Okay, hiya peoples! I'm writing another story! Aren't you all so proud? This is my fifth one. I never thought I'd be appreciated enough to have the inspiration to post five stories on here. :wipes tear: Anyway, back to business. This, as you probably discerned from the summary, is a Rob/Rae/Red X thing that was kind of a spur of the moment deal. I have absolutely no idea where I'm going with this and, therefore, no idea whether it will be a one shot or a chapter fic. Hmm… what was I going to say… Oh yeah, summary… Well, basically, Red X is back, BUT he's not doing anything wrong, at least that the Titans can tell. By wrong, I mean illegal. He definitely does some stuff that's wrong in another sense, but you'll se about that. Um, oh yeah, anyway, he starts talking to Raven on a regular basis and Robin finds out about it. Dun dun dun! What will be his reaction? How will the pair explain themselves? Will they even explain themselves? Or will Raven just blow him off, thereby angering him even more? Why am I asking these stupid questions? All will be revealed next time on everyone's favorite television show, Superheroes: the Legends and the Truth. Just kidding! I'm on a sugar kick right now. I'm WAY wired. I realized that it's a lot easier to get over writer's block if you're totally and completely filled with sugar. That's wherethis wonderful idea came from. Sadly though, you can't control what you get inspiration for, otherwise I'd be writing SWBTN (Salvation, what be thy name?) or FTL (Follow the Leader). But I'm going to wait a little while to write, because I don't want to screw this story up with my sugar-filled brain. Oh, and forgive the cheesiness at the beginning. I can't think of a good way to start, and I think it's hilarious in spite (or perhaps because) of the cliché.
Moocow
When One Door Closes
Chapter One
It was a dark and stormy night, but the residents of Jump City, or even Steel City or Gotham City, weren't worried. They each had their respective heroes to keep them safe from harm. Whether it be a team of Titans or Batman, every citizen knew they could count on their saviors to keep them from harm's way.
But this story isn't about Batman of Gotham City, or even the Titans East of Steel City. This is about the original Teen Titans of Jump City, led by the former sidekick of Batman and consisting of an alien princess, a green changeling, a half-man half-machine hybrid, and a demoness.
Most of the aforementioned heroes were lying in bed, some asleep and some waiting for sleep to come. But one, the demoness, Raven, was out on the roof, sitting in the rain and listening as it hit the roof in a peaceful, steady hum. It wasn't an unusual occurrence in the Titan Tower for one or more of the teens to be out on the roof, enjoying the mild weather and the feel of the cool rain on their skin, but the rain of this night was abnormally rough. Wind ripped at your clothing, rain pounded bruises into you skin, the cold air gave you chills after only a few seconds of being exposed. But the silent young woman looked as if she was doing nothing more than watching the stars in contentment, as if she were immune to the fury of nature that surely would have driven everyone else indoors.
But apparently our presumptions are wrong because lo and behold at the next flash of lightning, a figure appeared on the ledge of the roof, a figure that could only be of a man, with the typically masculine features of a well chiseled chest, finely toned biceps, and a laid back stance that she had only observed in two men before this encounter, one that screamed confidence and made you think of those playboy-jock types, except this was a hundred times more sexy. Not that she would ever admit it to them, of course. Of the two that she had known to display this particular pose on a regular basis, one was for a fact downstairs, asleep in his bed. The location of the other was unknown, but it was unlikely that this figure was of Red X, the notorious, thieving counterpart of Robin- who just happened to be previous of the pair.
Unlikely, of course, but not impossible.
Astonishingly enough, the man on the roof was indeed the infamous Red X, though Raven couldn't even begin to fathom his reasons for being up on the roof of Titans Tower, especially in the middle of the night. She supposed he had been unable to resist the overused 'lightning strike entrance'. Most villains enjoyed taking advantage of clichés. She herself often committed entrance faux pas by teleporting into a room behind people and frightening them. But it was for entertainment purposes only; she only did it because she liked to see them jump.
