Remember that 'M' rating this story has? Yeah, it's in here. Just a head's up.

Dirty Laundry
Chapter Nine

)O(

Raven woke up to the smell of food (real, actual food) being cooked somewhere in the tower. Something sweet and buttery hit her nose and she smiled into her pillow, reaching out to try and wrap her arms around her lover. She ended up with a handful of blankets and a pillow shoved into her face. Sighing, she sat up, and pushed at her bedhead, feeling a strange sensation of panic start to sink in as she looked around the empty room. There were no signs that he had been there, except the faint, quickly fading scent of his cologne. Had he already left for JC Penitentiary? Did Robin go back on his offer and take him in anyway? She threw the covers off her legs and began looking for her clothes, trying to keep her mind busy enough to stop worrying for five minutes. Robin was mad at her for this secret she had kept from him for so long, but he wasn't so mad he would go back on his word. She just needed to calm down.

"Hey, Rae, are you up?" Beast Boy's shrill voice cut through her inner thoughts and she growled at the door.

"Of course I'm up." She tapped her fingertips on her thigh and kicked a stray boot with her toe, just trying to release some pent-up energy. "Is there any particular reason as to why you're annoying me first thing in the morning?"

"Whoa, grum-py! Calm down, I'm just telling you to get up because Red X made breakfast, and he's asking for you."

Raven's attention piqued at the particular image of Jason making breakfast for her teammates. The idea was both strange and impossible. After all, it wasn't like he was exactly known for his generosity and kindness when it came to the other Titans, especially Robin. Hell, he barely tolerated Raven talking about them half the time, and they were (technically) her family. She pushed the door open to stare into the shocked face of her teammate. "He what?"

"Woah." Beast Boy pushed his hands in front of himself, splaying his fingers out as if he was trying to hide behind them. He looked away and backed up against the other side of the hallway, putting more space between them. "Okay, first, clothes, Rae. Second, your bedhead is out of control. And, third, yes, Red X is making breakfast. Dude knows how to cook."

"I know."

"Oh." He blushed and rubbed the back of his head, laughing sheepishly. "Right. Of course you would. Aaaanyway..." Beast Boy started down the hallway again, taking careful precautions to not look at his teammate's lack of dress. "I was just asked to get you up. Don't shoot the messenger."

"I'll be down in a minute." Raven slammed the door and returned the the sanctuary of her room. She looked down at her panty and tank top clad self and shrugged; he had seen her in worse before. She showered quickly and threw on a clean uniform and cloak, trying to keep her mind wandering towards the inevitable thoughts of what was going to happen to Jason when all of this was over. There would be no more mornings like this, where she stood beside him and watched him cook. Where their day was ordered chaos. Raven cringed and struck the ideas from her head quickly. It was too much to think about when they were in the middle of a crisis involving a deranged, false Red X.

When she walked into the kitchen, she was surprised to see Jason smiling and talking somewhat amiably with Beast Boy, who was leaning against the opposite counter and drinking orange juice. They both turned and looked at Raven, Jason smiling as he handed her a cup of tea.

"Morning." He kissed her cheek, and then quickly went back to cooking waffles with some degree of skill and excitement. Jason had four separate bowls in front of him, each with their own batter. He gave her a sidelong glance. "I see you slept in later than usual."

"I…. yeah. I needed some extra rest after yesterday."

"Did your arm heal better?"

"Yes."

"Good."

She sipped at her tea, her eyes darting between her teammate and her boyfriend with some trepidation. What in the world was going on? Had she somehow stumbled into an alternate universe where Jason was a friend to her teammates? After a few more minutes of listening to their conversation, she finally broke. "What is going on?"

Jason looked at her with a smile. "I'm making breakfast."

"With Beast Boy?"

"Yeah."

"And you're not killing each other?"

Beast Boy shrugged. "Nah. We bonded over video games last night. It's cool."

Raven turned and looked at Jason, her mouth hanging open slightly. "You bonded. With Beast Boy? … who are you and what did you do with my boyfriend?"

