#reax

Damian shoved his hands in his coat pocket, trying to protect his skin from the biting cold as it whipped through the streets. He glanced around, taking in the press of buildings and the smell of greasy fast food and grime. Jump City. Ridiculous. On his own earth, this was an empty shell of a city, filled with broken down factories and empty warehouses. But here… it was bustling, even growing. Kept safe by a handful of young adults in spandex and kevlar.

Disgusting.  

He paused outside a pawn shop, looking through the window and metal cage to see the nightly news being played on an old plasma TV. A villain was thwarted again, which was such a common occurrence that it was only allowed a thirty second blurb on the news. Either the Titans team was well organized and skilled, or the villains on this earth were lacking in any real skill. Damian was beginning to assume it was a mixture of both. 

He ran his thumb along the line in his jaw and watched as the scene from the fight was replayed for the last few seconds of the story, blocking out the unnecessary commentary from the news anchor.  The shaky camera focused on the brute strength and model-like beauty of Starfire, the solid if burgeoning leadership skills of Robin (who was nearly tipping into Nightwing), the charisma of Beast Boy, and the flashy tech of Cyborg. But Raven only garnered a cursory pan of the camera across her form, forgotten. 

Raven. Who could likely take down any one of her teammates before they even realized what was happening. She was underestimated often, but Damian knew better. He had fought her a few times on his earth, and was shocked by the strength inside her. She was brutal - raw magic power and sharp, surgeon-like control. He’d almost lost to her during their last battle, something he was both ashamed and proud to admit. Damian remembered looking up into her face, her eyes and hands glowing, his sword wedged against an artery in her throat. They were both gasping for breath, wounded and worn out, almost rabid with the desire to best one another. Along his side was a magic burn from her hands. With no small amount of shame, he realized that in another timeline, he might have fallen for her. Or, at the very least, bed her.  

Damian slammed a door on those thoughts, keeping his face blank as he stared at the television screen. Right now, the truth was that he needed her. Or, more precisely, her magic.

As far as he could tell, her magic was the only thing that would send him back to where he belonged, without the concern of finding himself dead. She was a hero, and held herself to a higher standard of morals than most, but it didn’t mean that she would (or could) open up a portal back to his own earth. But something inside him told him that she was the key that he needed to get back home, and after all these years, he knew when to trust his gut. 

But… how to convince her to trust him? That was the problem. Damian finished watching the news report before he turned away, walking through the crowds of people pressed against him. He’d been here an entire week now, and in spite of everything he knew he could do to get back to where he belonged, he kept coming back to her - to Raven. She was the easiest path back to his own earth, the one he could manipulate and use. He needed her.  

He locked his jaw into place and stared ahead, letting his mind flick through scenarios and options. An old gossip rag skittered across his feet in the wind, the black-and-white photo marked with red lettering. Who is Red X? There was always… that option. That option would not necessarily earn Raven’s trust, at least not without careful planning and playacting. But, if push came to shove, it would give him the tools to overpower her and force her to do what he wanted. Crude, but effective. 

Damian glared at nothing in particular and ducked down a trash-filled alley, leading to the empty flat he was using as a hideout. It had probably once been a drug den, and it reeked of sweat and sin and bad decisions, but no one bothered him there. He entered the building and made his way to the small studio apartment. His head hummed with thoughts, and he could feel that option come back to him, whispering in his ear. 

Take it. Take it. Take it.

He could and he should. He didn’t belong on this earth, and the only option was to use the tools he had around him - including the suit that Robin had created all those years ago, and the magical might of one sorceress. He would get back to his own earth, and he would do absolutely anything necessary to get there. 

Damian moved to a window and stared out into the city, catching the bare edge of Titan Tower, standing like a sentinel in the bay. He crossed his arms over his chest and smirked, this would be easy.

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