Raven had tried her best to tune him out. She had put distance between them in their small, shared room and attempted to meditate, but Slade was relentless. His method of getting her to listen had consisted of sidling up next to her in that uncomfortably close way or going on and on about all the ways he'd make sure to hurt the other Titans in the arena if the two faced them. It was easy for Raven to ignore the commentary; she was used to tuning out the incessant jabbering of Beast Boy, but after the sixth time that Slade brushed up beside her, she couldn't take it anymore. It wasn't her anger that pushed her over the edge though, it was the fact that she didn't find herself bothered by his closeness.

So now, Raven was sitting cross-legged on the edge of the bed while Slade strategized in front of the bracket. He was discussing every strength and weakness of the pairings and making his predictions of who would come out victorious later that day. As Raven sat there, she was unnerved by how similar Slade and Robin really were. Slade was more intense than her longtime friend, but the way Slade thought about strategy and his opponents was eerily familiar. For a while, Raven could have pretended that she was listening to Robin in Titans Tower, but then Slade would say something truly unhinged, and it would shock her right back to her current predicament.

Raven sighed, her chin on one of her hands as her eyes started to glaze over. She had given up on trying to get out of the room, but imagining herself flinging Slade around the walls had become her new favorite form of entertainment.

A gloved hand snapped in front of her face. "Pay attention, little girl. I'm teaching."

Raven smacked his hand away, frowning. "I'm not a little girl, and this isn't teaching."

Slade rolled his one good eye. Raven's face nearly broke into a grin when she felt his frustration. This entire time they'd been in here, the man had hardly displayed a single emotion that Raven picked up on, and it irked her. She was having trouble controlling her emotions, and she hated how easily Slade was handling the whole situation.

Scoffing, Slade turned away from her. "Only one of those statements is true. Now, back to the problem at hand."

Raven's teeth gritted. "I am not a little girl, Slade, and if it weren't for those fucking guns, you would be—"

"Oh, I agree," Slade interrupted lightly, his eye flicking to her over his shoulder and quickly darting over her figure.

Raven felt the heat rise in her neck and cheeks, but she snapped back, "Stop doing that!"

"Doing what?" Slade asked innocently, now facing her again.

"You know exactly what. It's…" Raven tried to find the right word, stumbling over how to express what she needed.

"It's what, Raven?" Slade pressed, his voice full of mirth.

Raven's teeth bared. "Just stop."

Slade paused for a moment before placing his hands behind his back in a perfect military pose. "I'll stop when you pay attention. Unless your green friend and that arrogant ass Mento pull off a miracle, you and I will be fighting Bane and Scarecrow. That won't be an easy confrontation, Titan."

Raven crossed her arms, giving him her best smug smile. "Are you saying you can't take on Bane, Slade? Is that it? I've heard the stories about him. They say he's a master fighter."

Slade stiffened, and she felt his brief anger before he shook his head. "Bane isn't the problem, gem. You are."

The smug smile on Raven's face dropped in confusion.

Slade took one long stride towards her, so they were nose to nose. "Trigon told me about you. All about you. All about your powers. When you're afraid, your powers don't work. And frankly, without your powers, you're useless. Like a lamb to slaughter. I read the rules of the competition while you were trying to pretend you weren't here. Every person in this game will have access to the tools and equipment they use on Earth. That means Scarecrow will have his gas. And they only need to take out one of us to win. So, tell me, Raven, what are you going to do when your mind is being warped with terror and they realize you can't defend yourself? Because Bane and Scarecrow aren't going to come after me. They're going to come for you, and Bane doesn't typically leave survivors. So if we don't have a plan, if you don't pay attention, there is a very high possibility that you don't leave that arena."

A chill ran through Raven's body. She felt no deception in his words. Raven held Slade's stare for a long moment as she considered what he said. Briefly, her eyes went to the bracket on the wall behind him. As much as she loved Beast Boy, she knew Slade was right. Mento and Beast Boy would lose their fight. The two still struggled to work together well, and if Mento was incapacitated by Scarecrow's gas, Beast Boy wouldn't be able to take on them both alone. She shuddered at the thought of something happening to her friend if Bane was as violent as Slade implied, but she forced herself to shake the thought in favor of another. If she didn't work with Slade, then two very unhinged villains would be closer to the Master of Games's prize. There were other heroes on their side of the bracket that Raven felt would come up against her and Slade. When they did, Raven knew what she would have to do.

