Sanzojoe: Definitely a low point for our couple. But a person never really knows the strength of their relationship until it's tested. Now, they know. And that makes going forward that much better.
AwesomeRockStar101: Your feedback was everything! Seriously!
Aqua Rules: I love having Gar be the one to take initiative in things. He jokes, so sometimes people miss the guy underneath. I think they show that serious, take charge side of him more in the comics, and I try to bring that out at times. Underneath all the jokes, he's a sensitive guy! And when situations call for it, he isn't afraid to take the lead.
Fireworks and Rituals
Garfield sensed an attack coming. He prepared for it, but he had no idea which side it would be coming from or what exactly it would look like. He just knew he was about to get hit.
He wasn't wrong.
A kick suddenly came crashing into his abdomen with enough force to bruise. It buckled him over, but he kept his feet only because he'd been ready for it.
Hands wrapped around his wrist and attempted to wrench his arm behind his back, but he acted quickly and spun out of the lock. His foot came up into his attacker's stomach, pushing her back, and he gave Raven a wicked grin. He waggled his eyebrows at her, before blowing her a kiss. "You'll have to try harder than that."
Her eyes narrowed and she lunged in.
His arms were about to wrap around her waist in an attempt to restrain her when suddenly she transformed into a purple rat and ducked underneath them. She scurried up his pant leg, up his waist, his chest.
He gave a cry of alarm and swatted at her. Even knowing it was Raven, the sensation of rat feet scurrying up his neck sent a shiver of repulsion through him. Not that he got a chance to do anything about it. She suddenly transformed back into herself, her legs wrapped around his neck.
She then threw herself backward, giving him a hurricanrana. Apparently, she'd been paying more attention to the wrestling programs he occasionally watched than she let on, because the moved belonged straight out of a wrestling ring.
He hit the ground hard, the wind momentarily knocked out of him. As he lay on his back, staring up at the ceiling, the form of a panther suddenly invaded his view. The animal sprang at him, intending to land violently on his chest with viciously extended claws.
He shot a hand up into the air and a black force field suddenly surrounded him.
The panther bounced off, landing awkwardly on the floor. It climbed to its feet and circled him with an agitated huff, watching for an opening.
Garfield dropped the shield and stared at Raven, his lips twisted in a crooked smirk. "Here, kitty kitty. Come and get me."
The predator opened her mouth and gave a roar. Then she charged him.
Garfield levitated a few objects in front of her, halting her progress, but she maneuvered around them. He threw a nearby bench in her path and she leapt up onto it, catapulting across while it flew through the air.
He backtracked, his heart pounding ferociously in his chest. Shit. Is that what he looked like coming at villains? It was more than a little scary to see a full-grown panther charging at him, even if he knew it was girlfriend in animal form. He suddenly had a new sympathy for the villains he used to face.
He released the bench and it crashed to the ground. After it hit, he was barely able to throw his hands up and open a portal.
Raven had too much momentum and was unable to stop. She entered the portal and went sailing out the other side, across the room. She hit the ground at the feet of their fearless leader, but she didn't stay down. Her body had barely collided with the floor before she was up, shifting into the shape of a velociraptor.
Robin instinctively recoiled with a little yelp at the sight of the carnivorous dinosaur, but he quickly covered up his reaction. Clapping his hands, he said, "Okay. That's good. I've seen enough."
Raven transformed back into her human form and stood for a moment breathing heavily, her shoulders rising and falling with her deep breaths.
Garfield lowered his hands and rolled his shoulders, feeling the tension of battle ease out of him. They'd been going at this a good twenty minutes, so a break was much appreciated.
He crossed the room to his teammates' sides, watching Robin's facial expressions for hints at his opinion. Their team leader had asked them to come to the training room to show off their progress in learning each other's abilities. It was obvious he was wondering when he could return them to active duty, and Gar was curious as to how they'd measured up to his expectations.
He wouldn't lie—he missed being out on the streets, helping civilians. He was itching to get back to that, and he knew Raven was as well. All they had to do was convince the man in front of them that they were ready.
"So?" he asked, trying to keep the nervousness in his voice from betraying how much this outcome meant to him. "Did we pass the test?"