"Awe come on, little bird." He kissed the top of her head and laughed. "Not all your teammates are out to get me. Just your resident Bird Brain. Anyway, I'm hoping maybe after we get the coding for the chip reset with Cyborg, we might be able to head out to the apartment and pick up some clothes. As much as I love being in the gray prison jumpsuit, I think I'm starting to miss my jeans and button downs." He paused and gave her another sideways glance, his lips turning up just slightly. "And I wouldn't mind having the company."

"Um, sure." Raven's face burned right red as her eyes flicked to where Beast Boy stood. Did Jason really have to bring this up in front of him? How embarrassing. "We can go later."

"Good." He handed her a plate of waffles. "Cinnamon and vanilla. Your favorite."

Raven stood there, continuing to blush and then stumbled away with a muttered 'thank you'. It felt strange to suddenly have an audience for their normal interactions. Back in his apartment, Raven was free to be herself and settled into a strange sort of comfortable routine. But now Beast Boy watched their once-private play, obviously surprised by the fact that Raven could actually interact normally with another person.

"Vegan for you, BB." Jason turned around and handed him a plate of breakfast. "Mustard and cayenne for Star, overcooked of course. And bacon for Cy and Princess Traffic Light."

"And you?" Raven raised an eyebrow.

"I'll just have you." He grinned.

Beast Boy cleared his throat to remind them that he was still there with them and sidled away from the conversation, before anymore awkward comments were made.

"I mean, I'll just share your food."

Raven rolled her eyes and took her plate to the table, hiding in the corner as far away from the rest of her teammates as possible. After she took to hiding in the shadows, her other teammates came in, following the glorious smell of real breakfast. There were some more awkward, but still cordial, conversation and appreciation for their first real breakfast in months. The rest of the morning was spent with Raven's eyes darting around at her teammates as they gathered around the table, each of them (except for Robin, of course) praising Jason's cooking skills and jokingly asking him to stay forever. Jason, at one point, smirked and leaned down to Raven's ear, whispering: "The easiest way to get someone to trust you is through their stomach."

Sneaky bastard.

)O(

"You've been quiet the whole ride here."

Raven jerked slightly and looked over at Jason, leaning against the wall in the elevator of his apartment building. He crossed his arms over his chest and stared at her, curiosity hiding behind the shadows of his eyes.

"Ever since this morning." He rubbed the back of his head and chuckled, reliving the strange memory of his interaction with her teammates. "I mean, I know that this morning wasn't exactly... normal for you, or me for that matter, but I didn't think it was all that painful. Hell, it could have been a whole lot worse."

"I know that."

Jason continued to stare at her, and when she didn't respond, he pressed further. "So... is there something else bothering you?"

"No." She rubbed her arm and shook her head, keeping her eyes glued to the digital floor indicator. "No, not really. I guess I just wasn't expecting you to integrate into the team so smoothly. I mean, you were practically cordial with Cyborg. Hell, you worked like partners when you were resetting the heart monitor in the tracer chip. And Beast Boy said you two bonded last night…?" She shook her head and pushed her hair out of her eyes. "I know that I seem surprised or skeptical, but you have to admit it's probably about the strangest thing that could have happened… ever. I mean, you've never even tolerated my teammates before. I'm sorry if it seems like I'm having a hard time accepting this."

He shrugged. "You don't have to apologize, Raven. You're right, I'm sure that it seems strange from your perspective. Hell, I would probably be just as dumbfounded as you if I were in your shoes. I mean, two weeks ago I would have punched Bird Boy in the nose the moment I saw him, but now I'm making him breakfast. I get it, it's weird. But, at the same time, I am just trying to make the best out of the situation that I found myself in."

"You mean the situation I put you in?" Raven sighed and stepped onto his floor as the doors dinged open. "I can't believe I was so stupid. I shouldn't have let my anger get the better of me."

"Little bird." His voice was soft and he came up behind her, threading his fingers through her own. "I don't blame you for what happened. You stuck your neck out for me and tried to keep me out of JC Pen. You were just trying to help, and I appreciate that you thought of me first. But, at the same time, you were also upset and impulsive, and you made a stupid and rash decision-"

Raven's eyes narrowed. "Thanks for reminding me."

"-but maybe that stupid, rash decision is not all bad. I don't know, maybe I'm kind of glad."

