Song: Truce  By: Twenty One Pilots

Raven was upset.

Damian could tell.

She wouldn't spend as much time with the others, opting to keep to herself, staying locked away upstairs. In the morning, she would make little conversation, drawn away in her own thoughts. Even after spending time at the school, she would retain her sombre mood, greeting Damian with little to no enthusiasm. The weight on Raven's shoulders as she walked pained him, though he could do nought to explain why.

However, he could put her mood to reason: it was one he had been in all too many times. They had been staying at the Manor since the beginning of the month, and October was nearing its end, Raven had spent weeks with a mask of indifference adorning her features, venturing to smile and act pleasantly towards others. But a few days ago, in that short-lived argument with her brother, that mask had shattered, leaving Raven's will lying on the floor. Broken shards of porcelain.

Adyn, on the other hand, was doing much better. His overall mood had drastically improved (the demon spent most of his time smiling, engaging in conversation with the other house occupants) and it didn't come as a surprise that he found a suitable companion in Grayson. 

Damian gave a snort of contempt as he pictured the two fretting over burnt cookies that his adopted brother was making for Koriand'r.  He might have offered to help, but thought to watch would be wiser...and provide a pathetic source of entertainment for his currently unstable mind.

It was strange how empty the day felt without Raven as a primary factor. Sure, there was Jaime, he gave adequate counsel, but the Bluebeetle was always calling or meeting up with Bart in the city (A.N: Because Bluepulse is real). Donna and Jon were available...but it wasn't the same. Selfish as it sounded, they couldn't... be there for Damian in the same way Raven could.

She wouldn't offer judgement. She wouldn't give overly concerned looks. She wouldn't ask that infernal question 'Are you okay?'. Raven understood that answering that question made it all so much worse. Rather than being intrusive, she would respect his privacy, allowing him to deal with his issues independently, but still lingering near. An open ear. Someone to listen instead of hear -if the rare occasion came that he opened up to her. Usually about his father. A few sentences at most: on patrol or before his father awoke. 

But Raven was avoiding human contact, leaving Damian susceptible to the darkness creeping from the back of his mind. Raven somehow, by some strange means, held the darkness at bay, as Damian came to discover.

The change went unnoticed by those in the Manor. His father didn't realise how distant Damian was. Neither did the Titans. Nor his brothers and sisters. One of the many perks of emotionally closing yourself off from people...they don't realise when you're hurting.

Because that's what Damian was...hurt. It was beyond his comprehension as to why he was hurting...but he was. In the night, memories would haunt him- not nightmares, but memories. Memories of the League of Assassins. Of Mother. Of Grandfather. Of training. Of not living up to expectations. Of...punishment. And loss...

He would wake, shivering. Not from the cold (although it was undeniably growing chillier outside) but from the ghost of a blade digging in to his back or the crack of a whip. 

Damian was no stranger to sleepless nights. Night filled with regrets from years ago. The regrets of a child- no, he was never a child. Damian had never experienced all the things that a child should have: never had he felt the soft embrace of a loving mother; or giggled as he slid down a playground slide. The assassin was scaling tundra-like mountains, decapitating unfaithful soldiers and the like at that point in his life.  

These poisonous thoughts and so much worse plagued Damian ceaselessly. So much so that, on the fourth day of Raven's unresponsiveness, he didn't visit the training room, or join them for dinner, opting to confine himself in his room, lost in thought.

To temporarily numb the pain, he launched in to hours of training. Sore limbs drew his thoughts elsewhere, for a while. But the thoughts only returned by a twofold. And oh did he hate himself for it.

This...weakness. How could he allow himself to fall into such a  piteous state after merely four days. This wasn't the way of the son of Batman. This wasn't the way of an Assassin. This was a disgrace to his demonic lineage. What would his mother say if she were there? Or if she were even alive for that matter- he had seen the plane explode in to the ocean, there was no way of her being alive. Not that he cared, she had tried to kill him. 

Another thought to add to the swelling numbers of the darkness in his mind.

Making a clean swipe at an imaginary assailant, Damian concluded his sword practice. Allowing his katana to fall to the floor, he cupped his face in two calloused hands. One represented his shame, the other, his hopelessness.

His floodgates had opened, letting out all of the unwanted memories contained within them. And Damian couldn't find the mental strength to close them.

***

It was agony. 

Feeling his emotions from the room next door.

They were overwhelmingly powerful, hitting her in waves that pulled her too far under to be called safe. What was worse, was that she was the reason for them. Not as in the whole 'No, it's my fault' ordeal, but as in 'I am literally responsible for this'.

Only now did Raven understand the damage she was doing Damian by associating with him. It made her self-loathing deepen even further. And it was something that Raven had to set right- she had to explain it to him. Otherwise Azar knew what could happen. 

Steeling herself, Raven left the comfort of her room, venturing out in to the corridor. Exhaling and inhaling deeply, she rapped on the door besides her, reasonably anxious. Upon receiving no answer, she knocked again. And like before, she was met with silence.

Doing away with all rationality and common sense, Raven placed her hand on the doorknob and twisted, pushing the door open marginally.

"Grayson, I don't wa-", Damian began before realising just who was at the door.

"Raven?", his tone perfectly portraying his shock as he met her guilt-filled gaze.

Raising himself to his feet, Damian took a step forward, almost hesitantly.

