LOVE + FEAR (Damirae)

TO BE HUMAN

"What the hell was that?" Raven jabbed a finger at Conner in the small space between them. As soon as the meeting was over and the others were asked to leave, Raven had dragged Conner to the nearest supply closet.

"I work for him now? Seriously, Conner —" Raven's rant was cut off when Conner pulled her into a tight embrace. He clutched her tight to his chest.

"Conner —"

"I didn't think I'd see you again." The words were murmured into her hair. The heat of his breath flashed against her neck. "I didn't think I'd see any of you...I knew the Titans were gonna hate me for doing this..."

Conner's form suddenly froze against her. He pulled back, and in the dim light, Raven could make out his horrified expression, "You don't hate me, do you?"

Conner seemed to flit from one emotion to the next. Even for an empath, Raven struggled to follow him. But the look of terror on his face...like someone begging for something precious that they'd lost...

"No, I don't hate you. I'm so lost, what is going on? Why did you go to Lex — are you even safe here? I'm pretty sure the criminals outside aren't thrilled that Superboy is in the building."

"Superman," He corrected her.

"Of all the Titans to correct on grammar, I'm not one of them, Con."

"Sorry." He let her go, scratching the back of his head as he stared down at their shoes. "We found out Lex was running Cadmus, and...I wanted answers. That's our deal. I hang out with him so he'll gain good press, and I can find out why...I'm here."

He didn't sound like he wanted to know. Raven was still trying to piece together events. She didn't doubt that her mind was altered after the Flashpoint memories; she couldn't look at anything the way she used to. She was now peering at reality through a special lens.

"Where did you go that night, by the way?" Conner asked. "When everybody got out, you and Wayne were missing..."

It was Raven's turn to avert her eyes. The heavy rock in her chest hammered against her ribs. "It's a long story."

"Hey...you okay?"

Raven sucked in a breath. When she finally returned his gaze, she hoped her mask of composure was sturdy. "Why auction me off as Luthor's assistant?"

"...You wanted to figure out more about Project Cadmus too. I thought, maybe, we could work together? Try to get to the bottom of whatever's going on here? We'll keep the Titans safe by monitoring the situation here."

Raven deliberated for a moment. Conner had a point — the plan was genius, actually. Keep your enemies close. If Project Cadmus planned to create any more clones, she could end it here. Without risking the lives of her family.

She finally nodded. "It's a clever plan. But I don't know how I'll pass as Luthor's assistant. I don't exactly have workplace experience."

"You're like the smartest person I know. If anyone could keep up with Lex, it would be you. Besides, I'll be right beside you! We'll be a team." Conner grinned.

Raven sighed. His optimism was contagious. It was hard to resist his radiance, even in a dark supply closet. "All right. We're doing this. But first thing's first...it's probably going to look weird to some people that we've been in here for so long."

Conner shrugged. "They could think we're making out. Want to?"

"Conner."

"Yeah?"

"Open the door."

"Okay..." Raven could hear his lower lip jutting out into a pout from his tone. His fingers turned the knob and the spall space was filled with the fluorescent lighting of the corridor.