Chapter 3 | Unfinished Business
Landing on shaking legs, Raven surveyed the damage. A cacophony of fire and car alarms barraged her ears as the fire department continued to douse the blazing fire around her. Plasmus and Cinderblock were contained, so they hadn't quite needed her help after all.
"How'd it go?" Nightwing's tired voice matched his demeanor. They were all exhausted. So was she, though it was for far different reasons. A tinge of guilt filled her stomach, coiling with unease. "Are you okay? You look really flushed." A bit of curiosity flitted out to her, and she batted it away, too exhausted to contemplate what to say to him and how to suppress the emotions leaking from her teammates. Sometimes being an empath was too painful.
Trying to look as nonchalant as possible, she balled her fists and willed the embarrassed blush that had crept over her pale skin to disappear.
"Fine." Raven attempted her normal deadpan, though she knew it faltered slightly. She knew he caught the slight hitch in her voice, as she felt the curiosity continue to morph into something else. Something she did not want to read. She knew she had let things get carried away and fought the urge to rip her hair out. Thankfully, she knew Nightwing wouldn't poke and prod her for an answer.
Her eyes flickered to the mask that obscured half of his face, the hard edge of his jaw completely visible in the moonlight. In the back of her mind, the memory of the last time he had kissed her danced, causing a ripple of anger to wash the embarrassment away. He chose Starfire over you.
It was hard to believe that was over a year ago. One minute they had been heavily involved, making out at the New Year's party. She had left to get them drinks. When she returned, she found his tongue down Starfire's throat, both breathless and apologetic. She had steeled her nerves, knowing it had been inevitable. No one liked moody, bookish girls. At least, that's what she told herself as she watched Starfire's bubbly personality consume them both. She tried not to hold it against them, since they both seemed much happier. That didn't mean she succeeded though.
The thought was fleeting as it was replaced by another memory of soft, warm lips devouring hers in a cemetery. The taste of whisky filled her mind again, heat pooling in her core.
"I'm going to go help clean up." She didn't wait for his response, though she could feel his eyes boring a hole into her back. Sighing heavily, she focused on the task at hand, knowing that if she let her emotions consume her it would destroy her.
It had been a week since he had seen her in his office. An entire week, in which he could do absolutely fucking nothing but think about the way her lips felt and tasted and the twinge of pain at his thigh whenever he thought of the delicious sounds she made with those damned lips.
He was not doing a great job at being a therapist. Jason had sat through seven sessions a day and couldn't recall a single detail of any of them. Thankfully, he knew he could rely on the ever trusty, "and how does that make you feel?" He knew it was bad for business. The best option would be to tell her to see one of his colleagues. He knew he would never have the balls to do that though, not when she was so damn fascinating.
The lust he felt couldn't be sated. He'd tried to take care of it himself, even tried to have a few one-night stands. All he could think about was how much he wanted to grip her fucking hair and fuck her over his desk as hard as he could.
Jason let out a tentative breath. It was Wednesday. She would be coming in today. And he needed to get a goddamn grip on himself. He only had to get through two more grueling sessions. Then she would be here.
Tick.
Trying not to be overly conspicuous, he glanced over at the annoying loud clock on his wall. 12:05. Only another hour and fifty-five minutes. Steepling his fingers, he attempted to concentrate on what his client was saying. Then tuned her out again as he realized she was just bitching about her ex-husband for the thousandth time.
Tock.
Pain lanced his thigh and surprise filled him as he realized he'd been gripping his leg too tightly. Everything had become a blur. Thinking back to Monday, he tried to regain control of his mind. He'd been able to lift a good amount of money from Gotham General, their vaults had been a piece of cake. Now he just needed to figure out what, exactly, he was going to spend it on. Which sent him down a long rabbit hole. He had everything he could possibly want. Nice car, nice apartment. He worked a regular, boring guy job. He really had no reason to steal anymore. And yet, he continued to do it. He was suddenly asking himself why he was doing something so unnecessary. Was it out of habit, knowing he and his mother had never had enough when he was younger? When had he become so selfish?