Robin didn't keep them waiting in suspense. He immediately nodded his head. "You passed." He shook his head in amazement. "I know you two said you were ready to return to duty, but I wasn't expecting this. It's hard to believe you've only been using each other's powers for a few months. With your quick reaction times, I would think you'd been using them your entire lives."
"So we're good to get back to work then?" Raven asked in her monotone.
Despite her seeming indifference, Garfield knew she was just as eager as he was to return to being a fully active member of the team. Sure, they'd had a few super-hot make out sessions while the rest of the gang was out fighting crime, and he'd never look at the couch the same way ever again, but they were super heroes without crime to fight. It was making them both antsy.
"You're good to go back to work," Robin said with a little nod.
Those were the best words Garfield had heard all week. He waggled his eyebrows at Raven, who grinned back at him.
She quickly recovered, stamping down her excitement, and turned to Robin with a serious expression of her face. "We won't let you down. We take this job very seriously."
"I know you do," Robin said with a little smile. "That's why I can't wait to have the two of you back in the field." He patted Raven on the shoulder and then clapped Garfield on the back. "Now hit the showers. Take the rest of the day to unwind, because tomorrow you're back on my schedule. I'm done taking it easy on you." With a playful wink, he sauntered off.
Garfield turned to Raven, brow raised. "These past few months have been him taking it easy on us? Damn."
Raven laughed lightly and shook her head. "You consider anything that involves getting up before noon and putting on pants difficult, so we can't exactly let you be the judge."
"Fair enough." He shrugged his shoulders guiltily as they headed in the direction of the showers. As they reached the door to the women's shower and Raven put a hand on the door, an idea suddenly took hold of him. He reached out to grab hold of her arm and edged her away from the door.
When she looked up at him in confusion, he shook his head. Then he inclined it toward the men's shower instead. "Why don't you come in here with me?"
Her eyebrows shot up in disbelief and her purple eyes widened. "You aren't serious, are you?"
"Why not?" He sent her what he hoped was a look of innocence. "It's just a shower." It was not just a shower, not where she was concerned. The thought of getting Raven alone and naked under the steaming spray had his dick twitching with excitement. They'd never showered together before and now that the idea was in his head, it was all he could think about.
"Why not?" she asked, her tone full of incredulity. "How about the fact that we could get caught. By our teammates. Who we have to face every day."
He slipped his arms around her waist, tugging her closer. "Do you think they'd be at all surprised to find out we're having sex?" he asked in amusement. He leaned in to nip at her ear.
She made a soft sound of arousal and relaxed into his arms, letting him know he was wearing her down. Even so, she gave a feeble protest. "It doesn't mean we have to flaunt it in their faces…"
"Who's flaunting?" His fingers tugged lightly at the zipper of her uniform and he eased it slowly open. His fingertips grazed the exposed flesh as he went. "If someone happens to come in, I can just teleport us back to my room without any of them being the wiser."
He felt her shiver at the feather light graze of his fingertips along her back. "I know you want to," he whispered in her ear. "Come on, I'll give you a back rub after wiping the floor with you so hard."
She pulled back with a little glare. "Oh, I don't think so. If anyone wiped the floor with someone it was—"
Laughing, he kicked open the door to the men's shower and tugged her in behind him. "You can continue reprimanding me while you get naked."
She threw her hands up in the air but followed him. "Honestly, I don't know why I let you drag me into all of your schemes."
Knowing he'd won her over, he turned to face her with a beaming grin. Walking backward toward the simple shower stall, he pulled down the zipper of his uniform, exposing his chest. He was quick to tug it down his arms, freeing them. "Because I look so good naked."
Raven subconsciously licked her lips, her gaze glued to his uncovered chest. "I can't argue with that logic."
He grinned, knowing his expression was full of satisfaction. It thrilled him to know she found his body so attractive. He'd always thought Raven was completely out of his league. She was hot. Like H-O-T hot. All caps hot. And he'd always thought she would forever find him annoying.
So he'd flirted—how could he not?—but he'd never thought his attraction would ever be reciprocated. Seeing the look of desire in her eyes was a bigger confidence boost than anything he'd ever experienced. Now that he knew she was into him, it instilled him with a sureness he'd never felt before.
