Raven Darkholme I

That time was a few days after my birthday. The Corvette was still in the garage, I picked up Jean as usual on the bus, but I had already contacted Fisk and had already finished one raid, deep in my thoughts. 

The first time massacring that many people in one go affected me a bit, but only the first time. 

I was about to meet Jean in the cafe to have lunch when a classmate, Cecilia Crawford, called me. Other than a few gazes and chats here and there, she and I had no contact whatsoever.

"Thanks for meeting me at the rooftop, Ray".

She looked cute but I didn't want to spend too much here. Jean and Annie would surely come up to see what was going on. They may have thought I was a womaniser, but I rejected the advances of a lot of girls who I had no business with.

Usually, I would have even declined to meet Cecilia, but I had other motives.

"What's so important that you must tell me in private, 'Cecilia'. Sorry, but I wouldn't want to delay this more than necessary".

The girl fidgeted, blushed… stared left and right to ensure no one was watching us.

"You're so cold, Ray. Haven't you noticed my feelings already?"

"... what feelings?" I wasn't playing stupid, truthfully, what feelings? we haven't even talked for more than a few sentences. This woman, what a jokester. 

"It's something very important for me, Ray... you see" She turned and took a deep breath, then after relaxing, she turned around once again with a gun pointing at me.

"..."

A broad intoxicated and infatuated smile that nearly frightened me, to be honest.

"I think I'm in love with you <3".< p>

"..."

If before I had my doubts, now I confirmed them. 

"And if you're not mine, you will be no one else's!" She screamed maniacally, getting closer with that gun always pointed at my head, a silenced Beretta 9mm. 

She then broke into laughter and lowered her gun when she saw me not make a single reaction to her rant.

"Is that what you thought I would say? You're so boring. Stop pretending, you little prick, you already know who I am" Her countenance changed, like the perfect actress... from the psychotic lover to the annoyed chick. Whichever was the real her, I don't know. 

I sighed and lifted my hands in defeat. Bot true defeat, but a sign of peace. 

"You haven't been the most discreet following me, Mystique".

"I haven't?" She frowned, "How did you know?"

"At first you followed me into the parking lot disguised as the thirteenth-floor neighbour. I thought that was a bit odd but didn't say anything. He could have just been suspicious of me for whatever reason. Then you followed me as an average peasant when I was going to school, you checked on both Jean and me. Then a police officer... a classmate".

"..."

"You thought disguising as different people, I wouldn't suspect you. But it was the opposite... I'm not a renowned individual with a lot of friends. I'm a low-key person. So many different people don't have a reason to be eavesdropping on my business. It could have only been you, you're the only loose end I let go of".

The woman sighed, her whole body started to change, becoming the sexy blue-skinned woman with red hair that I already knew. 

"Tailing you has been the most boring spy work I have ever done. No action, no fun. From gym to school, from school back home study, sleep, then back to the gym. I was frankly discouraged until last night" She licked her lips and approached, walking circles around me.

"Last night, huh?"

"Last night you surprised me. I knew you could be cruel, I didn't think you saw people like mere livestock" Her finger trailed my jawline. 

"I don't see people like livestock".

"Then would you explain... how come you left nobody? Not a single body"

Last night what I attacked was a small cell, a laboratory of cannabis with a little over twenty people working there, all of them wicked to the core. 

"I just sent them to the nothingness".

Her hand flinched, she released my jawline and touched her fingers like they had suddenly been frozen. 

"Scary~ also, quite melodic. I'm interested, Ray Stark".

"Aren't you afraid I'll kill you for knowing too much?" I said.

"If you wanted me dead you'd have buried me with Victor. You want to use me, don't worry, you're not the first one" Mystique leaned on me, placing her whole weight on my body.

Her head rose and she stared me straight in the eye, "You're cold... no hardly any emotions. You find solace in the little companionship those girls can bring you. I watched it all".

"I allowed you to watch".

"Thank you I guess. So, what do you want from me? why did you let me live?"

"It could be that I just found you pretty and didn't have the heart to kill you".

"Pft, hahahahaha!".

"..."

"As if a monster like you who eats people could find anyone pretty. You haven't touched Emma Frost. Or is it that you're interested in that 'blue pussy'. Perhaps I will think about it".

I grasped her butt and her countenance changed.

"Who said you could touch me?"

"Who said you could?"

She then realised the compromising position she put herself in, I wasn't moving my hand. 

"You haven't pushed me away".

"Neither have you".

With a swift move, she pointed that gun at my head, and I pointed my finger at her face. I laughed.

"You should know who has the advantage here".

"You shouldn't be able to use your powers while we're touching".

"Have you put that theory to the test?"

"There is a first time for everything".

"..."

Her tongue snuck out and licked my finger, she took it inside her mouth and sucked it. 

"Feminine charm doesn't work on me either".

"Oh, doesn't it?" She didn't stop. Her body changed and transformed into Emma's. 

"..."

"You're a man, aren't you? So what if you treat people like livestock? I still don't feel disgusted by you".

"..."

"Watching you massacre those fools made me wet instead. It made me realise the possibilities, no wonder Emma Frost is so fond of you. A killing machine that can't be killed, and that you can control".

"..."

It wasn't until she had her fill that she released my now-salivated finger. 

"Tell me why you let me leave and what you want me to do for you".

"I want a partner".

"You have Emma–"

"Many partners".

"What type of partner?~"

"Someone that would work for me, I'm interested in your shapeshifting powers".

"There aren't many like me out there" She boasted, moving the gun barrel along my abs.

"Aren't I lucky then?" I held her against my body further, "Turn back".

"What do you mean?".

"Turn back to your original self".

She frowned and did as I said, turning back to her blue-skinned self. 

"Don't foolishly pretend that you find me attractive this way, I don't need your pity".

"I'm not pitying you. I merely want to talk with the real you, not a disguise. Tell me, wouldn't you want to talk to the real me?"

"..."

I held her closely, she began by staring at me, unbudged... but progressively, her body started to shiver.

"I realised something more last night. I realised that I didn't care that much about lives anymore, that all that mattered was to bring everything to nothingness, while also keeping a handful of little things that still made me human, I want to keep them no matter what, Mystique".

Her eyes shook, she wanted to keep them open, to prove a point. 'I'm fearless, I don't give a fuck' but she couldn't help it, they closed tightly, and she tried to push me away.

She realised how meaningless her little seductive game had been when I showed her what I was. A version of me I didn't know I was, and something I can no longer push back.

"If I want to keep them, they can't see who I am, or they will be afraid, like you".

"Please turn back, this isn't you..." She insisted on pushing me away, but I didn't let her go, because I needed someone like her for many reasons. 

"This is me. And I want someone who will accept this me, can you, Mystique?"

I needed someone who would accept me like this, I needed someone who would assist me in my endeavour. And I wanted someone who would be there, without trying to fill this void any further. Perhaps no one would understand me more than her, in this aspect.

She bit her lips so hard they bled, her blood dripped. Her eyes struggled to open and look at me, she forced herself to not judge someone by looks, the same way the whole world had judged her. 

But when she stared at my void eyes with her beautiful ones, they started to blacken up, veins popped up around her eyes, and they started to lose their light. 

She cried and fell on her knees. 

Is it that bad?

"Don't do this... if you stare for too long at the abyss, the abyss stares back at you"

She naively told me, but there was no going back from this. Oblivion transformed me into this, and the more I turn things into nothing, the darker I become. 

"I am the abyss".