhaustion from forcing herself into Terra's mind, the others looked much worse off than her. She watched as Terra flung herself around Beast Boy and grinned. All jealousy and ill-thoughts were gone, she and Terra on a much better wavelength now. Raven mouthed back, "I know."

Terra went to the other side of Beast Boy, helping Raven walk him out of the storage container. The flashing blue and red lights of the police car reflected upon the burnt body of Deathstroke. Raven, sensing Terra stiffen, connected her hand with hers behind Gar's back. Terra did not react to it, but Raven knew it helped. They were reunited with Starfire and Nightwing, Nightwing getting right down to business as usual.

Terra flinched and was about to reply when Raven spoke up for her. "She's ok. Tired like the rest of us. She's just been through a lot." Terra simply nodded in agreement.

"Pizza is a wonderful idea," Starfire replied.

"I don't know about you guys," Raven said, stretching now that she had a little dragon on her shoulders instead of holding up a human. "But I really wish Cyborg's car was here." A strong statement coming from the titan who always said it was pointless.

"Why does the Titans Tower seem so far away," Starfire moaned. Raven lifted her legs and hovered in the air, trying to conjure up just a bit more energy to portal them home. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos," she concentrated. A small black pit opened up beneath her. "Ok hurry up, can't hold it for long."

Raven grabbed Terra's hand before she could inch away and dropped down into the hole. They landed right on the roof of Titans Tower. Raven had been aiming for the couch, but she'll take it. Terra let go of Raven's hand and walked over to see the view. "You still awake up there?" Raven whispered to the dragon on her shoulders as the others arrived just before the portal closed.

 

[QuickWords]

Garfield was quick to fall asleep on Rachel shoulder as the talks of pizza was revolving between the group. Of course he would’ve had his say normally but he probably couldn’t have help a slice of pizza long enough to eat it. It was a miracle that he hadn’t been caught off guard in his human form or he’d be out of a suit as well.

“Hmm? Yeah yeah I’m cool as a sea cucumber..” Gar had to rub his eyes and sat up. “Do you want me off you?” He whispered back.

Nightwing’s mind screamed when he landed inside the portal, the gash on his thigh burning when the impact travelled through his legs. He kept quiet and walked with everyone to the elevator. “What toppings you guys want? I’m thinking green peppers, sausage, and pepperoni.” Dick was the first into the elevator with everyone filling in behind him.

Garfield was resting with his back against Rachel’s neck when they were the third into the elevator. “All the veggies they got.” He responded with a finger up, smiling through the sleepiness. Of course he needed to input his food choices no matter his degree of exhaustion.

 

[Beckspace]

Rachel patted his little dragon head and followed the others into the elevator. “Stay. You don’t want to move too much until you’re healed.”

“I would like the pizza with the fungus, please!” Kory added in on the conversation. Rachel gagged a little in her mouth. Fungus obviously meant mushrooms, which Rachel does actually like on her pizza, but just calling it fungus made it so unappetizing for some reason.

“I, uh, think I’m going to head out,” Terra said as they stepped out of the elevator. reminding everyone that she was still there.

“No! Stay! You must celebrate with us,” Kory ordered, latching onto Terra’s arm.

“Thank you, but, well, I have a headache from, you know, and I need to figure some things out and-“

“- I’ll walk you out,” Raven cut her off, picking up the dragon and handing him off to Starfire. Starfire released her grip on Terra to cup the little green guy in her hands.

“Thank you all…for everything,” Terra said, making eye contact with each titans, one at a time, finishing with the drowsy Beast Boy.

“I’ll be right back,” Raven said. “Order those pizzas, I’m starving.”

Together Raven and Terra walked back out of the living room, heads close as Raven spoke to her in hushed tones.

Starfire looked over at Nightwing. “I don’t understand. We saved her. Why does she not wish to stay?”

 

[QuickWords]

Nightwing made sure to mentally check off the types of pizza everyone listed off to get them their own pies. He laughed a little “Plenty of fungi for Kory and veggies for Gar” He was about to ask Terra before she insisted on seeing herself out.

