Author's Note: Okay ima keep this short cos I'm sleepy af.

I said I'd post on Sunday but oops! Apparently not!

I've done the fastest check some stuff may be in error. I'll fix that tomorrow!

Daybreak filtered in through the measly gap between the dark curtains, draped across the large windows that provided a peaceful, ocean view, if one chose to admire it.

It was still early; Raven could sense that as soon as consciousness began to tug at the corners of her mind. Her breathing was tranquil, matching the inner peace that had been fueling her in the last few weeks since they had returned from Azarath with the dumaji stone safely in Raven's possession.

She shivered slightly, snuggling a little closer into the over sized grey jersey she wore beneath the confines of her covers. It may have been the Summer time but the crack of dawn was always a chillier time, especially with the air-con drifting through the tower.

There was warmth beside her and Raven smiled, her eyes still closed as it sidled up behind her, an arm over her waist and the other over the tops of her pillows so that he had her cradled into the crook of his elbow.

He groaned and yawned before he sighed and rested his forehead against the top of her spine, some of his floppy green hair tickling the nape of her neck.

She felt his lips press against her exposed shoulder, the jersey having fallen off to pool at her elbow. Raven smirked but tried to withhold her almost giddy emotions as he started peppering kisses along the line of her back, gently squeezing her waist with every peck.

It was the first time in a long time that Raven truly felt happy; a carefree bubble keeping her all wrapped up to indulge in the bliss that came with the emotional freedom she could now experience, thanks to the new gem on her ajna chakra.

Things were going so well between her and Gar and she couldn't even devise a single situation that could possibly flip that on its head.

She had taken a risk, going to Azarath in search of the dumaji stone but since returning back to Earth, she was inwardly kicking herself for not having done it sooner. Everything just felt smoother and easier.

Like this moment she was enjoying right now; had it occurred when she was without her new stone, Raven knew that she would be rigid with nerves, fear gripping her with the prospect of losing control and her powers taking on a mind of their own. It had always been a concern for her that she would hurt Gar in a moment of pure anxiety, rather than the common objects around her room.

Belongings could be replaced. He could not.

Raven exhaled and nuzzled her cheek against her pillow, content to accept the gentle affection she was receiving as her heart continued to thump to the same rhythm it always did around him.

Gar was quiet, merely wanting to be close to her, so it would seem. He wasn't much of a morning person but, since he had started staying with Raven through the night, his sleep pattern had fallen into one with a bit more normalcy. He wasn't staying up as late anymore to have mega monkey gaming marathons with teens halfway across the world and on the other end of the spectrum, he was no longer just beginning to stir at 3 o'clock in the afternoon, either.

He would never be an early riser like she or the others were but it was nice; to have him awake during the calm dawn and simply enjoying some time with her, doing absolutely nothing.

Lifting his head, Gar glanced over at the desk in her room, his vision blurred as he adjusted to the morning light, just barely trickling through the split in the curtains. Raven's tea maker was sat on the surface of the desk, just asking to be fired up.

He tapped his fingers against her hip, causing Raven to turn over onto her back and look up, her dark eyes filled with a lethargic haze,

"Hey, Rae." He greeted, giving her that toothy grin of his,

She idly fiddled with the material of her sleeve as she stared back, "Hi, Gar…"

"Sleep well?"

Raven nodded, "I'm assuming you did too… if your snoring and dribble was anything to go by."

The very tops of his ears turned red suddenly, "Okay, I'll give you the snoring but… I don't dribble." He told her, indignantly before he shyly peered at her, "Do I?"

She smirked and turned her head, eyeing a small dark spot on the pillow he'd slept on; a clear sign that he had indeed drooled during the night.

"Aw man… that only happens when I'm having a real good sleep." He chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck, "Sorry, Rae."

She shrugged, her dainty pale fingertips fluttering against his forearm that was still wound over her stomach, "It's fine. Just make sure you don't swap our pillows around."

