Raven didn't expect that her visit to Metropolis would be so refreshing. There were moments where her anxiousness got the best of her, but her time spent in Metropolis was joyous. She hadn't felt that happy in a while, although she doubted that this was the first time in a while that she felt that happy. She felt more keenly aware today, of how her memory seems to be playing tricks on her.

Seeing Jon though, felt like the world slowed down for her. And he reminded her of things that should have been common sense and yet it passed over her head.

She deserves to be happy.

He told her an obvious fact but hearing it from someone else was different. She knew that she deserved happiness just like anyone else, but it was different when Jon said it. Damian deserved to be happy too, and for a moment she wondered if he was happy with her.

Was Damian happy to be with Raven?

Meeting Liam earlier that day felt like it was something that happened long ago. Meeting someone new could not compare to the happiness spent with a long time friend. But when the day was clearly coming to an end, she knew she had to face the music, she knew when Damian returned she had to talk to him. She had to say her piece, her worries- to bring peace to both of them.

"How about we take a slow walk back to the park by the lake?" Raven found herself offering Jon, she knew then that she didn't want to face the music yet. She still wanted to stall, after all, there was no guarantee that her boyfriend would be at the apartment when she returned.

They talked as they walked back to the park, and the aura was serious and it made her feel oddly sober. The happiness she felt today, was just like everything else, fleeting and temporary.

When they arrived at her favourite spot, she still found that she didn't want to return yet. She then offered for them to take a seat and watch the sunset, and the two became lost in their own headspace.

She hated the empty apartment, that was something she was now willing to admit.

She hated herself but she loved him.

So she had to tell him that everything for her hadn't been the same since her father's death- and specifically why. She could admit it now, she felt that she could really tell him and that he would understand her. She hoped he would- she knew he would.

"I think it's time for me to go." Raven told Jon with knitted brows failing to see his reaction. Jon offered her shopping bags to her as he agreed and she smiled politely and gave a small thanks as she accepted them. They stood still as if not wanting to leave and then Raven sighed.

And then suddenly his hand was on her wrist and they looked at each other with mirrored surprise and Jon said, "Raven, are you and Damian okay?" The words she didn't want to hear, words he had asked her over more than a dozen times, and yet this time, she could hear the painful nuance and worry he didn't have before.

Her breathing was shallow as she looked at his face which made her think for a moment that she didn't have her empathy shield up because she thought she could feel his conflict as she stared at her best friend's blue eyes.

"If there is anything wrong with you two, you know you can talk to Damian." Jon added firmly, but she didn't know how to reply.

I am certain Damian is working extremely hard in order to make sure you don't end up being called for backup. The words Jon said to her over lunch, played back in her mind. She knew Damian would do something like that for her. Another thing she didn't want to hear verbally said, because then she would have to face it.

She knew Damian would choose her when it came to it, but she couldn't make him do that.

Her resolve to talk to Damian became stronger. She knew for a long time what she had to do, she swore she would when he returned this time. This time, for real. This time.

But she had to answer Jon first, perhaps even reassure him, her lips parted and then-

"Raven!" The familiar voice of the man she has loved for so long and still does, echoed through the park.

She was sad of what she knew she had to do, but when she heard the familiar voice she was unsure if he really was here or it was all in her head. Raven turned her head to her left, where the voice came, and her shaky eyes laid on the familiar face she loved so much.

It was him, it was Damian standing a few meters away from them in a black shirt and jeans. And it wasn't pretend or all in her head. He was actually here. It was what she always wanted and yet became afraid of for some time now.

The resolve she had the previous days up to now, the resolve that comes and goes for months, was gone. Raven didn't remember what she wanted to do. He was here, Damian was here and that was all that mattered.

Her wrist slipped away from Jon's grip and so did the shopping bags she held. She found herself running to Damian, whatever her worries were, she didn't remember. All she saw was Damian, and she wanted everything with him.

Raven tackled him with a huge hug which made them stumble for a second and they laughed as Damian found his footing to catch them.

"Hey, I missed you." Damian said, inhaling her scent with his face against the nook of her shoulder. She pulled away, found the ground and she stared at his lovely green eyes with a tender smile.

"I missed you too." It wasn't a lie, she really did, she always has for two years even when he was with her, she missed him.

Damian looked over her shoulder and she stepped out, he let go of her and approached Jon who was walking towards them with shopping bags in his hands.

"Jon, hello." Damian said as he welcomed Jon with a hug. "Thank you for taking care of Raven."

Jon hugged him back and squeezed his friend for a second, "Of course, always." Jon replied vacantly.

Damian pulled away worried over his friend, worried that Jon thought he was mad over how Raven and him looked from afar, before he could say anything Raven hugged Damian from the side and looked up at him.

She was happy, she knows she is happy because he was there but in a corner at the back of her mind doubt existed and quietly stayed there.

"How did you find us? Did you track me through my earrings?" She asked as she touched the stud earrings he gave her. He smiled at her and shook his head.

"I actually tracked Jon's phone." He replied as he tilted his head towards Jon who looked at him with a raised brow, the confusion on his face gone.

