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SM/DC Chapter 17 : Caught in the Act.
🕑 Added 2025-02-01 19:53:47 +0000 UTCThe door swung open with a soft creak, and Arthur’s heart skipped a beat. His eyes widened in realization. "Shit," he whispered under his breath.
Raven, standing beside him, gave him a sharp look. "Shit," she said in sync, both of them frozen for a moment. There was no time to react, no time to escape.
Without a word, both of them rushed into the closet, cramming into the tight space, the shelves digging into Arthur's back. Raven’s body pressed against his, their faces uncomfortably close, her breath warm against his ear. For a second, they both stiffened, unsure of how to handle the sudden proximity. But with a shared glance, they quietly adjusted, trying to make themselves as small as possible.
Arthur's mind was racing. So that’s him... he thought, watching from the gap in the closet as the intruder entered. His older brother, Adam Blackwynd, with his sharp, calculating gaze and air of authority.
Raven, however, wasn’t paying attention to Arthur at the moment. She was staring at the figure, her eyes narrowing as if something clicked in her mind. "Wait..." she murmured. "I’ve seen him somewhere before..."
Arthur barely resisted the urge to curse aloud. ‘Great, now she’s thinking too much.’
The silence stretched between them, both trying not to breathe too loudly as they observed Adam pacing around the room. Raven squinted, her thoughts racing. "Where have I seen him before..." she muttered again, eyes flicking back to Arthur, suspicion rising.
Arthur, trying to keep his composure, gave her a brief, reassuring smile, but his heart was pounding.’ This is too close.’
"Is that your brother?" Raven asked in a low whisper, still trying to piece it all together.
Arthur didn't answer immediately, his thoughts still scrambled. "I guess... i mean yeah ...that's him. My brother," he said quietly, wondering what exactly Raven might make of this.
Adam muttered from the other side of the room, pacing back and forth. "Well, where did that idiot disappear to?" His voice was filled with frustration, and it made Arthur’s blood boil. He clenched his jaw, irritation flickering across his face. That idiot? He wanted to shout, wanted to confront his brother right then and there, but he stayed silent, breathing deeply to control the urge. The last thing he needed was his brother discovering he wasn’t alone.
Raven, however, wasn’t as skilled at hiding her curiosity. She turned toward Arthur, her brow furrowed. "Why are you hiding here anyway, Arthur? It’s your house," she asked, her tone casual but a bit too sharp, clearly noticing his agitation.
Arthur sighed, rubbing his forehead as if the whole situation was a hassle. “I don’t know…” He trailed off for a moment, eyeing her
He then smirked, his irritation mixing with a hint of dry humor. “Can’t you just open a portal or something? Or are you enjoying this? Let's just leave.”
Raven, slightly flustered by the suggestion, snapped her fingers. “Right! Why didn’t I think of that?” she grumbled, clearly embarrassed, her arms crossed. She shot Arthur a sharp look, her face flushed with mild frustration. “It’s not like I’m enjoying it, okay?!”
Arthur bit back a grin. ‘Right", he thought with amusement, but before he could tease her further, he heard a small creak.
Adam paused in his searching, head tilting slightly toward the closet. He'd heard something, and his instincts kicked in. “What was that?” He took a step closer to the closet door, hand hovering near the handle.
Arthur’s pulse raced. ‘No way. Not now.’
Before Adam could open it, Raven swiftly raised her hand, her eyes narrowing. A portal shimmered into existence, silent but swift, sucking them both in with a force so smooth that they vanished before Adam could catch sight of them.
Adam blinked, standing in front of the now empty closet, confusion settling over him. “What the hell…?” He muttered under his breath, stepping forward to open the door. But as he did, there was nothing. No trace of Anything.
Meanwhile, Arthur and Raven landed softly on the other side of the portal, and the tension between them lingered, both still adjusting to the sudden shift in the air. Arthur sighed in relief. "That was too close."
“Almost got caught doing what?” Starfire’s cheerful, yet slightly confused tone rang out.
