I wrote these for RaeX weekend on Tumblr, and I had so much fun, I thought I would share them. This errs on the side of being racy, but since nothing graphic happens, I left it at T. But, be advised, it's a strongly-rated T.

Thank you for being awesome!

Satin Bowerbird

Raven picked through her bathroom drawer with a frown, fingers flying through the numerous little bottles of brightly colored paint. Where was it? She huffed out a breath of annoyance and slammed the drawer closed, tapping her fingers on the counter as she thought about where it might be. That's when the thought seemed to hit her like a bus:

It couldn't have been him… could it?

She winced and rubbed her fingers against her temples, hoping to ward off a headache as she said silent prayers that she had just misplaced it. If he was dead-set on playing this game with her, it wouldn't be beneath him to take her favorite bottle. And, of all the colors he could possibly take, that would be the one he chose.That color. Sighing, her eyes darted around the room, looking for any other possible place she might have accidentally hidden it, and hoping that her thoughts were weren't true.

"Looking for something, Little Bird?"

At the sound of the mechanical voice, Raven groaned and raised her eyes to the familiar skull mask as he leaned against the doorframe, head tilted in her direction. Her eyes rolled to the ceiling and her entire body sagged. Of course it was him. She glared at Red X, his entire body lounging lazily against the frame as if he didn't have a care in the world, and she was just his toy, which wasn't that far from the truth. With a low laugh, he picked up his hand from his side and dangled the little bottle of nail polish between his fingertips.

"Something like this?"

Raven snarled and reached out for it. "Give that back, X."

Red X held it above his head and out of her physical reach, his laughter sliding over her like a sin of velvet. He picked up his free hand and tapped her nose in a teasing gesture, before taking a step back and into her room. "Ah-ah, Little Bird. I'm taking this as part of our agreement. Don't forget, you agreed to the game - a gift for a gift."

"This isn't a gift! That's my favorite color, and I want it back." Raven rubbed her nose and followed after him.

"Favorite color? Really?" He looked at the bottle and then back at her, cocking his head to the side in silent question. "Candy Apple Red? I always thought you'd be more of a Midnight Blue girl." He paused and dropped his hand back down to his side, tapping the bottle against his thigh. "Not that I mind the red of course, it is one of my favorite colors, and I certainly don't mind it on you. Although, I would much rather see red in other places than your nails, Little Bird."

She ignored the jab and brushed off his subtly lewd comment. The last thing she needed was to give into his teasing like that. Licking her lips she held out her hand and glared into his mask. "Give it back, X."

Red X took a step back, his laughter shaking his shoulders as if this was all just a fun game.

Raven growled and closed the space between him, magic sparking at her fingertips as he moved even further into her bedroom. "Come on, X," she pleaded, her patience with him wearing thin. It wasn't so much that he was taking this particular bottle of nail polish, it was more that he was winning in their little "game" and she had yet to get anything in return. It was becoming more about him than it was about both of them. "Can I have it back?"

"Mm… no." He laughed and leaned back on his heels, the thrill of their interaction practically vibrating through his voice. Raven would have bet her soul that he was grinning like a mad man underneath his mask. "You promised me anything… except your panties. As I recall, you told me I had to earn those, Raven. But I'm keeping this." He flashed the half-used bottle of nail polish again. "It's fair game after all."

"X! This isn't funny anymore!"

"It wasn't meant to be funny in the first place, Little Bird." He pitched forward slightly and curled his fingertips under her chin. "It was meant to get your attention… did I win it yet?"

Raven's cheeks darkened and she pulled her chin away from his hand.

"Mm, I guess I'm going to have to try harder. Won't I?" He laughed again and made his way through her bedroom to the window, pausing at her bed. Looking out at the nightscape of the city, his head cocked to the side as if he was thinking. A minute passed in silence, before he turned around, watching her.

Raven could feel his heated stare practically shoot through her entire being. It sunk deep into her bones, curling around her senses until she was lost in that stare, knowing he was smirking at her. She stood there, glued to the spot on her floor and raised a hand to her chest, hoping that he couldn't hear her heart pounding against her ribs like a bass drum. She took a slow breath and tried to hold her ground, but it was impossible with the waves of attraction and lust practically pouring off him.

"Oh, and one last thing," he whispered, his voice low in his throat as he took a few cautious steps toward her. "I haven't stolen my kiss yet. You know I can't go without a kiss, Raven."

With those words he closed whatever space was between them, rolling up the edge of his mask in one swift movement to lean down and capture her lips. Raven tried to resist, really she did, but it was too late for her. After a second of being unresponsive, she leaned up on her toes and met his lips with the same excited fervor as he kissed her.

Chuckling, his arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her tightly against him, and Raven suddenly felt like the world had been pulled out from underneath her feet. Cursing in the back of her mind, she found her hand desperately grabbing the front of his uniform and pulling him closer to her, meeting him kiss for kiss. Her blood surged through her veins like fire, setting every nerve ending in an unquenchable blaze. He nudged her mouth open and dipped his tongue inside, running his tongue over her own in an intricate dance that made her head spin and her knees weak. Much to her embarrassment, she purred in the back of her throat, and he just smiled into their kiss.