Eyes returning to Slade, she let her emotionless mask drop onto her face. "Okay," she said to him, "you have my attention."

It was hours before the pair left the room. It had been early when Slade had awoken Raven, and by the time the AI voice sounded in their room that breakfast was being served in a shared dining hall, they had been talking and occasionally arguing for long enough to make both of their throats dry. They had left the room together in a strangely comfortable silence that unnerved Raven simply by the fact she wasn't bothered by it. Less than twenty-four hours ago, she had hated existing within the same universe as Slade, yet now she was walking beside him as if they were acquaintances. Talking and planning with him for so long had been so strangely reminiscent of Robin that she found herself occasionally forgetting that he was, well, Slade.

When the AI made its announcement (as well as a stern reminder that violence was not allowed outside the arena), she was both grateful for the reprieve and disappointed. Slade been shockingly receptive to her advice when she offered it, and with just the two of them creating plans, she found it was less chaotic than the usual meetings with her beloved Titans. Being on the other side of his plans, too, was fascinating to Raven. He was as cunning and strategic as she'd guessed, if not more, but he was completely logical with his decisions. There was so little emotion behind his choices, and Raven was almost admiring it. She'd met few people who could separate their emotions like him, and—

What the fuck is wrong with me? Raven thought, catching herself in a train of thought she didn't expect. Was she complimenting Slade? Raven grimaced, forcing a slew of memories of him being awful to counteract any potential good qualities she thought she had discovered in their short time together.

Just as she thought she had sufficiently reminded herself of who the man next to her really was, the pair entered a modern dining hall, and Slade gripped her bicep lightly, leaning down to whisper.

"Keep your mouth shut, Raven," he hissed. "Remember, until this is over, the only friend you have here… is me."

Ah, there it is, Raven thought as she glared at Slade, brushing off his hand just as shadows moved in around them. Before she could respond, a brightly colored body shot between her and Slade, and the masked villain rolled his eye as Robin inserted himself between them.

"Touch her again," Robin practically snarled, "I dare you."

Slade met her eye behind Robin's form, a clear warning in his blue eye before he turned and walked off, not even acknowledging Robin's presence. Raven watched him go, seeing as he scanned over the room and eyed the competition before her view was cut off by Robin and the other Titans.

"Raven!" Robin said in relief, looking her over as if he expected her to be hurt. "Are you okay? I can't believe you were paired with Slade. It's completely insane!"

"Is it?" a smooth, feminine voice said from the side. Raven's teeth ground against each other. Zatanna.

Raven refused to look at the Leaguer. Instead, she looked at Robin, Starfire, and Cyborg standing in front of her.

"I'm fine. Slade didn't try anything," Raven cracked a small smile. "Actually, I was the one that tried to attack him."

Robin smirked while Cyborg laughed and clapped her hard on the back. "That's our girl!" Cyborg beamed.

"Your partner seems perfectly fine to me," Zatanna clipped, coming into Raven's view. Raven fought to keep her face neutral.

"Zatanna," a deep, hoarse voice warned. "Now isn't the time." Raven's eyes travelled over to the speaker. Batman was standing next to Zatanna along with the other members of the League who were here not far from where the Titans were surrounding Raven. Constantine, as usual, appeared a bit bored by everything, but Raven could always pick up on his inherent mistrust of her. She spotted Hal Jordan, the Green Lantern; Black Canary; The Flash; and Green Arrow all there. When she looked at them, she heard Slade's voice in her head talking about which of their pairings would win out. The majority of the pairs with Justice League members had been on the opposite side of the bracket, and Slade had his theory on which of the teams would end up in the final. Raven had disagreed, and they had argued about it for awhile before making a very unfriendly wager. She wouldn't admit it, but after he defended his choice, Raven had felt a bit uncertain about her own.

"Come, friend," Starfire said, interrupting Raven's thoughts. "Let us eat. We must all build our strength for the upcoming games!" The orange alien was cheerful as always, but Raven detected a real hint of excitement in her voice.

