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Natural

Raven woke up to light fingertips brushing against her abdomen under the t-shirt's fabric and a gentle voice singing quietly into her shoulder. She smiled before she opened her eyes, because she knew who they belonged to.

"I'm giving you all of my love…" Garfield murmured the melody of I Won't Give Up.

Raven lazily stroked his hair. "Are we still singing? Didn't I stop that?"

He laughed softly. "Morning, love. And yes, you did. This is just my usual self."

"Ah, yes, of course. I forgot how musical you are. You haven't sung in a while."

"Well I did sing Against All Odds all the time when you were gone. I think I ruined it for Damian; he still can't listen to it without being profoundly annoyed."

The empath chuckled quietly. "Maybe you should learn an instrument."

His head shot up to look at her. "Wait, that's like, an awesome idea!"

She raised an eyebrow. "I have a feeling I'll regret this awesome idea."

"Too late. I'm totally doing it!"

"Just don't tell the others it was my idea."

"Hey, RaeRae?"

"I'm not answering to that."

"Oh, I wasn't talking to you. I was talking to..." He reached for his raven plush. "Her! What's that, RaeRae? You think Raven looks cute in my clothes? Yes, I agree."

The sorcerer frowned. "You named it RaeRae? Seriously?"

The Changeling shot her a toothy grin. "I certainly did."

She rolled her eyes, contemplating the stuffed animal's lack of dignity. "Better her than me, I guess."

Garfield laughed light-heartedly. "So, what do you want to-" Their communicators rang, interrupting his thoughts. He glanced at his to see a message from Nightwing. "Maaan, emergency meeting!? Didn't we just solve an emergency yesterday?"

Raven was already sitting up, stretching and getting ready to start her day. She also heard Salem scratching the Changeling's door and magically phased him through it, floating him to her lap. He was used to magic by now and remained completely unfazed, purring contently as she rubbed his back. "I'm sure it's important."

It was his turn to roll his eyes. Of course she would say that. "Fiiiine."

Richard cleared his throat once they gathered in the ops room. "Titans East…I know you've done more than your share, but I was hoping you'd stick around for one more endeavor."

"Why not? We're already here." Speedy leaned back and folded his arms. "What is it?"

"The League of Assassins." Nightwing said plainly, not failing to notice his brother immediately stiffen. "They've been sort of…targeting us. Trying to get Damian to rejoin."

"You should know Ra's won't hesitate to kill any of you if you help, though." Robin muttered to the Titans East. "And he's basically immortal, so think hard before agreeing to this."

"What kind of name is Ra's anyway?" Aqualad asked.

"Ra's al Ghul. Means Head of the Demon." Damian answered dryly.

"I was actually hoping to avoid direct confrontation with your grandfather's elite assassins group." Dick told him.

"Well, obviously that's ideal, but…he promised he will come for us." Cyborg said.

"I know." The Titan leader nodded. "I've been thinking about this a lot. I think we should have a display of power. Forge an encounter on our terms and let him know what he's up against."

Damian frowned. "And how are you planning to get this so called encounter on our terms? He's not easy to find…"

"Well, I'm thinking Talia."

The younger boy's eyebrows shot up. "Talia?"

"Yes, she protected you against Ra's on the roof. I saw it." Nightwing said pointedly. "Besides, she's your mother. I don't think she likes any of this."

"I…I mean, probably." Robin admitted. "But still…how are you planning to get past Ra's and reach her?"

Richard grimaced a little. "I haven't figured that part out yet."

"Do you have something of hers?" Raven asked.

Damian took a few seconds to realize she was talking to him. It was only when Rose elbowed him that he saw the empath watching him intently. "Oh, I…yes."

Raven nodded surely and turned to Nightwing. "I'll reach her."

Richard smiled. He'd definitely missed having her on the team. She didn't have as much fire power as Kory or Conner – at least on a regular day – but the wide range of possibilities with her powers made things so much easier. "Have I told you how glad I am you're back?"

Talia al Ghul had been practicing, shooting at a moving target, when she thought she saw a shadow moving swiftly in the corner. It disappeared and when she turned to look for it, it was entering her body. The assassin was startled at the strange presence at first, but it didn't feel hostile. Whatever it was, it didn't mean to harm her. She heard a voice inside her head.

Talia? Oh, good. I've been trying to reach you. We need to talk.

Who is this? WHAT is this?

A friend of your son's.

