Raven's hand fisted by her side, soft cotton sheets bunching in her palm as she inhaled deeply, grunting at the soreness in her side. Opening her eyes, she stared at a plain ceiling. For a moment, she thought she was in the Tower infirmary, and she tried recalling what had happened to land her there. Flashes of memory played in her mind, but the images were distorted and blurred, as if they were struggling to form. Raven sat up, wincing as she moved. Seeing the room, everything rushed back.

Fucking Slade.

The villain was lounging on the couch in the room, his feet kicked up on the table. He had his mask in one hand while he adjusted something inside of it with a screwdriver in the other. When Raven moved on the bed, his eye flicked in her direction before returning to his work.

"Oh, good, you're still alive," he hummed.

Raven narrowed her eyes at his mocking tone, her teeth set on edge. "What happened?"

Slade shrugged, switching his screwdriver for another tool sitting on the seat beside him. "You let yourself get stabbed. That's what happened."

Raven was about to snap back when she felt the cold on her shoulders. She looked down at herself to see her torso wrapped in gauze, her stomach and shoulders bare. Her arms were wrapped in the same method, and she could see a fresh red stain of blood coming through the gauze by her ribcage. Raven's arms instinctively went to cover her chest.

"Please," Slade scoffed, removing an empty vial from a compartment in his mask, "it's a little late for that." With a smooth toss, Slade flung the vial into a trash can against the wall, the little glass container landing on a bundle of bloodied gauze.

Raven's eyes lingered on the used bandages, an embarrassing realization hitting her.

"How long have I been unconscious?" she asked quietly.

Slade twirled a wrench in his hand. "Fifteen? Sixteen hours? I had to change the wrap on your chest three times."

Raven scowled, pulling the blanket over her body while eyeing Slade suspiciously.

Slade's mouth quirked up into a smirk, his eye watching her discomfort with satisfaction. "The polite response would be 'thank you, Slade.'"

"Did we win?" Raven said tersely, ignoring his comment completely.

Slade's smile only grew. He turned his body on the couch so that he was fully facing Raven, a gleeful mischief burning in his eye. "Another thing you should be thanking me for, gem."

"So we did win," Raven stated.

Slade nodded once, "No thanks to you, girl. I told you what would happen, and you didn't listen. If I'd been a second later, that knife would have punctured your heart. So again, the polite response is 'thank you, Slade.' Go on, I'll wait."

Raven's jaw worked back and forth, her teeth grinding together. His expression was smug and amused as he stared at her. Raven only glowered back, trying to focus on her irritation with the man instead of her self-consciousness from sitting nearly naked on the bed. Slade's lips twitched while Raven sat silent and sullen.

With a long exhale, Slade stretched and stood from his spot on the couch, dropping his mask on the table beside a set of tools and various materials that Raven couldn't identify right away. As he got to his feet, Raven spent every ounce of her willpower to keep her face steady and neutral. Apparently, Raven wasn't the only one without a shirt. Slade was only wearing a pair of tight-fitted black pants as he walked around the side of the bed, his striking blue eye trained on Raven like a predator.

Predator, predator, dangerous, bad guy, Raven reminded herself, turning her eyes away from Slade and looking squarely at the monitor on the screen. She could just make out the remaining teams. Batman and Robin had won their fight, no surprise there. Felix Faust and the Shadow Thief had advanced against Hawkman and Green Arrow.

A weight settled on the bed beside Raven, and she nearly jumped out of her skin. Slade was sitting on one leg, his eye focusing on Raven's chest. She pulled the sheet around her tighter, deepening her scowl and scooting as close to the edge of the bed as she could.

"Whatever you're doing," Raven snapped, "stop it."

Slade chuckled, rolling his eye before reaching to the nightstand and tossing a new roll of gauze at her face.

"You need to change it again. You bleed quite a lot, you know. I've never had to redress a wound so often."

Raven frowned, glancing down beneath her privacy sheet and seeing the blood spot growing. She tentatively picked up the gauze, feeling only slightly relieved he wasn't openly staring. Keeping her sheet close, Raven slid off the bed, feeling a strange billowing beneath her hips. When Raven glanced down, she nearly fell over.

"What the fuck am I wearing?" she asked, looking down at what were very obviously men's boxers.

Slade laughed, a real laugh that unnerved her in its genuineness. Raven's purple eyes darted to him and he grinned, "It's all I had that fit you. Your little outfit was destroyed, and apparently the rules about requesting equipment are very strict. Only you can request your own clothes. So I had to make do."

