Chapter 1
Raven pounded on the door, her heart racing. All she could think of was how she had to warn him. The door swung open and Red X stood on the other side, his eyes wide and hair tousled.
"Raven." He said after a pause, and, too surprised for further acknowledgement, he merely stepped aside to let her through. Raven visiting him at his apartment was not necessarily a rare occurrence, but because of their heavy schedules and need for secrecy they usually organised any visits well in advance. As far as he could remember, their next clandestine meeting was set for next Tuesday. For Raven to show up unannounced was unprecedented, to say the least. Raven paid no attention to Red X's distraction and strode into the apartment.
"This isn't just an impromptu night visit, I take it?" He asked, eyebrows arched in curiosity. If she wasn't going to bother with preliminaries, neither would he. She replied so quickly that he thought it was a miracle she had kept silent in the ten seconds that had passed since she had knocked on his door.
"Robin's discovered your civilian identity. I don't know how he put it all together, but he did and it's only a matter of time before he hands his information over to the police and you get arrested. I came as soon as I could. It's all in here." She dropped a thick manila folder on his coffee table. "You need to call someone. Someone who can cover your tracks." Her voice had risen and was the closest to pleading that he imagined Raven's voice could possibly be. "And it's not too early to call a lawyer. In fact I think it would be wise, given the amount of dirt Robin has on you."
He was leafing through the contents of the folder, only half-aware of Raven's entreaties. It was an odd experience, reading about himself from an outsider's perspective. But he couldn't deny that the information was horribly, painstakingly accurate. He skimmed through several pages with information about his family, education and even his medical details. But Robin had clearly saved the best for last. In the final pages he found material on his associates, his business methods and a list of his numerous crimes coupled with irrefutable evidence pointing to him as the culprit. As irritated as he was at Robin for writing a report that was so damn comprehensive, he couldn't help but feel a reluctant admiration. Clearly he had underestimated the Boy Wonder's grudge against him. The only noteworthy thing about Red X that was missing was his relationship with Raven, and for that he breathed a sigh of relief. He was sure that Robin's determination to put him in jail would only increase if he found out he was sleeping with his friend and teammate.
"Aren't you going to say something?" When Red X looked up, Raven's fists were clenched so tightly they were shaking and her shoulders were hunched in a way that was at odds with the years she had spent maintaining a rigid and perfect posture.
"I'm… impressed." He admitted, his voice neutral. "Robin is very thorough." If she weren't so upset, her empathy would have told her that his nonchalance hid a fear that he did not want to voice. But her fear for him overrode everything else and Red X's unconcerned manner infuriated her.
"How can you be so calm?" She snapped. "Are you just going to sit back and wait to be dragged off to jail? Aren't you going to do something? You can't go to jail. You've never hurt anyone. You're a good person. " When all she received as response was his impassive stare, she covered his hands with her trembling ones. "I want to help you, Jason. But you have to let me. You'll let me help you, won't you?" At the end of her question her trembling voice tapered off into a whisper and she blinked rapidly to put a stop to the tears threatening to spill onto her pale cheeks.
Red X was deeply moved by this display of emotion. Sure, Raven had opened up during the course of their unconventional relationship. He had seen the way she inhaled deeply when she was content and how she pursed her lips when she was trying not to laugh. He had seen her express joy, hurt and even lust. But concern? Concern was new. It had been a long time since anyone had worried about his wellbeing. It had also been a long time since anyone had referred to him as a "good person." But as touched as he was that anyone would think so well of him, he couldn't help bristling at such a characterisation. He hadn't earned the right to be labelled as "good."
"You don't deserve this." Raven choked out.
"Don't I?" His voice was low and biting, almost frightening in its intensity. She flinched and dropped his hands. His gaze bored into hers and she didn't shy away. "Raven, I'm no Robin Hood," he bit out scathingly. "I don't steal from the rich and give to the poor. I don't secretly have a heart of gold. I have no convenient excuse to explain why I break the law. I didn't have any traumatic experiences as a child and I wasn't born into poverty." He took a quick step forward so that there was only an inch between them and he could feel her breathing against his throat. "Make no mistake, Raven. I'm not a good person. I steal because I fucking enjoy it and I'm fucking good at it." They continued to stare at each other, only now Raven's eyes were shining with anger instead of tears. She shoved at Red X's chest in one abrupt movement.
"Asshole." She snarled. She opened her mouth to say more, but she too angry and shocked to make a coherent reply. Her mouth snapped shut. She spun on her heels and teleported without so much as a backwards glance. He was left in his apartment with nothing but his own regret and the manila folder she had left him.