Like a magnet, Raven was drawn to him. As the next fight started, Raven was treading lightly on the metal catwalk about the arena, inching closer to Slade with every step. Why she chose to go to him rather than find her friends' seats she wasn't entirely sure, but part of her felt obliged to thank him. It was insane. Thanking Slade? Raven was beginning to believe this arena was in an alternate dimension.
Still, she quickly found herself standing beside him. His eye was glued to the arena floor, but she knew he was aware of her. She shifted on her feet, trying to form the words, but finding herself unable to actually express gratitude towards him. Frowning, Raven decided to just stare downward, frustrated.
"It's customary for humans to say thank you when someone does something nice for them, you know," Slade quipped, an obvious glee at her discomfort. "Clearly, your father never taught you manners."
Raven sucked in a breath, anger rising up.
"I could have let him die," Slade went on nonchalantly, "but I figured if you were grieving that would hurt our chances. Though, maybe your grief and anger towards them would have pushed you to fight harder. I'll keep that in mind the next time."
Raven's fist was flying through the air before she could think of the consequences. Her hit never landed. Slade moved in a flash, grabbing her wrist and twisting her arm before yanking her body flush against his with her arm pinned uncomfortably behind her back. His other arm wrapped around her waist, keeping her still. With a single step, Slade moved both of them, so Raven's front hit the railing of the catwalk, her hips trapped between the metal rails and Slade's body.
Slade tsked, his breath on her face. "That was a terrible thank you."
"You don't deserve one," Raven spat back.
"No?" Slade quipped. "So you wanted Beast Boy dead?"
"No!" Raven growled, trying to elbow him with her free arm. Slade tweaked her other in response, causing Raven to flinch. Where the hell are the stun guns when I need them? Raven thought bitterly.
"Well then," Slade chuckled, "I'm waiting."
He pressed against her harder, squeezing her body against the rails as a silence consumed them. The hand on Raven's waist pressed uncomfortably on her abdomen making every breath she took difficult.
Raven's teeth ground, she knew her eyes were glowing and the shadows around them were writhing, but she kept her cool. She had been the one to come up here, after all. She knew what he was, and yet she had meant to thank him, hadn't she? For a brief second, she might have considered the man wasn't pure evil, but here he was, righting the universe for her. Still, she didn't exactly enjoy being trapped between him and a fifty-foot drop.
"Thank you," Raven hissed between her teeth.
Slade was quiet for moment before his mask was touching Raven's cheek again, his hands tightening once more. Whispering lowly, he commanded into her ear, "Say my name."
The words sent a shudder through Raven, one Slade certainly noticed.
"Say it," he repeated, his voice darker.
Raven swallowed and steeled her expression. "Thank you… Slade."
The rumble of laughter in his chest shook Raven's smaller frame. Her lips thinned even as he released her. She pushed herself away from the railing, giving Slade a furious glare. He leaned back, crossing his arms in front of him as his eyes scanned Raven's form in a very not-villain-like manner.
Before Raven could snap at him for it, Slade spoke, his head nodding down in the direction of the arena. "Your friends will win this fight," he stated. "They've been running circles around Gizmo and Mammoth. Not that those two are much of a danger."
His abrupt change of subject caught Raven off guard, and she found herself glancing down. Starfire and Aqualad were competing in a very different landscape than the previous fight. The ring had been turned into a grid of water and concrete, allowing Aqualad to utilize his abilities as Starfire rained starbolts from above. Mammoth and Gizmo were outmatched, and despite their best efforts, they were quickly losing. Raven watched as Starfire made a direct hit on Gizmo's techno-pack, short circuiting it and rendering it useless. The small man fell from his spider legs just as Mammoth was hit square in the chest by a pillar of water. The heroes in the crowd were cheering loudly as Mammoth and Gizmo were both rendered unconscious by another powerful wave of water.
"Your friends make a strong pair," Slade continued, moving up next to Raven, but this time allowing her some semblance of personal space. "With the fish boy staying underwater until he attacks and the alien girl airborne, they'll have advantage over most teams. Whether that advantage will be enough, though, I'm not so sure."
Despite herself, Raven was curious. She had to admit, his way of thinking fascinated her. "Why's that?" she said quietly, slightly annoyed at herself that she was willing to converse with him.
"They're soft," Slade said plainly. "They lack the intensity and willpower to finish a fight. They could have won this match easily in the first few minutes, but they let it drag out, taking only honorable chances where their opponents saw them and had a chance to counter or evade. While it's certainly admirable, their dedication to fight nobly, it's stupid, and if they were against a better team, it would have been their downfall."
"So, because they don't want to hit someone from behind like a coward, they're stupid?" Raven snapped.
