Sorry! I know that I usually post up two chapters at a time, but things have been hectic at work that, between grading, lesson planning, tutoring, and chores, I've hardly had enough time for anything! This is the only chapter I'll be posting up for today, but I will try to post up the next one soon. Anyway, thanks for the reviews and Story Alerts/Favorites - you guys are awesome!
In reply to Meaningless Us3rname: Starfire's costume is mostly based on the original costume rather than the newer. Beast Boy's skin is green, not red - only his costume is changed from black/purple to red/white, so hopefully that won't bug you as much. Now, the title is more for the legend that I created for this story. Sorry, I'm still pretty new to this so I don't think I'm ready to even attempt a multi/harem story just yet. As for Blackfire - sorry, she will not be making an appearance. Though I know it's not cannon, my favorite pairing is RaeX so I think i'm just gonna focus on that, though I am trying something with this fic. Hopefully that clears things up for you!
Disclaimer: Same as before...
One more note! Brace yourselves - this chapter has some borderline mature content, which I hope you will enjoy. At least for what it is.
Enjoy!
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Raven growled as she was watched the fight from where she was currently stuck on the wall. Beast Boy was a few feet away from her, covered head to toe in red slime, cursing under his breath as he tried to morph into a series of different animals. Starfire was flying around, throwing her starbolts at her moving opponent, as Robin and Cyborg combined their attacks to try to corner the thief. Snarling at how Red-X was dodging every single one of her teammates' attacks, Raven allowed herself to be consumed by her soul self, forming her physical form right behind the thief.
"I believe you have something that doesn't belong to you," she said.
Turning around, Red-X scoffed playfully. "Hate to break it to you Sunshine, but it doesn't belong to you either." Blocking the kick he aimed at her head, Raven encased her fist in black energy and connected it with the skull mask, slamming the wearer against the water-filled glass behind him. Rubbing his jaw, Red-X chuckled. Before Raven could make a move, the thief instantly appeared in front of her with only an inch of space between them. "Not bad Raven."
A shiver ran down her spine at those simple words. Though synthesized, something about his voice being low was…promising. Snapping back to the current situation, Raven let out a choked gasp as Red-X held an x against her chest, electrocuting her. Once the shock was over, the masked man grabbed her arm and threw her over to his head, slamming her against the metal man. The impact had her hit her head hard against the floor, and she knew that she had a concussion. But when she looked back up, she was no longer in the aquarium. She was in a dark cave with what seemed like an underground lake. The only light was given by the full moon that was shinning through a narrow space in the ceiling of the cave. The moon was glowing red, bloodshot, over a small fountain made of rocks in the middle of the large, stilled lake. A small trickle of water ran down in a single line along the side. As the moon's light touched the water, it turned to a silver line that flowed down, disappearing into the lake beneath it. 'Is it possible?' thought Raven. 'Alcina's Fountain of Life?'
Before anyone could gather themselves, the thief was already gone from sight. Robin was fuming as he slammed his fist against the glass next to him, scaring the fish that had been swimming around near him. Starfire was torn in her wanting to comfort her boyfriend and wanting to comfort the newly traumatized fishes. Cyborg was helping Beast Boy out of the goo, both cursing under their breaths about more painful hours of training. Raven slowly stood up, her head throbbing, making her woozy as she made her way over to the wall. Closing her eyes, she transferred some of her powers up to her mind, steadying the spinning of the room. Once her mind was clear once again, Raven frowned at the vision she had had, determined to look deeper into the legend of Alcina. 'Perhaps it's more than just a legend,' contemplated a voice in her head.
.*~*~*.
"Can you believe that people are still looking for this thing?" asked Red-X to the empty rooftop. "Thanks to the Titanic movie, people actually think that this is still in the ocean somewhere."
"Michael Cameron did us a favor," replied a voice in his ear. "Thanks to him, the Hope Diamond is just another piece of a collection. If people knew it was the same as the one that traveled on the Titanic, it would be separated from the others, and under higher surveillance."
