A prompt request I got for Fluff Bingo on tumblr! ^_^
Teach Me How To Play
It was a rare and wonderful occasion whenever the three young men had a chance to hang out without their female friends. The women of Titans Tower, though always well loved and respected, tended to add a sense of decorum that the trio of males were hoping for a break from. Dick had announced that Kori had fallen asleep early and Garfield followed it up by stating that his own girlfriend was spending the night finishing the book she's had her nose buried in for the past two days. Given the news, it was their third friend, Victor, who had suggested an activity for the night. One that the boys haven't had the pleasure in playing for a while.
"Alright gentlemen, ready to get your asses whipped?" The brawny, dark-skinned man jousted as he began to shuffle the playing cards at the kitchen table they had cleared.
"Yeah right, Tin Man! We all know who's the C.A.H. champion!" The significantly smaller and younger green-skinned man said with a smug smirk as he gestured to himself.
The last man, well muscled like the buff man to his right, but about the same height and build as his friend to his left, snorted in amusement. "Only because your head is stuck in a gutter. Seriously, how does Raven put up with you?"
The elfish man sat back with a cocky smile that showed off his protruding right fang. He folded his arms behind his head and wiggled his eyebrows mischievously. "Where do you think I learned it from?"
Dick's face twisted at the changeling's implication, but Victor gave a loud and repulsed gagging noise.
"Y'all are nasty!" The cyborg cried as he finished his work with the cards and began passing them out.
"Says the guy who suggested we play Cards Against Humanity." The green one teased as he accepted his cards and instantly began to inspect them. The corner of his lips twitched as his mind kicked into gear, already planning out which combinations of the cards to make.
But before the game could commence, his sensitive ears picked up the familiar sound of the common room doors sliding open and quiet footsteps passing through them. Had it not been for the doors, the newcomer would have definitely surprised them all. He had his back toward the entrance, but he knew the sound of little blue boots on the metal floor could only belong to one resident in their home. He instinctively sat up in his chair and hid the cards under his hands.
She walked right past the group of boys and headed straight to kitchen counter, her navy blue cloak billowing out behind her. Garfield's emerald eyes glanced up at the clock on the wall. Judging by the time, she must have really been involved in that book of hers to have yet to change out of her uniform for the evening. He and Dick were already changed and in their comfy sleeping attire. Dick in his red button down shirt and matching pants, and he in an old t-shirt and baggy sweatpants. Victor was the only one who's nighttime look was the same as his daytime look, being mostly made of robotic parts.
The woman at the counter paid no mind to them as she filled up a pot with water, then sat it on top of the heated stove. The boys behind her exchanged nervous glances as they attempted to act causal, while keeping the obscure playing cards out of the empath's view.
"Hey there Mama, you finish with your book?"
Turning herself around to face him, she leaned on the edge of the counter and regarded him with a pointed stare. Out of habit, the shape-shifter threw up his mental barriers, but he could still feel her presence in his mind, pushing on the gate, demanding entrance in. That was the problem of living with an empath. She may not know why he feels the way he does, but she always knows what feelings are there, and right now, he was panicking on the inside. Even with his guard up, she was still powerful enough to know he was hiding something.
He knew the second her amethyst eyes narrowed that the secret was out.
"Yes I did, it was a good ending, despite being terribly clique." She commented dryly as her suspicious stare flickered from his eyes to his hands. He tightened his grip on the cards instinctually, but silently cursed himself when he did. One would think having all the knowledge of the animal kingdom would have taught him not to react under a predator's gaze, but there's not an animal alive that could ignore the scrutiny of this demoness.
"Well that's, uh, nice." He flashed her a toothy grin, as large and bright as he could muster. She may not have been able to smell the pungent scent of sour milk and vinegar that rolled of him in waves, but the smell of his own fear nauseated him. He knew he should not have tore his eyes off of her, but he had to steal a glance at the men sitting with him, pleading them to offer some assistance. His two so-called friends ducked their heads, avoiding his gaze and effectively leaving him hung out to dry. He of course had the most to lose if she figured out their little secret pass time, but that didn't mean the two cowering men beside him were completly scott free. The least those two assholes could have done was help him out a little.