Slade narrowed his eye at her, shaking his head and scoffing. "When it comes down to your life or your adversary's, yes, it's stupid. I've told you, girl, these fights can be to the death. And the first round would have been, if not for me, and if not for that shapeshifter making the only smart decision your side has made all day and yielding."
Raven's teeth ground together. "And if people like you weren't here, no one else would have to worry about dying for some psycho's sick form of entertainment!"
Slade spun, his hand shooting out and grabbing Raven's chin as the crowd below cheered. "Let's get one thing straight, girl, there are no people like me. And there certainly are no people like you. Our illustrious host may have attributed the apocalypse to both of us, but we both know that was all you, Raven. I merely gave you a little push."
Raven rolled her eyes, shirking off his hand. "Yeah, off a fucking watertower."
Slade paused for half a second before his chest rumbled with laughter. "Touche."
They turned away from each other, glancing down at the scene below. With Starfire and Aqualad coming out victorious, the heroes in the audience were looking in better spirits as the next set of fighters entered the ring. Raven barely contained her frown seeing Zatanna and Constantine standing across from Kid Wykkyd and Billy Numerous. Part of her secretly hoped the two Leaguers would lose, but Raven didn't need Slade's strategic mind to know that wouldn't be the case. The villains in this match wouldn't last long.
"When you look down there," Slade said, his voice smooth and low, "what do you see?"
Raven didn't turn away from the arena. "Why do you keep insisting on speaking to me?"
"The same reason you find yourself standing here, next to me, instead of down there with your friends. Now, tell me what you see."
Raven's lips thinned. The arena was shifting, a much plainer fighting area than the previous battle, as large rectangular columns grew upwards, allowing for higher vantage points. Billy was the only fighter that didn't use magic in this grouping, but his ability to multiply and overwhelm an opponent would make fighting him on level ground difficult.
"An unfair fight," Raven said quietly.
Slade hummed contently. "Go on."
As the starting horn rang out, Raven replied, "Constantine and Zatanna are both stronger mystically than Kid Wykkyd, a one-on-one between either of them would outmatch him, and with the raised pillars, Billy won't be as effective to help. That gives the advantage solely to the Leaguers."
She felt Slade's eye on her as the fight began below. Before the other team had even moved, Zatanna was casting a spell, teleporting herself to the highest pillar. Constantine followed suit, appearing on a neighboring pillar. In unison, the pair began casting. From where she was, Raven couldn't make out what the goal was, but as tendrils of magic began wrapping around Billy, Kid Wykkyd grabbed his own head, crying out and thrashing and the spells became obvious. Raven saw similar bands of magic wavering around Zatanna's hands as the ones surrounding and suffocating Billy. Constantine's eyes were focused on Kid as he muttered to himself.
"Unfair, indeed," Slade whispered as Kid dropped to his knees and Billy's head lulled with unconsciousness. Both of the young villains fell to the ground as Zatanna and Constantine smiled smugly from their perches. Two beams of light consumed the losers as the heroes cheered for their allies.
Raven was watching Zatanna while Slade watched Raven. Whether he picked up on her unease, Raven wasn't sure, but he couldn't have missed the tension that wracked her body when Zatanna's eyes flicked upwards, meeting Raven's with a hard, cold stare. The glare only became more frigid when Zatanna spotted Deathstroke beside Raven. Then, as if Zatanna was standing on her other side, Raven heard the woman's voice whispering in her ear.
"I knew you couldn't be trusted. Now, the others will finally see it, too."
Raven pushed away from the railing, stepping back so she was out of the immediate view of the people below. Her chest felt tight as doubt and anger swirled in her gut. Was the League magician right? Zatanna had long mistrusted Raven, and while Raven thought her misgivings were unfair, Raven was the one standing beside Slade. She was on the catwalks with her supposed enemy instead of cheering the heroes on with her friends and team, but that was only out of curiosity. Slade had saved Beast Boy, after all. Raven just wanted to understand why! Zatanna was just looking for reasons to hate Raven. Raven couldn't help she had been partnered with Slade.
Raven's breaths were coming faster as her mind flitted between guilt, doubt, and anger. Zatanna had gotten into her head, and despite Raven's best efforts, the young Titan couldn't shake the feeling she was betraying her friends.
"Ignore it, Raven," Slade said, almost kindly.
No, he's not capable, Raven reminded herself, preferring to think of the man as the evil psychopath she knew him to be. He's horrible and selfish. This is just an act.
"She's trying to get into your head," he continued, tilting his head at Raven curiously. "And it appears to be working."
"Shut up," Raven hissed at him. "You don't know anything."
