LivingstoneBramble: it may be, hehe xD
So, guys, I don't know if you've noticed but this site has been glitching a lot more than usual. Chapter will randomly disappear and reappear. I'll keep trying to post the rest of the story here but I'm afraid it may be abandoned...so, friendly reminder that this is also up on AO3 now. Hope you enjoy!
Happy reading! xD
It's Time
The Titans had been chilling in the ops room on a peaceful Sunday. Raven and Garfield had been gone for hours. No one was that worried, because they told Nightwing they were visiting the Red. He sometimes even let them skip training for it, because the more the Changeling did it, the more species he could turn into and the more confident he got. He didn't need to take Raven with him, but Dick knew he liked doing it and she liked going. Besides, he had other members to focus on. Raven was responsible enough to practice in her own time by now. Still, they had been gone for a long time and-
"You guys will NEVER believe this!" Beast Boy's voice startled everyone.
They turned around to see an extremely excited Changeling entering the ops room, followed by an enigmatic-looking Raven. Salem immediately ran to her and she floated the kitten into her arms and calmly leaned against the wall.
"You guys took a while this time." Damian frowned.
The shapeshifter was practically giggly. "Guess WHY!" When no one seemed to have a guess or even want to attempt thinking about it, it didn't lessen his spirit. "We were…" He spread his arms wide for effect. "Traveling the Multiverse!"
At first, they were mostly confused.
Nightwing folded his arms. "The Multiverse? I thought you were in the Red." He turned to Raven and raised an eyebrow, but she shook her head to let him know this wasn't her.
"We were!" Garfield squeaked. "We were traveling the Multiverse through the Red! You know, cause it connects all animal life forms so it connects all worlds!"
That got a reaction out of them. Shocked gasps and excited grins took over the previously silent ops room.
"Wait, you were traveling through dimensions?" Rose asked, absolutely intrigued. She pointed at the Changeling. "So, you can do that too, now?"
"He can." Raven finally spoke up, scratching Salem's back in her arms. "We saved some lives in other worlds. We even saw the X-Men. They're doing great. They said hi."
Garfield suddenly blushed under everyone's impressed gaze. "Well, yeah, but I can't, like, bring people along like Rae can."
"You brought her along." Superboy pointed out.
"That's cause she can access the Red." The shapeshifter smiled. He was so proud of her.
"Only with your help." Raven stated, equally proud of him.
Garfield turned to her and realized her face was no longer enigmatic. It was full of admiration. The sight made his heart race.
"So you can use the Red as a portal between worlds?" Nightwing asked. "That's…"
"Wicked." Damian grinned approvingly.
"I mean, yes. Undeniably so." Richard pondered. "But isn't it dangerous?"
The shapeshifter immediately started searching for the words to make his case, but someone else spoke first.
"He can handle it."
He turned around again at the sound of Raven's voice and she seemed more certain than he was about his ability to handle it.
The empath sensed his hesitation. "It chose you, Gar. I felt it, it loves you." She smiled slightly. "I think it wants you to be its champion. You see, I've been reading…"
She was interrupted by a round of mocking gasps and fake manifestations of shock.
"No way, you!?" Cyborg chuckled. "Reading!?"
"Groundbreaking news." Ravager smirked.
Raven rolled her eyes and placed her cat on her shoulder so she could fold her arms until the laughter diminished. Gar chuckled along with them, but she could tell he was also extremely interested in what she had to say. "Yes, well, anyway, I found something on the Red. It's not the only of its kind. There's the Green, which is the force that connects all forms of plant life. It probably powers Poison Ivy. And then there's the Black, which consists of death and decay." She looked directly at Gar again. "I think the Red wants you to do what we did today. I think you're supposed to defend it against the Black."
He suddenly felt a bit overwhelmed and scratched the back of his head. He could tell their friends were as shocked as him. "Oh, I…you think so? I mean, that sounds…important."
Raven tilted her head with a soft smile on her face, and allowed sheer adoration to fill her eyes. "Well, you're important."
That fueled him with pride and strength. The shapeshifter beamed at her and then turned to the rest of the team to realize in surprise that they all seemed convinced as well. As confident as he was now, he didn't feel worthy of that job. But if they did and the Red did and more importantly, if she did, maybe he was.
Starfire grinned hugely. "Oh, how wonderful!"
"That makes sense, actually." Nightwing nodded.
"Yeah, man." Cyborg said. "If I were an inter-dimensional life force connected to a bunch of animals, I'd totally pick you to defend me!"
