Despite Raven's best efforts to put on her own clothes, Slade insisted she wear one of his shirts. Something about a rite of passage and mark of pride according to him, but she was pretty confident it was because his shirt only barely touched her thighs, and she didn't have anything to wear beneath it. Now, she was sitting on a stool in his kitchen, watching him start coffee and tea.
"Where's Wintergreen?" Raven asked him, wondering why she hadn't seen the older man at all since their dinner last night.
Slade shrugged. "Around somewhere, I imagine he'll find us shortly."
On cue, Wintergreen stepped inside of the kitchen. "Good afternoon, you two," he said, a sly smile on his face as he took the pair in: Raven, sitting in only a t-shirt at the counter, and Slade, pouring coffee in only his sweatpants. Even to his aging eyes, he could clearly see the bite marks on both their necks, and he appreciated the way the two seemed to always be watching the other. In all his memory, Wintergreen couldn't recall ever seeing Slade appear so at ease, and while he wasn't as familiar with the young woman being handed a cup of tea, he was sure the small smile on her face wasn't one often seen.
Raven blushed at Wintergreen's insightful look, wishing she had protested more against not wearing her leotard. Shifting on her stool, she tried harder to pull down the shirt but to no avail. Slade watched her try to wriggle the shirt further down and smirked when it nearly snapped higher up and revealed even more. Walking around the counter, he handed her the finished cup of tea and laid his hand on the tops of her thighs, causing the shirt to ride up a little more.
Stop it, Raven pushed into his mind, trying to swat away his hand.
Slade's response was to settle behind her and put both palms on her thighs, rubbing up and down.
Groaning, Raven put one of her small palms on top his hands, trying to keep them in place. If he wasn't going to behave, she would at least try to prevent him from making her flash Wintergreen by accident. "Good afternoon, Wintergreen," Raven said tightly, still attempting to keep Slade's hands still. "Thank you again for the dinner last night; it was delicious."
"Of course, Miss Raven. Is there anything I can provide for you now? Breakfast or lunch perhaps?"
The thought of food made her stomach rumble, and Raven realized just how hungry she really was. Behind her, Slade chuckled and rubbed her belly. "It seems Raven has expended her energy," Slade said, amused. "Breakfast, if you would."
With a polite nod, Wintergreen got to work. Raven felt guilty having the old butler cook for her, but she also had a feeling he would be offended if she tried to do it herself. "Thank you," she said to him as Wintergreen started pulling out various ingredients from the fridge.
"It is my pleasure. Is there anything you would like specifically?"
Raven shifted in her seat at the question, not used to being catered to. Normally, she just ate whatever terrible cooking she or the other Titans made for the shared meal. Between Starfire's mustard-covered mystery foods and Changeling's bland tofu, she normally ended up having tea and toast. "Um… pancakes?"
Nodding, Wintergreen gathered a few more items and bowls and began working on the request. Behind her, Slade was smirking at how surreal the scene was. Raven sitting in his home, wearing his shirt, and asking for a meal from his butler—how quickly their situation had changed. How long ago had it been since they had encountered each other in that factory? Nine days? Granted, she had been on his mind long before returning to Jump City, but he was still surprised by how easily the young heroine had come to trust him. Really, he hadn't even had to try that hard to seduce her. Not that he was going to question it. Having her around calmed him; her presence tempered his need for action, and, of course, he thoroughly enjoyed having her in his bed.
Slade turned Raven in her stool, keeping his hands on her thighs, and pulled her up from her seat, into his chest. She followed his lead without any protest as she was growing very accustomed to Slade's dominant handling. It might have bothered her before, but, now, the confidence and authority of his actions were bothering her in a very different way. Everything about Slade radiated dominance, and Raven was discovering more and more how much she admired it. There was comfort and assurance in that commanding aura of his, and after spending all night and morning with him, Raven was now sure that was the source of the content warmth that spread over her every time she thought of him. The fire that ignited in her was different—that was all lust and desire, but the calmness he brought to her mind was all from that powerful warmth.