Slade scoffed, arms crossed over his chest as he leaned against the railing. "You're forgetting who you're talking to."
"I'm not forgetting anything, Slade. I know exactly who you are. A monster," Raven snapped, her battling emotions settling into anger at the man in front of her.
Slade shrugged. "Perhaps. But a monster that knows how to get under that thin skin of yours. And it appears Zatanna knows, too. One of your greatest weaknesses is your own self-hatred. It's how I got you to that Library, and it's how Zatanna is going to get you killed. The more you question yourself, the more you wonder whether you're really the good girl, the worse you'll perform. You went to that Library to save your friends at the cost of the world and your life. You think she doesn't know that? The others might not be actively trying to get you killed, Raven, but Zatanna? She wants to see you dead. I did some digging during lunch today. She has been researching you and your abilities for years. The only reason she hasn't directly confronted you is because the League and the Titans have stood in her way. She knows you're dangerous, and she believes it's just a matter of time before you set off another apocalypse or become the next Trigon yourself. But this tournament and our pairing is giving her the opportunity she could only dream of. Putting you in a position where you have to choose to save yourself or die for the greater good, to save your friends, to be the hero. A choice you've already made once before. What she's doing now—taunting you, berating you? She's pushing you to that ledge and hoping you'll jump. The more you doubt that you're the good little hero, the more likely it is that you'll die trying to prove it, trying to give your friends the chance to save the day, so maybe, gem, you should take my advice and ignore it. Or else your friends will be carrying your body out of this place."
Raven felt like she'd been slapped. The turmoil of her mind was erased by Slade's harsh statement, and she lacked a response to what he said. She had gone to that Library with the hope her friends would find a way to stop Trigon. She knew she would die, but she trusted her friends to do the right thing. She trusted Robin to perform a miracle, and that's why she had saved them from the fate of the rest of the world. She had never expected to be brought back. It was the least she could do… that's what she had told herself, but in the end… it had been Raven that stopped Trigon. It was Raven that undid the damage her father inflicted on the world. She had always accepted that her destiny was to die that day, and that she never had a choice in it. Saving her friends was the only way she believed she could have undone what she was destined to do, but now, for the first time, she wondered… what if she hadn't gone? What if she had confronted her father before she brought him to Earth? She would never know if her power was enough to beat Trigon at his strongest because she had chosen to trust the real heroes instead of herself. She had chosen to let prophecy play out, to let her friends bear the responsibility of saving the world she destroyed, and even then, it had been her. Slowly, Raven stepped back to the railing, looking down over the audience and the arena.
The next fight was already starting to get underway. Felix Faust and The Shadow Thief stood across from Hotspot and Speedy. Everything was moving in slow motion to Raven as the two dark villains sprang into action. Hotspot and Speedy were working together well, arrows and firebolts were flying, but Faust and his partner were moving around the arena like ghosts. The Shadow Thief shifted through the shadows, becoming intangible and dangerous as he reformed next to the heroes, striking at them as Faust's black magic dealt additional damage to their bodies, minds, and souls. Watching them felt like reliving the nightmares Trigon once plagued her with.
She watched as Hotspot and Speedy fell to the villains, as the villains in the audience cheered wildly as another hero team was eliminated. She spotted her friends in the audience, and she imagined them facing this darkness. The idea made her skin crawl. She had saved them from Trigon. Maybe she could save them here, too. The question was whether the best way to do that was to stand and fight or to trust the others to do it for her.
Raven glanced at Slade from the corner of her eyes.
The masked man was glaring down at the two victors, and Raven could feel his unease. It was strange, sensing something other than the annoying amusement and apathy she normally did from Slade.
"You're worried about them," Raven pointed out, a tone of mild amazement in her voice. Had she ever seen this psychopath nervous before? She wracked her brain, but she couldn't remember a time when Slade wasn't completely in control of himself.
"Aren't you?" Slade threw back.
Raven paused then nodded. She didn't know much about The Shadow Thief, but she had heard about Faust. He was an expert with black magic, and she knew firsthand how dangerous that was. They would be difficult to beat, especially for the teams without magic to counteract their attacks.
Slade was satisfied with her admission, and as he rolled his shoulders, he met her eyes. "Then we better come up with a plan to beat them."
It took three more hours to get through the first round. She and Slade had watched together from the catwalk, identifying weak spots and strategies to defeat the teams they expected to face. For the most part, Slade had been dead on with his predictions. The only surprise had been Dr. Light and Adonis moving on after a narrow win against Hawk and Dove. Not that it would matter, though. Both Raven and Slade expected the villain pair to lose in their next round. They would be going up against Batman and Robin, and neither Slade nor Raven thought the two villains would have any success against the heroes. Despite Robin having left Batman years ago, Raven knew they would find their rhythm again, even if she did know it was irking her friend to be a subordinate once more.