Garfield sat up in Starfire’s hands spoke right before they left the room. “You can stay and be heroes with us. You’re room is still there…”

Dick nodded at let them walk off, understanding Terra’s point of view. “She’s been controlled and forced to do different things her entire life.” He remembered when Slade had him under control at a certain point. It was awful, nothing compared to the years Terra must’ve endured.

“I’m sure for once in her life she just wants to be herself, freely.”

Dick patted his pockets and found his phone, which miraculously was intact. The amount of times he had broken a phone due to crime fighting could buy him a home, at least one with a special Kory Anders deal.

Garfield frowned and flew himself over into the room which Terra and Rachel were talking in. He turned into himself and gave her the dignity of talking to the real Beast Boy for what could be the last time.

“Something’s up, isn’t it? Y’know I’m not mad about the fighting or nothing, right?” Gar demanded that there was no hard feelings and she was welcome just as she was from day one.

 

[Beckspace]

Raven and Terra did not immediately head to the exit, instead making their way over to the lab. They were deep in conversation when Beast Boy came into earshot.

"-Not a permanent solution, but it'll help until you have a better handling of-" Raven stopped speaking, cut off by Gar's entrance. She crossed her arms at him disapprovingly, "You're supposed to be taking it easy."

"Beast Boy, I know you're not mad, but I want to go all the same," Terra said, rubbing the back of her head uncomfortably. "I'm not really hero material, and I don't want to be."

"When Cyborg and I were trying to find a way to change Terra back from stone, one idea we had was taking away her powers," Raven explained, moving over to the lab table and digging through a drawer. "We thought if her powers made her stone to protect her, then maybe taking away that protective ability would stop it. So we brought magic and technology together to make this."

She pulled out of the drawer a metallic wristband encrusted with colorful stones. "This band serves as a deterrent of her powers, kind of like the storage container. They're still there, but strongly diminished."

Terra reached out and touched his shoulder. "When I was freed from the stone, I didn't have my powers for years, I guess because they were used nonstop for so long. I was able to go to school, make friends, stay put without destroying anything. I was free to be me. I want that again."

Raven walked over and handed Terra the band. "As I was saying, it's not a permanent solution, but it'll hold your powers in while you learn how to truly control and keep them in check." Terra let go of Gar's shoulder and put it on her wrist. Her body visibly relaxed and she smiled.

"Thanks, Raven. I don't know how I can repay you," Terra said. Raven smiled. "Just don't be late for your first day of work, or else Arthur will have my head for giving a bad replacement."

"I won't, I swear." Terra replied. "And I promise once I'll keep your house clean too. No more mud baths for me." Raven did not expect the sudden attack of a hug from Terra, standing there awkwardly waiting for it to be over with.

Finally, Terra let go and turned to Beast Boy. She shifted from foot to foot before jumping over and giving Beast Boy the biggest hug. "Thanks for never giving up on me. You're the best friend I ever had."

 

[QuickWords]

Garfield wanted to protest but from Rachel’s tone and Terra’s demeanor, it was clear her mind was made up. “But…” It hurt to see something he fought to make happen for so long simply fall apart without him being able to do anything.

When the metal bracelet was brought into view, Gar couldn’t help but think of the infinity stones from Marvel. Of course he kept quiet but was interested in Terra’s reaction.

Her explanation made it clear to him that this was something she very much wanted. The more he thought the better things were seeming. She didn’t want to do anything evil and even if she wasn’t a hero she’d be safe and happy. That was most important after all.

Gar wrapped his arms around Terra and hugged her back, his ribs not as in pain as before. “Thanks Terra..” a few tears trickled from his eyes and when she let go he wiped them quickly.

When Terra left to the elevator Gar turned to Rachel with a soft smile. “I think we did awesome today, especially you.” He commended while moving closer to her. Gar wrapped his arms around her midsection, looking down at her.

“I think we’re gonna be better heroes this time. AND better people…” He smiled with hopes the team would truly be back this time. They were still relatively young and who said the Justice League was the only team to have? There was still the Titans Prime and the city was there’s to protect!