He led her back out onto the balcony they had eaten on last night, and Raven was surprised to see that the numerous candles had been removed. Now, it just looked like an ordinary patio set. She assumed Wintergreen had cleaned it, and she felt badly again that the old man had spent his morning cleaning up after them. Especially when Raven could have cleared the balcony with a flick of her wrist.
"It's his job, Raven," Slade said exasperated, sensing her guilt. It was as easy for him to tap into her mind as it was for her, and he found himself often opening that door between them, trying to read the girl who'd mastered her neutral mask. He brought her to a chair, but instead of pulling out the seat for her, he sat down himself and pulled her onto his lap.
Huffing, Raven crossed her arms and pouted. "I still feel bad."
Slade set his chin on her shoulder, giving her a kiss on the neck. "I can tell," he deadpanned. His blue eye lazily scanned her skin, pleasantly surprised to see her body had not yet healed all of the marks on her neck and thighs. His finger traced mindless patterns between the ones he could see on her legs, causing goosebumps to rise on her skin.
Raven enjoyed the gentle touch on her legs as her eyes stared at the skyline. Jump City was gleaming in the distance, and her home stood proudly in the bay, light glinting off the many windows and steel frame. She wondered what the other Titans were doing. She trusted Starfire to keep her absence unnoticed, but part of her worried that they had found out she was gone anyway. What if there had been an attack? What if they had needed her and she wasn't there for them? If they had been hurt while she was here, with Slade, Raven wasn't sure she could forgive herself.
Muscles tensed beneath Raven's grey skin and Slade followed her eye to Titans Tower. Always in the way, he thought bitterly. Slade again opened the connection between them, feeling a slight resistance as Raven's doubts clouded her mind and tried coaxing her worries. It was easy to find the source of her unease. He knew it was related to the Titans, but he was surprised when he realized it was because she worried for their safety without her. Twirling a lock of purple hair around one of his fingers, he managed to grab Raven's attention and gave her a self-satisfied grin.
"What are you so smug about?" she questioned, her eyes narrowing suspiciously.
"Don't worry about your little friends, Raven," he purred. "I assure you last night Jump City was the quietest it's been in years. In fact, it was so quiet, I'm surprised no one heard you from here."
Flushing, Raven rolled her eyes before piercing him with a curious glare. "And how would you know that?"
Slade grinned wider. "Because I made sure of it. Did you really think I was going to risk some idiot criminal ruin my plans for you last night? I couldn't have you flying off to play hero in the middle of our fun now, could I?"
Raven's eyes widened in shock. "You…?"
"Told everyone worthy of Titan attention that if they so much as breathed outside after the sun set, I would be paying them a personal visit, yes," Slade finished for her. "Let's just say that was enough to keep everyone on their best behavior."
Raven's jaw was slack as she stared at him. "You put the entire Jump City criminal underworld on pause just so you could sleep with me?"
A dark chuckle escaped Slade as his blue eye glinted. "Oh, sweet little bird, I put the criminal underworld of every Titan-occupied city on hold. Whether it was Titans East or the other random strays you lot have made honorary Titans. No one was going to be calling on you last night."
"…fuck," Raven said under her breath. She didn't doubt he had the reputation to pull it off in Jump, but given his absence from the city in recent years, she was a little taken aback by how easily that reputation still held among the underworld. And not just here in Jump, either. In a twisted way, his control over the city turned her on. But then, Raven's brow came together, and she snapped her eyes to his.
"And, what, you couldn't have made your request earlier in the day? Adonis nearly killed Changeling!"
Slade gave Raven a bored look.
Right, she reminded herself, he doesn't care about that.
"And me!" Raven added in a huff, putting one of her hands to her ribs which had been broken in the fight.
"Yes, he did, didn't he?" Slade grumbled, his eye flashing. Watching that fight had been difficult for him, and he remembered the frustration he felt seeing the way Raven was fighting. "But he wouldn't have if you hadn't been holding yourself back," he said sharply. Reliving the moment, he was angry at Raven for letting that fool get the better of her, but he would by lying if he didn't admit he also wanted Adonis dead for touching her. Yesterday, Slade would have settled for beating the man to a pulp, but, today, he was quite certain that if he saw Adonis, Slade would kill him.
