ok, this is the chapter I warned you about. There is sex, it's subtly written but it is there, and there are mentions of rape, proceed with caution.
y'all enjoy!
The next afternoon, Marxis and Sarxane walked into the dining hall. After not being seen all that day, I was curious as to why that had such huge smiles on their faces.
Sarxane was wearing a new suit. It was solid black with a red x across the chest. He held a mask in his hand that depicted a skull-like design.
"Stygian," Marxis began, "Thanks to your perseverance and ultimately achieving the goal you set out to accomplish, Sarxane and I have finally finished a project that has been in the works for over a year."
Sarxane beamed at the rest of us.
"I've been designing a new suit and it's powered with Xinothium. The supply you collected was is enough to keep it going for a year! It allows my molecules to shift, transporting me to any place that can be seen with the naked eye, whether it be a foot away or a mile. The weapons are mostly standard, but customized to fit the design. There are smoke bombs, daggers, boomerangs…anything Stygian or Deathstroke has in their belts is in this one," he explained, pointing and showing off his new suit.
"Are you telling me I was arrested and held prisoner so you could make a suit?" I said somewhat bitterly.
"Yep. A price I'm sure you were more than happy to pay," Sarxane said with a smart ass attitude. I scoffed, but allowed him to continue. He went on and on and on about this new suit and all of its capabilities.
"Alright, let's see what it can do," Saran said impatiently. Sarxane beamed and slipped the mask over his head.
"Watch this!" He pressed a button on his belt and suddenly he disappeared. I raised an eyebrow curiously. I hid the smile that tried to creep on my face as Sarxane materialized behind Saran.
"AH!" he yelled into the empath's ear. Saran jumped, startled, before scowling at Sarxane.
Sarxane put one of each of his weapons in the middle of the table pointing at each one of them and explaining how they were designed and what each thing did. Very straightforward. The suit had a sleek design, one I wouldn't mind wearing myself.
"So…with this new suit, do you have a new name?" Nyssa asked curiously.
"Red X," he replied simply.
"Right…" she replied, "and so…is this going to be your new identity?"
"Yep. This is gonna be so cool! Stygian, will you spar with me today so I can practice with it more?" he asked excitedly.
I shrugged.
"Sure, why not?"
Sarxane leapt into the air, "Yes!"
We all finished our lunch listening to Sarxane ramble about his suit and any possible modifications he could make to it. I was practically dragged out of the dining hall when I was finished. Sarxane wasted no time getting me into the ring. The others followed and watched for an hour or so before going about their own business. Sarxane struck fiercely, disappearing and reappearing where I least expected him too. He still needed practice with his suit as he stumbled and took a few hits, but overall, he wasn't doing half bad. We took a break for dinner and went right back at it, even though I was hurt and absolutely exhausted. I pushed it aside though, happy to help Sarxane expand his horizon. This time though, Slade, Saran, Marxis, and Nyssa stayed to watch having either finished with their own work or tired of it.
Sarxane was beaming the entire time. Slade stopped us every now and then to throw some pointers to Sarxane.
"Widen your stance. Aim from below. Pay attention to his exposure," he would say. And Sarxane listened and put his advice to use.
"Hey, can I try out some of my weapons now?" he asked. I sighed inwardly, hoping he'd change his mind and let me get some rest, but his face held such excitement, I couldn't say no. I was getting soft.
"Yeah, go for it, man," I replied challengingly.
