#jld apokolips war

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DamiRae Week 2020: Bound Together
JLDAW AU
Part 1: (YOU ARE HERE)
@damirae-week my late entry…
Part 2: DamiRae Week 2020: SOULMATES
Part 3: DamiRae Week 2020: MARRIAGE
Part 4: I Remember You
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Damian stood in front of me, and I was at the verge of tears over the loss of our teammates and the emotions of those killed around us due to the parademons. It was suffocating and overwhelming, everything was too much. I could feel so much anger and remorse, and sadness– and the simple realization that this was it—this was their death. The intensity of it all made me rather self-aware, that this was happening to the entire people of earth at this moment. And I couldn’t help it anymore, because it came so suddenly and with such intensity, I found myself crying.
“Raven…” Damian said, he was dripping wet as he had just come out of the water just a moment ago. I found my outstretched hand shaking as I tried to approach him because I had to heal him. But I found myself stumbling, Damian noticing my situation and ran towards me despite his obvious injured state and held me on our knees.
“Raven.” He says my name so firmly for a moment I was able to contain my emotions.
“Little girl, you and I both know your will is slipping, just let me out now and ease your pain.” My father whispers to me, but I just bit my lip to maintain my concentration.
“I have to heal you, Damian.” I simply say as I brought my hand to his face. He looks down at me and he closes his eyes with a sigh. And I healed him, but the contact made me focus on his emotions. It was similar to what I was already feeling, but this was undoubtedly his, and not a collection of emotions from a multitude of people. My tears continue to fall, as his anger, sadness and helplessness begin to blend into the sea of emotions from the entire world.
“Little girl.” I bit my lip harder.
“Raven!” Damian called out to me, a hand on my cheek, my eyes wide in shock.
“What are you doing?” He says angrily, and I look at him confused. “Your drawing out blood!” He says his voice laced with worry; his eyes seemingly focused on my chin—no my lips, that is why it felt numb. I had bit down on my lip so much to injure it.
“Slipping…”A chuckle echoes through my ears.
“I…” I glanced at our surroundings, at our dead teammates and dead parademons. “I can’t take this!” I shoved my face against my shaking hands. It’s just too much, I sob. And I could feel him stay so still. He was dealing with this too; he must think me selfish for acting like this. He wouldn’t understand—no one could understand this knot I was feeling right now.
I felt arms wrapped around me and it caused me to stop crying out of shock. And I looked up to see the setting sky. Damian’s head on the nook between my right shoulder and neck.
“Everything will be alright, Raven. I promise you.” Hearing him say that, made me feel centered again. And I was able to block the external emotions I was feeling. But one final tear slipped from my eye, as I slowly return his comforting hug. And yet knowing, so fully well, that even he was unsure how to proceed after this disaster. Knowing fully well, that everything was not alright.
When all my emotions settled in, all that was left was his and my genuine emotions. Damian now felt that he had a responsibility, I couldn’t help but wonder what he felt responsible for. And I realized that the helplessness Damian felt before, was mine too.
“You won’t be so lucky next time” A light growl from father echoes in my mind.
“We need to find a safe place.” Damian says as he pulled away from me, and I nodded. I absently looked at our team members, and so did he.
“We can’t even bury them…” I whisper softly, and Damian looked down on the ground as he shook his head and after stood up offering me his right hand.
“We can’t afford to waste time, the parademons might attack again, we need to hide now and rest properly.” I look up at him as I placed my hand on top his right hand. I know that he was right.
We had been hiding and killing parademons here and there for a week now. Three days ago, we found out that Conner was alive and joined us in hiding. We were so happy to find that there was someone else who had survived the attack.
“So, what’s the plan Damian?” Superboy asks, we were at a dark abandoned building—our current hide out.
“Nothing, we just have to try and survive now.” Damain glares at Superboy. “This is all Superman’s fault.” He gritted his teeth, and I saw Superboy ball his fist in response. Despite being together for three days, the tension between them had not dissipated. They would fight over this topic.
“Enough!” I say knowing fully well that this could start a fight. “There is no plan Conner, you’ve seen the state of the world already. What can three barely superheroes do? We only fight parademons when they attack us, we have never actively fought them, we can’t risk a horde after us, you know that!”
A faint amuse laughter comes out from my father, and I lean against the broken table for support. I felt their eyes on me.
“Perhaps it was wrong of you to come here Superboy. I did not expect that you were hoping for us three to do something against Darkseid.” Damian says and I look up at him, the tension between the two felt stagnant for a moment. The look on Damian’s face tugged on my heartstrings.
“Perhaps it is better for you to return to your family and protect them,” He looks away from Connor and sighs. “Be thankful you still have them.” Damian’s fist clenched.