Raven looked at him in horror, realizing this man, this villain, the very person that had tormented her and her friends for years was also one of the only men to have ever seen her naked. "Oh my god," Raven stuttered out, the blood rushing to her face.

Slade rolled his eyes, "Relax, girl, it was necessary. If I'd left your wound untreated, you would have bled out. I was far more concerned with keeping you alive to worry about what's going on beneath your clothes. Now, would you please change that bandage before you get blood all over the sheet?"

Raven blinked at him, her empathic abilities feeling his wall come down. She felt his honesty, a strange sensation to pick up from Slade, but it did calm her nerves. With some hesitation, Raven placed the sheet back on the bed and took the gauze with her to the bathroom, avoiding Slade's eye. The bathroom was small, just a tiny shower, sink and toilet. Raven took several deep breaths, shaking off the strange sensation in her gut after that interaction. Raven looked in the mirror and began unwrapping the bandage on her chest, wincing as the final layer pulled away from her skin.

A bright red laceration was stark against her pale skin. It was a few inches long beneath her left breast, and blood began slowly streaming down her stomach when it was exposed to the air. Raven touched the wound, wincing at the sting. Her healing had done most of the work already. She remembered how deeply the knife had gone, but what remained was only an inch or so deep. Another few hours and she suspected it would be healed completely, but even now, she could see the edges of the wound leaving a silver scar on her skin. Grimly, she wondered how many more souvenirs she would take home before the end of this game.

Raven started to wrap her chest again, struggling to bring the gauze around as her movements caused the wound to pull. Tears were at her eyes as the pain grew with each motion until her hand slipped and the roll fell, undoing her work.

"Fuck," she muttered in frustration. Bending to pick it up, the pain shot through her along with a wave of nausea. Groaning, she just managed to summon enough magic to lift the gauze to her hand. Taking a deep breath, she tried using her magic to wrap the gauze, but her hands began shaking and the skin around the wound inflamed as the magic energy that was healing her went to her spell. The tremor in her hand intensified and the spell failed, the gauze falling to the ground again. Closing her eyes, she inhaled, bracing herself for what she needed to do. Raven crouched down, wincing with the movement, and snatched the gauze up again. Raven looked at the closed door, twirling the gauze in her hand.

She stayed like that for a long moment, the blood running down her stomach urging her onward. Using the gauze, she covered her chest, clutching one arm to keep it tight. Raven used her other hand to open the door, peeking out. Slade had returned to his spot on the couch, again fiddling with his equipment. As the door creaked open, Raven did her best to keep her body mostly hidden behind the frame. Slade didn't even glance up at her.

Raven shifted on her feet, biting the inside of her cheek as she worked up the will to say what she needed. Through gritted teeth, Raven started, "I… I need…" her throat was tight, an embarrassed and annoyed flush rising in her cheeks. Her violet eyes flicked to the ceiling as she cleared her throat.

"Yes?" Slade drawled, amusement thick in his voice.

Raven's jaw jutted out and her mouth twisted as she brought her eyes back down to Slade. He was watching her now, his blue eye bright with wicked joy. "I need your help," Raven griped.

"What's the magic—"

"Do. Not," Raven spat, the whole room darkening as she levelled a glare at Slade.

Slade chuckled, putting up his hands. "Fine, but you really should be more polite, Raven."

Raven's eyes narrowed, and a lamp bulb exploded next to Slade. The villain flinched away from the exploding glass before smirking and moving over to Raven at the door, his body towering over hers as she pressed the gauze and her arm tighter on her chest. When Raven didn't move, he leaned against the frame, raising an eyebrow and making a circular motion with one finger.

Raven's subconscious was demanding not to turn her back to him, to keep Slade in her line of sight, but the feeling of blood leaking from her wound begged to be wrapped. Slowly, Raven pushed the door away and turned, practically crushing her own sternum with how hard she was holding the gauze in place. Slade moved closer, his hand reaching beneath her arm and brushing the skin of her triceps. Raven tensed at the touch, her breath holding as Slade's fingers grabbed for the roll of gauze beneath Raven's hand.

It's just a medical wrap. It's nothing. Raven hand curled tighter on the roll as she tried to relax, digging into Slade's knuckles.

"I didn't think you needed someone to hold your hand, Raven," Slade quipped, and Raven's grip on the gauze instantly loosened. The villain snatched the roll before it dropped and was wrapping Raven's torso before she could even process. His arms snaked beneath her arms, and Raven felt his bare chest against her back as he made quick work of wrapping the wound. When he secured the wrap, he tightened the band, forcing the held breath from Raven's lungs.

