The Tower looked like a war zone.
Hikaru surveyed the damage from the common room—scorch marks across walls, shattered windows, collapsed sections of flooring, and debris everywhere. Robot parts littered the corridor. The main screen flickered intermittently where Gizmo's hack had corrupted several systems.
"Alright team," Robin called out, tablet in hand with damage assessments. "We've got structural repairs, electrical systems, security overhaul, and about a thousand smaller fixes. Let's prioritize and divide up the work."
Cyborg cracked his knuckles. "I'll handle the technical systems—security codes, firewalls, all that. Nobody's getting my access codes again."
"Donna and I can manage structural work," Starfire offered, floating beside the Amazonian. "Between my strength and hers, we should be able to handle the heavy repairs."
"I'll coordinate everything and help wherever needed," Robin said. "Raven, can you handle cleanup? Your telekinesis would make debris removal easier."
Raven nodded silently, dark energy already gathering around scattered robot parts.
"Beast Boy, Kid Flash, Hikaru—you three are on detail work. Patching walls, replacing windows, cleaning up the smaller damage."
Wally grinned. "Speed cleaning. I can work with that."
Gar transformed into a monkey, chattering enthusiastically.
Hikaru stretched his wings. "Guess we're the cleanup crew."
The work began immediately.
Hikaru plastered a wall section while Wally carried debris outside at super-speed. Beast Boy—currently an elephant—used his trunk to move larger chunks of concrete.
"Dude, you missed a spot," Gar called out, transforming back to human and pointing at Hikaru's patch job.
"That's literally perfect," Hikaru replied without looking up.
"Nah man, there's a bump right there."
Hikaru squinted at the wall. "That's part of the original structure."
"Oh." Gar paused. "Well it looks weird."
Wally zipped back inside, already carrying paint supplies. "Got the primer. We doing white or off-white?"
"There's a difference?" Hikaru asked.
"Oh, there's totally a difference," Wally said seriously. "Off-white is more sophisticated. Makes a statement."
"The statement being 'we couldn't decide on white'?" Hikaru deadpanned.
Gar snickered.
They settled on white.
An hour later, Hikaru floated near the ceiling, replacing damaged light panels while Wally held the ladder despite not needing to.
"You know you can just run up here, right?" Hikaru called down.
"Yeah, but where's the fun in that?" Wally grinned. "Besides, someone's gotta supervise."
"Supervise this." Hikaru pulled out a water ballon he had found randomly and filled up during the clean up, and dropped it.
Wally blurred, the balloon passing through empty space. He reappeared across the room, holding three more water balloons. "Oh, I see you found my stash, but you just made a huge mistake."
"Why did you even—"
The balloon hit Hikaru square in the chest. He looked a his wet shirt than back at Wally, eyebrow twitching.
Beast Boy transformed into a pelican, somehow already holding another water balloon in his beak. He launched it at Wally.
Chaos erupted.
Hikaru created light construct shields while Wally dodged through attacks. Gar shifted between forms—monkey for agility, elephant for payload delivery, octopus to hold multiple balloons. Water splashed everywhere.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Robin's voice cut through the mayhem.
All three froze—Hikaru hovering mid-throw, Wally caught in super-speed with a balloon in each hand, Gar mid-transformation between hawk and human.
Robin stood in the doorway, surveying the soaked floor and walls. His expression entirely unamused.
Then Donna appeared behind him, took in the scene, and started laughing.
"I think they're cleaning," she managed between giggles.
Robin pinched the bridge of his nose. "Just... clean it up. Actually clean it this time."
He left. Donna winked before following.
The three exchanged glances and immediately burst into laughter.
"Worth it," Wally declared.
"Totally worth it," Gar agreed.
Hikaru grinned. "Yeah. Definitely worth it."
They actually cleaned after that.
Well, mostly. There might have been a few more minor pranks involved, but the work got done. Hikaru patched walls properly, Wally reinstalled electronics at super-speed, and Gar used various animal forms to reach awkward spaces.
Across the Tower, Donna and Starfire worked in tandem—their powers making short work of structural repairs. Their laughter drifted through open corridors.
Cyborg cursed colorfully in his workshop, rebuilding security systems from scratch. The smell of solder and coffee filled that wing.