"Star," Raven started quietly as she was moved towards a table further inside, "are you happy about all of this?"

Starfire's eyes glinted with mischief as she looked at Raven. Leaning in, she whispered, "I am most excited to compete. On Tamaran, such competitions are most common, and the champions are revered by my people."

Raven's mouth quirked up. "I'm sure it helps that Aqualad is your partner."

Starfire blushed, making sure Robin wasn't in earshot. "I think Robin is quite jealous."

Raven glanced backwards, seeing Robin and Batman walking together, the picture of a broody couple. Both had stern, straight faces while their eyes were constantly shifting to the villains who jeered or glared as they passed. Neither seemed particularly happy. Laughing quietly, Raven agreed. "I think you're right."

By the time everyone in the competition had filtered into the room, the tension was at a boiling point. Heroes had taken up on one side of the room, gathering the tables together to show their camaraderie while the villains appeared only united in their hatred for the other side. The consensus on the heroes' side was that one of them needed to claim the prize; they could not let it fall into the hands of anyone else. It wasn't said outright, but Raven got the distinct impression that that meant someone from the League. Batman and Robin seemed confident a hero would claim the prize, saying that half the teams were hero pairings, and they both felt the villains would be outmatched.

Raven had almost corrected them when they said half of the teams were heroes. By her count, the heroes had one more than the villains. That is, until she realized there was an odd one out. Hers.

When she recalled all the teams she and Slade had discussed, she realized only one of them was mixed. She and Slade were the equalizer. Twelve teams of villains. Twelve teams of heroes. One of both. But for some reason, none of the heroes were counting her towards their count. It had stung, and Raven had spent most of breakfast in silence, listening as the conversation turned from the absurdity of this whole thing to predictions to strategy.

The Titans and younger heroes had grouped together on one side of their gathered tables while the older heroes directed the conversation. Raven didn't fail to notice the building frustration in Robin as he tried to get a word in. Cyborg had better luck, but for the most part, the League and their unofficial members were making it obvious who was in charge.

"… I can handle Scarecrow, Batman," Mento was saying, "and I have complete faith in Beast Boy to take on Bane. It will be an easy win for us."

Raven perked up, her eyes finding Beast Boy across from her. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, his lanky body never good at hiding his nerves.

"You're underestimating them, Mento," Batman huffed out, his fist clenched on the table.

"You are underestimating us!" Mento snapped back.

The other Titans were looking at Beast Boy now, too. Cyborg was frowning, giving his best friend a playful nudge. "Don't worry, BB, you're gonna kick ass."

Beast Boy offered a weak smile, but Raven felt his fear building. It ignited Raven's own misgivings. She remembered what Slade said earlier, and she found herself searching the other side of the room for Bane. Her eyes landed on him sitting casually at a table, his boots kicked up while he leaned back and glared menacingly at the heroes. Every instinct in her screamed that she was looking at a predator, and her stomach flipped at the thought of her friend facing him unprepared.

"Beast Boy," Raven said quietly, tearing her eyes away.

The shapeshifter's big green pupils honed in on her face.

"If things go wrong, if… if Mento can't help…" she said, keenly aware of the other Titans' attention on her words, "yield. End the fight. Don't try to do it alone."

"Oh, come on, Raven," Speedy chimed in, "he's Beast Boy! He's got this."

"Speedy's right," Bumblebee encouraged, "you'll do fantastic, BB."

Raven's mouth tightened into a line. She didn't doubt Beast Boy would put up a tremendous fight, and she knew how powerful he could be, but Slade's words were haunting her. When she looked over her friends, most were hyping the green Titan up, but there were two others who were staring at Beast Boy with concern: Robin and Jinx.

The pink-haired witch was twisting one of her spiky locks, but her eyes were shifting between Beast Boy and the villains that she had once been counted among. With a defeated sigh, Jinx interjected her own doubt.

"You should listen to Raven, Beast Boy. I've heard a lot of bad things about both of those guys. Just don't get caught in a two on one," Jinx said, her light voice covering the seriousness of her words.

Beast Boy's eyes fell to the table, but he nodded just enough that the Titans saw. Raven felt some small relief with it, but she was still filled with unease. Beast Boy would yield if he needed, but Raven doubted Mento would do the same.

