{A/N: Smile was the only movie to ever make me scream, and I have watched many horror movies from The Conjuring, Insidious, Sinister, and so on. But Smile? That shit had me sleeping with the lights on.}
"You look like you've seen a ghost or something," Alex said, watching Rachel return from the bathroom. There was no mistaking the way she moved; her steps were stiff, her expression pale and guarded. She looked unsettled, like she had been anywhere but the bathroom—unless she had gone in there to take the world's wildest dump.
"It's nothing… I just ran into someone I wasn't expecting," Rachel replied quietly. Her voice wavered ever so slightly, and her eyes dropped toward the floor, refusing to meet his.
Alex immediately sat up straighter, his easy demeanor fading. Concern etched into his features, his gaze locked onto her downcast face, his mind already racing as he tried to read what was hidden behind her guarded expression.
"It's nothing… let's just watch the movie," Rachel said softly, her voice carrying a fragile edge that didn't go unnoticed.
Alex frowned, the expression lingering for a moment as he studied her face, but he didn't push. If she didn't want to talk, he would respect that. With a small nod, he shifted back in his seat and turned his attention toward the television, where a string of upcoming trailers flashed across the screen, their bright colors and booming soundtracks filling the room.
It wasn't long before the actual film began, the opening credits rolling over dark, unsettling music. Rachel tried to follow along but wasted most of those first minutes, her thoughts spiraling elsewhere. Her gaze drifted toward the screen only occasionally, her mind too far away to register the details. It wasn't until the jarring scene of a girl standing unnaturally still, smiling in a grotesque way before cutting herself in front of the main character, that Rachel's attention was pulled back.
The sharpness of that moment clawed at her focus, dragging her out of her haze and forcing her to actually look at what was unfolding.
"It's nothing… let's just watch the movie," Rachel said softly, her voice carrying a fragile edge that didn't go unnoticed.
Alex frowned, the expression lingering for a moment as he studied her face, but he didn't push. If she didn't want to talk, he would respect that. With a small nod, he shifted back in his seat and turned his attention toward the television, where a string of upcoming trailers flashed across the screen, their bright colors and booming soundtracks filling the room.
It wasn't long before the actual film began, the opening credits rolling over dark, unsettling music. Rachel tried to follow along but wasted most of those first minutes, her thoughts spiraling elsewhere. Her gaze drifted toward the screen only occasionally, her mind too far away to register the details. It wasn't until the jarring scene of a girl standing unnaturally still, smiling in a grotesque way before cutting herself in front of the main character, that Rachel's attention was pulled back.
The sharpness of that moment clawed at her focus, dragging her out of her haze and forcing her to actually look at what was unfolding.
From there, things seemed simple enough; the movie Smile didn't feel too scary at the start, its pacing almost easy to follow. But as time passed, the atmosphere shifted, and the scenes began to carry a sharper weight, building unease with every minute. The tension in the theater thickened, and the movie grew steadily scarier, creeping into the nerves of nearly everyone watching.
Several people screamed aloud, their voices breaking through the silence, while others shrank into their seats. A few covered their faces, peeking between their fingers, while some looked away entirely, too shaken to watch what was about to happen next. The fear was almost tangible, spreading from one viewer to the next.
Rachel watched it all without flinching, her eyes following each unsettling moment. The whole concept was undeniably creepy—just the way it played out on screen was enough to make the air feel heavy—but still she sat motionless.
She turned her head toward Alex, only to pause when she noticed something strange. Though his face remained directed toward the glowing screen, his eyes had rolled to the side
"What?" Alex asked, catching the strange look Rachel was giving him.
Rachel only smiled in response, leaning back comfortably in her seat as she turned her attention toward the screen again. She enjoyed moments like this, small glimpses into parts of Alex she hadn't seen before. Clearly, the movie was getting to him, but he was far too stubborn to let it show outright. That stubbornness made it almost endearing—it was cute, in its own way.
'What the fuck is this movie?' Alex cursed inwardly, his chest tightening with every chilling scene. Him, scared of a horror movie? The idea felt ridiculous, almost insulting. Sure, it was the first time he had ever sat through one, but still—he had expected better of himself. He thought he would brush it off easily, yet here he was, gripping the armrest harder than he should.