Although Raven was surprised to see him, she didn't let it affect her cool exterior. She remained calm and watched as he strode towards her, preparing herself for any attack the trespasser might have in store. You could never tell with some of the Titans' latest foes; they were starting to get more and more violent earlier in the battles.
Red X stopped a few feet away from her, both villain and heroine staring into the face of the other. Raven was looking at him in minor shock mingled with disgust, while her counterpart watched her with an unreadable look (He has a mask on, so obviously it's unreadable). In the end, it was he who broke the silence. He stepped forward a bit more and parted his lips to speak.
"Your friends would have at least tried to throw me off the roof by now." It was a simple statement, but with it came the liberating of Raven's hitherto unused voice.
"I am not my friends, as you may have noticed. I have no particular reason to harm you; it's not like you've attacked me yet," she vocalized. The remark caused Red X to throw out his chin defiantly and defend his criminal intents.
"What makes you think I won't?" he asked.
"I never said you wouldn't; I only said you hadn't yet. And besides, if you wanted a fight, then you would have tried to hit me first. There's something else behind your visit here than a grudge match against the Titans," Raven stated.
"You don't miss a beat, do you?" Red X said in a flat voice.
"Not usually. That's Beast Boy's job," she told him. "Now, tell me why you're here."
"Why should I?" he questioned. He didn't sound rude at all, merely inquisitive, as if he really wanted to know why he should tell her why he was on her roof.
"If you're going to get what you want, then you're going to have to go through me. So A: you can ask nicely, or B: you can try to fight your way past me. I don't think choice B would be a wise decision. Just so we're clear on this, I'm not the kind of girl that can't hold her own in a battle," she warned him. It was clear from her tone of voice that she wanted him to explain himself or get out.
"And just what kind of girl are you?" Now he sounded somewhat bored.
"The half demon kind." The angry look she shot him told more than words.
"How do you manage to put so much into your glare?" And it was back to curiosity. "You looked angry, annoyed, threatening. I think I even saw self-loathing in there."
"Do not speak unless you can improve the silence."
"Is that why you aren't answering my question?" Another glare.
"How I do the things I do, is my business," Raven said curtly. "I believe I asked you a question first."
"Ah yes, what am I doing here? Well, I'm not sure myself," Red X said with a sigh. All he got in response was a raised eyebrow and a delicate snort from his companion. "Fine, I'm here because I got bored without interaction with the Titans."
"So you came back to what? Ask us for a duel? Smart move," Raven mocked.
"No, that is NOT why I'm here," he said in an annoyed fashion.
"Then you wan to get arrested?"
"Are you stupid?"
"Do you understand the process of elimination? They generally teach that in the third grade, or is it too advanced for you?"
"Why would I turn myself in? Do you honestly think I would come back for that?"
"You should have realized that that's what happens to thieves."
"That's where you're wrong. If I'm convicted of anything, then you Titans are going to be out of a job. You accepted assistance from a known thief and then proceeded to let him escape. That's illegal."
"Technically, I didn't accept any help from you; Robin did. I was pretty much frozen, if you care to remember."
"Then I hope you find a new leader soon."
"Fine, so you're not going to the police. I get it. What do you want?" Raven was getting really irked. Who did this guy think he was, showing up in the middle of the night, keeping her in the rain, and not even having the decency to explain why in hell he was even in town?
"I'd like a promise that I can stay in town without wondering whether or not the pathetic excuses of superheroes are going to show up wherever I go. Obviously, I won't be doing anything illegal, or that would give you valid reason to turn me in."
"If you want anyone to cooperate with you, then it probably isn't a good idea to insult them."
"Did I insult you?"
"I believe you called me a pathetic excuse of a superhero."
"I said 'The pathetic excuses of superheroes.' Not 'You pathetic excuse of a superhero.' There is a difference."
"So you were referring to my friends as pathetic? That's not much better."