It had him winking playfully as he let his uniform fall loosely at his waist, showing off his abs. "You know you like the view."
Her gaze lifted from his exposed body to his eyes. Her lips pursed in amusement and she quirked a brow. Lifting a hand, she unclasped her cloak and let it drift to the floor. "Somehow I don't think I'm the only one." She bent at the waist and began slowly slipping out of her boots.
Raven had always been sexy as hell. On a subconscious level. But now that she was trying to turn him on…
Gar Logan wasn't sure he could survive much more of her little show. As it was, one of Robin's glass bottles of aftershave exploded into shards and rained down on the floor somewhere behind him. The sight of Raven bent over, showing off her curvy ass like that was just too much for him to handle.
She grinned at him over her shoulder. "Problem, Gar?"
He closed his eyes for a moment and forced himself to reign in his slip of power. Damn. The fact that she was toying with him made it ever hotter. He quickly set his expression into one of calm neutrality. "No problem at all."
Once he had himself under control, he shot her his sexiest grin. "That bottle exploded itself." Moving slow and seductively, he tugged his uniform down over his hips, down his legs. And that was when the sexy show ended. The tight fabric got stuck around his ankles.
Frowning, he found himself hopping up and down in an attempt to free himself from boots and uniform. "Shit." He reached out to brace himself against the sink. "Damn it."
Raven laughed and straightened. Walking over to him, she cupped his face in her hands and gave him a chaste kiss. "This is why I chose you. You're not just good-looking. You make me laugh." She leaned in to kiss him again. "I never thought that would be possible. I never thought I'd find someone like you."
The game dropped, Gar pulled her in against him and kissed her gently. "You're not the only one. I'd figured I would be a bachelor for the rest of my life."
She pulled back in surprise, her expression one of curiosity. "Why's that?"
"Because of Steve," he said with a little shrug.
"What does your step-father have to do with you finding someone to spend your life with?"
"And that's why you are the girl for me." He leaned in to kiss her nose, reminding himself again how lucky he was that she'd given him a chance. He shot her a patient look. "What do you know about Steve, Rae?"
She blinked at him. "Well … I know that he's your step-father. He was a member of the Doom Patrol. Mild psychic abilities…"
"And the fact that he's completely loaded never crossed your mind?"
She frowned at him in confusion. "No. Why would it?" Then what he was hinting at caught up to her and her eyes widened. "Oh."
He nodded. "Yeah. Oh. I get a lot of girls who give me attention because of the money. It isn't me they're interested in. It's what I can buy them." He tapped her lightly on the nose with his index finger. "But you've never once asked me to spot you money. Or passed a check my way. Or expected me to pick up lunch because I can."
"The thought never even crossed my mind," she said with disapproval. He could see Raven's disappointment with the rest of her sex in her expression. No, using him for money had truly never crossed her mind and it bothered her that for others it had. She might sometimes feel as if she'd missed out on things by growing up on Azarath, but this was one of those instances where she'd benefited from it. She was kinder than most people, more kind that she gave herself credit for.
He smirked. "And that's why I know I can trust you." His fingers toyed with the zipper on the back of her uniform before he tugged on it, exposing her back even more. His fingertips brushed along her bare flesh. "It's a turn-on knowing you're here for me and not the money."
"Of course I'm here for you." Her serious words were followed by a smirk and a playful roll of her eyes. "Which I never would have guessed a year ago I would find myself saying. You can be a lot to handle."
Her tone was teasing, and he took no offense to the words (especially since she waggled her eyebrows in mock seduction and slipped her arms free of her uniform, sliding it down to her waist). It was no secret that he'd tormented her at times. He'd gone out of his way to irritate her, trying to find out what made her tick.
"How else was I going to get your attention?" he said with a chuckle. "It's not like all the usual stuff works with you." He pushed her uniform and panties over her hips, his hands caressing and exploring as he removed her clothing. "I had to get you really drunk before you even got dirty with me on the dance floor."
Raven covered her eyes with a hand, her cheeks flushing. "That was so embarrassing."
