#team hellfire

Based off of @xaphrin‘s Baby au

(X)

----

Everything hurt. 

Jason groaned as he slowly peeled his shirt over his head, his ribs stinging horribly from his activities earlier that night. He gritted his teeth as he pushed through the pain, yanking it over his head and tossing the offending garment to some random spot in his dingy, dark hotel room before removing his pants, the red light from the neon sign outside his window being the only light to guide his way. He hummed as he looked down at himself, noting all his injuries:

A few bumps, a few scratches. Bruised - maybe, broken ribs. Knife wound to the outer thigh. And of course, a headache from all the hits to the head. Perhaps a mild concussion. 

Fixable. Painful but fixable. 

(X)

The smell of burning wood filled her nose as she made her way closer to the garage shop, the sound of a saw going ringing louder in her ears with every step. She poked her head around the entrance to see Jason hard at work, his head bopping to the music from his headphones, completely unaware of her presence.

Not wanting to disturb him while working heavy machinery, she clutched the bag of food tighter in her hand as she waited in the archway for him to notice her. Maybe she should’ve texted first or just waited for him to come home… That’s what they always did anyways.

But being in the apartment building without him there was becoming strange to her. Especially after her earlier festivities… Lord, she didn’t want to be alone after all that trouble. And Jason’s presence always seemed to ease and soothe her, that she often sought him out for it. Who was once an annoyance had somehow become someone she had trouble being without. So here she was -  At his shop, a few blocks east from their place, holding Thai food, waiting awkwardly for him to notice her.

It was the day that every girl dreams of:

Her wedding day.

Or, at least, it would be if it were real. And not in a barn. In the middle of nowhere. To a supposed dead man that she did not know nor particularly care remotely for. If it was actually her wedding day and not a day that was just a show for the fake married life they were going to lead for who knows how long.

It was more like a day that no one would ever think - let alone- dream, would happen but was. And it was happening to her.

How lucky...

The air smelled like hay and manure, which was just a polite way of saying it smelled like shit. Even in the bridal suite of the house they were in while she and her “bridesmaids” were getting ready for the worst day of her life, the smell penetrated the house and seemed to get on everything. She wondered how long would the smell cling to her.

“People actually pay for this?” Raven drooled as she sat while Starfire took the 20 large curlers from her hair.

She nodded with great enthusiasm. “Oh yes! I believe the trend is called country rustic chic!”

“I call it too fucking expensive,” Raven replied, dryly. “Why couldn’t we just do a small beach wedding? That would’ve been just as convincing.”

“Nope,” Cyborg said as he snapped a picture of Bumblebee and Argent. “The big trend is DIY country rustic chic and we are trying to run as normal and basic as possible. If that means Christmas lights, mason jars, and giant spools of burlap on a farm, then that’s what we have to do. We have to-.”

“Try to make it convincing,” Raven trailed with a roll of her eye. She heard that phrase so many times over the past two weeks since the start of the assignment, it barely sounded like a sentence anymore. It sounded more like random noise. “I know…”

Cy gave her a look of sympathy. “Hey… it’s only temporary. And after this mission is done, you’ll get all the vacation days you want.”

She hummed. “At least, one good thing will come out of this marriage.”

“Atta girl,” he smiled back as he lifted the camerato his eye. “Now look at Starfire like you’re having a good time.”

With a heavy breath, Raven looked to Star as she pulled a false smile on her face and pretended for the camera. Pretended she was happy, pretended she was okay with this, that she was strong enough for this weird sort of burial.

Her cheeks stung and the split of her lips felt like a knife slicing through her face. Her body a skeleton city that only echoed the shallow beating of her hollow heart. She felt so empty about this day. This day that was made up to be hers but it wasn’t. No, this day was for the very-soon-to-be Mrs. Rachel Todd. Not only was it her wedding day but it was also her birthing day. What a strange feeling it was hosting such a stranger who was nothing like her but made up of everything her.

