Chapter 123 - 119: A Texan Reunion

Chapter 123: Chapter 119: A Texan Reunion

2 days later,

Arriving in El paso,

"So, this is Texas." Asterion seemingly asked, surveying the stark desert landscape that seemed to bleed red, white, and blue.

SPLAT

The red of Texas showed itself to Asterion first as a rotten tomato splattered against the glass, its mushy remnants streaking across his view.

He caught a glimpse of the vibrant red pulp, a stark contrast to the drab surroundings, as Ricky's laughter rang out, echoing his delight at the chaotic scene unfolding around them.

"GET OUT OF HERE!" Shouted a voice from outside, hateful to its core.

"WE DON'T WANT YOUR KIND HERE!" Another voice chimed in, only reaching a new level upon their colleagues' tone.

"In all its hateful glory, Asterion." Ricky said, lifting his half-empty bottle of hell wine, surrounded by three more empty bottles at his feet.

"They're a very vocal bunch," Chester remarked dryly, and Ricky pointed at a buck-toothed man brandishing a sign that read 'We Hate Mutants' while laughing heartily at the absurdity.

But when Ricky caught sight of his welcoming banner of hate, he couldn't help but laugh even harder, the absurdity of the moment fuelled his buzzed amusement.

"How is this funny?" Asterion asked genuinely, glancing back at his familiars, who merely shrugged, their expressions a mix of confusion and bemusement.

"Oh, come on, this is hilarious!" Ricky exclaimed, slightly tipsy, letting out a burp as he pointed at the gathering crowd.

"A bunch of southern hillbillies hating me just for existing? It's comedic gold!" Ricky's bizarre sense of humor shone through, a testament to his irreverent spirit.

"And besides, what are they going to do, slur me to death-"

"FCKING CNT ASS B*TCH MUTANT, GET OUT OF HERE!" An elderly woman cussed out word after word as if trying to correct Ricky.

"If I'm being honest, you get an A for effort." Ricky chuckled out, clinking his wine bottle against the car door as she slammed her fist against it.

Before he knew it, the crowd closed in around them, their voices rising in a cacophony of insults and rage.

BAM

BAM

"Woah, they really hate me." Ricky scanned the scene, noticing Garfield retreating behind Chester, who shot a fierce glare at the encroaching crowd.

Meanwhile, Alexander stood firm, exuding an air of confidence as he adjusted his attire, a silent defiance against the hostile gathering.

"Uh, Ricky, we have a problem." Asterion said, tugging at his sleeve and pointing forward.

Ricky turned just in time to see Jake and Marshall's car being surrounded, the crowd getting more agitated, threatening to flip it onto its side.

It began rocking side to side as Jake and Marshall were swept away, their muffled shouts for Ricky barely audible.

Sigh

"Fine," Ricky said, his tone sharp as he casually formed a shimmering field around the car, causing the onlookers to gasp and instinctively back away.

"HE'S USING HIS DEMON POWERS! QUICK, PRAY TO OUR LORD AND SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST!" one of the men roared, prompting everyone around him to clasp their hands together in fervent prayer.

"I'm literally an honorary bishop of the Vatican!" Ricky shouted, rolling down his window to address the crowd surrounding him.

"Jesus Christ died for American sins, not no Europeans!" an old woman exclaimed, pointing a shaky finger at Ricky as he raised an eyebrow, baffled by her declaration.

Snort

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Ricky burst into uncontrollable laughter, slapping the side of the car as he covered his face.

"How are you all real people?!" Ricky exclaimed, pointing at the crowd, shaking his head at their fervent devotion to someone he doubted had even existed.

Even as an honorary bishop, Ricky had never believed in God to this extent but it was surreal to witness the American version of faith, so wildly different from the restrained reverence he had come to see at the Vatican.

"Aye, boy, you can't be using no powers in my town." The sheriff's gruff voice rang out, commanding attention.

The crowd's shouts dwindled, parting like the Red Sea as he strode forward, flanked by his deputies.

"Sorry, I just got a little excited about my warm welcome," Ricky said, spreading his hands wide in exaggerated sarcasm as the sheriff's brows furrowed, his expression darkening with irritation.

"I don't take kindly to sarcasm-"

"And I don't take kindly to people who can't keep a full set of teeth, but we all have to make do with our surroundings." Ricky pointed to the nearest person missing a tooth, who quickly covered their mouth.

"Seriously, man, invest in a toothbrush." Ricky said, pointing at the guy, who ducked his head in shame as his buddies patted him on the back to comfort him.

"That's enough, get on your merry way," Sheriff Migilly ordered in a thick southern accent, pointing away from the crowd as Ricky gave him a casual wave, brushing him off.

"I will, but only since you asked so nicely," Ricky replied, then slid into the car as Chester shot him a plain look.

