GOTHAM | NOIR

Chapter 3: A Partnership

Light filtered through the edges of the black out curtains adorning the windows in the small apartment. Cold and quaint, it was home for Raven. There wasn't a lot of furniture, but she and Jinx had never really tried to buy anything new. Everything was old and worn, from a second-hand store down the street. Her bedroom was decorated in the same manner as it was at Titan's Tower, just with stained carpet and the occasional roach scrambling around. She didn't mind, she was hardly ever there.

Groaning, she attempted to open her eyes, but even the minimal amount of sunlight that was radiating through the shades pierced her eyes. Quickly, she covered her head with her blanket, attempting to wallow in self-loathing and despair. An empty bottle of whisky lay discarded on the bed next to her. Sighing, she tried to will herself back to her drunken slumber. A soft chuckle emanated from the corner of her room.

Instinctively, her pale fingers shot out, grabbing the whisky bottle and tossing it against the wall as she rolled out of the bed into a defensive crouch. A spark of rage filled her, and she heard something loud shatter in her kitchen, no doubt a residual effect of her powers.

The glass shattered against the wall, but the masked figure in the corner didn't flinch. He appeared to be just a floating skull, almost ethereal.

"Wait." There was no synthesizer. His deep tone rolled over her body, causing a slight shiver to spring from within. For some reason, she complied.

"What the fuck were you doing outside of my apartment." Raven's voice sliced through the uncomfortable pause, shattering the quiet with venom. "What the fuck are you doing in my apartment." Fists clenched, she reached deep within herself, willing control of her powers.

It had been so long since she had used them, so long since she had meditated. A sliver of fear carved through her. Would she even be able to use them if she wasn't in control of herself?

Red X stepped forward, chuckling briefly. The light from the window seemed to chase the darkness from him, and for the first time she was able to fully appreciate the villain in the light. So used to seeing him bathed in shadows, a slight gasp escaped her lips before she was able to mask her thoughts once more.

He was tall and lithe, well built but not excessively so. Not like he spent every spare minute at the gym. Warmth coursed through her veins as her mind flashed to the previous evening, her body tucked against his well-defined torso. Raven's gaze focused on the lower half of his face, where the mask should have been pulled down. Instead, stubble lined skin and a pair of soft lips replaced the gleaming white of the skull. Her eyes followed the trail of scars along his jawline, something about them stirring in the back of her mind.

"What can I say Sunshine, I have a fetish for watching." Another bottle soared through the air towards him, this time at his face. In one swift movement, it was in his hands catching the light of the sun. Frowning slightly, he regarded her.

"You're a fucking perv. I should just fucking kill you and do everyone a favor."

"Maybe you should. Why haven't you? Because you can't use your powers?" He sneered at her, and she seethed. Rocketing towards him, she flipped over and off of her bed, her dainty foot connecting with his hard chest. Flying backwards, he hit the wall, the momentum carrying him through the drywall.

"FUCK okay, fine. Fine. Just hold on a sec." Standing up, he dusted chunks of plaster off of his black suit.

"Do you remember what I told you last night?" Of course she did, how could she have forgotten his veiled threats?

"Yes, now what the fuck do you want? Have you been watching me this whole fucking time?" Raven fought her anger, knowing that she would lose control if she didn't. Maybe that wouldn't be so bad though; she could swallow this asshole whole, just like she did with Doctor Light.

"Listen. I'm not that kind of guy. I know it looks like I am, but I'm not." Wincing, he leaned against the bookshelf. "About a month ago I got a tip that there was some weird cult around worshipping some fire guy or something. I kept hearing this secret code word, they kept talking about a gem. They were hiring people to steal this "gem". So naturally, I thought it would be a good pay day."

Raven stumbled backwards, already knowing what would come next. As her legs hit the side of the bed, she sunk down into the mattress, grabbing a bottle from under the bed and taking a large swig. This had to be a dream. No, a nightmare.

"Anyways, I thought they meant an actual gem. So I followed them and tried to get some intel. Well, it turns out, it wasn't a thing. It's a person. And judging by the way you're acting, you already know I'm going to say that it's you." Her mind was racing. So what? Was he here to take her to them? That wasn't happening.