Raven stopped and turned around to stare at him, her mouth hanging open slightly in shock. "You can't be serious. Jason, I put you at risk. I nearly single-handedly ruined your reputation and outed you to Robin, the one person who knows you without knowing you, and I forced you into a contract with the Titans. What part of any of that makes you glad?"

"First of all, Rae, you didn't single-handedly ruin my reputation. Faux-X was doing that all on his lonesome, the apocalyptic destruction from yesterday case-and-point." He sighed and rolled his eyes as they approached his door. "And even if you didn't out me, the point was that I was captured by the Titans and I was going to have to flee the city once I broke out of JC Pen. I wouldn't exactly get to stay here knowing that Robin would really have blood out for me now. The truth is that if Little Boy Wonder didn't give me this opportunity, I would probably have to run away and start over somewhere else, where my reputation wasn't compromised."

Raven raised an eyebrow, as if she wasn't quite buying his story. "You can't be serious."

"I am." He tried to smile, but it looked more like a grimace under the weight of their conversation. "As much as it pains me to admit, this has given me the opportunity to get on the straight-and-narrow. Maybe now I can clean up my act, stop stealing for a living, and actually have a real job." He unlocked his door and opened it for her, ushering her inside. "I mean, I thought you would want someone who was all honest and good again, someone you can be proud of... although this means I'm going to have to brush up my resume."

"I am proud of you." She rolled her eyes. "And that's not funny."

"Sure it is." He turned around and locked the door. "It's hilarious."

"I don't care about what you do for a living, Jason." She gave an exasperated sigh. "Your current means of employment isn't exactly something I think you should be doing, certainly not with your intellect, but I don't judge you for it. And it doesn't have any affect on my feelings for you... it just makes our time together a bit more complicated."

He opened his mouth to try to respond, but seemed to catch his words before they could be uttered. Instead, Jason smiled at her and curled his fingers under her chin. "As much as I enjoy discussing this with you, little bird, this isn't a conversation I want to be having now." He lowered his lips so that they were almost touching her own. "We are alone and free from interruptions..." His free hand reached into her pocket and pulled out her communicator, putting it on silent and chucking it somewhere unknown in his living room. "So, right now, I plan on fucking you so hard you won't be able to walk straight for the next week."

Against her control, a blush spread across his cheeks and she took a step back. She should have been insulted, but something about the invisible promise held in his words made her body tremble with excitement. Heat curled down her spine and pooled low in her stomach until it started coursing through her veins. Raven's eyes met his own and she smiled. "So, what's taking you so long?"

"Your clothes." His hands slid under her tank-top, running along the smooth skin of her stomach before he twisted his fingers in the hem. "You just seem to be wearing so many. Didn't you know it's supposed to be ninety degrees today? I'm worried you're going to overheat if you don't take extra precautions... like removing these unnecessary layers."

He pulled her tank top up over her head, throwing it to the side. Raven could feel his excitement pooling off him in waves, as if this was the only thing he needed in order to feel whole again. His deftly lips found her secret spot behind her left ear and suckled, as his hands made quick work of removing her bra, exposing her to him.

Raven stifled a moan as he cupped her breasts, running his thumbs over her nipples. She tried to keep her body from responding, tried to have some kind of control over the situation, but she was melting under every touch he offered her. "You're eager."

"After last night's debacle? Of course I am." His lips moved down the column of her neck, nipping at her skin and running his tongue along the red marks he created with his teeth. Raven groaned, and her head fell back against her shoulders as fire raced through her veins and colors exploded behind her eyes. It didn't matter what he did to her, or what their situation was, he could make her melt with just a touch and a word. Her fingers tightened in the folds of his gray jumpsuit and she moaned softly as his mouth covered her own, teeth nipping at her swollen lower lip.

"Out of your feathers, little bird," he whispered against her lips, his hands unfastening her jeans. "I need to touch you."

He yanked her body free of its restrictions and let his fingertips dance over the now-exposed expanse of alabaster that was his to touch. Raven cried out as he slid a finger into her body, teasing her with a single, feather-like caress. She panted his name between breaths, feeling him smile against her lips as he milked reactions from her. He pushed deeper, nuzzling her neck as she moaned. Of course Raven almost lost control; Jason was the master at teasing her, she should have known at least that by now.

