In DC, With Instant Death... I Just Want To Live A Normal Life

Alex sighed while cleaning up after a long day of video games with Rachel. Empty soda cans and snack wrappers were scattered across the coffee table, controller cords lay tangled on the floor, and pizza boxes sat stacked on the kitchen counter. They had been playing for hours, completely absorbed in their gaming session, until Diana suddenly called, seeming to know exactly when he had guests over. The call had forced Rachel to leave with hurried apologies and promises to see him tomorrow, gathering her things quickly while shooting apologetic glances his way. He was helpless at how Diana treated him like a child, calling at the worst possible moments and making decisions about his social life, but he honestly didn't mind, as long as he had a mother figure in his life.

The last time he had a mother, she used him as a weapon to take over the world and conquer death. That woman had manipulated every aspect of his existence, turning his very being into an instrument of her twisted ambitions. Diana was a mother figure he didn't need, but she brought a new concept into his life—someone who actually cared about his well-being without wanting to use him for anything in return.

'I wondered what she wanted to tell me.' Alex thought while going outside to throw out the trash. Rachel had something she seemed to have wanted to tell him, something like a secret. The way she'd fidgeted with her sleeves and avoided eye contact made it obvious she was building up to some kind of confession. But he didn't want to hear it, not when she wasn't ready to say it properly.

He, too, had secrets he didn't know he would ever tell her. So he had no right to expect her to step forward and reveal whatever she was hiding from him. 

{A/N: By the way, he saw cheating as an attack on him now. An emotional attack, so if Rachel cheats, it would trigger his powers just like any physical threat would.}

"Should I…" Alex paused before he could say anything, his eyes landed on the person glowing pink floating above him. She was a beautiful blonde-haired woman with a pink Lantern Ring on her ring finger, suspended in the air with casual grace like gravity was merely a suggestion to her. 

"Hey, I'm S… Star Girl," She said with a friendly smile, though the slight hesitation in her introduction set off warning bells in his mind. The pause was brief but noticeable, like she'd almost said something else entirely.

Alex blankly looked at her for some time, his expression unreadable as he studied this unexpected visitor. It was an act she thought was him being enchanted by her beauty, and she shifted her posture slightly, clearly trying to show off what she considered her best angles. Her smile widened as if she believed his silence meant her appearance was having the desired effect.

'Should I kill her… No, she seems to be passing by.' Alex thought with a light sigh, the casual consideration of violence as natural to him as deciding what to have for dinner. He only knew three Lanterns well, that being Hal, Guy, and John. Even then, he didn't know much about them beyond basic information; the biggest piece of information he knew about them was that Hal had a lover who was a pink Lantern or something like that… Oh, John dated Hawk Girl in that show he watched, but she cheated on him or something similar.

"I'm Alex, can I help you?" Alex asked while putting the trash inside the trash can, maintaining his mundane task even as every instinct told him to stay alert and ready for trouble.

"It's my first time on earth, and since you're the first human I met, mind helping me get to know this planet?" She asked with a charming smile that felt too rehearsed, like she'd practiced this exact line multiple times before using it.

"I'm not the best person for the task. I can see if I can get you in touch with the Justice League or something," Alex said, his deflection automatic. 

"But I want you… How about we go inside and talk?" She asked while blinking her eyes in a way that left Alex confused as to what was wrong with her eyes. 

"Why can't we talk outside?" Alex asked, not understanding what was wrong with speaking outside in the open air. The request to move indoors felt unnecessarily intimate for complete strangers, and something about her insistence made him uncomfortable.

"… I forgot you're stupid," Stargirl said under her breath, the words barely audible. Her expression suggested she hadn't meant for the words to be heard, but they slipped out anyway.

"What?" Alex, who didn't hear her clearly, asked with a frown, his tone sharpening slightly at the sense that she'd said something unpleasant.

"Nothing… the true reason I got near you is because I need…" Just as Alex was about to kill her, recognizing the shift in her demeanor as her wanting to drag her into the supernatural world nonsense, he paused as he saw Superman flying over and crossing his arms while glaring down at Stargirl. The Man of Steel's presence immediately shifted the entire dynamic of the encounter, his cape billowing behind him as he hovered with obvious disapproval. Stargirl threw Superman a glare filled with anger and frustration before she floated back, angrily retreating into the distance.

