I find Rachel in her room with Gar, the pair sitting shoulder to shoulder and speaking quietly.

"Hey."

They turn and look at me.

"I'll uh…I'll give you two a minute," Gar offers and stands, walking past me as he leaves. I am hesitant and a little awkward as I step closer to Rachel, stuffing my hands into the pockets of my jeans. I belatedly realise it is a habit that Dick and I both share and quickly pull my hands back out.

"Rach…I don't even know what to say." I am terrible at this; at apologies and making amends.

"It's ok, Will." There is nothing but kindness in her eyes, the red gem embedded in her forehead glowing faintly in the darkness. The Tower's backup generators kicked in when Dr Light stole the city's power, but the lights in the bedrooms are dim.

"No. It isn't. I haven't been good to you since I got back and—"

"Stop." Rachel stands from her bed and takes my hands. "Will, after everything you've done for me, the least I can do is support you through one of the hardest times in your life. I am so sorry about your sister and I wish somehow it could be changed."

I gulp, pain rising inside of me.

"But neither of us can change it. All I can do is say…that I love you." She starts to tear up. "Love you more than anything. You'll always be my best friend, my protector…My sister." On the last point, she seems hesitant. Like she's not sure she has the right to say it.

I grab her arm and pull her into me, maybe a little rougher than I should be. I squeeze her in a hard hug, her purple hair tickling my cheek.

"Love you," I murmur into her shoulder. When we pull back, we're both a little teary. Swiftly, I wipe my cheeks with the collar of my shirt. A weight has lifted off my chest now that Rachel and I are back on good terms. "What's up with you and Gar?" I ask her and she smiles.

~O~

Before they even walk through the elevator doors, we know that the former Titans have failed. We see on the building's security cameras that Hank is limping, supported by Dawn, and they are without Dr Light.

Jason is the first to march out of the control room, toward the foyer where they have all just entered.

Donna has already disappeared and Hank and Dawn are shuffling their way down the opposite hall, leaving Dick to stand on his own.

"Where's Dr Light?" Jason asks mockingly.

"Jason," Rachel cautions as I study Dick's body language. He's tense, upset, shoulders taut and expression stormy.

"A little stealth job on a guy who shoots, what? Head lamps?" Jason keeps pushing. "I mean half the city's on fire and still no sign of Dr Light."

"Not the time, Jason," Dick tells him and Jason surges forward, getting into Dick's face. My heart is in my throat; I feel like this has been brewing for so long, over so many months. I'm worried it's going to explode.

"I don't take orders from you anymore, man!" Jason declares.

"Jason, stop it." I reach out and tug at his sleeve but he shakes me off.

The way Dick looks at Jason, like he's a joke, like he's a child pretending to be grown, makes my stomach turn. His dismissiveness is going to set Jason off.

I glance over at Rachel and we exchange a worried look. Dick tries to push past Jason but is stopped by a firm hand on his chest.

Any condescending amusement in Dick's eyes fades entirely. They're left dark, glaring. "Get out of my way," he states.

"You're in my way," Jason shoots back.

"Alright, that's enough, both of you." I wedge myself between them, facing Jason. "Come on, let's go." At my behest, he begins to back up. But something in Dick's eyes must set him off because he suddenly shoves me to the side and rushes at Dick.

The deafening crack of Jason hitting the floor echoes throughout the entire penthouse.

I stumble into Rachel who steadies me as we all stare at Jason on the ground.

"Shit." Dick holds a hand out to him, guilt written on his face. But Jason slaps the offer away, picking himself up off the ground and smacking into Dick's shoulder as he storms back to his room. Gar and Rachel, both cringing, slowly head back to the control room to keep looking for Dr Light.

We stand in silence for a minute or so. "Not your best mentor moment," I point out.

"I know," Dick snaps, glaring at me. He rubs a hand down his face miserably.

"All he wants is your approval. He wants to feel like he matters, like he belongs here. Like he's making a difference. Why do you keep sidelining him?" I walk closer to Dick, rubbing absent-mindedly at my shoulder where Jason shoved me.

"I'm trying to keep him safe. I'm trying to keep all of you safe."

"Is it because he's Robin? Because he replaced you? Is this some ego thing?"

"It has nothing to do with that!" The heat of Dick's glare pierces me, makes my skin warm.

I raise my eyebrows, disbelieving. There is a hurricane raging in his eyes, frustration building over tonight's multiple failures. He seizes my wrist and tugs me behind him down the hallway and into his bedroom. The door closes with a bang behind us.

He paces to the other side of the room and runs his hand through his hair.

"What is it?" I ask, leaning back against the wall.

"I'm not going to put Jason through what I went through. I won't become like—"

"Like Bruce?"

He nods, still tense.

"You're nothing like him, Dick. And the entire situation is different."

He lets out a hollow, bitter laugh. "Is it?"