"I wouldn't mind the challenge," stated Red-X with a shrug, eyeing the royal blue diamond between his gloved fingers. "The Titans were slow today. They practically handed me over the diamond."
"Robin's training is over-exerting them," said another voice. "The more he pushes them to their limit, the less they'll push you to yours."
"Buzz kill," muttered Red-X, looking into the telescope that was set up once again to aim straight at the toe-shaped figure of the moon. Making sure that the telescope was pointing directly at what would be the center of the moon, the lone thief repeated his routine from the first time. He placed the diamond on the lens, took out the laser pen, clicking the side button to snap out the bird-claw that snatched itself to the diamond, and finally clicking the laser on, shining its thin ultraviolet light through the diamond. Not bothering to see the laser shoot through the telescope into the night's sky, Red-X took out the sheet of paper with six circles on it, placing it directly under the telescope. He clicked the pen once more so that the laser beam gave short bursts of light rather than the one continuous line. Taking out the small mirror in his pouch, he placed it directly in front of the beam at a 60 degrees angle, directing the beam back onto the paper.
The results for this time were completely different than the last. Instead of hitting the paper in three spots, only the top two circles were hit repeatedly. Nodding, Red-X put everything away as he compared the paper to his notes again. Finding the information he needed, the thief smiled beneath his mask as another piece of the puzzle fell into place: Three.
"He went ballistic," said Raven into her communicator as she stared out her window into the city's skyline. "X is crafty, but he never managed to get away this easily, so of course Robin was pissed."
"Wow," replied the voice on the other end. "Fifteen minutes. That must be a record."
"You would think so," muttered Raven. "You know you didn't have to call, right Jason? I'm used to this kind of stuff."
"I got worried," admitted Jason. Though she couldn't see it, she could assume that he shrugged as though him worrying was something she should have already expected. "It's not everyday that the girl I like goes off to fight monsters and thieves."
"Well you better get used to it," said Raven, smiling softly at his full-out admittance of liking her. "And it's not just me fighting off monsters and thieves. You better get used to me canceling dates to heal, or seeing bruises if I didn't have enough time to do so."
There was a slight pause after the words came out of Raven's mouth. She could have even sworn to have heard him take in a sharp breath at the mention of bruises. After a brief moment, he said in a quiet voice, with a little anger creeping into his tone, "You were hurt tonight."
"Slight concussion," stated Raven, passing it off as if it were nothing. "I managed to heal it soon after, so it's not a big deal."
"Has it ever been a big deal?"
Raven hesitated. "I don't think you'd want to hear about it."
"…Red-X?"
"Sometimes," admitted Raven, pushing herself away from the window. "Sometimes his weapons have a prolonged effect that last a while before my powers can kick in. For example, the x's he uses to electrocute me have a tendency of leaving a current that lasts a while. It would sometimes burn me from the inside out."
"That current could reach your heart," said Jason after a moment of realization. "It could make your heart to stop." There was a moment of silence on the line. "Raven – did you – your heart –?"
"Once."
It had been a long time since that night, and though Raven didn't really consider it a bid deal, she knew that the others saw it differently. That night, Red-X had decided to rob one the most intricate pieces from the Art Museum, which led to one of their usual back and forth. As it turned out, all of his weapons had been updated, with him claiming that he got better sources now other than Professor Chang. His words proved to be true when the Titans were taken down one by one in less time than usual. Though Cyborg and Raven were used to the electric traps, the ones that Red-X had that night were at the next level as the electric currents remained in their bodies for over an hour. Cyborg was able to manage it better by transferring it over to his charger, though he did go over and went crazy like the time he had a virus, but Raven was not so lucky. The electric currents stayed in her body, cutting off her power, and causing her heart to have harsh palpitations that soon came to a complete stop. It was half an hour before Raven's powers kicked in, bringing her heart back to life. Now, the electric shock was more bearable, as she disconnected herself from the adrenaline and lost consciousness, but her team was still a bit scarred from the memories of losing her once again.