"Is it wise to antagonize the police force?" Chester asked, raising an eyebrow, while Alexander scoffed and scurried onto Ricky's shoulder.

"Probably not, but this hell wine really just brings it out of me." Ricky replied, glancing down at the bottle as he took another swig, the drink making him feel even more confrontational.

"Do not be afraid to share," Alexander said, holding out a small cup causing Ricky to chuckle, then pouring a tiny drop of the wine into it.

"Our trial is at the end of the week, we need to find lodging and-" Chester started preparing an agenda, trying to get everything squared away only to be interrupted by Garfield's loud sigh.

Sigh

"Can't you read the car, Chester? Stop preparing and simply go with the flow." Garfield said lazily, sprawled out across the seat and Ricky nodded his head in agreement.

"Good idea, Garfield, good idea," Ricky said, popping the seat back while Asterion drove through the town, his eyes scanning the scenery painted in the red hues of Ricky's slander.

"Do you not care about this trail in the least? I put a lot of time into these briefings," Chester said, side-eyeing Garfield, who was lazily swaying his tail in the air and looking toward Ricky, getting comfortable.

"I know you did, Chester, and I appreciate you for that," Ricky said, patting Chester's head, though he dodged the gesture.

"But you need to relax, it'll work out." Ricky sighed, mimicking Garfield's earlier words as the crow merely looked away.

"Fine, if you think that merely sitting around and letting things fall into place will work, then I suppose we should follow your lead," Chester said, obviously being facetious but Ricky just smiled at him, unbothered.

"Wouldn't want it any other way."

Asterion drove them to the nearest hotel, but another problem soon arose, much like Chester anticipated as they were denied service almost instantaneously.

Then, as if on cue, Chester shot Ricky a look, but the man continued his trek, only to be hit with a wave of deja vu with every single denial.

It quickly escalated until they had driven through every town in the city, only to face rejection at each stop.

Two hours later, Ricky lay on top of the car, staring up at the sky, while Marshall and Jake took turns trying to make calls from the nearby phone booth.

"What is this?!" Asterion yelled from the side, pointing at a carcass and fascinated by it.

"Carcass, you can drink it if you crack it open!" Ricky yelled back, drunk, as he poured the contents into a little bowl for Alexander and even Garfield, who were lounging at the side.

"YOU ARE PULLING THE LEG!" Asterion shouted from the side with a broken idiom, gasping almost while observing this fascinating plant.

"D-Do think other animals can talk?" Garfield drunkenly asked the two of them, hiccuping soon after.

"Like human talk or just talk talk?" Ricky asked, turning to the drunken cat who massaged his head.

"They have to, right?" Alexander replied in a slurred tone, looking up and wiping his mouth as both of them nodded in agreement.

"YOU WERE NOT PULLING THE LEG!" Asterion excitedly yelled from the side, his mouth covered in cactus pricks with his face slobbered in the juice.

SIGH

Chester sighed from the side, covering his face with his wing, clearly embarrassed to be around them.

"Good news! I called one of my friends, and he said we can use his brother-in-law's cousin's house!" Marshall excitedly yelled at them, and Ricky held up a thumbs-up in response.

"Alright, enough hell wine, I want to save it for later." Ricky said, prying a full bottle away from Garfield, who scratched at it in protest.

"Come on, I want to get situated and get drunk off all their supplies."

5 minutes later,

"What are they, Mormons?" Ricky asked, glancing away from the cabinet while the others got settled.

They had arrived at the edge of town, to a modest two-story house that was a little run-down but worked as lodging nonetheless.

"How do they not have a drop of liquor?" Ricky asked in a baffled tone, his buzz fading as Marshall pulled out a jar of juice.

Sniff

"I guess they have plum juice." Marshall's face squeezed, the smell shrinking his expression as Ricky side-eyed him.

"Fermented?" Ricky asked, watching as Marshall dipped his finger into the jar and gave it a small taste test before shaking his head.

"Dammit, I'll be back-"

"Woah, woah, woah, what do you think you're doing?" Jake laughed, thinking Ricky was joking as he stopped him from putting on his coat.

"Going to get a drink and maybe some snacks-"

"In a city that absolutely loathes you?" Jake finished the sentence as Ricky paused, thinking about it for a moment.

"Well, I wasn't exiled, I just ran away," Ricky admitted, revealing the truth and Raven's expression softened at his words, his truth.

"The story goes that I was exiled, and it really gives a touch of flair to it, making the story more impactful when I eventually returned, but it's just something my pops made up to hide the real truth." Ricky sighed, pausing for a while, since this was a touchy subject for him.

Ricky hadn't admitted this to anyone outside his circle, but he really wanted to get into Raven's pants and have her open heart to him so that later, he could open her legs.

"Back then, when the other families found out I was a mutant, instead of wanting to kick me out, the Luciano family actually rallied behind me," Ricky explained, slicking his hand through his hair and resting his elbow on the table.