"Sorry about that, son," Superman said with a friendly smile, his voice carrying the warm paternal tone that had comforted countless civilians over the years. Alex simply nodded in acknowledgment while returning inside, putting the whole strange event behind him, although he was curious as to why aliens were suddenly coming after him. Did she know about his power? No, she didn't seem to know about his abilities, and instead was aiming for something else entirely. As for what that was, he didn't know and wasn't sure he wanted to find out.

High above, far enough to avoid being overheard but close enough to watch Alex's retreat into his apartment, a very different conversation was taking place between the two figures.

"You dare get in the way of me and my beloved?" Sarah roared in rage, glaring at Superman, who just looked at her with crossed arms and a disappointed expression. Her true identity emerged now that the pretense was over, pink energy pulsing around her with frightening intensity that made the air itself seem to vibrate.

"Creating a whole new identity near him… what is your plan, lie to him for life?" Superman asked with a speechless look, his tone mixing concern with genuine bewilderment at her actions.

"Shut up, I just need to show him. I need to open his eyes and show him that we are meant to be together. I just need one chance, one opportunity to prove our connection, and you got in the way of it!" Sarah yelled angrily, her voice cracking with barely contained obsession and years of built-up frustration.

"Girl… you're crazy," Superman said speechlessly, the blunt assessment delivered with the weary tone of someone who'd encountered obsession before and recognized its dangerous potential.

Sarah gritted her teeth in rage, her entire body tensing as if preparing to launch herself at the superhero. But just as she was about to rush at him in a blind fury, she paused and looked towards where Alex was. She didn't want to destroy whatever positive image she might have created in his eyes, couldn't afford to be seen as the aggressor against one of Earth's most beloved protectors. So she turned and flew away instead, leaving Superman sighing helplessly in the evening sky.

He just saved her from dying at Alex's hands, and that was the thanks he got for his intervention. Sighing to himself with the weight of someone who'd prevented a tragedy the victim would never understand, he turned and flew away into the darkening horizon…

The next day, in the clouds above Diana's home, one could find Sarah glaring down with intense focus at Rachel, who was stepping out of an Uber with a cheerful expression... although to most it looked deadpan, ready for another day of playing games with Alex… but Sarah wouldn't allow it to happen.

Think about it, what was the best way to get Alex to love her again? The answer was obvious: kill Rachel, and while he was depressed and seeking that warmth and comfort, she could come in and cheer him up. The plan made perfect sense to her obsessed mind, each step laid out with the clarity of someone who'd thought about this scenario countless times.

With a flash of pink energy, she shot a beam at the Uber below, aiming to have it explode in a fiery blast and in return, take Rachel out with it in what would appear to be a tragic accident… But Rachel, to her complete shock, acted quickly with reflexes that seemed impossible for an ordinary person. Her form transformed and turned into Raven just in the nick of time to create a protective barrier and shield the Uber from the deadly attack.

Casting a quick spell with practiced ease, she put the Uber driver to sleep to prevent him from witnessing the supernatural battle about to unfold and deal with the fact he knew she was Raven later, then flew into the sky to face Sarah directly. She frowned with obvious displeasure, not wanting to fight so close to Alex's home where he might see them. What if he stepped outside and put together the fact that she was Rachel? The risk of exposure felt almost as dangerous as the battle itself.

"Y-You!" Sarah gritted her teeth in rage, her voice shaking with the force of her emotions. How couldn't she be enraged? To think Rachel was Raven, the very idea that this heroine had been lying to her beloved Alex all this time filled her with righteous fury. Alex deserved nothing but the truth in all things, and to lie to him like Rachel had been doing… that was absolutely unforgivable.

But she couldn't attack recklessly, not when strategy mattered more than raw emotion. What if Alex stepped outside and saw her beating up a recognized hero? Wouldn't that completely destroy her carefully crafted image in Alex's eyes?

"Haha, I wonder how Alex would react knowing you have been lying to him this whole time," Sarah said with a cold smirk that didn't reach her eyes. She knew Alex didn't like the supernatural world much, so it was easy to tell he wouldn't like dating a superhero who'd been deceiving him.

"That's funny, after getting your holes plugged, did you decide to get a new identity out of shame of being yourself, or out of the stupid idea that Alex would, for some crazy reason, want you?" Raven asked emotionlessly, her words cutting like surgical strikes designed to hit Sarah's deepest insecurities and psychological wounds.

