He's in the med bay.
He knows this before he opens his eyes because it smells heavily of pine. It's a scent Cyborg strings around the med bay whenever Garfield lands there because the scent of antiseptic burns his sensitive nostrils. That and the itchy blankets tell him exactly where he is.
"Where's Raven?" he asks. Starfire twirls around from where she was opening the curtains.
"Oh friend, you are awake!" Starfire exclaims. Garfield nods impatiently.
"Yeah Star. Where's Raven?" he asks again. Starfire puts her fingers to her lips.
"Nightwing and Cyborg are looking for her now."
"Looking for her?" Garfield asks. Starfire nods once.
"Friend Raven has been taken."
Sticky. It's the first thing she registers. The corner of her lips were sticky with thick, hot saliva. She shifts her right arm with the intention of wiping the substance off her cheek but the movement causes her left shoulder to burn with such a searing intensity that her fingers fall limply against...against pavement? She moves her fingertips gently over the ridges of the surface below her. Pavement. She feels her eyebrows crinkle.
"I never thought I'd get to watch you wake up again," a voice sings. Her eyes flutter open; her vision is a jigsaw of splotches with soft edges. She blinks a couple of times bringing a pair of hazel eyes into focus.
"Augustine?" she asks. She winces as she tries to sit up.
She doesn't know the exact moment that she realizes. He has the same eyes and hair as the youthful, enthusiastic Augustine. But his smile doesn't blanket his body like Augustine's did. It's crooked and wrong. He doesn't have to say anything. She knows with her full being.
"Malchior."
The crooked smile widens.
"A completely different corporeal form and you still recognize me. Our souls must be tethered."
Raven looks at the power canceling cuffs around her wrists and folds over slightly.
"...how-"
"How am I still alive after you viciously ripped my soul from my body?" he asks. Seeing Augustine's lips moving but Malchior's words come out of them makes Raven feel like the ground is shifting beneath her. She may have a head injury.
"Did you really think I would let anyone bind me to something ever again? Only a fool would fall for the same trick three times."
"What choice did you even have in the matter?"
"I always have a choice, my little bird. Or at least a spell," Malchior grins, rubbing his hands. "I'm the only one who can bind my soul to something from now on."
"That's not within your control." Malchior kneels on the floor, close to where Raven's body lays on the pavement.
"Trying to tether me to a piece of clay was beyond your control. But I know more than you. I've lived longer," Malchior hums, running a finger softly over Raven's cuffs. He hooks his fingers beneath the edge of them and pulls her forward until their foreheads are practically touching. "You will never be rid of me."
Raven swings her feet up between him and kicks him so hard she falls back on her back. She quickly tries to stabilize herself again looking around to find clues about where they were. The ceiling was high and it was dim. All the walls were cement. It looked like a basement of some kind.
Suddenly she feels a burning in her scalp. Her head is yanked backwards as Malchior tangles his fingers in her hair. She feels the muscles in her neck strain.
"How did you do it?" she asks, breathing heavily. He tugs at the root of her hair again, moving so close to her face that she can feel his breath on her lips and smell the blood running down his chin.
"Let's just say that I have-" Malchior pauses, running his finger over the corner of her lips. "-lubricated my soul. You may have detached my soul from my body but you were never able to completely bind it to anything. I just had to choose a body donor."
"You possessed Augustine's body."
"You've always been so quick," Malchior says sarcastically, tapping Raven's head with his other hand. "I wanted to inhabit your green friend but he's a little unstable, that one, huh?"
"He was stable enough to kick your ass," Raven spits. Malchior pulls her hair so hard she sees stars.
"I can't tell if you want to kill her or kiss her," Jacob's voice calls from behind the pair. Malchior looks behind him briefly before returning his attention to the sorceress.
"I want to ruin her. However I can make that happen," Malchior says. Raven feels fire bloom in her chest as the dragon's eyes trail down her body.
"Well, you're behind my brother in the long line of heathens who want front row seats to my sister's demise," Jacob says. Malchior aggressively rubs the blood off his chin with his sleeve. Malchior digs his fingernails into Raven's chin.
