[ Raven ]
The nightmares were getting worse and worse. I'd wake up at times like I just ran a marathon, sweating and drained. I'm afraid to even fall asleep at this point. I'm afraid to let my guard down even the slightest bit. If he gets out, there's no telling if I could even contain him once more. I got a splitting headache just thinking about it. I turned over to take a quick glance at the time.
4:30 AM
I'd usually be up in another hour so there's no point in trying to fall asleep. I got up; took a bath and got changed into some comfortable clothes. A hoodie and leggings. It was dark outside but peaceful. I slowly walked over to the kitchen to make some tea. It helps me relax when I've got too much on my mind. I was barely holding it together in my mind at this point. I nearly let my guard down infront of Y/N yesterday. I massaged my temples as I began to sip my cup of tea. I wasn't really a breakfast person so I didn't bother to whip something up. I sat there for a good while, until I noticed the slightest ray of light just creeping over the horizon. I took my cup and headed to the rooftop. I walked over to the edge as I stared longingly into the horizon. I wish I could be this calm all the time. As I was standing there, I heard the faintest sound of a ceramic cup clinking against a platter. I snapped my head around to find Y/N drinking tea as he stood there looking at a holographic map of San Francisco, deep in his thoughts and unbothered as the cold breeze blew. That's the second time I've come up here unknowingly that he was there. Although I wasn't complaining, he wasn't as rowdy as Beast Boy or Cyborg
"He drinks tea?" I thought to myself and I went over to him.
"Raven."
"We know each other quite well that I think you don't have to call me by my alias Y/N?"
"Do we though?" He asked rhetorically as his focus was still on the map.
"What seems to be on your mind?"
" Alot of things but now, H.I.V.E. Their attacks seems, weird."
" What do you mean?"
" I did some digging while I was patrolling just now. Turns out Gizmo stole an unfinished remote trigger system which is odd considering how the one he stole is centuries old compared to the others that were laying around in that place."
"Why would H.I.V.E need an old remote trigger system for a chemical generator?"
"Your guess is as good as mine." He said letting out a sigh before drinking his tea. I held in my chuckle at the sight of him sipping his tea out of a small cup.
" Something funny you wanna tell me?" He said lifting an eyebrow.
" Nothing... It's just... I never thought you were one for tea."
" It's a habit I picked up from. An old friend. He'd offer me some even if I didn't ask for it. Turns out it helps me relax and focus when my mind gets loud."
"It does doesn't it? It makes it even better when everything around you is nice and quiet." I said taking another sip out of mine.
"Guess that's something we have in common."
"The longing for peace? Or tea?" I asked, curious.
"Both." He said as he placed his cup down and put on his helmet.
" Where you going?"
"Patrol." He said as he jumped off the ledge and landed safely on the building nearby.
[ Y/N ]
That was unexpected. I didn't think she'd bring up tea as a subject of conversation. I began to jump from rooftop to rooftop until I reached the place.
TopCure Nuclear Plant.
A revolutionary company to say the least. High stock values. Well-renowned CEO. But behind every successful company there's bound to be dirty secrets hiding behind a facade of accomplishments and achievements. I sneaked my way in through the vents, navigating to the main office. It was quiet. No sign of anyone. I dropped in, careful not to make a sound as I hooked up a drive to the computer and began to download everything inside. There were a lot and I'm talking a lot of dodgy things. Things that I don't think were legal by any means. I heard faint sounds of footsteps making its way to the office.
"Well that's my cue." I thought to myself as I shut the computer down and left the same way I came in. As I was creeping through the vents, I recognized something familiar. A voice. Sounded like someone of importance and very intimidating. I decided to shake the thought off my mind and headed back to the tower with what I've got. I made a pot of coffee before heading to the surveillance room to go through what I got. I went through reports and investigation, even the one that were marked off-the-books. I would've been surprised but definitely not.
Interestingly I came across a blueprint for a chemical generator similar to the one Gizmo stoled but it was marked as unstable. The programme was halted and has been sitting on the shelf of TopCure ever since.
"Why would H.I.V.E even think of a chemical generator? More so if it's unstable." I muttered to myself. Dick then interrupted me.
"Early morning?"
I swiveled my chair to face him.
" That would imply that I actually slept."
"So what have you been doing? Anything on H.I.V.E?"
I motioned to the screens which showcase all the relevant information I was able to gather. He stood there, gathering everything in his mind.
" Good job Y/N. Why don't you take a rest for a bit? Get some training in with the team?"
"I did my training a few hours ago on the field."
" Y/N...."
" I didn't kill if that's what you're worried about."
"Come on! I need a hand, training Gar and Rachel. They might have powers but it still helps if they know some moves."
I sighed before heading into my room to change into some workout gear. I headed downstairs where I was greeted by the whole team waiting for me.
"Good! Now that Y/N is here, why don't we try something different today? Something a little more practical..."