 

[Beckspace]

As Terra moved to the elevator, Raven felt a weight she did know she was holding lifting off of her. All that time and research finally paid off. It was also a closing of a chapter in her life. Quitting the bookstore job and nominating Terra as her replacement, allowing her to stay in her and Gar’s house until she can bank one of her own. Raven thought she would be sadder, saying goodbye to her “normal life.” It was a little bittersweet, she had liked her job, but really, the daughter of an interdenominational demonic overlord never really could be normal. Besides, she had everything she needed right here at the T tower.


“I am pretty awesome,” Rachel rolled her eyes. “I think you’re right, though. It felt good being a team again.” Then she grinned. “And you taught me a very valuable lesson today, one I think will make us all better heroes.”

Rachel placed her hands on his chest and in her most sincere voice said, “Rocks are heavy.” With her hand on his chest, she noticed something off, or rather not off at all. His ribs were no longer broken, all mended and back as it should be. “Did you heal yourself?”

No longer holding Beast Boy, Starfire tapped her fingers on the counter, waiting for her friends to return and for Nightwing to get off the phone. Once he did, she spoke up, “It does not take this long walking someone out of Titan Tower, may we check what is holding up our friends?”

 

[QuickWords]

It was a shock to hear he had done something to teach her, typically it was something small or about pop culture. “Oh yeah? What’s that?” Gar chuckled and felt her hands on his chest, feeling like someone rubbing a sore muscle.

It didn’t hurt and that confused him. “Uh I think so?” Garfield raised a hand and pressed Rachel’s onto his chest harder. His eyes were closed expecting pain but it was very minimal. “Maybe your magic is way better than you thought.” Gar teased, putting his arm back around her.

Nightwing ordered larges of every type requested and smiled. “Alright, thank you.”
He turned to the impatient alien and laughed a little. “Relax, I’m sure they’re just saying their goodbyes. Maybe we should do the same.”

Of course he was too busy ordering to notice Terra leaving and Starfire was too worried. Though it would probably make her feel better if they said goodbye as well. “Yeah we should go and check actually.”

Garfield was surprised his body was still adapting but figured he’d test the waters. “I think it might be your love that’s healing me faster, you should check just to be sure.” He teased before leaning down to kiss her. “Feeling waaaay better now.” He grinned, leaning down again.

Dick walked with Kory towards the areas they suspected the trio to be, finally approaching the lab. As the couple was sharing a moment, Nightwing leaned against the doorway in slight shock. “And here I thought you two would be sadder.” He joked.

 

[Beckspace]

Rachel inched herself closer as he wrapped his arms around her. “Or maybe you could have just healed yourself this whole time but you’re lazy and make me do it instead.”

She placed her arms up around his neck as he spoke, eyebrow raised. “I’m not sure love works that w-,” but she was silenced by a kiss that took her breath away.

Kory walked beside Dick, so eager to find out what was going on she didn’t even notice the limp to her walk from the particularly nasty slash to her leg. “Do you think perhaps that they are trying to convince Terra to stay?” Kory asked. Her question fell on deaf ears, for Dick had entered the lab first and saw what was going on. Kory turned the corner to look to, and audibly gasped with glee.

Raven felt her soul leave her body and hit the fan at the sound of ducks voice. She reached up and pulled her soul back down, completely flustered.

“How long we’re you standing there? We were just- you can’t just- what are you doing here?”

“We were worried when you didn’t come back,” Kory said, unable to stop smiling and probably would have been cheering in the air if she weren’t still spent from the fight. “But now I see all is well and we have even more to celebrate over pizza.”

“It’s not a big deal,” Rachel said, lifting her hood up over her face. “No need to get all excited.” This was bad, Starfire will never let her live this one down. “Pizza, we got pizza right?”

 

[QuickWords]

Garfield normally would’ve heard or possibly smelled their two friends coming but his heart was beating in his ears and his mind was focused on only Rachel. When Nightwing spoke his eyes shot open and he moved from being in front of Rae to beside her.

