So…. it's been three years, lots of stuff has happened in that time. I got into other fandoms, been writing quite a bit for those, pretty much abandoned ff for ao3 because frankly, the lay-out and tagging system is miles better than the one here, started my first year of college just a couple of months ago, and I've been focused on my own half-demon baby that I've been trying to write a full story on for a while now (his name is Seth and I love him)
BUT I promised 52 more of these and while I'm very much late, I intend to keep that promise. I lost the document with the word prompts so I'll just be thinking of prompts myself (starting with a request one of you made! - yes, I still read the comments), and updates will probably be slow as hell but hey,
I'm gonna finish this no matter what. Also I feel like my writing's improved a fuck ton over the years and even if I am a little rusty at this fandom, let's go!
SO, without further adieu, a continuation of chapter 22!
Her hair had grown out over the years.
It'd grown thicker, the short, soft purple strands he'd loved so much in the past now cascading past her shoulders and halting at her lower back. If he had to compare, he'd say it was slightly shorter than Starfire's.
Now Nightwing wouldn't lie. The first time he spotted her weaving through the busy streets of Gotham's night life he'd had a hard time recognizing her with her new haircut, casual aura and the lack of her ever-present blue cloak. It'd been so long since they'd last seen each other, after all.
But then he managed to catch a glimpse of her eyes; a set of big, mysterious amethyst eyes that had unfortunately managed to draw him in from day one, a set of eyes that, against his better judgement, had caused him to break down all of his own defenses and allow them to probe into the deepest and darkest crevices of his very own mind. A set of eyes that could've only belonged to the sole person he'd left his heart with before proceeding to break her own.
Raven.
With a much too sharp intake of breath and a hurried attempt not to drop his escrima sticks and embarrass himself, Nightwing slipped back into the rooftop's shadows just when she turned to look up, her demonic heritage likely alerting her to the fact that she wasn't alone. He stayed deadly silent, not oblivious to the fact that his 'playing dead' was the thing that had forced them apart in the first place but really, he hadn't had much of a choice at the time and as much as it still had his blood boiling, he couldn't deny the less than favorable decision had been the best one to make in the long run. All of the former Titans were still alive and kicking, after all.
Well, minus him, at least.
Purple eyes locked in on his current hiding spot, narrowing into thin slits at finding nothing but turning to cross the street regardless, likely not deeming it important enough to make work of. She did walk with a bit more force in her step though, and if Nightwing looked closer, he could spot the slightest flickers of black energy covering her balled fists.
Nightwing almost smiled. Classic Raven; unbothered, but alert.
She turned the corner, and Nightwing wasn't the proudest to admit he was pretty much stalking her as he followed, but really, could anyone blame him? And even if the answer was a very solid yes, he honestly couldn't help himself. Here was Raven, the former love of his life, the one woman who knew more about him than should have been allowed in the first place, the one person that had damn near leveled half a city after hearing of his supposed 'death'. He- he hadn't seen her in practically a decade, having kept himself on a very stern lifestyle that involved not seeking contact or information of any of his former team members, Raven included. A lifestyle that he'd asked Bruce to enforce because, despite all of his strengths, even at such a young age Nightwing had been aware he was pretty weak when it came to his team.
Yet here she was, very mature and very real, in Gotham, of all places.
As much as he tried, the former boy wonder couldn't contain his curiosity. A fatal flaw, if you will.
With as much stealth as had been rammed into him ever since the tender age of ten, Nightwing followed after her, stopping dead in his tracks at finding the street she'd just walked into eerily empty. Gotham never slept, the city so rotten and corrupt there would always, always be something to find, especially during night time. Be it an underhand drug deal or even a couple of lowly thugs stealing car tires, every street in Gotham city was occupied one way or another. It was one of the sole reasons Bruce had left each of them with their very own part of the city to patrol, even when Nightwing was technically only visiting from his usual position in Blüdhaven.
But no, crime never slept, so neither did they, a motto that was made very clear considering that, while Nightwing was patrolling the west coast of the city, Batman himself was up north while their newest Robin was causing hell down south with that disturbingly sharp katana of his. East had been left to the little monster's predecessor, a certain Red Robin that was still very cranky about the fact he'd been forced to come up with a new name and costume on such short notice because of Damian's arrival.
So seeing one of Gotham's most happening streets suddenly so abandoned and quiet, especially when the one person that should be there had disappeared without a trace was...unnatural, to say the least.
Where the hell had she gone?
"So...am I safe to assume that you're the one that's been stalking me?"
Nightwing's heart stopped, breath catching in his throat and he turned around much faster than should've been possible, mentally cursing himself for his complete lack of professionalism in that moment. He hadn't been aware of his surroundings, had left himself with a one-track mind and completely vulnerable because of it. Had she been hostile, he could've been dead.
Raven was hovering behind him, arms folded over her chest in a way that seemed both defensive and threatening, her stare an icy cold that, oddly enough, had Nightwing feeling nostalgic upon sight.
Her eyes widened a bit when she caught sight of his face though, recognition likely hitting her like a fire truck but just as quickly as the slight shift in emotion came; it disappeared again. Her crossed arms tightened over her chest, and all of a sudden, her icy stare seemed a lot more hostile.
"I had a feeling it was you," she said evenly, voice a familiar monotone that in no way betrayed any of the current anger she was undoubtedly feeling. "Back from the dead, are you, Robin?"
