This Prison

Chapter Eight

Dirty Little Secret

Just as I was getting into bed, someone came knocking at my door.

To my surprise, the titans had given me a room to stay in whilst attempting to find a solution to the roadblock that I had caused. But then again, what were they supposed to do with me if lady Raven's powers did not affect me? Apparently, there was only one room left in the whole bloody tower. It was the one next to Raven's. The dark sorceress insisted that I stay in Terra's old room, but the elf through a fit saying it was Terra's and it shouldn't be disturbed and blah, blah, blah. The metal man called Cyborg reassured Raven by saying he'd blast me if I went within twenty feet of her door. Well, this was a lie, seeing as my room was right next to hers. Stupid man.

I pulled open the door to reveal a smiling girl. She was still in her pink pajamas that were covered in what were supposed to be monkeys. Her red hair was in two braids on either side of her head. In her arms were a stack of small plastic cases, a large bucket of something yellow and several colorful rattling boxes. I instantly knew what Starfire was going to ask me. The cases had small discs in them called DVDS, the yellow things were popcorn, and the boxes contained candy. Great.

"Malchior, I believe I was "too harsh" on you today. I am sorry. You have changed, yes?" The redhead didn't wait for a response and plowed on. "Friend Raven and I are doing the "stay home movie night". Do you wish to join us and partake in the consumption of the unhealthy sugar candies?" She stepped to the side to reveal the other girl of the titans. Raven was in her night clothes as well. A long sleeve ribbed purple shirt hugged her womanly curves. Her plaid flannel pants were so long, they covered her feet. Her arms were crossed over her chest and her face shaped in a scowl. I tore my gaze from her and looked back at the Tanmaranian.

"Alright, Starfire." I replied.

"Yay!" She beamed up at me before turning and scuffling down the hall. She nearly tripped over her obnoxious "bunny slippers". I looked over at Raven who was shaking her head at her friend's antics. I chuckled.

"This is what you live with?" I asked.

"Poor me." She started walking after Starfire. I walked next to her.

"Unhealthy sugar candies." I repeated, recalling the other girl's words. "She certainly does know how to make a film sound absolutely fantastic."

"Oh yeah." She fell behind a bit as we came to the doors of the common room. I felt a sharp pain in my back.

"Ouch!" I turned. "What did you do?"

"Punched you." she said simply. "I was giving you the near equivalent of Star's poking since you don't have your armor." She walked past me, leaving me standing there, trying to rub a spot I couldn't reach. Not having armor was a strange experience.

Starfire, being the shopping addict she is, had gone and bought me clothes, despite our argument. She'd chosen two pairs of night clothes that were exactly the same: blue flannel pants and a tight gray shirt. She'd also come back with countless pairs of jeans, dark shirts, and, unbelievably, underwear. The scariest part was the fact that it fit!

I followed Raven in and took a moment to really admire the room for once. I sat in between the girls on the couch as Starfire used the remote to set up the movie. Raven used her powers to flick off the lights.

"Star, is this another documentary?" Raven asked.

"No, friend Raven. I did the renting of Wicked Scary Two."

"And the others aren't rushing to get down here why?"

"Friend Robin was asleep, friend Cyborg was "possessed" by a video game, and friend Beast Boy claimed he was too afraid." the redhead said, counting off on her fingers. Raven rolled her eyes and Starfire played the movie.

Every so often, Raven would flinch, but wouldn't admit to being afraid. Starfire would outright jump and grip my arm in fear. I merely sat there watching and eating popcorn. It was quite good, actually. Why is it that girls always get scared so easily?

The next few nights, Starfire always got Raven and I out of our rooms to do something like play cards or a board game or order pizza. I didn't mind. I enjoyed spending time with Raven, even if a third wheel was attached. She was a bit looser with Starfire than anyone else. Finally, on the fourth night of my stay, the other titans joined us downstairs for a game called "truth or dare". Raven patiently explained the game to me while the green one rubbed his hands together anxiously.

"Okay, I'll start!" the elf called out. "Traffic light! Truth or dare?"

"Dare."

"I dare you to…" Beast Boy smirked. Robin rested his head on his hand as if to say "I'm waiting." Finally, he spoke. "I dare you to put a pot on your head and run around in nothing but your underwear screaming the lumber jack song." Starfire giggled as Robin ran about the room, shouting something about eating his lunch and skipping. When his clothes were back on, he went on to ask Cyborg.

"Dare me, sucka'!" the metal man challenged.

"I dare you to skip your turn." Robin turned to Starfire, ignoring his friend's crestfallen face. "Truth or dare?"

"I will go with the truth!"

"Is it true you ate Beast Boy's sock with mustard on it when you first came to Earth?" Robin asked. Starfire blushed.

"Yes." She turned to Beast Boy.

"Dare!"

"I dare you to tape the cardboard from the box to your arms and a hat of the party to your face. Then, when we play the "Chicken Dance", you will dance to it." Cyborg started laughing.

