Raven flicked her hand, smiling at the soft sound of a bundled bandage landing in the trash can. She looked at her reflection in the bathroom mirror, admiring the thin silver scar that had formed beneath her breast. Her arms had healed cleanly, leaving no trace of the trauma from the previous day. After her and Slade's agreement, they had spent the next couple of hours preparing for today's fight before they were both satisfied with their strategy and went to bed. Now, Raven felt her energy and magic returned, her body healed, and her mind ready.
She grabbed the fresh set of clothes she'd requested and pulled it on. Rather than the leotard most saw her in, she'd opted for her long, black armored pants and sleeves. She wasn't keen for a repeat of the previous day's encounter, and this particular set had been designed with magic in mind. As the Titans had become more and more renowned, the team had seen an increase in dangerous magical criminals targeting them. For the most part, Raven hadn't had any difficulty in matching them, but she had felt it was time to invest in gear with additional protections against any potential future threats.
Raven smirked to herself. Who would've thought the first "threats" against her would be two of the Justice League's own?
Turning on her heel, she emerged from the bathroom. Slade was latching the mask over his face, equipped in his orange and black armor, ready to go. When he faced her, he looked as villainous as he always had, an emotionless, sharp mask that reflected the callousness contained within, yet over the last few days, Raven had been privy to something else, and she still wasn't sure what to make of it.
"Let's go," she said plainly, pushing down whatever doubts she had about Slade's true nature. The fact was, she didn't need to answer those questions. A deal had been made, and she, despite what common sense would say, trusted Slade to fulfill his end. She didn't trust Slade, but she did trust that until she stood against him, they would stand together.
She felt his presence behind her as they exited their room, heading down the long hall toward the dining area. She could hear voices echoing towards them; most would already be there. They had left later, leaving only a little time to eat. Just as they were about to come into sight of the dining room, Slade's hand wrapped around her bicep, stopping her.
Raven glanced over her shoulder, giving him an inquisitive stare.
Slade's eye darted to her face as he said quietly, "Stay close. Your friends," he spat the word out venomously, "weren't exactly on your side last time, and we were fighting their enemies. How do you think they're going to treat you now that you're going up against two of their own?"
Raven narrowed her eyes, shrugging his hand off her arm. "My friends are the Titans," Raven countered. "Not the League. And I am one of their own."
"Raven," Slade warned, his tone stern, yet a hint of concern tainted it. Raven hardly had time to think about what that meant as she walked away.
The voices that had echoed in the hall became clearer, a cacophony lowering to harsh whispers and angry voices that silenced as Raven stepped into the room. The wave of emotion hit Raven hard, like a sucker punch to her gut, and she felt every eye in the room turn to her. There were less bodies in the room than the first day, yet somehow, the hostility felt amplified tenfold. The sensation only deepened when Slade took up residence in the shadow behind her.
"We're both pariahs, now," Slade whispered to her. "Apparently, my… assistance to you didn't sit well with, frankly, anyone."
Raven took a deep breath, not letting her hesitance show on her face as Slade grunted in annoyance.
"Especially them," he added with a snort just as Starfire flew into Raven, wrapping her in a tight hug.
"Friend Raven!" Starfire shouted out in relief. "You are okay!"
Raven accepted the embrace, ignoring Slade's annoyed huff from behind her. "I said as much. Multiple times."
Starfire's arms tightened around Raven, and Raven could feel the death glare Star was giving Slade.
"Ouch," Raven deadpanned as the alien's strength smothered her.
"OH!" Star responded in embarrassment, flying back and giving Raven a sheepish look. "I apologize, Raven." The Tamaranian narrowed her eyes at Slade over Raven's shoulder, an irritated expression passing over her normally happy features at whatever Slade was doing. "I will not be apologizing to you."
"Starfire—" Raven began, hoping to diffuse the growing and suffocating tension that had sprung up. She didn't get a chance to finish, however, as Slade practically picked Raven up and put himself between her and the other Titan.
"Clearly it isn't customary for your people to show gratitude," Slade sneered.
As Starfire's face twisted and her eyes glowed green, the rest of Raven's team ran up behind her with grim faces and shooting angry stares at Slade. "You are not worthy of my gratitude!" Starfire snapped.
"Get out of the way, Slade," Robin said darkly, "or I'll move you."
Slade scoffed, crossing his arms and glowering at the Titan's leader. "Oh, please, Robin," Slade mocked, "you and I both know how that fight ends, and it isn't with me moving."
Here we go, Raven thought miserably, seeing Robin's face contort with defiant rage.
Robin's bo staff extended at his side, and he settled in a fighting stance, pointing one end at Slade's face. "You don't know anything," Robin fired back, "you're the one that ran from Jump City. From us. So you're right, Slade, we do know how this ends. With you in chains!"
Raven looked nervously at a large electric weapon on the ceiling several feet away charging and pointing directly at Robin. Slade didn't flinch at all at Robin's threat, snorting and rolling his good eye.
