"Oh, really, Raven," he scolded, shaking his head. "If you have any dignity…"
He stood at the edge of the bed, masked in shadow but nothing else. She had been crying for quite a while now and, as much as he hated to admit it, he was feeling rather angry about it. Was he really that bad?
No, of course not. But, still, he didn't like the fact that he was actually considering his own flaws. It wasn't like she knew anything better than his touch, and it was a good one at that.
At the sound of his voice, she sniffed a few times, and heaved one last, heavy sob. Her tears sprinkled down her cheeks like rain, dampening the sheets.
Through bleary eyes she peered up at him, trying to see his revealed face. It was still too dark to tell, but she thought she saw the outline of his jagged hairstyle.
She shivered at the thought that a monster could have normal, human hair. It almost reminded her of Robin's.
She choked out a moan. The memories of her friends were too much.
It used to be so simple and normal: Catch the bad guy, save the day, have some pizza, fight with Beast Boy, sleep, and repeat. This was anything but mundane.
Trying to smother down her recollections, she focused intently on his face. Her mind and body became even more separated, they weren't even acquaintances. Her sorrow and disgust began to rise back in her throat, strangling her. Pain stung in her eyes, warning that she had just a few minutes to fight the uncharacteristic blubbering before it was unleashed.
She breathed in and out deeply, inhaling the subtle scent of the incense and sweat that mingled in the air. She didn't pay too close attention to the latter, knowing that would lead right to a path she couldn't face.
But, it kidnapped her attention and, before she could gasp, the night came flooding back in a panicked flash.
She had begged him.
He hadn't even cared.
Guilt plagued her thoughts because, once again, a small part of her enjoyed his close company. The way he could be so intimate didn't seem like it would correlate at all with the Slade her team fought against. But it did.
It was strange, painful, unique, and it confused her so much she wasn't sure where the line was anymore.
He was sadistic, but there was a softer side to him. She remembered how gently he kissed her, or barely even touched her with his icy fingers, afraid of his own strength.
Yet, there was also the darker side. Like when he finally recognized she could take the pain, and his wary caress became a death-grip, or his lips became a snarl.
She didn't know which feelings were real anymore.
How could she get out of this?
She was pregnant, he was the bad guy, but it was his child. If her team ever found her, what would happen? Would they kill Slade? Probably. Would they kill her child?
She bit her lip hard. It wasn't the baby's fault. Mindlessly, she pressed a hand to her ballooned stomach, rubbing it in small circles.
It was the product of something horrible, unspeakable. Just thinking about where the offspring came from was enough to make her vomit. Most people would think that way, and her team would be no exception- they may be far more volatile in their judgment.
Robin would want it destroyed, no doubt. Starfire would probably side with him, as would Cyborg.
But Beast Boy? She wasn't sure. She couldn't see him wanting to kill anyone, or even understanding the impact it would have.
And to be honest, she didn't know if she could kill anyone either. Why was it so easy to see Robin doing something like that?
And why could she see him getting away with it?
They couldn't take it. She could raise it to be good, just like her mother did with her.
She had come out of a worse situation, and had turned out alright, hadn't she? A Teen Titan and all. Why were they the high and mighty ones? Why were they entrusted to make this decision? It wasn't fair, and she knew it was true.
Her conviction spread through her like sin, and it turned to steel in her head. No one would harm her child while she had anything to do with it.
He kept his eye on her, watching. Her face had hardened immensely, her shoulders straightened up, and she firmly kept her hand rooted to her stomach. It wasn't hard to guess she had come to a decision about her situation.
And it was clear to see that she was slowly becoming more in line with him.
Gradually, the salty drops dried on her face, she had gotten over the initial effects. She hated Slade, at least she thought she did, but she had to keep the baby.
It would go against her very nature to destroy something that reminded her so much of herself. They both stared at one another: Her squinting in the dark at the glimmer of his eye, and him, seeing her in all her pregnant glory.
At last, her revulsion overran her vague contentment, and she sighed. She sat up carefully, looking down and away from him. He watched her more intently.
"So, have we learned a lesson here today?" he inquired evilly, inspecting her resolve.
His voice sounded so different without the mask, she was taken aback for a split second. It also surprised her that last night had been a consequence.
Stop thinking like that! she commanded herself.
She swallowed down a bubble of shame.
"Yes," she whispered, pulling the sheets tighter around her bare body to hide it.
