~RavensMind~

Time Apart

Time had changed a lot of things: her friends, her control, and her emotions. When Raven and her friends decided that Jump City no longer needed the Titans, they went their separate ways. Nothing drove them apart, they were still great friends - it was just time to move on from the city that now thrived without them. Older and more ambitious, they all decided to do their own thing.

After a string of fights with various supervillains, Cyborg managed to impress the Justice League, and was presently working with them wherever he was needed. He still manages to track down Beast Boy for the odd arcade visit.

Not that it was hard to track down Beast Boy, who found himself in the spotlight, starring in the kinds of movies and shows he used to binge watch on the Titans couch. Of course, he still fought crime on the side, but with a new team.

Starfire had briefly returned to Tamaran, until she became homesick for Earth. She helped the Titans East for a while, as their city had more criminals than before. Her friendly attitude was as bubbly as ever and she kept in touch with everyone as often as she could.

Ever the determined fighter, Robin found a new crime infested city that desperately needed help: Bludhaven. He now went by Nightwing, his new alter ego, with a new suit and fresh scars to go with it. He had little contact with his friends, aside from phone calls, and got an occasional visit from his mentor.

Only Raven hadn't found a new calling. She traveled for a while, not planning on fighting again, but she still found the odd criminal who wanted to pick a fight. A few wounds too many suggested that she should find a secure place to settle. The Justice League still didn't want anything to do with her and wasn't exactly jumping to join Starfire or Beast Boy's teams. Robin was the first call she made, the first time she'd reached out to any of her friends in two years.

His voice alone made her realize how long it had been since she'd been away from people who knew her, who missed her. He was relieved to hear from her, as he had reached out to try and find her after a few months went by with no word. They had all promised to check in regularly and she hadn't. The concern in his voice made her feel guilty. It took a lot of convincing before she agreed to stay with him. She hated the rudderless feeling she'd been having lately, and he was always good at giving her a direction, but she wasn't sure she could face him.

The one thing he didn't mention in that call was their last interaction before she left. He had begged her to go with him, pouring his heart out, as he'd never let the others know how he really felt about the team dispersing. She would have agreed if he hadn't suddenly kissed her and started telling her how much she meant to him.

It was too much. Her emotions couldn't handle it. Her powers blasted a hole in the side of the tower and she told him she couldn't do it. She promised to call after she had some time to process. She hadn't. Now it seemed like the feelings he'd stirred had been chasing her the whole time.

So, here Raven stood, a week later, outside Nightwing's apartment, in dark jeans, a black tank top, and her violet hair in a ponytail. She didn't want to draw attention to him, so she did the best she could to blend in with the crowd. The gem that was normally afixed on her forehead was in her pocket. She had two large suitcases next to her, which had been a pain to get in the building without levitating them.

She had no idea what she was going to say to him when he opened the door. She hoped he'd yell at her, scold her, anything that would give her a reason to leave. She wanted to be here, but she didn't know if she was prepared for it.

The door opened and she almost second guessed whether or not she had the right apartment. He had changed so much since she'd last seen him - the spiky gelled hair was gone, now his black hair hung about his face, she now had to slightly look up to meet his blue eyes, his frame was larger, and his features made him more handsome than she'd recalled. Their bond was still there, though, stronger than ever. He seemed just as taken aback by her appearance as well. They stood like that for what felt like days before she opened her mouth.

"Hi," Raven said simply.

"Hey. Never thought I'd catch you with a ponytail, or casual clothes," Nightwing observed.

"It's strictly for your benefit. Doubt you need the attention. And here I thought your hair gel was sacred," Raven said.

"I've changed quite a bit since you've been gone," he said.

"So I see, you look…nice. Your looks may have changed, but little beyond that,"she said

"Surprised?" he asked.

"No. If not for our bond, I might've been...You wanted to kiss me when you opened the door," she replied.

The brief pause following her statement all but confirmed her words to be true. He scratched the back of his neck and coughed.

"Used to be good at hiding thoughts from you," he said.

"You're out of practice, It's been a while," she said.

"It has," he said, an accusation in his tone.

"Find the place okay?" he asked, changing the subject.

"For the most part, I almost went into the building next door," she replied.

"Hah, yeah, that happens. These apartment buildings all look the same," he said, "pizza guys say the same thing."

"Well… I'm sorry I don't have a pizza," she said, trying an awkward joke to ease the tension she felt.

"No, don't be silly, you're the best thing to show up at my door since I moved in," he said.