He gave her a wink, "You'll never know…"

"Do it and you can kiss your good nights sleeps goodbye."

Gar burst out laughing, a flitter in his heart at the way she smiled back at him.

In earlier days, a curve of the lips from Raven had been a rarity; something she really kept reserved until the right situation presented itself for her to grace all those around her with one of her sacred smiles.

And, in turn, if you were to receive a smile from the empath, then you should have counted yourself extremely lucky.

Gar had made it his mission from the first day of meeting her that he would try and steal one of those smiles from her at every given chance. It was one that was so serene; everything fell into a hush when she offered you one of them.

It was one of his favorite physical features about her and as time had passed, she had mellowed and she gave smiles more freely than back in their early days as a team.

But, most importantly, she gave Gar the most nowadays, with only Starfire really rivaling him in that area since the two spent so much time together on account of being best friends.

He had a mental list of her different kinds of smiles. There were her sarcastic smiles, her small and polite smiles, her strained smiles to hide the rage she inevitably had bubbling below the surface when people acted stupid.

However, his favorite one was probably the one she tended to give him when they had moments such as these. The quiet, happy smile that just existed. It was the softest one she owned which was partly why it made him melt quite so easily.

She looked breathtaking when she wore that smile on her face.

"Do you want me to make you some tea?" Gar asked, pulling his arm away to peel back the covers from his body.

Raven grabbed his arm to still his departure.

"Mm… maybe in a while." She murmured, "Right now… I'd… kinda prefer it if we just stayed like this."

Gar blinked at her before he smiled and nodded, sliding back down beneath the covers until he was on his side to enable him to stare into her dark gaze.

"It's nice, huh? Not having to worry about it." Gar murmured,

Raven nodded, "I was talking to Starfire about it at the party the other night, actually."

"Oh?"

"Mhm… she's been quite helpful with the worries I've been having about… all of this."

He lightly pouted, "Y'know you can confide in me too."

She fixed him with a look that told him not to be silly, "Gar, I have been confiding in you. Having Starfire as a confidant as well… it's just nice to have an outside ear."

Gar shrugged, "Yeah, I get that."

"I'm just… happy that we don't have to struggle with this like we were." Raven admitted, her eyes falling to the covers across her stomach.

Leaning down, he pushed some stray locks of purple hair out of her face before he replied, "It definitely feels more like a relief and a weight off our shoulders. At least now… we can go at whatever pace we feel like, y'know?"

She nodded, sensing the calmness laced within his tone of voice.

"Do you think the stone would have had the same effect if you hadn't kicked Trigon's ass to the curb?" Gar wondered, resting on his elbow as they talked,

"No." Raven explained, "I needed to be completely rid of his influence to even become open to the idea of freely expressing my emotions… and even if I had the gem whilst he was still there... he would have just undone any work the gem did."

"Really? But… it seems so powerful."

A dark brow rose, "Trigon is more powerful."

Gar matched her expression, "Was. You beat him so technically… you're more powerful than the gem and your shitty dad."

Raven quirked a tiny smile and shook her head, "Idiot."

"But you know I'm right." Gar sang, pressing a gentle kiss to her temple before he moved to capture her lips with his own, cupping the side of her face as the air escaped her in surprise.

When he pulled away, her cheeks were painted a pale pink colour which he immediately mirrored, his blush becoming a deep shade of red. He coughed and cleared his throat, rubbing the back of his neck as he felt the familiar embarrassment in his chest.

"Uh… sorry… I just…"

"Gar… I've told you before… I'm happy with affection just… not in public is all. When we're alone…" She paused and cleared her own throat a little, "I don't mind."

"Sweet." He said, exhaling in relief that he hadn't seemed to overstep any boundaries with her.

Slowly, Raven planted her palms on the mattress and pushed herself until she was sat with her knees drawn closely to her chest. She tilted her head, her shoulder length tendrils of purple hair cascading over her skin,

"I know we've sort of… skirted around it since we got back from Azarath but… do you… still want to…"

The tops of his ears burned red again, "Oh! Yeah… of course, Rae... why? Do you not want to?"