"Enough with the gratuitous violence. It's not a part of the plan," Jacob grumbles, using his dark energy to push Malchior away from his sister. Malchior gather's up Jacob's shirt in his fists. Jacob stands, unimpressed. He would roll his eyes, if he didn't need full eye contact for what he is about to say. He grabs both of Malchior's wrists.
"Is this the wisest choice for you, dragon?"
"You moved me without my consent."
"Yes, because you are a patron of consent," Jacob says sarcastically.
"And you are?" Malchior asks with a stabbing grin. Jacob tightens his hold on Malchior's wrists, disentangling the dragon's fingers from his shirt roughly.
"Your control over this corporeal form is a toppling lego tower at best. Think very carefully. Are you sincerely prepared to challenge me right now?" Jacob asks, letting go of Malchior's wrists. Malchior narrows his eyes at Jacob before dropping his hands to his sides. Jacob nods, sidestepping the dragon. He pauses when he recognizes Raven's full attention on him.
"I got you out of that tower," Malchior grumbles.
"So you agree? Your purpose here is done," Jacob says, not breaking eye contact with his sister.
"If your aim is to protect the witch; you do not understand the plan."
"My aim is to make sure we accomplish this cleanly," Jacob says.
"Nothing about our plan or our goal is clean," Malchior says. Jacob shrugs, moving to sit on a cot in the corner of the room. Raven looks at the other half-made cots around the room. Her eyes shift over the wet spots on the ground. She sees a rat scurry behind Malchior.
"This is where they've been staying?" Raven says.
"Don't even try to find out clues about where you've been taken, witch-" Malchior begins.
"Yes, this is where they've been staying," Jacob says, folding his hands over his knees. Malchior snaps his head at Lust.
"Should I make a landing pad for the Titans as well?" Malchior asks Jacob sarcastically. Jacob narrows his eyes at him before looking behind the warlock at Raven.
"You fell for this guy?" Jacob asks, gesturing loosely to the man.
"We all make mistakes in our youth," Raven says with a shrug.
"You little-" Malchior attempts to lunge at Raven. With a simple wiggle of his fingers, Malchior is encapsulated in black energy and removed from the room.
"Impressive," Raven says. Jacob shrugs, leaning back on his arms.
"You can't do that?"
"I can, but it took me a while to figure out."
Jacob wipes his palms on his jeans.
"...how about you?"
"What?" Jacob asks.
"Did it take you a long time to figure out your powers?"
"I can fix it!" Jacob says, rushing the words out before Dal has a chance to close the door in his face. It's been two days since their neighbor's rape.
"I swear. I can fix it," he continues when he notices Dal's hesitation; the Korean-American's hands hang limply at his side. Jacob dares to grab Dal's wrists.
"Do you even know how?" Dal asks, not making any attempts to remove his wrists from Jacob's grip. Jacob lifts one of Dal's hands up to his mouth pressing a firm and slow kiss just below his thumb. Dal finds himself leaning into the half-demon's lips. He shakes his head, pulling away suddenly.
"Jacob," he warns. Jacob runs a hand over his head, releasing both of Dal's wrists.
"I can figure it out," the half demon says. "I-I can meditate. That's what Raven says works for her."
Dal doesn't question why the purple haired Titan girl is brought up again. He also doesn't mention that the sorceress' control that Jacob so admires looks precarious at best. He doesn't understand why Jacob feels so connected to her but he can sense she's important.
"How can you even know if her strategies will work with you?"
"I don't! But I can try," Jacob says. Dal assesses Jacob's tense shoulders and darting eyes. He looks frenzied, like a dog that's been backed into a corner.
"And you'll help me?" Jacob asks, putting his wide eyes on Dal.
Dal's throat tightens uncomfortably.
"Mmhmm," he says, lips tight.
He means it as much as he possibly can.