Looking up at Star, Raven couldn’t help but feel envy. How happy she seemed plucking out the curlers from her hair. Just as happy as she was planning the wedding and caking the makeup on her face. How easy it seemed for her to pretend that she was happy for this new person. Or maybe it was just that: Easy.

After all, she was the easiest one to explain away.

Her eyes drifted away from her friend to the large hanging white dress in the window. There she was in all her chiffon and lace appliqué and feathery glory. Waiting for her first breath of life with Raven’s last. Rachel’s dream wedding dress...

Raven’s feathery, chiffon, lacy bleach white coffin.

—-

“Where did you get this suit? Men’s wearhouse?” Jason muttered as he crossed his bow tie over his neck in the mirror.

“Yup,” Dick replied with a definitive pop.

“Yeah, I can feel it. The material is so… cheap,” Jason sneered. “Y’know, you could’ve let me have one of my Tom Ford suits that wasn’t rigged with anything for today.”

“Had to go full out basic for this,” Dick explained, securing his last cuff link. “Tom Ford is far from basic.”

He huffed. “I guess that’s true… it’s just all so…”

Plain. Boring. Unimaginative. Cheap, and not in financially savvy good way. It was so…

“Vanilla…” Nothing like what he envisioned.

Dick let out a small chuckle. “Then, we’re doing something right.”

Turning to his “Best Man,” Jason raised a quizative brow. “Well… that sounds cryptic. And I’m the one getting the ball and chain today.”

“Don’t say that. Raven’s not that bad.”

“I’m unofficially getting married to a woman I hardly know for a mission with no end date and under the circumstance that I “behave” myself, lest, I be sent to jail. All so that I don’t go to jail and I get my wrap sheet wiped clean,” Jason replied, dryly. “I’m not exactly marrying out of choice here. She’s my literal ball and chain.”

“She’s still not that bad…” Dick paused. “Once you get to know her.”

Jason snorted, turning to the dresser for his cufflinks. “Do you see us getting along?”

“Hmm… if I remember correctly, you did have a small crush on her back in ‘03 when you guys first met,” Dick mused with a smirk.

Jason rolled his eyes, trying to hide the slight blush that started to creep on his cheeks as he fiddled with his link. “I was a kid, then. That was back when I thought I had a chance with Wonder Woman too.”

Dick shrugged. “To be fair, so did Bruce.”

“True. He with the Cat again?”

“Y’know, he can’t seem to quit her for too long.”

“Ugh, how long has this round of the merry-go-round been going this time?”

“For a while now this time,” Dick mused, watching Jason struggle with the link. “About 10 months, I think.”

“Well, I owe Alfred $40 now,” Jason laughed as he continued to fumble around with the accessory. “Damnit.”

“Let me,” Dick muttered, coming over to him and taking the link out of his hands.

A weird and tense sort of silence passed between the two as Dick worked the link on his sleeve. It was so strange how easy they could talk but then, memories of how everything went down would slam into them. Rendering them silent. Debating if now was the time to hash things out. If now was the time to apologize. If they should apologize…

Jason cleared his throat, looking at anything in the room. “Didn’t get to ask earlier - how is Alfred?”

“He’s good,” Dick nodded, moving onto the next sleeve. “Still Alfred. Patching everyone up, giving Bruce shit about his life choices… He’s upset that you didn’t tell him you were back. From the dead.”

“I know…” Jason sighed, “I’m not looking forward to that phone call.”

“Less or more than the call from Bruce?”

“Less. Bruce will just brood disappointedly at you through the phone. Alfred will send you a care package full of poisoned tea and biscuits when you’re low on groceries… And you will thank him for it,” Jason snorted as Dick secured the last link.

“Ha! True,” Dick laughed as he stepped back and looked at the mirror, both doing last minute primping before they were called down to the Long Walk Down the Aisle. “Robin rule number 1?”

“Never piss off the Butler,” they said in unison before breaking out into another shared laugh.

“How could I forget that rule?” Jason, jokingly, criticized himself.