“Uh we were just- you know,…” excuse processing “..hanging out?” It felt as if they were caught even though there was nothing wrong with what they were doing.

Dick laughed at the couple and shook his head. “Hey, you don’t have to convince me of anything, we’re all adults now.” He stood straighter, feeling the gash in his leg more prominently note that the adrenaline was wearing off.

Garfield was blushing a little and rubbed the back of his head, hoping that they wouldn’t hold this over him. His embarrassment allowed him to couple his words with Rachel, also being excited for pizza. “Yeah where’s the pizza at? I feel like I could eat 5 whole pizzas.”

Dick allowed the moment to pass for now and nodded his head. “They’re coming but they made me pay extra since they have to get a boat to deliver. When did they start charging the heroes extra?” He joked before turning to Starfire.

“Kory I think we should head to the infirmary together, my leg just started hurting worse.” While his leg was hurt, he mainly wanted to give the two some space after a hard fought battle.

After Nightwing and Starfire left, Garfield looked at Rachel and laughed. “You gotta admit that was a little funny.” He said now that the embarrassment had passed with the moment. He walked beside Rachel while they went back to the main room.

Garfield smiled and pulled her hood back off. “Oh come on, kissing me can’t be that bad, right?” He waited a few moments for an answer and grew nervous. “Right?…”

 

[Beckspace]

Being reminded of the cuts on both their legs and arms, Kory decided to let the topic go…for now. But she had a lot of questions to ask Rachel, she was not going to escape that easily. She headed down with Nightwing to the infirmary, smiling through the pain.

Rachel moaned as soon as they left. “You wouldn’t think it’s funny if you were going to get pestered by Starfire about it,” she grumbled as they headed back to the living room.

Her hood was lifted off her head, and she forced herself not to quickly throw it back on. How could she tell him that she felt completely vulnerable and unable to think in that kiss, and how in that moment it wasn’t terrifying? She supposed Kory would probably be able to say it no problem. Was she really going to ask Kory for dating advice?

Rachel reached up and kissed him on the cheek. “No, it wasn’t the worst thing in the world.”

In the infirmary, Kory and Dick both worked on cleaning up their wounds. “I want to apologize,” She said to break the silence.

“When Deathstroke asked to fight you one on one, I didn’t give you the opportunity to choose. I was worried you would say yes and get hurt. It really wasn’t for me to decide though. I’m sorry.” The thought had been stuck in her head since the fight, and she wanted to get it off her chest.

 

[QuickWords]

Garfield touched his cheek with a smile and exhaled in relief. “Sweet, for a second I thought I did something wrong.” He had that feeling a lot whenever things got quiet.

As they sat down onto the large couch Gar looked over Rachel’s body. “Wait did you get hurt too? I didn’t see you bleeding or nothin” He was a little worried about her condition since she normally didn’t show pain.

Nightwing turned the lights on and entered the sterile room, searching through the medical supplies on hand. Grabbing some disinfectant, gauze, and a bandage wrap he headed to one of the 6 beds to work on himself.

He never was uncomfortable with silence, having worked with Batman for so long it was very much expected at certain points. He was in the middle of rubbing his thigh gash with disinfectant when Starfire apologized about the fight.

Dick looked up at her from his amateur medical treatment and took his mask off to show his full face. “Kory…” He paused only a moment to mentally map out his words correctly. “You did the right thing. Of course I would’ve said yes to fighting him one on one but then what would the point of being a team be. I’ve been solo for so long I forgot that we have each other for a reason.”

“I’m not Batman, I don’t have to be alone. I have you three for a reason.”

He locked eyes with Kory and smiled. “I’m glad you were there with me. Thank you.” Dick’s hand reached out and took Starfire’s with a gentle touch to it.

Garfield turned the TV on as the whole screen flashed red, a camera feed popping up. On the feed was a young man who spoke into the camera. “Uh, I got a delivery here for…” He read the paper on the receipt. “Titans Prime?” Gar smiled and elbowed Rachel. “See Nightwing liked the name too!”