"Now, I know what you're thinking. I'm looking out for number one, right? So I'm going to kidnap you and take you to be sacrificed to this cult? Fuck no, I told you already I'm not that kind of guy. This is where it really gets good." Before she knew what was happening, he had snatched the bottle from her and took a large gulp, placing it back within her grasp. She watched as his body shuddered slightly.

"Jesus Christ Sunshine, you must have a high tolerance. Anyways. I heard you and your pal Carper—"

"Harper."

"Right, I heard you and your policeman pal talking about the string of disappearances. They're all bad guys, right? Well, I think its connected. And some of my friends went missing. I don't know who the fuck these yokels are, but I know that they're bad news for Gotham. So I wanted to help."

"I don't buy that." Her eyes narrowed as she continued to process everything. She couldn't trust him at all. She felt no emotion from him whatsoever, he was completely closed off. It was almost a relief, but it frightened her. He chuckled.

"Alright, you caught me. They also stole some of my shit, so I want that back too."

"You overheard Roy and I." The empath felt like she'd been hit with a car, the hangover headache suddenly at the back of her mind, realization dawning on her.

"Yes."

Fucking idiot. Striding forward as quickly as she could, she slipped her fingers under his mask, tugging upwards. Before she could blink her hands were pinned to her sides and she was lying across her mattress. She'd managed to pull the mask almost all of the way off; it only obscured one eye and the left side of his forehead. Regardless of her imprisonment, she felt like she couldn't move. His free eye had captured her gaze, and the thought at the back of her mind slipped forward.

The green pools of madness she'd been trapped in at the bar. The stranger that had seemed to be listening in. She knew it. But who was he?

Red X was swearing as he shook his head, sending the mask tumbling to the floor. His inky black hair was disheveled, making him look truly mad and his full weight was on her, pushing her deeper into the bed. It was then that she remembered that she was in her pajamas, which consisted of panties and a T-shirt. Heat flooded her body as she felt his warmth against her. She felt overly warm and slightly sick as she struggled to keep her memories of Slade at bay.

"Well I guess the cat's out of the bag." He kept her pinned under his gaze as well as his hands as they sat in silence, both contemplating what to do.

"Why should I trust you?" She whispered.

"You shouldn't."

It was the first thing he had said that she truly believed.

"But I hope you do. I've been following you for the last few weeks since I gathered my intel. There were too many guys I turned away. There's something weird going on here."

Her face burned at their close proximity, heart racing as they both evaluated the situation. Fear slithered in her like a snake. What if this was Slade? Was he back? Her vision began to blur at the edges, memories threatening to overtake her.

"Why do you look like a deer in the headlights?" He whispered, his breath tickling her ear. She shivered as his warm breath grazed her neck, snapping her back to reality. "You know, this could be really kinky. Are you and Roy a thing? By the way, tell him he has a nice ass."

The anger returned, her eyes like daggers in his own. Releasing her, he reeled back quickly.

"If we're going to work together, we're going to have rules." Hiding her mixed emotions, she tried to keep her voice a level deadpan. "Rule one, no looking in my fucking windows. Rule two, planned meetings. Don't ever come into my fucking apartment again. Rule three—"

"Jesus Christ how many rules are there? Do I get to make some up?" X ran a hand through his hair, rolling his eyes.

"Rule three, no more shitty humor." Snickering, he picked up his mask.

"Fine. But one more rule." Cocking his head to the side, he smirked. "No banging the help. Things get too complicated."

"What the fuck makes you think I'd want to fuck you?" She spat.

"I didn't just mean me, I meant your pal Roy. We need all the info we can get from him, and that will only complicate things. Besides, he seems like the clingy type." A set of pearly white teeth slapped her in the face as he grinned, disgustingly proud of himself. This was going to be a living fucking hell.

Pulling his glove off, he offered his hand. As ridiculous as the rules were, they were in the open, and they were necessary. Slipping her small hand carefully into his calloused palm, they shook. He pushed something into her palm as he slid the mask over his face carefully, but not before winking at her. Suddenly he was gone, and she was left wondering what the fuck had just happened.

Picking the bottle of whisky up, she took another swig, shuddering slightly as she peered at the burner phone he had left in her hand.

I've literally never had a story flow so easily from me before. Every time I think I have writers block and I just start writing, and new ideas come to mind for this. I want to take this a million different ways. I hope this is okay! Please let me know what you think, I love reviews. Is my writing too hard to read and choppy? Thank you :) 3