It's been a very long time, I apologize if the story's not edited but thanks to a friend I finally got off my ass and wrote something, this will be a three chapter story since in the fic trade, my friend wrote about six thousand words. I hope you all like it, I'm eager to be back and write more.
Richard Grayson was surprised to find Tara Markov on the roof of the Titan's West tower, smoking a cigarette in her right hand, her goggles held firmly in her right as she looked down at them with a painful expression on her face, slowly stroking the dirty left lens with her thumb.
He didn't speak a word and honestly he didn't even know if she was aware of his presence as she looked lost in thought but of what he couldn't be sure unless he asked her.
Crossing his arms over his chest he regarded her face as a single tear rolled down her right eye, he was tempted to walk up and...what?
Brush the tear away? Hug her? Hold her in his arms as she wept and spilled all her pain and tragedy unto him like they were lovers?
No, what the teenage girl was going through was no doubt something he could not possibly comprehend.
They all had dark times in their lives but some things simply had to be dealt with alone as cold as that seemed.
"Never took you for a smoker." Were the very first words that came out of his mouth and he wanted to kick himself for how disgusted it sounded but he nearly breathed a sigh of relief when all she did was let out a small chuckle.
She looked up from her goggles, her normally warm and energetic sapphire blue eyes looking into his own ocean blue with an unnerving coldness to them as she gave him a half hearted smile.
"What can I say, Richie? Jinx tends to be a bad influence on me, when she is not wrapped around Victor's metallic dick." She giggled as he winced at the mere thought alone before shaking his head in defeat as the silence carried on with a pregnant pause.
"You want to talk about, Princess Markov?" He probed as he swore she snarled at him for a fraction of a second before she did nothing more than give a heavy, exhausted sigh.
"You know I hate being tied to my kingdom, Richard. I left for a reason, I don't need to bring up the past. Bad enough my brother won't answer my calls, even with the Justice League's help." She muttered as she gave one last glance at her goggles and stuffed them into her blue short jeans.
"I-I'm sorry Terra, I meant the title as a joke, I didn't intend to-"
"You can shut the fuck up now, Traffic Light. It's fine...I get it." She scoffed as he wished for once he wore his mask like he always did before showing his eyes to his team, three years ago.
But it couldn't be helped as he curled his fingers and looked away towards the ocean spread out around them like a sea green colored jewel, he noticed that the sun was setting and it would soon be nightfall making him breathe the crisp, autumn air into his lungs with more confidence then he normally had when talking about more serious issues.
"You're having nightmares again, aren't you? About Slade Wilson and what he did to us...what we did for him." He asked as she nearly froze, the expression on her face one of terror before it quickly morphed into anger.
"It's been three years, Boy Wonder. Three fucking years and I still can't get him out of my head. The lives I took, families I tore apart, friendships I broke and for what...tell me, Richard!" She screamed as she looked him in the eyes, the rage on her face was one he had not seen for a long time since she regained her memories, powers and life as a Titan after being revived.
He didn't have an answer to her question, whether it was because even in his days as Red X he never took a life, or hurting his friends in the worst possible way in order to save them.
Nothing he could say would fix the horrors she had done and they both knew it but the real reason he could not answer her was simply because...he was not her.
"The things we have done working under him, it would have broken another person. Their mind, body and soul until they are a husk of the person they once were. But we're stronger, Terra and you know it. Even if you never forgive yourself or think your sins will be gone, even if the blood on your hands will always be stained, you have us...you have me." He spoke sincerely as he looked her in the eyes, never once breaking contact not even to blink.
He could do nothing more than blink and breath as he awaited her response with fear that should have made his heart stop.
She did nothing more than lift up her hand and take another drag of her nicotine and slowly dropped it, exhaling the gray smoke out in a cloud that made him want to wave it away while his heart beat rapidly in his chest.
"You want a damsel in distress, go to Starfire. I'm not the type of girl who needs saving, Dick." She spat with annoyance as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"Kori has Garfield. She doesn't need me anymore. My intention was not to save you, Terra but to listen, talk to you and maybe one day, ease your burden." He pleaded softly as she turned her head to the shimmering sea before them.
"I'm not worth saving." She whispered in a way that he barely heard as he finally took action and slowly walked towards her until they were inches apart.
"You are to me." He whispered as she could do nothing more than give a small smile before slowly leaning forward and kissing him on his left cheek before stepping back.
"Don't let the tomboy nature fool you, Richie. I can get pretty girly when I want." She boosted as he laughed before holding a hand up to her as she glanced down before swiftly looking back up.
She took one last drag of her cigarette and blew it out the side of her mouth before flicking the butt off the roof as she took his hand and they walked together towards the exit of the roof, Terra taking the initiative to intertwine their fingers and telling her friend soon to be more a joke to pass the time.
His laughter being heard among the wind as the discarded cigarette dropped into the icy waters below, along with the Stone Titan's harsh memories.