Talia's brilliant mind worked fast. Raven?

There you go.

How…what do you want to talk about? The assassin made her best efforts to shield her mind in case the empath was trying to pry into secret plans and information.

Damian. And I'm not spying on you, don't worry.

What about Damian?

Your father will kill him. Or at least kill his spirit. I don't think you agreed to it.

Talia hesitated. Raven was right, she hadn't agreed. She could be a lot of things and most of them weren't good, but she loved Damian. She did want him back, but she never meant to go to such lengths for it, especially if it made her son resent her for the rest of his life.

Besides, Ra's won't succeed. The empath continued. Klarion was supposed to make sure I wouldn't be a problem, right? He failed.

I see. And what do you expect from me?

Help me protect Damian. I know you care about him. I do too.

You want me to betray Ra's?

No, of course not. I think we can coexist. We don't want to confront you.

Well…then what DO you want?

We want to talk to him. Alone. Help us arrange a meeting. I promise he won't be harmed.

You want to reason with him? That's a bit naive.

We just want to show him what he's up against. So will you help?

How do I know I can trust you?

Trust Damian.

Talia pondered. She did trust Damian to that extent. And he trusted Raven and the other Titans. Besides, what choice did she have? Ra's would stop at nothing and she didn't want her son in harm's way anymore. So the love spell didn't take, huh?

For all our sakes. I'm sure he didn't tell you, but he was fine with letting my father destroy your world and moving to another dimension.

I guess that's not surprising. He did seem unhinged. I'll help, but I have conditions.

Name them.

Ra's will never know I helped.

We weren't planning to tell him. Done.

And YOU will personally keep my son safe.

I already do. You don't need to ask for that.

Talia found herself smiling slightly. Also, Deathstroke's daughter?

You noticed that? Perceptive.

Just make sure they don't do anything TOO stupid.

I'll do my best.

A few days later, Ra's followed a false lead thinking he would get Nightwing alone in a secluded location and finally kill him so Damian knew he meant business. But the first thing he noticed was the Boy Wonder's aggravating confidence. He seemed almost…chill. Then Robin and Ravager came in to back him up and the Head of the Demon started to understand why. The three of them fought him together for a while and only stopped once he was visibly tired.

"So this is a trap, then." The assassin still smiled wickedly while trying to catch his breath. "If you kill me, the entire League of Assassins will come for y-" His threats were cut short by the arrow flying dangerously close to his face, making him turn around at once.

"I thought you were coming for us anyway." Speedy smirked.

"You might want to rethink that, actually." Richard stated. "Let us show you why."

And then the ground beneath Ra's feet crumbled. He quickly jumped sideways, but a blast of bad luck magic made him miss the mark. Fortunately, someone caught him and dropped him on safe ground again. He looked up to see Terra, Jinx and Bumblebee gloriously standing there, glaring at him. He reached for a hand grenade, but Wally West ran by him and it was gone in a heartbeat. Mas and Menos ran past him too and his swords disappeared. Then Kid Flash ran again and a gun was missing. They did this until he was completely unarmed.

"You have a lot of weaponry." Wally said smugly, standing next to the other speedsters with the villain's weapons at their feet.

The Head of the Demon smirked. "Oh, I see. This is a demonstration of power."

"Something like that." Damian said plainly, crossing his arms over his chest.

Aqualad came in next, in an impressive water whirlwind, at the same time Cyborg shot a powerful, destructive blast at the wall right next to Ra's, which definitely got his attention.

"We're trying to give you an out before you engage against us again." Victor Stone said seriously. "Because you're definitely going down if you do."

The villain grinned mischievously. "This is all very impressive, but…I have allies too, you know?"

Nightwing's lips curved up in a small, sure smile. "Not like me, you don't."

Superboy and Krypto flew in with threatening laser-red eyes to hover in the air on one side of Richard and Damian. Starfire came in to float on the other, with glowing green eyes and hands encased in balls of lilac energy. The aliens looked about as mighty as superheroes get.

Robin smirked at his grandfather. "No snappy comeback?"

Ra's was actually starting to worry. When you put them all together like this, it was a rather intimidating sight. He glared at Damian, but only for a second, because his eyes darted upwards as a huge dark-energy raven spread its wings above Nightwing and Robin's heads then dissipated to reveal an angry girl in a blue cloak.