"Just ignore that statement, okay?" Red X said with annoyance. Clearly she was trying his patience. "I just want a promise that I can stay in the city without being tracked down outside of my apartment, or whatever. I swear that whatever I do will be completely legal, so there won't be any need for a criminal retrieval on my behalf."
"Wow, retrieval, that's three syllables. I never knew you could use such big words." Red X wasn't the only one that was peeved; Raven was getting pretty bothered herself. If this idiot thought he could just waltz into the city and demand amnesty, then he had another think coming. Why should she allow him the freedom to roam about when there was no rational reason to trust him? Trust was based on past experiences that showed responsibility and that you could be depended upon; X had neither of these in his background.
"Look, sarcasm and rebukes aside, do we have a deal?"
"Don't get short with me! You need me to agree with your stupid scheme, so don't rush me."
"I don't need you specifically, just a Titan in general."
"Like there's another Titan that would even have let you stay up here for so long?" There was no response to her question, which was just as well because it was rhetorical. "How do we know you won't be back to your normal, thieving self again as soon as we say yes?"
"'We'?" he echoed. She could almost see the eyebrow that she knew was cocked up behind the mask.
"Fine, if I say yes?" Raven clarified.
"You would have my permission to do whatever you want to me." Though she didn't like the wording of his choice, Raven began to consider his request. He wouldn't be hurting anyone, and they could come after him with the betrayal of the pact, and he had at least attempted to be civil with her… Perhaps it was worth a shot…
"If I say yes, will I regret it?" she asked slowly. She sensed a grin slip onto his face, though she couldn't see it.
"That, I do not know, but I won't be engaging in any criminal, illegal, or otherwise unlawful activities. Is that what you were alluding to?" Red X questioned cockily.
"I suppose so. Did you memorize the dictionary while you were gone? You're being quite annoying."
"No, I didn't memorize the dictionary, and haven't I already mentioned that I wasn't going to do anything dishonest? I thought I'd said it three or four times." Just what she needed, another cocky, egotistic, pompous, self-inflated, masked boy acting like he knew more than her. It was becoming something of a trend, it seemed.
"When you consider the fact that you are a known thief, and an ass to boot, is it really all that surprising that I don't completely trust you?" And she wasn't even being mean yet.
"Ouch, Raven, that hurt. I think I need a hug." Idiotic egomaniac, Raven thought. Why don't you go hug a tree? Or better yet, go hug a porcupine, or get run over by a car. Scratch that, get hit by a bull-dozer, and save me the trouble of throwing you off the roof. "Hey, Raven, it stopped raining."
"It didn't stop raining, you idiot, it's just drizzling." Sometimes, stupidity just isn't tolerable.
"You would argue with Satan himself, wouldn't you?"
"Actually, I've already argued with him. Guess who lost?"
"You're too imperious. You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar, you know," Red X informed her with mock sadness.
"So now I'm a fly, as opposed to a pathetic excuse of a superhero? Aren't you flattering," Raven bit at him.
"I think I'm going to stop using examples now."
"Just like it stopped raining?"
"Smart ass."
"Dumb ass."
It could have gone on much longer, and it probably would have, if it weren't for outside influence. The sound of footsteps from inside the Tower drew the gazes of both demoness and chemically-powered thief to the door.
"That's my exit cue. See you soon, sexy," Red X said as he backed up and then jumped off the edge of the roof, disappearing into the darkness below. As if it had been set up, Robin stepped out of the Tower just after his counterpart faded from view.
"Rae, were you talking to someone?" her handsome masked leader asked. Raven barely contained a sigh at the use of her nickname; it was something she allowed only from Cyborg and Robin, the latter only barely tolerated. But lately, it was becoming less and less annoying.
"No one you'd want to talk to," she monotoned. This resulted in a raised eyebrow from Robin, but he knew better than to ask again. It was generally decided that if Raven didn't share the first time then either she didn't want you to know or you wouldn't want to know, 'generally' being the case because a certain green changeling just couldn't get that through his head.