"I doubt that."

"You'd be surprised," he said with a smirk, "so...you wanna come in and-oh, want some help with your stuff?"

"Yes, please."

Once they had gotten her stuff inside and the door was closed, he swiftly pulled her into a warm embrace and held her tight. She then felt a mental dam break through their bond as his emotions met hers again. She found herself desperately returning the embrace, as if she had been wandering a desert for the past two years and finally found civilization.

"I missed you," he said into her ear, "I never thought I'd see you again."

"Ridiculous. Who's going to fix your arm every time you break it?" she said back, and after he laughed, she continued, "I missed you too."

"I'm sorry for what happened last time, I didn't mean for it all to come out. I shouldn't have handled it that way," he said.

"You have nothing to be sorry for. I'm the moron who ran away for two years. You didn't deserve that," she said.

"Things are different now, but I still feel the same about you. I'm not going to pressure you at all," he said.

"Thank you. I...I'm so sorry for leaving like that. I've never been good with that much emotion."

"I understand, but, hey, we don't have to go through everything right now. You hungry? We could get some food, or if you want to unpack, I can help, or-."

Nightwing's smartphone went off in his pocket and he reluctantly let go of Raven and fished it out, checking the screen before answering it, mouthing 'Sorry' to her, then turning away to speak into the phone. She took the opportunity to look around his place, it wasn't a dump, but not as lavish as she thought it might be, given his personal ties to Batman and the Wayne family.

She walked down a few steps out of the entryway into the living room. To her right was a large screen TV was mounted on the wall, a dark leather couch facing it with a mahogany coffee table in between. Ahead of her, a big stereo system was set up beneath a window that looked out over the sea. A filled bookshelf and desk with a laptop sat against the wall to her left. There weren't many pictures on the walls, just a few of him with Bruce and some friends.

The kitchen was off to the right of the TV, not in any way separated from the living space, complete with every standard appliance. She noted the espresso machine beside what looked to be a brand new electric kettle. She guessed he had taken her morning routine into account and wanted to be sure she had that. Her eyes drifted across the small mahogany kitchen table and a few chairs back across the living room to an open door set just to the left of the TV, then glanced at Nightwing. He was still talking on the phone and had his back to her, she caught bits of his conversation and it sounded like he was talking to a coworker. She realized she hadn't asked what he was doing outside of fighting crime.

Deciding to chance a look, she crossed the room and through the door. A double bed was set against the wall to her left, a nightstand on one side. In front of her were two double sliding doors that seemed to indicate a closet. Everything looked tidy, which didn't surprise her, he kept things ordered in the tower as well, frequently insisting she shouldn't leave her mugs on the counter. A set of weights and bench were to the right of the closet in the corner along with a treadmill. To its right on the wall opposite the bed was a partially open sliding door to the bathroom. She could only see part of the counter and a walk in shower from where she stood.

She turned and nearly bumped into a twin bed against the wall that seemed out of place. Maybe someone had stayed with him before? A nightstand was behind the headboard against the wall, next to the bathroom door. It took her a few seconds before she guessed that, along with the kettle, this was something he had gotten for her. She hadn't said she would be staying long and was alright sleeping on the couch, but he had done this all the same. Very thoughtful. She returned to the living room and caught the end of his phone conversation.

"-not a problem. I'll check and see if he has an alibi first, just be ready to pay up when I'm right…. Yep, same place. See you then," Nightwing said with a laugh, before he hung up.

He put his phone back in the pocket of his dark blue jeans and joined her in the living room. They stood for a few moments in silence before he said anything else.

"Sorry about that, new case, it's been tough to get any leads," he said.

"It's okay. So, you're a cop now?" she asked.

"Yeah, couldn't rely on our old ways of finding information. There's only one of me and I can't exactly be anywhere in a flash. Didn't want to rely on secondhand info from the cops, either," he replied.

"Smart. Are you liking the job?" she asked.

"For the most part, keeps me busy, helps me out," he replied.

"I'm glad," she said.

They both fell silent again. She wasn't sure how to act after their earlier conversation. She knew how he felt, but couldn't give him an idea of her feelings because, ultimately, the idea of exploring it scared her.

"Do you like my place?" he asked.

"Yeah, it's nice. Is the kettle for me?" she asked.

"Yeah, I know you can't live without your tea," he replied.

"The twin bed as well?" she asked.

"Yep. I hope it's comfortable enough for you," he replied.