"Yes, I'm still here." Raven said as her eyes glowed white, her hair and cape flew around and she proceeded to chant Latin words in an echoed, demonic voice. Several translucid corpses rose from the floor into the air – hundreds of troubled, violent spirits answering her call. She smiled wickedly. "Meet my new army."

The Head of the Demon faltered. He would have taken multiple steps back, but that wouldn't help. He was surrounded. And then he heard a deafening, chilling roar and dreadfully looked up. There was a majestic green dragon flying high above them.

"Yes, he's with us too." Nightwing said pointedly.

The Changeling breathed fire and they could feel the heat from several miles below.

"Let me be clear. If you come near any of us or refuse to leave Damian alone, we will destroy you." Richard promised.

It was a very clear message. And it had been fully received. Ra's glanced at his grandson's decisive face and then back at Nightwing and nodded once. "We won't bother you anymore."

Robin turned to Raven. "Well?"

Her eyes were still glowing and she wasn't smiling anymore, which made her look even scarier. She tilted her head, reading the villain's emotions. "Truth."

Dick nodded back at Ra's. "Good, it seems we understand each other."

Damian folded his arms and glared at his grandfather one last time. "I hope we don't need to have this conversation again."

"Take us home, Raven." Nightwing said confidently.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!"

And then the Head of the Demon was alone in the empty, dark alley, with only the damage to the floor and wall beside him to prove it wasn't some weird dream.

Back in Titan Tower, Damian could finally relax. As everyone else celebrated the iconic moment they'd just shared through loud conversations and laughter, he wasn't just excited. He was relieved. Robin smiled slightly and watched Rose talking to Raven and Terra, resting a hand on her hip in the coolest possible way. His heart raced a little. And then he saw his brother next to him out of the corner of his eye. "Your plan worked."

Dick sighed contently and nodded. "I think so."

"It did. I can tell. Thank you." Damian said sincerely.

Richard smiled at him. "So…do you wanna talk about…" He looked in the direction the younger boy had been staring at. "…that?"

"Not really."

Nightwing practically whined. "C'mon man, talk to me."

Robin chuckled. "Look, Doomsday already had this conversation with me."

"Oh?" Dick raised his eyebrows. He was considerably relieved, because he wasn't sure he would know what to say. "Did she manage to drill through your thick skull?"

"I mean, I did kiss Rose afterwards."

Nightwing gasped and widened his eyes. "Wait, what!? Dude, you have to tell me that stuff!"

Robin rolled his eyes and chuckled again. "She ran out and I felt kind of dumb. Besides, I was focused on Ra's and all that. But then she said she wanted to talk about it and we took a rain check on that, so…I guess we'll talk about it."

"Right, right. Well, I think she likes you."

"Yeah but what do you know? You took years to realize Starfire liked you and from what I've heard she was pretty obvious."

Richard laughed openly. "Okay, fair enough. Still, it's better to know. Don't chicken out."

"Fine, but you and Raven will have to make this up to me if I regret it."

"What about me?" The empath asked, suddenly appearing by their side, making both boys jump slightly.

Robin recovered and raised an eyebrow. "I said you'll have to make it up to me if I regret taking your advice about Rose."

Raven rolled her eyes. "You'll be fine, Damian. No matter what happens, it won't kill you."

Nightwing chuckled and elbowed his brother playfully. "See? That's reassuring, isn't it?"

Robin folded his arms and smiled teasingly. "Yeah, awesome pep talk, Doomsday."

She shrugged apologetically. "Sorry, pep talks are Kory's thing. Or Garfield's. Or Victor's. Or Dick's. Basically anyone but me."

They shared light-hearted laughter at that.

"So are the spirits gone?" Richard asked her.

Raven nodded. "Back to their restless rest. Hopefully we won't need them again so soon. It's a little exhausting." She gave Damian a soft smile. "But I'm glad it worked."

He returned her smile. "Me too."

Then the empath looked at Nightwing. "So, listen, I have an idea. About that thing."

Richard frowned. "What thing...?" He took a few seconds to read the playful smirk on her otherwise enigmatic face. "Oh! That thing." Dick's eyes widened and he stood up, clearing his throat. "Okay, let's talk."

Damian was as confused as it gets, but then he saw Rose walking up to him from across the room and forgot all about what he'd just witnessed.

Raven and Nightwing were almost out of the ops room when the Changeling jumped in front of her with a breezy, toothy grin on his face and something hidden behind his back. The empath raised a suspicious eyebrow. "May I help you?"

