A/N: Was daydreaming while listening to "Sweet Dreams" sung by Emily Browning from the Sucker Punch soundtrack and came up with this concept for Raven and Slade. Since there are so many stories revolving around Raven still having dreams about Slade because of their bond I can't think of a better song that goes with this twisted couple! So enjoy and review.
Sweet Dreams
It happened the same way each night.
Different settings, different demons, different time zones, but it always happened. He was always there waiting and planning.
Each time was different, sometimes it was physical, sometimes it was emotional, sometimes he just watched her in silence with a menacing and curious eye. But he always enjoyed it.
And unfortunately for Raven… each time was very different, but always shameful.
In a dream nothing is in your control. You can try to fight and even when you realize it isn't real, you still cannot help what it is you feel or say. At least that's what she told herself.
In a dream she would tell him she wanted him there, she would tell him she wanted to murder him. She would have sex with him, she would fight and shed blood with him. She'd let him talk down to her and pick her apart, she'd let him torture and rape her until she'd awake screaming.
No matter the acts of sinful pleasure or just plain torture, she always woke up the same.
Tears and sweat all mixed together in a sticky bath that would cause her to shiver and shake, teeth chattering and chest falling and rising too fast.
Some nights the pain and fear would be so great she'd wake up screaming so high her voice would strain. Other nights the pleasure and excitement of it all would wake her up with hips bucking in an intense orgasm she could never contain.
Slade was turning her violent, depressed, lustful, and weak all at the same time. He was getting to her in each and every way. He was turning her into everything she strongly opposed and fought against in her demon and human blood.
Her pacifism and control was slipping away and it was beginning to show.
Items in her room would melt and decay as she dreamt. She was restless and irritable each morning and fought even harder than before to keep her emotions and powers in check.
Her teammates could sense it. Her demeanor had become colder and more distant. She refused to tell them the nightmares she was having. It disgusted and shamed her to the point of physical illness. Mornings were spent vomiting over the toilet and curling up on the tile floor waiting for relief.
She was sick and infected by a man she could not, nor ever wanted to, face. If she ever did it would end one of two ways. Either he'd torture and use her for as long as he wanted or she would kill him.
She would never be a slave to him or allow herself to kill him, no matter how much she wanted to or felt he deserved it.
But her mind was slowly losing its sense of reality and sanity. It was rapidly growing out of control to the point where she could no longer deny that something had to be done.
She finally decided she would find him, find a way to make it stop, there had to be a way they could end it all. She could not say for certain that he had full control of himself when entering her mind, but from the look in his lone eye it sure seemed that way. She had to fight against him and his sick obsession with her vulnerabilities.
But for the sake of her own morals and soul-self, she would approach him powerless... unable to fully defend herself if it came to a life and death situation.
She was naturally trained in hand to hand combat as was expected of her being a part of the Titans, but she nowhere near the skills of Robin ( and even he couldn't beat Slade) she didn't have natural alien strength like Starfire, no Cybernetic body parts or the ability to turn into some great and mighty animal.
When she would face him, she'd be an average every day human, with less than average strength and less than average fighting skills.
Ever since the demise of her father the bond between her and Slade was stronger than ever, she would be able to sense him better than any soul in the city.
"We'll miss you while you're away."
Raven blinked herself back into the present. Focus.
"I'll only be away a few days," she said barely looking at Robin.
She had made up an elaborate lie to coincide with her lack of control. There was no way of hiding it from Robin, making it part of the lie would make it that much easier to be away.
"I'm hoping the islands will help me better meditate and reopen my chakras, my human body Is nearly done growing, so my powers can only grow so much more. Hopefully by the time I'm back I'll have better stability"
It wasn't fully a lie. Her powers did change with her body. She was nearly 21 and her body was setting into its adult form and her powers had taken on a new form, but it wasn't something that she couldn't handle.
Meditative islands would only help to a point, but it was the only excuse she could create without Robin asking any questions.
She picked up her suitcase and took in a shaky breath as her stomach ached and quivered. She was actually going to do this… She was actually going to face Slade by herself.
"Well good luck on your trip, you let us know if there's any trouble," said Robin placing a hand on her shoulder. Even with her leader touching her, she felt like he was thousands of miles away, this may be the last time she ever saw him again…ever saw any of the Titans again.
"Robin," she called out just as he was leaving.
He turned to her curiously as she stood there dumbly trying to find something worthwhile to say.
