After helping Titans East overcome and jail Plasmus, Robin and Raven had headed back home to Jump immediately, missing the familiarity of their own tower and teammates.

Raven now sat in her favorite teashop, tucked away in a cozy corner where she could sip her drink in peace. The curls of steam from the hot liquid warmed her cheeks.

She hadn't brought a book with her this evening. Instead, she gazed out the darkened window and watched a storm bluster through the city. Rain was lashing against the panes; each drop struck the glass with soft ping, together making a dull roar that echoed throughout the air.

As the empath stared out into the torrential downpour, she saw a lone figure walking past, hands shoved deep into his pockets and jacket collar turned up against the rain. His sopping, black hair was plastered down against his head, water streaming off the tips of the strands.

Raven stood quickly, nearly knocking over her cup of hot tea. She could pick that profile out of a lineup—which luckily, she hadn't yet had to do.

Squeezing her way through the crowded shop, she hurried to get to the exit before he disappeared around the corner.

The sorceress pushed open the door and stepped out underneath the awning just as the figure was walking past. She stood, dry and illuminated by the bright lights of teashop, staring at him.

He too came to a halt on the dark and wet sidewalk, turning to face her. The showers continued to pelt down ceaselessly; every inch of him was soaked.

Her deep violet eyes met grey-green ones, but there was none of his usual bravado or mockery in them. They looked dull, like the light in them had been tamped down.

Before Raven realized what she was doing, she had stepped out from beneath the sanctuary of the awning. Icy rain hit her skin. It slid down her back, chilled, and dripped into her eyes. Another three steps brought them inches apart; she could see a bead of water trembling at the tip of his nose.

Involuntarily, Raven reached up and placed her hand on his cheek, pushing his dripping, ebony hair back away from his face.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, looking up at him; tiny, glittering droplets clung to his lashes.

Leaning in, she pressed her mouth against his, holding onto his forearm for support.

Red X was still and unresponsive, and Raven began to pull away, disheartened by his immobile reaction.

Then his arms reached out, wrapped around her waist and yanked her to him, crushing her so close that she could barely breathe.

His lips crashed down on hers and he kissed her fiercely, hungrily, demanding ever bit of her. He kissed her with a vengeance Raven had never experienced, and the lack of air made her dizzy. But even if she couldn't have stood up properly, his vise-like grip on her, unrelentingly tight, would have kept her upright alone.

X finally pulled back, his hand lingering on her hip.

"So am I," he agreed softly, continuing from her last words. He rested his forehead against hers.

They stood that way for some time, gazing intently at each other, their heaving chests steadily slowing down to a more gentle rate.

Then, as if an afterthought, Jason asked, "Do you want to see my place?"

The dark titan was too dazed to feel taken aback—perhaps it was the lack of oxygen. A small smile curled around her mouth and she nodded.

The thief took her hand, and for once Raven didn't pull it away or make a sharp comment; she let him have that comfort.

As they walked through the city together, they talked and laughed as if their fight had never occurred. And as they did so, they both could feel the tension melt away, could feel the past being forgiven.

Xxx

When Raven found herself walking in one of the nicer districts of the city, where the apartments and townhomes were clean and secure, she felt surprised. She supposed it was ridiculous—now that she admitted it—but she had almost anticipated his place would be some sort of secret underground lair—or even just a run-down building in the seedy area of town.

Jason led her up four flights of an iron gridwork of fire-escape stairs. At 408 he stopped, groping for the right key, and Raven waited beside him, shivering. The lock turned with a sharp click and he pushed open the door.

The titan stepped into a small, warmly lit apartment. The wood floor was partially covered by a dark rug, and a black couch sat in the middle of the living room area, facing a flat screen television.

X glanced at her, as if hoping the place met her approval.

"It's nice," the sorceress told him, shivering again as she spoke. Water squelched in their shoes and their clothes hung off them, heavy and waterlogged. Goosebumps had risen up across Raven's clammy skin.

"Hang on a moment," Jason said, and he disappeared into what she guessed was the bedroom. He emerged a few seconds later, a towel and some clothing in hand.

"Here." He handed over both to her. "The bathroom's just to the left. You can dry off and change into something warm. Leave your wet stuff outside the door and I'll run it in the dryer."

Raven followed to where he was pointing and closed the bathroom door, then peeled off her drenched clothes and shoved them through the door crack. She toweled down her wet skin and hair, picking up the clothing he had lent her when she had finished.

All it was was an extra-large flannel shirt, four sizes too big and comfortingly soft. The pattern was a dark green plaid, and it had a scent reminiscent of pine needles. When Raven slipped it on, it hung halfway down her thighs, like a dress. She had to roll back the sleeves multiple times before her fingers peeked out from beneath the fabric.

When she had finished, the empath padded back out to the living room. It was empty; Jason must've been back in his room, changing out of his wet things.

She began to wander around the room, studying the few things he kept out on display. One was his record case; Raven flicked through albums of reggae, trip hop, and even some Japanese punk-rock.

Something else then caught her eye. It was two small frames, hanging side by side. They were discretely put on a far wall, as if not wanting to draw attention to themselves. She moved closer to inspect them.

One was a faded photograph, torn and stained around the edges. A young boy peered up, a hard, lean look on his face, as if he knew more struggles than anyone his age should. Beside it was a newer, more pristine photograph, all gloss and crispness. This one too featured a boy, but a slight smile made his features much softer. He seemed to have not yet experienced the hardships that had befallen the other child.

Raven got the sensation that she was no longer alone; she turned her head and saw that Jason had entered.