The Changeling chuckled breezily.
"You should go more often." Dick said seriously. "If you're supposed to help guard all animal life in the Multiverse, it's not just for yourself anymore. If you need help, take Rae with you and let us know. Just don't die out there, please. I need you both home."
Raven gave him a quick, confident nod.
Garfield just beamed. "You really think I can do this!?"
Nightwing shrugged nonchalantly. "Sounds like you already are."
The Changeling excitedly opened his mouth to respond, but Raven's hand on his shoulder averted his attention to her. "Yeah, love?"
"Thanksgiving." She whispered as everyone else went back to their own thing. "Are you going?"
He knew what she meant. She was asking if he was going to spend it with Doom Patrol. He usually went to see them on this particular Holiday. But he wasn't so excited about it this year. In fact, he was sort of dreading it, because Rita wouldn't be there. "Yeah, probably. I think I kinda have to."
"Do you want me there? It's okay if you don-"
"YES."
Raven chuckled at his wide eyes and immediate response. She knew he wouldn't ask her, because he was still adamant about not asking her for too much, so she decided to offer.
"Are you sure you want to come?" Garfield frowned, because now that the initial euphoria wore down he worried that she was offering more than she was willing to give. "It will probably kind of suck."
"I'm sure, Gar." She guaranteed, holding his hand. "And I know. That's why I'm offering."
And that was how just a few weeks later, Raven found herself looking her very best in her structured black dress and raven necklace while sitting next to Gar and across from Negative Man and Robotman, with Mento at the end of the table, to a rather mediocre meal that didn't at all resemble the delicious one the shapeshifter had always described – certainly because that was all Rita.
"So you're dating the kid, huh?" Mento asked for the tenth time.
The empath frowned. She wasn't sure why he sounded so skeptical about it. Also, she noticed Gar shrinking just a tad bit more every time Mento called him that. She reminded herself that was his father and held back the sarcastic remarks. "Yes."
"Mmmm." Mento nodded, taking another bite.
Raven felt a little hostility in him and figured he probably thought she wasn't good enough for his son, which she could understand.
"Is it true you beat Eclipso all by yourself?" Negative Man asked her eagerly. "Also, Garfield told us your soul-self has traveled through space seeking some cosmic force from another Universe. How was that? I couldn't be that far from my body."
"I wasn't-"
"Did you really make the Joker sane?" Robotman chimed in. "And we heard you obliterated Rouge, is that true?"
"Well, I-"
"You can shield your mind from me, can't you?" Mento asked her, chewing on his food.
Raven grimaced. It was bad enough when Garfield talked with his mouth full, but this overbearing man doing it was a whole lot more grotesque. Also, she had noticed his attempts to pry into her thoughts. "Why did you try to read my mind?"
"Oh, that." He laughed breezily. "Hope you don't mind. Just wanted to make sure you're really into the kid. You know parents, we want to protect their feelings. But I got nothing."
The empath stole a quick glance at Garfield, but he was staring blankly at his food. She knew he could confront Mento when he needed to, like when they all worked together several years ago. But she also knew it took a toll on him. She was starting to understand why. "I do mind. And I'm not into him. I'm in love with him." She said firmly, noticing Gar finally looking up out of the corner of her eye. "And yes, I can shield my mind."
The Changeling flinched slightly at her irritated tone, but Mento just grinned wider.
Raven turned to Negative Man and softened her voice. "I did not beat Eclipso by myself, Zatanna was there, however I did absorb him. Yes, my soul-self traveled through space to find the Phoenix, but I had help from several powerful sorcerers to do that. I wouldn't normally go that far from my body either." She addressed Robotman next. "I did heal the Joker, though that wasn't my smartest moment…it tarnished my dreams for a while. And I killed Rouge. I'm not proud of it, it's just…she hurt Gar."
Robotman turned to the Changeling. "You were right, she is legendary."
The shapeshifter started smiling at him, but then Mento's voice brought him down again.
"We heard. You had to rescue the kid's ass, huh?" He gave Garfield's arm a light punch.
She didn't like that at all. There was a controlling, overpowering quality to everything he said to Gar and she was starting to think his subtle hostile undertone wasn't directed at her at all. And that made her blood boil.
"I'm not a kid…" Garfield muttered under his breath. This was much harder without Rita.
Mento chuckled loudly. "Right, right, I'm so sorry, Beast Boy."
"It's Changeling…" The shapeshifter muttered again.