"It's nothing to dwell on," said Raven. "I'm fine now, and nothing like that has happened since. Red-X still leaves a few cuts and bruises sometimes, but it's nothing I can't handle."
"Raven –"
"I have to go," stated Raven bluntly. "Robin will most likely have us doing drills as soon as the sun comes up. I'll talk to you later."
"Raven, wait. I'm –"
"Goodnight Jason."
Snapping her communicator shut, Raven let out a deep breath as she slumped down on her bed. 'I guess it's a sensitive topic for me too. Who would've thought that dying twice would be so traumatic?' Raven already felt guilt creep up at the back of her head as she thought of how she left off with Jason, and though she knew she would apologize soon, it was still surprising to her how she reacted. Thinking back on that day, it doesn't seem like a big deal, but tonight, there was a trigger that had been pulled. 'This was the first time anyone outside of the Titans has heard of this,' said a voice deep in her mind. 'It's not like you were talking about stubbing your toe on the table – you told him of a time you died. Not everyone can say that and live to tell the tale. Pun intended by the way.' Raven rolled her eyes at herself before pulling the covers over her frame.
"I'll call him tomorrow," sighed Raven, closing her eyes as the lull of sleep became too much of a temptation. "I'll just…I'll…I'll call him…"
There were thousands upon thousands of stars in the endless sky, reminding all of the Earth's inhabitants just how small their world really was. Raven gazed up, allowing herself to breathe easily, something she hasn't been able to do very much lately. The warm blanket around her shoulders was gently tugged away, leaving her arms bare against the fresh breeze that trickled through her skin. Leaning back, she grinned as she felt a pair of strong arms wrapping around her, replacing the blanket. She could practically feel Jason's smile as he placed small kisses at the crook of her neck, intertwining their fingers as he did so. Turning her head, Raven caught the next peck with her lips, earning an amused laugh from her companion. Jason placed his lips against her own, but this time allowing them to linger a bit longer as their lips meshed together slowly.
A soft sigh escaped Raven's lips as the kiss got deeper, as they pressed more and more into each other. Letting go of her hands, Jason lifted one to her cheek, turning her more to him as the kiss got more passionate, more demanding. The other wrapped its away around her hip, pulling her closer until she was practically sitting on his lap. Raven wrapped one arm around his neck, the other making its away around his torso, pushing herself closer to him as his arms enveloped around her waste, one of his hands playing with the hem of her spaghetti strap and the other drifted along her hip.
It wasn't long before Jason had her lying against the grass by the fire, his body lifted only enough to not crush her. Raven felt her head spin at the lack of oxygen, but she would be lying if she said she minded it. Jason's lips were pressing against her own, filled with passion and need. When she felt his tongue run again her lower lip, it took all she had to not let out a whimper of wanting as she allowed him entry. As their tongues danced against each other, their hands roamed over each other, pulling and tugging at each other's clothing as the need between each of their legs became increasingly painful.
Running her hands underneath Jason's shirt, Raven marveled at the smoothness of his skin, the muscles that flexed at every movement, and the goose bumps that rose as her fingers glided over him. As her hands made their way higher on his back, his shirt rose as well, until finally, she managed to remove it over his head. Taking a moment to look at him, to look at the perfect sculpt of his chest, his abs, everything, she felt a wave of heated desire make its way down to her lower body. It was no more than a moment when she felt his hands hastily pull her shirt over her own head, leaving her breasts free from their only restraint. The smile on his lips sent a shiver down her spine; as his eyes roamed over her exposed flesh, admiring every bit of perfection he saw, the hunger in his eyes was unquestionable.
