Apologies for the long time without an update. Thanks, as always, to my beta JT.
Also, just to clear up any confusion, the relationships here are Damian/Raven & Conner/Raven. Not a poly/multi thing.
Your relief is sorely misplaced, little bird. His survival is a gift to me - I will kill him myself.
Shut up!
Raven's eyes were closed, her forehead resting against the rough bark of the evergreen tree as she tried to banish Trigon's voice. Transporting the three of them to Nanda Parbat had taken more out of her than expected and she felt uncharacteristically weak.
And you will only grow weaker. The day will come you can no longer hold me.
No! Get used to your prison - you're not going anywhere.
Only a matter of time, Raven. Only a matter of time.
The voice was finally fading and she breathed a sigh of relief.
"Are you going to be alright?" A gloved hand laid lightly on her shoulder. She realized several minutes must have passed with her in this condition and felt mildly embarrassed.
"Yes," she forced out, pushing away from the tree and meeting Damian's gaze. Even with his mask on, she could feel the skepticism in his eyes. As ever, his concern quickened her heart rate.
"Let me help," he said, not waiting for an answer before pulling her arm over his shoulders and marching them both towards the building in the distance. Her face felt warm, but she leaned into him anyways, feeling taxed.
Conner fell into step beside them, bracketing Raven on her other side and tossing her an awkward grin. His emotions were still fraught, but it was a relief to see him acting more like himself. Then again, how well do either of us really know him?
The Kryptonian had gravitated to the more sociable Titans from the day he joined, rarely speaking to either of them outside of missions and always finding a way to infuriate Damian when he did. Raven generally tried to be kind to him, seeing through his flirtatious facade but being put-off by it all the same. She had felt true sympathy for Donna, who's interest in Conner was sincere and had sought out the empath to ask if her feelings were reciprocated. It had been a horribly uncomfortable conversation.
The two boys in her company were more alike than either would ever admit to. Both hid their truer selves beneath a thick layer of what they felt they were supposed to be. Damian, as she had told him so long ago, was a kind and generous soul who cloaked himself in anger and egotism. In Conner she sensed a deeply loyal and earnest nature, hidden beneath a capricious and vain mask. Defense mechanisms. More than anything, both of them were hungry for affection and harbored some serious daddy issues.
As they drew closer to the stronghold, it became obvious something was wrong. Bodies littered the ground near the main gate and the massive doors were wide open. Damian stiffened, and Raven tapped his shoulder lightly, letting him know it was okay to let her go. He obliged and drew his sword warily.
"Kent, do you see anyone alive inside?"
"None, there are a lot of bodies though," he responded after a quick scan.
Damian searched the skies above as they approached the gate, expression tense. A quick glance at the first corpse they came to told Raven there was no need.
"Paradooms didn't do this," she said quietly, gesturing to the knife buried hilt-deep in the dead man's throat.
Damian knelt to inspect the markings on the handle, "Mutiny," he said soberly, "You two stay close, we need to check for survivors."
There weren't any, Conner had already confirmed as much. Raven knew that Damian was already aware of that fact and that it would do no good to remind him. She simply nodded as he rose, shooting the clone a pointed look when it seemed he was about to object.
It had been a massacre, and it was clear the compound had been looted in the aftermath. Doors hung on broken hinges and wooden walls were deeply scored where golden filigree once adorned them. Raven had seen this place in Damian's memory when she healed him all those years ago, standing proud and opulent against the mountains. Seeing their childhood homes desecrated was now just one more thing they had in common.
Damian seemed to have a specific destination in mind as he guided them through the carnage. She detected anxiety behind his mental walls and barely had time to wonder about it before he rounded a corner and stopped dead. Raven peered over his shoulder to see why and couldn't stop a cry from escaping.
Oh, Titus.
Their sweet puppy had grown into a loving, loyal companion over the years and she knew how Damian treasured him. The sight of his bloody body was enough to drive the younger boy to his knees as he stared in mute shock. The dam around his emotions broke without warning and pain hit Raven full force. She could always feel Damian more strongly than anyone else.
She knelt beside him, trying to swallow her sobs, instinctively needing to provide comfort. His expression was blank, even as his sanity-breaking distress tore into a mind that was still a bit frayed from Conner's previous onslaught. These two are going to be the death of me.