He pressed a button that had a speaker icon on it and spoke. “Hold on dude I’m coming down.” Garfield rubbed his hands together and stood up, making his way for the elevator slowly due to his exhaustion still taking hold of him.

 

[Beckspace]

Rachel shook her head. "Not physically. I don't think I'd be able to even fly up and change a ceiling light, though. I'm pretty drained," she explained. After that last portal to get them home, Rachel couldn't so much as hover above the ground. Breaking open someone's mind, as it turns out, is hard work. Still, she wasn't about to complain about it, it could have gone much worse, she could have been trapped in Terra's mind for one, or she could have gone overboard and completely fried her brain. "I'm fine," she added. "Nothing a little meditation won't fix."

At the mention of it, Rachel thought it would actually be a good idea to refocus herself, for more reasons than one. The opportunity arose with the arrival of the pizza delivery. "I don't remember voting on Titans Prime," Rachel commented.

"Don't forget to tip him!" Rachel called after Gar as he headed to the elevator. She sat down crisscross applesauce on the floor, unable to hover, and laid her palms upright on her knees. Her eyes closed and found her center before chanting her usual phrase. It took a minute or two before her body lifted from the ground and she could fully start to recharge and refocus. He may be proud of her, but Rachel was not so thrilled that, once again, she released the demon inside of her. Perhaps she should follow some of the advice she gave Terra, or else she may want to develop a wristband of her own.

Kory cocked her head to the side, surprised by his answer. The old Robin was all about them working as a team, but he was also notoriously going off on himself, putting all the burden on himself, especially when it came to Slade. Who would have thought being off a team would teach him about Teamwork?

"You are most welcome," Starfire said with a huge smile. All patched up and feeling a whole lot better, they left the infirmary and to the living room in the hopes that pizza will be waiting there for them.

In her meditative state, Raven focused on her Ajna Chakra, the gem of her mind holding Red inside. The gem was not transparent, so Raven did not see a version of herself looking out from inside the gem, but she knew she was there, and there was no sign of escape. In other words, it was Raven tapped on the demonic powers herself, no demon-side necessary. "Great," Raven huffed. It was disappointing for sure, knowing she couldn't just blame it all on one side of her, but if it were easy, she'd have conquered emotions years ago. "Just do better next time. Overreacting was pointless, got you nowhere, and you nearly killed Terra." The scolding made her feel better. "No problem, react, but don't overreact. Easy." She gave the gem a salute before moving on to other matters of the mind.

Walking back into the living room Starfire and Nightwing found Raven alone, floating just above the couch. Unable to hold back her joy, Starfire jumped onto her friend, disregarding her personal space entirely. "Friend! You must tell me everything! I didn't realize just how close-"

"Star!" Raven fell on her butt and was currently being squished. "Personal space. Breathing. I need it."

 

[QuickWords]

Garfield gave two thumbs up from the elevator and yelled back. “I totally didn’t forget!” The doors shut and it was just him and his thoughts for the next thirty seconds. It gave him plenty of time to think about his powers.

They were adapting and he didn’t even know it. Was he truly just lazy and could’ve done so much more? These thoughts led him to when he last felt most useless. When Starfire was forced to fight Sinestro alone in space. He wish he could be like Superman but he was human. Garfield couldn’t turn into another dude.

Gar opened the main doors and took the pizzas from the delivery guy before reaching into his suit and handing him a sweaty twenty, knowing Dick already paid for the pizzas. “Keep the change my good man.” He grinned as the driver pinched the bill with two fingers giving a forced customer service smile. “Thanks…”

Nightwing patched himself up pretty well and wrapped his thigh along with the other less major cuts on his body. With Starfire at his side the two entered the living room and Dick watched Kory ambush Raven without hesitation, insisting on getting the details of her relationship with Beast Boy.

“Kory let her breathe a little, last time we saw her, Beast Boy was occupying her mouth.” Nightwing joked on his way to the couch.