"Alright… Are you going to go back to bed?" he asked her slowly, as if he was still half hoping for her to give him some clue as to who had been up there.
"I haven't been once, so I can't really go back. But yes, I am going to bed."
When she didn't make a move towards the door, he queried, "Are you going now?"
"I'll go down when you do." It was a very un-Raven-like statement, one that he would think over when he wasn't half asleep and out in the cold rain. She was usually quite independent.
And so, after Robin held the door open for her and let it close behind them, they began walking down the stairs together, in a semi-companionable silence. It had not escaped him that she had seemed reluctant to leave the rooftop, not had he missed the last, over-the-shoulder glance she had thrown back, one that, he felt sure, she thought he hadn't seen. Those, too, went into the file of his brain that he looked into when he had time and wasn't sleep deprived.
His room was first to appear out of the darkness of the hallways. With a soft goodnight- for fear of waking the slumbering members of the team of heroes- and a muffled swish of Raven's still dripping cloak, the two birds parted ways, the length of inky black hall growing longer by the moment as he watched her walk away without a second glance.
When Raven finally reached her own room, she didn't even bother punching in the code to her door, opting for the more easy route of stepping through the sheet of metal in a portal of swirling ebony energy. Lying on her floor, just in front of the window, was a hand written note, smeared slightly from water droplets. Though she didn't recognize the handwriting, she knew who it was from the instant she began reading the words.
Raven-
Sorry I had to leave you so quickly up there, babe, but if bird boy found out I was sneaking around town, it wouldn't be worth it to stay. You don't mind keeping it a secret do you, dollface? I didn't think so, seeing as how you would be tried as an accomplice if I was thrown in jail. Just make sure none of your little friends finds me, and you won't regret you decision up on the roof. Like I said (multiple times, I might add), I won't be doing anything illegal for a while. Anyway, I have to run. Until next time, sexy.
-X
Her first thought after reading it through was 'The asshole was in my room!' The second thought was 'No one calls me anything other than my name and gets away with it. That self-absorbed pinhead is going to regret that.' Basically, it went downhill from there. She continued to mentally abuse him as she prepared for bed and after she climbed into bed as well. Many of her thoughts were that of revenge on the masked men in her life, for being so nosy and imposing. A lot of her plans involved trip to hell, but most of those were reserved for X. Robin just got hot water and dead fish, though not necessarily in the same plots.
And with those heart-warming, peaceful thoughts, Raven glided off to a comfortable sleep in which there were no masked boys parading through the streets, but a familiar looking boy with mesmerizing blue eyes and a brown eyed boy who kept appearing by her side at the most inopportune times. If she had known the almost prophetic quality of this dream, she would have taken a well deserved vacation for the next couple of weeks. But not everyone can predict the future, and so Raven continued on into the next day, unaware of the events she had set in motion.
Moocow
Ok, so I started it cheesy, and I ended it cheesy. Big deal, at least it's a multi-chapter story. Are you happy now? You get another story for me to work on. I hope you liked it. I have several scenes mapped out in my head, but it's hard to get them organized and put in the right words and the right places. Anyway, review if you liked it; review if you hated it; review if… if… if… I don't know, just review for heaven's sake.
Oh, I've got an idea. Let's play a game. I type in a quote, and if anyone can guess where I got it, then you get a surprise. Okay, here it is:
"But lest you are my enemy,
I must enquire."
"O no my dear, let all that be;
What matter, so there is but fire
In you, in me?"
Okay, I think that's it. If you figure out my challenge, then put the answer in a review. I know it's shorter than usual, but I can't put anything else in this chapter without continuing on for a few hundred more pages. And I can't really think of anything else to say, so I'm just going to go now. Till next time, peoples! Review, please!
Ciao
Raven-Angel-of-Darkness