She cupped Damian's face and pulled his mask off, staring directly into his jade eyes and pleading softly with him, unsure of what she was even saying as she willed him to stop hurting. His gaze was locked on hers, searching brokenly as he listened to her rambling entreaties with rapt attention. Azar, I can barely breathe. Please, please make it stop!
After a moment he inhaled sharply, snapping his eyes shut and pressing his forehead to hers. He grabbed her hands to pull them away from his face, holding them in a crushing grip as he took several deep breaths. She ignored the pain, watching him carefully and nearly crying in relief as she felt his emotions stabilize. Finally, Damian lifted his head and visibly steeled himself before turning back to Titus.
The canine's body was concealed beneath a large curtain, which Conner had apparently found during their little breakdown. He stood nearby, nervous concern reflected in his ice gray eyes.
"I...thank you, Kent," Damian said quietly as he fully regained composure and pulled them both to their feet.
Raven smiled shakily at the clone, hoping she looked as grateful as she felt. He returned it weakly before reaching out and laying a tentative hand on each of their shoulders.
"Gotta look out for each other...yeah?"
Damian tolerated the touch for only a brief moment before shrugging the hand away and approaching the body of an unmasked, red-clad woman near Titus.
"Lady Shiva. She was in command here. But without an Al Ghul to lead, a revolt was inevitable in the face of a global threat. I should have known," he explained bitterly.
He turned back to them, "We'll stay here awhile to rest and plan our next steps. We know for sure the paradooms haven't found this place and I don't expect any of the traitors to return."
Raven sighed in relief, she'd been dreading creating another portal for them.
"There's a barracks in the east wing. Go get some sleep, Raven. I can tell you're barely standing," he finished, tone softening.
"What about you?"
"I have bodies to bury."
"Let me-" Conner started.
"No. They're my people, I need to do it."
She knew better to argue with that stubborn tone, and apparently the Kryptonian did too. They shared a glance before turning to leave, Raven giving Damian a last lingering look.
They made their way to the east wing in relative silence, and she gratefully accepted Conner's support when he held his arm out to her. The empath felt weaker than she could ever remember, both her body and mind completely tapped after everything she'd been subjected to. Had it really been only a day since the world went to hell? She blinked to clear her head and picked up a new emotion from her companion.
"You have nothing to feel guilty about, Conner."
He glanced down at her in surprise, and she couldn't help but smile at the sheepish expression on his face.
He swallowed and looked away, the corner of his mouth drawing down into a light frown.
"Gotta be hard - feeling what everyone else does," he muttered.
"It can be."
"I bet you wish you didn't have that power now - end of the world and all that," he said, and she could tell he was thinking of the breakdowns she'd weathered with both of them.
"You lose that bet. My empathic ability is more important now than ever," she replied, "I need it to take care of you and Damian."
Conner said nothing more as they reached their destination and discovered a spacious room filled with cots. A few of the shoji screens were slashed, but the space was by and large untouched and miraculously corpse free.
Sighing, she kicked off her boots and carelessly threw her cloak on the ground before collapsing onto the nearest cot with a groan.
"I didn't bury them," Conner whispered.
She cracked open an eye to see him sitting on the cot nearest to her, head in his hands. The guilt in his aura had returned tenfold.
"Lois, Ma and Pa. I just left them there. I could barely even look at them. Damian's stronger than I am."
"Don't go telling him that, his ego's big enough as it is," she replied with a weary smile, "They loved you, Kon-El. And if they had seen how hard you fought today, how you helped Damian and I, they would be so proud. They'd tell you that you're exactly where you need to be."
Conner closed his eyes and laid back, finally seeming to let some of the tension leave his body. Satisfied he'd be alright, she closed her eyes again and instantly began to doze.
"Who takes care of you, Rae?" his voice was so quiet she wasn't sure if he meant for her to hear him.
She huffed, "I can take care of myself."
The next morning found Raven meditating over her cot, feeling physically if not emotionally rejuvenated.
Trigon's hatred was burning behind her wards, but they were keeping him silent for now. Raven took the opportunity to thicken the barriers and bolster his chains, his threats from the previous day still at the fore of her mind. It was long, arduous work, but worth the added sense of security. Nearly an hour passed before a voice pulled her back to the physical plane.