"Hey, check this out," Jacob says as soon as Dal opens the door. Dal looks over the groceries that are nearly toppling out of the paper bag he's carrying. Jacob, who is standing fifteen feet away from him, uses his powers to lift the heavy bag out of Dal's arms. Dal looks around the apartment. At the pepper shaker that is dangling over the pan of scrambled eggs. At the bacon turning itself on their griddle. At the groceries putting themselves away.
"You're getting better at that," he comments, reaching for the paper shaker that is dangling in mid-air. "But you know I don't like pepper in my eggs."
"I'm trying to refine your taste buds."
"You ate an entire bag of tortilla chips and salsa for dinner last night."
"Surprisingly not the only thing I ate last night," Jacob says with a wink, carefully dropping all the items floating around them.
"Yes, I too am surprised that I was attracted to you after such a show."
Jacob traps Dal between the counter and his body.
"Were you really that surprised?" Jacob lilts, gripping the counter behind Dal. Jacob lowers his nose to Dal's neck.
"Shocked," Dal says monotonously, shoving Jacob away. Jacob chuckles, taking the eggs off the burner.
"You know, you are very good at hiding the fact that you want me as much as I want you," Jacob says, grinning. Dal raises an eyebrow. "I can sense it."
"Right."
"Is something wrong?"
Dal shifts his feet a little bit, moving the eggs around in the pan with his fork.
"You got really good at all the dark energy stuff," Dal says, gesturing to objects that were no longer floating. Jacob nods.
"And?"
"And I was just wondering about the whole lust thing."
"...the whole lust thing?"
Dal drops his fork, looking Jacob in the eye.
"Yes."
"You want to know if anyone else has been raped because of me?"
Dal flinches at the word choice but pushes forward.
"I want to know how you're doing."
Jacob pulls his bottom lip into his mouth, nodding a few times.
"Consistent sex helps."
"Don't joke around about this Jacob."
"I'm not."
Dal pops a piece of scrambled egg in his mouth. He doesn't taste it.
"Jacob, you know I can't have sex with you every time you sense someone around us gets a boner, right?"
Jacob doesn't say anything, opting to fiddle with some of the groceries that haven't been put away.
"I have a job, Jacob. I can't always be around."
"You hate your job."
"That's not…the point."
"Why do you even work there? Why don't you start the bakery you always talked about starting when we were kids?"
"Jacob, that's not what we're talking about right now. I can't have sex with you all the time. Tell me you know this?" Dal asks again, trying to capture Jacob's eyes. Jacob looks at him again.
"I'm working on it okay. No one's been hurt yet," Jacob says.
Dal doesn't say anything but for the first time he wonders if Jacob would always be dangling on the edge of a cliff.
And if he'd always have to be the one to pull him back up.
"Do you ever get mad about how we grew up?"
"You mean in foster care?" Dal asks, looking at Jacob over the rim of his piping hot ginger tea.
"...yeah."
Dal knows instantly that he's not on the same page as Jacob in this conversation but there are some understandings he'll never be able to reach with human DNA. He takes a sip of his tea.
"Was it ideal? No. But our childhoods weren't exactly in our control. There was nothing we could have done to change them. Holding all that anger won't bring us any closer to the lives we want to live."
"And your life is in your control now?" Jacob asks. Dal puts his mug on the table.
"Most of the time, yeah," Dal says, getting up to pour his tea into the sink.
Minutes go by.
Then hours.
Then days.
Both men are aware that Dal never asks Jacob the same question.
Dal has been sick with the flu all week. The nightstand is filled with used tissues and empty soup containers. Sweat has caused pimples to form on his normally clear face.
He's almost asleep which is miraculous considering he can't breathe out of his nose and it's irritated from all the rubbing. All he can wish for is more than three consecutive hours tonight.
His body is beginning to relax when he feels wet lips smash onto his own. He jolts up, pushing at the person on top of him.
"What the-Jacob?" he asks, rubbing his lips. He looks at the clock on his nightstand. It's 1:35 am. He can feel Jacob's erection pressing against him through the blankets. The half demon is currently trailing frenzied kisses down his neck. He pushed at Jacob's shoulders.