Wincing, he brought his thoughts back to the present. This wasn't the first time he'd found himself using the tricks he'd learned in school on his own brain. It stuck with him though as that train of thought continued to churn in the deepest recesses of his mind.
He was doing something to occupy his time.
He was lonely.
And then the anger consumed his bones as he remembered that feeling of being left behind. Not being saved in time. As he was filed away as the boy wonder that died. And no one knew that here he sat, forgotten and empty. Alone.
His thumb twitched as his door opened, pulling him out of his reverie.
Somehow, it was 2:00. Raven's violet hair had been concealed in a baseball cap, dark circles lined her eyes. He wondered quietly what was keeping her up at night to cause such noticeable bags. Thankfully, she was in a dark sweatshirt and ripped jeans that hid her curves from his filthy mind. Hopefully, he would actually be able to concentrate this time.
"Hello." She smiled at him tentatively, which could've stopped his heart then and there. When did he become such a goddamn sap?
"Hello yourself." His returning smile made her heart stutter momentarily. She sensed nothing from him, which was a welcoming relief from the subway she had just taken. Being in crowded spaces often overloaded her senses, but she preferred to take public transport everywhere. She felt like she was missing out if she didn't stop and take the "long way" sometimes. She also loved to listen to the musicians in the stations, and buy tea from one of the vendors along the way.
"So," Raven watched as Jason leaned back in his chair, "did you finish your homework?" She would never get used to how personal this was, though he felt oddly familiar to her, as if she had known him for a long time. Like they were old friends. She released the breath she had been holding, feeling herself deflate.
"Well, right to it then." Her eyes followed the slow uptick of his lips.
"We don't have to talk about that if you don't want. In sessions like this, it's also important to see if there may be another cause. Something holding you back. Childhood trauma or just trauma, in general, can be a cause. Sometimes people mentally hold themselves back from orgasm because they have a lifelong sense that they don't deserve anything." Jason willed himself to feel nothing as he watched her soft, pink lips purse.
"I definitely don't want to talk about that, because that would essentially be my entire life." A nervous laugh escaped her then. "Yes, to answer your question, I did do my homework. Kind of." Fidgeting nervously, she toyed with the aglet on her bootlace.
"What do you mean by 'kind of'?" This was going to be his undoing; he already knew it.
"Well, I had help. Kind of." He fought the smile that threatened to tear his face apart. The look on her face was absolutely adorable. Gesturing, he motioned for her to continue.
"I met someone. They wanted to help me figure things out." He felt the full weight of her stare settle upon his face then.
"That's good. How has it been going?" Trying to keep his tone even and cool was failing miserably. He could feel the warmth of his blood seeping into his thigh, pulsating at the thought of what had happened in the dark the week prior.
"I've only seen him once. I don't think I'm going to see him again." He eyed her lips, fascinated, as her teeth slowly drug along her bottom lip, a tentative bite as she thought back on the events. A rosy blush settled over her features.
Like hell she wouldn't see him again. He was about to leap across the desk and fuck her into oblivion if she didn't stop making that goddamn face at him. His life had been about control. Everything he did was rooted in control. And yet he couldn't seem to contain himself when she was around.
"What makes you say that?" The air had suddenly become too thick for him, and he felt a flush creep up his neck. Carefully, he leaned forward, pretending to scribble something on his notepad as he pointedly ignored the flick of her tongue against her lips.
"It's just wrong. And I don't think he would want to see someone as inexperienced as me anyways." The disappointed lilt to her voice fractured the hold he had on his emotions. Anger spiraled out of him then, in a very unprofessional manner.
"What happened that would make you feel that way about yourself?" She stopped fidgeting with her bootlace, her eyes meeting his in shock as she felt the slight, red hot ripple of anger brush against her. And then she couldn't stop the words as they poured from her lips, her violet eyes trapped in the gaze of his green irises. They held her there, almost compelled the truth from her. The warmth of his anger wrapped around her like a cocoon, and she let it rather than pushing it away. Because she had every right to be angry about what had happened.
