Quarantine has gotten me back into writing, we'll see how rusty I am. Anyways, I absolutely loved Apokolips War and have overall been a pretty huge fan of the DCAMU. One thing that really stood out to me as being well-executed throughout the movies is Damian Wayne's character development and his relationship to Raven. Suffice to say, I'm super bummed that we likely won't be seeing any more of them now that DC has reset again.

So, it's up to fans to create more content with them! Here's my first entry, with a few more to come. Perhaps some soft lemon in future chapters, we'll see.

Damian paced the tower restlessly. He'd had endless doubts about the assault on Apokolips - doubts which seemed validated given the complete radio silence since the League had boomtubed. Shazam was the only hero who had returned so far, missing a leg and gibbering about Doomsday before falling into a shell-shocked silence.

If all had gone wrong, as it clearly had, the Titans were Earth's last true defense. Latest readings indicated an imminent attack in the next 24 hours and he knew he should be resting for the fight to come.

Assume Father is gone. Assume they all are. How can we expect to overcome the force that destroyed them?

It was more than that. The Titans were his team, but his attachments these days seemed to run much deeper. One in particular.

His pacing route brought him back to the common room soon enough, and for the first time in hours he found he was not alone.

Raven was reclined on the couch, eyes closed and her head laid against the armrest. For a moment he thought she'd fallen asleep there, but her eyes opened and darted to him.

"A bit late for you, isn't it?"

"Why are you still up?" he retorted somewhat indignantly. Raven was the person he both most and least wanted to see at this moment. "If the intel is right, tomorrow is not going to be pretty. You should be conserving energy." He continued.

She said nothing, but kept her eyes on his. Raven was famously inexpressive, but Damian thought he saw something close to despair at that moment. He walked closer, never breaking eye contact.

"I could say the same to you, Damian," she finally offered. "And I'd be lying if I said nerves weren't part of me being awake now."

She sat up then, legs crossed at the ankle and hands in her lap. The poised stance he'd become so familiar with. Damian took a spot on the couch beside her and made a concerted effort to keep his eyes forward. Raven could be….distracting.

"But if you must know, my father has been especially vocal tonight," she confessed. "I've always liked the view of the city from this room. Beats staring at my walls while he's raging at me."

Guilt settled like a stone in Damian's chest. Raven was such a composed and reserved person, it was easy to forget the daily torment she'd been subjected to since Trigon's defeat. He would be surprised if anyone on the team spared a thought for it at all anymore. But he should have known better - he and Raven had shared many sleepless nights on the roof of Titan's Tower when her father's threats and promises of horror became too much to bear. He would do his best to distract her (difficult - he had no talent for small talk), until the sun began to peek over the horizon or pure physical exhaustion won out over the demon's screaming.

"You are right, though. We should be conserving energy. If you like, I can calm your mind to help you get some sleep," Raven continued.

"No," he answered quickly, "...I just...I need to prepare myself mentally for tomorrow. Trust me when I say it's more important than sleep right now."

He chanced to look at her again and saw the same hint of despair reflected in her purple eyes. He imagined she was seeing the same thing in his gaze, if not feeling it through their empathic bond.

"Even if we win…" she seemed to be voicing his thoughts, "How many will it take? How many of us are spending our last night alive?" She shook her head and sighed, "You can't be thinking like that right now, Damian. We don't even know for certain -"

"I do," he insisted, growing angry with her. "You saw Shazam. None of the other Leaguers have returned. You're deluding yourself if you think this has a happy ending."

She fell silent but held his stare.

"It's possible we have Doomsday to look forward to. If anyone has a right to worry, it's us non-powered individuals. I'd imagine Speedy, Nightwing and I are first on the chopping block," he confided, closing his eyes.

"No."

He sensed movement to his right and his heart nearly stopped when Raven wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her face into his shoulder.

"You're not allowed to die on me, Damian. I won't let you."

Her voice was so breathy and close it nearly undid him. The rational part of his brain ordered him to shove her away with a cold rebuff. Or leave the room without a word. Or scold her for her sentimentality and remind her that the upcoming fight was about survival and victory.

He did none of those things.

With an exhale he wrapped his arms around her waist more tightly than strictly necessary and pulled her to lie down with him on the couch. When they settled her face was buried in his chest and Damian's chin rested comfortably atop Raven's head.

Under other circumstances Damian would have reveled in the feel of her body pressed flush against his, but it was not the time to linger on the carnal desires he'd been harboring lately. He closed his eyes and resolved to commit this moment to memory, just as Raven flinched against him with a sharp hiss. He looked down in slight alarm.

Her eyes were shut tight and her teeth were bared as the red gem on her forehead pulsed with an angry light. Damian felt a flash of unbridled anger towards the jewel's occupant and his own powerlessness to help. After a brief moment, the tension seemed to leave Raven's body and she looked up at him apologetically.

"Oh, he's really not happy now," she smiled wearily, "Worth it, though."

Not for the first time in her presence, Damian could think of nothing to say. Instead he tightened his embrace as she settled back against his chest. Exhaustion finally seemed to tug at his eyelids and he heard Raven's breathing start to slow as sleep took over. His last conscious thought repeated over and over as he slipped away.

You're not allowed to die on me either, Raven.

Hope you enjoyed! Apologies for any clunkiness or pacing issues - truly this is the first non-technical thing I've written in over a year since getting my degree.

Will attempt to update weekly or bi-weekly, and am anticipating 4-5 chapters in total.