"You tracked his phone?" Raven repeated in disbelief and then chuckled.

Raven was surprised to hear that Damian chose to track Jon's phone, and then recalled that he did say that the earrings are for emergencies only and Jon wasn't a threat, it would have been drastic to use the earrings to locate her.

"I figured he wouldn't mind." Damian nodded solemnly, Raven laughed and a small smile creeped on his lips upon hearing Raven's laughter. Jon stared at Damian and shook his head, he stared at his best friends and smiled faintly.

"Well, you're not wrong." Jon shrugged, the blankness and sadness gone, making Damian think that his friend's troubled expression must have been nothing important. Raven however, does not even notice the exchange, she seemed as if she was going in and out of focus.

"Oh, Raven your bags." Jon offered her shopping bags again and Raven looked at them and then at Jon with such tenderness that he flinched faintly. Damian raised a brow and Raven reached out for her bags vacantly.

"Someone had a great day." Domain remarked and Raven turned to look at him, her eyes gentle and loving as if telling him it was a great day because he was there.

"Yes, I did." She simply said and then Jon looked troubled again for a moment and cleared his throat as he dispersed of his jumbled thoughts.

"The three of us haven't been together for months, we have to take this opportunity!" Raven suddenly said as she stared at Damian, he smiled at her and took the bags from her hands. She didn't know why but she felt that the bags were rather heavy when Damian took them off of her hands. She was thankful that he took it off of her hands. He was always looking out for her.

"You're not wrong there Rae, what do you say Jon, up to be the third wheel?" Damian smiled mischievously and Jon rolled his eyes at him.

"Always have been, always will be." Jon shrugged as he spoke teasingly and the three laughed.

With that said, Raven was fully immersed in this moment. Whatever she forgot didn't matter. Whatever dark thoughts that wanted to pull her out of being in this moment with two people that she loves-even that didn't matter.

She couldn't let it matter especially since Damian was here.

"How about dinner then?" Damian suggested and she blinked at him as if she wasn't having an internal conflict. Damian carried all the bags on one hand and held the other out towards Raven offering his hand to hold hers. She smiled at him genuinely as she held his hand.

"Since Jon and I went to that fancy restaurant I love- the one you always reserved a table at," Raven said, making sure to repeat the information Jon relayed while Jon's blue eyes flickered at her for a second and then quickly looked at the ground as if guilty. Even though it was new information for her, she felt that saying it would make it appear like she knew for sometime. In fact, she was sure Damian must have told her of the arrangement before, she just couldn't recall it.

Damian took note of Jon's actions, but said nothing as it was clear that Jon looked conflicted. "We have to go somewhere more low-key." Raven added not even noticing how the two boys were acting.

"Alright," Damian agreed, happy to see Raven happy over being able to go to her favourite restaurant because he had a table always reserved for her. Well Damian had also told Jon that he could use that reservation for a special someone, but he never did. "Then we could go to that burger place you love, Jon."

Jon looked up at Damian with wide eyes and a smile, "Really? You would do that?" He looked at Raven as if implying that Damian was willing to go somewhere he liked over Raven's.

"I don't mind." Raven smiled, putting an arm over Damian's waist and smiling at Jon. She did seem more happy and relaxed. Raven knew she could not trust her memory, there were so many blank spaces in them.

Jon's eyes seemed to hold doubt as he looked at Raven for a moment, something Damian noted again.

"Then that is set!" Raven said excitedly as she looked up at Damian, who looked down on her and kissed the top of her head.

"Yep." He whispered.

Jon wanted to avoid Damian's gaze, but Damian mouthed to Jon his thanks again and Jon tried his best to smile.

The three then went to a local burger place at Metropolis that Jon loved so much. Raven and Damian sat beside each other on the tall steel stool and Jon sat across from Damian. Jon's back was against the glass panel of the store

They had chatted so much as they ate till it was quite dark out.

"Oh Raven, how about your new friend?" Jon suggested when they seem to run out of topics and Raven's eyes lit up.

"Oh my gosh, that's right. Damian I made a friend. I met him at the gym!" Raven said excitedly, Damian looked at her with furrowed brows.

"Him?" He repeated as he glanced at Jon who gave him a toothy smile. "That's great, Rae, I am really happy you have a friend." He gave her a quick hug.

"Do you two plan to hang out anytime soon?" Damian ventured to ask.

"Oh yeah, if it's alright with you." She replied, missing the slight tenseness of her boyfriend.

"Of course, it's okay." He said with furrowed brows. "Do you two think I will throw a fit?" He looked at both interchangeably and the three laughed.

"We both know that isn't going to happen." Jon said as he stared at Raven.

"The worst has passed." Raven agreed and Damian just shook his head but he knew that the two were just teasing him.

"I wouldn't get mad at some random guy." Damian muttered and Jon and Raven stared at one another and Raven giggled.

"We know that." She said and then called out to Damian as she touched Damian's leg. Damian and Jon looked at Raven quietly.

"Your birthday is coming, why don't we take this chance to invite Jon?" Raven suggested and Damian looked surprised and chuckled.

"I totally forgot about that." Damian said as he looked at Jon and placed a hand over Raven's hand that was over his leg.

