Famous for Being Famous
Genuine
Flash of red …
Splash of blood …
Fear …
Then a blood-curtailing scream … and with a gasp she shot up and out of her deep slumber.
The screaming still echoing within the darkness of her mind, slowly fading to memory, with her heart still pounding, her pulse still racing, Raven jerked the sheets off her bare body. In nothing but her underwear she welcomed the cool air's relentless kisses upon her heated flesh, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed; she hunched over and buried her face within the palms of her hands. The second night … the second time she's had that same nightmare … she sighed heavily, and tiredly.
Raven sucked in a deep breath, sat up, and looked at her door with a frown … gritting her teeth, she jumped out of bed, and went over to her drawer. Dressing herself in an oversized black t-shirt that had its collar cut off so it hung over and exposed her left-shoulder, Raven smoothed back her hair into a pony-tail, and proceeded out her room. Tru's room was on the same floor as hers, so it shouldn't be a problem getting there without waking anyone up, or worrying about anyone seeing her state of dress.
The cold polished wooden flooring sent new shivers down her spine with every step she made towards the little girl's room. It never bothered Raven, she was adamant about getting to the bottom of Tru's nightmares. They were just too intense, too wracked with pain, suffering, and … death … for a little girl to be dreaming about. In all honesty, it worried Raven … after the first night she wondered if X knew about his sister's nightmares.
Though, she never got the chance to ask because all yesterday, he was conveniently 'busy' locked in his study.
So she took it upon herself to ask Tru about it – no point in beating around the bush – and for a little girl she really knew how to play the evasive game. Before Raven knew it, she had talked circles around her, and they were discussing something as irrelevant as her escapades with the Teen Titans. Raven had to give the girl props for that.
She knew how to work the corners.
Although, Raven should have suspected as much, after all, Tru couldn't have been X's sister and not pick up a thing or two about evasion.
Raven found herself mentally rolling her eyes at the thought as she reached Tru's room. She put her hand on the door knob, but gasped and pulled back when it twisted on its own accord and the door slowly creaked open. Shocked gold, met bewildered violet, but X was the fastest to recover with a quick tilt of his head a look of confusion crossed his face, "What the hell you doing here?"
Raven backed up to allow him room to slide out of Tru's room and quietly shut the door; she narrowed her eyes suspiciously, "Checking on Tru … I'm assuming you're doing the same …?"
She sounded skeptical, and X blinked then shrugged and answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, "Duh, I do every night to make sure she's okay … she's been having nightmares since our mother's death."
"…" he said it so casually it made Raven uncomfortable, she was honestly at a loss for words … really … what do you say … how do you respond to something like that? She's been around people far worse off, of course, but those were different … those were her friends that she allowed herself to connect with on a personal note. X, wasn't a friend. He wasn't even an acquaintance that she could just brush off with the bland robotic response of: 'Oh, I'm so sorry …' and then pretend to care while they explained away their sob story.
No … he wasn't a friend, he wasn't an acquaintance, but he was an important enough person for her to actually take interest in whatever personal information he divulged with her. Thus, the reason for her stupid-lack of words, and her even lamer reply, "So you know she has nightmares?"
He shot her a dry look, "Yeah, I've dealt with them for the longest time … what are you doing up?"
Well, at least one of them still had a brain to come up with better questions, Raven sighed heavily for the second time that night and shrugged, "Tru's nightmares are so intense it's waking me up … like I said I just wanted to check on her."
"Oh, well she's fine, sleeps like a baby after someone comforts her."
Comfort … that one word caught Raven's attention, and with that came an interesting image: X, the ruthless thief cradling his sister in his arms, rocking her and reassuring her that there were no more monsters. Telling her that he'll protect her no matter what … Raven didn't know whether to be amused at the thought, or intrigued. Did the infamous ultimate-bad-boy have a soft side? It was something to think about … or not, Raven threw the thought out of her mind the moment it formed.
X's personality wasn't something she was interested in.
Or at least, she shouldn't be interested in.
Raven blinked slowly, then glanced down the hall and nodded, "Well, if she's okay …" she let it trail and proceeded to walk back to her room.
X silently followed in step.
His golden eyes glowing within the quiet, comfortable darkness they shared, curiously he glanced down at her and arched a brow when he noticed there was something on her back. Something red … and crossed … a giant smirk found it's way on his lips and he nearly burst out laughing, but kept his cool, "Well now … didn't know I had a fan."
Raven stopped and shot him confused look, "Huh?"