The two looked at each other for some time, suspended in the air between earth and sky. One side maintained an emotionless and hard-to-read expression, while the other showed a look that was slowly growing into pure killing intent and hatred.

"I planned to give you a quick death…" Sarah said coldly, her voice dropping to barely above a whisper. Before she held her palm out, channeling her ring's power to form an avatar of Alex created from the pure energy of love. The construct was perfect in every detail, rendered with obsessive precision that spoke to how often she'd imagined him. Raven's eyes widened at the sight, but she didn't think twice as she shot her palm forward, shooting a beam of pure darkness which swallowed the false Alex completely, leaving Sarah's eyes wide with shock and rage.

"Y-you! You dare hurt him!" She screamed, channeling her worry and panic for her beloved into more love energy, which allowed her to empower the Alex construct. The false Alex powered through the dark beam with renewed strength and rocketed towards Raven like a missile seeking its target.

Chains of darkness appeared around the construct, wrapping around its limbs and holding it still with magical bonds. Before the false Alex could break free, purple flames suddenly began to burn across its body, the mystical fire destroying the construct entirely and reducing it to nothing.

"You… you're a heartless bitch… but Alex is always in my heart; he can never truly die," Sarah said softly, her voice filled with the kind of religious fervor reserved for true believers. With a flash of blinding light, thousands of Alex constructs appeared, filling the sky around them, all stronger than the one Raven had just destroyed. Each construct represented another facet of her obsessive love made manifest in quasi-physical form.

"You're jealous?" Sarah asked with laughter that bordered on the hysterical, while she hugged one of the many Alex constructs close to her body. She went on to share a deep, passionate kiss with it that lasted far longer than anyone should be comfortable watching. The sight was simultaneously pathetic and deeply disturbing, a display of psychological damage that probably couldn't be repaired. Raven, watching all of this unfold, was left disgusted, so much so that her usually emotionless face broke to show that very look of revulsion.

But the two combatants paused the next instant as they looked towards Diana's house below, where Alex stepped out to see what was with the pink light show going on outside, and instantly his eyes landed on both of them hovering in the sky. But Alex had no time to react or process what he was seeing, as out of nowhere, Rachel appeared, running towards the door as if running for her life with genuine panic in her movements.

"What happened?" Alex asked with concern, moving aside so she could quickly enter while he closed the door behind her and locked it securely.

"I don't know, those two just started having their battle up there," Rachel said breathlessly, to which Alex nodded while looking outside through the window, where he saw Raven and the person he knew as Stargirl flying off.

'Why did she make constructs of me to fight with?' Alex asked himself, honestly confused about what was with Stargirl's deal and her strange actions. But again, he didn't care enough to look deeper into this mystery, preferring to let sleeping dogs lie…

"Haha, I can't wait to see how it would all come falling down once he finds out the truth!" Sarah laughed happily, no longer caring to continue the fight, for she had gotten something far more valuable out of this battle than any victory could provide. She ignored the Justice League members who had gathered below and flew off into outer space, leaving Earth's atmosphere behind for now.

"Who was that person?" Raven asked, confused as to who had been playing the role of Rachel during the battle while she was fighting.

"That's Martian Manhunter, you two should quickly switch to avoid possibly raising Alex's suspicions," Batman said from the shadows, although it sounded more like him giving an order than making a suggestion. Raven agreed immediately and, hearing the Martian's telepathic voice in her head, she teleported into Alex's bathroom, where the shape-shifting hero soon entered so they could switch places seamlessly.

"Alex… I think we should talk more about the matter of your dislike towards Superheroes." Rachel said lightly upon stepping out of the bathroom, though her voice carried a weight that hadn't been there before the morning's events.

"Okay…." Alex said with a slight sigh, settling himself down on the couch. He sat down across from Rachel and waited patiently for her to speak, his body language suggesting someone bracing for a difficult conversation he'd rather avoid.

"Can I know more about your dislike towards Superheroes?" She asked lightly, trying to keep her tone casual despite the significance of what she was asking. Alex paused for a second, considering his words carefully before sighing again.