With his hands on each side of her waist, Jason leaned down to kiss her again, holding himself back ever so slightly lest he lose himself. Raven felt her insides tingle as she felt his hands gently slide up, his fingers wandering between her sides and back, his thumb rubbing her breasts softly, almost teasingly. As his lips left hers, Raven made a sound of protest, but it sound turned to one of surprise pleasure as Jason's thumbs pressed on her hardened nipples. With his lips making his way down her jawline, her neck, her chest, Raven waited in anticipation as his hands continued to caress her breasts, arching her back slightly as his mouth hovered over one of her erected buds. Seeing her eagerness as she squirmed underneath him, Jason smiled before giving her a small kiss. Hearing her take in a sharp breath, he gave her another kiss, touching his tongue on the bud of her nipples, fighting his own temptation to bring it fully into his mouth.
Raven had to force herself not to snarl at her partner's teasing. She knew he did this on purpose, but she knew that the pleasure she would receive once he gave her what she wanted was immensely satisfying. However, that didn't stop her from digging her nails in his back. Opening her mouth in complaint, Raven let out a choked out moan as she felt Jason's hot mouth cover her nipple completely, twirling his tongue greedily as his hand played with her other breast, squeezing tightly. Hissing in surprise when she felt him bite on her nipple, Raven arched her back even more, pulling his head closer as she entangled her fingers in his hair. After repeating the same actions on her other breast, Jason lifted himself to plant another mind-blowing kiss on her lips, his hands running down the waistband of her jeans.
Something about the way he slowly pulled each pant leg off, making sure his fingers smoothed over her skin, peppering kisses on her inner thighs, made Raven's desire spike up all over again, enough that it was trickling from her womanhood, allowing him to see just how much she wanted him. As Jason repeated the same slow, agonizing process with her undies, Raven blushed furiously at being fully exposed. The way his eyes roamed over her body, the way he licked his lips at her wetness, the way that he seemed in love with the affect that only he had on her – Raven shivered at his gaze. She felt his fingers brush against her delicately, playing with the fluid at her entrance. Focusing on her breathing, Raven tried to keep her hips from twitching with craving as she watched him reposition himself. Jason now had his arms under her legs, grabbing on to her hips as he pulled her closer, his face but less than a few inches from her core. Raven tried to sustain the moan that was building in her throat as she felt his hot breath get closer and closer…
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
Snapping her eyes open, Raven let out a groan as her room lit up in red as the alarm kept sounding out loudly through the tower. 'You have got to be fucking kidding me!' growled an angry voice in her head. Pulling the blanket off her and grabbing her cape on the way out, Raven huffed as she willed her heartbeat to slow down from the memory of the vivid dream. 'I am going to kill whoever dared interrupt me again,' snarled the voice again. 'We were just getting to the good part.' Running into the Oops Room, Raven realized she was the last to arrive. Walking over to Cyborg, who muttered at being woken up at 3 in the morning, the sorceress pulled up her hood to hide her flushed state. That dream left her completely heated, her desire still warm between her legs. Biting the inside of her cheek, she willed herself to direct her focus on the screen.
"It's Doctor Light," announced Robin, his voice a low rumble, but still annoyed. "It looks like he's decided to make an appearance at the laser light show downtown – half of the audience is blinded."
In her mind's eye, Raven could swear that she saw Anger smile evilly. Not really in the mood to deny her emotion her small chance of retribution, Raven nodded at her leader. Though her team couldn't hear the voice in her head, they said in unison, "Leave him to me."
"Can we please take a break?" whined Raven as they walked out of the third clothing store. The two female titans had been at the mall for over two hours, and they had only been to three stores – Starfire was so adamant on looking at everything new and trying on different outfits. The redhead looked drop dead gorgeous in everything she had tried on, but never seemed to be able to decide on what to buy. Raven had made the suggestion to just buy the entire mall, but immediately regretted it when her alien friend actually called their leader to see if it was possible.
"Oh must we?" cried Starfire. "There is still so much to see! The retail establishment with photographed male ensembles placed near the entrance is having a price of one clothing item for the purchase of two!"
"And it will still be there after lunch," pointed out Raven, already pulling the pouting redhead to the food court. "Come on. It's not like it'll kill you to eat for a few minutes."
"You are right," conceded Starfire. "The consumption of necessary calories would only increase our energies for a longer shopping experience." Raven groaned as they got in line for one of the food stands.