Red X slid his hands up and down her sides before falling to the hips, and then reaching around to grab a handful of her ass. He chuckled and pulled back from her mouth, his teeth finding her lower lip and tugging at it with little nips and bites. He nudged her nose with his own and and smiled. "I like stealing your kisses, Little Bird… you're always so responsive."

Taking another, chaste kiss from her, he rolled the edge of his mask back down and made his way to the window. "I'll see you soon, I'm sure."

Shaking off the haze of passion, Raven rushed to the window as he launched himself out of it, glaring down at his form with enough hate to destroy him. She chewed on her swollen lower lip and cursed under her breath. This was enough. If he wasn't going to give her an opportunity to take something of his, she was going to do it on her own.

Jason walked into his apartment to see Raven perched on the kitchen island, dangling an empty champagne flute from her fingertips - painted Midnight Blue. His lips twitched as he fought against a teasing smile, and he shut the door, leaning against it. She made no move to talk, nor did he. No, they just sat there in silence, staring at each other. Raven's leg bounced a little in time with music playing from the record player behind her. She smirked and leaned forward, raising an eyebrow as he dropped his grocery bags on the counter next to him.

"The champagne flute?" Out of all the things she could take from him, it had to be the Waterford. Although, he had to give her credit, this was the first time that she would be making a play against him, and the flute was a good choice. Not the best choice, but a good one nonetheless.

"You know," she began conversationally, looking at the crystal in her hand before her stare flicked to his own, a smirk playing on her lips. "I thought about it… for a very long time. I stared at this beautiful, expensive thing, but then I decided that if I was going to take something, it better be big."

He crossed his arms and lifted an eyebrow, curious as to what she meant by that. She always kept him on his toes, kept him guessing. Kept him thinking about what she was planning next and how it was going to play out. He liked that she excited him,liked that she played along with his silly game. He moved closer to her and laughed. "And what kind of big thing would you be taking from me, Raven?"

Her smirked turned practically sinister and she flicked her hand. There was a flash of black magic and an album dropped into her waiting hands. "Houses of the Holy, Jason."

"Awe, come on, Rae! Not that one." He paled his hands reaching out to grab it from her, but she raised it above her head in a mockery of the same teasing gesture he pulled on her last week. Jason pursed his lips and took a step back, eyeing her carefully. She was ruthless. He should have known better than to start a fight with a half demon who had her pride to save and his soul to destroy. "You're mean."

She scoffed and rolled her eyes. "I'm fair… especially after everything you took from me."

His eyes narrowed. "Fine… if that's what you want to take from me, then take it. But know that I am going to get you back for this, Raven. I am going to get you back so hard-"

"I'll be ready," she cut him off with another smirk, jumping off the edge of the counter and closing the space between them. "Until then, I'm going to enjoy having this." She flashed the album cover to him, her eyes dark with teasing. "It's my favorite album."

"You're doing this just to break me, aren't you?" His eyes narrowed as she looked up at him with a smile.

"Cut me a little slack." She leaned up on her tiptoes and looked into his eyes, her nose brushing up against his own. "You took my favorite nail polish, my favorite pen, and my favorite earrings… I think I deserve a little retribution, Jason. I'm going to take your favorite album."

He growled, his anger suddenly seeming far less interesting than the fact that her soft curves were currently brushing up against his chest. What he wouldn't give to just wrap his arms around her and crush her to him, practically wallowing in the feeling of her body against his. Raven shook her head and tilted her face up just a little more, so that her lips brushed against his own with feather-light touches. He could smell cherries clinging to her lips, and the faint scent of his cologne still clinging in her hair - she had obviously considered taking that. Looking down into her eyes, he licked his lips, the tip of his tongue barely brushing against her mouth, and Raven hummed in pleasure. Her fingers crept up into his hair and tangled at the fringe of hair falling down the length of his neck, but she made no move to close any more space between them.

"Are you going to kiss me?" Jason nudged her nose, a smile playing on his lips.

"Mmm…" She nipped at his mouth and chuckled, capturing his lower lip between her teeth. "No, I don't think so. Not yet anyway."

He reeled back as she pulled away, surprise sinking into him as she practically fluttered her eyelashes at him. She was playing coy, which while it was unusual for her, was still undeniably sexy. Jason stuttered for a moment, watching as she tucked the album under her arm. She curled a finger around a lock of her plum colored hair and winked.

"Your move, X."

His lips twitched and he watched her leave in a flash of black magic, taking his prized album with her. Fine. She wanted to play the game like this, he would play the game on her level. He tapped his fingers on the counter and stared at the champagne flute twinkling in the thin afternoon light of his apartment and frowned. Well, if he was going to play this game with her, he was going to have to figure out how to steal her bra from her… while she was wearing it.