When Connor found us, I recalled the relieved look on his face. When we got to a safe place, he told us that when we were attacked, he was hit and flew far away from the tower. When he came to, he had attempted to go to the Titans Tower to collect our dead; but he could not find himself to look at them so closely. So, Conner stood from a very safe distance and left. Afterwards he went to his parents, hoping that they were safe. Thankfully, Superman had implemented a safety measure for them, so they were safe. Damian was very angry when he found out Superman had safety precautions for his parents.
Conner was devastated but with his parents help, he was able to find strength again. And so, he went back to the Titan Tower, planning to bury his fellow members as that was what they deserved, but there were no bodies to be found. And that was when he deciding and hoped that just maybe– somewhere out there– was at least one Titan member that survived. And he found us.
I had opened my mouth to try and comfort Damian but Connor cut me off with a very loud sigh.
“You’re right, Damain.” A pause. “I am grateful that they are safe, and I should probably go and make sure that they will always be safe.” I felt Superboy’s resignation, there was really nothing we could do now. We knew for a fact that the justice league members that went to Apokolips are mostly dead, so what hope and chance did we really have?
Connor approaches Damian and placed a hand on Damian’s shoulder.
“I’m sorry.” He whispers sadly, Damian looks down on the floor.
“Yeah, me too…” He responds faintly, and Connor slowly walks out of our hideout. He glances at me and gives a weak smile as farewell, and I couldn’t help but feel like crying, because I felt them. They were just trying to be strong, but the reality was—they weren’t. They were trying to look for hope in a place that provided no form of comfort. They had felt the resignation long before this moment—this moment that they finally acknowledged their hopelessness.
When the door closes behind Connor, I stood up and slowly approach Damian.
“Raven…” He calls my name in the darkness and I was startled, I look at his green eyes my brows etched in worry.
A gasp from my father.
“I have something I must admit to you.” He tells me and I can see and feel how difficult this is for him.
“I get it now,” My father laughs.
“What is it Damian?” I look at him and gently urged him with a faint smile. He turns his back around me and walked a couple steps.
“You like him.” A fact.
“I have been in contact with the league of assassins,” I stare at his back. “I am thinking of going back.” He crossed his arms behind him, he turns to look at me, his eyes gentle.
“I would like you to join me in leading them.” I stare at his lips as he says those words.
“I will kill the boy if you don’t release me, daughter!” My heart was beating so loud and it felt as though it sunk to my stomach, and I must have looked ashen.
“No…” I whispered breathlessly. Damian was startled—hurt. He took a step back unconsciously and turned around.
“I… I understand.” He mutters to himself, not sounding like his usual self.
A laughter from my father. Damian looked as though he was preparing to leave now.
“No!” I ran towards Damian and grabbed his left wrist pulling him to me, and he turns to look at me. But I just crashed my lips against his, and I placed my right hand on his right cheek.
“You will regret this daughter!” My father screams. I felt Damian wrap his left arm around my waist and his right hand cupping my left cheek as he kisses me back.
Shut up, father.
“Yes! Yes, I want to go with you!” I say frantically, worried that the kiss was not obvious enough. But he had kissed me back—so this means its mutual right?
I hear him sigh and placed his head on the nook of my right shoulder.
“You worried me, Raven. I’m glad you changed your mind so quickly” He chuckles. I hug him and clenched his cape.
You will not win father, I swear it.
When we arrived at Nan Parbat, the first thing Lady Shiva said was about Dick.
“You used the Lazarus Pit on Dick?” I grabbed his wrist and look at him. We were at an empty hallway within the compound.
“I have to try— his my brother!” Damian says not looking me in the eyes.
“Damian…” I took a step forward, placed my hand on his cheek and stood on my tippy toes, understanding what I was doing he places his forehead against mine. “I trust you. I trust your decisions; I might have done the same.” And he wrapped me around his arms.
“Just so we are clear…” Damian clears his throat and pulled away; he looks away from me. “We are together right?” And I laugh and he glares at me with a slight pout.
“Of course,” I cup both of his cheeks between my hands and I felt his relief. “I trust that you trust me too?” He smiles and closes the distance between our lips. A soft gentle and loving kiss.
“Yes, I do.” He says and I could hear my father growl, but I smiled. I will enjoy my moment with him, for as long as I can.
Two years had passed and in those two years, I felt so happy. Happier than I have ever been, but sadly my father has become a little bit too loud and my healing is not as it used to be. But I was at least able to return Dick’s sanity, it was a very long and tedious process, and with my waning healing abilities, there are times that he slips into madness again.
“There is an intruder! Inform the demon’s head!” I heard someone yell, I asked where the commotion was coming from and ran towards the courtyard.
“You!” I heard Damian call out in fury. I had a bad feeling about this, when I stepped out of the doorway, I saw Superman with Constantine and behind them Etrigan fighting assassins. Damian had unsheathed his sword and was ready to attack Superman.
