"So, did you have fun whilst you were on Azarath?"

Raven's lips curved upward slightly, amused by her phrasing, "Uh… I don't know if fun would be the right word but… it was… nice."

As the two young women strolled through the hallway together, Starfire beamed down at her, "That is good." She paused, "Did you also go and see your mother?"

The emapth nodded to her best friend, "The object we were looking for was practically untraceable but… as I thought she might, Arella had an old book that spilled all the secrets about it."

Returning late the previous night, Beast Boy and Raven had made it known to Robin that they were back before they inevitably stumbled into bed, exhausted by their time on Raven's home world. They'd spent the rest of their time there doing things that were a lot calmer than fighting century old ghouls, such as viewing all the different areas of the city.

Raven had showed Beast Boy all the spots she used to love as a child; places where she would climb or fly to, where no one else could reach her and she would be left to herself, reading a good book with only the sound of chirping birds to keep her company.

They had spent time in the Merchant market, browsing around at edible delicacies as well as peeing at all the fine jewellery, crafted over the space of months; some of the items. Gar had even spotted a necklace that he deemed perfect for her; a thin silver chain with a small pendant in the shape of a raven, its wings spread wide so it could take itself anywhere it desired. It was a symbol of freedom; not having to be held back by any ties or expectations.

He had blushed and presented it to her whilst she'd been studying the cascading water of the centre fountain. Raven had been brushing her fingertips against the surface of the clear, cold water and letting all of her childhood memories flash through her mind.

Beast Boy had bounded over to her, explaining that he'd bought something.

She'd smiled and could have sworn her cheeks turned a pale pink at his thoughtfulness. He'd told her what the merchant had said about what the bird represented and he'd likened it to Raven herself; explaining she had broken free from what she always thought she was destined for.

Raven had softly kissed him then, thanking him and being genuinely flattered at his own spin on the symbolism of the raven pendant.

As she considered that particular day, her fingers reached up and she absentmindedly felt the necklace beneath the material of her uniform.

"I am glad you are both home and you are safe." Starfire admitted, hands clasped behind her back as they continued to walk together,

"Thanks Star." Raven replied, "Did much happen while we were away?"

The Princess shook her head, tendrils of auburn hair falling over her shoulder, "We dealt with 4 alerts… petty crimes that were nothing we could not handle."

"Just the 3 of you?"

Starfire smirked and cast Raven a sideward glance, "Bumblebee did assist us on 2 alerts, actually."

Raven's expression matched the Tamaranian's, "Oh? How interesting."

Giggling, Starfire nodded, "Indeed. She has been here more frequently in recent months, has she not?"

"She has."

The girls both smiled at the knowledge of Bumblebee being around more often, knowing that their brother was happy, "I am glad Cyborg has someone to make him happy, like we both have."

Raven nodded, "He was getting mopey before he started dating Bumblebee, that's for sure."

"Agreed." Starfire took a breath and rolled her shoulders back, "Otherwise, the last week has been… uneventful."

As they turned the corner, Starfire caught a flash of blue on Raven's forehead where she knew she usually saw red. She placed a hand on her friend's shoulder and stopped her from walking, her green eyes focused on the new stone.

"You have changed it?" Starfire's voice had a curious tone, stating a fact while simultaneously asking to know more,

Raven nodded, "This little stone was what we went to Azarath for."

"It is pretty. It matches your eyes and uniform." The Princess complimented,

Laughing quietly, Raven lifted her shoulders, "Thank you… but, it's not from a fashion point that I had to swap it."

"Oh?"

Raven's expression became hesitant, unsure of how to explain what the dumaji stone meant and did for her.

Starfire seemed to sense her inner conflict because the tall woman simply smiled and looped her arm with Raven's, "Please, you need not tell me if it is something you would rather not divulge, Raven."

In that moment, Raven decided that of all people she could talk to about the frustrations she had been feeling lately, it was Starfire that would understand the most. Raven tightened her arm around Starfire's and shook her head,

"No… it's not that… I haven't really talked about it to anyone."