Robin coordinated everything like a military commander, checking progress and adjusting timelines. He'd relaxed considerably since their little heart to heart talk, the tension from his times Gotham not carrying over.
And Raven moved through it all, telekinetically gathering debris and depositing it outside. She worked fast, silent and efficient.
About an hour before sunrise, the Tower looked almost normal again.
Hikaru wiped sweat from his forehead, surveying their handiwork. The walls were patched, windows replaced, floors cleared. It wasn't perfect, but it felt like home again.
"Not bad for a day's work," he murmured.
"Food!" Cyborg's voice boomed through the intercom. "Kitchen. Now. You all earned it."
After dinner, where the team helped themselves to a victory feast, Hikaru noticed Raven's absence. She'd eaten quickly and disappeared while the others celebrated.
He found her eventually, in the meditation room tucked away on the Tower's quieter level. She sat cross-legged in the center, hovering slightly off the floor. Her hood was down, face composed but tight with a slightly suppressed tension.
Hikaru knocked softly on the doorframe.
Raven's eyes opened, glowing white before fading back to violet.
"Sorry," Hikaru said. "Didn't mean to interrupt."
"It's fine." She didn't sound fine. Her voice carried an edge, fragile. "What do you want?"
"Mind if I join you?"
Raven studied him for a long moment. Then she gestured to the space across from her.
Hikaru settled into position, crossing his legs and letting his wings fold comfortably.
"Today was rough," he offered.
Raven didn't respond, eyes already closed
"How are you holding up?"
Raven opened her eyes just to give him an annooyed glance.
Hikaru took the hint. Silence settled between them. Hikaru focused on his breathing, letting thoughts drift past without engaging.
Gradually, he felt Raven's presence settle. The razor-edge tension in her energy smoothed out, became less volatile. Her breathing synchronized with his.
Time passed. Could have been minutes. Could have been hours.
When Hikaru finally opened his eyes, Raven was watching him. Her expression had softened—still guarded, but calmer. More like herself.
"Better?" he asked quietly.
"Better," she confirmed. "Thanks for the company."
"Anytime."
They sat in comfortable silence for another moment before Raven spoke again.
"You're better at this than you pretend to be."
"Yeah I've started a long time ago, helps me regulate my emotions, you know when I'm stressed."
Raven nodded. "I understand, control is necessary."
"And balance," Hikaru smiled.
She considered that, then inclined her head. "Yeah, balance too."
After partign with Raven, Hikaru found Starfire on the roof.
She stood near the edge, silhouetted against the pre-dawn sky. Her red hair moved gently in the wind, and she'd changed from her battle-damaged costume into comfortable clothes—consisting of one of his stolen hoodies.
"Hey," he said, keeping his voice soft as he approached.
Starfire turned, and gave him a warm smile. "Hikaru."
He wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, wings folding around them both in a makeshift coccon of feathers. She leaned back into him with a contented sigh.
"I could not sleep," she admitted. "Too much excitement, I think."
"Same." Hikaru rested his chin on her shoulder. "Wanted to find you."
They stood together in as the quiet of the night washed over them, watching the horizon slowly begin to brighten. Jump City spread below them, waking gradually as dawn approached. Lights flickered off in buildings. Early traffic began moving through streets.
"Today was frightening," Starfire said quietly. "When Deathstroke arrived, I thought—"
"I know."
"But we survived."
"Yeah we did," Hikaru agreed. His hold tighten by a fraction. "We're getting stronger, Kori. All of us. Next time will be different."
"Yes." Starfire turned in his arms, facing him properly. Her green eyes caught the first rays of sunrise, practically glowing. "Next time, we will be ready."
She planted a soft kiss on his lips. Hikaru responded in kind, one hand moving to cup her face while his wings sheltered them from the world.
When they parted, the sun had crested the horizon fully—golden light spilling across the bay, causing the water to glow. Starfire's skin seemed to glow in response, absorbing the solar energy that powered her abilities.
"Beautiful," she breathed.
Hikaru wasn't looking at the sunrise. "Yeah. Beautiful."
Starfire caught his gaze and laughed, an strong laugh of pure joy, that had an almost musical quality. She pulled him down for another kiss as dawn broke fully over Jump City.