"Yes." I walk toward him. "You were a child when Bruce took you in. You never had a choice. But Jason wants this, more than anything. He just needs you to give him a chance." Now standing before him, I can see the tension slowly begin to drain from his body. His lips press together, his shoulders unwinding and he blows out a long breath. I reach out and hesitantly touch his hand. "It's ok. It can still be fixed." I don't have any better words of encouragement than that, but they seem to do the job. His fingers curl around mine and he coaxes me closer.

The hurricane in his eyes turns to molten lava in an instant.

Our faces inch closer but I pull back and tug him with me, walking us toward his ensuite. I break away from his hands to reach for my shirt and pull it over my head, tossing it into the tiled floor of the bathroom. He stops in the door way and watches as I unbutton my jeans and slide them down my legs. I reach behind my back and unclip my bra, let it fall off my shoulders. My thumbs hook into the sides of my underwear. I am drunk on the way he's looking at me, like he never wants to look away, like he'll die if he doesn't get to touch me. Slowly, I bring my underwear down and leave the scrap of fabric pooled at my feet.

Steam fills the room when I turn the shower on hot. Still, Dick stays rooted to the spot, fully clothed just outside the threshold of the bathroom. Just as I'm about to step into the shower, I hesitate. And in that moment of reluctance, he moves forward, pulling off his clothes with swift efficiency.

I step back into the water, letting it wash over me as I watch him approach, now naked. He meets me under the hot spray, reaching out to brush my soaked hair out of my face. Our bodies meld together, like magnets coming into contact. How did I ever survive before I had this? How did I survive those months alone, parted from him, after I knew what his touch felt like?

I reach down between my legs and gently touch myself as he wraps a hand around himself and strokes slowly. "Dick," I breathe, watching droplets of water trail down his jawline and chest. He moves closer to me, till I can feel his breath on my cheek, and our noses touch.

His hands slide from my shoulder blades all the way down my back and to my thighs. He picks me up and I wrap my legs around his waist, feeling his hardness press against me. I'm coiled tight with anticipation, desperately wanting more than my own fingers could ever provide.

He presses my back against the cold, tiled wall and I shiver closer to him, resting my forehead on his shoulder.

"Look at me," he commands softly and I raise my head, our eyes clashing together. Agonisingly slow, he begins to fill me. Inch by inch. My mouth is wide open, my fingers tangled tightly in his hair. He shifts me slightly higher and I slide down onto him further. Our lips crash together as he begins to move, thrusting in and out. I cling to him tightly but I'm not afraid of falling. He has me, safe in his grip.

Our breathless gasps and soft moans are drowned out by the pouring water.

There is nothing but us, nothing but the place where our bodies touch and connect. Worries and fears fade into oblivion as I come, eyes closed and head tilted back. He drags his mouth down my throat, hips stuttering to a stop as he reaches a peak.

For a long few minutes, we just breathe. I fit my face in the crook of his neck, my hands resting on his muscled arms. There is a hardness to his body - one that mine distinctly lacks - from years of nonstop physical training.

Eventually, he lets me slide down onto my own two feet, although I am unsteady, still leaning on him.

I realise that we didn't use protection. Again.

I'm seriously going to have to consider going on birth control if this keeps happening.

"I'm sorry," Dick breathes, shaking his head.

"It's fine. It's ok." I assure him, swaying closer. We kiss again, unhurried and deep, our hands touching slick skin everywhere.

After a few more minutes, Dick turns off the water and we dry ourselves with white, fluffy towels. Despite the fact that we just had sex not ten minutes ago, the heat between us has not been extinguished. It draws us together, even now, and I find myself moving closer to him, wanting his touch. It's exhausting in a way, but also so, so thrilling.

Back in his bedroom, I yank on one of his shirts and a pair of his sweats, using my hairband to tie up the waistband as he gets dressed as well.

We both throw furtive glances at his bed like we're ready for round two. I'm on the verge of completely undressing again, when he says, "I have to go and apologise."

"To Jason?"

"To Hank."

My mouth purses in disapproval. As far as I'm concerned, Hank can get over whatever spat he had with Dick. I'm more worried about Jason going off the deep end.

"I'll fix it," Dick assures me. "With Jason."

"I hope so," is all I can muster. It's not that I don't believe him…but Dick can be unbearably stubborn and even worse with emotions than I am. The longer he leaves things with Jason, the worse they're going to get.

We reluctantly part ways in the hall, our hands brushing, and as I go in search of Jason, I'm left to wonder what this thing Dick and I have actually is. I haven't ever had a proper relationship before and I don't know if the title sounds right for this thing between us. It's all so fucking confusing.

"Jason?" I peak my head into his room. It's empty. I go past where Dick is now speaking with Hank and into the control room.

Empty.

I spend the next ten minutes searching every room of the penthouse. But both Gar and Jason are nowhere to be found.

~O~

A/N: Sorry for not updating guys, I keep it well updated on Wattpad but always forget to upload the chapters here as well - oops. So there's a couple chapters coming your way! Enjoy!