"I was seeing someone. Someone I had pined after for a while. And even though I knew he did not feel the same way about me, I was so ecstatic that he would give someone like me the time of day." His gaze didn't falter. The anger grew thicker and warmer, almost a tangy spiced flavor as it assaulted her senses. She had never felt emotions this way, never tasted them. Something about him was different. "We'd had sex, we kissed. It was like he wasn't really trying though like I wasn't scratching the itch for him, and he definitely wasn't for me, even though I kept lying to myself day after day. We were at a party with friends on New Year's last year. When I left, I came back and Dick's tongue was down her throat—" Her breath caught, and she felt his anger burst against her so powerfully, she had to catch herself to keep from outwardly flinching.
"Look at me." Wordlessly, she listened. An electric current seemed to pass through his gaze, brushing against her skin. Goosebumps covered her arms, and she wrapped them more tightly around herself. "Other people's actions do not reflect upon your worthiness. Just because this trashy asshole decided to cheat on you, and use you, that does not mean that you are not worthy of anyone's affections. It only reflects poorly upon his character. And I hope," he paused, reigning in his anger, "that you no longer hold him up on a pedestal that he so clearly does not deserve." A hint of spice mingled against her senses but he was unreadable once more. Raven let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding as a small weight loosened itself from her chest, and she felt lighter.
For the rest of the session, he had steered the topic away from there, instead asking her more pointed personal questions about her interests and what she liked. She welcomed the change of topic and answered questions no one had asked her before. She knew it was his job, but she couldn't help but feel a slight wiggle of happiness that someone was interested in what she liked.
Raven threw herself onto her bed and let Jason's words rattle around inside of her. He was right of course. That was why he was paid the big bucks. But goddamn, the way he had said those words to her as if he had a personal vendetta against Dick, it made her stomach clench in a way she knew it shouldn't for her therapist. She slipped her shirt and ripped jeans off, tossing them haphazardly against her back wall as she donned a pale pink, oversized t-shirt. It smelled faintly of lilac, a detergent that reminded her of her mother.
The numbers on her clock glowed an angry green against the dark of her room. 10:42. She didn't have any luck sleeping as she continued to replay the events of the week before. Something her mind was trying to tell her to remember. A faint tap echoed off of her window, the tower groaning in the wind as the rain pattered softly outside. She loved storms.
Yet, something didn't seem right. She felt an odd presence nudging against her senses. Cracking her eyes open, she sat up, fumbling with the lamp switch. A strangled scream escaped her mouth before she was able to clap a hand over her lips.
Laying across the blue chaise against her back wall, his skull mask gleamed in the reflection of her lamplight. In the dull glow, she saw the left side of his mouth quirk up in amusement as she watched him thumb through the pages of a book. The bottom half of his mask once again left half of his face exposed, bunched around the top of his nose.
"What the fuck are you doing?" Anger roiled in her as she watched his glove-less fingers flip another page. A quiet tsking sound fell from his lips.
"Now Sunshine, I didn't realize you read such naughty things." Her skin heated as a blush blanketed her and she shot up, tearing the book from his hands with murderous intent. He continued lounging lazily as if he had nothing to fear from the powerful titan that stood before him.
"How did you get in here?" Her hand fisted the black material of his suit as she wrenched his body up. X's surprise flickered against her, cool and refreshing like a glass of water.
"I have my ways." The warmth of his body seeped into her cold fingers, her legs suddenly covered in goosebumps. Startled, she released her grip on him, realizing she was wearing only an oversized t-shirt and boy-shorts as she backed away.
"Get out, before I alert everyone. I'll let Nightwing know tomorrow that there's something wrong with the security system." She had to be half out of her mind to let this vagrant off the hook with a mere warning, but she was too nervous about what his presence did to her as she stumbled toward her bed to cover herself.
He was too quick for that. Her breath quickened as he stood behind her, pulling her against his warm, well-muscled chest.
"If you really wanted me to leave," he whispered, hot breath caressing her ear, "you would've sounded the alarm." She was utterly frozen against him, unable to form a coherent thought as the warmth of his hand seeped into her side. Slowly, cautiously, he drew his hand along her side, stopping at her throat, his other arm ensnaring her waist as he held her against him. The warmth of his body was oozing into her very being, flooding her blood with a warmth that pooled in her chest. A sharp coil of desire filled her stomach as he held her there, silently waiting.