If Rachel weren't sitting beside him, if her presence weren't a constant reminder to keep himself composed, he feared he would've already cracked. The thought was humiliating—he would've been screaming right along with the others. Just how embarrassing would that have been?
But he refused to give in to that fear. No matter how tense his chest grew or how tight his grip became on the armrest, he wouldn't allow himself to react like the others. He wouldn't jump, he wouldn't flinch, and he certainly wouldn't scream. Behind him, people had cried out in terror, some so startled they fumbled their food and drinks. One bucket of popcorn even went flying, scattering across the seats and landing partly on him.
'How is she so fearless? Are the roles not reversed?' Alex wondered, his eyes shifting to the side.
Rachel sat calmly, watching every disturbing scene with that same light smile resting on her lips, completely unbothered by the terror that had the rest of the theater trembling.
***
"What did you think of the movie?" Rachel asked as they walked side by side toward the truck, her tone casual yet curious.
"Was that movie all about trauma?" Alex replied, his brows knitting together. "How do you even defeat that thing when it pretty much has you in a genjutsu?"
He crossed his arms firmly, still turning the thought over in his head. The whole concept left him unsettled, not out of fear, but because of the logic behind it. If something could trap you like that, twisting your mind until you couldn't tell what was real, then how would anyone stand a chance?
"Genjutsu?" Rachel asked, confusion flickering across her face.
"Oh… I meant to say illusion," Alex explained quickly. "That thing pretty much had her in an illusion, making her think she'd defeated it."
Rachel gave a small nod, quietly accepting the explanation, her expression easing as they continued toward the truck.
"You have a point… Other than passing it on, I'd say the best way to handle that thing is to lock yourself away and wait for the time to run out. Without anyone around, it wouldn't be able to make you kill yourself just to hand it over to someone else," Rachel said firmly, her tone thoughtful as she considered the possibility.
"Then again," Rachel added, her eyes narrowing slightly, "since we watched the movie… did it get passed on to us?"
Alex only shrugged, unconcerned, which made her shoulders sink. She had been hoping that he'd show even a flicker of fear or something. Instead, he stepped ahead of her, pulling open the car door with an exaggerated motion. It was meant to be romantic, but his over-the-top manner turned it almost comical.
Rachel couldn't help but smile at the sight, the corner of her lips lifting. Yet the moment didn't last. Her smile faded into silence, and small tears began to gather at the corners of her eyes, blurring her vision as she blinked them back.
"…I've been thinking…" Rachel said quietly, her fingers tightening around Alex's hand. The sudden seriousness in her voice made him turn to her in confusion, searching her face for answers. When he noticed the tears welling at the corners of her eyes, he instinctively reached up, his hand moving to gently wipe them away.
But she pulled back at the last moment, shaking her head faintly, unable to let him touch her.
"This can't work…" she whispered, her voice trembling. "The more I think about it, the more I realize I've betrayed you. You deserve better."
Her head lowered, shoulders trembling slightly as guilt weighed down on her. And then, in an instant, her form shifted—her features melting away until Raven stood before him.
Alex paused, caught off guard, staring at her in silence. The transformation left him momentarily speechless.
"I expected as much… but I didn't care, because I liked—" Alex stopped mid-sentence, his words trailing off as his thoughts caught up with him. A sudden heaviness settled over him, pulling his voice away.
Why had Raven gotten close to him in the first place? He thought back to that moment at the car dealership, and the answer seemed obvious now. She hadn't been drawn to him because he had an outstanding body. No—she wanted to confirm if he truly was the one who killed Trigon. Their entire relationship, everything they had shared, had only been a means to an end. Was it all just a cruel joke?
Raven felt the weight of his silence, her heart tightening unexpectedly. For a fleeting moment, his hesitation moved her, stirring emotions she hadn't intended to feel. She lifted her eyes toward him, searching his face for the words he hadn't spoken.
But what she found instead was a look she couldn't put into words—a mix of hurt, realization, and something far heavier. She didn't need to hear him say it; somehow, she already knew what was going through Alex's head.
"At first… I got close to you because I was searching for the person who killed Trigon," Raven admitted quickly, her words tumbling out before Alex could form another thought. "But then… you asked me out. And in that moment, I forgot everything about my mission. I fell in love with you instead." Her voice wavered, desperate for him to understand before he could think otherwise.