Once they received their food, both girls went to sit at one of the empty tables. As Starfire made idle conversation, Raven entertained her with some commentary and responses, trying not to go in depth when it came to Jason and their current form of relationship. The empath still hadn't called him to apologize for the night before since her teammate had practically dragged her out of bed and straight to the mall. The dream from last night still burned in her mind, making her flush at the vividness of how everything looked, and sounded, and…felt. Dr. Light paid dearly for his interruption, and though Raven did feel a bit guilty, a darker part of her smirked at the knowledge of him not being able to get out of the fetal position for a while.
"Do you believe that you and Jason will be mating your souls to one another?" asked Starfire, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.
Nearly choking on her food, Raven had to take a moment to pull herself together before scowling at her teammate. "You can only mean two things Starfire, and from the looks of it, your mind is in a more…sinful place."
"Even so, you never answered my inquiry."
"Because it is too early to answer such an 'inquiry'."
Smirking, Starfire rested her chin on her folded hands and said, "But it would not be for the other meaning then?" Raven stuck out her tongue as she realized that her friend had backed her into a corner. Obviously becoming intimate with Jason is still too soon no matter what her thoughts and dreams were telling her, but becoming…intimate through mind and spirit? Too soon, but also too tempting to not consider. "There is a connection between you two, yes?"
"We are both private people," stated Raven with a nod. "There are things about me that I don't want him to know but it would be best if he did. And then there are things about him that he doesn't want me to know but…"
"But?"
Raven shrugged. "I'm an empath. It's hard to keep things from me." Hearing some distress in her friend's voice, Starfire frowned worriedly.
"What is he keeping from you?" asked the alien. When Raven did not answer, Starfire reached over to place her hand over her friend's. "Raven, is everything alright?"
Snapping back to reality at the contact, Raven smiled. "Yes, everything is fine. Sorry, I think I spaced out for a moment."
"Raven –"
"It's fine Starfire," said Raven. "Sorry, it's just my mind is still in circles from yesterday – it was pretty hectic. With the six hour training drill, a weird premonition I had when I was with Jason and Anthony, fighting Red-X, and then Dr. Light – I'll probably need extra time to meditate today when we get home." Starfire nodded at her explanation, but based on the vibes she was getting, Raven knew that she hadn't fully believed it.
"Very well," said Starfire, allowing the topic to drop. "In change of the conversation, is there any particular store you would like to visit during our remainder of our time here?" Before Raven could respond, a loud voice cut in, gaining the attention of the two Titans and those who were near by.
"Oh, well isn't this a surprise!"
Standing a few tables away was Vanessa, her blonde hair cascading down her back in loose curls, her hand waving excitedly at the two Titans, her eyes mischievous as they made contact with the sorceress. Next to her was a surprised Jason who had his eyes set on the sorceress, his jaw clenching at the discomfort of the current situation. Raven knew that she shouldn't think too much of it, considering she and Jason weren't exactly boyfriend and girlfriend, but then again, it's not exactly a good thing to see a guy you're currently dating to be with his most recent ex-girlfriend. Raven could sense the confusion coming from Starfire as the pair made their way over, but then realization seemed to hit as she saw the way the boy would not take his eyes away from her friend. Immediately, the confusion was replaced with resentment.
"Raven and Starfire from the Teen Titans," declared Vanessa rather loudly. She gave them a toothy smile, her expression smug as she had her hand looped around Jason's arm. "It's nice to see you again, Miss Raven."
Hearing the venom in the girl's voice, Starfire cleared her throat before forcing a smile. "I do not mean to be rude, but I am curious into why you have interrupted our lunch time with such familiarity when you have not properly introduced yourself." Raven held back her smile at her friend's statement. After so many years, it was easy enough for her to translate Starfire's statement to, 'I'm sorry, and you are?'