She swallowed thickly and choked out, "I'll miss you all… take care of yourselves." Before Robin got a chance to react Raven phased out of the tower and into the city.
Raven floated aimlessly over the city. It was a large place filled with too many souls. They all got too scrambled and meshed together. She needed complete silence and focus.
She knew he was going to be hiding from her. She knew he was going to mentally and emotionally block himself off from any possibility of detection. It would have to be in their sleep, in their dreams, that's where all his sense of control would be unhinged. She would be able to teleport herself to wherever he was.
It was going to take the most difficult form of meditation for her to be able to do this. Sleep meditation.
Conscious control of the dream state.
It was so difficult because it required complete control of the body, being able to stay awake while being able to enter REM sleep and in control of your dreams. Even if you can enter your dreams consciously you had to be able to maintain your sense of reality.
She had no idea if she'd be able to do it in one night, so she put on disguise and rented a room in a cheap seedy hotel.
The man at the front desk barely glanced at her as she entered her dirty room and started floating over her bed in a lotus position.
She looked at the clock beside the bed, 12:00 midnight. It was time.
Sweet dreams are made of this
Who am I to disagree?
Where was the music coming from? A soft high voice, almost childlike singing like a lullaby.
Focus! All a dream… not real
Raven had to throttle herself to stay alert and aware. She had done it, she had slipped into the dream world and was still conscious. She had to be careful though. One distraction or blink of the eye and she could fall right into an unconscious sate and become enslaved in the nightly ritual that took place between her and Slade.
Travel the world and the seven seas
Everybody's looking for something
She was in her room, only it was backwards, like looking into mirror, it was all on the wrong side. She felt a pull towards the door.
Stay in control. Don't let it lead you.
She moved her legs forward with great concentration. Her dream was trying to lead her towards him. She had to make sure it didn't force her into its will.
The hallways were flexing in and out, she walked with more caution towards the living room, her friends were there, or the allusion of her friends.
Not real, you're alone.
They were all sat on the couch, backs to her, not looking at her. The TV was nothing but static. The damn music kept playing.
Some of them want to use you
"Hey Raven," said the dream Robin still not facing her.
"What's up Raven," said Cyborg in a flat voice.
Some of them want to get used by you
"Raven, our dear friend," Strafire muttered.
"You're going to love this joke," Beastboy added emotionlessly.
A smell came from the kitchen making her gag. What is that smell?
Some of them want to abuse you
Raven looked into the kitchen and saw dishes overflowing in the sink. Mold and rot was growing around it. The dishes! I forgot to do the dishes! It was my turn!
Raven nearly ran towards it before catching herself again. She was starting to lose consciousness No! Not real! Not real!
Some of them want to be abused
The water from the tap suddenly started to run, it quickly overflowed onto the floor and at her feet. Raven wanted to throw up at the smell that surrounded itself at her feet. She nearly screamed when she realized it wasn't water at her feet…it was blood.
"Raven, it's ok," Robin was suddenly in front of her putting a hand on her shoulder. "None of its real remember?"
His mask suddenly changed, it was a different one, one she could recognize.
Fear immediately settled into her. She looked away from the mask. He was coming. The pool of blood below her started rising higher. She felt something swim between her legs, she looked down and saw the shadow of a snake. It rubbed its head against the inside of her thigh.
Raven shuttered and went dizzy for a second.
Stay awake, don't do this, don't be weak.
"Don't be weak Raven," his voice boomed in her head. "You're always so weak for me, this time try to have a little fight. Have a little dignity." She felt his thumb rub her cheek gently.
Raven's eyes scrunched shut in intense pain. Her flesh was opening up in fiery seething pain, the blood water was seeping into the wounds. The symbols of her birth, of her father, the same demonic symbols Slade had painted her in the day he came back from the dead.
Raven felt her clothes begin to burn away. She looked back up to the lone eyed mask. It seemed to be smiling at her. Slade's large hand was crushing her arm.
"Have a little pride Raven." He grabbed a fist full of hair and jerked her head back violently. Raven gasped in fear. "Fight me Raven, you know you want to."
This was it, this was her only chance. As the last of her clothes melted away and the blood rose to her neck Raven grabbed onto his arm and focused her power. "Azarath… Metrion… Zinthos…"
Her body was moving, moving too fast. Raven braced herself as she connected with hard marble. She coughed as her ribs and stomach dealt most of the blow.
"Fuck," she whispered to herself slowly getting up.