"Ow," she complained monotonously.

"Done," Slade stated, his hands patting her sides condescendingly. Raven was about to move away from him when his hand wrapped back around her waist, his palm pressing against her belly. Raven tried to turn in his grip, but his other hand kept her still so she could only glance at him over her shoulder. Slade cocked his head at her, a heady look in his eye as his hand swept up her stomach, a piece of gauze tickling her skin and wiping away the blood trail that marred her paleness. Their eyes were locked together as he did it, and Raven felt a tremor moving over her body as Slade slowed the motion of his hand. He pressed gently against the top of the blood trail, his hand splaying out over her stomach, so his thumb was just beneath the gauze on Raven's chest.

A nervous flutter twisted Raven's stomach, and she quickly ducked from his grip, Slade releasing her without protest. Raven lightly stepped away, facing him with a sheepish expression on her face. "Thank you," she said quietly. Her eyes darted away from his face, scanning the room for her cloak and finding it draped over the back of the small sofa she'd spent the first night on.

Slade's eye followed her line of sight, and with an obvious smirk on his face, he walked over to the sofa, grabbed the blue garment and tossed it at Raven's head. "You're welcome," he teased, and he made no effort to hide the quick flick of his eye over Raven's body before she covered herself with the cloak, completely ignoring the tears and stains in the fabric. "For the second time," Slade added as plopped back into his seat.

Raven frowned, moving stiffly toward the bed before stopping and staring at the open sofa across Slade.

"We'll have our chance to kill each other later, Raven," Slade said smoothly, watching her with a curious look in his eye. "In the meantime, we might as well enjoy each other's company."

Raven rolled her eyes but began walking to the sofa anyway. "Enjoy is a stretch. Tolerate, maybe."

"Whatever you say, but I think by the end of this, you won't be able to get me out of that stubborn little head of yours."

Raven scoffed. "I wouldn't waste my time."

"I doubt it'd be wasteful."

"That sounds like the definition of wasteful to me."

"Then allow me to surprise you. I'm quite a memorable man."

"Memorable doesn't equate to interesting."

"Stubbornness doesn't equate to accuracy."

"The only thing I'm going to be thinking about when it comes to you after this is done, Slade, is how absolutely annoying you are. And I've got to say," Raven scoffed, "it really ruins your whole bad-guy façade."

Slade raised his brows, "A façade now, is it? Seems like I've already got you thinking differently of me, gem."

Raven's mouth twisted. "No, that's not what I meant."

"Isn't it? I mean look at us, Raven," Slade gestured around them, to the plain room and the relaxed positions they both were in, "we're practically friends. Fighting together, living together, talking. Maybe I should move into your Tower next."

"We are not friends."

Slade hummed, "No, you're right. I doubt you let your friends touch you like that." Slade pointed his hand at Raven's stomach, his good eye gleaming in the light of the room as a wicked smile turned up his face as Raven's cheeks flamed red.

"That was nothing!" Raven immediately argued. "And that was all you!"

"Seemed like you liked it," Slade tutted back.

"What?" Raven stammered. "Why would you think that?!"

Slade chuckled. "I'm not hearing any disagreement."

"N-no!" Raven said, feeling waves of embarrassment and disdain crashing into each other.

"A bit late to disagree now."

Raven's teeth clenched, but as she was about to snap back at him, she stopped herself. This is exactly what he wants, she thought, don't give it to him. Releasing a frustrated breath, Raven sat back in her chair, levelling her gaze at him. "You can think whatever you like," she said calmly, "it doesn't mean it's true."

Slade's smirk vanished, and a look of annoyance flashed over his features before he settled himself deeper in his seat, meeting Raven's stare with his own. "Your little friends didn't do so well today."

Raven kept her face neutral, knowing he was trying to bait her, but she was curious. She'd only caught a glimpse of the bracket earlier; she didn't know any of the details about the fights after theirs. "What happened after I…"

"Nearly blew up the arena?" Slade finished, a twitch at the corner of his mouth threatening to turn into another grin.

Raven nodded, her hand going to her side, feeling the tenderness beneath the gauze. She had been angry and terrified, and the power that had come from her had felt so overwhelming, so powerful… she didn't doubt the damage could have been catastrophic.

To his credit, Slade seemed to recognize the anxiety and tension in Raven's body, and he began softly, "You won us the match, for starters."