"I figured out what I'm gonna learn how to play!" Garfield pulled out an instrument full of animal stickers from behind his back. "Tah-dah!"

Raven tilted her head to the side. "A ukulele?"

"Well…yeah!" The Changeling beamed, admiring the instrument in his hands.

She smiled a little. That actually suits him. "Huh. Oddly appropriate."

Garfield grinned dreamingly at her, enjoying the soft smile on her lips.

Nightwing frowned dreadfully and whispered to Raven. "He's learning an instrument? Was this your idea?" We'll never get another minute of silence in this tower.

The empath shrugged innocently. "I'm sure I have no idea where this came from."

"Yeah. I came up with this all by myself." The shapeshifter said, doing such a poor job at lying he might as well have winked at her.

Raven chuckled quietly while Richard sighed and rubbed his temples, then she told Garfield to pay attention to Damian and Rose so he could report it all to her later and pulled Nightwing away. Salem curiously followed them, but Krypto and Silkie decided to stay in the ops room, because there was a lot going on.

Rose Wilson sat down next to Damian by the kitchen counter and looked around to make sure nobody was listening. "So..."

"So…"

She sighed, wondering how to even begin. She wasn't sure he was ready to talk about them yet. "I think Terra and Superboy are getting friend-"

"Can we talk?" Robin blurted out.

Ravager frowned. "Isn't that what we're doing?"

"I mean…can we talk about…you know." Damian shrugged slightly, trying to appear as nonchalant as he possibly could, but he shot her a meaningful look anyway.

Rose felt her heart race significantly and nodded. Here we go. "Sure…" They both stared at the floor in silence for a few seconds before she spoke again in a firm, but quiet voice. "I did sing about you. Like, in that weird musical nightmare. I sang a song in my room. It was about you."

Robin turned his head to her at once, with wide eyes. "You did!? Wait, which song!?"

She huffed and folded her arms. "I'm not telling you."

Damian sighed in frustration. "Seriously? That's not fair. You could at least give me that much after running off when I kissed you."

Rose smirked. "Life's not fair." They chuckled awkwardly and she gathered up courage for the next part. "In my defense, I was born from a terrible relationship."

Damian smiled slightly. "So was I. My parents are awful to each other."

Ravager chuckled a bit more openly. "Yeah, I guess we have that in common. But I guess what I'm trying to say is…I think you're pretty cool."

Robin studied her face. There was a glint in her eyes. It was a little mischievous and a little playful, but in a way he hadn't seen before. Her smirk seemed softer than usual, too. Wait a minute, is that…is she being flirty? He smiled boldly. "I think you're pretty cool too, Rose."

Her smile widened and she looked straight ahead and whispered her next words while her heart pounded in her chest. "Wanna kiss again?"

Fuck, yes. Damian grinned smugly. "My room is closer."

Robin and Ravager had been making out in his room for at least ten minutes when they heard someone knock on the door. They'd started kissing as soon as they stepped inside, all the longing and yearning suddenly coming to surface as they urgently explored each other's bodies. The teens chuckled into the kiss, wondering why it took them so long to do this when it felt so damn good. So when they heard someone knock, they pulled away hastily and stared at each other in silence, hoping whoever it was would decide to just go away.

"Robin, I know you're there. Wait, who is…oh. Ravager?" Raven's voice became amused outside his door. "What are you two doing in there?"

They grimaced at being caught and Damian whispered to a practically giddy Rose. "Out of all the people in this tower, of course the empath would knock on my door right now."

One could practically hear the smile in Raven's voice. "Listen, I'm truly sorry to interrupt, but…something's about to happen. You'll want to be there for it."

That sparked their curiosity. Robin cleared his throat. "Okay, be right there!"

Rose straightened up and fixed her disheveled hair. He did the same, but she chuckled and reached out to fix his hair for him, because he'd only managed to make it messier.

When they opened the door, the sorcerer had one eyebrow up and a smirk on her lips. She noticed their flushed cheeks and with the feelings she had sensed emanating from them it was clear beyond doubt what they had been doing. "Good for you."

"Don't start." Damian muttered, amusing her further. "So what's so important?"

The empath smiled mysteriously. "You'll see."

When Nightwing and Raven gathered everyone in the ops room to announce they were going to the carnival, the heroes were more than a little confused.

Garfield narrowed his eyes. "Not that I'm complaining, but…this was your idea?"