"Mind if I hang out here? Damian threatened to behead me if I keep bugging him."
She smirked and opened her eyes, "That sounds like him. Suit yourself, but I'm not the best company while I'm meditating."
"Oh. Can I meditate with you?"
She eyed him curiously, "Sure? Never would have pegged you as the type for it, though."
"I'm...not," he admitted, "But I'm…"
"Bored?" she offered.
"Yeah, that," he tossed her a lopsided grin, "Also, I could do with some relaxing."
She rolled her eyes and smiled, "Alright."
She ran him through the basic form and breathing exercises, holding in a chuckle when he mimicked her levitating rather than sitting on his cot. Once he was situated, she closed her eyes and resumed her own meditation, slipping easily back into tranquility.
Azarath. Metrion. Zinthos.
Azarath. Metrion. Zinthos.
Azarath. Metrion. Zinthos.
"Am I doing it right?"
"Less talking," she said with a small smile, "Other than that, not bad."
"Right. No talking or thinking. Just kinda float here...and breathe…" he trailed.
"Let me guess, still bored?" she asked.
"...Maybe a little."
Oh well, it had been a productive enough session for her. She cast her power out to check on Damian - his grief was still weighing heavily, but he was calm and in control. Satisfied, she unfolded and let herself fall onto the thin mattress beneath her.
"Alright, you have my full attention. What would you like to do?"
He flopped down as well, pointedly looking away from her before speaking.
"Rae?"
"Hm?"
"Sorry for always being such a dirtbag to you."
Where did that come from? "It's fine. I know you were just playing around." Conner's flirty tendencies were quite literally the least of her problems. Still, she could sense his sincerity and felt oddly touched by the apology.
He muttered something to himself that sounded like deja vu, but she didn't press him. Usually when Conner was being awkward he was completely oblivious to it, so this was a fun change of pace.
He fidgeted more, raising his eyes tentatively and scowling lightly at her bemused expression.
"What?" he asked defensively.
"Nothing," she said lightly, "Just never seen you so uncomfortable."
"Heh. Maybe I just have a weakness for pretty girls," he said slyly, recovering his composure.
She raised an eyebrow.
"...I'm doing it again. My bad."
She tossed him her normal half-smile and rolled her eyes. "We'll have to get you a new defense mechanism. Anyways, let's have a look around and see if we can find anything useful."
Her perked up, "Sweet! Let's bounce."
"We'll have to get you some new slang as well."
He laughed at that, the sound foreign and out-of-place after all the horrors they'd endured. Nonetheless, she was grateful for it.
Always rooftops, she reflected, stalking daintily along the beam towards his seated form.
"I hear Conner was driving you crazy today," she said, settling down carefully next to him.
"Just today?" he scoffed, staring absently at the night sky.
Raven smiled, but it felt forced. Damian was still a storm of emotions and as worried as she was, she wondered if he would have been better left alone for now. But she'd already stayed away as long as she could. She bit her lip and took a deep breath before she began to speak.
"When Azarath was destroyed, my father made me walk the ruins alone for days before he brought me to his own dimension. He wanted me to appreciate my work. By the time he was satisfied, both my feet were bloody and all the corpses were rotted," she paused, sensing his eyes on her profile, "I'm not telling you this because I want pity, or like it's some kind of contest. I'm telling you because at that time, I wanted nothing more than to leave and never look back. I could never have stayed there and walked among them willingly," she turned and caught his eyes, "You're something else, you know that?"
His expression was neutral, but she knew him well enough to spot the appreciation in his emerald orbs. Raven considered telling him what Conner had confided to her as well, but opted against it. As much as she wanted to bolster him, it wasn't her pain to share.
"You were just a child," Damian said, finally breaking their gaze and looking back upwards.
"Technically, we still are."
"Tt. Arbitrary."
She smiled again. "Whatever our age, you've always been something else."
His affection pressed against her and she suppressed a blush, feeling as though she'd been a bit too forward given how raw his emotions still were.
"You should go get some rest," he told her, "...and thank you."
She nodded, as much as she hated to leave him alone.
"Goodnight, Damian."
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