Arthur’s head snapped up to see Starfire, her vibrant red hair flowing in the air like a halo, standing with a bright, innocent smile. She tilted her head, her wide, curious eyes scanning the pair before them. Behind her stood Beast Boy, in his usual green form, grinning from ear to ear, Blue Beetle leaning casually against the wall, and Robin, arms crossed, his sharp eyes focused on Arthur.
Arthur felt a wave of heat rush to his face as the room seemed to freeze for a moment. Raven, ever the calm one, immediately rolled her eyes and sighed.
“We weren’t doing anything,” Raven said flatly, shooting Arthur a sidelong glance that made him feel like he should've said something more convincing.
Arthur, always one to run with whatever nonsense was thrown at him, opened his mouth to retort but then quickly realized no witty line would get him out of this one. “Uh... Yeah, just a... very urgent... training session,” he muttered, the sarcasm dripping from his voice.
Starfire’s eyes sparkled with innocent curiosity. “Training session?” She looked to Raven for confirmation, “But you were so very... close together. I did not know you two were training in such a way.”
Arthur choked on his own breath. “W-What?!” he sputtered, his face going redder than a tomato. ‘This is how I’m gonna be introduced to these guys?’
“Training, yes. In the... arts of magic!” Raven quipped, crossing her arms and looking at Arthur with that unmistakable deadpan stare.
Beast Boy, who had been snickering quietly in the background, immediately burst out laughing. "Dude, you gotta admit, that was smooth. You two sure you weren’t hiding some other kinda ‘training’?” He wiggled his eyebrows exaggeratedly, earning an exaggerated groan from Arthur.
Robin, still watching the whole scene with a narrowed gaze, uncrossed his arms, taking a step toward Arthur. "So, this is Arthur?" His tone was serious, but there was a glimmer of amusement in his eyes.
Arthur looked over at Robin, feeling a sense of wariness as he nodded. “Yeah, that’s me. Arthur Blackwynd. Nice to meet you, I guess?”
Blue Beetle, who had been observing the whole thing from the corner, finally spoke up, his voice lighthearted and curious. "So you’re the mysterious guy Raven’s been keeping an eye on? Guess you got some serious skills, huh?"
Arthur smirked, a bit more at ease now that the tension had somewhat broken. “You could say that. I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve.”
Robin raised an eyebrow. "I’ll be the judge of that."
Starfire smiled brightly, clearly unfazed by the earlier awkwardness. "Then you must be quite skilled! You seem to have much potential, Arthur!" She clasped her hands together in delight, her enthusiasm practically glowing.
Beast Boy, never one to miss an opportunity to poke fun, grinned. “So, you two, huh? You and Raven... Do you have a secret training... buddy system or something?”
Raven’s gaze softened just a bit, but she was quick to throw in, “This isn't some sitcom, Beast Boy. Stop reading into things.”
Beast Boy threw his hands up in mock surrender, grinning ear to ear. “Alright, alright, I was just checking. No need to get all defensive.”
Robin, still serious but with the faintest hint of a smirk, cleared his throat. “Alright, enough with the jokes. Arthur, Raven, welcome to the team though don’t expect a free pass just because you’ve made an impression.” He glanced at his teammates, then at Arthur. “You’ll have to prove yourself, just like anyone else.”
Arthur took a step forward, his tone firm. “I’m just gonna make one thing clear I’m not gonna be part of your team. But I will aid you because I wanna fight.”
Robin narrowed his eyes at Arthur, clearly weighing his words. “So, let me get this straight you don’t want to be a Titan, but you’ll fight alongside us when it suits you?” His voice was calm, but there was a hint of skepticism.
Arthur nodded, crossing his arms. “That’s right. I don’t do ‘teams,’ I do battles. If there’s a fight worth my time, I’ll be there.”
Robin exchanged a glance with Raven, who simply shrugged. “That’s his condition,” she confirmed.
Robin exhaled sharply, rubbing his temple before looking back at Arthur. “Great. Another loner with a hero complex,” he muttered under his breath. Then, with a small smirk, he added, “Fine. As long as you don’t get in the way or cause more trouble than you solve I’ll allow it. Just don’t expect us to bail you out when things go south.”
Arthur smirked right back. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Comments
Kurupt
Hero complex? More like battle maniac if nothing else. The MC is a lot of things but having a hero complex isn’t one of them
