Author's Notes: Yes, I am aware of the physical state Slade was in during this confrontation, but for the sake of the story, I tweaked at things a bit, allowing him a more substantial form.
Warnings: I don't own any of the Teen Titans or Slade, who are copyrighted to Marvel and are the respective intellectual property of their creators. I only wrote the story. While nothing too graphic happens, I suppose you have been forewarned. Happy reading.
_
"It's just you and me now, kid."
She had never felt panic rise so quickly within her, the fact that the feeling was foreign made it all the worse. It violated her body as the adrenaline spiked through her veins and it cut through worse than any other fear she had known prior, infecting every muscle like an unseen plague. Raven practically threw her body through the air, scrambling to push herself off the ground with enough momentum to escape, not to even fly, but to merely run. She was desperate.
It was then she felt his hand grasp her shoulder, holding it with more force than anyone could ever deem necessary considering her small frame. His fingers bruised her, and she imagined would have still done so without the aid of his metallic armor. Still, with her body continuing to fall and his grip slipping, he could only hook his fingers around her cloak before tearing it from her body. Despite her form-fitting leotard, Raven was mortified by the way her body was so exposed without its usual shroud. The smooth curves of her legs were greeted by the gusts of cold air, as were her arms, no less private than any other body part to her. Even so, she did not forget him.
"What you have concealed you shall become. You have no other choice," he told her, calm, but no less demanding.
She whipped her head back to glare at her attacker, no longer aware if her face betrayed her fear. In reality she looked like a wounded animal, pride forgotten, facades shattered by the absolute need to survive, but still dangerous, perhaps even more so because of the dread and pain.
"NO!" Blindly, she rushed him, her moves were clumsy, nothing more than a brash lashing out with her arm making a large arc about her. His large hand caught her delicate wrist with ease and he would have done so without the powers imbued by Trigon. Her arm shook violently with the force she exerted to yank it back, but it was to no avail. She gritted her teeth. Without her usual cowl, Slade had never seen her face so clearly—or so distorted with unabashed rage, let alone towards him. Her skin glistened slightly in the pale light, the scantest sheen of sweat gracing her grayish skin. Raven swore she saw mirth gleam in his one good eye and could feel the way his lip would be curling in a sardonic smirk beneath the grate of his mask. He was enjoying this, the smug bastard. He was reveling in the potential destruction of it all.
She was only partially correct. The promise of the ruination of humanity, the Teen Titans, and society as a whole bore some appeal to Slade, there was no doubt about that. No, what pleased him most now was the way she struggled, the unbridled anger and desperation that drenched her body. He could practically smell and taste it. The total loss of control in her was something that both fascinated and repulsed him. With Robin, it had been an interesting notion, an experiment he admittedly had become invested in. Perverting the boy's blind idealisms and strong sense of justice and molding him into his own image would have been quite the feat. He had come close, but alas, it didn't seem that time was on his side. Raven was an entirely different story. He never gave her much thought, but compared to the other members, she and Robin were the only two he felt remotely threatened by, the only Teen Titans that held some semblance of maturity. Whereas Robin was so much like himself and, in a way, predictable, Raven was entirely new territory. Robin's blind rages and obsessions with his capture were aimless, all-consuming, a bad habit that he would never acknowledge or give up, ultimately giving in without question. Raven knew the repercussions of giving in to her emotions and that tight rein she held over them intrigued Slade. Breaking her, even slightly now, disgusted him. The cold, unfeeling girl reduced to what he held in his hands was some hideous changeling. She would have to redeem herself.
"The message will be delivered." She tried to strike with her free hand, willing her energy into her open palm. Her wrist ached with the reverberation against his metal palm as he easily caught it as he had the other, neutralizing her attack. He leaned in closer to her face.
"Your destiny will now be fulfilled."
Pain surged through her body, burned her to the bone, as her costume withered and crumbled around her skin that now bore the ancient symbols of her father. It paralyzed her, and time bent and contorted around the pair, Raven grimacing, too tense and too engrossed in the agony to even scream. Had she been able to open her eyes, she would have known Slade was not tearing his gaze from the spectacle. The most composed Teen Titan, the most mysterious, the ever-silent Raven, like this- completely unimaginable in his mind. When she could take no more, he released her and she crumpled to her knees, cradling herself as long violet tresses ran down her bare back, cascading over her skin.
A wasteland spanned before them, monstrous four-eyed ravens screeching their own harsh melodies at the lifeless stone figures Raven knew as her team… her friends.
"No…!" her voice overwhelmed with sorrow unrestrained.
"Yes…" Intoned Slade, barely audible behind her. He sounded satisfied. "Look at it. Drink it in. Behold the world you are destined to create," he commanded her.
"No, I won't do it! This is just a vision, it can't be real!" she held her head in her hands, unwilling to accept the ruin beneath her.
His hand held her fast, nearly covering her entire upper arm, though by now, Raven was too shocked to actually pull herself away.
"This is real. This is the future. Your future. It began the day you were born and nothing can stop it." He bent his head down closer to her, his body barely pressing against her back, and whispered like a lover into her ear. "This will come to pass. I will make sure of it."
"You're going to destroy the world, Raven. It's written all over your face."
"NO!" Her energy exploded, grew, swallowed the burning ground and the rivers of fires and it all disappeared before them and all below were freed from their still prisons. Her body, mind, and soul were exhausted, he could feel that easily. Her hot skin, yet glowing red with some demonic scrawl, warmed his hands even through the metal plating. Her weight was no longer supported by her legs and her head slumped down, and his hands were the only thing keeping her upright. He paused for a moment, his fingers brushing the delicate pale skin of her antecubital space, watching her hair billow and get whipped about by the wind. He couldn't quite decide if the length suited her. But it was no matter.