"Next week Jon at Wayne Manor, you have to be there." Damian smiled.

"Of course, I wouldn't miss it." Jon replied with a smile. Damian intertwined his hand with Raven's.

"Of course, I will send a formal invitation, so don't worry." Damian teased and Jon rolled his eyes in jest.

"Oh yes, a Wayne invitation card, better have gold in it." Jon said and Raven laughed as she leaned on Damian. Jon looked at his friends seeing that the two really love one another.

"What you two have, it is really special." Jon said as he smiled at the two, Raven looked at Damian completely and Damian looked at Raven.

"Yes, we know." They both replied at the same time, their eyes clearly showing their love. They failed to see Jon's worry and skepticism.

The three eventually had to part, and Jon said his goodbye to the couple. Damian and Raven split the shopping bags between them and the three stood outside the burger joint and Jon looked at Damian and hesitated.

"Is something wrong Jon?" Damian asked as he had seen Jon's dreary expression every now and then. Jon looked at him as if Damian was the answer to his problems and then he pressed his lips.

"No, nothing" He said and turned his head to look at Raven. "I'm glad the three of us could hang out today." Jon then looked at Damian. "You two take care of each other."

"You too, take care." Damian said and Raven waved her hand to Jon. Jon then walked away from them, when his back was turned from them, the conflict he felt was clear on his face.

Damian looked at his friend's back, bothered by how he was acting, but did not have the time to ask him. Perhaps Jon will open up to him later, after all Jon wasn't the type to hold onto his worries. He supposed he shouldn't worry about Jon now, after all, he had just returned from an unexpected mission.

"Then, it's time for you and me to go back." Damian spoke as he wrapped his arms around Raven's waist and Raven gazed down as she let herself be enveloped in his presence.

She hummed her response, whatever she worried about for the past days didn't matter. Her insecurities for the past two years were forgotten.

"I love you." She whispered, maybe more to herself than for him. Damian pulled his head away and looked at her and cupped both her cheeks.

"I love you too." He said leaning in to kiss her.

When their lips touched, she kissed him back. This is what she had been trying so hard to preserve.

"Let's go back home." Raven intertwined her fingers with his and he smiled at her. But to Raven, home was Damian- not that cold apartment.

"How did you get here, love?" She asked as she looked from left to right, studying the street.

He leaned by her ear and spoke softly, "Boom Tube."

Raven giggled and whispered back, "Well, I got here by portal."

"Then, I guess we're returning by portal." He whispered back and Raven inhaled smelling Damian's familiar scent. He was home. He has always been home.

"Yes." She looked at him thinking how she was so lucky to have him, and how scared she was of losing him- how she still gets scared of losing him.

Damian tugged Raven to one direction and she followed, they walked around a bit while he asked about what she was doing since he left. And Raven recounted her activities with so much merriment that Damian couldn't help but smile at her joy.

He was glad that she wasn't sad or lonely when he left.

"I admit, I will have to run a background check on this Liam guy." Damian looked around to see that the area was empty and then guided her to a dark alley.

"Of course." She replied as they stepped onto the dark alleyway. They went a little deeper and a portal appeared mid-step and they arrived a few blocks away from their apartment in another dark alleyway in Gotham City.

Raven didn't mind that he would do such a thing, in fact, in some way she was thankful that she knew that was something he'd do. In some way, it made her think that he loved her, there was a faint ache in her chest at the thought. She knows he means well, but was it the right thing? They were heroes and they had to make sure that those around them were not villains. She understood that much.

"Very convenient travelling." Damian remarked and Raven couldn't help but be amused. He was always marvelled at the ease of her travelling. She squeezed his hand, she knew he wanted to run a background check because he cared, she shouldn't doubt that.

She knew she would do the same for him, she knew she would do something drastic for him.

"Did you bring a hat, love?" Raven asked him midway through the alleyway.

"Oh, you're right." Damian let go of her hand and pulled a beanie from his back pocket and put it on.

"I bought some shades," Raven mumbled as she searched for it in a bag, and she placed it on his face. He chuckled at her attentiveness. "That is for you, by the way." She smiled at him tenderly.

"And now, no one in Gotham should recognize me with my little disguise." Damian smiled and found her hand again.

The couple then walked out of the alleyway and headed to their apartment building. The bright lights in Gotham were blinding, but she felt at peace walking beside the love of her life. Raven felt perplexed, the lights, the people, the company- they all held some kind of meaning to her, and yet it felt like she wasn't a part of the moment- a part of her.

"I love you." She whispered so very faintly that Damian barely heard her. He stopped in his tracks and turned to look at Raven with furrowed brows.

"Is everything okay?" Damian asked as he stared at Raven seriously, who smiled at him in a dreamy way.

"I just feel so lucky to have you." She quietly said and he couldn't help but smile at her words.

"I feel that every waking moment." He replied as he leaned his forehead against her and closed his eyes. Damian failed to see how Raven's sincere and happy countenance turned dark and lonely and she stared sharply at his closed eyes. When his eyes opened Raven's eyes were sparkling as she smiled at him.

She loved him, that has never changed.