Sarxane put his bo staff away and began throwing weapon after weapon. Some hit home, some missed. His smoke bombs were powerful, his boomerangs designed for the most effective aerodynamics and sliced through the air with a sharp ring. He had built retractable blades into his gloves that came out of nowhere, but were still no match for me. All was going well until a very well aimed X hit me in the face, expanding into a sticky adhesive that covered my mouth, nose, and eyes. I dropped my staff, unable to see or breathe and tried to pull it off, but my attempts were futile. Pulling a dagger from my belt, I sliced through the material only to have it reform. I began to go into a panic. I couldn't breathe, the shouts coming from Sarxane fell on deaf ears. I fell on my back kicking and pulling at the material, but no matter my efforts, it wouldn't give away. I saw white spots forming in the blackness, my head was spinning, my heart racing. I felt Sarxane's frantic hands trying to remove the material from my face. Sarxane's weight was pulled away from my body as what little vision I had went dark. The last thing I registered was Slade's strong arms picking me up and rushing me to the medical room.
I squinted as a bright light shone above my head. Blinking rapidly, I turned my head to the side to see Slade's broad form come into view.
"Slade?" I choked out quietly, "what happened?"
Slade looked at me, relief evident in his eye.
"How are you feeling?"
"Like shit."
"Oh man, Stygian, I'm so sorry!" came Sarxane's voice from my left.
"What? Why?"
"Turns out, Sarxane's weapons are more dangerous than he had originally intended," Marxis said.
I sat up, my head spinning slightly and tried to remember what had happened. I remembered sparring with Sarxane so he could test out his new suit…Oh.
"I'm so sorry, I'll make it up to you, I swear. Here, deck me," he said frantically, turning his head to await my fist.
"What? No. It's fine, Sarxane. I'm alright."
"Come on, man."
"No, Sarxane," I threw the covers off my body and threw my feet over the edge of the bed.
"Whoa. Slow down. You lost oxygen to your brain for a while. If you move to fast, you'll fall over," Slade said, placing a hand on my shoulder to keep me seated.
"How long is a while?"
"About…fifteen minutes…" Sarxane said guiltily.
"Well, that's terrific." I ran a hand over my face, feeling some of the sticky residue left behind.
"Look, I…I'm tired. It's been a long day. Can I please go lie down?" I asked Slade.
He nodded and I slowly stood.
Slade stayed right behind me as I walked out of the room.
"Sorry again!" Sarxane yelled. I threw up a hand and continued on my way.
"I think I'm feeling alright. I'm going take a shower first…I'll be ok," I said when we entered out quarters. I quickly stepped into the bathroom, not giving Slade time to respond. I turned the shower on and undressed, examining the bruises I'd gained that day with my almost non stop spar with Sarxane. I really didn't mind helping him out, but seriously? I took a quick shower, allowing the hot water to wash away my aches and pains, staying under the warm spray longer than necessary. When the water began to run cold, I cut it off and stepped out. Wrapping myself in a towel, I walked out to where Slade was sitting on the bed scanning something on his computer screen. A newspaper, most likely. I pulled on a pair of boxers, dried my hair and collapsed onto the bed, exhausted once more.
"Slade?" I called out.
"Hm?"
"I am exhausted." Slade chuckled and I rolled over, closing my eyes. Slade closed his laptop and disappeared into the bathroom just as the waves of exhaustion washed over me and took me to the peaceful land of sleep.
Nyssa stood near the door of the gym, smiling almost seductively at me. I watched her curiously as she swayed back and forth.
"Come on, Stygian!" she giggled, her voice echoing off the walls. I was on the bench press, easily lifting 250Lb. She sashayed over to me, pushing the bar back onto its rack as I lifted it up.
"Come on, Stygian, I know you want to," she purred. I sat up, straddling the bench, and watched her move around to straddle the bench in front of me. She leaned forward, smiling seductively. Her face inches away from my own.
"You can, you know? I won't stop you."
I leaned forward, my lips gently caressing hers, before pulling her body up against my own. I kissed her, passionately and with no shame. I pulled her down on top of me, feeling her body rub against my own. My tongue slid into her mouth, exploring every ridge and dip, feeling her perfectly straight, smooth teeth. Feeling her tongue as it passed into my own mouth. She pulled back, but I held her close.