Raven was able to feel every emotion running through her new lover, and she pulled away from him slightly. "You're mad at me? For what? Losing a fight?" she asked incredulously.
Slade's lips were thin, and he brought her body back close to his, despite her straining against his arms. "For losing a fight you didn't have to lose. I saw you that morning, Raven, you could have ended it with a snap of your fingers. Instead, you needlessly put yourself—and your friends," he added, even if he didn't give a damn about them, "in more danger by dragging it out."
"I can't unleash all my power, Slade, I told you that!"
Slade rolled his eyes. "Please, little bird, even a quarter of your power would have finished that idiot. You were being soft, afraid of your own abilities. You let it carry on when you had every chance to put a stop to it."
Raven's teeth were gritted, her fists clenching and pushing against Slade trying to make some distance between them as he spoke. She hated hearing the words he said, even if she knew that he wasn't entirely wrong. With one last fruitless shove, she relented in his hold and turned her face away, shouting out, "I couldn't!"
Immediately, Slade regretted pushing her on the subject. She was refusing to meet his eye, and the sadness and fear in her was palpable. With a soft and gentle touch, he pulled her chin around to face him once more. Her purple eyes were sad, confused, and held mild hurt. Sighing, he kissed her softly on the lips and was happy when she returned the gesture. He hadn't meant to upset her, but he also wouldn't take back his words.
Just then, Wintergreen came onto the balcony with a tray of food, much like he had the night before. Setting it on the table, Slade nodded his thanks and made a fast gesture with his hand to indicate a quick exit. His old friend shot a concerned glance to the woman on Slade's lap but said nothing and made a hasty retreat.
With a long, deep breath, Raven steadied herself and began to explain. "I couldn't," she said in a voice just above a whisper. "I was distracted when I showed up downtown. I'd… I had a bad meditation experience earlier, and I was having a hard time controlling my emotions. At first, things were normal, but," she looked at him for a long moment, part of her hating to say the words again, "you were right. I was trying to take him down without any injury. Because I waited, Changeling and I were both hurt. When Adonis hit me, I had to heal myself. Doing it that way—that quickly—it requires all my focus. While I was down, I felt…" Raven trailed off, the thoughts and feelings she'd absorbed haunting her.
"I felt everything everyone around me was thinking and feeling. It was… not great. Adonis…," Raven looked away from Slade, not wanting to see his face when she admitted what she had found in Adonis's mind, "let's just say he wanted to do a lot more than knock me around."
Slade kept his face calm and tried to blocking Raven from reading him. I'll be paying him a visit later, Slade thought, recalling where the younger villain liked to hide out with ease.
"But the worst," Raven continued, her eyes coming back to Slade, "were the spectators. When they saw me on the ground, crushed and bleeding, they were relieved. It didn't matter how much I was holding back; they still thought they were safer with me out of the picture. After that, I stopped the healing process, and I had to block out my emotions completely. I was losing control. My mind was fighting against me, and when I tried to stop Adonis, I…"
"You couldn't," Slade finished. "I saw you try to lift the grate. I just assumed that was because of the injuries you sustained."
Raven shook her head. "No, it was me. My powers and emotions are tied together. To be in control of my power, I have to be able to control my emotions, but when I shut them out, I couldn't do anything. The only reason I was able to stop Adonis was because Rage slipped out." Raven laughed once, her eyes dark. "Who would've thought I'd be grateful to her for breaking free?"
Slade considered her carefully. "You speak of your emotions as if they are separate entities."
At his question, Raven smiled shyly, moving hair behind her ear. "In a way they are. That mediation session I did that went wrong? It wasn't your average meditation. I have a mirror that can take me to a physical manifestation of my mind where I can confront my emotions as if they are real beings. Even without the mirror, though, I can hear and visualize them in my mind."
"Fascinating," Slade murmured, trying to envision what such a place would look like.