He gestured to the back of her shirt, his eyes bearing down on her with a heated darkness Raven didn't like, "X marks the spot I guess …"
Raven moved her hair and pulled at her shirt to see what the hell he was talking about and her mouth slowly cracked open, her cheeks flushed red in embarrassment when she finally understood what he meant. Damn it Beast Boy … I'll kill you … I swear to whatever God you pray to, I'll kill you … she thought as she bowed her head and rubbed the bridge of her nose.
An excuse to keep her face hidden from the thief so he wouldn't see her red cheeks as she growled, "We responded to a call at a paint-factory … an emergency I couldn't change into my uniform for … Beast Boy was present, the rest is history."
He chuckled and shook his head, "Well … it looks good on you …"
That damn smirk of his was getting annoying, but damn it all if it didn't look good on him. Add to that, Raven suddenly became aware of the fact that he wasn't wearing a shirt, exposing his broad shoulders and chest and his well defined abs that begged for her to touch just to feel if they were as hard as they looked. Damn if she wasn't so sure of her sexuality, she was now. Don't get her wrong, she's seen guys without their shirts off, hell; Robin and Speedy prance around without them when they're training. They looked good enough to eat too … but none of them had the balls enough to throw passes her way.
X on the other hand was an entirely different story.
Raven narrowed her eyes and threw her hair back over her shoulder to hide the red x splashed paint on her back, "Well I know what I'll be giving away to the Salvation Army when I get back to the tower."
He just shook his head, "You are somethin' else sunshine."
She didn't response, just continued on her way to her room, passing the stairs that lead to X's chamber, she expected him to leave, but no, he followed her, she sneered, "You following me?"
He shrugged, "Didn't know it was a crime to walk a lady to her room."
"It is if it's considered stalking."
"Not with out harmful intent."
Raven arched a brow.
He winked, "I watch Law and Order to princess, besides that, I already know where you sleep, I don't need to stalk you."
"Right …" Raven sucked in a deep breath, and counted her steps as they crossed the indoor balcony, tempted to throw him over, but kept her sanity and for that she patted herself on the back. Although he was still following her, so she continued to count her steps.
That is, until he spoke up again, all amusement, and jokes thrown out the window, "You know … you never asked how my mother died …"
She closed her eyes and slowed down her pace, her voice losing some of its cold monotone as she shook her head and shrugged, "Figured it was none of my business."
He scoffed, "Bullshit, I know you want to know."
Raven opened her eyes and tilted her head up at him, finally reaching her door; she leaned on it and grabbed the doorknob, but never entered, only stared at him with unreadable eyes, "Okay than, how did she die?"
"She killed herself, sleeping pills … Tru found her on the bathroom floor when she was five."
There it was again, that nonchalance that disturbed her when he spoke about the death of a loved one, Raven frowned, "So that's why she has nightmares."
"Maybe …"
"… And you just don't care, about your mother's death I mean."
"Oh I care …" he snorted, "… the least she could have done was wait till Tru went to school. For three days after she found her, Tru never said a single word."
"Oh …"
"Oh? That's all you got to say?"
"What do you want me to say? 'Sorry?' I can't be sorry, because you're the one that brought the subject up, not me."
"I don't know, I figured you'd ask why she did it."
"Don't have to, in your case, it isn't the 'why' that's important … it's the 'who's'. Tru is obviously still trying to get over her, and you … I don't know … you seem detached, like you could careless whether she fell into a ditch and died."
"…"
Raven turned the doorknob; he wasn't saying anything so she walked with the door into her room, silently biding him ado, "Goodnight X."
"I did care …"
She stopped and looked up at his guarded gold eyes.
"I cared a lot … I just didn't expect much from her … grew tired of being disappointed every time she missed my birthday because she had some date with a guy she thought was her prince-charming …" he scoffed, turning his eyes away from her, his hair falling over to help shield the distant look on his face, as he took a trip down memory-lane. Raven watched his jaw tense and clench, knowing that he was probably gritting his teeth at some moment in time that struck a cord in his heart. She sucked in a deep breath, silently, but the motion brought X's attention back to her, and he forced a dry, dark smirk on his lips, "… heh, I guess some people never grow up."
"…" now it was her turn to stand speechless, she moved from the door and played with the knob for a moment. Choosing her words carefully, she licked her lips to respond, but he was quicker.
With a huff and a flick of his wrist he winked at her, "Well, don't get hung up over it, I know I'm not. Night sunshine … see you in the mornin'."
Just like that … like nothing ever happened … like a breeze in the air … he was gone.
Silent as the night he casually strolled down the hall away from her, back to his own room, leaving Raven to stand dumbfounded, and at a loss for words.
A first for her … but then again, there's a first for everything …
--
"Good-morning Raven, have a goodnight sleep?" Jinx asked cheerfully, with a hint of playful teasing.