Alex let out a soft sigh, his shoulders relaxing slightly as her words sank in.
"…I can't really get angry with you," he said gently. "You tried to tell me the truth, but I was the one who always changed the subject. I knew it had to be something big, but I wanted to wait—I wanted you to tell me when you were ready. So yes, I played a part in this too. I should have listened."
His tone was soft, almost tender, and after a pause he offered her a small, reassuring smile.
"But all of this still isn't enough for me to want to end things. You're worth so much more to me than my bias," Alex said with a steady smile.
Raven's composure broke, and without hesitation, she leapt into his arms, holding him tightly as though afraid he might vanish if she let go. Alex wrapped his arms around her, feeling the weight of her embrace, but another thought pressed at his mind, one he couldn't keep to himself.
"The day I had my nightmare… did you know?" he asked suddenly.
Raven's entire body went rigid. She froze against him, her arms tightening just slightly, wishing desperately that time would stop—that she could simply hold onto him a little longer before being forced to face the truth waiting between them.
"I'm sorry," Raven whispered, her voice low and fragile, the words almost getting lost in the stillness between them.
Alex shook his head immediately, brushing it off with surprising ease. He didn't look angry, not even hurt. "It's cool," he said calmly. "Again, you did the right thing trying to talk to me, and I was the one who kept changing the subject. You did nothing wrong."
He gave a small shrug, trying to make it seem lighter than it was. But Raven couldn't accept that. She shook her head firmly, her expression hardening, refusing to let him shoulder the blame so easily.
"I… reported it to the Justice League," Raven admitted weakly, her voice trembling as the words left her lips.
Alex froze, uncertain if he had heard her correctly. His eyes locked onto her, searching her face for any sign that she might take it back, that it was some kind of mistake. But the silence that followed was heavy, suffocating, and it told him everything he needed to know.
He stared at her for a long moment, his expression unreadable. Finally, his voice broke the silence, soft but sharp enough to cut.
"You took my trauma… and handed it over to people who would weaponize it?"
"Y-your power… it's too dangerous. I couldn't keep that to myself," Raven tried to explain, her voice cracking under the weight of her guilt.
Alex's eyes stayed locked on her, his expression shifting into something she had never wanted to see—a look of pure hurt. That silent, pained stare cut through her more deeply than any blade or spell could. It was unbearable, and it left her chest tight with regret.
"You were scared of me?" Alex asked weakly, his tone breaking at the edges.
Raven's head moved instantly, shaking side to side so fast it almost looked like she wanted to wrench it from her shoulders, desperate for him to understand that fear had never been the reason.
"This was something too huge for me to keep to myself," Raven said softly, her voice pleading as she tried to make him see her side.
Alex lowered his gaze for a moment, his words coming out quieter, yet each one carried the full weight of his heart. "In my past life… I had no life of my own. I never experienced love. In this life, I dated Sarah for a while, but I never truly loved her. That's probably the reason, when she cheated on me... When it happened, I didn't feel much…" He paused, exhaling slowly. "Then I met you. And for the first time in two lifetimes, I was in love. I found myself daydreaming about you, losing track of time. I found myself doing things I normally never would—like accepting magic into my life. For you, I was willing to put my own interests second and put you first."
His eyes softened, though his voice carried a trace of pain. "I shut my mind off, ignored the signs showing you were hiding something. I don't even know why it was so easy for me to trust you… but I just did. And I never thought twice about it."
Raven's tears spilled freely, her eyes blurring as she listened, every word striking deeper than the last.
"…I guess what I'm trying to say is, I need the same level of trust and love in my relationship," Alex said softly, his voice calm but heavy with honesty and vulnerability.
Raven felt the words pierce straight through her, her heart twisting as if it were being torn apart piece by piece. The sincerity in his tone left her with nowhere to hide, nowhere to deflect.
"I did… I really did," she whispered weakly, her voice trembling. "How was I supposed to handle that?"
Her shoulders slumped, her entire frame shaking under the weight of her own guilt.
"Not give away something so personal to people you know I dislike… It was nice meeting you."
With those words, Alex closed the door firmly and walked around to the driver's side. Sliding into his seat, he gripped the wheel tightly, his knuckles whitening as his jaw clenched. He couldn't even bring himself to look at Raven without feeling a surge of anger. Never before had he felt such a sting of betrayal—it gnawed at him, left him raw, and stirred an urge to lash out just to release the pressure building inside.