"Yeah that's sort of unusual." Cyborg agreed with his best friend.

Nightwing chuckled nervously and scratched his head. "What? No, it's not. I just thought we all deserved a little fun. I do that all the time."

"I mean…" The Changeling pondered. "More like someone else suggests fun and you eventually end up accepting it."

"Did you suggest it, friend Raven?" Starfire asked through a smile.

The sorcerer frowned. "What? Don't be absurd. It was Dick's idea. He just asked me if I was too tired because of all the summoning earlier. I told him I'm not, so we can go."

Richard quickly nodded. "Yeah, that's it. Totally my idea. Absolutely spontaneous; no scheming of any kind going on."

"Right…" Raven shot Dick a questioning look that meant did your brain suddenly abandon you?

Cyborg and Garfield were beyond suspicious, but they also really liked the idea of going to the carnival, so they said nothing.

"Oh, marvelous!" Starfire squealed, twirling in the air.

Once they got there, Robin immediately approached Raven and whispered. "Is coming to this place the thing you thought I wouldn't want to miss?"

"Give me more credit, Damian. I know you better than that."

He frowned. "But then what-"

"Trust me."

"It's just that I was kind of in the middle of something important…"

"Hey, man!" The Changeling greeted him, approaching them with a cotton candy in each hand.

"Hey, Garfield."

Raven smiled and took the carnival treats from the shapeshifter, handing one to Damian. "Here, attend to your something important by giving her this and trust me."

Robin lamely stared at the cotton candy. Does Rose even like this stuff? It's so…pink.

The shapeshifter squeaked in outrage. "Hey! That one was mine!"

"I thought maybe we could share this one." She suggested as she gracefully took a small bite.

Garfield grinned idiotically, feeling ridiculously excited at the prospect of sharing food with her, because it made him feel like they were an actual couple. "Yeah, totally. Cooool."

Damian rolled his eyes and left to go give Rose her cotton candy, which to his surprise, she did really appreciate. She hadn't had it since she was a kid.

"You know, I could swear I saw Batman somewhere around here…" Garfield told Raven, looking around suspiciously.

Her lips curved up in a Monalisa smile. "Could you really?" Good eyesight, love.

"Hey, Star?" Nightwing asked with kind eyes, also holding cotton candy in his hand. "Let's go on the Ferris Wheel."

Kory beamed at him and nodded. When it was their turn, he said they were waiting to get into compartment number three and her grin widened even more. "You remember!"

"Of course I do." Nightwing smiled charmingly. "It's the same compartment we took all those years ago when you tried cotton candy for the first time. I already liked you so much. And then you got kidnapped by those weird alien tentacles…but, that's not happening tonight." He chuckled and opened the door for her once their compartment arrived.

Kory giggled and happily stepped inside the carnival ride. "Oh, I sure hope not!"

Once they were seated, Dick offered her cotton candy she gladly accepted and gathered up the nerve to do what he set out to do. "That was also the first time you saw fireworks, wasn't it?"

Starfire's eyes sparkled. "Oh, yes it was! They were most wonderful!"

"I think you'll like tonight's fireworks even better." He smiled at her with so much affection she blushed under his gaze. "At least I hope so."

"Why is that?" Kory wasn't sure what had gotten into him, but she wasn't complaining. She really liked the way he was looking at her – even with that mask on.

Nightwing's heart was pounding wildly at this point. "You'll see."

Raven? It's time.

The empath stopped at the sound of Richard's voice in her head. She'd kept their link open so he could reach out to her. I got you. Good luck.

Garfield frowned at her sudden stop. "Rae? What's wrong?"

"I'm okay. You might want to watch the fireworks."

Starfire gasped in awe when it began. They were bigger than she remembered. And they were silent, but loud music immediately played on the carnival's speakers as soon as the show started. It was Marry You (Bruno Mars), but she didn't read into it. The fireworks, however, were mesmerizing, because they exploded in fantastic blasts of bright green and violet, making her feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Kory couldn't help but feel like those fireworks were specially made for her – little did she know they were. Everyone down on the ground had also been marveling at the lights dancing in the sky, including the Titans.

"Here comes the finale…" Nightwing whispered sweetly beside his girlfriend.