"Starfire," said Raven, "this is Vanessa, and this is Jason." As she gestured to both of them, Starfire raised her eyebrows at Jason, clearly finding him attractive, but unsure of what to think at the way the blonde girl was physically claiming him. "Vanessa, Jason, this is my teammate Starfire."
"It is nice to meet you," said Starfire in a voice that was dangerously sweet. She focused her gaze at Jason, whose jaw clenched at the sound of her tone. "Raven has spoken highly of you Jason. Of your friend, however, I have not heard once of before."
Vanessa shrugged. "I'm sure she just didn't get around to it."
"I am sure she would have if she thought you worth a second thought." That statement verbally slapped the smug smile from Vanessa's face. Jason had to bite his tongue to keep himself from laughing, and Raven simply took a sip of her soft drink. The blonde just stood there gaping at the redhead as though she were looking at an alien – which was spot on, but still a hilarious sight nonetheless. Seeing as how the girl was too much in shock to say anything, Starfire simply grinned before turning her attention to the awkward male. "So Jason. It is nice to finally meet you in person. Raven speaks well of you and your outings – or at least that which she was willing to share with me. May I enquire as to your purpose here at the mall of shopping?"
Jason cleared his throat before answering, freeing his arm as he did so. "I was here to buy some material for a get-together my friends and I are having on Saturday. I bumped into Vanessa here a few minutes ago, and she just…insisted on keeping me company."
"He looked so lonely walking around by himself," stated Vanessa, recovering from before, pressing a hand to his chest. "When we dated, I would always go with him everywhere to help him choose things for Anthony and his friends. Now that he's…single, he's more lost than ever. Wouldn't you agree Raven?"
"I wouldn't be able to say," said Raven indifferently. "I didn't know him when you dated, so there is not much I can compare to. At this point, I would have to take your word for it. Unless Jason would have something else to say..?"
Jason scrunched his nose at her, knowing that she was baiting him, but seeing the challenge in Raven's eyes, he couldn't help but accept it. "You know in movies when a dog owner goes to get rid of his dog at some forest or something, so he throws a ball or a bone as far as he can so the dog would go fetch it, but before the dog could come back, the owner runs away, but then the dog ends up showing up at the owner's house later on and the owner doesn't know what to do?" Raven laughed at the metaphor, knowing fully well where he was getting at with his current relationship with Vanessa. Speaking of which, Vanessa frowned at them, not really understanding what was so funny but feeling as though it was for something not so nice. Starfire was also confused, but as she saw her friend laugh, she figured it was a good thing that the two were talking about.
"I take it you will have a long day at the mall ahead of you," stated Raven, smirking at him. Jason stuck out his tongue at her before his expression turned to one of wistfulness.
Turning to look at Starfire, he asked, "Would it be alright if I borrowed Raven for a moment?"
Narrowing her eyes before smiling, Starfire nodded before turning her attention to the clearly offended blonde. "But of course. I am sure your friend and I will have much to discuss in your absence."
Feeling a sense of mischievous waving off from Starfire's form, Raven eyed her warningly before following Jason to a bench a few feet away. Based on the distance, the empath could tell that he wanted Vanessa to see them interact, but not actually hear their conversation. Even though, he probably didn't know this information, but Starfire, being from a different planet and having much different characteristics than most, was exceptional at hearing. If she wanted to, she would be able to hear and repeat their entire conversation from memory, but seeing as how she was actually making some kind of conversation with their surprise guest, Starfire wasn't as interested in hearing their conversation as she was in making the poor girl squirm under her gaze.
Shaking her head Raven sat down next to Jason and said, "She is probably going to be shaken up for a while if we leave her with Starfire for too long."
"Enough for her to want to go home?" asked Jason hopefully. He smiled as Raven laughed, but then his gaze turned serious. "Look, about yesterday – the whole Red-X thing…"
"I know," said Raven looking him in the eyes. "I know. It's okay. If anything I might have overreacted in a way by hanging up on you. I was going to call you earlier today to apologize, but then Starfire kind of threatened me into coming with her to the mall today."
