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lothirielswandc · 6 months

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GOOD EASILY FADES AWAY [VILLAIN, Ch. II)

Read on AO3 here!

Finally given room to breathe, Damian returned to his position at Raven’s side. He placed a gentle hand at her lower back. “Mother, this is my Raven.”

Bruce Wayne coughed into his elbow.

“That escalated quickly,” Selina muttered into her wine glass. “Alfred, be a dear and top this off.”

“Only if you save some for me, Miss Kyle.”

Selina and Alfred both watched with the rapt attention of opera attendees as Talia looked between Damian and Raven.

“It’s nice to finally meet you,” Raven said. “Damian’s told me a lot about you.”

“I would hope so.” Those similar jade eyes drifted back to Damian. Then to Raven.

Raven prodded ever so slightly with spectral senses at Talia’s emotions. She felt absolutely nothing from her. The underlying love and adoration Talia felt for Damian had a strong presence in the room. But there was nothing else. No hint of annoyance or delight. Like Talia was only made of logic.

It should’ve been a comfort to Raven, not to have her senses overwhelmed with every single person in the room, but a new wariness rose. Being an empath had its rare perks. She could sense things in conversation that others couldn't. Raven had no idea what irritated Talia, what she liked…

“I have something for you. Come,” Talia gestured languidly with her arm, a movement that rivaled the sleekness of a raindrop gliding down skin. Talia danced to her seat. There was no word close enough to describe her inhumanly-fine grace.

“Why is she seated at the head of the table in your house?” Selina hissed to Bruce.

“She’s only in town for the evening. She’ll be gone soon. Just let her do what she wants.”

“Last time you did that, she drugged you and forced you into conceiving that,” Selina’s gaze slipped toward Damian. They glared daggers at one another.

Bruce sighed, “You won't let that go, will you?”

“Alfred! More wine!”

Alfred sprinted to the rescue, uncorking a new bottle. Raven and Damian stood across from Bruce and Selina, about to sit down.

“I was hoping she’d sit by me, beloved,” Talia said.

Raven and Damian exchanged a look. Bruce audibly gulped.

“Okay,” Raven said, ignoring the intensity of the room as she moved over one. Damian seated her before taking the chair across from Selina.

“Damian told me you were incredibly well-read. I thought you might appreciate these,” Talia set a stack of three hardcover books on the table, tied with a green bow. “Excuse the plainness, I’m not much of a gift wrapper.”

“No, her expertise is chloroform and handcuffs,” said Selina, rolling her eyes.

Alfred moved to fill Selina’s wine glass. Bruce raised a hand, “We’ll take a break for now, Alfred.”

“Thank you,” Raven ignored their exchange and undid the bow to her gift. She studied the golden inscription along the spines.

“They’re some of the rarest novels from my father’s library. Ra’s had some collections delivered directly from Alexandria’s Library,” Talia said proudly.

Damian peeked over Raven’s shoulder at the titles. They exchanged a small glance. Raven begged him silently not to open his mouth.

“They’re lovely,” Raven said.

Talia’s acute awareness of her son was uncanny. “Something on your mind, beloved?”

Raven’s hands curled into her napkin beneath the table. When this is over, we’re establishing new pet names.

“She’s read all of those already,” Damian said quietly.

“Ah,” Talia leaned back in her chair.

“It’s a wonderful gift. I enjoyed them very much — it’s nice to have physical copies,” Raven said.

“Yes. Perhaps you can visit me and we’ll look at Ra’s books together,” Talia said. Something Raven couldn't identify seeped into Talia’s tone. “I only wish I had met you sooner. It would’ve been nice to show you Damian’s home.”

“My home is here.” Damian said. His hand found Raven’s knee beneath the table. “You decided long ago that it was best for me to stay with father.”

Talia’s mouth opened right as the double doors burst.

“ ‘Ello, Batsy!” John Constantine bounded into the room with a bottle of champagne under each arm. His boyfriend, Nanue, was on his left, Zatanna Zatara on his right.

Zatanna gasped as soon as she saw Raven. She skirted the table to swoop down for a hug. “Look at you! Your hair looks so pretty —! You look so cute in bangs. Someone might mistake us as mother and daughter!”

Zee’s soft laugh filled the uncomfortable silence of the room along with John’s loud voice and Nanaue’s thundering footsteps. John’s eyes met Raven’s as he set the champagne down, suddenly seeming to read the frostiness of the room.