And then it happened. The fireworks went up into the night sky and exploded into two very bright, colorful and clear words: Marry Me. And then under those words, there was a spark, very much like a really bright star, which appeared to catch on fire and go up in flames. Kory's face lit up at the realization someone was proposing already, but the gears were still turning in her mind. There was a star…and then it caught on fire…star…fire. She gasped again and turned her head to Richard, who had a nervous smile on his face, holding up a small box and revealing a gorgeous diamond ring.

Rae, take us down. The empath heard Dick's voice in her head again.

The Titans had been letting out gasps and squeals of their own. They were clapping, cheering, smiling gigantically and expectantly while staring up at the Ferris Wheel, hopelessly trying to catch a glimpse of Starfire's reaction. Only Superboy, Cyborg and Changeling could, and what they saw was a mouth-agape Tamaranean with happy tears in her eyes.

"Guys?" Raven called.

When they turned to her, Dick and Kory had been teleported to the ground, so they promptly gathered around them. The words were still burning brightly in the sky and the romantic, melodious music was still playing. Batman joined the Titans and placed a hand on Damian's shoulder, watching Richard through emotional eyes. Robin glanced up at his father and shot him a quick smile before going back to rejoicing in his brother's happiness. Civilians crowded around the superheroes, pulling out their phones to capture the moment.

"I knew I'd seen Batman!" Garfield whispered – or more accurately, squeaked in utter ecstasy – to Raven, earning a soft chuckle and a fond eye roll from her.

"Kory, I've never been as sure about anything as I am about this, about us." Nightwing said before getting down on one knee, with the ring in his hand. "So in front of all our friends tonight, will you make me the happiest person in the world and marry me?"

"Now that is an engagement ring." Jinx nodded approvingly.

It had been expensive. He'd bought the ring a while ago, because he had been entertaining the idea of proposing for some time now. He only had been struggling with how to do it.

Starfire was crying tears of joy at this point. She floated into the air a little in absolute bliss, giggling and nodding frantically. "Of course I will!"

Richard smiled wider than he thought was possible and stood up to lift her and spin her around then kiss her passionately while their friends all clapped and cheered. Then he took her hand in his and clumsily placed the ring on her trembling finger.

Kory admired it. It sparkled so much and from every angle and direction. She absolutely loved it. "It's so perfect! ALL of this was perfect!"

He kissed her again, more softly this time. "Good. You deserve perfect."

Most of the Titans approached to congratulate the couple. Civilians were still curiously watching and excitedly taking selfies or making videos. Garfield observed Raven as she hung back and smiled slightly at them from afar. He narrowed his eyes. "You were in on all this."

"Mm?" She asked, still distracted by all the joy and not letting it make her lose control.

"This proposal. It was spot on. And those fireworks…you had a lot to do with this, didn't you?"

Raven turned her head to look at him and shrugged. "I may have helped a little."

The Changeling grinned at her. "You'll never cease to amaze me, will you?"

"I certainly hope not." She said in a flirty voice before walking towards Kory and Dick, because now there wasn't as much of a crowd around them.

Garfield stood there with a dreamy grin on his face for a few moments, shook his head and ran after her. It was just Damian, Raven and Batman with Nightwing and Starfire now. The two girls took one look at each other and hugged blissfully, without a single word, lingering there in each other's arms for a bit, so the shapeshifter decided to address Richard first.

"Hey, congratulations!" The Changeling merrily hugged Dick. "Seriously, this is so awesome!"

"Yeah, I think so too." Nightwing chuckled. "Thanks, man."

"I'm proud of you." Bruce said kindly.

"And I'm, you know, happy for you." Damian contained his smile, but it was obvious he was beaming internally.

Richard hugged his adoptive father first. "Thank you. For everything." Then he turned to his brother and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I know you're not a hugger, but-oh!" He was cut off by Damian's quick, but firm hug. Nightwing chuckled happily.

Starfire and Raven finally pulled apart and Garfield hugged Kory, telling her to hug as tightly as she wanted before turning into a particularly resilient alien creature himself. She was grateful for it and immediately squealed and squeezed him while the empath watched fondly.

Then Raven playfully elbowed Dick. "Well done."

Nightwing beamed at her. "Best right-hand woman ever. Thanks."

She dismissed him with a hand wave. "I got you, boss."

They chuckled together as Starfire and the Changeling finished their aggressive hug.

"Hey, little brother?" Richard asked Damian, who was smiling in an uncharacteristically carefree way and looking sideways – at Rose, Dick noticed.

Robin turned his attention back to Nightwing. "Yeah, what?"

"Will you be my best man?"