Garfield entered the room moments later with four pizza boxes in hand. “Who wants pizza?” He wanted to exert his voice but it came out as a softer tone than intended. “Speak of the devil.” Dick said under his breath, Gar walking over to the kitchen counter with their lunches.

“Alright we got some mushroom and olive pizza, we got something with meat on it.” Garfield slid that box over to Dick and “And two all veggie boxes for me, yeayuh!” He said while stuffing his face with the first slice.

As everyone ate for a few minutes Beast Boy was the first to say something on his third slice. “So-“ small snort “Dick. Does this mean you’re gonna join the team?” Nightwing was in the middle of eating crust when the question was thrown at him.

“Well…Bludhaven has been relatively quiet lately, but I’m not sure if you guys need me though. You’ve all gotten strong enough. Garfield can turn into mythical creatures, Rachel’s magic is more powerful than ever, and even Kory has gotten stronger.” He explained with a slight teasing tone. He believed wholeheartedly they didn’t need him but that didn’t necessarily mean he wouldn’t stay.

Garfield put his pizza down for a moment and frowned. “Are you serious dude? You’re our leader! You saw how fast you came in and made the plan and stuff today? We woulda been looking forever for Terra and Slade without the Boy Wonder!” He jabbed.

 

[Beckspace]

Starfire lifted Rachel back up on her feet while Rachel faked a gag. “My mouth was not ‘occupied,’ thank you very much.”

Her eyes shot daggers at Dick, hearing what he said under his breath when Gar walked in. Luckily, both Star and Nightwing dropped it at the sight of pizza.

As much as she hated being the hot gossip for the team, she had to admit she missed this dynamic and was glad it was back. The four of them sitting around the kitchen with their slides of pizza after a victory, no greater feeling than that. The feeling soured a little at the mention that it might not last.

“I agree with Gar,” Rachel said, stomping on Starfire’s foot to stop her giggling. “We succeeded today only because all four of us were here. The three of us wouldn’t have been able to stop both Deathstroke and Terra together. Before you came we tried and failed. Each of us may have grown more powerful, but the team isn’t balanced.”

“Besides,” Rachel added as an afterthought, “Who would pay for the pizza?”

“I know Bludhaven needs you, but perhaps there is a way you can do both. Perhaps Titans Prime can protect more than one city now that we are more able,” Starfire suggested.

“Let’s not get too ahead of ourselves here. We don’t need to make all these decisions today,” Rachel commented, looking over at Nightwing. “Stay a few days. There’s been a lot of activity here lately and we could use the help figuring it all out. Make your decision later.”

 

[QuickWords]

Dick was glad his friends were all welcoming him back with open arms and decided on disregarding the Robin/Boy Wonder comment, mainly because he thought it was funny.

Gar took in a bite of pizza while continuing after Rachel and Star. “No way, Star’s right. Titans Prime can handle anything when they’re a team.” He declared with a slice of pizza in the air like their flag or symbol of some sort.

Nightwing laughed and stopped them from continuing before it got even more ridiculous. “You guys I’m flattered, I don’t mind staying to help out.” He thought back to the city he operated in primarily and knew things could get out of hand if they knew he was gone.

“I’ll just Jason to keep an eye on things until we’re more mobile with our operations.” He smiled. Garfield finished his 3 bite pizza and tilted his head. “Who’s Jason?”

Dick had changed his expression to partial hilarity at the question at hand. “Jason is Robin now. Who do you think is watching over Gotham while Batman is away? Well besides me of course.” He explained.

Garfield’s jaw dropped and he looked between his friends. “Wait so there’s more than one Robin?” Dick finished his second slice of pizza and shook his head. “No it’s always been one at a time but it’s more of a role thing. Sort of like how Wally became Flash instead of Kid Flash after the first Flash.”

 

[Beckspace]

“Watching over Bludhaven and Gotham seems like a lot of work for a new Robin by himself,” Rachel noted.