"Tell me you want this. Tell me you need this as much as I do." She marveled at his deep voice as it broke with need. She realized then, that it was a need for her. A mutual need. Gone was the arrogant thief she was so very used to, instead replaced with a man reeking of lust and desire. For her.
"You want me." It was not a question, yet more of a statement of surprise as the breathy words left her lips.
"I have wanted you from the moment I first laid eyes on you, Little Bird." His chest rumbled behind her, his grip around her tightening as she felt the truth of his words pulsating against her backside. Her eyes narrowed to slits as the demon half of her screeched in glee in the back of her mind, willing her to give her senses over to this, roaring in approval. She vied for dominance, trying to keep her emotions in check.
"Then have me." She wasn't sure how the words left her lips. It felt like a dream as she felt his hands relax, drifting down to her thighs. The warmth dripped from her chest, sliding down and pooling in her core as he rubbed slow, lazy circles on her thighs with his fingertips. Her body hummed with electricity as she stretched on her tiptoes, feeling his chin rest atop her head. The tanginess of his lust enshrouded her, and she felt as if she could lose herself in it.
Carefully, he hooked his thumbs in the hem of her shirt, dragging a line of fire up her body as he lifted it off over her head, discarding it in the corner that she had thrown her clothing earlier in the evening. Her breath hitched as his fingers explored her body. Before she could lose her head completely, a tendril of power shot out, flicking the switch on her lamp. She felt his frown against the side of her cheek.
"Now why did you do that?" His fingers paused against her sides.
"I don't want you to see me." Her voice was thick with the lust running off of him and her own, mingling inside of her, threatening to shred her apart.
"I want to see you. Turn it on." Rough, warm hands enclosed her breasts, tugging her even further back against him. She thought she might melt into him if it were possible.
"No." A sharp tug on her earlobe elicited a quiet gasp.
"Yes. Don't be naughty. Do as you're told." His fingers trailed down to her navel, drawing lazy patterns over her goosebump flecked flesh. She shivered against him as his fingers dipped lower still, swirling another pattern against the fabric at the apex of her thigh. A tangy, woodsy scent engulfed her as he dipped his head into the crook of her neck, his lips ghosting along the curve up to her ear.
"Can't we just leave it off?" Her voice was barely a whisper as his tongue flicked at a spot behind her ear. His fingers edged their way beneath the fabric at the crook of her thigh, and her breathing became embarrassingly labored.
"If we leave it off, I won't be able to see your beautiful body while I ravish you. I need to see your face when I make you scream." His fingers danced around the bundle of nerves, barely brushing against it. She tried and failed to keep her body from responding to his touch as she attempted to grind herself against his hand. "If you want me to continue, you need to obey."
He continued his assault on her neck, the thread of emotions an onslaught of warmth that stoked the fire between her legs. Before she could say another word, his fingers dipped, sliding against her slick wetness. A quiet groan escaped her lips as she felt his other arm flick, a quiet pinging sound resounding in her room as the lamp flickered to life. Before she could move to switch it off, his finger was at her entrance, swirling.
"Please." The word was thick and heavy with lust as it fell from her lips. She didn't need to tell him twice. The utterance was all the permission he needed to slide his finger in. How she could already be so close to the precipice when she had tried so many times with so many people was something her brain couldn't wrap around. Her legs began to shudder as his thumb met the spot at the apex of her thighs and rubbed, swirling deliciously against the neglected bundle of nerves. She could feel a pressure building in her chest, in her head.
Just as suddenly as it had begun, the warmth disappeared as she felt him move, almost too quickly to register. She turned and was pushed backward, her legs hitting the edge of her bed as she looked up just quickly enough to register his lips as they crashed against hers. His mouth devoured hers and she threaded her fingers beneath the bottom of the back of his mask, into his silky black hair, sealing their mouths together.
