Ch 16: Clearer Skies

Oops by Wednesday I meant Thursday. Definitely pulled a Jenna Marbles. Deal with it.

Also I think this is going to be the last chapter. I'm running out of steam on this (longest Titans story I've done to date!) and the lack of feedback is leaving me a lil high and dry, so unless an idea or call for an epilogue surfaces, this will be it! Enjoy the fluff and don't mind any OOC.

"Dude, is anyone else having some weird déjà vu?" Beast Boy asked dryly as they stepped back into their home. It was true; the state of disarray brought to mind the distant memory of the time the HIVE took over their tower. There was debris everywhere, windows were broken, and somewhere on the upper floors, the five knew there was fire damage from Tempest's lightning strikes.

A gentle sea breeze rolled through the window beyond the television, ruffling hair and capes. Without the geometric cloud weave of the mages of Sycorax, the skies were a pleasant faded blue, a color no one had seen in days. The late sun had not yet begun its final descent towards the horizon, so its light cast a soft yellow filter across the sky.

The five friends were quiet, the mess of thoughts running through each of their minds so very different than the calm exteriors each wore as they stared across the bay. Slade had always been their most formidable opponent, the only one that could really scare any of them. His calculating schemes, ruthless attacks, and the mystery of the man were terrifying. But Tempest was a different sort of thing altogether. One couldn't quite compare them, because they were so different in means and motive. Slade: the powerful, cunning man behind a mask, hell-bent on destroying the city and the team by whatever means necessary. Tempest: the weather bending boy cast out of his home, turned evil by a power he did not understand, who came to the Titans to destroy them for the sake of destruction and glory. Tempest's initial motives had been nothing personal; the Titans just happened to be the heroes he'd heard of. Of course, it had become personal quite quickly after what he put Raven through, but even that had been more random than not. This was a villain just looking for his own story to tell, a story others could tell for years to come. Even with all of that said, the only two who really understood anything about Tempest were Starfire and Raven.

"I guess we should start cleaning," Cyborg said slowly. He looked over his friends, all of them standing just beyond the couch area. Starfire still had wisps of that regal air about her as she stood at her full height, arms straight down at her sides and chin jutted up just barely. He sensed she felt a great deal of responsibility for all the bad that happened while taking no credit for all the good she had done to close the case out. Cyborg would mention something to Raven later; Starfire would pay more attention if comfort came from the dark empath. Beast Boy's arms were crossed over his chest and he looked thoughtful. As for the birds, Raven was no longer so shaky and had walked from the beach to the living room under her own power, but now Robin had his arms wrapped around her waist, her back to his chest, and her eyes were half-closed as she leaned against him. Cyborg hid the smirk from his face. When they had arrived in the room, the two had definitely been standing next to each other, and there was no doubt in Cyborg's mind that as soon as they all began to move around again, Raven would step away and Robin would reluctantly let her go.

"Yeah," Beast Boy agreed, breaking the silence that had fallen after Cyborg's observation. Out of the corner of his eye, Cyborg saw Raven slowly take a step forward and Robin's arms fell back to his sides, just as he predicted. Their masked leader turned towards the rest of the group, his face thoughtful as he looked to each of his teammates.

The leader part of him called for a quick cleanup, or a sweep of the tower, or some sort of action, but the other side of Robin had absolutely no motivation for such a thing. The boy wonder looked at his tired teammates, their shoulders gently sagging with exhaustion and eyes practically begging him to say no to cleaning. Beast Boy even had some subtle puppy dog eyes going on; the changeling had gotten quite good at doing that look without actually morphing into a puppy. Robin glanced at Raven for her opinion, though he had already settled on what he wanted. She caught his eye and raised an eyebrow, and that was all he needed for confirmation.

"Well?" Starfire asked.

"Was there any structural damage, Cyborg?" Robin asked. Cyborg glanced down at the panel on his arm and tapped a few times on it. Two seconds later, it beeped.

"No, all clear."

"It shouldn't rain again anytime soon, so as long as nobody's sleeping situation is compromised, it won't hurt to leave it until tomorrow," Robin said.

"And if there are compromised sleeping accommodations we can just have the sleepover!" Starfire said happily. Fixing and cleaning Titans Tower was a task worse than cleaning out the fridge.

"Thank god for structural stuff," Beast Boy drawled before hopping over the couch back to sit down. Starfire followed him.

"Indeed. These past few days have been most awful. May we simply do the 'vegging' for the next week?"

"I second that, Star," Cyborg laughed as he, too, sat on the couch. Robin smiled and hopped over as Beast Boy did, leaving room between him and Starfire for Raven to gracefully float down into.

"So are they really gone?" Beast Boy asked after a period of quiet. Starfire and Raven looked at each other.

"Yes," said Raven.

"They have no further need to come back here," Starfire agreed. "We will not be seeing them or the Tempest again." Beast Boy nodded in response and turned back to look out across the bay.