There was a glow of a fire. She looked over her shoulder to see a grand fireplace. The walls and floors were all marble. There were antique fixtures and furniture. She looked up to see gothic vaulted ceilings. The fire was the only light in the entire place.
She was in the middle of a den. She looked in front of her and could only see darkness. Whatever was in front of her was asleep… and angry.
Raven breathed heavily, sweat was pickling down her back. Her throat hurt as she swallowed thickly.
She had to deactivate her powers before he awoke. Her fear was so great her energy had escaped her and started to levitate the furniture off the ground.
"Do it, do it now," she whispered to herself. She could feel him stirring and preparing to awake.
Raven reached inside her cloak and unhooked a special chakra she had clipped inside. She exhaled slowly and listened as the furniture clicked back on the floor. She emptied out her emotion and became numb.
With great force she ripped out her chakra and replaced it with the newer more powerful one. She was free to feel, but her powers were now locked away in the gem itself. If Slade so much as decided to strike a blow to her forehead he could easily shatter it and destroy her powers all together.
With the new chakra set in her skin, Raven put aside her old one and wiped the blood away from having ripped in out. Some of it had trickled down her face and onto the floor. Raven almost bent down to clean it up for lack of feeling utterly defenseless and vulnerable as Slade finally rose from his sleep and stared her down from his bed.
His appearance didn't startle her, she had seen glimpses of his face before in her dreams, what startled her was how real he actually was. She was truly in his presence, and now she was wishing this all really was a dream.
They both stood in silence for a while until Slade stood up and casually approached her. It was hard to pin point what he was feeling.
There was anger mostly, restlessness, surprise, amusement.
He stood about three feet from her before scoffing and saying, "I was just dreaming about you."
Her body went cold and she looked away from him in embarrassment. He didn't have a shirt on and even with sleeping pants on, it was hard not to imagine his naked form when it had been on top of her so many times.
"Sorry to interrupt, but you and I have to talk," she demanded.
He smirked and brushed past her to sit in one of the chairs of his den. She shivered as his arm slid across hers, she felt as though she could faint. "You're hardly in a position to give orders when you're powerless. Don't think I didn't notice."
Raven's forehead was still throbbing in pain, she was sure her face was smeared in blood, her new chakra was black. He didn't need to look at her twice to figure out what she had done to herself.
She turned to him with tears brimming her eyes. Being able to feel was making her sensitive and overwhelmed, her body was having trouble processing it all. "You know why I'm here Slade. You know what you've been doing to me each and every night."
He glared at her menacingly. "You should get out now before I decide to kill you." His fist rolled up into a tight ball, the veins in his arms rose and his muscles bulged. Raven could sense resistance, she didn't need her powers to know his every emotion, being so close to him made her perfectly in tuned with him.
Curse her father for bonding her to a heartless man, he could feel her too and he was going to dismiss her or kill her for it.
She could not give up though. She had to try, even if it did mean her life.
"You cannot deny me at least a minute Slade." It felt strange saying his name, too familiar. "Please give me a chance to talk to you, I am coming to you powerless and alone."
She hated having to beg, she felt revile from him as she did. He was looking at her like a pathetic revolting mess.
He looked away from her and into the fire, he was contemplating, weighing his options. She was beyond grateful that he was at least thinking it over… until he spoke again.
"Take off your clothes."
Her eyes snapped wide open at his request. Unwilling to move she waited for him to take back his words. He was serious.
"Why?" she asked feeling as though her body were turning to stone.
He folded his hands patiently. "I need to make sure you don't have any hidden wires or weapons You can keep the bra and underwear on, not like you'd be able to hide anything efficient in those."
She sensed no deception, it wasn't like he was going to try and rape her, yet that didn't make her feel any more comfortable about taking off her clothes, then again he might cast her out if she didn't do as asked.
Slade sighed getting impatient. "Just making sure a group of Titans isn't about to burst into my home," he said with hatred in his voice.
"They don't even know I'm here," she snapped.
"Then you should have no problem doing what I asked," he added sitting back into his chair waiting.
Her skin started to burn and she started fumbling at her clothes as though she had never taken them off before. She paused uncomfortably.
"It's not like I haven't seen it before," he chimed in still staring at her.
She glanced away from his gaze feeling embarrassed, she felt the same emotion coming off him too. With a roll of her eyes and a tug of her leotard and cloak she was in her bra and panties within a few seconds. She unsnapped her belt and removed her shoes as well, feeling goose bumps dance along her body as her feet connected with the cold marble floor.