"Oh, I'll have to call you that because your girlfriend's here, is that it?" The telepath took another bite and looked at her again. "You are his girlfriend, then?"
"Yeah, how did that happen?" Robotman chuckled.
She'd had enough of this. "I think I've made the nature of our relationship quite clear already." Raven stated, watching Garfield stiffen beside her and ignoring it. "Also, he's rescued me, too. Several times."
Negative Man and Robotman seemed interested, but Mento was just taken aback.
"He's saved my life. He singlehandedly took Kalibak down. He's turned into some of the most powerful creatures in the Multiverse." She sensed Gar's gratitude and silently considered never letting him come to this thing alone again.
Negative Man and Robotman were slightly surprised, because even though they'd heard most of these stories, somehow they still saw him as the awkward, scrawny kid they used to know. Nonetheless, their enormous, approving grins were genuine.
"Really?" Mento turned to stare at his son, as if waiting for him to confirm it.
"I…" Gar cleared his throat. "I mean, she's making it sound more impressive than it was."
Mento chuckled. "Hah! That's what I thought."
"No, I'm not." Raven said sternly. She was about to elaborate, but Garfield shot her a warning look that begged her to stop, so she dropped it.
Well, she tried to.
The psychic hero shrugged. "I just think that sounds like a bit of a stretch."
She narrowed her eyes. "Why?"
There was obvious hostility in her voice this time. Not that Mento was intimidated, but he was slightly less amused.
"Rae, don't." Garfield whispered pleadingly.
Mento leaned forward. "No, I think she wants to say something. Do you have something to say, Raven?"
The empath glanced at her boyfriend again. He widened his eyes and shook his head, so she swallowed her anger and smiled painfully, deciding to lighten the mood. "Do you want me to fix this meal?"
Negative Man gasped. "You can do that!?"
Garfield grinned in relief. "She can do anything!"
Raven smirked and stretched a hand out. "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!"
Even the colors changed. The flavor certainly improved a whole lot. She took a deep breath to cool down and enjoyed the approving hums and nods.
The Changeling smiled charmingly at her. "Thanks, love."
"Remarkable." Mento agreed, eating even faster now. "How did you pull this one off, huh, kid?" He chuckled and ruffled his son's hair.
It was playful, but it was also a little demeaning. It didn't even take an empath to know it bothered Garfield, because he was shrinking in his seat again.
"Stop that." Raven spat out at the same time the lights flickered.
Everyone stopped eating at once and tension filled the room.
Mento raised a severe eyebrow at her. "Excuse me?"
"Rae, drop it." Garfield whispered urgently.
But she wasn't backing down this time. She stared Mento straight in the eye. "Do you have any idea what he can do? He guards life in the whole Multiverse, I've seen it. He's basically a God. Stop talking down to him."
The empath turned her head to glare at Negative Man and Robotman when they chuckled slightly to let them know she was dead serious. She could sense surprise and dread from Gar and sheer indignation from his adoptive father.
"I will talk to my son however I see fit." Mento stated in a stern voice, battling for dominance. This girl was straight up calling him out and he hadn't expected it. No matter how legendary she was, it still bothered him. He was a proud man.
But she was just as proud as him, if not more.
"Not in front of me, or I will talk to you however I see fit." Raven said, ignoring the gasps of shock. She turned to Mento again and softened her voice and face for a moment. "Thank you for taking care of him, truly. No one appreciates it more than me. But that doesn't mean you get to control him for the rest of his life."
The telepath huffed, starting to feel a bit self-conscious. "I'm not trying to-"
"I'm not done." She stated calmly, but firmly, glancing at her petrified boyfriend. "Sorry, Gar, but I'm not sitting here and silently watching him treat you like this." She directed her gaze back to Mento. "I think you're confused. He's bigger than all of you. He's here for your love, not your approval. So get over yourself."
"Now wait a minute-"
"And how is it surprising that I love him? How could I not love him? He is selfless, kind, brave, strong and pretty much the most deserving person I know. In spite of everything he's been through, all he wants to do is protect everyone and make people happy. His heart knows no limits. Of course I love him."
Garfield stared at her with enormous eyes. Negative Man and Robotman weren't chuckling anymore – in fact, they felt a bit ashamed now. Mento started realizing he couldn't win this argument, because he couldn't really be mad at her for loving and defending his son. But he didn't like losing.
"Hey, relax. I was just joking, the kid gets it." He rolled his eyes, deciding denial and light mockery were the only way out. "There's no need to get all worked up about it."