"I DON'T WANNA BE A CHICKEN! I DON'T WANNA BE A DUCK!" Beast Boys muffled screams sounded over the music. When the music stopped, he quacked and did a foolish attempt at what was called break dancing. He finally stopped and came over. He ripped the cone off of his face, turning to Raven.

"Truth." she said. Cyborg groaned, trying to make her pick "dare". She shook her head, arms crossed.

"Fine. Out of all of the guys in the tower, who would you rate the hottest in terms of a body?" the elf inquired. His victim didn't skip a beat.

"Robin." Everyone but Robin and I gaped at her in shock. She ignored the stares and turned to her secret boyfriend. "Truth or dare?"

"Dare."

"I dare you to dress in a tutu and run around to the pizza parlor where Goth works. Hold up a sign and scream "Kiss me, I'm Santa!" Raven deadpanned. The color in Robin's face drained. Beast Boy was already rolling on the floor. Robin took off his mask, not letting us catch a glimpse of his eyes, and slid a pair of sunglasses on. There was no way he'd be caught as Robin in public. He departed, and Cyborg activated a camera at the pizza parlor to watch the scene unfold on the television screen. The metal man sat back on the couch with popcorn.

"May I ask…who is "Goth"?" I questioned.

"I don't know his real name." Raven spoke up. "I met him at a party downtown before you showed up. Star fire's sister dragged us to it. Beast Boy gave him the nickname."

"Kiss me, I'm Santa!" Robin shrieked. All eyes in the parlor turned to him. Cyborg pointed to a young man in black behind the cash register.

"There he is!" Cyborg yelled, sending popcorn to the floor.

"Gotta love the crazies." Goth muttered. Robin ran out of the place in a flash. People were left in the shop with puzzled expressions. They were muttering to one another about the strange appearance.

Once Robin arrived, he received a few "high fives" and teasing jokes. He went to his room to change and returned. The game went on- uneventful, for the most part- until Beast Boy picked me.

"Seeing as I don't want to degrade myself, I'll go with truth." Cyborg and Beast Boy rolled their eyes.

"Name all the girls you've ever kissed." I saw Raven nearly drop her soda out of the corner of my eye. No one noticed. Only as I thought of the question did I realize how many girls I'd actually kissed.

"Cassandra, Mary, Colette, Merris, and…" I hesitated before adding the last name. I looked at Robin. This kid was quite a pain… "Raven." Everyone glared at me but Raven.

"YOU KISSED RAVEN?" Robin blurted, throwing his arms into the air in rage. "YOU SON OF A BITCH!" In less than a second, he was on top of me, punching my face and stomach. I felt something hot flow down my face. This little kid had given me a bloody nose! "WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU? WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN?" He stopped long enough to let me see everyone's faces. They were a mixture of anger toward me and shock because of Robin. He moved back in with another punch, but a gray hand held him back.

"STOP!" Raven yelled, yanking Robin off of me. Robin struggled. I stood up and looked at him with hate in my eyes.

"It's not like she's marked as yours!" I retorted.

"She's not marked as yours either!"

"Oh! My apologies! I forgot you two were secretly dating!" Our audience's eyes grew a bit wider.

"We are! So what?" Robin exclaimed, breaking free and tackling me again. The onlookers gasped and made inaudible comments. I flipped him off of me so I landed on top of him.

"You're weak!" I barked. "Easily bested by someone who relies on magic! How pathetic!"

"Asshole!" Robin roared, flipping us again, throwing a punch. I caught his fist. We were again flipped over and I punched him for a change. I stopped when his nose began to bleed. I held his hands above his head.

"How could she fall for you? You're a child!" I scoffed. "You could never understand her! You could never understand what hell her life has been!"

"And you can?"

"YES, ROBIN! I CAN!" I roared, drawing back for another punch. The same gray hands caught me. She dragged me away from her boyfriend.

"Stop!" Raven said again. "Please! Stop!" I kept up the struggle. Robin jumped up to attack, only to be held back by Cyborg.

"You'll regret this, Malchior!" Robin yelled as Raven dragged me toward the door.

"I'm terrified!" I shouted back, anger covering the sarcasm.

How Raven dragged me all the way to my room while I struggled, I haven't the faintest idea. She slammed the door with her foot and pushed me onto the bed. I turned over to see her standing in the middle of the room, sobbing uncontrollably. A lamp exploded due to her powers, making her sob harder. What had I done? It was only a stupid game; I could have easily lied and they would never know. But, no. I had to be Malchior. I had to rub anything and everything into everyone's face. I had to brag. I had to be so great.

I made my way over to her, pulling her close. A familiar sense occurred to me as she pushed me back. I felt a great pain in my chest from her strength.

"Leave me alone!" And with that, my dear Raven whirled about and ran from the room.

………………………………...

A/N: I had to get a fight in there somewhere…especially if Malchior wins the vote.

Thankies for reading, but the reviewers are my favorite people!