30Kisses Theme Ficlets
Robin/Raven
By Kysra
Theme #13 (excessive chain): Break
Jagged, swirling, the red lines of her birthmarks twisting down and across her body, luminous against the pale ash of her skin and the black of her leotard. Red as blood. Tattooed and burning into her flesh. The only visible stamp of the heritage given her by her father.
The pull had always been there, wrapped around her neck like a too-tight collar attached to a too-long chain. She had sought to stretch that leash to the brink, running away to Earth where she could galvanize a force against him.
But she couldn't outrun his influence, the hold he had on her mind.
The red markings staining, marring her seemingly flawless cold exterior were more than the symbols of his presence inside her mind. They were a claim upon her soul. They were a sign of possession. They were a brand. Not just a daughter, she would be his slave.
Her knuckles kissed the glass of her full-length mirror, breaking the fragile surface, and she watched - numb - as the silvery fragments flashed and collapsed to the ground at her feet. Her knuckles now matched her palms, red as blood, torn and bleeding.
"Raven?"
Her eyes turned to see him, a hulking dark shadow spanning her doorway.
"Robin."
"I heard something break. Are you alright?"
She turned back to her distorted reflection as the red faded, leaving only the imprint of an after-image upon her retinas.
"I'm fine."
And she hoped he believed her this time, because she had no more room to run, and she wasn't strong enough to break the chain.