Fighting back the urge to growl at his teammates for abandoning him, he carried his gaze back onto the empath and her demeanor had not of changed in the slightest. His heart raced as he watched her lips part, preparing to speak, when the loud whistle that came from the pot behind her interrupted her thoughts. He jumped slightly at the sudden sound, but was relieved when she turned and tended to her brew.
He used the time she spent looking the other way to gather his bearings. He took deep, slow breaths and forced his fear and anxiety back into the recesses of his mind. His body visually relaxed and he felt his confidence build as he stared at the back of her head. He was no empath, but he could tell from her rigid posture and the slight change in her scent that she was thoroughly annoyed at the interruption. This knowledge made him smirk and only served to boost his confidence even more. He allowed his mental walls to lower just a tad, enough for his pride over the small victory to leak into the empath's radar.
He and his friends continued to keep the cards hidden under their hands as she finished pouring herself a cup of scolding tea. She kept her back towards them as she clutched her forest green mug (a gift from her boyfriend) and held it up close to her face. The steam rolled off the burning liquid and rose to caress her pale cheeks. She slowly inhaled, then exhaled the warm minty scent of her beverage, the aroma calming her emotions and refocusing her mind.
Gar was certain they were in the clear when he watched her turn and begin to walk in the direction of the door, but in a shocking turn of events, the demoness brushed one of her hands across the back of his neck and claimed the vacant seat beside him. Completely caught off guard and still shivering from her touch, he had no time to react when she plucked a card buried under his ungloved hands.
Gar tried to lunge forward and rip the card from her grasp before she had the chance to read it, but she simply turned and held it just out of his reach. Her eyes flickered over the description written on the small black and white card, and her expression went from smug to genuinely curious. With an eyebrow raised, she looked back over to the changeling, who had given up his attempts to rescue the card and was now sitting back in his chair wearing a nervous expression.
"What is this?" She questioned, her voice laced with accusation.
Gar's green cheeks became dusted in a rusty red blush. "A card?" He offered with a fake, toothy grin and a shrug of his shoulders.
Raven rolled her eyes at his attempt at a joke and barked back with a sarcastic quip of her own. "Really? I never would have guessed." She casually handed the card back to its owner and let her scrutinizing gaze travel to the other two men at the table. They were being far too quiet, so the wicked sorcesses decided she should have some fun with them as well.
"What about you two?" She gestured over to them, but neither male would meet her stare. "Care to explain?"
Dick was the first to respond, though he still looked away as he spoke. "It's just a stupid game, Raven."
"Yeah lil' sis, you wouldn't like it." Victor added, trying to act nonchalant about the whole thing.
Raven narrowed his eyes at his statement though. "Why would I not like it?" Her voice carried a hint of a challenge.
The half-robotic man finally met her burning gaze, but quickly shriveled under the pressure. He looked over to his so called "fearless leader," and luckily the young man came to his aid.
"It's a crude game, Raven. Centered around inappropriate or gross jokes that was all know you dislike." He explained as he uncovered his deck of cards and laid them up on the table so that she could see them. She took a moment to read what each card said, and the boys watched her anxiously as her face lost all expression.
"See Rae, it's just a bunch of stupid guy jokes." Gar gave an empty laugh and rubbed the back of his neck. "It's not your thing."
Raven fell back into her chair and snapped her head over to her ridiculous boyfriend, who never did learn when to stop talking. "Not. My. Thing." She repeated, her voice going low and her face scrunching into a scowl. "Teach me how to play."
Her demand sent a shockwave through the group as each man looked back at her as if she had grown a second head. "Y-you wanna learn how to play?" Gar squeaked as he tried to recover from his surprise.