He took her hand and lowered it away from her face. "It was hot. You definitely opened my eyes that night. Made me realize there were things I wanted in my life that I never realized were missing."
She shook her head in amusement. "Who would have thought us getting really drunk together would have resulted in this?"
A smirk curving his lips, he flicked open the hooks on her bra. "I just had to get you to lower your inhibitions that one time. Once you had a taste of me, I knew you'd keep coming back."
Raven laughed. "Is that so?" Her palms pressed to his chest and she slid her hands along the muscle there. "I suppose I can't deny it. There's something irresistible about your positivity." Her hands traveled lower, trailing down his stomach. They continued downward until she brushed them against the front of his briefs. "But are you going to keep telling me how perfect we are for each other or are you going to get naked and get in the shower with me?"
He jumped to attention at this. "Shower please." He didn't need to think on it. Nor did he need asked twice. Placing his hands on her shoulders, he spun her in the direction of the shower and tapped her backside, urging her forward.
Then he shucked his briefs. Naked, he followed her into the shower, where she was already setting the water temperature. While she fiddled with the dials, setting them to steaming hot, he snatched up a bottle of shampoo.
Pouring some of the flower-scented liquid into his palm, he placed the bottle to the side before lathering the shampoo between his hands. He had it ready just as Raven straightened from the spigot. Wrapping an arm around her waist—careful not to wash off the shampoo—he pulled her back against his chest. Then he buried his hands in her hair.
He stroked his fingertips along her scalp, massaging as he went. "I love your hair," he whispered with his lips near her ear as he washed her locks of the day's activities. "The color has always intrigued me."
With a little moan of pleasure, she rested her head back against his shoulder, allowing him to knead his fingers over her scalp. "I feel the same way about your skin," she said absentmindedly. "It's eye catching."
This link seemed to catch her attention. Spinning in his arms, she gazed up at him. "Neither one of us are…normal. I like that. I don't feel like I have to hide who I am with you."
"I would never want you hide who you are."
"That's why I like you so much," she said with a wink, before tipping her hair back under the spray of water the rinse out the shampoo.
This action thrust her bare breasts out toward him, and Garfield watched the water trickle down, traveling the valley between them. His dick twitched with excitement. "Normal is boring," he murmured, thoroughly distracted. It was still hard to believe she was his. After all those years of bickering and arguing… He supposed that old saying of there being a thin line between love and hate fit well here.
Never taking his eyes off of her, he snatched up the shower gel and squirted it into his open hand. He placed the bottle aside and rubbed his hands together eagerly until he had an impressive amount of bubbles in them. An instant later, he was palming her breasts, massaging in the slick soap.
She jumped in surprise, then gave a soft moan. "You just can't keep your hands to yourself, can you?"
He chuckled, his thumbs caressing over her nipples. "Is it my fault you're so sweaty and in need of a scrubbing?"
Her eyes fluttered closed and her chest arched up against his probing fingers. "Yes, actually, it is," she said breathlessly. "You're the one I was fighting, after all."
"Oh yeah," he said with a low, sensual laugh. "How could I forget? I find it very sexy when you transform into dinosaurs."
She burst into laughter, her violet eyes popping open and lighting with amusement. "Why do you think I keep doing it, hmm?" She wrapped her arms around his waist and curled her body in against his. "It's so I can lure you into showers with me."
Gar's hands traveling down her back, along her curve of her backside where he palmed the round globes, pulling her in tighter against him. "I do believe it was me who lured you in here. You resisted."
"Barely," she said with a little snort. "Though I try my hardest, I seem unable to resist you, Garfield Logan."
His lips quirked at this. "Years of wearing you down seems to have been worth the effort. You've stopped resisting."
She bobbed her head in agreement, unable to deny it. "You did work very hard to wear me down, didn't you? It took years of teasing and goading…forced social interactions…invasive uninvited hangouts… I must say, you did put in the effort. You broke down my defenses with monotonous chatter and refusal to recognized boundaries."
"Both things I excel at."
Her lips tugged into a smile and she shook her head. "I'm not sure I'd go bragging about those skills."
One of his soapy hands inched its way between them, slipping downward to caress along her inner thigh. "I don't see you complaining right now about my inability to recognize personal boundaries."