"Don't talk to her like that." Garfield said firmly before she could even respond. Raven's words had instantly changed his perspective. She wasn't scared of Mento at all. She wasn't intimidated in the least. Why should he be? Besides, if that's what she thought of him, he really didn't need anything else. "And don't talk to me like that. She's right; I don't need your approval." He stood up calmly. "So, unless you have something better to say, we're leaving. Raven, I'm sorry for putting you through this."
She smiled up at him and started getting off her seat. Oh, thank Azar.
"No, wait!" Mento said as he swiftly gripped Garfield's arm, urging him to sit back down. He knew they were right. He'd always been hard on him and thought of it as tough love, but without Rita around it was difficult to know when to tone it down. Even before he lost her, he knew he took it too far sometimes. But especially with her gone, he couldn't afford losing Garfield's affection. That would have broken her heart. "I'm sorry, ki-" He stopped himself and cleared his throat. "I'm sorry, Changeling. Please stay."
Gar eyed him suspiciously. He wasn't expecting that reaction. "Apologize to Raven, too."
The empath shook her head. "That's not necessa-"
"I'm sorry, Raven." Mento said sincerely, looking her in the eyes. "Anyone who loves my son that much should get nothing but my best version. Please, sit."
She looked at Garfield, though she could already sense he was much happier and more peaceful. "Gar, do you want to stay?"
The shapeshifter beamed at her and silently mouthed I love you before nodding and sitting back down. She sat down as well and he shot his father a forgiving smile. Negative Man and Robotman finally exhaled and muttered apologies of their own, because they knew they weren't innocent. They usually just witnessed Mento's harsh approach in silence.
Mento relaxed. "Look, don't get me wrong. I know Garfield here is impressive. It's the whole reason I kept him." He chuckled light-heartedly and this time there was no hostile undertone to it, so his son chuckled along with him. "I didn't mean to imply…I was just surprised because he wasn't always that great under pressure."
She rolled her eyes in a friendlier manner now that Gar was at ease. "Well, he's grown up."
"Yeah, I can see that." Mento said in a thoroughly amused voice, grinning as he looked between his son and the empath next to him. He had to hand it to her, that little speech made Garfield stand taller and more confidently than his tough love ever had.
Changeling swallowed his food and grinned merrily. "I mean, mostly. I still tell bad jokes."
Mento, Negative Man and Robotman all stared at Raven as if trying to figure out if they'd get scolded for laughing at that.
"That's true. The jokes are terrible." She said blankly.
Light-hearted chuckles filled the room and they went back to enjoying their magically-improved meal. It got light and fun after that, since all that underlying hostility and tension faded away.
Later, as Raven was helping Negative Man with dessert, Mento leaned closer to Garfield. "She's a real keeper, that one. Don't fuck it up."
The shapeshifter grinned widely at him. "Oh, I'm aware. And I don't intend to."
"So…" Mento said cheerfully as she got back to the table after magically fixing their pie. "Are you two having children?"
Raven immediately choked on her drink and covered her mouth with her hand as she coughed in absolute shock.
"Ah…" The Changeling said awkwardly. "We haven't really discussed that yet."
The empath recovered and cleared her throat, shaking her head. "I mean, there's no point. I'm pretty sure I'm barren."
It was Garfield's turn to gasp in shock. His head shot towards her. "What!?"
She felt her heart tighten in fear. Fuck. "Is…is that a problem for you?"
The shapeshifter struggled to not let her sense or see hurt or disappointment in him. Sure, they hadn't discussed it, but to suddenly learn being a father wasn't even an option was a bit of a hit. Still, it wouldn't change anything. "I…no, of course not. I just…didn't know."
"Oh, I assumed you knew…" Raven said quietly, absentmindedly hugging herself. "I mean, I'm a hybrid. Most hybrids are barren. I figured…"
Truthfully, it was more of a hopeful theory at first, since most isn't the same as all. But she hadn't been concerned when they were intimate for the first time because she thought she was going to die. Then when they were intimate again, there were no contraceptives around since they were in a destroyed planet in another Universe. The third time had been too impulsive and urgent for her to remember about protection.
And then after they got together they would frequently forget about it, mostly post-battles. She secretly freaked out at first, but after a few times Raven figured with her halfbreed status and his chaotic DNA there was no harm. She took the fact that nothing ever happened as confirmation for her theory and relaxed. Since they stopped using protection at all after that, she assumed he'd come to the same conclusion.
"Oh, right." Garfield nodded, frowning and staring at his dessert. "That makes sense."