“Little stiff in here, eh?” Constantine nudged Selina with an elbow. Raven could’ve sworn she heard a hiss.

“These are your parents…?” Talia’s voice cut clearly across the noise.

Raven’s brain was already tongue-tied, trying to map out the answer to the question.

Zatanna turned away from Raven. “Oh! You’re Talia, it’s so nice to see you again! We met after one of my performances, didn't we? Bruce took you —”

“Of course he did,” Selina muttered. She uncorked one of the champagne bottles with a batarang. A vein was showing on Bruce’s forehead.

Talia’s slender finger pointed at Zatanna. “You’re the magician. The entertainer. Ah, yes, I remember you. You specialized in making elephants float.”

“She can do a lot more than that, love,” John winked. The sound of a chair groaning across the floor followed as John dragged it to the head of the table, wedging himself between Raven and Talia. It was hard for Raven to discern why John would sit there of all places, but he usually found himself directly in the line of fire, anyway.

“Selina, always a delight! Damian! You look as yummy as ever!” Nanaue licked his rows of razor-sharp teeth.

Damian shuddered and looked away. Bruce raised his empty wine glass, “Alfred?”

“Coming, Master Bruce.”

“What are those?” John flipped open one of the books Talia had given Raven. “Oh, Alexandria’s stuff, yeah? I have the real copies at the House.”

“Excuse me?” Talia said. Her perfectly-curved eyebrows knit together like knives clashing.

“Yeah. Couple of fake copies out in the world. You can tell these three are some of them due to the binding on the spines,” John shrugged.

When he saw Raven’s look of disdain, his head turned slightly to the side. Raven could hear the gears clicking in his brain. “Oh, bollocks! It’s gift-giving time! We have something for Demon Boy, don't we —? Zee, Nan, stop flirting with the teenage boy.”

“We’re not!” The two said.

Both hovered over Damian. Zee’s hand was on Damian’s bicep, “Wow, that is authentic.”

“And he smells like a sweet potato pie!” Nanaue chuckled.

Bruce said, “Alfred, more wine.”

“I’m afraid we’re out, sir.”

“...Damn.” the strong, well-collected Batman pouted over his empty wine glass.

“We’ve got something for the Demon Boy, alright,” John Constantine stood, “Follow me, Baby Bat.”

John strolled along the table to the large french windows lining one of the walls. Damian looked at Raven as if to say, do I have to? before standing upright.

Damian joined the dark arts master at the windowsill. The windows looked out at the pure black night — but some red still bled along the tips of the sky.

Damian’s back grew rigid.

“What is that?” he said.

Constantine smiled, but it wasn't a true, happy smile. It was his mocking, I’m-being-an-ass-and-I-know-it smile.

“Your present. From me, to you. I heard you’re into hellspawn,” Constantine said.

Raven shoved her napkin aside. The exuberant feelings wafting off of Constantine worried her. She briskly made her way towards them, “John —”

A loud roar came from outside. The building shook. Glasses rattled (there were many empty wine bottles on the table now, courtesy of Bruce and Selina). Dust hissed from a ceiling crevice.

Steel shrieked in the air.

“What have you done?” Talia said. When Raven looked back, Damian’s mother had drawn a long sword. She stood on the table.

“So dramatic,” Selina rolled her eyes. “Could’ve at least chosen one with a hilt that matched your dress. Some thought into an outfit goes a long way.”

Raven reached the windowsill. The sight before her almost coaxed a scream from her lips. The reddened sky wasn't from the sunset — it was fire .

Flames spouted from a massive dragon bat destroying the grounds. It pounced on the shrubs cut into animals and left the grass scorching. Its long claws scarred the ground. Crimson-leathery wings stretched outward, fanning the flames.

Raven’s fingers clenched the windowpane with a grip so tight it hurt. She looked back to Damian’s face — her breath caught in her throat. A look of wonder crossed Damian’s face. There was a small smile on his lips.

“I like him.”

Raven looked back and forth between the smoldering lawn and the flames reflected in her boyfriend’s eyes.

“You want to keep him?” Raven said.

Damian’s nod was slow. He was still transfixed by the beast.

Constantine chuckled to himself.

Raven shot him a glare. Why would he give Damian anything at all? Raven didn't mention gifts. Constantine had already voiced his hatred of Damian Wayne. So why —?

“Go on, say hi,” Constantine urged.

Damian raced to the far right window and threw it open. A precarious rope swayed before him. He took hold and slipped down the building.

“Who put that rope there?” Bruce said.