Her cheeks immediately flamed scarlet, blood rushing to them. The rogue had sauntered out in pajama bottoms and nothing else, having seemingly decided a shirt was unnecessary. His lean, lithe muscles moved beneath his tanned skin, his arms sinewy with strength.

He came up behind Raven; with that smug half-grin on his face he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her back against his chest. He had seen her heated cheeks and it had that only increased his swaggering.

"If I didn't know better Princess, I'd almost say you were flustered," he chuckled in her ear. A whiff of that familiar cinnamon scent caught hold of her senses, and Raven's heart pounded mercilessly.

"I'd go so far to maybe even guess that an attractive male is nearby," he suggested with a hint of playfulness.

The proximity of his flesh, the heated closeness of him was enough to make every nerve ending in Raven feel electric.

Jason slid his hand across her breastbone until it rested against her heart, feeling the irregular, jumping tempo.

"That's what I thought," he murmured, a touch of triumph in his voice. His fingers teasingly traced circles on the stomach of her shirt.

Raven wrenched herself from his grasp, feeling afraid of the way he made her body and blood respond without her control.

"Do you mind putting on a shirt?" she asked a little tightly, sitting down on the couch to put space between them.

X smiled devilishly, pushing back his jet black hair.

"Sure. Give me yours."

Raven glared, refusing to play his game. She tried to keep her gaze focused on the albums, the photographs, the television—anywhere but his mocking face and half-naked form.

It proved much harder than she expected though, and he knew it from the furtive glances that she kept slipping back toward him.

Jason moved to sit down next to her. He draped himself over the couch luxuriously, his am resting across the back of the cushion, and he eyed her with mirth.

"Come on. Surely the baddest of all the titans isn't afraid of a little physical touch," he taunted, smirking suggestively.

Raven clenched her teeth. "Can you just put something on, for hell's sake? You're making it difficult to concentrate," she grumbled frustratedly.

The thief raised an eyebrow at her. Without warning, he grabbed her legs and tugged them out from beneath her, making her fall flat on her back against the couch.

"And why do you always have to maintain control?" he challenged, climbing on top of her like a panther, and propping himself up so as to not crush her.

"I—my powers—" Raven's sentences became poorly strung together as he riveted her down with his stare. His hot breath gusted against her face, dense with the scent of spice.

"No, I don't think it's just that," X murmured. "Go ahead and explode my light bulbs. I'm in the mood for some ambient lighting."

His hand slid up her bare thigh, skimming beneath the oversized plaid shirt. It felt warm and heavy, slightly possessive as it caressed her skin, gliding down to her knee and all the way back up to her hips again.

A light bulb did explode. Then another one, casting the room into a patchwork of shadows and faint orange glow.

A part of Raven felt embarrassed for losing her calm control. But the nearness of him, the way his nose brushed against her cheek—Jason made her not care. He made her relax into the tidal wave of feelings that demanded to be known.

"So now," he breathed, cupping her jaw with his other hand and running a thumb over her lips. "What's holding you back?"

He smiled a small, knowing smile, before she could answer. "Other than your lack of experience with human contact. Trust me, you'll get used to it."

The sorceress's eyelids fell closed and she breathed deeply, holding onto the alien feeling of pleasure that welled up within her.

"Nothing," she answered, opening her eyes again and giving him that elusive, genuine smile that so few ever saw.

Jason gently kissed her lower lip, his fingers running through the silken strands of her hair. Raven's back arched in response, and the rogue began to trail searing kisses down her pale, exposed throat, pausing only when he reached the top button of her flannel shirt.

He fumbled with the button for a moment, then tugged the fabric away from her collarbone— where he proceeded leave a series of deep red bite marks on the tender skin.

Raven sensed his fingers lingering over the other buttons of the shirt, wanting to go further and undo them all. He restrained himself though, instead occupying his wayward hands with tracing the dip of her waist and the curve of her hips.

Without her consent, Raven's own hands found their way to his warm, bare chest and began to wander across the expanse of taut torso, her palms lightly grazing his abdomen and feeling the coiled strength within his shoulders.

She felt X smile against her skin, and he stopped to lift his head and look at her.

"See," he chuckled. "It's not that hard. Even the virgin titan can—" He was cut short by an angry swipe at his head, landed expertly by the sorceress and her iron fist.

His eyes darkened slightly but the cocky still smile remained. "You don't want to tease me, Bluebird," he warned in a voice that was laced with mischievousness.

"Then don't go calling me that," Raven growled back. "And don't try challenging me, unless you feel like being used to mop the floor."

Jason cocked his head, looking at her with amusement. "Yeah? I know I can take you. I've figured out your weakness."

Raven snorted and began to retort with a "Yeah, right", when X swiftly pushed up her shirt to just below her bust, revealing a lily-white stomach. He ran his rough, warm tongue in a circle across the sensitive skin, leaving a cool trail of moisture in its wake.

A shudder of pleasure ran through Raven's body, her extremities trembling while her mind shorted out, switching off and going entirely blank.

"See," the rogue smirked, yanking the plaid shirt back down again. "I can tame you in a moment. Bend you to my will. Make the hero serve the villain—Ow!"

Raven hit him again, this time with a sharp jab of her knee to his chest. "Okay, okay, I take it back," he laughed, rolling off her. "So that's all for this lesson in physical affection, Sunshine. Next time we'll learn hands-on about how babies are made."

He grinned as he watched her blush furiously, dodging out of the way when a vengeful kick came dangerously close to his head.

X

X

X

Red X is so damn spicy he should have his own line of salsa.

So I'm wondering if I should maybe bump up the story's rating to M. I don't plan on writing any lemons, but I still feel a bit on edge that I may be going past what's acceptable for a T rating. If you guys have any input on this, please let me know.