"Yes." Raven nodded her head, her features morphing from annoyance to determination.
"But Raven," it was Dick who spoke this time, "I thought you didn't like this kind of humor."
Her violet eyes shot over to the boy wonder. "I don't, but I hate being told what I do or don't like even more." She let out a low growl at the end and her plum eyes flashed crimson for less than a heartbeat.
Her leader shivered and fidgeted in his seat. "Gar, explain the rules. Vic, deal her in."
The demoness leaned back in her chair with a hint of smugness glowing from her face.
One hour later
"Sorry man, but I gotta go with Rave's again." The largest man of the group laughed so hard that tears were sliding down from his one good eye. He had one arm wrapped around his stomach as he kept himself from falling out of his chair.
"You've got to be kidding me!" Gar threw up his hands in defeat and fell back into his chair with a slump.
"Yeah, I'm with Vic, that was a perfect combination Raven." Dick agreed as he too was hunched over in a fit of laughter. "I mean come on Gar, 'My life is ruled by a vicious cycle of demonic possession and daddy issue?' How could she not win?"
Victor's laughing died down and he added, "Yeah man, she even get bonus points for irony."
"But that's the thing! You only picked it, because of who she is! If I had played that it wouldn't have been nearly as funny." Gar waves his hands in the air to enthesis his point.
"Exactly!" The other males shouted back simultaneously.
The befuddled shapeshifter hit the back of his chair once again and crossed his arms over his chest. His pointy ears were laid back and his face held a comical pout. The woman sitting beside him had been looking all to pleased with herself at his expense. She gently rubbed her petite hand against the his rough skin of his arm and slowly dragged it up to his bicep. She leaned closer to him so that her breath warmed his neck and it took all his strength not to drop his sulky expression. Her breath was laced with the smell of mint leaves, but beneath it was her natural alluring scent of lilacs and the smoke of a campfire. Her unique concoction of smells made his legs weak and his stomach burn with need.
"Come now, Garfield, certainly you aren't upset because you lost to your girlfriend." She whispered in a sultry voice that ignited his skin in goosebumps. But her voice also held a challenge beneath the lust and when his sensitive ears picked up on the hidden meaning in her words, he took a defensive position.
"I'm not mad that you beat me," He clarified, but she interrupted before he could continue.
"Well then there's no other reason for you to mad." She stated simply as she sat back and wrapped her hands around his arm. She tugged on the appendage while standing up. He fought back for a moment, but it was enough to make her stop and look down at him.
"I thought you said you weren't mad." Her voices raised slightly in almost a childish whine.
"I'm not!" He growled, which told her otherwise.
Sighing with impatience for the toddler her boyfriend had become, she stepped forward and leaned down over him, this time with her face hovering above his shoulder and her lips grazing the fold of his ears. "You taught me a new game tonight, now let me teach you one."
Her whisper was so low, there was no way a human could hear it. Luckily, he was no mere human. His emerald eyes hardened to a darker hue as he pupils narrowed ever so slightly. His chest rombelled with a deep growl and his nails turned thin and sharp. His fangs glistened against the off green of his lips and she saw his tongue glide over them in a quick blur.
"Only if you let me win this time." The guttural sound that came out of his mouth made something deep inside her stir with an odd mix of delight and anger.
"Do you really want me to just let you win?" She snarled back, but it was more playful than threatening.
The two lovers were too entranced in their own doings, that they had forgotten their audience. Victor leaned over to Dick and asked him in a hushed voice, "What do ya think she said to him?"
"I think it's better if we don't know." The boy wonder whispered back. They were lucky to be ignored or they might have faced the couple's wrath.
Said couple were now locked in a fierce staring contest, neither willing to submit to the other by braking the eye contact. Within a blink of an eye, the demoness spun around and made a dash for the door. The changeling was right on her heels as the door slide open and slide shut behind them.