Raven didn't try to stop him. She stood rooted in place, watching in silence as Alex started the engine and pulled away. To think… for her, he had been willing to put aside his own bias, even abandon his dreams of living a simple, normal life—because, in his eyes, she was worth it. And yet, despite all of that, she had gone and stabbed him in the back.
'You foolish girl… why didn't you listen to me?'
Trigon's voice thundered inside her mind, laced with clear displeasure and overwhelming scorn. He had told her to use Alex, to treat him as nothing more than a tool. This was their chance to tap into—or even steal—his power. And seeing she had lied to Alex for weeks, Trigon had praised her cunning, proud of the daughter she had become. So why now, after all that approval, would she suddenly decide to come clean?
Raven shut him out, forcing his voice into the background as she began the lonely walk. His praise had been the breaking point. The instant she realized that if her father—Trigon—approved of her actions, then she was on the wrong path entirely, her resolve had cracked. She confessed, but now self-loathing consumed her.
How could she not see it sooner? Alex, who had always been so sharp, so capable of seeing through others, had blinded himself for her. He had trusted her completely, and she had shattered that trust beneath her own foot.
"I've never seen Alex so down. You did a perfect job."
An evil laugh echoed through the air, sharp and mocking. Raven's head snapped toward the sound, her eyes narrowing as she spotted Sarah floating some distance away. But Sarah was changed—her hand was gone, the stump a brutal reminder of the price she had paid during her escape from Trigon. Even so, she looked unfazed, almost proud, hovering at a safe distance as if daring Raven to react.
"Haha! Now I can't wait for him to find out you're working with Trigon," Sarah sneered. "You've already shattered his trust. You, more than anyone else, are the worst thing that's ever happened to him. You threw him straight to the bottom. From here, there's only one way left for him to go—up. And when he does, it'll be with me."
Her laughter rang out, cruel and triumphant, filling the night with venom.
Raven's teeth slowly ground together, her jaw tightening as fury boiled up inside her. Her skin flushed into a deep, burning red, and extra pairs of eyes began to open across her face, glowing with unrestrained power.
Sarah only laughed harder, flying farther into the air, widening the space between them.
"I didn't come here to fight," she said mockingly, her grin stretching unnaturally wide. "I just came to enjoy this moment—watching you sink beneath your own blame. To see you choke on the truth that it's all your fault. That you were the worst thing to ever come into his life… while I was the best!"
Her laughter rose into a wild, unhinged cackle, echoing through the night. In her eyes, this was her victory. This moment alone justified everything she had ever done. After all, she had never made Alex look this broken. That meant, he had loved her too much to ever be sad with her.
Raven gritted her teeth, her eyes locked on Sarah in a burning glare. But in the end, she couldn't hold it—her gaze fell away, tears spilling freely down her face. Sarah's words struck deep because, as much as she wanted to deny them, there was truth in what she said. She and Alex had been each other's firsts. The moments they shared together, even if most of them were spent hidden away in Diana's house, were still the most beautiful of her life.
Sarah's laughter only grew louder, more mocking, as she fed on Raven's pain. Relishing every crack in her composure, she followed close behind when Raven took to the air, her presence sharp and invasive. She didn't hold back, pressing at every wound, determined to shatter her completely. Sarah's hatred for Raven ran deep, and she wanted nothing more than to see her broken.
But hatred pushed too far could spark something far worse. Sarah found that out when Raven's control finally slipped. Her body trembled, her power flaring wildly as her demon side surged forward, unstable and furious, threatening to consume everything around her.
***
The next day
A sudden knock came at the door, drawing both Alex and Diana's attention. Alex rubbed at his eyes, which were bloodshot and burning bright red. Staying up all night glued to video games had done his vision no favors, and the dull ache behind his eyes only made it worse.
"I got it," he muttered, pressing a hand against his temple as the headache pulsed. With slow steps, he made his way to the door and pulled it open—only to stop cold.
There sat Sarah in a wheelchair. Her neck was locked in a stiff brace, her face battered with two black eyes—one so swollen it barely opened. Her body looked weak, broken, but still, in one trembling hand, she held a bundle of flowers. She struggled to lift them toward him, her arm shaking as if every ounce of strength was being poured into the gesture.