Chapter One

There was something very haunting about the feeling of Titan Tower these days, the group was starting to feel more distant, too normal, for the superhero lives that they had led since the team's beginnings. It seemed that there were more frequent stretches in time where there was no need for them to leave the tower in a rush to save Jump City, their alarm was a seldom sound that left a ringing silence over the hesitant conversations between them all. They all knew it was beginning to become that time, where the team will be disassembled. There would be no need for them at all soon, they will all become adults in this world meant to go off on other ventures in their plans. But for now, there was still time.

Raven, for one, still felt she had a bit more to learn from her friends. Before they all disappeared she wanted to really be a friend to them. After her father's defeat, Raven had become more in control of her powers, and able to show more emotion- but habits were hard to break. In fact, despite being able to, Raven still rarely left her room, she did not partake in many of the conversations, and she let little emotion slip through. It was still a work in progress. Though not many would actually notice the differences, Raven could feel the changes as they changed her, and wore her out by the end of the day. It was all small things, brief glimpses of a more welcoming Raven the Titans never really got to see before.

Most of her days ended with the longest running sessions of video games with Beast Boy, him howling in her ear, as he slammed the buttons on the controller while she sat on her calves on the couch, as calm as always. Sometimes Raven would help Cyborg with dinner, especially after times Beast Boy would crowd the menu with his tofu demands. In fact, if Raven had to admit it, but she won't yet, Cyborg teaching her the basics in cooking would probably be one of the things that will help Raven the most when her friends are no longer there for her at every waking moment. Starfire was as tricky to be around as Beast Boy. But where BB was loud, overbearing, and did not know how many jokes were too many; Star was a completely different problem. She often wanted to bring their adventures "out to the world of Earth," and that often caused a lot of headaches due to Star's nativity, and lack of cultural understanding. Raven's closet was stuffed full with clothes from shopping trips, and Raven's stomach had churned too often from Starfire's insistence of making "happy pudding." It never made anyone in the tower happy much but her- which is why they still let her.

However, after long days of trying to keep up with everyone else, after trying not to let any of her friends push her emotions too far; whether that be frustration, or joy, it was the morning she woke up that were the most subtle, yet favorite of her changes. Raven was always early to rise, she would wake just before the sun, and meditate on the roof before venturing down to the kitchen to make herself some tea. Now, when Raven padded her feet across the hall she started the coffee machine, and set her tea pot to boil, and waited for both as she meditated with the view of the large window in the living room. Before the coffee was even done he would be there, pulling their mugs from the cabinets. Neither of them felt the need to say something in the morning wake, and he always patiently sat as he waited for her meditation to be done. When she sat at the counter with him, handing her the mug of warm tea. Robin would always smile as he did so. Sometimes, Raven would walk into the living room, and find Robin was already there, starting the coffee machine, and placing the kettle on the stove. On those mornings Raven was sure to smile at him first before she began meditating.

She could never really pinpoint when their ritual began, she always remembered both of them being early risers, each addicted to their own form of warm awakening. Slowly, as the time passed closer to the waking hours of the rest of the team, the two would start whispered conversations. There was never anything too detailed, most of it would be on what the other had been reading, the newspaper, or calming stories. As the others awoke and ventured in to start breakfast, and begin their day, Robin and Raven would be calm and collected and ready to begin their day.

These small victories of progress for Raven felt amazing, it made life at the Tower so much more lively. She was becoming more of a companion, more than an onlooker. While their time together was growing shorter, Raven began to appreciate it more as well, as she looked around the breakfast table. Starfire humming loudly as she poked her food, Beast Boy and Cyborg scarfing down their food, and Robin watching over all of them from the rim of his cup of coffee.