"Let's take this somewhere more…private…" she purred into my ear. I nodded, allowing her to lead me away. She pulled me into her room, separate from Saran's. I wasted no time in pulling her with me as I fell onto her bed. My mouth never leaving hers as we explored each other's bodies. Her skin was smooth and perfect her body seeming to fit mine in the most incredible way. Just as her body fit mine, I found my body fit hers beautifully. We were moved with throws of passion and an indescribable attraction and love toward one another that couldn't be felt in any other way.
Suddenly, Nyssa pulled back, ending our special moment.
"You have to wake up now. This won't do us any good here," she smiled. She moved off of me, all of a sudden, fully clothed.
"Wake up and come to me, Stygian," her voice was fading.
I nodded, standing up and moved toward the door. I looked back at her longingly.
"I'll be waiting for you."
I opened the door and stepped out.
My eyes shot open. I felt an uncontrollable stirring in my groin. Damn it. I looked around through the dark room.
Come find me.
I jumped at the voice in my head. Nyssa? What the hell? The small voice in my head urged me to get up and go. I threw the covers off and checked the time. It was 3:26 AM. I silently pulled on some sweat pants and headed out the door and towards the gym. I looked around the dimly lit room. I went to the bench press, scoffing at myself. This was stupid. I turned to go back, but ran into the empath from my dream. She smiled at me, and I immediately leaned down to kiss her deeply. She returned the kiss for a moment. She pulled away and, taking my arm, she led me away and I followed mindlessly. Smiling like an idiot I allowed her to pull me into the room from my dream. I pulled her close to me, kissing her violently and pulling her cloak off. She untied the string on my sweatpants a slid her hand down to my crotch as my hands found their way to her breasts. We fell onto the bed, the dream I had so vividly seen before coming to life. The feeling much more intense that before, the indescribable love flooding my body making the passion in the room overpowering. Our bodies moved together, fitting perfectly as the passion controlled our actions. We climaxed together collapsing as we did so.
"That was amazing," she quietly panted, "I missed you so much."
I kissed her once more and held her tightly to my body creating a wonderful warmth.
"I missed you too, Nyssa," I replied. She nestled her head into the nape of neck and together, we slept peacefully.
I was violently ripped out my bed the next morning by a pissed off Slade.
"Wha-?" I mumbled, confused. I must have slept in too late.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he asked venomously.
I heard a gasp. Saran held Nyssa up by her arm, her other clutching sheets to her naked body. I looked down. Where the hell were my boxers? Where the hell was I? I thought back to the events of last night. Nyssa and I…oh shit.
"Shit" I mumbled. Slade's grip on my arm tightening with an impossible strength. "Slade, let go, that hurts!" I yelled, fruitlessly pushing at his hand. Slade's eye cut into me like a knife. He threw me back on the bed roughly.
"Get dressed, boy," he barked.
This is all your fault. The voice whispered in my head once more.
I pulled my boxers on and, seeing a pair of my sweatpants in the floor, picked those up and slipped them on as well. I turned back to look at Nyssa, who was now fully dressed as well.
"What the hell were you thinking?!" Slade all but yelled at me.
"I…I don't know! It just…it just happened!" I said back.
Slade pulled me back off the bed and led me out of the room angrily. He didn't say a word and his grip kept getting tighter and tighter. He threw me into our room.
"I'm so disappointed in you, Dick," he seethed.
"I know. I don't know what I was thinking…I just-"
"You weren't thinking!" Slade yelled at me, "you're a stupid teenaged boy. I thought you had some sense of self control, boy! I bet you didn't even think twice before you gave into your…desires!"
I was quiet for a minute. To be honest, I really didn't…I just went for it without any thought as to the repercussions. I wasn't even cautious. Why didn't I go back to our room afterwards? I didn't even like Nyssa like that. I knew Sarxane had a thing for her, so I stayed away. What the hell? I don't even remember going into the room…
It was your fault.
"Am I right?" Slade barked.