Damian's eyes widened for a brief second, and then he tried to cover up how moved he was, but he did a mediocre job at it. "Are you sure you want a troubled teen to do that?"

Garfield was standing next to Raven and feeling unbelievably grateful for a sweet and happy moment such as this. He wanted to take it all in and seize it after all the darkness they had gone through. His heart became even fuller and his face brighter when he felt Raven's fingers brushing against his. He glanced at her and she was staring at the others, not giving it away in the slightest, so he did the same. He continued to smile at their friends as he intertwined their fingers, holding her hand.

"Troubled teens is our whole brand, isn't it? And yeah, I'm sure I want my brother to be my best man." Nightwing rolled his eyes and grinned.

Robin playfully rolled his eyes as well. "Well, then…I'd love to."

"How wonderful!" Kory clapped.

Richard and Bruce smiled so fondly at him that Damian took a step back and frowned. "I don't want another group hug, please."

They chuckled again and then Nightwing and Starfire expectantly turned to Raven. She discreetly let go of Garfield's hand.

"What?" The empath shrugged in confusion.

"What do you mean what? Will you be my maid of honor?" Kory asked hopefully.

Raven's lips parted and her eyes widened slightly. "Oh. You want…you want me to be…?"

"I mean, you said you would be! Remember? We talked about it on Halloween when we were Buffy and Willow! Before you got those vibes from the X-Men!"

The empath smiled softly at the memory of that day. "No, I know, I remember…I just thought that when it actually happened you'd ask someone else."

They seemed confused at that. Even Batman.

"Who do you think I would ask, Rae? My sister?" Kory chuckled. "You're my best friend!"

"I am. I just thought maybe you'd prefer Terra or Bumblebee to do it – which is fine, by the way; if you prefer them. It's your day. I mean, I would understand."

"Why?" Starfire frowned and tilted her head. "Do you not want to?"

"Oh, no, it's not that." Raven chuckled quietly. "I just…you know…I'm not…you know."

Nightwing and the Changeling were even more confused than Starfire. They just stared at her quizzically, silently requesting the full explanation.

The sorcerer sighed. "I'm not really maid of honor material."

Now Starfire got it. Her face immediately softened. "Nonsense, friend. I will ask someone else if you are not comfortable with it, but only in that case."

"Are you sure you want me to do this? To plan your bridal shower, your bachelorette party, help you pick the dress, and so on?" Raven narrowed her eyes.

"Wait, do I get to plan the bachelor party?" Damian whispered to Bruce, who just chuckled under his breath.

Richard and Garfield both understood Raven's insecurities now. She thought Kory would want someone girly and cheerful to do it. They both smiled fondly at the empath.

"I am absolutely sure." Starfire said intently, looking into her best friend's eyes.

"What about what everyone will say? Maybe you failed to notice, but people still change sidewalks and pull their kids away when I show up, especially after the Sirens and everything I've…it won't look good."

The shapeshifter furrowed his brows. He had noticed. It was one of the reasons he was always nearby, in case she needed him. The Titans taking her back helped, but the world had been more hostile towards her. He knew she didn't hold it against them and it would get better in time, but it still wounded him.

Kory's sure stare never wavered. "Friend. I do not care."

The empath looked between the Tamaranean and Nightwing and sensed nothing but certainty and trust from both of them, so she allowed her eyes to well up a bit and a soft smile to appear on her lips. "Then…I'd be honored."

Starfire let out a high-pitched, happy sound and fought back the urge to give her a second hug. Richard's grin widened and he thought about asking the Changeling to be his groomsman, but decided to wait until Cyborg was with them. Besides, he'd noticed Raven holding his hand and figured giving them some privacy was the friendliest course of action at the moment.

"Alright, kids. I need to head back. But I'm really glad I came for this. And I'll be there on your big day." Batman said in his calm and collected voice, saying goodbye to his sons.

The Dark Knight gave Koriand'r a quick hug, welcoming her to the Batfamily – to which she responded by beaming and hugging him a bit too tight, then apologizing for it. He chuckled and turned to the Changeling, who was smiling up at him with childish, bright eyes. He ruffled his hair. Garfield was so starstruck he didn't bother fixing it up. Then Batman looked at Raven. She didn't love being touched, so he just offered her an approving nod. "Raven."

"Batman." The empath gratefully returned his small gesture.