Nightwing almost flinched back. There was something accusing in the way she said his former name, something that made him feel highly uncomfortable.
"Not Robin anymore, Rae."
Raven, on the other hand, didn't seem fazed in the slightest. "Clearly."
She didn't move, didn't do anything other than stone him with her stare. She stayed in the exact same position he had found her in and there was something, just something about this cool, chilly type of anger she carried with her, a type of livid that he found to be much, much worse than if she had just let all of her inner demons free upon catching sight of him. Rage he could handle, he'd seen the red-cloaked emotion in action before but this...this was different.
He sighed, unable to hold her gaze. "Raven-"
"Ten years."
He swallowed. "I know."
"Ten years of making me- making us believe you were dead." She circled him, floating around him with slow, deliberate strikes, almost as if she was examining him, or purposefully making him feel small. Maybe a bit of both. "What about poor Alfred? Does he know?"
Nightwing didn't know whether she was trying to act on her demonic nature, but as of right now, her words were only intended to sting. "No."
For a second there, Raven's second set of eyes flashed, a low growl rumbling in her throat. "So even-!" She cut herself off, seeming to think better of her actions and stopping mid-flight. Raven closed her eyes, taking slow, deep breaths and likely repeating her treasured mantra in her head. The next time she spoke, it was with the usual lack of emotion. "So even Alfred wasn't spared, huh?"
Nightwing gritted his teeth, grip on his weapons tightening. "I didn't really have a choice, okay?"
"I'm aware." The sound of twin taps lightly hitting the concrete behind him rang in his ears, and when he turned around, Raven was still staring at him, but her posture seemed a lot more relaxed. She wasn't hovering anymore, and her hands were at her sides instead of crossed over her chest, but her face was still impassive; a porcelain mask much different from her own. Nightwing could see it clearly; still defensive, but less hostile.
"You know, Beast Boy was the first to find out you weren't actually dead." She informed casually, narrowed eyes taking in his every reaction, his every move. "Poor kid had trust issues for a long time after that, took us a little while to get him back to his annoying self.
"Starfire, on the other hand, was absolutely devastated, even more than when she thought you were dead. And Cyborg pretty much hated your guts for a while," she paused, large eyes blinking upwards as she rethought that last part. "Well, he still isn't very fond of you, actually, but he's not inclined to blast you to pieces upon sight anymore, at least."
Nightwing flinched. He'd expected the reactions, yes, and he'd expected the resentment, it was only natural after what he'd forced them through but...it still hurt to have it confirmed like that. The Titans were family as much as his brothers and Bruce were; Nightwing had loved them just as much and had been ready to give up his life for them just as easily. And in a sense, he had, but faking his own death and leaving said family behind without so much as a word was bound to leave some scars in its wake.
"And…" he almost didn't want to ask, but something inside of him told him he had to. "And what about you?"
"If you recall, I'm not allowed to feel anything, Boy Blunder." She crossed her arms again, this time walking back and forth with slow, careful steps, attention focused solely on the concrete beneath her feet. It was almost as if she were bored, feet kicking up high with every step she took.
"That's bullshit, Raven, you know that."
Raven scoffed. "Yes, well, you lied to us, so why can't I?"
"You're mad," the sigh came out defeated, his earlier frown dissipating.
"Very."
"Listen, Raven, I really didn't have any other choice. I know that's kind of a lame excuse but Ra's would have killed you- all of you. Having him believe I was dead really was the only way to-"
"And in what way," she cut in sharply, her monotone much harder, much rougher. "would Ra's Al Ghul compare to Trigon?"
"You can't compare them, Raven. Trigon would be worse in theory, yes, but Ra's has an entire cult at his disposal. You don't know just what he's capable of."
"I think I know enough, Robin." Nightwing flinched again, finally realizing why her saying that name made him feel so uncomfortable. It was because she was refusing to say anything else. He was Nightwing now, and back before he'd almost died, he'd been Dick, their relationship intimate enough for her to feel comfortable calling him by his actual name. Right now she was only referring to him as 'Robin', as the guy he'd introduced himself as during their first meeting, as the guy she barely knew.
It was like they were back at square one.
Really, she wasn't giving him much to work with.
"Nothing I say will make any of this better, Raven," he finally conceded, his grip on his sticks impossibly tight. Nightwing initially looked away from her before forcing himself to look back because she deserved at least that much. "I won't blame you for being angry, I'm actually surprised you're willing to talk to me right now but...I really can't make this any better, and I'm sorry."
"I know that," she said finally, after minutes of what felt like agonizing silence to him. Nightwing used to love her silence, relish in it, even. Raven's signature silence was often like a breath of fresh air between all the chaos of the tower, but right now, it only seemed deafening. "And I'm not ready to forgive you...yet."
He looked up, surprised to see her standing a lot closer than before. Her eyes had softened a bit- just a little, but enough for him to catch the difference. "But I'm willing to give you a chance."
"What-"
Raven walked backwards off the roof, her feet levitating off the concrete before she could take the fall. "I was heading over to Beast Boy's place before you showed up, he went and settled into Gotham a little while ago- although I get the feeling you were already aware of that."
Nightwing almost blushed. He actually had been aware of that.
"Cy and Star should be there too," she continued, floating just a little bit backwards. "So...are you coming?"
And even after everything, after all the guilt, after ten years of radio silence, Nightwing couldn't bring it in himself to say no.
"Lead the way."