He kissed down her neck again, lavishing her skin with his tongue and biting her when he added a second finger to her core. Raven trembled against him, her hands gripping his shoulder like it was her only safety in a storm of sensations crashing around her. He smiled into her skin before he stepped back to pick her up and deposit her on the edge of the counter in his kitchen. His hands pushed her shoulders down to the dark granite and spread her body out like he was arranging a feast for himself. Raven whispered his name in question, but he didn't seem to notice.

Laughing low in his throat, he licked his lips and pulled a barstool between her legs, sitting down and eyeing her as if she were a banquet set out for him and him alone. Anticipation and excitement raced through Raven at lightspeed, staring into his face as he examined her. It almost seemed as if he were trying to pick out and choose the choice cuts of meat before he devoured them. He wanted nothing but the best for himself.

Jason's lips brushed over both of her inner knees, sending small electrical shocks wherever he touched. Raven whimpered and struggled a little, trying to relieve the ache before it became too much. He grinned at her again before dragging her body to the edge of the counter. His shoulders widened her legs a little more, and the cool air of his apartment brushed against her core, sending another wave of sensations speeding through her. She cried out again, her back arching as he added to the sensation by blowing gently on her moist core.

"I haven't had you this exposed in such a long time, little bird…" His voice was low, almost inaudible over Raven's ragged breathing. "I don't even know where to start… it's all so delicious."

Raven could feel her heart skip a few beats and she moaned slightly as he kissed up her inner thigh. She wanted to tell him to get on with it, that this torture he was putting her through was enough and she was losing her mind with every passing second. But the only thing that came from her lips was an unintelligible string of phrases and words. Jason grinned and kissed up the other thigh before pulling back. His hands stroked her hips, and thighs, cupped her breasts and backside, but only once touched her core. Raven bit her lip hard enough to draw blood, crying out for release. She was too tight, and he was only making it worse for her!

He raised himself up enough to look into her eyes, his smile coy upon his lips. "Tell me what you want, Raven."

She groaned, hating that he held this power over her. "Stop teasing me like this…"

"I can stop if that's what you want…" He slid a finger over her clit in a soft, almost nonexistent caress. Raven's over-sensitized body felt the touch as if he had pressed much harder, and she cried out, her back arching off the counter. He chuckled in response. "... but I don't think you really want me to stop. I think you want much, much more." He swirled his tongue over her nipples, giving Raven a taste of pleasure before pulling away. "So, how much more do you want?"

Flushing, Raven mumbled her response too low for him to hear.

"I didn't hear that, little bird. What did you say?" He smiled down at her, the tip of his finger sliding up and down her core, driving her halfway to madness.

"You did hear me."

"Did I…? I don't think my ears deceived me." He removed his hand from her core and licked some of her moisture from his fingertip.

"Please don't make me say it again…"

He waited patiently, his hands running all over her body, but avoiding giving any erogenous zones real attention. His fingers only stroked her nipples in a short touch, and barely brushed against her core. Raven whimpered as he cupped the sides of her breasts, and she found herself crying out before she could stop the words. "I want you to eat me! Devour me! I don't care, but please make this pain stop!"

"That's all you had to say." He sat back down and lowered his head to her core, running his tongue over her in one long stroke. Raven cried out, both relief and pressure racing through her as he circled her clit with his tongue. Her hands buried in his hair pulling him closer to her, and closer to release. He nipped at her clit and slid two fingers into her, stretching and filling her. She mumbled his name, purred and mewed, thrashed and writhed against him as the pressure became too great for her to handle. Just a few more seconds and she would-

Raven groaned and stared up at his smirking face.

Jason had pulled back, leaving her hanging on the precipice of her orgasm, the burn and ache so painful Raven thought she might set something on fire. She glared at him, moving her hands to try and finish herself, but he smacked her hands out of the way, clicking his tongue disapprovingly. "Come now, little bird. Half of the fun is the anticipation…"

"This isn't anticipation, this is torture."