"I just want to live the life I always wanted to live. Powers, magic, and all such supernatural things… I just want to live a normal life, my ideal concept of normal is well… going to work every day, coming home to have normal worries about bills and responsibilities, going to sleep worrying about normal things like deadlines and appointments, and waking up in the morning, cursing under your breath that it's another Monday." Alex said with a light smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, revealing the deep longing for mundane existence that drove so many of his choices.

"I want to just be away from all of it, the supernatural world and everything that comes with it, and live a life worth living instead. I want to one day get married to someone special, build something real and lasting. I don't care about your thoughts on the Supernatural world, I'm dating you, and I'm open to all the good and the bad that comes with being together." Alex said gently, his words sincere and heartfelt, leaving Raven unsure of what to say in response.

"Oh… I can't have kids. I think it's fair you know this now, rather than later down the road when it might hurt more." Alex said, remembering that small but important fact about his nature. He had sperm and all the biological components, but they might as well be just for show. He was fundamentally connected to death, so life-giving was completely off the table for him... he can have sex, just not have offspring.

"… You're open to everything?" Rachel asked with a heavy heart, the weight of her deception pressing down on her. Alex nodded with a visible sign of unease and concern, which made Rachel feel even more uneasy about her secret.

"Please don't tell me you have some meta-human ability to transform into a woman, right?" Alex asked with a slight chuckle, trying to inject some humor into the serious conversation. Rachel shook her head with a speechless look, caught off guard by the absurdity of the question.

"Are you secretly older than you look, and this is just some kind of form you took?" Alex asked as his follow-up, continuing with his guessing game. Rachel shook her head again, watching as Alex seemed to consider her responses. Alex looked at her for a second before just standing up with an air of casual dismissal.

"Then I see nothing for you to be so worried about, come out with your meta-human ability when you feel like it… and here's a little secret, Diana is also a meta-human," Alex said with a relaxed smile, offering the information as a gesture of trust and reassurance.

"I'm not a meta-human!" She said with obvious annoyance, frustrated with Alex constantly interrupting and not letting her finish her thoughts. She could tell that Alex didn't want to hear what she was trying to say due to his own personal reasons and fears. But she had to speak up and tell her truth, regardless of the consequences.

So, seeing Alex looking at her with his full attention, she held out her palm and cast a spell that created dancing flames, which she went on to control and manipulate with practiced ease. The fire responded to her will, changing colors and shapes as she demonstrated her abilities. She looked at Alex expectantly, waiting to see his reaction to this clear display of magic, but all he did was give her the same blank, unreadable look.

"Magic, meta-human, who cares about the distinction. They are all the same to me in the end." Alex said with a casual roll of his eyes while walking away, treating her revelation as no more significant than announcing a preference for coffee over tea. Rachel opened her mouth to say something more, to explain the full truth, but paused when she heard Alex mutter something under his breath.

"I was scared for a moment you were a hero or something like that," Alex said lightly, his relief obvious in his tone. Could you imagine the complicated life that would be awaiting him if that were the case? But he was pretty sure Rachel had no supernatural heroic life; he was confident that a goth girl like her would have been famous and well-known alongside someone like Raven if she were involved in that world.

Maybe she was famous in some circles, but that would only go to show she was dealing with small-time threats since she wasn't well known amongst the major magic casters like Dr Fate, that one father and daughter duo who put on magic shows for the public, and that British magic caster who was friends with the devil or something along those lines.

Alex didn't know all of the magic casters in the world, but he knew the most important and well-publicized ones, and Rachel never showed up in anything he had watched, whether cartoons or the movies he'd seen… Then again, he never really focused on that supernatural stuff since he was much more into anime and manga. But he had a good memory for faces and names.

"…" Rachel stood there in silence, unsure if she should continue and say the whole truth. To her, it was painfully clear that Alex would instantly break up with her if he knew she was Raven; this was obviously a deal breaker for him based on everything he'd just said… but she didn't want to lose what they had, yet she also didn't want to keep hiding the truth from him indefinitely.

"So, I started reading the book you recommended to me… I approve of your choice." Alex said enthusiastically, showing off the digital bookmark on his phone that marked his progress through the story. Rachel was snapped back to the present moment, and before she could do anything to continue their previous conversation, Alex threw the subject they were talking about a moment ago into the trash and began talking about the book instead. He started geeking out about plot points and characters he liked, his enthusiasm infectious as he drew out the inner geek within Rachel that she never knew she had hidden within her…