A few extremely heavy and uncomfortable seconds of silence passed.
"Sorry." Raven finally whispered.
Gar looked up at that. She looked absolutely devastated. You asshole. Fix this. "No, Rae, please, I'm sorry. Don't apologize for that." He took her hands in his and stared into her eyes, smiling reassuringly. "That changes nothing. I love you."
Raven relaxed, because he meant every word of that, and smiled softly back at him.
Mento saw Robotman's judgmental stare and Negative Man folding his arms and decided to do his part fixing his own mess. "Hey, no worries." He chuckled. "You two can always adopt some orphan you bump into on the way, like Rita and I did."
The shapeshifter watched the slightest of chuckles escape her lips and grinned wider. "That's right, we can! But only if you want to. It's all good, love."
"We'll see." She said playfully, feeling utterly relieved at his reaction. Raven had never dared to envision herself as a mother, especially with her powers and need to stay calm and in control, but she couldn't deny he would make an amazing dad. If she could handle a relationship, maybe she could handle children too.
"How lovely." Negative Man said breezily. "Now can we please eat the magical pie?"
Later that night, back in Raven's room, she propped herself up on her elbows so her face was hovering over her boyfriend's as he lay on his back. "Are you mad at me?"
Gar frowned at her in a mix of confusion and adoration. "I thought you were an empath."
She chuckled fondly. "Okay, I know you're not, but I'm sorry if I overstepped today. I just-"
"Rae, stop. Don't apologize. How could I ever be mad at you?" He wrapped his arms around her waist and smiled, looking into her hypnotizing eyes. "No one has ever defended me like that. Not even Rita. Not like that. You have no idea what it meant to me."
Raven brought one hand to lazily and lovingly play with his hair. "Get used to it."
The shapeshifter closed his eyes and just enjoyed her gentle touch. "I'm not really planning on needing you to do that often." His eyes fluttered open and he took in her loving gaze. "But I needed it today."
"I know." She whispered truthfully.
He put on a smug, cheeky grin. "So I'm basically a God, huh?"
She rolled her eyes and ignored him, lying down and nuzzling his shoulder. "You know, I quite like the Red."
Garfield peacefully and tenderly ran his fingers up and down her back. "It likes you too."
"You know what we have in common?"
"Me and you?"
"Me and the Red."
"Oh. Um…" He furrowed his brows in thought. "Ancient wisdom?"
Raven chuckled softly against his shoulder, tracing random patterns on his chest with her fingertips. "Sure. But I was going to say we both chose you as our champion." She relished in the delightfully cheesy happiness pouring out of him. "Because we both love you and believe in you."
That sure tugged at his heartstrings and filled his stomach with butterflies. Garfield held her as if she was the most precious thing in the entire Multiverse and devotedly kissed the top of her head. "That does make me feel like a God."
"Good."
His lips spread into a gigantic grin as he buried his face in her lavender-scented hair. "Anyway, thanks for not listening to me back there. You having my back completely changed everything. It made me see things clear."
She sighed contently. "I'll always have your back."
"I have yours too."
The next day, Gar decided to try begging for Raven's soul again. Radiant would still usually answer his call, though he was scared she was starting to lose patience with him. But what else could he do? Giving up wasn't an option.
"Yes, child?"
The Changeling dropped to his knees in front of the Spirit of Mercy and bowed his head, like he always did in her presence. "Thank you for coming."
"I know what you want to ask." Radiant pointed out in a soft voice.
He fought back tears. "P-please, I…she wanted to go with you. Don't make her pay for my mistake. I know you said you can't make that offer again, but…she deserves peace."
"I don't disagree, my dear boy. We are not unsympathetic to your pain. The Presence cares, but this is out of our hands."
The shapeshifter looked up with teary eyes. "Can't you make an exception? She deserves Heaven. I'll go to Hell or Purgatory or whatever if that balances things out, I'll…I'll trade places with her!"
That brought a sad smile to her face, because she could tell he meant it. "I'm afraid that's not how it works. Besides, do you really think she could be at peace with that?"
No. It would torture her forever. He couldn't hold it in anymore and let out a strangled sob.
"Stay in her life, my child. Continue to help her and if you two stay on this path, she'll go to the best possible place a demon spawn can go to."
"But that…" He cried openly. "That's not good enough for her!"
"I agree, my sweet boy." She said kindly. "But it is the best I can offer. This is not about how welcome she would be, this is about her not crossing the gates. Demons can't enter Heaven and that won't change, no matter how worthy she is. It cannot be done."