"Is... is everything alright?", he asked slowly, forehead still drawn, gathering his thoughts.

Once more unsure of herself, Raven tediously entered his room, letting the door close softly behind her. Meeting the green gaze of the boy in front of her, Raven was at a lost for words. The emotions swirling within that terribly spacious room were far too much for her to bear: so much heavier than was anticipated. The only difference from previous times of emotional overloads, was that this time Raven didn't feel faint or dizzy, there was just...clarity. Too much of it. 

It was too unknown and too unexpected. She could feel everything, it was open to her. Sadness. Confusion. Stress. Relief. And...something more.

Damian's voice broke through the queer cloud of empathetic clarity surrounding her. With his first syllable, her mind returned to it's usual level of perception, unable to sense the deeper feelings of the room's two occupants: herself and Damian.

He spoke as though contemplating over each word before letting it leave the safety of his lips, "Why...what is happening, Raven?"

The depth to his tone shook the witch to the core. For him to have come so far in only a few days...and all because of her...Azar, it was too much. Everything Raven touched, she hurt. Kadaar. Adyn. Damian. The other titans. The Justice League. Her people in Hell. And her...the one with the eyes just like his.

With that last thought, water drew itself to Raven's eyes, not yet spilling over. She raised a hand to her mouth, aimlessly straining to cover her contorting features, still, in this moment of desperation, not wanting to let Damian see her like this. Raven had to be strong...but she couldn't. She fucking couldn't!

Breathing shakily, Raven dared to meet those deadly jade orbs staring at her from across the room, unable to see properly due to the unshed salt-water lining her eyes.

"I...Azar...I don't even know what is going on anymore!"

Her mask of porcelain shattered.

***The***Next***Day***

"Re-joined the land of the living, eh?", Dick commented as Damian made his way in to the training room.

He spared Grayson an unreadable look, walking towards the simulation room, katana in hand, donning his Robin uniform.

"Hey, lil bro, what's going on?", the acrobat asked, releasing the gymnastics rings, landing perfectly on the sprung floor.

Damian brushed him of with a monotone 'Nothing' , not even deigning to look towards the questioner.

But Dick wouldn't give up that easily, years of living with Damian had brought the two fairly close (well, if you asked Dick) so he knew when something was wrong with his brother.

"Damiaaaaaan!", he called, jogging after him, "What's the matter? You've been acting off!"

Naturally Dick had assumed his 'ex-team leader' voice, making Damian roll his eyes, until he took a second to process what Dick had actually said.

The boy wonder stopped in his wake, turning around.

In surprisingly soft voice, one still retaining a margin of sarcasm, Damian commented, "You noticed."

Dick scoffed, "Of course! I'm your brother."

"Adopted.", Damian smirked, returning to one of his usual habits.

Opting to ignore that statement, Dick followed his BROTHER in to the simulation room, which doubled up as an excellent sparring ring. Facing the considerably younger (though slightly taller, much to his irritation) boy, Dick gestured offhandedly, knowing just what to do to lift Damian's mood.

"How about a round?"

***

The two were leaving the training room when Damian felt it: a strong presence coming from the living room.

Thank his demonic lineage for the minor ability to sense other beings. 

It had a familiar feeling to it, Damian just couldn't place where he recognised it from. Paying Grayson no attention, Damian walked faster, gripping his katana securely. Turning a corner, he was met with a puzzled Raven making her way to the living room too.

Disregarding the events of the day prior for more crucial issues, the two burst in to the living room together, only to see a stunned Kori staring at them in shock. Raven exhaled in relief, closing her eyes momentarily.

"Kori, can I speak with you for a moment.", she asked, receiving the positive immediately.

***

"I just...are you sure, Raven? There is no doubt?"

The purple-haired demon shook her head. "I can feel the life-force,", the corners of her lips lifter ever so slightly, "it'll be powerful."

"But how will I tell Dick?",  Koriand'r bit her lip, uncharacteristically anxious.

Raven ventured to hold Kori's hand sympathetically, offering support to the woman who had been her sister-mother since she first came to Earth, "Don't worry, you have us to support you. And Dick will probably cry from happiness.",

Kori laughed through teary eyes.

"I never would have thought...again...I...oh, my.", as if trying to process all the information before her, she sounded out slowly, "I-I... am having a child."

Again she laughed, a little delirious, but evidently happy. A bright, hopeful, contagious happiness. 

A ray of sunshine amidst dark clouds.

A.N

Yes! Kori is pregnant!!!!! I just had to do it! How will Dick react? When will he find out? Fuck, even I don't know how this will play out. God, I just had to write it. What are your thoughts on it?

Oh, but if we re-wind a little...yeah, I brought on the angst and depressing stuff. It got a little too personal so I had to keep reminding myself of the storyline and whatnot, but I think it went alright. I know the emotions have been up and down for the last few chapters, however, I believe that it is how life for these two would be like: they are demon-witch/demon-assassin teenagers who have had one of their many homes destroyed recently along with really shitty pasts, so it makes a lot of sense for their emotions to be all over the place.

Anywhoooo...I hope you enjoyed this chapter, keep up your wonderful comments, votes and just...keep on reading, even through the confusing chapters- what I leave obtuse will soon become clearer, don't worry *sly wink*.

Cheers!

-Bats :)