"It's okay," said Jason. "I would've reacted the same way if I was on the other side of the conversation too I guess."
"So we're okay?"
Jason laughed. "Yeah, we're okay."
"Good," stated Raven with a nod. Glancing back at Starfire and Vanessa, she saw the latter fuming, talking rapidly about something, while the former placed her joined hands under her chin, a satisfied smile gracing her lips ever so slightly. "So, what's with Malibu Barbie? She seems to be all over you today."
Smirking cockily, Jason said in a knowing voice, "You're jealous."
Raven scoffed at the idea of being jealous of such a person. "Jealous, no. Irritated that she interrupted our lunch, yes."
"You're jealous," repeated Jason, but this time he had a hint of surprise in his voice. "Or at least you were when you first saw us walk up."
"I was confused," admitted Raven, "especially considering your past together. But I wasn't jealous."
"You didn't like the idea of seeing us together though."
"I don't think any girl likes the idea of the guy she is currently dating hanging out with his ex-girlfriend," said Raven, raising an eyebrow at him. Jason raised his hands as though surrendering.
"Alright, alright," he said, "I know it looked bad, but she did just show up out of nowhere and decided to tag along. I knew I wouldn't be able to get rid of her so easily, so I just let her. I figured it would be less work to put up with her than to try to get rid of her."
"Final thoughts?"
"I should have chanced getting rid of her."
As they both looked back over at the table, they saw Starfire speaking about something or another. Whatever she was saying, it was obviously making the blonde very uncomfortable as the skin around her neck was flushed red. Based on their body language, Raven knew that one of them was going to get up soon and run away crying. She only hoped that Starfire wouldn't leave her too traumatized. As Raven's thoughts went on about the different kinds of conversations that the girls were having, Jason placed his hand over hers, intertwining their fingers as he lifted her hand slightly to give it a small peck that sent a tingling down her body, pulling the empath back to reality.
"I'm really glad to see you," said Jason, his voice soft and…alluring. "I didn't want to have to wait another week to be this close to you."
Images of the dream from the night before rushed back into her mind, making Raven blush. She turned away so that he wouldn't see her strange reaction to his words and said, "I'm glad to see you too." When she felt her face feel less heated, she turned to look at him, only to find him already gazing at her as though she would disappear before he could memorize every small bit of her. They stayed there for what seemed a really long time, just staring at each other, asking questions that were never voiced or answered, sharing secrets that the other wouldn't be able to hear. In that moment, so much wanted to be said, but nothing made it out beyond their own minds.
"So what are your plans for this weekend?" asked Jason after a long moment of silence.
"Other than the usual crime fighting? Not much," replied Raven with a shrug. "We're back on training for six hours a day though, and then there's patrolling the city –"
"Perhaps you wouldn't mind taking a Saturday afternoon off to join me for a family gathering?" Raven gawked at him as though he had grown another head.
"Did you just ask me to meet your family after only two weeks?"
"Surrogate family," clarified Jason with a nod. "Yes."
Raven turned away from him, her head reeling, and began to stutter, "But…but that's – I'm not – I don't –"
"Relax," chuckled Jason, wrapping his arm over her shoulders. "It's not like I'm asking you down the aisle…yet." Raven rolled her eyes, but leaned into him anyway. "I'm simply asking if you would like to meet my friends at a huge potluck at the park. They're bringing some family members – people who have cared for me over the years – and I would like to introduce you."
Raven bit her lip. "Is Anthony going to be there?"
"Unfortunately no," said Jason with an unhappy sigh. "The hospital won't let him out yet; germs and whatnot. I'm going to video chat him though so then he could say hi to everyone."
"I see," mumbled Raven. "I don't know Jason. We've only known each other two weeks. And to meet people you consider family? It seems very…"
"I really like you Raven," declared Jason. "You are hardworking for sure, but I've seen the way you are with Anthony, the way you ask about him, and how you're trying to open up to me, which shows that you like me too." He smiled as he saw a tint of red appear on Raven's cheek and kissed her on her temple. "I would like to introduce you to the rest of the people who are important to me Raven. And I would like to think that one day you would be one of them."