Dick’s laugh trailed off, letting the intensity from earlier seep back into his bones. He sighed as he straightened out his suit jacket again. “Y’know, we’re going to have to talk things out at some point, right?”

Jason’s smile faded away into a look of mild annoyance as he fixed his tie again. “It’s not enough that you’re marrying me off to someone I barely know?”

“Nope,” Dick answered before clapping a hand on Jason’s shoulder with a playful smile. “You shouldn’t have died - but all things considered… it can wait for another day.”

“Thanks…”

Dick made a strange noncommittal noise, walking over to the door of their suit to head outside to the impending long walk of doom. “Don’t thank me yet… I didn’t send Alfred an invite.”

Jason paused, staring blank face at his older brother who just stood there with the door open and a semi-guilty grin on his face.  He blinked. “I already died once, Dick! I’m not exactly looking forward to dying again!”

Dick shrugged. “Sorry.”

—-

It was a beautiful day.

The warm southern breeze carried the melodic songs the birds sung in time with the soft notes of “Ava Maria.” The green grass gleamed in the golden early afternoon, still wet from the morning dew. The white country rose covered gazebo stood proudly as the pair stood within it’s archway, staring down their “pastor” as a gang of “witnesses” sat behind them.

It was so picture perfect. Sickeningly so perfect. God, it was such a beautiful day for a beautiful wedding.

What a shame it was wasted on them.

Raven pressed her lips as she felt a trickle of sweat at the back of her head, her somehow near to 200 pound dress weighing down on her. How did women do this, she wondered as she straightened her shoulders, trying to hoist her dress up. Her head was itchy from the pins pressing against the back her head, making sure the half up part of her hair stayed high and tight, while the hairspray on her perfectly spiraled curls crunched from the slightest movement she made. Her feet were killing her, certain that she had lost feeling in her three smaller toes on both feet from her too tight heels. She could feel her pores clogging from the 5 layers of makeup painted on her holographed face from the obscenely large rose gold “engagement ring” resting on her left hand. The corset she was wearing underneath squeezed too tight on her ribcage, making it hard to breath…

Why would women put themselves through this torture for just one solitary day? She wondered again.

Letting out a breath, she batted her eyelids open and tried to focus on the “Ceremony” which was really just a photo opportunity to really sell the story that she and her very-soon-to-be-fake-husband were an average, everyday newlywed couple. All in the name of justice.

God, she wanted to gag at the thought… but she was already too busy trying not to faint.

“Okay, now you guys face each other, hold hands, and look like you’re saying your vows,” Cyborg said as he wandered around them for another shot.

They had avoided looking at each other up to this point, neither of them fully ready to face exactly what they were signing up for. As if locking eyes with each other would make what they were doing just all the more real, and they couldn’t run. Not if they wanted to catch the guy they were after and not if he wanted a clean slate.

But lord, did they want to just run.

With heavy sighs, they decided it was time to face the music and turned to each other. Raven handed her country rose and baby’s breath riddled, lace wrapped bouquet to Starfire as she slowly placed her hands in his. Why did they feel like handcuffs? Emerald green eyes meet deep blue, and at that moment, they both had sealed their fate.

Such a wonderful day for a wedding… Tragic, it was a funeral.

“Look at each other lovingly. Say some words like these are your actual vows.”

They both rolled their eyes and let out a low groan of annoyance. “Haven’t we been degraded enough?”

“We’re not degrading you.”

“She’s wearing feathers, for god’s sake,” Jason replied back as he pulled out a handkerchief and gently patting down her cheeks of sweat whilst looking sweetly at her whilst his tone read indifferent. For a guy who didn’t seem to want this as much as she did, he was doing a good job of acting for the camera. “And she’s dying in it. You’ve got your shot. Let’s move on.”

“Just a few more shots… Raven, you say something,” Cyborg said, clicking his camera again. “And look like you actually like him.”