The game continued for another six weeks, and had anyone else been watching the situation unfold between them, they would have determined that both Jason and Raven were halfway insane. Raven had accumulated his favorite Led Zeppelin album, his cologne, a silk tie, a pair of cufflinks, and that Waterford flute she had been eyeing the first few days of their game. Jason, not one to let her win, had taken her favorite earrings, a pen, her nail polish, one of her favorite books, a few sheets of stationery, her toothbrush, cherry flavored chapstick, and a lace bra he managed to pilfer off her during their last heated make out session - at this point that was his most prized possession.

They had played their little game back and forth for so long, neither one really knew who was ahead, and neither one really cared. It was simply fun to see who could one-up the other, and most of the stunts were fairly harmless. But this…

Raven smirked up at him and tapped a finger over the swell of her lower lip rolling onto her stomach and propping her head up with her hand.

… this was down-right cruel.

Jason's nostrils flared and his lips twitched in frustration as he saw her draped across the bed, her feet crossed at the ankles, and paging through the mystery novel in her hands as if she didn't have a care in the world. She must had been trying to break him, because this was just too mean otherwise. He crossed his arms over his chest and looked down at her.

"So… " he began conversationally. "You're gonna take Houses of the Holy from me and my Led Zeppelin t-shirt, Raven?" He growled. "Are you heartless?"

"I think I've earned the Led Zeppelin t-shirt, Jason."

He bristled a little. "Oh? How so?"

Raven pursed her lip and looked into his eyes, saying nothing. He stared at her in silence, wallowing in the beautiful sight of her spread out in front of him like a feast, trying to hold onto his anger with her. The game was more fun if he was just a little upset (or at least acted like it), but it was too hard to stay mad when she looked like a literal goddess in his favorite t-shirt. As much as he hated to admit it, Raven really should have kept it.

With a slow, long pause, her eyes never leaving his own, Raven sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed. She hooked her fingers into her panties and drew them down her legs with deliberate slowness, one inch at a time before dropping them onto the floor with a smirk. One hand tightened in the worn, gray fabric of Jason's t-shirt and she lay back down against the bed. "Clothing for clothing, Jason. I won't steal it this time… we'll call it a fair trade."

Fuck.

They were red lace. Red. Lace. Jason took a long, deep breath in through his nose and let it out slowly, his eyes darting from her face to her panties on the floor and then back again. He shifted his weight and watched as she stretched out on his bed in nothing more than his shirt. Jesus, she was going to break him without question. He clenched his hands at his sides, trying to count back from ten, to name off all the planets in order of placement, to think about anything other than his eternally interesting infatuation spread out for him like a goddamned present.

His heart pounded in his chest, beating out a frantic rhythm as he stared at her, stretching her arms above her head and burying into the pillow behind her. A second passed in silence, two, and then Jason felt his body move of its own accord and crawled up onto the mattress, his hands moving with careful, measured touches as he drew his fingertips over her flesh. Raven watched him, her stare unrelenting as her breath seemed to turn shallow and frantic.

Jason couldn't keep the smile off his face if he tried. He moved closer to her, kissing the inside of her ankles before slowly, very slowly, kissing up her legs, and taking a deep breath of that heavenly scent that seemed to drench her entire being - lust. He licked his lips as his fingertips trailed up the curves of her body before disappearing underneath the hem of his T-shirt, draped over her body.

"Am I earning your panties, Little Bird?" His hands bit into the soft swell of her hips, and he nipped at her inner-thigh, listening to the hitch in her breath.

She raised an eyebrow and looked down at him, her body fidgeting for a moment as she tried to get herself to calm down. "I don't know, Jason… are you?"

He smirked up at her and raised an eyebrow, his lips moving closer to her core. She fidgeted a little more, as if she was still on the cusp of trying to decide in she wanted to tease him or taunt him, or if she just wanted to give in. An uncharacteristic mewl broke from the depths of her throat, and Jason found his reservation slip even further out of his grasp. He clenched his jaw and looked up at her, his teeth still nipping at the inside of his thigh. He took another drag of her intoxicating scent and moved even closer to her.

"I'd like to earn your panties, Raven… but I am not above stealing them either." He kissed her core and she hissed out a curse word, her resolve breaking under each stroke of him. "You'll do well to remember that."

With a single, teasing lick to her core, Jason pulled himself back and picked her panties up from the floor, dangling them between his fingers, looking entirely too pleased with himself. He glanced into her eyes and smiled as her mouth fell open in shock, hands gripping the comforter with enough force to tear it. It took all of his effort and courage to keep the ruse playing, and not jump back into bed with her and fuck her senseless, especially with the sweet taste of her lingering on his tongue. But, if she wanted to play a game with him, a game he would play, and he always played to win.

Her cheeks darkened and she sat up, watched as he walked out of his bedroom, her panties still hanging from his fingertips. "J-jason!"

"Tit-for-tat, Raven." He winked at her and smiled. "You know the rules."

The last thing he remembered was a flash of black magic.