"And the city?" Cyborg said.

"It survived the end of the world," Raven said dryly. "I would hope a little water wouldn't hurt it."

"It was a lot of flooding," Robin said, agreeing with Cyborg's unspoken worry. "But it's been through worse. Thankfully Tempest wasn't too interested in leveling it. The Mayor hasn't called us yet complaining about the state of the streets, so I think we're set."

"Good. I need a vacation," Beast Boy commented. The Titans then fell silent once more, content to watch the sunset and wait for someone to call for pizza.

…

Beast Boy had been the one to suggest taking their pizza party to the roof, and all were surprised to see it was mostly dry. The far side had been affected in battle, but half of the roof was unmarred by scorch marks or large chunks of concrete. A quick sweep had rid the area of glass and other debris, and their picnic table had somehow survived the last few days. Robin and Raven now sat together at the table while the other three bounced a volleyball over their makeshift net. Their usual court was buried under concrete at the far side of the roof and they could just make out the twisted metal poles of the net. Cyborg had jury-rigged a net with wire, a shredded tarp, and some zipties, and their game was more friendly volleying than competitive sport. Starfire punched the ball back over to Beast Boy who jumped to head it back over. Catching it in her hands, Starfire bounced it under the net towards Cyborg who bumped it back over. Robin tore his eyes away from the not-quite-volleyball game to look at Raven. Her eyes were still trained on the three across the way, and Robin frowned at the dark circles under her eyes. She was clearly in need of sleep, yet had refused to go back downstairs after the pizza was done. The soft smile on her face had not wavered once since they had arrived on the roof.

"How are you feeling?" Robin asked.

"Just tired," Raven responded, finally turning to look at him. Robin sat straddling the bench, one elbow on the table as he faced Raven. She faced forwards, out towards the rest of the roof, one leg resting on the bench, knee almost touching Robin's leg.

"You're allowed to sleep for the next week straight if you want," Robin said, grinning.

"You sure about that?" Raven responded with a smile. Robin pursed his lips in mock thought.

"Actually, no. I would be bored and miss you far too much."

"And why is that?" she asked her playful leader.

"Why? And here I thought you were the smartest of us all, Raven," Robin said.

"Forgive my brain for being muddled, boy wonder," Raven rolled her eyes, the smile not leaving her face. "It's been a long few days. Now, pray tell, why would you be so bored when you have three others to amuse you?"

"Because you're my favorite," he said airily. "And it's more than boredom. I would miss you."

"And why would you miss me so much if I was only just down the hall?"

"Because I love you of course," Robin said, his voice still light though the playful tone had been replaced with a serious sincerity. He hadn't quite meant for that to be his response, but it was true. Watching her closely, Robin wondered if perhaps he should have left the verbal declaration for a more private moment. But he watched as a wide smile spread across Raven's face, her eyes softening as she looked across the roof towards their friends then back to him. Perhaps this had been the perfect time, after all.

"Then I guess I won't be sleeping for a week straight," she said, moving her hand to Robin's on the bench between them. "It wouldn't be very nice of me to leave you for a whole week."

"Some might even call it rude," Robin grinned back.

"Besides," Raven said, "I think I might miss you, too." Neither noticed that the volleyball game had stopped.

"So when are they going to do the kissing?" Starfire asked Cyborg and Beast Boy, volleyball held still in her hands. The threesome had ceased their game in favor of watching the scene play out at the picnic table.

"I bet they already have," Cyborg said.

"Well that is most obvious," Starfire said as she rolled her eyes. Beast Boy cackled at Cyborg's semi-shocked face. "I mean now. Look! I will bet five mustards that it will happen in the next ten minutes."

"Five bucks we all go inside for the night and they stay out here for awhile," Beast Boy added. Cyborg furrowed his brow.

"Ten says they go inside before we do," he finally said. The three friends looked at each other and then shook hands. With that done, Starfire tossed the ball back up in the air.

Raven looked down at her hand intertwined with Robin's, his hand so much bigger than hers. He had said it out loud; he loved her. It wasn't exactly news to her, but hearing it hover in the space between them made it a little more real. And did she love him? Raven looked up at the boy next to her. He was quietly watching her, a soft smile on his lips, his brow relaxed and body at ease. Robin wasn't waiting for an answer; he wasn't expecting a response. And Raven realized she did love him beyond a shadow of a doubt.

The realization wasn't scary, it wasn't shocking; it just was. Much like yesterday when she first found the right word—love—for the emotions she felt coming from Robin, she thought. Yesterday, she hadn't really known exactly where she stood. There was something there, and of course there was the obvious Love running around Nevermore, but Raven liked certainty, and here was certainty. She squeezed Robin's hand and allowed her emotion to pour from her, wrapping its aura around him. Words would come later for her, but Robin didn't mind. He leaned forward and captured her lips in a quick kiss, both birds forgetting about their friends for the moment.