Raven sighed as she looked up at him, feeling absolutely nothing but tired. Not even angry or sad anymore. Just tired. And hot. Say something? She wanted to say so many, many things. How dare her friends just sign her off? How dare they fluff and primp and beautify her and celebrate her going away? How dare they turn her into someone who is nothing like her? Erase everything her? How dare they tell her to smile for the camera while she was dying inside? While the man who she was chained to held her hands and wiped her cheeks, acting like he was the only one who cared. And he very well could be as it was his funeral too.

 She pulled a soft smile on her face and hoped the rest of her features will fall in line and said the one thing she could think of that wouldn’t turn her face sour.

“It’s...such a beautiful day.”

Jason paused for a second before allowing another smile to grace his face but unlike his first smile, it was more genuine. It was more.... sad. “Let’s not start this off with a lie, Raven... It’s the worst day.”

She didn’t want to be here.

Fingers reached up to massage her temple, her head pounding like war drums as Nightwing carried on with their weekly briefings. Sum up of their week, current operations in house and in others, various criminals to look out for and possible events to shadow in case something should happen. Cyborg mentioning new tech or new upgrades in their equipment. Changeling sharing an inappropriate and/or ill timed joke. Starfire listening intently with a shocked gasp or two, maybe a hearty Tamaranean “huzzah” of some kind in celebration of good news.

Same song and dance as it was the week before and the week before that and the week before that and for all the weeks to come.

She closed her eyes, willing the literal mind-numbing pain away. A vacation was starting to sound good right about now…

“Last order of business,” Nightwing announced, and those words sounded damn near close to a chorus of angels. She opened her eyes to the screen ahead of her revealing some man’s portrait photo. “John Donoway.”

He looked ordinary enough: plain, Caucasian male, brown hair, blue eyes, straight, white teeth. No distinctive markings or tattoos or piercings. Not even a spark of something malicious in his eyes. Just a smiling, friendly-looking standard white American male that you would expect to find in a Whole Foods grocery line or a country club golf course. Upper middle class ordinary.

If he was on their radar, Raven already knew that he must be the worst of the worst.

“We have reason to believe that this man is part of a very large sex trafficking ring in Jump City.” Called it. “More specifically, one involving children.”

Her eyes narrowed and her hands balled in a fist. Oh, he was that sort of evil.

“The police and the Feds have been after him for years and they haven’t been able to pin him yet. They have now turned to us to, not only get this guy, but to figure out how deep this chain goes and shut it down.”

“So what’s the plan?” Cyborg asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Undercover,” Nightwing said, simply. “Deep undercover. We need two operatives to portray a loving, newlywed couple. Move into the neighborhood where he lives, live civilian lives, gather intel, and report back to me. Possible extremely covert side missions but mostly undercover intel.”

“Very well. I shall go!” Starfire volunteered with her usual blast of enthusiasm.

He shook his head. “Sorry, Star. We need people that the public won’t notice. That can blend in people easily. If you were to go undercover, the public will miss you and ask a lot of questions. We don’t need that.”

There’s was a certain type of tone to his voice that was pointed, and Raven did not like which way that tone was pointing. She closed her eyes and rubbed her temples even more.

“Alright, so I’ll go,” Changeling chimed with a shrug. “I’m the entire animal kingdom. I can blend in easily.”

Raven sighed. “You’re green and very outspoken. The public will miss you, and we need someone that can easily be explained away. Someone no one would bat an eyelash at and dare look for.”

He paused. “So… who would that be?”

“Why don’t you ask our fearless leader?” Raven said, turning her attention to the man standing at the front of the room. Her eyebrow perked as she crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back in her chair, an irritated expression gracing her features. “Seems like you know exactly who you want on this mission already.”

He pressed his lips together and nodded solemnly. “I don’t mean it that way but in terms of media popularity-.”

“Understood,” Raven pointedly said. Between her blistering headache and this new assignment, she just needed this meeting to be done and over with.

Some “vacation”…

“And I assume I’m going to be her spouse?” Cyborg chimed.

“No.” The word gave her pause.