I flinched at his tone. My fault…
"ANSWER ME!"
"Yes," I whispered tears pricking at my eyes.
"What?"
"Yes," I said louder, "you're right. I didn't. I don't remember much of what happened last night…it just…it just happened…my fault… I didn't have any control over it."
"The hell you didn't! Damn it, Dick."
"I'm sorry, Slade. I didn't know what was happening!" I defended.
"Don't apologize to me! Apologize to Saran and Nyssa! You're weak, Dick, I couldn't be more disappointed."
My heart ached at his words. He was right. I was weak if I couldn't control such desires. I wasn't supposed to be focused on that. This was a professional team up and I blew it.
"I know…I'm sorry. It was my fault…but-" My head bowed humbly.
"Sorry doesn't change anything. Lay on the bed," he ordered. My head shot up.
"Slade…no. I didn't know what was happening. I-don't even remember…please don't," I begged.
"No, Dick. Don't even try that on me. Lay down, now," he ordered. I felt the tears fall down my face as I obliged his command.
It's all your fault. Said that small voice in my head.
Slade pulled that dreaded leather strap from a drawer and wasted no time in applying its sharp sting to my back. I deserved it…what happened last night was my fault. I bit into a pillow to keep my screams down and suffered through twenty agonizing lashes.
"You deserve more than that, you weakling," The voice said.
I nodded unconsciously, and stopped Slade as he rolled up the strap.
"Don't stop," I said, "I deserve more than that." Tears rolled down my face. What was I saying?
You deserve it.
"No, Dick. But you need to go apologize to-"
"Keep going," I said, cutting him off.
"What's gotten into you?"
"It was my fault…she got in trouble too and-"
"She's equally at fault, Dick. She-"
"No she's not. It was all me."
Slade paused for a moment, digesting what I had just said.
"Are you saying…that you…raped her?" He asked, not believing it himself.
"No…I…I don't know, Slade," I sobbed.
"Get dressed, Dick. Meet me in the gym in 20 minutes."
"Ok," I said into the pillow. I heard Slade walk out the door and waited a moment before rolling out of bed stiffly to get dressed.
I had ten minutes to get to the gym, but I headed that way anyway. When I opened the door, I was surprised to see Nyssa standing there with tears streaming down her face.
"I'm sorry, Stygian!" she wailed.
"What? No, it wasn't your fault. It was mine," I assured her.
"No, Stygian, it wasn't. I did it. I was controlling you. I made you do it under Saran's orders."
I shook my head.
"Unbelievable," I muttered.
"He wanted me to learn how to seduce people better, so I did it through your dreams, then, brought it to life. I'm so sorry!"
My blood boiled. I'd had it with Saran. What did he have against me?!
I pushed past Nyssa angrily and went in search of Saran. I went to the gym, where he usually would be and was not disappointed. Nyssa walked in right behind me.
I walked behind Slade, pulling one of his swords from its scabbard strapped to his back and went straight to Saran.
"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" I yelled at him. I swung the sword at him, but he stepped back, missing the blade by mere centimeters.
"Stygian!" Slade yelled at me.
"HOW DARE YOU!" I yelled again, ignoring my Master.
"How dare I? Your Master just informed me that you confessed to raping my apprentice. I should kill you for that!"
"I don't know what the hell your problem is with me, Saran. I've given you as much respect as I can give to a lying, dirty, backstabbing scumbag. Nyssa told me what you made her do. This is no one's fault but your own. I didn't rape her, and you know it!"
"Young man, I suggest you stop your attack immediately."
I dropped the sword and lunged at him, my fingers wrapping around his throat. Slade was right behind me, ready to pull me off. But Saran was faster. With a flick of his wrist, he sent me flying into the wall. I yelled as my burning back made contact. I fell to my hands and knees, looking at Saran murderously.
"STOP!" Nyssa screamed, "Master, I didn't mean for it to go that far, I swear."