And then Bruce Wayne left and they dispersed to enjoy the rest of the evening. Robin went to Ravager's side and they went on the rollercoasters and every ride where they could shoot at something – and got scarily competitive. In fact, they won nearly every prize available on the booths, to the point where they couldn't carry everything anymore and started distributing things among their fellow Titans. Starfire and Nightwing found themselves a quiet corner to enjoy each other's company and discuss their future – they were both relieved to find out neither of them wanted to move out of the tower just yet.

Once they were alone again, Raven chuckled affectionately. "Your hair is messy."

Garfield turned to her with a blissful grin. "Yeeeah but Batman messed it up!"

She tilted her head and wrinkled her nose. "So you're leaving it like that?"

"Yep. I'm not touching it."

"Okay, but you look insane."

"Not touching it."

The empath sighed. "What about me? Can I fix it?"

He automatically opened his mouth to refuse it, but stopped himself. Wait a minute, don't refuse her touching you. Never refuse her touching you. "Well…yeah."

Raven gracefully reached out and fixed his hair. "I'd say we should go find Terra and go on a ride with her, but I think she's making out with Conner somewhere. Bumble and Cy are on the love boat. So are Jinx and Wally. That just leaves Speedy, Aqualad, Mas and Menos."

"Anyone but Aqualad." Garfield said adamantly.

She fought back laughter. "You're never going to forgive him for that song, are you?"

"Highly unlikely." He admitted.

"Well, they're probably all together, so…do you want to just go on a ride with me instead?"

Garfield's smile got impossibly wider. "You mean, just us?"

"Sure."

"That couldn't be-"

"Oh, good. You two. Here. Gifts." Ravager said, tossing a prize she and Damian won at the booths to Raven while he tossed one to the Changeling.

"Ah…thanks?" The shapeshifter shrugged.

"You won too many prizes, huh?" The empath raised an eyebrow.

They just grinned smugly and then left to find more people to unload their stuff on.

Beast Boy chuckled. "Those two are a thing now, right?"

"I'm pretty sure they were kissing earlier in Damian's room." Raven nodded.

"I know!" He squeaked. "I heard them talking about it; I've been dying to tell you! I mean, finally! Right? So what did you get?"

She raised her hand with the rectangular box in it and smiled slightly. It was a puzzle. She liked puzzles. "At least they got that right. What's yours?"

"Oh, mine's…" Garfield looked down at his gift and frowned. Then he rolled his eyes, sighed tiredly and showed it to her. "They're just so hilarious, aren't they?"

Raven bit her lip to hold back laughter. It was a dog collar and a leash. It was a badass dog collar too; all black and covered in spikes. She took it from him and pretended to examine it in her hands. "Oh, I don't know. I'm sure we can find some use for it."

Garfield's brain malfunctioned. Wait, is she talking dirty!? She smiled suggestively at him and his stomach fluttered. She IS talking dirty! THAT was a freaking sexual innuendo! He flushed deeply and fast, nearly turning purple, and whispered to her. "Oh, you…that…you're filthy."

Raven remained unfazed, if not amused, and floated away elegantly. I'm gonna make you howl, love. "C'mon, it's a carnival. I want to ride on something."

He gasped loudly. Was THAT another naughty ambiguous remark!? It fucking was! He shook his head and ran after her with a breezy grin. I'm SO getting laid tonight.

Natural (Imagine Dragons)

Lol welp, that's it for now, folks! I know that wasn't that heavily focused on BBRae but that's only cause it's all about them moving forward. Trust me, we needed to get to this point. Anyway I'll be back around January-February with the third (and final) part of this story, cause I want to finish writing it first so that I can keep bringing you frequent updates.

Thankou to everyone who's still here, I had no expectations when I started publishing, I was like, "oh maybe a handful of people will read it and that'll be fun", so now I keep going back and trying to make previous chapters better by correcting grammar and stuff and I take a lot longer to edit new chapters just cause I really want it to be as good as I can make it to thank you for sharing this journey with me.

I'm gonna leave you with a few spoilers lol, so coming up in "season 3" (not necessarily in this order): Doom Patrol, Raven's brothers, new friends/Titans, RobStar wedding, afterlife arrangements, new powers, trips, apocalyptical-level threats and unexpected alliances and more that I'm not willing to spoil lol. Also, an obnoxious amount of BBRae (like, more than parts I and II combined), cause I'm obsessed with them.

HAPPY HOLLIDAYS and "see you" next year (if you're still interested by then lol)! xD