Raven smiled, her mood lifting slightly. "It's pretty annoying, actually. Some of them never shut up."
Hey! I know you're talking about me, Passion grumbled right on cue.
"So, this failed mediation, you were attempting to confront your emotions?" Slade asked.
Raven nodded. "Yes. Usually, it helps me process difficult moments. Moments where I feel out of control. But when I went in yesterday, something happened that never happened before. It was like I was shoved out of my own mind. None of my personified selves would speak to me, and when I tried going back in, the mirror rejected me."
Slade's brow was furrowed. He didn't fully understand the magic of this mirror Raven spoke of, but the bond between them made it obvious to him how concerning the experience was for her. "Do they speak to you now?"
Raven gave him a startled glance. It was an intuitive question to ask, and it made her feel like he had truly listened to everything she told him about Nevermore. "Some of them have started to. Mostly…" Raven trailed off, her face blushing bright red. She could not tell him one of her clones was Passion.
Um, you absolutely can. Tell my man EXACTLY who I am, Passion purred.
"Well, it doesn't matter which one, but a few have made themselves known to me again."
Slade's mouth quirked at the sudden flush on Raven's face. "Then, you should try again," he stated, matter-of-factly. "And I'll help."
"What?" Raven exclaimed. "How are you going to help?"
Slade grinned. "Are you the only one that can enter this mirror?"
Raven shifted on his lap. "Well… no, but—"
"Then it's settled," he said surely. "I will go with you, and we can deal with whatever it is together."
OH MY GOD, Passion screamed, beginning to run circles in her mind and grabbing any of the other emoticlones she could find and shaking them vigorously, SLADE'S COMING!
Raven's heart stopped beating for a second as she stared at him in bewilderment. "Way to just invite yourself into my mind," she snapped.
When he replied with a smug smile, Raven guessed his next move. As his voice echoed in her thoughts, she rolled her eyes.
I'm already here, little bird, Slade interjected into her mind.
"That's not the same," Raven muttered as she faced the table and began piling pancakes onto a plate.
Slade was chuckling, reaching around her and filling up a plate of his own with the eggs and bacon Wintergreen had brought out. "Given how disturbed you were by your last attempt, would you really rather do it alone?" he asked her.
Raven frowned as she added a bit of fruit to her breakfast. "No," she finally grumbled. I'm never going to get used to admitting when he's right, she thought to herself.
"I didn't think so," Slade said cheerily.
Looking at him from the corner of her eye, Raven's smile twisted into a smirk, and she flicked her hand, sending a black-covered syrupy pancake sailing into his face. Roaring with laughter, Raven was holding her chest as the pancake fell unceremoniously from his now sticky face.
Slade licked his lips, tasting the syrup and opened his good eye to glare at the enchantress on his lap laughing hysterically. "Cute," he growled at her. He watched her cut a piece of her pancake, still laughing, and raise it to her lips, thoroughly pleased with herself as she ate. Feeling the sticky sugary substance still on his skin, Slade grinned and as she went for her next bite, he brought her face around to his, slamming a heavy kiss on her lips before nuzzling her face, neck and hair with as much vigor as he could.
"Hey!" she cried out as the syrup stuck to her. "My hair!" she shouted as Slade just laughed, satisfied with his revenge. "Ugh!" she tore her head away from his, trying to wipe away the syrup but only succeeding in spreading it around.
With a sly smile, Slade turned to finish his meal. "Guess we'll need to have a shower before you go," Slade winked at her when she'd given up trying to wipe off the mess.
Raven paused in grabbing another napkin, a blush coming to her cheeks and an excited glint in her eyes. "Together?" she asked, her voice betraying her hope.
Slade scoffed. "It's hilarious you think I'd let you shower by yourself."
Raven smirked, turning back to her meal, and if Slade didn't know any better, he would have said the young Titan ate her food as if she had somewhere very important to be and was already late.
A/N: I'm so looking forward to the Slade in Nevermore chapter, and I hope you all are too! There's one more chapter before we get there, but the pace is going to really be picking up after this.