He gave a tiny nod, looked her up and down once more, and then turned to get dressed. If she had any more fire left in her, she would have kicked his naked ass and make a run for the door.
But, she was getting fatter by the second, she was probably insane, and he would absolutely kill her if she tried.
It would be funny, though.
Mulling over this new plan, she cracked a smile, just thinking about him taken by surprise, his stupid, shocked face would be enough to get her through whatever he threw at her. Of course, she said that now, but when he was actually impaling her, or something along those lines, she wouldn't think it was so great…
Her fingers twitched ever so slightly, it was sorely tempting. She bit in the inside of her cheek to keep from giggling. It was getting harder not to cry out in a squeal of laughter.
Maybe she was going crazy.
She gripped the sheets, praying for him to pick up his clothes and get dressed faster before she lost it.
He heard her sharp intakes of breath, the rubbing of fabric, how she shifted her weight, and he couldn't understand why she was being so fidgety. Usually, she just acted melodramatic for the rest of the day, crying about her rotten luck in life.
He was getting more curious by the minute, and he desperately wanted to taunt or tease her somehow. If only he knew what she was thinking…
Instead, he snatched his shirt off the floor.
Her hiccup of a giggle rang out like church bells. In a flash, he turned around to face her, hardly believing it. It almost took him a full second to ask his usually snappy sarcastic question.
"Something funny?" he said, but even he could hear the uncertainty in his voice.
He saw her quivering lip, her eyes that were watering, but not from sadness, and finally how she held onto the covers for dear life. He cocked a brow.
She shook her head, like she was going to explode if she opened her mouth.
He was starting to get concerned.
"What?" he snapped, losing all patience for her behavior.
It was the pin on the grenade, and she planted her face into the bed and began laughing hysterically. She rolled onto her back after a few minutes and was gulping air frantically as she kicked her legs out. Her massive stomach bobbed playfully up and down, her hands still attached to it.
"I….I j-j-j-ust…" she managed to squeeze out, yet still too frenzied to say anything else.
He stared, dumbfounded and speechless.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity to him, she stopped and blew out a few more chuckles. She wiped her eyes, sat up straight, and looked up at him like nothing had transpired.
They stayed like that for a couple of heartbeats.
His chin was down in disbelief as he analyzed her. He ran a frigid hand through his tousled, black hair, and was about to stroke his chin before he realized he didn't have a goatee anymore. His hand awkwardly hanging in midair, he dropped it to his side, and settled for crossing his arms lazily across his impressive chest.
He had dropped his shirt when the whole thing happened, and remained, strikingly, exposed.
"Would you mind explaining to me, dear girl," he questioned, confidence back in stride. "The reason behind your… surprising bout of insanity?"
His threatening pose suggested that she answer carefully.
"Oh, just a joke," she replied sheepishly.
"Really?" he drawled in his most demeaning voice.
Blood flushed to her cheeks.
"Yes, really," she snapped, and immediately covered her mouth.
She was losing it….again. She peered up apologetically, wondering what her punishment was this time.
"Interesting," he pondered. "You would think that after your most recent transgression, you would be a little less dull… apparently not."
He took a menacing step toward her.
"No! Please!" she begged. "I don't know what came over me! I feel weird…"
He stopped dead in his tracks and she thought he had actually listened to her for once. Relief swelled inside her.
That is, until he ran forward and picked her up, sheets and all, and sprinted out the door.
"What's goi-?" she wondered.
"Quiet!" he growled, his voice just above a whisper.
He had heard the footsteps as clear as day. They clicked loudly on the marble floor, and he knew he only had seconds until he was found with the girl. He assumed his hideout was impenetrable, but he was mistaken again.
Anger building like lava in his chest, he wondered when he would ever take the Titans seriously. How could they be so pathetic against every other villain but somehow become the Justice League when it concerned him?
His hatred spurred him forward faster, they were almost to the end of the hallway, but it was a much longer journey to find his backup lair.
He was a phantom, silent as a shadow as he whisked her from her rescuers. He could almost smell Robin.
Part of him wanted to stand still, wait for the boy wonder to slip around the corner, and then rip his head clean off his shoulders. It was a deliriously tempting thought. But, that meant he would have to put the girl down, and that was never going to happen.
He was perfect, sprinting at his speed through the dark, but unfortunately the Titans had a mutt on their side, and he could not mask his scent.