"I understand."

Biting on her lip, Raven tugged at Starfire, prompting her to continue towards the kitchen, "It's called the dumaji stone and we went to Azarath to get it because… I needed help controlling my powers."

Starfire's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "But… you are the most disciplined person that I know in terms of controlling your abilities."

"Unless it's in certain situations… with a certain person…"

Raven swallowed and looked at her friend with an almost pleading expression, hoping she would make the connection. Starfire's eyes widened and she tilted her head slightly,

"You lose control around Beast Boy?" Starfire queried,

With a sigh, Raven nodded, "Recently… we've been struggling to become more… intimate with each other. Every time we've gotten a little further, my powers have just… made it impossible because of how closely they're tied to my emotions."

Starfire nodded, "And of course, you wish to take things further."

Trying hard to resist the blush from blooming in her cheeks, Raven ducked her head, "Well… yeah. We had sort of stagnated because of this problem and it was either… stay like that for as long as we're together or… do something about it."

The red headed alien smiled and her face completely softened, "I believe I would have made the same choice, Raven."

"I almost feel like I'm cheating my emotions with this stone."

"Whatever is necessary to make you feel more in control of yourself, I approve of."

Raven smiled briefly.

"So, does this mean your control is handled completely?"

"Sort of. I'll still be the one having to relax and use my powers based on my emotions but now… if my emotions are really heightened, the stone will stunt the explosiveness that usually comes with it."

"Ah… it centres you."

"It does."

Starfire leaned into her side, her long red hair draped over her shoulder as they moved, "I am most happy for you, Raven. Intimacy is such a wonderful part of a relationship."

"I'm still not going to be one for… making out in public or anything,"

The silver laugh poured from Starfire's throat and she shook her head, "Of course not. The stone will surely not change you as a person. Robin is much the same. He shows me lots of attention and affection when we are alone but this changes around you and the boys."

Raven nodded, "Beast Boy is similar to you in that aspect, I think."

A blanket of silence befell them for a few minutes as they turned into the stairwell of the tower, rather than taking the elevator down to the main common area. Starfire hummed quietly to herself but after a short while, she asked, "Do you and Beast Boy feel ready for that next step in your relationship?"

Raven felt her face burn, if only because the question caught her off guard. But, if anyone could get away with asking something like that, it was Starfire. She never asked personal questions to taunt or to make fun of anyone but merely to help someone vent what they weren't willing to admit aloud.

It was nice; having Starfire as a confidant in that way.

"I… think so." Raven paused, "I… we both want to… but not yet. We agreed we don't want to… jump into sex just because we can now. I'd prefer to let it happen, whenever it happens."

Starfire smiled, her eyes focused on the ground they walked upon, "I believe that is a good idea; to let it happen naturally."

Raven swallowed the lump in her throat and shifted her gaze to Starfire several times before she blurted, "Star? Can I ask you something?"

"Of course. I hide nothing from you, Raven."

The sorceress awkwardly scratched her neck with her free hand, wondering what the best way to word it would be.

"Have… you and Robin… done that, yet?" She voiced, surprised that she actually found a way to ask her question. Raven had had a feeling that the two of them were sexually active simply from the waves of emotions she had felt from their room at night but she wasn't one to enjoy making assumptions so she wanted to clear it up, since they were on the topic anyway.

Starfire's serene smile was telling as she turned to look at Raven, "We have." The Princess confirmed, "We took that step the night he proposed to me."

"Is it like everyone says? Is it worth all the hype?" Raven wondered, feeling at ease with only Starfire listening,

There was a mischievous glint in Starfire's emerald eyes as her smile widened, "Oh yes… it is… most rewarding."

Raven shook her head but smiled at her best friend's enthusiasm, "I have to be honest… I had a feeling you two were… sometimes at night, I can feel when you two are… getting closer to one another."