"Go on, then, boy," Slade jeered. "Do it. See what happens."
Raven tried to move around Slade, but her "partner" was having none of it. Every time Raven moved, Slade matched her step, using his larger size to his advantage to keep her behind him. Frowning, she could just see Robin's form on the other side, his body tensing and his fist tightening on his staff. Raven sensed his emotions, a powerful desire to attack his worst enemy threatening to overpower whatever common sense Robin possessed.
"Move it, Slade!" Beast Boy chimed in, his voice slightly strained, and Raven remembered the fear she'd felt for him during his fight, and the unlikely savior that had stepped in and saved BB's life.
The longer Slade blocked her friends from seeing her, the worse things would get, and Raven had the distinct impression he was trying to be an asshole. After all, he certainly wouldn't bat an eye watching the Titans receive an unhealthy dose of electric shock.
"Slade," Raven said quietly. He ignored her, continuing to stand in the way and taunting Robin, his eye clearly seeing the building electricity from the gun on the ceiling.
Raven sighed a deep breath, and gently, she slid her hand from his lower back to his side, letting it rest there. It was… strangely intimate, a soft delicate motion that lingered longer than it should have. Slade tensed briefly before slightly turning his head to look at her from the corner of his eye. He flicked his eye down to her hand, seeing it still resting on his side, but he made no effort to move it. Instead, his shoulders relaxed, and he uncrossed his arms before shaking his head.
"I'm staying close," he warned, mostly to her as he stepped aside, letting the rest of the Titans get a full glimpse of her, before slinking off to lean against the wall a couple yards away.
Robin watched him suspiciously as he moved, but when his eyes came back to Raven, they lit up and relief washed over his whole body. "Raven," he said, "you're okay."
"I'm okay," she affirmed.
"You really scared us, Rae," Cyborg added. "When that gas filled the arena, all we heard were screams and then Slade was carrying you out, covered in blood. What happened?"
Instinctively, Raven's hand went to her side where the scar would be a constant reminder of what she had gone through. "I… I was stabbed," Raven answered, trying to keep her voice even. Slade shifted in his stance, his eye and ear fully focused on the conversation. Raven caught his eye as she thumbed the place the scar was. "If Slade hadn't gotten to me, I'd be dead."
A flash of surprise crossed all their faces at that admission, and Raven realized they truly didn't know what had happened in the gas cloud. Robin and Cyborg shared a strange look at Raven's telling, and they both seemed to be… relieved?
What was that about? Raven wondered.
"Seriously?" Beast Boy whispered, his green eyes darting to Slade in confusion.
"He needs her to win, Beast Boy," Robin said matter-of-factly, not daring to believe that Slade had done it for any other reason.
"Right," BB agreed, shaking off his confusion. It was easier to believe Slade was just a monster that didn't have a choice but to save Raven. In some ways, Raven wanted to believe that, too, but still… something nagged at her that there was more. Her hand tingled where she had touched him. Her mind filled with visions of a cheeky smile and the way his mouth twitched when he was amused.
"Are you okay?" Robin asked, bringing Raven's attention back to her friends just as her thoughts veered toward… other memories of the man that threatened to turn her whole face red.
"Yes," Raven answered, her neutral monotone hiding the thoughts underneath. "I'm fully healed, thanks to Slade, actually."
"Right," Robin said sourly, looking uncomfortable as Slade's smirk practically burned through his mask. "But," Robin began again, lowering his voice, "are you okay? With the blast at the end of your match and… well… we know you didn't have a choice…"
Raven's brows pulled together as she looked at him. "What do you mean?"
Before Robin could answer, Slade had appeared. "That's enough," he said, his voice stern and full of warning.
Raven glanced at him and then the Titans. "What… what's he talking about?"
Robin's face paled before anger washed over him. He turned a venomous stare to Slade. "You didn't tell her."
Slade's body tensed, and he tried to move in front of Raven again, but she was faster, she slid around him, putting her hand on his bicep as she did and staring in question at her friends, her heartbeat racing.
"Tell me what?" she asked.
"Don't," Slade ordered, whether it was directed at her or the others, she wasn't sure.
Robin looked down, his face sad before meeting Raven's eyes. "No one blames you, Raven. We know you didn't mean to. You said it yourself. You were hurt, badly. You would have died."
Lying. He's lying. A cold sweat struck her. Robin rarely lied to her, but she felt it. He didn't blame her, but others did. Blame me for what? she asked herself. What… what did I do?
"Didn't mean what, Robin?" she asked breathily, a panic rising.
Beast Boy and Starfire shared looks of pain and despair as they saw the desperation in Raven's face. Cyborg was stoic, but pity was gleaming in his eyes. Robin's voice lowered as he spoke.
"Scarecrow's dead, Rae. Your blast… it killed him."
A/N: Shorter one today. Hoping to wrap this up relatively soon. I expect 4-5 more chapters. As always, I super appreciate every interaction with this story!