"What are you doing here? Your shift isn't over until 5 am today," Dal asks. Jacob had taken an overnight stocking job at a local department store. Jacob presses his lips roughly against Dal's again, threading his fingers through his hair and tugging slightly. Dal panics as he struggles to take a breath. He shoves the half demon away again.
"Jacob, I'm sick. I still can't breathe properly," Dal says firmly. Jacob finally moves far away enough for Dal to be able to look him in the eyes. He isn't really focusing on Dal's face; his eyes look watery and cloudy. His pupils have swallowed up the whole of his irises.
"Someone was having sex around you?" Dal asks. The rough way Jacob rubs a hand over his face is the only response Dal needs. He feels his entire body grow hot.
"I haven't been able to sleep for five days, Jacob! What did you think? You were going to come here for a quickie during your lunch break and we'd move forward?" Dal asks, his body temperature only rising when he realizes that Jacob can only half comprehend what he's saying. He shoves the demon's shoulder trying to shake the lust out of him so that he'd listen.
"Jonah and Diandra were having sex in the employees lounge."
"Jacob. I literally can't fucking breathe!"
"Dal, I can't fuckimg breathe!" Jacob screams so loud that Dal flinches away from him. He's afraid Jacob will rip his own hair out by its roots.
"Jacob, I can't do this anymore," he says, immediately feeling a sting in his eyes. Jacob's hands fall limply on his side.
"What?" Jacob mumbles. Dal feels all the words he wants to scream at the half demon clog up his throat. He tries his best to string enough words together through his jumbled thoughts so he can express how he's feeling clearly.
"I'm sick Jacob. You're using me," he says, feeling tears run down his face. He puts a hand over his eyes, his body doubling over. Jacob reaches for Dal's wrists.
"No. I love you," Jacob says, trying to press a kiss below Dal's thumb. Dal rips his hands aways.
"This is hard. Life was hard when my parents were deported. Life was hard when I had to figure out how to pay for college. Life was hard when I figured out I was bisexual. This is fucking hard Jacob. This is fucking hard," Dal cries, gripping his comforter in his fists. His whole body is shaking.
"What are you saying?" Jacob asks.
"I don't know how to help you, Jacob. And I love you," Dal looks up at Jacob. "I really love you," he emphasizes. Snot is dripping down his nose at this point. He grabs a tissue from the nightstand, grateful that something will take his eyes off of Jacob's shattered expression.
"I need you to leave," he says, his words muffled by his tissue. He can't look up.
Minutes pass by.
"...you really want me to leave?" Jacob asks, voice low.
No, he doesn't want that.
"Yes."
"I've never really learned how to control my powers. Dal met his wife at a work dinner a couple months after that conversation," Jacob says with a shrug.
"But you've met Cris before?"
"Dal never really wanted me to leave his life completely."
The smile Jacob sends her is bitter.
"And what? You think burning the whole world to the ground is going to make him want to be with you again?" Raven asks, head tilted to the side. She isn't trying to goad him.
It's a genuine question.
"I don't care who he's with Raven."
Jacob gives her a genuine answer.
Wrath walks in an hour later, when Raven is drifting off into sleep. She wakes herself up when his shadow looms over her. Relaxed as always, he stands with his hand behind his back, with the posture of a soldier. Raven looks up from where she's laying and moves to sit on her elbows. Until Wrath kicks her in the stomach so hard she is launched backwards two feet.
Her vision goes blurry. She tastes metallic as she struggles to get air to her lungs.
Wrath kicks her again.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Jacob yells, grabbing onto his brother, who is already moving to kick the sorceress again.
"Well we're not sitting and having a tea party," Wrath says in an even tone.
"Are you crazy? We need her alive!"
"Alive. Not unhurt."
"You would hit someone who is tied up?"
Wrath pauses.
"Your Korean friend dropped his son off at daycare exactly at 7:38 am this morning. He was running late." Wrath says. Raven gasps on the floor. Everything suddenly clicks together. She watches as Jacob looks away, lowering his arms away from Wrath.
Her brothers knew about Dal.
She braces herself as Wrath walks over to her in his calm and collected manner.