JayRae is the ship between Raven and Jason Todd from DC Comics, and here’s a whole week dedicated to them! This will be the blog where the event is held and all pertinent information will be shared.
However, before we get started, here’s a little survey for you to fill out to decide the prompts for this year (link). I’d really love any feedback on whether we’d like to have it be just a weekend or a full week and what people most want to see be a prompt for this week!
Prompts will likely be announced in two weeks, but until then please feel free to send any questions you have as an ask :^)
Raven slipped in through the shadows of his run-down apartment. Immediately her eyes land on a garbage can in the nearby kitchen. Beer bottles and cans fill it to the top and some have even spilled out onto the dirty, tiled floor.
Her nose curled at the smell. Moving into the kitchen itself, she found a few boxes of pizza. Each one nearly empty except for a few pieces of half-eaten crusts. Then she took notice of the static on the tv in the living room just beyond his card table.
Crossing into the living room, the sorceress still doesn’t find him. There was a blanket or two left in a pile on the ratty couch, a remote thrown on a nearby cardboard box and more cans of beer strewn across the floor.
Raven passed carefully over the cans and made her way down the hall to his bedroom, peeking in the bathroom quickly as she went. The smell of vomit assaulted her senses going past, but her powers prodded her forward. She doesn’t knock on the door; instead, the sorceress pushed it open, revealing the very person she had been looking for resting on his bed.
Jason’s eyes were covered by his arms and his knees were bent under the covers. To Raven, it seemed like he didn’t know she was there until he spoke.
His lips smacked together as he slurred, “hey, little bird...”
“You’ve been drinking tonight, haven’t you?”
Jason chuckled, “of course I am.”
Looking around his bedroom, Raven could see his Red X uniform thrown in a heap on the floor next to his bed along with even more cans of beer on top of it. She lost track of time for a moment, her eyes tracking old newspapers pinned to the walls and open case file folders covering most of the flat surfaces in here. It wasn’t until her gaze made its way back to his bed that she noticed him looking back at her.
“Why are you doing this?”
He ignored the question. “Come ‘ere.”
Raven stepped further into the room and stopped at the foot of his bed, refusing to come any closer. Sensing her there, Jason slowly propped himself up against the wall. His blue eyes were bloodshot. Plus, there were bags under his eyes, and his skin was pale.
“Why’re you drinking?”
“It’s a holiday...” he mumbled, raising a can up into the air.
A holiday? Her expression must’ve showed her confusion because Jason shortly followed up his statement with: “it’s the day I woke up in my coffin, scraped my fingernails off to get out and dug through six feet of Earth to get to the surface. Yay, me.”
Raven’s heart nearly stopped in her chest. It took every last bit of her Azarath training to stop her powers from lashing out in surprise and boiling-anger. How in the world did he even know or remember that?
Jason sneered, “don’t look so pained, little bird. Life isn’t fair, remember?”
She didn’t need to be reminded. “I don’t like when you get like this.”
He clicked his tongue, eyes turning away as he took a swig from his drink. “Join the club,” he muttered.
Reaching out, she grabbed a hold of his right ankle and squeezed. Trying to talk sense into him when he was in this state would be useless. However, she didn’t come to talk sense tonight. Not at all. She unclasped her cloak, letting it fall around her feet, before removing her shoes as well.
Jason’s gaze shot back to her, a smirk peeling across his lips from behind his green can. He ushered her over again, setting his drink on the table beside the bed.
Raven crawled her way to him. Pushing aside his suffocating emotions, she kneeled next to his hips and leaned over him. Meeting him halfway, she doesn’t hesitate to kiss him.
Angling his head, Jason cupped her cheek with one hand and placed the other on her left thigh. His fingers squeezed, petting her slowly up and down. Opening her mouth to his insistent tongue, she was assaulted by the stale taste of pale ale beer. Before she could jerk away, he beat her to it.
“Stay the night.”
“I-”
“Stay,” he insisted in a whisper, claiming her lips once more.
Sleep evaded him again. The nightmares came back with a vengeance that knocked him hard enough that it caused him to kick himself out of his bed several times. The blood, the wounded, the dead, all of their faces swam in his head and melded into the scenes that he would never forget no matter how hard he tried. Israel hated feeling so helpless. He could fix a lot with his hands, but he couldn’t fix his own mind to allow him the peace of unconsciousness. The scars of the battle had healed. He should have been fine by now, but he wasn’t. All Is kept coming back to was a seething contempt for himself.
The dawn arrived much too soon. He shivered as he moved through the house. His breathing slowed as he sat up and watched the sky melt into color. He was exhausted physically, emotionally, and mentally. Yet, somehow, watching the dawn brought life back into his body and soul. Moving through the morning near-silent towards Jeremiel, he looked up from his coffee at the mention of them going downtown. The older wolf had to pick up a few things, and Israel was more than welcome to accompany. Moving to get out of the truck, he blinked as the older wolf commanded him to stay. ‘Stay? I’m not a dog.’ He thought but obliged with a quick advert of his eyes. Rolling the window down, he caught sight of a woman. “Do vu haffe ein lighder?“
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
The universe had obviously made a mistake. Jason couldn't be her soulmate, there was no way. She just had to find a way to fix this, and she'd be damned if her world was going to be consumed by him.