A sense of unease emitted from Nightwing. He was hiding something. Something… deep. Something… not good…

Clearing his throat, he turned to the screen as it changed from the photo of the humdrum man to….

What the fuck.

There, on the screen was a picture of a man skull face mask with a red X. No, this has to be a mistake. A glitch in the presentation or something, right?… Right?

“Red-X has been enlisted as the other person for this mission.”

Fuck.

Closing her eyes again, Raven willed her increasing painful headache away as her teammates shouted incredulous remarks to the announcement in protest. She just had to think of the word vacation, didn’t she?

“Dude, why the hell would you put Red-X on this mission? He’s one of the bad guys!”

“His skills to go undercover and investigative technique makes him qualified for the job. No one knows his face, making coming up with a fake ID easy. He knows the business of Wayne Enterprises. And we have the ability to control him,” Nightwing answered. A vague sort of feeling continued to dance around their leader.

There was something else…

“How?” Cyborg asked, “I mean, Raven is tough and all that to keep him in line but I don’t think she’s enough to control him all night and day for who knows how long.”

Nightwing sighed. “I made him an offer. A clean record, if he helps us.”

“WHAT!” her three teammates chimed before blasting off into fits of anger, arguing with their leader’s decision.

Taking a deep breath, Raven opened her eyes to look at him. The way he stood… tall but yet burdened. The vague feeling continued to plague around him as if there was something more. Something deeper. Something that made him hesitate. Something he was trying to hide… What is he hiding? Raven searched and searched until she found her answer.

“You know who he is.” Her words cut through the room, silencing all of her other teammates loud voices with the soft calm of hers. Pressing his lips together, Nightwing looked down at his feet, the weight of his secret finally getting to him. She wasn’t going to let him off so easy though.

“Dick…” she addressed him by his civilian name to capture his attention from off the ground. “Who is he?”

A second slipped by. Two. Three. Four.

“Dick, who-.”

“Jason,” he admitted, lifting his head and steeling himself into the fearless leader persona he normally donned. He cleared his throat. “Jason Todd is Red-X.”

The picture on the screen turned to one of a young once fallen hero in the ever classic Robin costume. The room acted as a vacuum, sucking all the air out and leaving them stripped down and bare. Frozen in time. Frozen in their thoughts. While they barely knew the young boy, his loss was a chord that struck all of them, especially Nightwing.

Raven knew of the countless nights he had spent awake blaming himself. If he could’ve prevented it. Even travelled back to Gotham to fight by his reluctant and grieving former mentor for some time after the incident - something he was never fully keen on doing.

She, on the other hand, had met the boy only a handful of times. For what she could tell of him, he was smart and clever. Knew his way in and out of a situation. He was brave… foolishly so it seemed. Talented, by way of crime fighting. Better than Nightwing at that age back when he was Robin. So good that they were vetting him for candidacy in the Titans program before his untimely death. He was… sensitive… like he was never sure of where he stood or permanent. Like the ground was going to give way beneath him and he was just waiting for it to crack. And angry. He was so, so very angry…

Nightwing’s voice called them out of their thoughts. “I made a deal with him, and we all know he takes deals very seriously.”

“You can’t be serious,” Cyborg responded, breathing back life into the room. “You’re going to give Red-X…”

“I know how this looks.”

“A clean record all because…”

“He is the best person for the job…”

“You found out he’s Jason.”

“He has the skill set that we need…”

“He’s a criminal!”

“If there was another Titan who could do this, I would-.”

“Your judgment is clouded.”

“My judgment is sound. If you would just let me-.”

“No, Night!” Cyborg’s voice raised, slamming his fist down on the table in frustration. “You are talking about giving a known criminal, a notorious high profile thief, who we have fought a multitude of times. Who has worked with some of our worst enemies! He worked with Slade!”

“I know what he’s done, Cyborg! I know him better than anyone in this room!” Nightwing shouted back, “I know who he has worked for since he’s taken on the mantle of Red-X. I know his way of thinking, his way of moving, his skill set, I know him. And more importantly, I know that he’s is the best person for this mission, besides me.”