Slade made his way over to me, and lifted me up, whispering in my ear.
"What the hell is going on?" he asked.
"Why don't you ask them." I spat.
Slade turned to Saran.
"What are they talking about, Saran?"
Saran was silent a moment, eyeing Nyssa angrily.
"Deathstroke," Nyssa began, "Saran wanted me to practice seduction. I used Stygian. I went through his dreams and…and woke him up. I called to him and…and I was only doing what I was told. This isn't his fault, I swear! It's mine."
"Shut up, Nyssa," Saran hissed.
"I didn't want him to get in trouble, and I wanted to tell you before he did. I just…I couldn't. I'm so sorry!"
Slade looked between Nyssa, Saran, and myself, unsure of what to think.
"It was for her own good, Deathstroke, his as well. We know what they need to work on now. Stygian still has trouble keeping an empath out."
"Go to hell, Saran," Slade said, turning and walking out of the gym. I followed behind him.
"We're leaving," Slade said to me once the door shut behind us.
"Slade, this wasn't Nyssa's fault, please…and I-"
"I know that now. I should have seen it coming. Saran has been acting…unusual sense you disappeared last month. I didn't know what to think. He's turning us all against each other. He's turning on us."
"Why? I thought you were…partners…friends at one point."
"We were," he said bluntly, "come on. We need to speak with Marxis and Sarxane and tell them what's happened."
I followed Slade down long hallways and into the eastern side of the haunt, a place where I had never been before, save for the first day I was here and Sarxane gave us a tour. Slade stopped at a door and knocked. A few seconds later, Sarxane appeared.
"Hey, guys. What's up?"
"I need to speak with Marxis," Slade said.
Sarxane looked perplexed, but nodded and disappeared back into the shadows of the room.
He returned with Marxis and she led us to another room with a long conference table. Taking a seat, Slade began to tell Marxis and Sarxane about the events that had taken place that morning and the night before. Sarxane looked at me murderously upon hearing that I had had sex with Nyssa. He was in love with her, it was plain to see. To him, it didn't matter if I was being controlled, I had executed the worst act of betrayal. Slade told Marxis that we planned on leaving the next morning.
"Good," Sarxane said under his breath.
"Sarxane, I didn't mean for-"
"Shut up, Stygian," he spat. He slid his chair back and walked. I threw a glance at Slade and ran after him without permission. Slade didn't stop me.
"Sarxane! Wait!"
"Go away."
"No," I said, grabbing his shoulder and turning him around, "Listen to me. Saran had everyone wrapped around his finger. Nyssa was only doing what she was told, but please, man, don't be mad at me! I don't even like Nyssa like that!"
"I'm not mad at you, Stygian, I'm not happy with you, but I'm mad at her. We had something special, and she just ruined it. When you left last month…when you didn't come back…I took that pretty hard. I didn't know if I'd see you again, I thought you were gone. I searched every database, ever security camera. I couldn't find you anywhere! Nyssa…she was the one I leaned on. She was the one I went to to help deal with my stress. If I thought I was in love with her before, I was wrong. Because last month, we…look, it doesn't even matter. She promised me she would stay with me. She broke that promise last night. Why did she choose you over me? First she's in love with me, and as soon as you get back, she turns her back on me. What do you have that I don't, Stygian? Huh? Answer me that."
"I…I don't know. I'm sorry, man. Really, I am."
"Whatever dude. You and her can go fuck all you want. I'm done with her."
"Sarxane, come on, man. I know you don't mean that. Since day one, I knew you had a thing for her. Something like that doesn't just disappear in the blink of an eye. Think logically for a moment. Don't be mad at Nyssa, be mad at Saran. She probably didn't choose you because Saran probably knew about you two. She had to prove to him that she was capable of what he wanted her to do, and if she had used you, Saran wouldn't have bought it."
"What?"