Starfire's eyebrows lifted in surprise, "Oh? Raven, I am very sorry if we-"

"No, no! Don't apologize, Starfire. It's not yours or Robin's fault. It can't be helped on account of being so close to both of you. And, it's nothing intruding, I swear. It's waves of emotions. Mostly, I feel euphoria and a… happiness from you and him."

Starfire smiled to herself, "I believe that is the case when sex is performed between two people who love one another."

Raven mirrored her smile, "I bet."

"But, I am sorry. It must be difficult to channel that out when you are trying to concentrate or relax."

"It's… manageable, honestly. But… I'm thinking that that will also calm down with the stone. I didn't feel anything last night when we got home but I imagine you two were sleeping when we came back-"

She stopped short at the cheeky smirk Starfire wore, alongside the tinge of red to her cheeks. Raven's eyes widened and she laughed, disbelievingly,

"You were-"

"Well…" Starfire trailed off, giggling,

"Wow and I didn't feel anything like I usually do from you two."

"It appears this stone you have obtained is most useful."

"Yeah… I guess it is…" Raven murmured to herself as they headed towards the doors leading into the main area.

As they walked, Raven churned over asking Starfire more questions that were burning to be free from her mind. It often took her a while to feel this comfortable with talking about these subjects and decided it would be better to speak up now, rather than later.

She slowed her steps until she halted completely.

"Raven?" Starfire asked, yanked back by the arm looped with Raven's still.

"As much as I want to do that with Gar…" She started, avoiding eye contact with the alien beauty, "I'm… nervous."

Starfire smiled in a slightly sympathetic manner, knowing exactly what would be going through Raven's mind as she mulled over this decision, day after day.

"I believe that is quite normal."

"Were you nervous?"

Swallowing the mountain in her throat, Starfire cast her eyes downwards and released Raven's arm to lace her fingers in front of herself, "Raven… you remember… I told you what happened to me during my time as a slave? Before the Titans?"

Raven finally looked at her, "Yes… of course but-" She stopped and her eyes turned sad, "Oh… right… I'm sorry, Starfire…."

She smiled and shook her head, the memories no longer ones that kept her awake at night, "Despite… already being broken… that first time with Robin was one of my most nervous experiences."

"Really?"

Starfire nodded, "Of course…" She paused and considered, "The first time is like that for everyone, I believe; no matter how close you are to someone. I trust Robin and I love him… more than anything. I know he would never hurt me or mistreat me in such an act however… you cannot help but feel your heart beat so fast you fear it may burst from your chest. It is a situation where you are as vulnerable as you will ever be with someone; naked in every sense of the word."

Raven suddenly felt a weight on her from that, "Oh…"

A soft hand touched her shoulder and she looked up into Starfire's smiling face, reassurance beginning to seep in, "But… afterwards… there is not a feeling like it. You are physically one and so much closer to one another than before. It reaffirms all you are to one another and it allows you both to feel a true comfort with each other that you would not have felt before. I… it is truly glorious."

The empath slowly smiled, "That… does sound pretty good."

"It is a feeling to be treasured, Raven. If you are nervous, that is okay but… it is more than worth it."

Raven rolled her eyes, "Ever the poetic romantic, you are."

Starfire giggled as they stepped up to the doors, waiting a second before they automatically opened. The two of them stepped over the threshold and surveyed the scene before them; one that was so very similar to every other morning in their home.

Beast Boy and Cyborg were perched on the edge of the sofa, leaning towards the big screen, controllers in hand as they mashed buttons and goaded each other in trying to overtake the other within their racing game.

Bumblebee sat on the side of Cyborg, cheering him on and yelling at the same kind of volume as the two boys whenever something climactic seemed to happen in their game.

Robin was sat at the table to the left, his back facing them as he looked over all the paperwork that was laid out before him. Starfire smiled and hovered by Raven's shoulder for a moment, "The right moment will present itself, Raven… and do not dwell too much… Beast Boy would never hurt you."

Raven's eyes drifted from Starfire's kind face to the back of Beast Boy's head and quirked a small smile, "I know… thanks, Starfire."