He was about to release her, but with the few second's pause came a sharp inhale of breath, followed by several shaky others, each making the girl's body shiver as if she had just surfaced from a long dive. She was still stronger than she looked and no matter his standing with the Teen Titans and his disappointment with his former apprentice, he was impressed. The haze of disillusionment from her seemingly effortless loss of control was dissipating.
"I know what you did," came her voice in nary less than a hiss. Her voice was liquid venom, and her fangs were bared and ready for another strike. His eye narrowed, but he made no move to let her go. The shudder that ran through Raven's body made her lack of energy evident and rendered her, for the moment, no threat to him. When Slade didn't respond, Raven carried on.
"Of all the scum we deal with, of all the twisted minds that cross our path, I didn't peg you for the sort. Your schemes never involved such vile things," her voice was soft, no doubt from her lack of strength, but it was no less filled with rage. He chuckled, a deep resonating sound, mocking her preaching at him. The sound was worse than his yells and his harsh commands.
"You and Terra? That's sick, Slade. Even for you—ah!" her voice broke as he squeezed her arms vehemently and pulled them back, forcing her back to arch in a manner she was not prepared for, her vertebrae popping into place with a painful muffled cracking.
"What are you talking about?" he asked, his voice no longer carried that tinge of smugness and haughty edge he had so recently.
"My abilities and empathy. I could feel it on Terra. Feel your taint on her mind and body," she said through gritted teeth, determined not to scream out again.
"I don't think you're one to lecture me on tainting, Raven," he warned her maneuvering her wrists into one of his massive hands easily, freeing his dominant hand to reach for a fistful of her violet locks. She didn't scream when he yanked her head backwards to stare into her eyes. There was no fear, or pain, only defiance, rage, the promise of retribution at her hands.
"I'm half demon, Slade, but I'll never be a monster, not like you." He practically crushed her wrists in his massive hand and pulled harder on her hair, ever forcing her spine into a more unnatural bend. The contemplated the pose, the familiarity of it and he allowed himself a few wicked thoughts. It would be easier to spar with her if he caught her off guard. It wasn't much of a challenge physically. With only his arms supporting her, manipulating her form was only the means to his end. Without warning, he jerked her arms back, bringing her bottom flush against the evident bulge of his genitals, pressing himself against her. She let out a startled cry, but didn't show as much reaction as he had anticipated.
"We all have our desires, Raven, it doesn't make us monsters…" the form-fitting fabric of Raven's leotard left little to Slade's imagination and her feverish state from the fight and the use of her powers left her flesh heated. It permeated the costume, even through Slade's own leather-like garments, and made it feel all the more intimate. Raven knew struggling would not be advisable, but even so, she tried to pull her body away from him.
"No," he commanded her, as one would a pet, before abandoning his hold on her hair for a more secure grasp. He clutched her hip pressing her more forcefully against his rapidly growing erection. Even Slade himself couldn't quite tell what exactly had caused this unexpected turn, but he was enjoying it. Raven's breaths were coming in ragged. She felt ashamed, weak, and desecrated beyond belief. Never before had she been touched in this way. Even if she had, she knew this was more Slade asserting his dominance, not purely about lust. It didn't make the situation any better.
"And what of you, Raven? There must be more to this little story than you're telling me. Terra betrayed you all, but you were the last to accept her. Was it worse because you knew and still gave your trust?"
Raven closed her eyes, unwilling to give in to her urge to let her eyes water and allow herself to sob. She was angry and scared and the only time she felt this way in her memory was when she learned of her father and she had vowed to never let anyone let her feel this way ever again.
The silence annoyed the masked man and amused him. Still trying to play the strong, silent type… He began to move his hips against her, making sure to keep her own in place, pressing exactly in the slight dip where he knew her most intimate area was and coincidentally, where he felt her grow hotter. Normally Slade was entire unconcerned about sex, and even when he did yearn for it, it was never more than relieving a small nagging urge. This was beyond anything, more than simple lust. It was a power struggle, a battle, entirely entwined with carnal desires. It did not temper the violence of it, it strengthened the bond. He languidly started to grind himself against her, letting a low groan escape his lips.
"Or was it because she hurt him?" Slade suggested. "Your little green nuisance of a friend…" At the mention of him, Raven struggled with knew-found determination and Slade laughed, low and husky, his voice still heavy with lust.
"Poor little Raven. No one likes being second choice. But perhaps—" he pressed his erection against her harder, "I can make it up to you."
A flash of darkness and a crippling pain at the side of his head tore through him and Slade was knocked back with enough force to cause him to skid against the top of the water tower.
"You will never control me. Not you or Trigon, and I will never let myself be dominated like Terra." Her eyes glowed and her hands were engulfed in dark flames.
She was magnificent.
But it was time to stop playing and his message was done. Without the powers now, he wouldn't have been able to appear behind her just long enough to grab her again.
His body surged with the new power once more, and this time she let out a yelp as he drained what little power she had left. She was nothing more than dead weight now, a ragdoll.
He marveled at her strength and her determination, as stupid as it was considering the immense might of her father and his own will to destroy. Still, he gave the girl credit. He still felt the unmistakable pulse of blood in his member, aching for release. Come Trigon's hell or Teen Titans, he would have to play a bit more with Raven in the future, of that he was certain.
"We'll be in touch," he said, relinquishing his hold on her, watching her limp body fall towards the ground without a lick of sympathy.
An afterthought. "Oh. And happy birthday," he added casually.