"I win!" Starfire's shout interrupted the two, and Robin and Raven looked over expecting to see the volleyball pounded into Beast Boy's face, but were quite surprised to see the three staring over at their table. Starfire clapped her hands over her mouth at her outburst.

"It looks like we have some schemers on hand," Raven commented. Robin laughed and stood to pull her up.

"I say we go join them," he said. Raven smirked and stood on tiptoe to kiss his cheek, enjoying her freedom to do so.

…

After a few rounds of Raven refereeing Robin and Starfire versus Cyborg and Beast Boy, it was too dark to see much of anything and they decided to retire for the night.

"Do not forget, you each owe me five mustards!" Starfire chirped to Beast Boy and Cyborg as they descended the roof stairs.

"Yeah, yeah," Beast Boy muttered.

"What exactly were you all betting on?" Raven asked, eyes slightly narrowed.

"Don't worry about it, Rae," Cyborg waved her off. Raven gave him a look, but he ignored her, so she turned her gaze to Starfire.

"Your look of the death will not work on me, friend," Starfire tutted. "I know you are actually in a mood that is most joyous. I will not be fooled." Robin laughed.

"She's got you there, Rae," he said, squeezing her hand. Raven rolled her eyes.

"You're all impossible."

"Remember, if anyone's room has damage, let me know," Robin said once they got to the elevator. "Then we can figure out somewhere else for you to sleep if needed. Living room is not an option because of the broken window."

"Roger, captain," Beast Boy said as he gave a mocking salute. Robin punched his arm. The elevator dinged and Robin and Raven got off, bidding the others goodnight as they walked down the hallway.

"You know," Robin began, waggling his eyebrows, "we don't need a reason for a repeat sleepover party." Raven gave him a look.

"The chances of my room being damaged are slim to none, bird brain."

"You're no fun." Robin pouted, and Raven laughed. The look was not very becoming on his mature face.

"Oh, Robin," she sighed. They had reached the end of the hall where they had to part, Robin going down towards his room, and Raven the other direction towards hers.

"Come get me if you need anything, though," Robin said, face turned serious. Raven grimaced as she remembered her recent nightmares and the severe lack of sleep they caused the other night.

"Perhaps," she said. There would always be some things, relationship with Robin or not, she would want to keep to herself. Robin knew this, but he was stubborn, and in his mind, this particular problem was one he wanted to help with.

"I'm serious, Raven."

"I know. We'll see," she relented. Robin studied her face for a moment then allowed the topic to fade.

"Or, you know, if you need anything else in the middle of the night," he said, this time with a leering grin. Raven smacked his chest with her hand with a laugh, and he caught her hand and pulled her closer to him.

"Goodnight, Robin," she said softly, leaning into his hold. He dipped his head to kiss her forehead, and when she tilted her head up looking for something more, he kissed her lips. Raven rose on her toes to deepen it, arms wrapping around his neck, and a minute later, she settled back on her feet and tucked her head under Robin's chin. He breathed in the lingering scent of her shampoo mixed with sand and ocean from their earlier battle. Holding her tightly to him, Robin smiled as he felt her arms squeeze him, small hands tucked under his cape and pressed against his back.

"Goodnight," he murmured into her hair. She slowly took a step back, and Robin smiled down at her before beginning to walk backwards towards his room. Raven shook her head with a smile and turned towards her door. She looked back over her shoulder about halfway down the hall to see Robin still walking backwards, his eyes trained on her. Raven reached her door and gave him a wave before walking into her room. The floor was still littered with evidence of her magic, but the windows were intact, just as she said they would be.

Raven settled into her bed, burrowing beneath the thick covers with a content sigh. It felt so good to lie down in her soft bed without a worry in the world. Tempest was taken care of, her friends were safe, and she had Robin. She had always had Robin, some would argue (Starfire had certainly been saying so for awhile), but now there wasn't a shadow of doubt. She had Robin, and he had her, and all was good in the world.

A hesitant knock sounded at her door, and Raven frowned as she turned her gaze towards the door, not wanting to move from her comfortable position. The knock sounded again and she stood with a grumble. Picking her way across broken candles and scattered books, Raven opened her door to see a sheepish Robin standing there in his pajamas, one hand nervously scratching the back of his head.

"My window is broken," he said nervously. Raven raised an eyebrow and hid her smile.

"Oh really?" she asked, not quite convinced.

"Unfortunately, I'm not lying," he said with an apologetic laugh. Raven shook her head and cracked a half-smile.

"Well, I guess you can sleep here," she said before moving away from the entry. Robin brightened and walked into her room, dropping a kiss on her lips as he passed.

"I knew I could count on you."

"Always," Raven replied with a smile. After all, if there was one thing her perfectly comfortable bed could possibly be missing, it was her boy wonder.

And that's that! This has been incredibly fun and rewarding to return to and finish. Any reviews would be MUCH appreciated on your way out! I have some ideas for further stories, so maybe I'll start working on those now.

Review! =)

Much love,

Ash