Giving her a brief and expected hug, Starfire nodded and turned away, lifting into the air and floating over to her boyfriend. She hovered behind him and gently placed her arms around his shoulders, causing him to look up and at her. A smile broke out across his face and he touched her chin, drawing her into a chaste kiss as a way of greeting her.

Smiling, Raven wondered for a fleeting moment what is must be like for Starfire or Beast Boy who can give affection as easily as breathing. She shook her head and walked over to the sofa, taking a seat beside her own boyfriend who looked utterly delighted by her presence.

"Good morning, beautiful." Dick murmured as Starfire let go of his shoulders and sat in the chair beside him,

"Greetings, otu n'anya."

He smiled and laced his fingers with hers upon the table top. Starfire turned her head and glanced at all of the papers in front of him with various designs of weaponry and uniform details. She clicked her tongue and gave him a concerned look,

"You are working too hard on these, my love."

Dick sighed and shrugged, "I'm so close to finalising things, Star." He told her, "Besides, I have another 2 weeks before Tim makes the switch to Robin… I need to get the uniforms and weapons created and shipped here before then."

She rolled her eyes at him, knowing she would never be able to dissuade him from it. But, she reasoned with herself that she would rather he be spending his time on creating a new persona than obsessing over criminals. Starfire simply preferred her lover to be more relaxed and happy, wherever possible.

"I could use a hand with some more planning though… if you don't mind?" He hoped, stroking his thumb against the hand he held,

There was that familiar bubble of warmth around her heart; the sense of feeling important enough to him to be included in his creations of Nightwing. Starfire had spent a lot of time helping him with all the little details of his uniform but now he had seemingly moved onto the weapons he wished to have be a part of Nightwing's artillery.

"Of course I do not mind." She paused and got to her feet, "Would you like a coffee?"

Dick closed his eyes and sighed, lifting her hand so that he could press a kiss to her fingers, "Best fiancée ever." He murmured,

She giggled and blew him a kiss as she moved away, his hand sliding from her hand to her lap and then brushing against her thigh as she stepped towards the kitchen, igniting a trail of fireworks against her skin. She shivered as she ambled towards the kitchen, making up a coffee for her beloved as well as grabbing a bottle of mustard for herself.

Dick examined all of the sheets of paper he had on the surface, trying to decide on a set of weapons; one for each pouch and compartment of his new uniform. The weapons had to be stronger than the ones he had now considering he was losing a bit of belt capacity with the redesign of his uniform. He was going for a half belt idea where there wouldn't be quite as many places to put things.

He knew what his main weapon of choice was going to be and there was a part of him that felt saddened that he was abandoning the bo-staff after so many years of using it. But, he wanted to test himself and try something new. It was after all, his chance to expand a little on what he could use.

Batman had been the one to make all the final decisions about the Robin uniform; decisions that counted anyway like the weapons he would carry.

Dick shook himself from his thoughts as Starfire set a mug of hot, steaming coffee down in front of him, as well as a delicious looking sandwich which urged his stomach to rumble.

His brows raised towards his hairline, "Oh?"

"I am likely correct in assuming that you have not eaten breakfast?" She surmised, taking a sip of mustard,

"Uh…" He stammered, rubbing the back of his head,

"Mhm… eat."

Not one to deny his fiery Princess, Dick grabbed the sandwich and took a big bite, swallowing it and marvelling at the splendid mix of taste. She really was improving with her Earth culinary skills; even if it was just a sandwich.

"This is really good, Star." He mumbled around his mouthful,

She bowed her head slightly, smirking at the way he looked with his cheeks full of food. He gulped down what he had in his mouth before he swallowed another two bites and drank a swig of coffee, sighing when it went down his throat,

His gaze fell to her left hand, wrapped around her bottle of mustard and he noticed something amiss,

'Where's your ring?'

Starfire looked down and then back at him, 'In my pocket'

He raised a single brow in question.