She stood frigidly in front of Slade waiting for him to judge. He barely looked at her before pointing at her uniform. "Put your clothes in that lead box by the fireplace, any signal or tracking device will be cut off."
She felt even more annoyed as she threw her clothes into the box and felt a sense of doom when it clicked shut. Finally they could talk.
She wasn't sure if she should continue standing or sit in the chair across from him. She opted for sitting down since a mahogany coffee table stood between them. If he did decide to attack her she would at least have some distance and a little bit of a barrier.
Raven sat down awkwardly being fully self-conscious of her figure. The lacy black underwear was mostly Starfire's fault, every time Raven went out for essentials Starfire always tagged along and convinced her to buy slightly girly things.
Her body was toned in all the right places, she had plenty of muscle but was still round and curvy around her breasts and hips. Because of her healing abilities her skin was flawless, almost no scarring or blemishes.
"You certainly have grown over the years," Slade said nonchalantly getting more comfortable.
Raven only looked away and into the burning yellow and orange of the fire. She wrapped her arms protectively around herself.
"Still you remind me so much of a child," he said in a disturbed voice.
She closed her eyes shuttering and fiddling her fingers together. She sighed before replying, "So how can you do the things you do to me in our dreams?"
Slade sneered at her and became even more enraged. "You honestly believe I have any more control than you in a subconscious world."
His tone was condescending and honest. Perhaps he wasn't so evil. "I can only read emotions, not minds. When we're dreaming things become blurred and I'm not sure what to believe anymore. I'm not sure how much power you hold in your sleep or how much you might actually like… what happens."
He shrugged and stated, "It's not all horrible, and there have been nights where we've both been satisfied."
He was trying to push her buttons, this he was enjoying. The thrill of making her uncomfortable and shameful.
"What is it that you get out of this? You said yourself you have no control over this, you're letting yourself be used," she was becoming more settled as the conversation began going in a direction she could work in.
Slade only smirked devilishly. "Perhaps I like it. Perhaps I like the added benefit of using you and doing what I consciously and subconsciously want to do. You like it as well, that's what terrifies you the most Raven. That the very man you hate can make you feel so good and hurt you without any control or power to stop it."
This part was truthful and deceiving at the same time. He didn't want to keep dreaming of her, but the fact that it got to her so much almost made it worth the annoyance. Raven felt solid determination; she was going to break through his stubbornness if it took all night. "I won't let you poison me Slade. You mean nothing to me of how I truly feel or am," she seethed at him. "This is all just shit demon magic my father cursed us with."
He scooted forward in his chair meeting her steely gaze. "If that were so true you wouldn't be here my little bird." His words slid off his tongue which immediately made her blood boil in an almost sensual way. "Your will is slipping from your fingers, your dreams are becoming more and more real for you."
"As our yours," she added. "I know' you are capable of many great things. But do you truly wish to torture and rape me?" she asked pleadingly. "Isn't it enough already?"
The surreal memories and experiences between them during her time of demise for her father had already crossed the line in so many ways from both of them. Yet neither one of them had been able to escape it. Raven would've died one way or another, and Slade would've lived again, even if it meant being a servant.
Slade was replaying all this in his mind and sighed tiredly looking at her with weary features.
"When it comes to you my dear, it's never enough." Her gripped the arm rest of his chair and looked at the fire resentfully. "The bond created by your father will never die, not even in death or rebirth. Like it or not, you're stuck with me for the rest of your existence."
That was the hardest part for Raven to accept, that no matter where she went or did, he would always be attached to her. Devil bonds are never relinquished unless the devil decides so. Her father was long gone, they had no choice but to deal with each other in whatever way their bodies and souls could mange.
Dreams were the easiest outlet, but with the intensity of hatred and violence between them, the dreams could go from bad to hellish. The only way to make it better was to not hate him, and for him to not hate her.
Raven began to shake violently. She wanted nothing more than to hate him forever, but it would cause her to give into her dark side, it would cause her to kill him and even then she knew the dreams and loss of stability would only continue. "Azar… we're damaged for eternity."
Slade watched her curiously; it was interesting to see her uninhibited by her powers and how much she could take of pure raw emotion. "Yes we are," he agreed flatly. "Find a way to get use to it, 'cause things can only get worse from here."
She could tell that thought worried him worse of all. Yes he wanted her gone, he even wanted to hurt her a little. But he did still see her as a child, even with her womanly body, and he was not a man of torture and rape. He did things for a purpose, an agenda. He got straight to the point of trying to get rid of his enemies in a smart calculating way.