She shook her head, "I want to… I was just checking… we haven't talked about it as much lately."

"I thought we were gonna let it happen when it happens?"

"We are… I just… I don't know. It almost feels like we're suddenly very unprepared."

Gar frowned, "Uh… what do we have to prepare for?"

Raven shrugged and sighed, "I suppose… you can't exactly plan for a first time."

"So, we'll wing it." Gar grinned, trying to alleviate the obvious nerves shared between the couple, "It'll be okay, Rae."

She looked up, fixating on the forest green depths that shone and stared back at her and she felt the pressure in her chest decrease a little. Raven smiled, knowing she could trust in his words.

"Since when did you become the voice of reason between us?" Raven smirked,

Gar chuckled and wriggled his eyebrows at her, "Didn't you know, Rae? I'm sooo mega mature now. It's on my resume and everything."

She laughed, "Aaand… you're back to idiot."

He snapped his fingers and frowned, "Damn. I was so close to being a proper adult."

Raven rolled her eyes and cast her legs over the side of their bed, her feet briefly touching the carpet beneath, "C'mon… let's get up. I can sense the others in the main room."

"I'll race ya!" Gar grinned, hopping out of bed.

"Maturity is just… completely washing away." Raven deadpanned, reaching for her cloak to start getting changed for the day,

Beast Boy merely blinked at her before throwing his head back with laughter.

Cyborg chuckled as he briefly turned away from the pancakes he was creating, keeping a tab on them as the batter bubbled and sizzled, letting the sweetest of aromas waft into the air surrounding the kitchen.

"I don't know about that, Bee. I think the Warriors got a good chance of knockin' Lakers out." He shrugged, flipping the pancakes over in the pan,

"Please… they're not even benchin' Lucaski and he had a damn knee op a few weeks ago! He's gon' be more of a liability for the team." Came his girlfriend's static reply,

He snorted and glanced down at his arm, where her face was smirking back at him via the video chat they were having, "Well, I suppose we'll have to see about that, won't we?"

Bumblebee waved a hand dismissively, "It's not my home team but I want the Warriors to win just as much as you, Sparky."

Cyborg snickered, "That's cos' your home team didn't even qualify this year."

"Hey!" She yelled, indignantly, "Don't make me come over there and knock that grin off yo' face, Vic!"

Laughter rose up from his stomach; a real belly laugh tearing through him as he transferred the piping hot, sugar laced pancakes onto a plate, stacking them so his team could come and help themselves to breakfast.

He wandered away from the kitchen, leaning against the edge of the sofa as he glanced out at the sun, slowly creeping up on the city as the morning moved along towards noon.

"It would take you a while… what with you being so far." He murmured, not holding her gaze anymore.

Bumblebee frowned and her brows knitted together, "Vic…"

He rolled his shoulders back and sighed, rubbing the back of his head, "Uh… sorry. I know I'm being a downer… I guess… I just miss ya, y'know?"

"It's only been a few days since the party." She spoke softly, trying not only to console him but herself as well.

He tilted his head and nodded, "True but… doesn't make the distance easier."

Bumblebee lowered her head, sadly staring at her fingers as she fidgeted with them, "No. It doesn't."

The doors leading into the main room, opened with a quiet hiss as Starfire wandered over the threshold with Dick at her side. She had one of her signature smiles fixed to her face but they paused in the conversation they'd been having as they both caught sight of Cyborg murmuring quietly to who they assumed was Bumblebee, if the quiet tone was anything to go by.

Starfire tilted her head and opened her mouth to greet their brother but a gentle tug of her arm from Dick halted her. She turned her head, silk red hair slipping down her back as she eyed her fiancé.

He made a small motion with his hand, telling her to come into the kitchen to allow Cyborg his privacy, talking to Bumblebee as Dick was fairly certain Vic was not yet aware of their presence.