"I can give you real torture if you want… but I didn't think you were into that kind of thing." Pause. "Although you've proven me wrong before." His voice held all kinds of secret promises, and Raven shivered under the weight of his stare. He stood up and disrobed with slow patience, watching his lover squirm against the cool granite of his countertop as he unfastened and stepped out of his jumpsuit, and folded it neatly on the edge of the counter. He removed his underwear and stood between her legs, leaning over her, but not quite entering her yet. His erection was hot against her, and Raven would have given anything to release the pain.

He ran his tongue along her sternum before looking into her eyes. "What's the magic word, Raven?"

"Please!" Tears were streaming from the corners of her eyes and running down her cheeks. "Please, Jason. I can't take this anymore!"

He laughed and entered her without remorse, filling her body with his own until Raven felt like she would break apart at the seams. Her screams increased in volume and her hands clawed at Jason's back, leaving long, red welts wherever she touched. Her heart seemed to match their rhythm, and she kept whispering his name against his neck. She felt his smile against her skin and he ran his tongue over her pulse, tasting the sweat and adrenaline on her as he claimed her body relentlessly and without mercy.

The pressure built to a sharp point, drowning Raven in sensations she didn't have names for. A minute passed, and then two, and Raven's body finally broke apart. Her powers ripped from her fingertips and his entire glass collection took the brunt of her energy, littering the floor with expensive shards of Waterford crystal. Jason allowed himself release, crying out her name as he collapsed over her, and catching his weight on his forearms. Every movement from him sent little aftershocks racing through her body, and she gasped as he removed himself from the sanctuary of her body.

"I think we should lie down."

Raven groaned and threw her arm over her eyes.

Jason just chuckled and captured her lips in a kiss, letting silence wash over them as they both tried to come down from the high they created. He wrapped his arms around her, and with what little energy he had left, dragged both of their bodies to his bedroom, depositing Raven unceremoniously on the bed and falling down next to her. He looked down at her, laughing as she meekly tried to put space between them.

"I knew I wore you out, little bird, but I didn't think that I did that good of a job."

"Ugh." Raven rolled over at look at him through half-lidded eyes. "You didn't have to tease like that."

"Of course I did. It's much more fun that way." He kissed her again, running his fingers through her sweat-soaked hair. "You get so damn sensitive when I tease… it's like just touching you is sure to illicit an orgasm."

She tried to think of a snappy comeback, but her mind was still hazy. "I feel like I need a nap after that…"

"Sorry, I shouldn't have ridden you so hard." Jason looked a bit remorseful for a moment, and he leaned over her body, running his fingertips over her yellowing bruises and still swollen shoulder. Raven could feel his eyes burn into her, inspecting her for any serious damage he might have caused, but she pushed him off her, rolling her eyes. She didn't need to be babied by him, and he didn't need to feel like he should take care of her. They had already had that conversation a hundred times.

"Come on, Jason. We need to get up. If we take too long, Robin's going to come after us." Raven sat up and ran her hands over the red welts she had created on his back, soothing their burn with her powers. "And I don't want him to find us half-dressed and-"

"Fucking each other senseless?" He rolled over on his back and grinned up at her. "That's my favorite part."

Raven rolled her eyes and stumbled to the living room. Whatever Jason had done to her was making her feel like she had no control over her limbs and simply walking had become a difficult task. Groaning in defeat, she plopped down on the living room floor and pulled on her clothes, craning her head to look into the bedroom, where Jason was still lounging around on his bed. She sighed and shook her head. "Are you going to get up? Or are you just going to lie there all day?"

"I'd prefer to lie here all day." He sat up and looked at her with a smirk, before walking out to greet her with a pair of sweatpants slung low around his hips. Raven couldn't help but stare at his body as the early afternoon sun streamed in and illuminated the planes and curves of his chest. It really should be against the law to be built like that.

"I didn't think we were done just yet…" He pulled her to her feet, and drew her closer to him, drowning her in the scent and warmth of his body. "I mean, we've got all this time alone with each other… and we didn't exactly finish last night..."

Raven rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to respond, but the front door to the apartment popped open a few inches with a creak. Jason and her stared at the door for a moment, both wondering if they had closed the door properly. And then a small canister rolled into their view, no bigger than a soup can, pouring noxious, gray smoke into the room.

)O(

HI FRIENDS! So I did this. It exists. We're moving the story along. Yaaay!
Anyway, thanks for reading, please let me know what you think.