Drawing out a victims end through rape and torture was in his mind spineless, juvenile, pointless, and even sickly.
Raven sensed his distress. She looked up at him hopefully, fully catching his attention. "I can make it better."
Resistance, he didn't want her help. He despised her and felt it insulting that she even had an idea "What exactly do you suggest? Never sleeping again, you would go mad for sure."
Cynical and sarcastic. She sneered at him impatiently. "Not exactly," she spat out becoming serious. "I need to perform a sort of exorcism on you."
She would have to rearrange his memories and emotions of her. Make it so he didn't feel his evil desires for her so strongly. She would have to pull at his caring and merciful side. She would have to make it so he considered her someone he would never want to harm or touch. He really would see her as a child, possibly as a daughter or loved one.
He rose from his chair ready to end the conversation. "I'm not letting you touch my brain." The thought of her going inside his mind was beyond disturbing to him. She already had too much of him, he wasn't about to give her more, especially if it meant feeling something similar to love for her.
Raven didn't budge. If anything she became completely fearless of him and regained her confidence. She was going to make this happen with or without his consent. It was a line she was now willing to cross. Raping his mind was better than him raping her in their dreams as far as she was now concerned.
"I will not have you torture me any longer. I propose you let me do this to you willingly and without fight. Or else believe me… it will hurt and pain you more than anything you could ever imagine." Slade looked in her eyes and almost stepped back. She wasn't bluffing. She would force her way into his mind once she got the chance and it would be the worst experience of his life. She would literally mind-fuck him.
She sat back in her chair coolly and crossed her legs. Had she not been threatening him right now, he would be filled with intense lust. She was in complete control here, she was confident and sexy. He could easily kill her right now, wrap his hands around her neck and finish her, but there was something holding him back.
Even though he didn't want her picking at his brain and distorting his emotions, he also didn't want the dreams to continue and having her completely gone and unable to do anything about it.
He was fighting inside himself, and looked back at Raven angrily, she was the solution. They both knew it and either he consented or not.
She drummed her fingers on the armrest rhythmically. "I'm not going to live like this Slade, and I won't let you become any worse than you are now."
"You care for me, how very sweet," he spat sarcastically.
She shrugged a shoulder and let out a breath of a laugh. As sick as it was, she would care for him after the exorcism; she would have to make it so she cared for his well-being also. Have concern for a man she once hated? So be it.
"You said so yourself, our dreams are becoming more and more real, and things will only get worse. Soon enough you will try to do all of those things to me. And it will continue on until you finally kill me. Then what? You go on becoming more and more mad until we meet in death?" She looked up at him knowingly. Her eyes seemed glossy, her cheeks had tint of red in them, she was becoming passionate and solid in her decision.
"Is that really how far you want to go? Look inside of yourself, I know you're not a rapist or a torturer. You're not that demented."
He rolled up his fist, wanting so badly to be rid of her. "You have no idea how evil I can be Raven."
She nodded amused. "Yes I do. I'm bonded to you remember. I know that you feel disgust the same way I do. I know you're ashamed of liking it, I know you're maddened at the thought of being forever chained to me. But if it's going to be like this, I can make it better. I can make it so it never has to go that far and we can be normal again."
"Normal?" He asked raising an eyebrow.
"Figuratively speaking," she chuckled sadly.
She was going to be part of him forever anyway. They could either be disturbingly cruel to each other, or disturbingly nice to each other. It would have to be one of two evils. "I'll consider it," he finally answered in compromise.
He realized Raven was no longer looking at him and was sitting in his chair deep in thought. When she finally spoke again, it was the eeriest thing he had ever heard.
"You know I often wonder why it is we dream… and the conclusion I came to is… it's the way our minds rid us of the filth we consume. But me and you, we will drown and burn for eternity in our sins. We will never be clean."
She finally looked back at him with crazed and mad eyes. This time he did take a step away from her.
"I just hope your burning is the worst of all. You deserve the lowest pit hell has to offer."
With that said Raven stood up, collected her clothes and walked out of his home. She would be waiting for him. He knew he had to respond soon, or she would come after him.
Slade leaned all his body weight against the palms of his hands and stood over the fire place. He inhaled deeply, closed his eyes and whispered. "It's just a dream, just a dream."
When he reopened his eyes he regretfully found everything the same.
A/N: There will be another part to this story coming soon, I may add a dream sequence with some mature themes, but haven't decided yet. Review kindly!