"The four of you will go against me and Y/N. This will help all of you to learn to coordinate your attacks, and ultimately help you in the battlefield should your powers... Vanished." He ended. The rest of the team smiled, they definitely think they got the upper hand. Dick on the other hand was quite confident that the odds were evenly stacked.
"So what? This some kinda, superhero fight club?"
Dick raised his finger to rebuke my comment but instead stopped and thought about it.
"You know when you say it like that. It makes it sound tacky."
I scoffed at his comment as we got ready. ' This should be interesting' I thought to myself. The four of them began to charge at us as did we. I didn't wanna hurt them so I didn't put alot of power behind my punches. I've never really worked with Dick before, only a couple times when Bruce had him come over to Gotham to help but our coordination was so perfect it's scary. While we were training, throwing and avoiding punches; Dick interrupted the session.
"Rachel! Gar! You're pulling your punches. Stop it." He began to tell them, helping them with their technique as I stood by the side wiping the sweat off me. God he sounded like Bruce.
"My bad... It's a force of habit. I have too much respect for both of you that I don't wanna hurt either of you." Gar said scratching his head, embarrassed.
"Hit me." I said to him. He was shocked that I was even asking for a punch. But he wouldn't do it. Seeing as how he needed a little motivation, I slight shoved him; getting a rise out of him.
"Come on you think I can't take a punch? Hit me!" I said, shoving him even harder to which he snapped; landing a blow square on my jaw. Admittedly I was shocked by the power behind that punch but instead I chuckled to myself.
"That was good Gar... Real good." I said with my hand shaking as I was pointing at him. He; realizing I was roughhousing just to get him to punch me, immediately apologized to me which made me laugh a little.
" Listen kid. I've been through far worse alright? Just don't be afraid to hurt me the next time we train." I said as I went to my room to take shower. I had to get back to ths surveillance room to study the files but before I could, the savoury aroma of food caught and my stomach made a grumble.
"Damn! That smells good."
I followed the scent to find Cyborg in the kitchen preparing some food. The guy can literally do everything.
"Do I have a share in that?" I asked pointing to the hot steaming lasagna, fresh out of the oven. He scooped up a healthy serving on my plate before handing it to me.
"Thanks man. Didn't know you cook."
" Well before I became like this, my mom taught me a lot of skills. Figured I could help make food for the team so I don't forget what she taught"
" Well she raised a hell of a son." I said patting him on the back before heading to the surveillance room. I stopped at my tracks when I noticed Kory and Dick inside, going through everything I had put up. I leaned casually against the doorway as I began to take a bite of the lasagna.
"Am I interrupting something?"
"No. As a matter of fact, you may have brought us a step closer in beating them. "
I looked at him confused.
"TopCure is one of the very few companies that does not have a board of directors. I've looked into them in the past. The owner of the company is a more 'hands on' type of guy. Every decision the company makes goes through him."
" And that means...?"
"That means we're going to have a little talk with the person."
"I'll suit up."
"Y/N wait! I didn't mean it that way. If we're going to talk to this guy, we're gonna need to look differently. Not as Nightwing or Red Hood but as Dick Grayson and Y/N Todd." He said with an eyebrow raised.
"Forget it. Take someone else."
"Come on Y/N." I said as I began to walk away
"I'm legally dead. Or did you forget?"
"Right. . . I'll take Rachel with me."
---------------
Dick and Rachel left hours ago. Seeing as how there wasn't any crime alert and I had nothing better to do, I sat in the tech room, upgrading my gear. As I was busy, Kory knocked on the door.
"Y/N"
"Kory. Need anything?"
"I need to ask you about something. . . Something about Dick. See I've been feeling a certain way everytime I see him or when the two of us are together at times. I couldn't bring myself to ask him and you're the only one here who he considers his brother."
A small smirk crept across my face. I know that she was an alien but damn doesn't she know when she's falling for someone?
"And what feeling is that? You want to rip out his guts or you want to get to know him more and more?" I asked with, eyebrow raised. She didn't reply me, instead she just looked to the ground which gave me the answer I already know.
"I'm not an expert on this but, you and him should go out by yourselves sometime. You'll know what to do then or he does." I said, that last part slight softer than the rest.
"Would he want that? I mean we're so different from each other. What would we even talk about? "
"Hey, trust me he will."
"Thank you Y/N. You're a good friend."
"That might be an overstatement." I muttered softly to myself. I got out of my seat and grabbed my helmet which send a slight electric shock to my hand as I touched it. I pulled my hand back, surprised. I let out a sigh as I realized who was behind it.
"BEAST BOY!!!" I shouted. He loves to prank people. At the sound of me shouting, I heard a faint laughter among two guys and a high five.
"I'm gonna kill those two."
"What?!" Kory asked, bewildered.
" It's a joke. Relax" I said as I grabbed my helmet to go patrol.
--------------------------------------------
"Y/N I need you back at the tower. Now." Dick radioed in. I would've immediately went back if it wasn't for the fact that I was in a fight with a couple of thugs.
"Kinda in the middle of something here." I said as I blocked a punch
" You're out on patrol? Didn't I tell you to hang back at the tower?"