“Damian!” I called out as I use my powers to block Damian’s attack on Superman. He turns to glare at me.
“He wouldn’t be here without good cause, let us hear him out.” Damian sighs and sheaths his sword.
“Your lucky my wife saved your ass.” He glares at Superman whose eyes widened at the information while Constantine chokes.
“I’m sorry… aren’t you two too young?” Constantine was at the verge of laughing but I glared at him, a silent warning not to.
“I already have a lot of regrets, starting from allowing father to follow on your idiotic crusade, Clark.” When Damian said Clark there was nothing but hatred there. “I will not add another one.” He gestures for the uninvited guest through the door and he glances at me.
“You have seen the state of the world, Constantine, at least there is this piece of happiness between us.” I finished for Damian our eyes locked. We had talked about it before.
“And its not like laws matter at the state the world is in.” Damian couldn’t help but comment bitterly.
We had settled the intruders in a room. Damian was not happy with the situation but I give him a look to remind him that they’re purpose here must be important.
“So, why are you three here?” Damian says trying to contain his anger and hatred.
“To the point, I like that.” Etrigan says. And Superman tells us how he thinks Damian could get across Batman, and that when Batman found out Nightwing died there was a reaction from the big bat. Damian and I exchanged a knowing glance. The silence in the room was chilling. Before Damian could respond I interrupt.
“We will think about it.” I glance at Damian and walked out of the room. This is bad. I went to our bedroom, and sat down on a chair facing the door.
I was nervous, or perhaps it was the external factors of it all making me feel so— What am I saying, of course it’s the external factors.
I kept picking on my purple robe out of sheer nervousness, and chewed on my lips, I felt awful. What would they think, what would he think? Why does it matter what he thinks—of course it does, why am I even lying to myself. This inner turmoil I am feeling was just eating me up whole.
The door opens revealing Damian, he looked exhausted.
“I told them that we should sleep it off first, and that we will come to a conclusion tomorrow.” He says as he slowly removes his armor, I stood up to help.
“Raven, you don’t have to, you seem exhausted.” Damain tells me gently and I smiled at him. I look into his beautiful green eyes, and…
“There is something I have to tell you…” He looks at me patiently.
“Do you recall when you offered me to lead the league with you?” I ask him our bodies just two feet apart.
“Of course,” He says as he folds his cloak. “You looked so terrified and disgusted and…” He sets his cloak down and looks at the floor. “It was painful, I did not know you hated me that much to the point of disgust.” A bitter smile as he cups my cheek.
“But you kissed me, and changed your mind quickly.” The bitter smile was replaced by a warmth that we shared over the last two years.
“Yes, that moment, my father decided to threaten me with your life.” His eyes widened with the revelation. “And I decided no more. And so, Damian, my love.” I cup his cheek this time.
“I have something to tell you.” I whisper as I put my forehead against his.
We awoke the next day with loud screaming that we were both very familiar with.
“Dick.” We say as we look at one another, I used my magic to change clothes and ran towards the screaming, Damian following suit.
“It’s all your fault!” Dick says scratching and thrashing toward Superman in Etrigan’s arms. His eyes had come back to that after he was dumped into the Lazarus pit.
“Dick!” I called out firmly, and he stopped thrashing and looked at me with hollow eyes.
“How could you, its all his fault! HIS!” He yelled and I smiled at him.
“I know, I know…” I placed my hand against his temples and soothed him and he fell asleep.
“Bring my brother to his chambers.” I heard Damian command from behind me, and I moaned in pain.
“Raven what’s wrong?” Damian approaches me worriedly as he saw my pain. “Is it your father again?”
“Maybe I can help.” Constantine says as he did a spell and my father’s voice echoes faintly in the hall.
“I don’t believe you! You brat! You ungrateful daughter, you dare!” I couldn’t help but smile. I see a few members of the league bring Dick back to his room.
“You heard that didn’t you Constantine?” I say as I stood up straight. “He says he doesn’t believe me.”
“Yes, well I do not know of the context but…” He eyes me suspiciously.
“Check if my soul is bounded to Damian.” I look at Damian and he just stood still. I could feel Constantine’s disapproval.
“You wouldn’t—you couldn’t.” Constantine says and he looks between Damian and I.
“Well, only you can disprove it.” I look at him sternly, and he did a magic circle in front of me and then moved in to Damian and did so back and forth. But you can tell from his shocked eyes, to his ashen face that it was true.
“That is one nasty, nasty spell, Raven.” He comments his lips tugging into a proud smile.
“Damian’s fate is my fate. If he dies, I die. We are one and bound together for all eternity.” I simply say as I glance over Damian who gave me a supportive smile.
“NO!” I hear my father’s furious voice echo in my head.
I win father.
Part 2: DamiRae Week 2020: SOULMATES