Raven's eyes shifted down the table to where the Leaguers were talking amongst themselves. They were gesturing in her direction, and their lowered voices gave away that she and the other Titans seemed to be the subject of their conversation.

She didn't need to wait long to confirm it. After a moment, the heroes nodded in consensus, and their bodies turned to face their younger counterparts.

"Titans," Zatanna started, "listen closely. Flash," Zatanna looked at the red-suited speedster, "keep prying eyes away."

The Flash grinned, giving her a thumbs up before vanishing. Raven heard the hero's voice on the other side of the room, followed by a series of annoyed and furious shouts as villains had their breakfast disrupted. He didn't do anything that would harm the villains and so never became the target of the readied weapons, but his presence and antics was doing enough to keep the other side of the room distracted. Well, except for one man who suddenly seemed very intent on Raven.

She met Slade's eye from across the room. He wasn't sitting. He was leaning against the wall in a shadow, really nailing the creepy, evil villain vibe. Someone she didn't recognize was standing next to him, talking, but Slade appeared focused on Raven.

"Raven!" her name brought Raven's attention back to her table.

Zatanna was staring at her, a smug smile on her face. "Were you listening, girl?"

Raven bristled, and she took a deep breath to keep her eyes from flashing red. Before Raven could even answer, Zatanna continued.

"You're going to throw your first fight," Zatanna stated firmly.

Raven's eyes bulged. "W-what?" she sputtered, not expecting those words.

"Deathstroke cannot be allowed to possess the amulet," Batman expanded.

"Seems your past partnership with him is coming in handy after all," Constantine drawled.

Zatanna nodded in agreement. "The only good thing to have come from it, it seems."

Bitch.

Zatanna pressed on, ignoring the growing irritation on Raven's face. "With you on his team, we can eliminate Deathstroke from the running without having to put up much of a fight."

"And if you end up facing Bane and Scarecrow," Batman glared at Mento who was about to protest, "we won't even need to fight him."

"It's the right thing to do," Zatanna said condescendingly. "I know you struggle with that, but making sure you lose that fight brings us that much closer to keeping the amulet out of enemy hands."

"After these first fights this morning," Black Canary added, "when hero teams come up against each other, we can pick the winners ourselves to make sure the team with the best chance of victory against the remaining villains continue on."

That got the attention of the other Titans. Immediately, the others began to argue, insisting that fair fights were the only way to decide that.

Funny they didn't say that when it was about me and Slade¸ Raven thought bitterly. Her fists were clenching under the table, and she put her head down trying to calm herself.

What they were asking wasn't fair, but every member of the League seemed to agree. But if she didn't fight, what would Slade do? He didn't seem the type to yield. Raven also didn't believe for a second that the other heroes thought Mento and Beast Boy would pull through. Which meant they were asking her to throw a fight against one of the strongest (and most dangerous) teams here.

They're going to come for you. Bane doesn't leave survivors.

Slade's words were echoing in her head. They had shaken her the first time enough to convince her to help him, at least with them, but now the League was asking her to help the team. Her team. Her real team. She had already planned to throw the first fight against a hero team, but they weren't asking her to do that. They didn't care if Bane and Scarecrow advanced, as long as Slade didn't. Raven also had the distinct impression some of them didn't want her in the running either.

Raven's eyes lifted to Zatanna and Constantine who were looking extremely pleased with themselves. She tapped into their emotions, and she felt only a giddiness and anticipation that made her sick. They were asking her to risk death just to keep Slade—and her!—out of their path. They didn't care about what happened as long as the outcome was the duo's elimination.

Just as Raven was about to snap at them, a blaring horn rang out.

Across from her, she saw Beast Boy's green face lose its color.

Appearing in front of a large door on one side of the room, the Master of Games was grinning ear to ear. "Let the contest begin!"

A/N: When I tell y'all it was so hard to make a bracket with this many characters… I mean it! I'm trying to avoid spending time on characters that I don't know well, but given the context of the story, please forgive any out of character moments with non-Titans characters! It'll be a lot of fighting/action sequences from this point on with Slade/Raven moments in between, so hopefully I won't have too many chances to butcher these other DC characters. Anyway, I hope you're all still enjoying!