'Bumblebee is here and since the rest of the Titans network do not know of our engagement, I thought it would be best to not wear it.'

Dick nodded then, understanding where she was coming from.

"So… what are we working on today?" Starfire asked, scooting her chair closer to look over his designs alongside him,

He grinned at her use of "we" and pulled some of the design specifications closer to the edge of the table,

"Weapons, m'lovely."

Starfire's eyes scanned across the pages, flickering over every little note and detail listed, "Oh? You are not keeping the bo-staff?"

Dick shook his head, "I feel like I've outgrown it. I want something a bit different."

With that, he pointed to the page where he had a mock drawing and description of what he wished to replace it with as his main weapon. She narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips, as if thinking it over in her head before she smiled at him,

"I like that one. I think it will be an interesting weapon choice."

He pulled a teasing face at her, "Glad you approve."

Fingers brushing over the page with his uniform on it, Starfire focused in on the material listed at the side of it, "Do you intend to create the suit yourself?"

"Nope… I need to send these off to Alfred and he'll get them sorted for me and shipped here. He's done all of Bruce's uniforms and that man has gone through a lot of uniform variations through the years."

Starfire giggled, "I see."

"Then, the weapon designs will go off to a man named Lucius Fox. He's a friend of Bruce who made all of my Robin weaponry as well as Batman's gear. The two best of the best and it doesn't hurt that they're really fast at getting this stuff made up."

She nodded in understanding, "When do you plan to debut your new identity?"

He chewed on his bottom lip and leaned back in his chair, "Funny you should ask… I've been thinking about where and how to show off Nightwing and I think I have an idea…"

Starfire tilted her head and watched as he pushed his chair back, his elbow hanging over the back of his seat. He looked towards the four Titans on the sofa, "Hey guys? Can I talk to you for a second?"

Cyborg glanced over his shoulder and paused the game before he, alongside the girls and Beast Boy also swivelled around to look in his direction,

"What's up, Rob?" Cyborg asked,

"I think… we should have a Titan get together soon. We haven't had one in a while and-"

"PARTY!" Beast Boy and Cyborg hollered in unison,

Dick frowned at them, "No. Don't even think about it. I'm fine with having a little thing but don't blow this into something bigger, you two." He paused at seeing them exchange a smirk, "I mean it, guys. Nothing over the top."

"We won'ttt, Robin! You can trust us!" Beast Boy waved him off, winking at Cyborg who was already scrolling for party supplies on the built in computer in his arm,

Dick sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose whilst Starfire laughed and Raven smirked. Bumblebee crossed her arms over the back of the sofa and tilted her head,

"What's the occasion, Robin?" She wondered,

Shrugging, he acted indifferent, "We haven't had a get together in a while and there are just a few notices I probably need to tell the network about. Might as well kill two birds with one stone."

Bumblebee sat back and smiled, "All good with me. I love a party." She tilted her head back, "I'll let my team know."

"That'd be great. Thanks, Bee." Dick replied, "We'll do it… Friday? About two weeks from now?"

He faintly heard Beast Boy and Cyborg high fiving as he turned back to his table full of designs. He shook his head and glanced tiredly at Starfire, "Those two will be the death of me. I know it."

"They are like the puppies; you know they get excitable at the prospect of a party setting." Starfire pointed out, stroking her fingers through his hair,

'To debut Nightwing?'

'Mhm… I thought it would probably be the best way to know all of the Titans network knows.'

Starfire nodded, agreeing with him.

He smiled at her, inwardly planning on telling them all about Nightwing as well as planning on announcing his and Starfire's engagement. Dick watched her pick up a pencil and scribble a small note on one of his designs and got back to work; the designs needed to be finished and they weren't exactly going to plan themselves.

Author's Note: A short chapter compared to the last one but hey ho! Hope you like the story so far - Let me know your thoughts and feedback by commenting!

Thanks guys!

Now, I'm off to kill some freakers and play some Days Gone. ^.^