"My pops came to me and asked me to get on board, but I just left." Ricky looked down, the weight of the confession settling in before laughing.

Realizing he was telling Raven, someone he'd only just met twice, one of his biggest regrets.

"It's honestly one of my biggest regrets, but I wouldn't have become who I am today with my past mistakes." Ricky continued, looking up at Raven, who was a little taken aback at how out of character he was right now.

"Listen, Raven, you're a beautiful soul, and although I think I'm your long-lost soulmate, I'm sorry, but I'm not going to sacrifice my success for a future that might not happen." Ricky let out another egregious sigh, thinking the door he wanted to ram into repeatedly was closing which made him pour more wine into his glass.

"How do you know it won't happen, Destiny's predictions are almost always spot on-"

"Because you don't know who I am, Raven, and I'm going to be the centerpiece of this era, whether it wants me or not." Ricky revealed, sharing one of his biggest ambitions as Raven was at a lost for words

"And besides, how could you possibly know the future if you didn't know that we would get married in the future." Ricky tipped his wine glass towards her, still shamelessly flirting with her as Raven laughed out.

"Bold words for a young man." Raven smiled, leaning in as it was Ricky's turn to laugh this time.

"Well, people have called revolutionaries idiots, so I don't think I'm too far off," Ricky boastfully proclaimed, pointing his finger into the sky and striking a cheesy pose, all to make Raven laugh to which, thankfully, she was doing right now.

"Also, sorry about telling you off earlier. I'm sure that future you want is probably for the better," Ricky offered, extending an olive branch but Raven simply looked down, her expression unreadable.

"You know, I think what makes me so infatuated with those predicted futures is the promise of a better tomorrow." Raven said, grabbing the glass next to her as her smile slowly faded.

"Living for so long, you tend to see the worst in life rather than all its beauty, and when you look towards a better future, it acts as a way of coping," Raven said, laughing softly since now that she said it out loud, it sounded really stupid to her.

In all honesty, Raven had prevented numerous disasters from befalling mankind, but no one would ever know about it but it all felt meaningless if nothing ever got better.

I think, deep down, this act of trying to help mutants stemmed from the fact that Raven never had a childhood.

From the moment she was born, she was labeled a demon because of her blue skin.

Forced to hide in the shadows, she spent her life yearning for the warmth she had never known, a desire that eventually spread to mutant kind.

But it was from that suffering, growing up in such an isolated environment, littered only with coldness and hate, that Raven simply didn't want that to ever happen to another mutant child.

It was then, as the wine flowed down her throat and simmered into her being, that the wall she always put up slowly began to break down, allowing a pleasant conversation to form between them.

It wasn't about politics, it wasn't about destinies; it was about getting to know each other, as wine bottles started to litter the table.

"Don't you ever settle down or relax? Like, do you ever have brief stints where you live a life without some set goal?" Ricky genuinely asked, looking at her like she was an encyclopedia of knowledge who had lived countless identities and lives.

"Ricky, I was Sherlock Holmes," Raven, slightly buzzed, confessed, mentioning one of her personas, doubting he would believe her.

"You're kidding!?" Ricky gawked, spilling his wine onto his shirt as Raven laughed at his reaction before nodding.

"It's true, and Jack the Ripper? Not even human, but actually a number of parasitic creatures that hailed from the Dark Dimension." Raven confessed to Ricky who was baffled beyond belief, leaning back in his chair as he tried to process what she had just said.

"Huh, guess you learn something new every day," Ricky said, repouring his glass before Raven snatched it from his hand.

"Your turn. How did you convince the Vatican to recognize mutants?" Raven asked, baffled in her own right, knowing how stubborn the church was.

It was an achievement in itself, in her eyes, that Ricky had not only managed to get the Vatican to recognize mutants but also secure an honorary position, a recognition they never gave out to anyone before.

"Eh, why not," Ricky said, leaning in as he prepared to reveal himself as the Black Knight after getting the government to stand down.

"But you can't tell anyone, promise?" Ricky held out his pinky finger, and Raven smiled, wrapping her pinky around his as he pulled her close.

"Promise."

"I'm the Black Knight," Ricky confessed, revealing his secret. Raven's eyes bulged out of her sockets.

"Y-You're the Black Knight?" Raven whispered in a yelling tone, quickly covering his mouth before looking around nervously.

"You killed Dracula?!" Raven screeched in a whisper, already having heard the news. Ricky nodded.

"Pretty cool, right?" he said, taking her hand off his mouth, holding it, and gently setting it to the side but keeping it locked with his as Raven sighed, still processing the revelation.

Sigh

"I have to say, it is pretty cool." Raven sighed out, only for a chuckle to follow, using her other hand to lean her head on while staring at Ricky.