A dark thought crossed Raven's mind. She remembered Scarecrow screaming, the smell of blood, the sounds of fighting. "What happened to Scarecrow and Bane?" Raven asked quietly, fearing the answer.

Slade paused for a long moment, watching her carefully before answering, "I broke Scarecrow's leg; he was out of the match already. Your blast threw Bane across the arena, knocked him completely unconscious. It destroyed pretty much the entire field. Neither of them was in a state to yield, so the match ended. I had to dive back over to you just to get my mask before the rest of your little friends saw my face with the gas clearing."

Raven laughed at that, "Seriously? You do realize I'm going to tell them exactly what you look like after this, right?"

Slade's mouth twitched again. "I don't think you will."

Raven raised her eyebrows, incredulous, but didn't press the topic. If Slade wanted to add delusional to his list of qualities, she wasn't going to argue. "So that's it? I knocked them out and we won?"

Slade paused again, "Like I said, neither could yield. The match ended, and I had to carry you out of there back to this room. Apparently, medical care is only provided for the losers."

That perked Raven up. "So that means Beast Boy—"

"Is fine. I saw him, actually, after the matches ended today. He was eating with the rest of your side. From what I've heard, losers are given a choice. They can stay and watch the remaining matches or return home. Most of the hero pairs that have lost have chosen to stay. I can't say the same for the rest."

Raven let a long breath, the first real sense of relief she'd felt since coming here soothing her. "So you patched me up… by yourself?" Raven asked, slightly confused.

"Is that surprising?" Slade asked.

"I just…" Raven started. "You don't seem like the caretaker type."

"I'm not," Slade agreed, "but that doesn't mean I don't know how to wrap a wound. Though the unconscious floating was new."

Raven rolled her eyes. "Sorry to have inconvenienced you," she said sarcastically. "My magic was just, you know, trying to keep me alive."

"Apology accepted," Slade answered. "After all, I wouldn't have had to do any of that had you behaved yourself and—"

The ceiling lights above Slade exploded into shards of glass, the pieces raining down on him from above. Raven half expected to feel an electric shock from the guns perched in the corners of the room, but when nothing happened, she grinned, letting her face contort into a demonic visage. When she spoke, her voice was deep and throaty, a dark tenor that echoed in the room, "Do not speak to me as if I'm a child in need of a scolding, Slade. You have no idea of the consequences of even one dark choice. One misstep on a path, and all the world will see why I am the one Trigon fears."

Slade sat back in his seat, his eye not leaving Raven's face, all trace of his earlier derision vanished as the shadows in the room encroached on him, appearing to come alive. He tried to keep his face straight, unwavering, but Raven caught it, her empathic abilities giving her the edge. He was afraid of her. She was being particularly dramatic, of course. She had far more control over herself and her powers to be corrupted the way she was insinuating, but Slade didn't need to know that. She withdrew the demonic power, her face returning to a pleasant smile which grew as Slade visibly relaxed, brushing the glass from the lights off his body.

"Got it," Slade bit out, annoyed.

Raven crossed her legs beneath her, barely feeling the twinge of pain in her side as she moved and let herself smile contentedly. "That said, we could've worked better together. I accept the blame for my part in that. I hesitated, and we both could have died. So from now on," Raven paused, taking a deep breath before continuing, "I'm with you. Until this is over, you and me," Raven gestured between them, "we're a team. A real team. I'll watch your back, and you'll watch mine."

Slade tilted his head, observing her as she sat on the couch, her cloak draping over her knees. Flicking off the last few shards of glass, he stood from his seat and walked over to her, towering over her smaller frame. Raven had to crane her neck all the way back just to keep eye contact, but she didn't move, not even an inch. The familiar smirk graced Slade's face again as he extended his hand, offering his agreement. Silently, Raven took it, narrowing her eyes as his hand dwarfed her own and he squeezed hers hard enough to leave a bruise as they shook.

"You really can't help yourself, can you?" Raven jeered.

Slade yanked on her hand, bringing her to her feet and leaning in close, using his free hand to pick up a small piece of glass that had stuck in his hair. He loosened his grip on her hand, turning it over so Raven's palm was upward before pressing the glass piece into it. "Neither can you."

A/N: Lots of dialogue in this chapter, and I promise to get back to the action in the next segment! I apparently can't help but to write long pieces since I definitely intended this story to originally be relatively short lol. I hope you all are sticking with me on this and still enjoying!