"You didn't."
"Ughh whatever just. . . Get back here as soon as you can."
"Got it." I said as I turned off my communicator and focused on fighting. These guys were good but nothing I couldn't handle. A few quick combination combined with some takedowns and I was done. I dusted myself off and headed back to the tower. I exited the elevator to find the team sitting on the couch as they turned to see that I came back. I noticed Raven seemed nervous for some reason. Like she doesn't feel comfortable.
"Y/N." Dick said acknowledging me. I gave him a nod as I made my way to the living room.
"What do you have?"
"Rachel and I met up with the CEO. Turns out the project was shelved after one of their employees nearly blew up the powerplant trying to get the generator working." He said, with a slight change in his voice becoming more concerned as he called her name. This just made me all the more curious. I guess Bruce's habits are rubbing off on me.
"The generator when turned on produces a big heat signature and emits radioactive waves." Raven continued on from Dick.
"So we can pinpoint H.I.V.E's location if they decide to test out the machine." Cyborg said with realization.
"When we have their location, wouldn't it be dangerous for us to confront them with the radioactive waves all around the place?" Beast Boy asked. He has a point to be fair. Radioactive chemicals isn't something easy to deal with.
"Well then we'll need to be ready. Upgrade our gear. Make them able to withstand the harmful rays." I suggested.
"Radioactive deflection suit? Nothing I can't handle." Cyborg said with pride as he went off to the tech room to start on it. Everyone eventually left to their rooms, leaving me and Dick standing across from each other.
"What's on your mind Y/N?" He asked, crossing his arms as he looked at me. I chuckled at how similar he was to Bruce
" You sound like the old man, Dick." I joked, lighten the mood. Which worked. For a second. He arched an eyebrow, going back to the subject.
" Rachel seems. . . Uneasy. Something happened at the meeting?"
" You're not too different from Bruce either. . . Something did happened, and I'm worried about her."
I raised my eyebrow, curious.
"When we were with the CEO, he was reluctant to take about it. . . It made her angry and she nearly lost control. . ."
"Lost control of what? Her powers?"
"I guess you can say that. . . I felt darkness circling the room as the lights flickered ever so slight. I placed my hand on top of hers to keep her in check which eventually made the darkness go away."
"What happens if she does eventually lose control?"
Dick reflected on the question for a bit before shaking his head.
"I don't know Y/N. And I hope I don't have to."
"Then we better keep an eye out for her." I said as I gave him a nod before heading into my room. I collapsed on the foot of my bed, leaning against it as I took off my leather jacket and helmet. I was breathing heavily as I lifted up the upper part of my bodysuit. Bruises was all over my body, even parts where I couldn't see but felt. I took off the suit and opened my bag laying beside me. I took out a can of healing spray and went over the bruises. Ever since the Lazarus Pit, I never asked anyone or teamed up with anyone willingly. I was always alone so I had to survive on my own with any help. Being at the Titans Tower with everything at the ready still seem so foreign to me.
I let out a soft groan in pain as the cold gas of the medicine hit my wounds and freezed it. I gritted my teeth as I continued to heal myself, unaware that my door had slid open. Relieved of the pain, I opened my eyes and immediately snapped my head at the person who was standing at my doorway.
We both stared at each other for a good while before she looked down at the floor.
"Uhh. . . Can I. . . Help you Raven?" I asked with a questioning look on my face.
" S-sorry it was just. . . I sensed that you were in pain whilst passing your room and. . . I thought to check on you. I-i didn't mean to barge in on you-" She stammered, averting her eyes away from me. I could swear she turned a shade of pink. She was a bumbling mess which made me chuckle for a bit as I got up on my feet and wore a shirt.
"Relax. . . You're not breaking any laws. So you can sense pain huh? That's not something you hear everyday" I said with a soft groan of pain as I put on the shirt, barely standing on my two feet.
"Are you o-okay Y/N? You look like you need someone to take a look at those." She said, pointing to my wounds.
"Just a scratch. Nothing I can't handle." I said dismissively as I gave her an assuring smile. It was nice to know she cared. We stood there for awhile, across each other as my eyes stayed on her while she was looking everywhere else. Slightly awkward silence.softly said which she didn't catch.
"I'm sorry?"
"Nothing. Just talking to myself, but no thanks. I think I need to get some rest." I said as I grabbed my towel and headed to the bathroom. After a quick shower, I plopped on the bed and immediately went to sleep. Finally a good rest after a long while.
I woke up just as the sun had just set. I laid in bed, staring at the ceiling as I collected my thoughts. I turned to the bedside table as a cup caught my eye, along with a handwritten note.
Made you a cup anyway.
~R
A small smirk crept across my face before disappearing as I tried to get up from lying down. I felt a sharp pain across my back to which I stopped moving.
" I'm getting old. . ." I muttered to myself as I got up and drank the tea. I immediately got changed into my suit and headed outside to the kitchen area.
a/n absolutely unbelievable the amount of views this has. extremely thankful for the support. Till next time ✌️.