[i made a music-inspired playlist here if anyone wants it]
I smooshed these prompts together. I hope it is okay. I’m such a sucker for hot and heavy nonsense that leads to tender moments.
- - -
Even the blissfully bitter sounds of Rob Zombie couldn’t break this mood.
Jason yanked the scull mask off his head, suddenly feeling like he was suffocating underneath it. He slammed his fist into the brick wall behind him, glaring into the darkness. A delightful sensation of pain splintered up the length of his arm, and for three whole seconds he managed to do nothing but focus on the pain. For three whole seconds, he could forget about what happened, but then the pain ebbed and it all came crashing back to the forefront of his mind.
A mark gone disastrously bad. He’d nearly gotten himself killed, and worse, Bruce now knew he was alive. Fuck.
Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck.
FUCK.
Jason sunk down on his haunches, staring out into the jagged lines of the city. He ripped out his earbuds, ending the growling noise of Dragula, and stood there, letting the sounds of the city consume him for a few minutes. He felt like he wanted to disappear and never exist again. His head fell into his hands and he let go of a sound that seemed to rattle every bone in his body. How in the world had this managed to go so horribly wrong? It was a standard mark, something stupid and easy, and yet...
And yet he’d royally fucked up. There was no coming back from this one. Jason ran his fingers through his hair and stood up, stepping closer to the edge of the roof. He could disappear if he wanted to, drop everything and leave. It would be easy to fade into nothing again, and Bruce wouldn’t be able to find him a third time. Jason could drop his name and run to another city, maybe another country. Maybe an island location this time. He could use the sun and sand after the dirt and grit of Gotham and Jump.
“You’re thinking so loud.”
Jason’s back stiffened, and his breath came out in one, short burst as something akin to comfort slid over his skin. He closed his eyes as let himself take a few seconds to soak up the feeling of her presence, reminding him that there was one really damn good reason not to leave…
“You’ve been prowling along this roof for an hour you know.” He heard her come up behind him, her steps almost silent on the tar-and-pebble roof. She pressed a hand to his back, avoiding a tender wound almost as if she knew it was there. “Even from three floors below, I can feel how tense you are-”
Jason’s shoulders tightened in shame. Right. Empath. He closed his eyes as he felt her step closer, invading his space so easily.
“-what’s got you all twisted up?” Her hand slid to his waist, her magic pulling pain out of another wound there. Jason felt a low groan escape, and he leaned into her touch. She was making him feel like maybe there was hope for him after all - that maybe he didn’t need to run. Raven stepped closer, and he smelled the scent of her shampoo and soft, supple leather. “Jason?”
Jason turned to look at her, and-
“Fuck.”
Her lips pulled back in a teasing smile. “I wondered how long it was going to take you to notice. I hope you don’t mind.”
Jason ground his teeth together, taking in the sight of her. It felt like miles of pale skin, stretched out for him and him alone. Raven had always been petite, a little sturdy in the shoulders and hips, but still somehow delicate. But now, looking at her dressed in nothing more than his leather jacket and a scrap of lace that barely passed as underwear, she looked like a temptation from the underworld itself. He felt his blood boil under his skin, practically vibrating.
Raven opened her mouth, presumably to say something snarky, but whatever was on her lips died as Jason pressed his lips against hers. His mind had always been a mess, filled with confusing thoughts and short-circuited ideas, remnants of anger and horrors left over from his dip The Pit, but the one constant - the one thing he knew he could count on without fail - was Raven. She made him feel like that even this world was messy, and even though he felt like he was breaking apart, he could hold himself together as long as she was by his side.
Jason pulled away, gasping as he backed her up against the wall. “Here.”
She lifted an eyebrow, but didn’t back down. If he pushed at her, she pushed right back. She moved to slide the jacket off her shoulders, but he stopped her with a touch of his hand.
“That stays. These, however…” Jason dug his fingers into the flimsy lace circling her hips and pulled, hearing the familiar sound of fabric ripping. He smirked and lifted the scrap of red up to her face before letting them drop onto the roof below them. “...have to go.”
Raven wrapped her arms around his shoulders and lifted herself up onto her toes, staring into his eyes. Her fingers curled into the dark strands of hair at the base of his neck and she leaned closer to him, so that he could feel the heat of her magic just underneath the surface. Jason stilled as she pressed the length of herself against him, it felt less like she was trying to turn him on, and more like she was giving herself to him.
“I’m giving myself to you, Jason. Whatever you need… take it from me.”
Her words held an odd kind of weight, like she was somehow giving him permission to feel something he wasn’t sure if he was ready to feel yet. His own mind stumbled, but Raven captured his lips in another searing kiss, flooding his senses with her. He closed his eyes and felt himself falling deeper and deeper into her darkness, letting everything but her disappear. Her magic slipped down the length of his spine, and Jason felt his whole body react. Heat poured into his body and he heard himself growled.