Raven shrugged and acknowledged her with a nod, "Jinx."
Jinx, with her pink eyes bright and sneaky like they should be her pink hair pulled up into a high ponytail, leaning on the island in the middle of the kitchen. While sitting on a black high stool eating a bright green apple, almost to the core. Jinx smiled at the tired sorceress, who, as best she could, tried not to scowl and snap too much.
What with Tru's nightmare, her conversation with X, and her mind racing with many, many thoughts about it afterwards, needless to say, Raven hardly slept a wink. Who knows, maybe the lack of sleep will get her off the hook at the photo-shoot, but somehow, she highly doubted that when she sensed X enter the kitchen with Tru. Automatically, her violet eyes looked down at Tru, and the little girl yawned and rubbed her cinnamon eyes tiredly while she hopped onto one of the stools.
Tru looked up at her, and she muttered, "Morning …"
Raven nodded and softly replied, "Morning … you remember while I'm gone, you have to read five pages and practice your consistency. No lighters."
She nodded obediently, "I remember."
Without a word, X shoved a bowl of cereal in front of Tru, and without a word Tru picked up her spoon and ate it. Raven, out of sheer reactive response, looked up at him when he asked, "Want anything?"
Honestly, she thought he was talking to Jinx, but he was looking right at her, waiting for a reply. She blinked her violet eyes, arched a curious brow, but slowly shook her head, "No thank you."
His eyes urged her, "You sure?"
She nodded, "Yeah …"
Then he shrugged and continued to look around for something he could grab to bite.
Raven's violet eyes drifted over to Jinx when she felt her aura spike with sudden great interest. The pink-sorceress was in the middle of taking a bite when she saw the interaction and now she seemed frozen with her mouth ajar. She blinked, then shook her head and narrowed her eyes on Raven and X, darting back and forth between the two, "Okay … what's the punch-line, cause I don't get the joke?"
Raven frowned, "What joke?"
"What joke? You and X … you're being nice to each other? When the fuck did that happen?"
Raven's frown darkened, "Language, Jinx, and what are you talking about being nice? All he did was ask if I wanted anything to eat."
Jinx nearly shot out of her seat, "Well, that's the point! He asked you, he never asked me, and I'm sitting right here!"
X finally joined the circle, "That's because I saw you already had an apple in your hand, what's the point in asking when I know you'll just say you already have something."
With that he bite into the sandwich he made himself and chewed, while Jinx sneered, "Well common courtesy for one! For another, you two have been at each other's throats since two days ago … what, did you two just suddenly have a change of heart over night?"
Raven and X shared, at first, confused glances, that turned into a look of mutual feelings. X shrugged and took another bite of his sandwich, Raven looked away and sighed, "We'll get nowhere if we continue to chew the other out … MAD isn't exactly the best way to handle our situation."
"Mutually Assured Destruction, is sort of a childish way to deal with anything if you think about it," Tru spoke up suddenly, Jinx shot her a dry look, and Tru mimicked her brother's nonchalant response, she shrugged, "don't try to understand them Jinx … I barely even understand my own brother … and I occasionally live with him."
X smirked, "Listen to the kid Jinx, she knows what she's talking about."
Jinx rolled her eyes and reached for her Blackberry when it started to vibrate, "Jenny here, wasup?" Her pink eyes widened a fraction of an inch as it darted back and forth between X and Raven, "Gregorio … well … I'd ask how you got my number, but I'm assuming you got it from Giovanni. Rae? Oh, yeah, she'll be there with James … sorry, but she's pretty much James's responsibly, he has to be there. Okay, got it. Yeah, bye."
She hung up, X asked, "So what time she gotta be there?"
"Later this afternoon … and in the middle of the shoot you'll be interviewed as the girl who went from nothing to something." Jinx leaned back on the stool and sighed, crossing her arms over her chest thoughtfully, she glanced up at Raven and warned, "I gotta warn ya though … the media could twist this into something nasty … you'll probably be perceived as someone just wanting to get up in the world. Or … it'll look like this entire set up is a scam – which it is – but no one has to know you're a Titan, and you're the real Red X."
Raven scoffed, "Let them think, it isn't exactly my job to care what the media spins about non-existent people."
X nodded, "She got a point."
Jinx rolled her eyes, "There you two go again with the being nice and now agreeing with each other." She shrugged in defeat, "Whatever, can't say I'm complaining."
Then …
The doorbell rang.
DING! DONG!
--
Disclaimer: I don't own he Teen Titans, DC does, I do, however, own Tru, and Gregorio
A/N: Heh … I'm an evil little bastard aren't I?
Review and maybe, just maybe I'll update soon enough, lol.
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