Not being able to stop the smile forming on her lips, Raven leaned up and gave him a peck near his jawline before standing up. Turning to face him, she nodded and said, "I'll see you Saturday."
Beaming, Jason got into step with her as they headed back to the table. "JC Park, 2 o'clock."
"For your information, I am very desirable, and I don't need to open my legs to keep a guy interested!"
The couple stopped short as Vanessa, red-faced, stood from the chair she had been sitting and glared angrily at an equivalently amused Starfire. The redhead simply shrugged and said, "I am sure there are those of the male gender who find your characteristics…endearing. Perhaps so much so that it would be a crime to continue in any kind of relationship with you."
"Are you saying it should be illegal for anyone to date me?" screeched Vanessa, "That it would be a crime? Are you – are you calling me a prostitute?"
"Oh, you misunderstand," assured Starfire. "If I were to say that you are indeed in the occupation of succumbing your body in exchange for currency, then at least your actions of desperation would have some reason behind them. If you do not enquire payment, which I can only assume to be the case, then it seems as though your need for intimate companionship is only a method to ignore the fact that no person is willing to offer you a permanent establishment of a recommendable relationship due to your promiscuous nature."
As Vanessa stared at the alien in confusion, Jason leaned over to Raven and whispered in disbelief, "Did she just call Vanessa a slut?"
"Better," said Raven, her eyes bright in amusement. "She called her a slut that no one wants." Jason snorted as he walked over to Vanessa and started to pull her away from the table.
"It's nice to see you two got along," said Jason, offering a sneaky smile to Starfire. "I'll take her out of your hands now Miss Starfire, and thank you for keeping her…accompanied for a while."
"Oh thank you!" said Starfire as she also stood up. "I most enjoyed our conversation. Perhaps it would do well for us to speak again Veronica."
"It's Vanessa," grumbled the blonde, allowing Jason to slowly drag her away from the young heroes.
"It is unimportant," said Starfire, only loud enough for Raven to hear. Speaking of which, the empath raised a brow at her teammate, her lips curved up into an impressed smirk.
"And what was that about?" she asked.
"I was simply making observations," replied Starfire with a shrug as they made their way out of the food court. "I am surprised that, for someone who is willing to – I believe the word is flaunt? – herself to any person of the opposite gender, she is highly sensitive when it comes to the reasons behind such behavior."
"What makes you think she throws herself at any guy?" asked Raven, genuinely curious as to how Starfire could be so sure.
Starfire thought for a moment before answering. "She was deliberately walking in a manner that creates the illusion of a more robust buttocks, swaying more than needed to make them more noticeable. Her brassiere was at least two-cup sizes too small in attempt to make her breast seem larger, to the point that they might break out of her clothing. At any mention of intimacy, her breath would hitch and she would look at the first male that caught her eye, and her face would become flushed as though she were imaging scenarios between them, based on the low sighs and moans she would release."
"She was having sex fantasies while talking to you?" said Raven, disbelief clear in her voice.
"We Tameranians are very observant and frank when it comes to sexual desires," stated Starfire. "That is how I know very well how to ensure Robin's pleasure and satisfaction."
"And now we have passed the point of too much information," grumbled Raven as unwanted images of Starfire and their team leader made their way into her mind.
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I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I'll try to post up the next one as soon as I get some free time.
Next time on Twelve Lovers of Alcina:
Raven has an interesting encounter:
"Jason seems to genuinely like you...he actually wants to open up to you."
"Wants to...He hasn't already?"
"You're an empath aren't you? You should know."
"What he's feeling for you now will only grow...don't hurt him, because if you do, I assure you, you will be hurting just as much."
And it looks like someone is trying to get into Red-X's territory:
"I was going to save this one for tomorrow, but seeing as how Mumbo tried to stick his hand in a cookie jar that just wasn't his, well I had to push my plans forward a bit."
Until Next Time!