Starfire only heard the word "Staying," not really caring about much anything else. Rachel, however was a bit skeptical about the idea of finding replacement Robins. Of course it made sense to put someone in charge of Gotham while he was away, but where did Batman find this replacement Robin? Rachel had once been in Dick's mind and saw his background of losing his parents and becoming a ward to Batman. Did the same happen to this Jason? Did Batman just search for another orphan to take under his wing?

"Wally was already a Speedster. How did Batman find another Robin?" Rachel questioned. “Are there a lot of yous walking around Gotham?”

Part of her wanted to head over to Gotham and make sure it was ok if that was the case. She knew it was a tough city, but was it tough enough to have to harbor a Robin factory?

 

[QuickWords]

Dick wasn’t goin to give full details out or anything but to make it sound like a bad thing was a little frustrating to him. Sure the caped crusader could be aggravating himself but Nightwing couldn’t imagine life without having being taken in.

“Let’s just say Jason was already a fighter needing some guidance.” And with that Dick cut the topic off from further questioning.

———

Nightwing ended up staying for good but it wasn’t outright said by him. Days eventually turned into weeks and he simply had moved back into the tower. Things hadn’t slowed down in the quantity of villains as there were many petty thugs that Dick deduced were henchmen performing under certain Supervillains. Jump City was slowly becoming its own Gotham.

Nightwing had given the team specific training suggestions instead of demands like before, making it their choice to better themselves but he would by all means. He offered hand to hand combat lessons for Rachel in case they ever faced a foe that was immune to magic, for Garfield he gave him a few things to study up on and try to transform into, and for Kory he thought pushing her powers to the limit every chance she got would help strengthen them.

Garfield was glad for the ideas given to him by Nightwing but some forms were more difficult than others due to the fact he had to picture himself as the creature. So far today had been quiet and they just finished lunch, Gar sitting on the couch by himself at the moment.

 

[Beckspace]

In the weeks that followed, the Titans had kept a close watch on Lexcorp, especially Raven who still believed firmly that he was the reason crime rose so highly in Jump City. She and Gar had also moved all their things from their house to Titans Tower, signing the property off to Terra, who was thriving working at the bookstore. Raven took suggestions from Nightwing and read many of her old books again, relearning some spells and perfecting others.

Not shared with the team, Raven had also been working, mostly at night away from prying eyes, on her emotions. She ran simulations in her mind of her in fear, shock, despair, as well as happy occasions to get used to feeling such things. It couldn’t be as powerful as experiencing the real deal, but she believed it helped. If it didn’t, she had the wristband.

Raven did end up making a power-deterrent wristband like Terra’s, just to be safe. She knew at one point she would have to tell Gar, as she wanted him to be the one to hold onto it and the one that would slap it on her if the situation arises, but she was dreading that conversation. Part of her suspected he’d refuse to take it, saying something along the lines of, “You don’t need that dumb old bracelet!” How could she tell him she was just being cautious and that she would try her hardest not to need it?

Not today, she told herself as she snuck the band back in its box on the end table in her room. But someday. Instead, she grabbed the book she was currently reading and floated on over to the living room. She went straight for the couch, lifting herself up higher in the air and leaning over Gar, pooping the book right on his lap.

“Cthulhu,” She said, satisfied. She pointed at the mythical feature in her book, a monstrous thing. “It’s basically a God. Can breathe underwater as well as on air. Can fly. Apparently from outer space. You can do it.” It had been another mission of hers to find crazy beasts for Gar to challenge himself. After the whole healing himself reveal, she knew there was a lot more in him to unlock.

 

[QuickWords]

Garfield nearly at his pants when the book was plopped onto his thighs from above, half from the weight and the other half from the surprise of Rachel’s action. “Cah-too what!?”

Gar looked down at the book and it was in a language he couldn’t even describe if he wanted too. He looked at the picture and it resembled a squid thingy. “Are you nuts?! I can’t be that thing! Isn’t anything in your books like super powerful and cursed?” He asked.

Of course this thing was powerful but he wasn’t sure how to begin with the transformation. “Rae this thing looks huge, you sure I should do this inside?” He was more stalling than anything but he did want the know these questions.