After the last fight, the Master of Games had announced a break for the evening to allow the teams that competed to have a recovery period. They would resume the tournament in the morning, and the first fight would be Raven and Slade's. Then, the teams had all been transported abruptly back to their rooms.
The entryway of their room was narrow, and their shoulders brushed against one another before Slade quickly strode forward. Raven followed behind, giving the man space. She had spent half of the day standing beside him, but suddenly being in the room with him again made her feel awkward and nervous. When he began removing his armor, she nearly fell over.
"What are you doing?" she demanded as the metal pieces began to pile up on the bed.
Slade didn't even look at her. "Did you think I slept in it?"
"Well… no, but, you didn't take it off yesterday," Raven muttered.
"I didn't sleep yesterday," he stated matter-of-factly. "And you barely did either." He was down to just his undershirt and pants, skin-tight clothes that left little to the imagination. Every part of him was muscular and chiseled, and Raven blushed when Slade caught her staring.
The wave of emotion Raven felt from Slade only mortified her more. "It's not a crime to stare, Raven," he said, thoroughly amused.
Raven looked at the wall above the little couch she had made her bed on. Without daring to glance at Slade, she picked her way over to it before sitting with her back to him.
Breathe, Raven had to remind herself. He's doing it on purpose. Just breathe. Raven closed her eyes, trying to find her center before two strong arms were lifting her from the couch.
Screaming, Raven was about to summon her magic when she was roughly tossed onto the mattress. Panic, pure unadulterated panic overwhelmed her. She didn't care about the electric guns. She didn't care about the tournament. Her hands coated in black as her eyes glowed bright white. She pointed her palms at Slade towering above her at the foot of the bed. As she was halfway through her incantation, a fluffy pillow smacked her in the face.
"Oof!" Raven grunted, tearing the pillow away to see Slade, smirking down at her with a devious gleam in his blue eye.
Raven felt a surge of anger. She was going to wipe that stupid grin off his… face?
Slade had taken off his mask. The orange and black visage she knew was gone, hanging in his hand like a prop. She was staring at a person, a man, and if it wasn't for the nasty scar where his eye should have been, Raven would almost say he had a boyish charm. He had a strong jaw and brilliant white hair. The cocky amusement she was so used to feeling fit him so well it was hard for Raven to connect the face in front of her with the villain she and the Titans had hunted for years.
"Not what you were expecting?" Slade asked with his growing smirk.
"Wha… why…?" Raven stuttered, trying to find words.
Slade tossed his mask with the rest of his equipment, thoroughly enjoying Raven's reaction. He quickly discarded the shirt he was wearing before grinning wide as Raven's face turned bright red. "I also don't sleep in the mask. And you," he said, pointing a finger at her, "aren't sleeping on the couch. I need you rested and ready to fight. If you're tired, you're sloppy."
Raven shifted backwards, her back hitting the headboard. It took every ounce of her concentration and willpower to bring her eyes to his and state evenly, "I told you before. I am not sleeping in the same bed as you."
Slade chuckled, coming around one side of the bed as Raven scooted herself as far to the other as possible. "Don't worry, little girl," Raven cringed at the name, "I'm not sleeping in the bed." Slade reached over and grabbed the pillow he had thrown at her before stalking over to the little couch she had been on the previous night and lying on it, his frame comically large for the loveseat. His head rested on one of the seats while his legs hung off the other side at his knees.
Raven watched him quietly for a long moment, unsure if he was messing with her.
"Go to sleep, Raven," Slade stated, not opening his eye. "And be a dear and get the lights."
Raven's lips thinned, but his condescending attitude strangely put her at ease. With a sigh, she settled into the bed, snapping her fingers. With that movement, the lights turned out, and Raven was left in the dark, listening to the even breathing of Slade across the room. It was calming at first, but after a while, Raven's thoughts overpowered it.
She felt restless. Not because of Slade, but because of the choice she needed to make tomorrow. She didn't believe Zatanna had her best interest at heart, but she also agreed that Slade could not possess the stone. The easiest way to remove Slade was to throw a fight, but doing so could put her in real danger. Every time Raven thought she had made up her mind, the same uncertainties would creep in, and she would question her choice. She tossed and turned for at least an hour before she forced herself to empty her mind. She searched for something to focus on, and in the end, it was Slade's steady breathing that she found comfort in. She matched her breaths with his, letting her heartbeat slow and eyelids grow heavy before finally drifting off into blissful sleep, dreaming of a boyish face with an arrogant smirk.