"Your turn, but I want to ask a question," Ricky said, gently massaging her smooth blue forehead as the alcohol brewed a tonic of lust between them.

Raven's Favorability: 43

'Wow, so low.' Ricky thought, thinking he was doing a good job, only to see the low favorability in her expression.

"Tell me why you never settled down, to take maybe a little time to relax," Ricky asked with a toothy smile. Raven paused, thinking about it.

"I guess-............I guess I just never found the right time." Raven admitted as she didn't know why, but she felt oddly comfortable opening up to Ricky, who nodded in understanding.

Ricky's eyes then gazed into Raven's, and she suddenly found herself mesmerized by them before she quickly turned her head down, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

"You're dangerous," Raven said, looking up slightly with a smirk. Ricky laughed.

"I've been told." Ricky agreed, leaning in as his thumb slowly traced along her gorgeous skin.

"But if anyone is dangerous, it's the woman who I can't help but tell how infatuated I am with her." Ricky confessed, but Raven only looked to the side, her smile fading slightly.

"You're just all talk-" Raven tried to say, only for Ricky to suddenly interrupt her.

"I'm not, I mean it." Ricky's voice carried a sincerity that seemed to form a connection, and Raven, caught off guard, was left feeling really confused.

It was as if every aspect of Ricky's being was trying to ensnare her, and the more she fought it, the more curious she became as to why she felt this way.

"Ricky, we've met twice and-"

"And now I'm never letting you go," Ricky laughed, playfully squeezing her hand. She took a sip from her glass, using it to hide the slight red tint finally forming on her cheeks.

"How about we make a deal, a wager?" Ricky offered, and Raven raised an eyebrow, setting her glass back down, pausing for a moment but giving into whatever whim this was.

"I'm listening."

"You stay here, in Texas, until the case ends," Ricky suddenly proclaimed and Raven laughed, clearly amused by the suggestion.

"That's not how a deal works." Raven resumed her position, leaning her head on her free hand while looking towards Ricky with a smile.

"I know, but here's the thing; you stay here and take a break, but do not intervene in the proceedings. And if I win, you come back to New York with me." Ricky showed his intentions through his words as Raven smiled in return, charmed by his foolish confidence.

"And what if you fail?" Raven asked, clearly amused by this deal and wondering what would happen if he ended up losing.

"If I fail, then I'll adhere to whatever future you want and stop trying to mess with it," Ricky offered, ensnaring Raven in a deal that was clearly beneficial to her.

In Destiny's diaries, there was never a groundbreaking civil case for mutants, and if Ricky actually managed to win, it would be a huge leap for mutant equality, since her diaries weren't always accurate.

But if he lost, Raven could essentially put a leash around Ricky, winning either way, but that was the wine talking at this point.

"Then what will I do to preoccupy myself?" Raven playfully leaned forward, a mischievous glint in her eyes, giving Ricky the perfect opening and he couldn't resist.

"Isn't it obvious? You'll be too busy being occupied with me." Ricky's voice was soft, laden with intent as he leaned in, closing the distance, and their lips finally met.

It was electric, and they both felt it, as if the world stood still for them, and nothing else mattered in that moment.

It was passionate but messy, vigorous yet smooth, every desire, every longing, fulfilled in the touch of one another as they savored the taste, the connection before slowly breaking apart.

Their gazes locked, intense and unyielding, for what felt like an eternity as the air between them was charged, thick with the heady heat of their desire, and as they stood, it was clear that both of them were boiling with pheromones, the magnetic pull undeniable.

"Do you-"

"Yeah," Raven huffed out, biting her lip as conflicting thoughts swirled in her mind.

Raven knew it was a bad idea, but it felt too good, too right, to shut herself off from it now.

"Your place or mine-"

"Mine." Raven's voice was low, filled with a possessive hunger as she grabbed Ricky and hurriedly led him toward the luxurious house she was staying at, the tension between them palpable with every step.

Turning around as they entered, Ricky scooped her up effortlessly, kicking the door closed behind him.

Raven immediately hopped into his embrace, wrapping her legs around his waist as he carried her up the stairs, their lips locking once more in a heated, unrelenting kiss.

They didn't even know what had taken over them, but they were already swept away by the current of their shared lust.

Every touch, every kiss felt like it was fated, as if they were powerless against the overwhelming desire pulling them deeper into the moment.

BAM

Ricky kicked the bedroom door open, sending it crashing against the wall as he shoved Raven onto the bed, his breath ragged as she quickly began unbuckling his pants.

As she freed him, his arousal was already evident as his cock flopped before her gaze which shrunk as it wholly occupied it.

But before she could fully process it, Ricky leaned down, his chest brushing against hers as he closed the distance between them.

"So, is it a deal?" Ricky asked playfully, planting a tender kiss on her neck but before he could pull away, Raven grabbed his face, bringing him to her lips with a swift, intense motion.

"Deal."