He lifted her up and slammed her against the wall, hearing her breath escape in one, rough gasp. Her eyes were wide, wild, and inviting, and Jason knew that he wanted to lose himself inside her. His hands hooked under her thighs and he freed his cock from his pants, not even bothering to undress any other part of him. He couldn’t wait any longer, not when she was like this - wearing his things and offering herself up like a sacrifice. He only knew he wanted to be closer to her, as close as he could get just so he could wash away the confusion inside himself. When he was with Raven he felt… safe. He felt more like himself than he did with anyone else.
Raven let go of a deep, grumpling moan as he entered her, her fingers pulling on his hair. She was wet, and had probably been playing with herself while he was gone. The thought of her in his favorite leather jacket, laying on his bed and fingering herself nearly made him come right then. If that was going to be a continuing thing, he should probably set up cameras, and knowing Raven, she’d definitely put on a show.
“Stop thinking about me mastrubating, and actually get to fucking me, Jason.” She pitched forward and caught his earlobe between her teeth, pulling hard. The pain went straight to his cock and he felt her tongue trace the red mark she had made. “If you want to be a voyeur, we’ll talk about it later. But right now, your girlfriend is very, very ready to come.”
Fuck.
He didn’t have to be told twice. Jason pinned her tight against the wall, and let his mind go gloriously blank as he fucked her hard and fast, angling his hips just the way she liked it. Her cries kept him pinned to this plane of existence, and he watched as Raven wore every emotion on her face, letting him consume her. He felt lost in her body, lost in the sensation, and it felt good to just be lost. It wasn’t until he came down from his high, and they were both gasping at the thick, cold air of the city in autumn, that Jason realized with stunning clarity how broken he felt.
Raven lifted her head to look at him, pushing a few damp locks of hair out of his eyes. Her fingers trailed along the curve of his jaw, her thumb brushing against the swell of his lower lip. She didn’t push him farther than that, only watched him for a long moment before she shakily untabled herself from him, and tried to stand on her feet. Jason smirked as she stumbled, but looked away when she started cursing under her breath. Maybe it was best if he didn’t tease her.
With a flick of her hand, she opened a portal into his apartment. “Let’s go inside.” She motioned for him to follow.
When they were both in the warmth of his apartment, Raven pulled the jacket from his shoulders and went to the drawer she kept in his room, pulling out a pair of soft cotton underwear before crawling into one of his sweatshirts. She padded softly to the living room and sat next to him on the sofa, letting a strange sort of tense silence settle over them again.
“So… let’s talk.”
His face fell, and he tilted his head to rest on the back of the sofa. He didn’t want to talk, not about what happened at least. “Can we get back to fucking? I’m good at that.”
“I won’t argue with that.” She hummed under her breath and turned back to him, the playful smirk on her lips disappearing. Her eyes seemed to easily pierce through the barriers he had created, as if she was stripping him of all of his armor and leaving him bare for her. “But I think you should at least talk to me about what happened tonight. You’ve got more wounds than normal, and something… something happened, didn’t it?”
“Bruce saw me tonight.” It hurt just to say it, and Jason winced, looking away. “Not Red X, but… me. Jason. I thought maybe it would be different, but he just stood there and stared at me like I was some kind of freak. Like I was something that didn’t exist. An abomination.”
“Jason, he buried you.” Raven cupped his cheek and forced him to look into her eyes. She didn’t judge him, only tried to help him understand. “He loves you. You were his son, and he watched you die. Watched your casket go into the earth. Of course he was upset and confused, just like you are right now. He probably hasn’t forgiven himself, and maybe he never will. And now a ghost has come back into his life and he hurts. He hurts the way you do.” She paused. “Your emotions are valid, and they are complicated because this whole situation is complicated. It’s okay to feel upset and angry, but don’t let it consume you.”
Jason closed his eyes and leaned into her touch. “I want to hate him. I want to hate him for everything - for not killing the Joker, for letting him go free, for…” For what? Jason wanted to be mad because Bruce didn’t avenge him? It wasn’t Bruce’s style, and Jason wanted to fault him for that, but he couldn’t.
“Don’t hold onto that anger forever, Jason. It doesn’t do you any good. It doesn’t fix what happened, and it doesn’t make you feel better. It doesn’t do anything but hold you back from healing.”
She pulled him closer to her, and they tipped lengthwise onto the sofa. Jason felt his chest tighten as if he was fighting back a surge of tears he’d stifled for years. Raven wrapped her arms around his back and pulled him tight against her as he buried his face into her chest. Her arms were warm, and she somehow felt bigger than she ever had before, holding him close as he tried to desperately sort through his feelings. He was confused and shattered in ways that made him feel irreparable, but Raven didn’t turn away. Not from him. And he shouldn’t turn away either.
“I’m tired.” Saying it made it feel like the world was resting on his shoulders. He was tired of fighting, tired of feeling, tired of being angry, and tired of running away from everything in his past. He was just so… so damn tired.
“I know you are.” Raven kissed the top of his head and pulled him even closer. “For right now, let’s just lay here. Let’s just stay here and be tired for a little bit longer.”
Jason let go of a soft sigh and nodded, his fingers tightening into the soft cotton of the sweater on her body. He was safe here, in the sanctuary of her arms.