"Guess I'll find out later. Thank you, you didn't have to do that for me," she said.

"It's no problem. Wasn't sure if you were planning on staying or what, but I figured a spare bed will come in handy either way," he said.

"True, still I appreciate it."

"You're welcome. So, are you hungry or not? I'm kinda starving."

"Yeah, I haven't had much to eat today."

"Pizza sound good?"

"Like I'd get you to want anything else when you're this hungry, yeah it sounds good."

"Haha, right!"

They settled in and continued their small talk as they waited for their pizza to arrive, with Raven all but briefing Nightwing on her time away. She traveled around the world, visiting places she'd only read about. Most of her time was spent in Europe and Asia, though she did manage a trip to Egypt and another to Australia. Immersing herself in different cultures had broadened her horizons and she had more than a few stories to tell. Her travels had to come to end, as her share of money they had gotten as part of the sale of Titans Tower to the Justice League finally ran out. Part of the reason she had come was because she didn't have anywhere to go and no job. He assured her that she could stay as long as she wanted.

During dinner, he went over how things had gone for him since they'd last seen each other. He returned to Gotham for a time, agonizing once more under the strict, calculating eye of Batman, until he figured out his next step. During a case involving the tiny, sad excuse for a gang leader, Penguin, he had learned of Bludhaven's criminal underworld. Batman was busy enough with Gotham and he didn't want to deal with the cold, old mentor any longer. Alfred had helped him coordinate the funds and move to the new city, calling in a few favors to have the apartment building 'renovated' for his needs. He'd made a few consistent enemies as he slowly drained the silo of criminal filth from the city. He'd gone through the training to be a cop, making the force in record time, thanks to a few more favors and the skills he'd already honed.

He described a few run-ins he'd had with a few other criminals that went south, saying they gave him a few cuts and he had to stitch his own wounds. As he went on, she began to realize just how deep in things he was here, and the extent to which he was going to fight these new criminals. Well, they were new to her. He mentioned a few of his more severe injuries he'd had over the past few months.

"Wait, so you've been patching yourself up?" Raven asked.

"For the most part, yeah. Don't have time for hospital trips and it'd look bad if I was getting bullets pulled out of me during my off hours regularly," Nightwing replied.

"Any recent injury? I could look at it," she offered.

"It's nothing I can't deal with," he said.

"Stubborn as ever. I'll check it out for you," she said.

"But Rae-," he started.

"Just tell me what the problem is."

"Banged up my shoulder a few nights ago, thought I set it right, or it'd get better, but it still hurts...a lot."

"Then I'll heal it, come lay down on the couch."

"Can't it wait till we finish eating?"

"Now," she said firmly.

With a sigh, he set down a piece of pizza he was about to bite into and followed her over to his couch. Laying down, he indicated which shoulder hurt and the familiar blue aura surrounded her hand, which she set on his shoulder. The pain would gradually ebb away as she focused her power. It was soothing, but occasionally he'd feel a spike in pain that interrupted the feeling, which was normal for her healing magic. Looking up at her, he was still jarred by the ponytail, it was so unlike her, yet it worked to her benefit, both to confuse those who might recognize her otherwise, and for her looks. She'd only gotten more attractive in his eyes. They were no longer the same height, yet she'd grown as well. He wouldn't call her drop-dead gorgeous where everyone would stare after her, it was a subtle beauty that accented her dark style and elegant, lithe features. Models were commercial in looks, cemented as a standard, she was art in its subtle, radiant form.

In contrast, he could've said he was a model and nobody would question it. He had all the features of a jock that was either on a swim team or ran track and field. Ask Raven and she might pick apart that description for how generalized and limited it was, pointing out every bit of him that made him stand out from his playboy front. She didn't accept generalized normals, she saw things differently, including him.

"There, that should help it heal, but it won't be great for a few days at least," she said.

"Thanks. So, I'm not sure how long you plan on staying, but it'd be nice to have a roommate," he said.

"Some help, you mean?" she asked.

"I guess. Mostly...I've missed you, but it's okay if you don't want to stay," he replied.

"No, I think I'd like that. I...want to fix things with you, I owe you that after how I left," she said.

"You don't owe me anything, that was my fault," he said.

"Telling me how you feel shouldn't be anything to say 'sorry' for," she said.

"Let me take you out, as a date, and you won't owe me anymore, then we can see if this'll work," he said.

"I suppose that's fair. I admit, I'm curious," she said.

"Me too," he said.