"I just wish we had better schedules sometimes." Cyborg muttered, dragging a cybernetic hand across his face,

"Me too. It's frustrating when I come and stay for a whole weekend and then we don't see each other for another month or vice versa." Bumblebee replied, her tone having lost that cheeky vibe.

Her voice was more sombre; dull like the carpet had been yanked out from under her.

"Yeah… I guess… that's just the price when you do the long distance thing, huh?" Cyborg sighed,

"Mm… well it sucks sometimes, I gotta admit."

"I know, Bee."

She suddenly jerked her head up as the alarm and lights within Titans East tower flashed throughout the room. The stinging heroine gritted her teeth and shook her head, the dark curls in her buns bouncing a little.

"Perfect timing…" She growled,

Cyborg smiled sympathetically and made a shooing gesture with his hand, "It's fine. Go save your city, Bee. We'll talk later tonight, yeah?"

She frowned and nodded, pressing her fingertips to her screen, "Definitely… talk to you tonight, Vic… miss you…"

He nodded and swallowed, trying to ignore the hollowness that seemed to be festering right where his heart was.

"Miss you too…" He paused and saluted to her, "Bye."

She bid him farewell before she blew him an apologetic air kiss and cut the connection between them. Cyborg chewed on his lower lip and took a moment to himself, simply reflecting and considering his relationship with Bumblebee.

It wasn't an easy one.

He often found himself feeling a smidgen jealous of Dick or Beast Boy; they both had their girls with them all the time. There were never separation periods and they seemed so close because of that.

Vic couldn't help but long for something similar for himself.

With a deep inhale, he threw his shoulders back and straightened up, getting to his feet and turning back towards the kitchen. He blinked at the sight of Dick and Starfire, perched in the furthest counter corner in the kitchen.

The alien Princess was sat on the counter top, a pancake poised at her lips and it was clear she had already had a nibble of it. Her eyes were bright yet sad, giving it away to him that she had heard the conversation between him and his girlfriend.

"Oh, hey you two. Sleep well?" He asked, trying to remain casual, despite his inner turmoil,

Dick nodded and offered him a cheery smile, "Great, thanks. And waking up to your pancakes was a bonus so thanks for that too."

Vic chuckled and shrugged, "Don't mention it."

With that, their friend seemed to retreat to silence, sluggishly beginning to wash the equipment he had been using to create the pancakes. He kept his eye on the basin, the soapy water starting to fill the bowl, flowing over his metal knuckles.

Starfire's lips twisted downwards, her heart heavy for the obvious burden that Cyborg was carrying. She hopped down from the surface and took a few chance steps towards him.

"Is… everything okay, Vic?" Starfire whispered, placing a soft hand on his upper arm.

He half turned towards her and was ready to dismiss any concerns she had for him but upon seeing her heart shaped face, awash with worry and a desire to help, he faltered and his broad shoulders sagged.

Seeing that he was openly letting his walls come down, Dick quietly walked over to stand with them and stared at his friend with sympathy etched on his face.

"I just… never realised how hard this would be for me and her…" He murmured,

Starfire rubbed her hand over his bicep, trying her best to comfort him in a way that also didn't push him over the edge with his emotions.

"It's not ideal, Vic. You guys seem to make it work well…" Dick pointed out, leaning against the counter.

"We do, most of the time but… every now and then… it's just so shit that she's what… at least 2 hours away?" Cyborg exhaled noisily, "It's just frustrating."

Dick nodded whilst Starfire continued to be a silent companion, listening to his problems; something she had mastered through the years of being a team with them all.

"And with the hero lifestyle… it doesn't exactly help with trying to arrange visits and all that…" He threw up his hands, "When it's not our city, it's theirs. I don't know… I guess I'm just being stupid."

The hand on his arm tightened and Starfire shook her head, "Not at all, Cyborg. You are entitled to feel this way. It cannot be easy."

He cast his view downwards, his mood low, "Thanks. I just wish she was closer, I guess."

Dick furrowed his brows and seemed to shift his expression into one of deep consideration and thought, as if he were trying to work something out in his head.