“Surely that is not the case. Perhaps you have overlooked someone,” Starfire offered. “Perhaps one of the Titan Nomads?”

“Yeah, dude. I mean, I get that he’s kinda your little brother come back to life but that doesn’t, like, erase the years he spent as a criminal,” Changeling added, albeit a bit timid.

Nightwing sighed. “I know it doesn’t erase the years he’s spent as a criminal. I know it doesn’t wash the bad blood between us and him. But trust me, as your leader I did not come to this decision lightly. I looked at everyone we know in the Titans program. Even looked at a few in the Justice League that might be willing to do us a favor. There is no one better suited for the job than him.”

“And what if he decides to go rogue and turn on us?” Cyborg questioned, his guard not giving any slack against the young leader.

“He won’t.”

“But what if?”

“If there’s one thing I know about Red-X, he looks out for number one, always. And if I know one thing about Jason is that he’s still that street kid trying to find his way out of the gutter. He’s not going to pass it up,” Nightwing answered, his voice hard and final. I understand if you don’t like the plan but it’s the only one we’ve got.”

Cyborgs jaw clicked and his eyes narrowed at the man before turning to look at Raven. “You’ve been awfully quiet.”

A second passed before she shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t see a point in fighting this. Nightwing is right. We need someone with his ability and with his mind - his detective skills. He can’t go himself because, as we discussed earlier, the press would notice. Speedy is a close candidate but he also has a bit of an affair with the press as well. All of the nomads may be covert but they don’t play well with others for long periods of time which this mission promises to be. Red-X is the perfect person for the job, and we have the proper amount leverage against him to prevent him from turning on us. It’s a logical choice.”

Cyborg stared at her for a long time, studying her as if she were a book he was trying to decipher through. But she did not budge - did not give one single inch that she thought the plan was flawed and clouded with Nightwing’s guilt and his need to redeem and restore his long lost brother-in-arms back to the right side. No, she couldn’t let them know. His mind was made up, and she had a headache.

“… Very well,” Cyborg resigned with a reluctant nod. “As long as she’s okay with it, I’ll go along. I’ll look at houses nearby. See if I can make the proper adjustments for our needs.”

“Keep me posted. and in that case, meeting adjourned,” said Nightwing, and no words have ever sounded so sweet. “Can I speak with you a moment, Raven?”

Fuck!

“Sure,” she uttered, begrudgingly, setting her files back down on the table as her other teammates cast her looks of sympathy. She rested her elbow on the table and pinched the bridge of her nose again, hoping whatever he had to say wasn’t going to take long. Her bed was calling, after all.

Once everybody left, Raven heard Nightwing sit in the seat beside her, sighing heavily like a deflating balloon. “That went over well.”

“How did you think it was going to go?” She replied.

“Worse,” he chuckled. Raven let a small smile grace her lips before falling under the weight of her headache. “Did you really mean that stuff earlier?”

“About Jason AKA Red-X being the best person suited for the job?” Opening her eyes, Raven rested her face in her hand and gave Nightwing a look that told him just how stupid he actually was.

“I figured…” He laughed again, his voice trailing to some far off place. “You know, I wouldn’t put you on if I thought you couldn’t handle him.”

Raven sat back in her chair with a heavy sigh, nodding her head. “That doesn’t mean I don’t think your judgement isn’t clouded. It’s Jason. I know exactly how torn up you were about his death.”

“I know, I know…” he sighed, his head bowing as his hand came up to rub at his forehead. “Maybe my judgement is clouded… but I need someone who thinks as I do on this mission. And he… as much as I hate to admit it- he’s better than me. And we need that in order to get the truth and get justice for those kids.”

“You fully believe that?”

Letting out another reluctant sigh, he nodded his head. “I fully believe he’s the best person for the job.”

“So be it,” Raven renounced. “But if he pisses me off, I’ll put him right back in the ground.”