Stargazing - DamiRae

I

Raven sighed softly as she slipped at her tea. She could hear her father screaming from his place inside the crystal, and it was giving her a headache.

There was a knock on her door, then it slid open. "Raven," Kori said cheerfully. "We haven't seen you today. Are you -"

"Fine," Raven interrupted. "Just tired. Headache."

Kori shot her a worried look. "You don't look very well, Raven," she said.

Raven rolled her eyes. "That's polite," she scoffed.

"I apologize," Kori said quickly. "I didn't mean it as a –"

"I know."

A brief pause. Maybe Raven should stop interrupting people.

Kori turned around. "I'll send Damian up with some..." she paused as she strugfled ro remember the word. "Advil."

"Thanks," Raven mumbled as the door shut.  She finished off her tea and placed the mug on her desk. Her head was pounding like she had slammed it against a brick wall.

Raven, release me this instant! I'll kill everyone you love! I'll end you and your Earth! Let me out! Now!

Raven rubbed her pimples. "Shut up," she hissed.

"Bad time?" Damian's voice asked.

Raven looked up. "No. It's fine," she said quickly. It was almost never a bad time for her Damian. Wait – what? Her Damian? What the hell was she thinking? Was she forgetting everything she had learned?

Damian tossed the box of Advil to her. She tried to catch it, fumbled, and dropped it on the floor. "Fuck," she hissed.

Damian snickered.

"Shut it, Bird Brain," Raven snapped jokingly. She picked up the box and took ome of the pills – dry.

Damian stared at her for a second. "I don't know how you do that," he muttered, shaking his head.

"Not that hard," Raven answered. She hesitated. "Um... you want to... hang out for a bit?"

Curse her awkwardness and inability to socialize.

But Damian smiled, a rare sight. "Sure."

He sat down at Raven's desk chair. He studied her face. She seemed sad, angry, and afraid. Like she was hiding something.

Witch girl! I will escape! I'll get out! I'll kill you! I'll kill them! I'll destroy your planet! You're too weak to keep me in! No matter what you do, I will be free!

Raven groaned and hid her face in her hands.

"Are you alright?" Damian asked, reaching a hand out to her.

"Yeah," she mumbled. "My father – Trigon – he just keeps yelling. Saying he'll escape and kill everybody and destroy the Earth and – whatever. It doesn't matter."

"It does if it's bothering you this much," Damian accused.

"I still have nightmares about him," Raven admitted. "Every night. It's so... real. I can hear his voice, smell his stink, see him, feel him. It's awful."

Damian moved to sit beside her on the bed. It was a simple gesture, but one full of I'm here and nobody can hurt you right now and I'll protect you.

So this is the one, Raven? The one that brings so much... joy... to your stupid, soft mind. You love him, idiot girl. I'll kill him last, I'll make him suffer, and I'll force you to watch the life slowly drain from his eyes.

Raven huffed out a sigh. She realized that Damian had been talking to her. "What did you say?" she asked, flustered and embarrassed that she hadn't heard.

"I said, you should try to get some sleep," Damian repeated. Before Raven could protest, he added, "Don't worry. I'll be here if you have a nightmare."

Raven didn't answer, but she let her eyes slide closed, leaning back against the wall. Sleep sounded nice, maybe just for a moment...

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She was alone. She was in pain. She was being hunted.

Another blast of magic shot by her, barely missing her face. She sprinted faster, then jumped up to fly as fast as she could.

The demons chased her, easily matching her speed. One of the bolts hit her square in the back, sending her down. She gasped as she fell, trying and failing to catch herself.

"It is our destiny to be together!" a voice shouted. Trigon descended upon her.

She screamed.

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"Raven! Raven!"

Raven shot up with a gasp and a cry. Tears were streaming down her face. She quickly brushed them away. Not again.

"You were screaming," Damian pointed out.

"Sorry," Raven muttered. "It never ends."

Damian slowly, so Raven knew what he was doing, put an arm around her shoulders. She flinched, but didn't offer resistance.

It was... nice, somehow, to sit here next to the ex-assassin in a comfortable silence.

Slowly, she felt herself slipping back into sleep.

There were no bad dreams this time. Just a feeling of warmth, comfort, and safety.

Things Raven hadn't felt in a long time.

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Extra:
Kori opened the door slowly, then quickly snaooed a picture of the two sleeping teens and ran off before either of them woke up.

She had blackmail material now. Not that she would use it for that. But she did make the picture her laptop background.