Garfield sniffled and wiped his face, accepting defeat for the moment. "I'm sorry."
"You are forgiven." Radiant whispered before disappearing into thin air and leaving a heartbroken Changeling behind, fully aware this wouldn't be the last time she would answer his call.
As if Thanksgiving had been some kind of providential omen, a few days later the Doom Patrol called for a meeting at Titan Tower with the resident heroes and the Justice League, which was currently busy and being represented by Batman.
"So what's this about, Mento?" Nightwing asked.
The telepath glanced at the Changeling and cleared his throat. "Nicholas Galtry is back."
Raven noticed Garfield's entire body stiffen at the mention of his former tormentor.
"He's taken Arsenal's armor and alias. And he's working with Brain. They made quite a few improvements in that thing. It's designed to neutralize all our powers…" Mento gestured towards his own teammates and Garfield. "…and basically unbeatable. And he's in your territory, Titans."
"No one's unbeatable." Nightwing stated confidently.
"Who's Arsenal?" Ravager asked.
"The villain my lovely guardian hired to kill me when I was a kid." Gar said seriously.
Starfire frowned in concern. "What does he want?"
"Probably revenge, for losing the Logans' inheritance and going to jail." Negative Man answered in an urgent tone. "And in Brain's case, for defeat. In fact, I'm sure he wouldn't mind revenge against the rest of you as well, Titans."
Nightwing nodded. "Do we know if they have contingency plans for us, too?"
"It's Brain. I'm sure they do." Mento stated. "It's why I asked the League for help."
The Changeling took a deep breath. "I don't think that-"
"Well, none of you should engage against him yet, especially the Doom Patrol and Garfield." Batman said stoically. "I can put together a team."
The shapeshifter frowned. "But if we wait he can-"
"Yes, I agree." Mento nodded, staring at Batman.
Bruce turned to Dick. "Nightwing, what do you think? He's in your territory, it's your call."
Dick hadn't failed to notice the similarities between him and Gar when it came to their upbringing, in spite of their wildly different personalities. He was no stranger to confusing father figures, being trained as a soldier-child and tough love. He took a long time to feel like he'd finally earned Bruce's respect and he could definitely relate to Beast Boy struggling to be heard at the moment. He was finally living up to his potential and Dick wanted to encourage it. It's not that the shapeshifter hadn't earned his peers' respect long ago – ever since Darkseid, his skills were impossible to overlook – it's just that this was different and much more complicated. This wasn't about peers, this was about mentors.
"And I trust my team." Nightwing turned to the Changeling. "What do you want to do?"
That earned the leader genuine smiles from Raven, Starfire and Cyborg.
Garfield just gave him a grateful, but serious nod. "I want to face him. No waiting, it just gives them longer to prepare. They won't expect us to go looking for them."
"Because it's madness." Robotman said. "You're not thinking straight."
"You might be too eager to get it handled, Garfield." Mento pondered.
"I'm not." The shapeshifter assured them. "I just think an aggressive approach is smarter here. I can't explain it, but…I know I can beat him. I feel it."
"You feel it?" Batman asked in a concerned voice.
"Instinct." Raven blurted out and then cleared her throat to elaborate when they all shot her questioning looks. "Animals have it. He has it, too."
Garfield smiled at her.
Nightwing nodded. "Let's not wait to fight them on their terms. We'll go to them." He turned to an extremely relieved Changeling. "Besides, you won't be alone."
Mento frowned. "I don't know…"
Garfield quickly shook his head. "No, you shouldn't engage against him. My powers have changed a lot; I think I can surprise him. But you guys should sit this one out."
The telepath didn't like that one bit, for obvious reasons. But unfortunately, it made sense and he couldn't properly argue against it.
"Okay, Titans." Batman stated. "Let's do it your way."
Once they were alone, Raven pulled her boyfriend close and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Have I told you I'm proud of you this week?"
He blushed and grinned idiotically. "Wait 'till I win. I might still get my ass kicked."
The empath smiled fondly. "You'll win. You're stronger than him."
The shapeshifter sighed. "Yeah but the Brain's smarter than me."
She firmly held his face in her hands and looked him straight in the eyes. "I want you to listen to me carefully, okay?" Raven waited for his confused face to nod at her. "You can outsmart him any day."
Gar's first impulse was to huff, roll his eyes or scoff, but she looked so damn serious and sure and sincere he ended up just nodding at her again while his heartbeat went wild.
It's Time (Imagine Dragons)