"If Nyssa had chosen you last night, someone who is already seduced just by seeing her, how could she possibly show Saran what he wanted to see. Choosing you would have just been another nail in her coffin. I don't know if you've noticed, but Saran is a bad dude, and she's afraid of him. Her fear for Saran is greater than her love for you, but don't be fooled, Sarxane. Nyssa didn't mean to hurt you, she was just trying to save herself."
Sarxane's look of anger slowly receded into one of contemplation. He wanted to believe me, but he was too hurt to really grasp what I was saying.
"Look man," I said, "just go talk to her. You'll see."
Sarxane's ear's lowered. He was upset, and probably didn't want to speak to her.
"Don't let the wound fester, Sarxane. Go."
"Fine," he nodded. I watched him walk down the hall until he disappeared around the corner. I sighed and shook my head.
I missed a lot in my time with the Titans…
I returned to the room which I had come from to see Slade and Marxis shaking hands.
"I'll see you off tomorrow morning then," Marxis said. Slade nodded and turned toward the door. I followed him back down the hall and to our quarters where he began to throw his belonging into a suitcase. I followed suit, packing all of my clothes and suits into their respective cases. The only thing left was to gather the weapons we had stored in the gym. I moved toward the door and headed that way, hoping I wouldn't bump into Saran. To my great relief, Saran was nowhere to be seen. I moved to the weapons safe and began withdrawing swords, daggers, pistols and other various weapons to return to mine and Slade's quarters. On my way back to our room, I stopped by Nyssa's bedroom and listened at the door. I heard faint mumbling and, smiling, headed back. I guess Sarxane and Nyssa had made up…and made out.
"Is that everything?" Slade asked when I returned.
"Yes, sir."
"Good. I'm taking these to the jet. No training today, so do with your time what you please," he said, walking to the door with suitcases in hand. He paused, however. "But stay out of Nyssa's pants," he said.
I sent him a murderous glare and he laughed, continuing on his way. I looked around for a moment and decided to spend the remainder of my day in the gym.
"Nyssa doesn't even wear pants…" I muttered under my breath as I beat the punching bag with all my might.
I spent two hours in the gym uninterrupted before Sarxane and Nyssa showed up.
"Stygian!" Sarxane called. I stopped what I was doing and turned to them.
"I'm sorry…"
"Don't be," I said, lightly punching his shoulder. He chuckled and Nyssa grinned.
"And Stygian? I'm so sorry," Nyssa said.
"Don't worry about it, Nyssa. I barely remember it anyway."
"Come on, guys. Let's take a walk," Sarxane said.
We made our way up to ground level and walked the perimeter of the island. The sun was going to set soon, so we made our way to the western side to watch the great ball of fire be swallowed by the ocean.
Sarxane questioned me about Jump City and what Slade and I had planned for when we returned. I told him about the training Slade was going to put me through. He told me I should screw around with the Titans, which didn't sound like a terrible idea. Nyssa didn't say a word as we rambled on, but when we reached our destination, we were all silent. Once again, I watched as the sun, sky, and ocean all melded into one color that consumed everything in its way. The fiery light slowly faded to black as the sun sank lower and lower into the pacific and the sky was peppered with the stars. We silently made our way back to the little shack that led down to the haunt. We said our goodnights and parted ways. Slade wasn't around when I returned to our quarters, so I showered and fell into bed. I wasn't sure whether I was thrilled with the prospect of leaving the island, but I was more than ready to get away from Saran.
Either way, my friendship with Sarxane and Nyssa grew to its strongest point, I knew that we'd all meet up again someday, just as Slade did with Marxis and Saran. Hell, we might even have apprentices of our own then, but either way, I felt like I would always have a friend in the two of them.
And I was grateful for it.
Alright, y'all leave your reviews! I'm going to finish up this story before updating any others, and I'll try to have it done by the close of the month.
Shouldn't be too much longer.
don't forget to smile at a stranger, because strangers love smiles!