Alfred shifted from one foot to another. “You have a lot of rebellious children, Master Bruce. Perhaps someone wanted to ignore a curfew…”

Raven and Talia reached the window at the same time. She gripped her sword tight.

“This is what happens when I leave my habibti in the hands of his father,” Talia growled.

Constantine’s laughter continued. Raven turned to him and the full-out grin on his face.

“Why would you…?” Raven paused. A sick, disgusting answer dawned on her.

No. That can't be true. That’s insane.

And incredibly hilarious.

Raven ignored her father’s voice in her head. She took a step towards Constantine.

“You didn't.” she said.

“Uhuh.” John was still smirking.

“I can't believe you!” A crack jutted up the glass window between them as Raven’s voice rose.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Raven closed the distance between them until only inches remained between John’s face and hers. “You hate my boyfriend so much you tried to kill him?”

Damn. I think this is the one time I’m rooting for that glorified quack of a magician.

SHUT UP!

“Kill is a strong word. Scare, maim perhaps —” Constantine’s tone remained nonchalant, and that angered her more.

“You can’t respect my decision to be with him?” Raven snapped. The house shook once more, but not from the demon bat outside.

“Respect the decision of a teenager? Boy, never thought you to be the delusional type, love,” Constantine said.

“And I suppose your bold move to threaten Batman’s son is completely logical.”

Constantine sighed. He slapped his hands over his eyes and slowly dragged them down, stretching his face. “Oi, kids are a headache. Look, love. You come from the realm of magic, monsters, and mayhem. Baby Bat deserves to know —”

Raven interrupted him. “He already does! We were in my head a month ago, for Azar’s sake!”

Constantine shook his head. Zatanna approached them. She shot a scowl at Constantine that faded into an uneasy expression.

“Unleashing a demon bat on Robin was dumb, John. But…you do have a point,” Zee looked at Raven. Her unspoken apology was written in her blue-gray eyes.

Raven’s eyes darted between them. Zatanna didn't simply remain in John Constantine’s life. A moment when John held Zatanna’s hand once in Raven’s head flashed across her mind.

“Funny. You’re judging my romantic partners when a lot could be said about yours.” Raven said.

Constantine’s face filled her vision. His voice lowered to a threatening timber. “Don't go there, love. You’ll regret that.”

“Like I’ll regret asking you here tonight?”

“By the gods,” Talia’s plea cut them off.

Everyone’s gaze trickled back to the window. All warmth left Raven. She had let her attention stray from Damian. He was strong. But could he hold off a huge, fire-breathing monster —?

Raven and Constantine looked out the window together, frozen.

“What the bloody fuck.”

The dragon bat pounded the ground with its claws. Dirt went flying in all directions. Its eyes were intent on the massive branch in Damian’s hand.

When he threw it, the beast trampled what little stood in the gardens. Its footsteps boomed like thunder. The demon bat jumped in midair, leather wings slapping the air as a mouth full of massive teeth clamped on the stick —

“What do you know? He really hits it off with hellspawn!” Constantine said, amazed.

Raven and Zatanna glared at him. Zee shook her head at him, “When this night is over, we’re taking a parenting class.”

Selina approached the window with her empty glass of wine. She skimmed the destruction outside with little care. A cruel smile came to her lips as she looked over at Talia, gaping as her son played fetch with the giant monster.

“Books seem like a pretty lame gift now,” said Selina.

Talia sighed. “I knew I should’ve given her the cursed swords instead…”

Bruce banged his head against the table in the background.

Damian waved at the broken dinner party from the ground. The demon bat charged towards him and sat by his side, drooling over the tree branch.

Damian’s eyes met Raven’s, “Rachel — this is our child now! Come meet Goliath!”

— O U T S I D E T H E D I N I N G R O O M —

The Batfamily lingered outside the door to the dining room, stuffing hands into their mouths to muffle laughter.

“You think we should call for help?” said Tim from his hiding spot behind the drapes.

Jason Todd snickered as he studied the new hellscape of a lawn. “I like the drunk magician’s style. They’re gonna be dope-ass in-laws!”

“Do you think we should go and help them?” Stephanie asked.

The Batkids looked at one another.

“Nah. They’re fine.”

Jason glanced over at Dick, “Hey, Dildo. If I order Doordash, will Demon Boy’s new pet chase the delivery guy?”

“There are women present, Todd. Clean up your language,” Cass said. “And order some ice cream, we’re out.”

Read on AO3 here!

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