Cyborg quietly snorted, "And y'know what? As lame as it might sound, I think I'd just kill to be able to get morning kisses like every other couple."

Smiling sympathetically, Dick briefly patted the older man's arm in understanding.

Suddenly, Starfire lifted into the air, floating before him and cupped his face within her hands before she began peppering sweet kisses all over his face, including his cheeks and nose but carefully avoiding his lips as to not make any of them uncomfortable.

Dick smirked at her thoughtfulness, chuckling with ever 'muah' sound she made. She smiled as she pressed her over exaggerated pecks against his skin, not letting up until it made a difference to his mood.

It didn't take long before Vic was grinning, laughing at her adorable attempts at cheering him up, "Alright, alright, Princess…" He paused as the beaming woman pulled back, "You made your point. I'm feeling more loved."

She gently stroked her thumb against his cheek, "Good."

Cyborg leaned towards his sister, gathering her up in his arms to give her a warm hug, thankful to have her upbeat personality within the tower, "Thanks, little lady."

Starfire wound her arms around his shoulders and gave him a big squeeze, "I know it can be hard… but please… never forget that you can confide in us when it feels too much."

"I'll try to remember that."

"Please do."

She pulled away and lowered herself to the ground, glad she had been able to drag his mood up from the dark depths of sadness.

Dick chuckled, "It's like she forces you to be happy, huh?"

Cyborg smirked, "She's the only one who can get any of us to do it, that's for sure."

Their leader nodded and briefly bumped his fists with the robotic man, before he turned away to brew a fresh pot of coffee for himself and anyone else who wanted some.

Just then, the doors opened up and the two other members of the team wandered through, holding hands with one another. Raven smiled to Starfire who immediately eyed the show of public affection and the empath could have sworn she saw stars in her green eyes.

"Morning, guys!" Beast Boy chirped, releasing Raven's hand to make his way around the counter, high-fiving Cyborg as he moved.

"Morning." Raven echoed, in a much quieter voice than her boyfriend had,

Dick, Starfire and Cyborg all murmured various greetings to the pair, causing Beast Boy to laugh as he made his way to the kettle, "So, what're we talking about?"

Cyborg briefly glanced at Dick and Starfire who remained passive as the oldest Titan smiled and shrugged, "Not a lot. Mostly you're shoddy high score at Mega Monkeys which… I happened to have beat already."

Beast Boy's mouth made an 'O' shape in shock and he pulled a face, "Oh you are so on, tin man."

"Bring it, grass stain." Cyborg coerced, already starting to feel a bit more like himself,

Beast Boy grinned, showing off his impressive fangs before he looked over his shoulder at Raven who was already sat down with a bright eyed Tamaranian Princess at her side.

"Rae… you want tea before I play?"

She smiled, touched by the thought, "Yes, please."

"You got it…" Gar sang, already popping a bag of herbal tea into Raven's favorite mug, waiting for the water to heat up, inside of the kettle.

Dick crossed his arms and leaned back against the counter, watching his team and family interact around him.

Suddenly, there was a repetitive red flashing that filled the main room, accompanied by a piercing siren type sound. Cyborg snapped his head to his arm, flipping a panel up to get a reading on what was in store for them today as the five of them became all business.

"Hmph… Mumbo is down on 3rd, robbing a bank." Cyborg reported, looking up at Dick who now had his mask up and covering his blue eyes,

"Oh yay… I love Mumbo missions." Raven deadpanned, crossing her arms over her chest.

Nightwing typed a series of codes into his communicator, making the flashing and beeping stop. He glanced around at his team and took a breath, "Okay… let's go get this done."

Beast Boy smirked and tilted his head at their leader, "Hey… this is gonna be Nightwing's first mission."

Smirking back at his teammate, Nightwing shrugged, "It is… how about we make it an interesting one?"

The others all grinned as Nightwing gave the inevitable order to head out of the tower in pursuit of their meddling magician.