A shift and she was laying on the bed, her leg wrapped around his hip. She gasped, and he took the opportunity to slide his tongue along her lip, into her open mouth. He could taste the vanilla of the tea she was no doubt drinking earlier in the evening and bit back a moan. Pulling back, he looked down at her and growled, the sound sending a frenzied flush through her skin as she took in the naked planes of his chest, and the scars that marred his skin. Though she couldn't see his eyes, she could feel him drinking in her nakedness as he all but ripped the boy shorts off of her. She wasn't sure when or how he had stripped, but could only admire how beautiful he was, something that the suit he wore hid well.
Her eyes widened as he yanked her to the edge of the bed, dropping to his knees before her. Raven's heart stuttered as his warm hands pried her legs apart and he settled between them.
"What are you—" The question died on her lips as his tongue began an assault on her senses. Chaste kisses peppered her legs, hot breath tickling her thighs. The heat moved until it kissed her center, and she inadvertently bucked her hips. His tongue slipped out, finding the bundle of nerves that would be her undoing. She bit her lip to contain the scream of pleasure that threatened to rip her apart as he devoured her and she felt herself barreling towards an edge that she had never felt before.
"Oh Azar." She gasped, her fingers splayed in his hair as he ravished her, a warm finger slipping inside of her center. Her body jerked against his tongue, the pleasure almost becoming too painful to bear. "X."
His thick lust assaulted her, and she felt the vibration of his growl against her center as he paused.
"You have no idea how badly I want to hear my name fall from your lips when you come." She could barely register the words he spoke as he replaced his mouth, and the wetness at her center increased. The pleasure compounded in her, building and building until she felt like she couldn't breathe.
"Turn off the light." She barely thought as she sent a sliver of her magic to the lamp, shattering the bulb. A soft chuckle emanated from him, but it was all she could do to keep her magic from destroying the room as she felt her body begin to shudder uncontrollably.
"That's it, Little Bird. Come for me. I want to taste it." His words shattered her, and she cried out into the dark, a string of profanities as she felt her body constrict and warmth course through her as everything exploded around her. His fingers didn't stop as he stood, his warmth settling over her as his lips crashed against hers. She could taste herself on his tongue as another ripple of pleasure threatened to undo her, one more profound than the last.
"Do you want this?" His voice was ragged, and she felt him withdraw his fingers as something else, warm and pulsating, pressed against her entrance. She moaned quietly at the lack of control either of them had, her sweat-slick chest pressed against his.
"Yes." His hands found hers, dragging her arms up and over her head where he pinned them. It was then that she realized that she could see the shadows of his handsome face in the darkness, free of the mask. But she had broken her lamp, and at the moment she didn't care what his face looked like as he nudged himself into her, and groaned against the feeling.
"Thank fuck." He waited as he felt her adjusting to him, pulling back so that she could feel his eyes on her. And then he pulled back, almost withdrawing entirely.
And buried himself in her. She bit back a curse as she attempted to stifle her loud moans as he rammed himself into her, lifting her hips for better access.
"You're so fucking beautiful." His mouth captured hers and he picked up the pace. She felt herself matching him, their lust consuming her as she shuddered beneath his touch. Her mouth sought his and he deepened the kiss, passionate and exploring as she felt him constricting inside of her, her own body threatening to betray her as she climbed another rung of pleasure.
He gasped into her mouth, the taste of whisky and the woodsy scent of him engulfing her senses as she felt his own release pending. A dip of his body and his fingers found their way to the apex of her thigh and she was shattering around him again, her fingers digging into the skin of his back as they both climaxed. It was like nothing she had ever experienced with anyone before as her body became too hot to bear, the waves of pleasure rolling through her one after another.
They both lay there, panting and shuddering as the last dregs of pleasure skittered away. She felt him withdrawing from her, the warmth leaving her body as she lay there, eyes half-lidded.
A pang of something hit her then, an emotion of her own that she couldn't read as he moved away. And then she felt the bed next to her dip and herself being pulled upwards until her body was flush against his still naked form. The warmth of him radiated into her as her cheek settled against the hard planes of his chest. She fought the tiredness that threatened to overwhelm her as her eyes began to drift shut.
His fingers found their way to her hair as he pressed a kiss to her forehead.
"Sleep." That was the last thing she remembered as she succumbed to sleep in the warmth of her enemy's arms.