She gave a sharp gasp as his hand slid between her legs, a finger slipping inside of her as he palmed her mound. "N-no complaints at the moment." Her words were breathy and ragged. Her eyes fluttered closed and she rocked her hips to match the rotation of his wrist, rubbing herself against him.
"I didn't think so."
At his cocky tone, one of her velvety eyes peeked open and she glared at him. "You're far too confident for your own good."
"It's hard not to be when I have you mewling in my ear."
"I do not mewl," she said indignantly. Then with a look of determination, she grabbed the shower gel and lathered up her own hands. "And I don't think you'd do much resisting either if I turned my attention your way."
Wanting to prove this point, she wrapped a soapy fist around his already hard erection. Using the slickness of the bubbles, she stroked her hand fluidly up his length. At the top, she gave a precise little twist of her wrist that curved her palm over the head of him.
Garfield's eyes rolled back in his head and he gave a low, guttural groan at the feeling. Eyes closed, he absorbed the sensation of her small hand running up and down his length, teasing him, tormenting him. His hips rocked, his breath quickened. And all the while, he continued stroking her with his hand, his finger gliding in and out of her slick channel. He could hear her own panting breaths and it turned him on even more, knowing how into this she was. They'd gone through a rough patch a month ago and it was nice to know he still turned her on, still had the ability to bring her pleasure. It filled him with pride and contentment to know they were strong enough to survive whatever life threw at them.
They continued stroking and teasing one another until he couldn't take it anymore. With a growl, he hefted her up with his hands under her thighs and she automatically wrapped her legs around his waist. He pressed her into the wall, thrusting himself against her, rubbing their bodies together.
She whimpered, her fingers pressing into the flesh of his back as she clung to him. Her mouth found his and she kissed him forcefully, her teeth nipping at his bottom lip. "I want you."
He wanted her too. More than anything. Not caring that they were dripping wet, he shut off the water and teleported them to his bedroom. His aim was getting much better, because he landed them directly on the bed. They fell to the mattress in a tangle of limbs.
Raven recovered quickly and scrambled on top of him, pinning him down with a wicked smirk. "I've got you right where I want you."
He smiled up at her, relaxing into the sheets. "And I'm right where I want to be."
Raven shifted her legs slightly, sliding more firmly around his hips, her body grazing his in all the right places. "You're supposed to fight more."
"Hell no," he said with a laugh. "I will never fight having you naked, wet, and slippery on top of me. It's pretty much been a fantasy since the day I met you."
"Oh really?" she asked with a quirk of an eyebrow. "Since the day you met me?"
He shrugged guiltily. "I'm a guy, aren't I?" Then he grinned unabashedly. "And your uniform is crazy tight."
"Such a bad boy," she purred, lowering her upper body so her breasts skimmed against his chest and her lips brushed along his with the barest of touches.
He growled, arching his hips up against her at the blatant teasing. "You have no idea." It was taking everything in him to be patient, to not give in to his urge to flip her over and bury himself deep inside of her. If he'd still had his animals, it might have been a battle he couldn't win.
Thankfully for him, she was the one under the influence of an animalistic nature. As if unable to hold back any longer, she lifted ever so slightly to get him into place and then sank down on top of him.
Garfield gave a long, drawn out groan at the overwhelming sensation of her body sheathing his. It was a feeling that always seemed to sap him of thought, of words. It left him a mindless, incoherent fool.
Giving an inarticulate murmur, he thrust his hips up roughly to me the next rock of her hips. She might be in control, he but was determined to express just how much he appreciated her actions.
She whimpered, her nails curving into his chest.
He welcomed the pain. He welcomed every little bit she gave. He couldn't imagine his life without the soft sound of her sighs, the way her hair tickled his arm when she put her head on his shoulder, the way she scrunched her nose when she read the morning paper. Raven had become an addiction for him, and he couldn't get enough. He would never be able to get enough.
She seemed to reciprocate the feeling, because she was moving on top of him with a pace that was not conducive to longevity. She rocked on top of him faster and faster, her exhales coming out in breathless pants as she sought completion.
He reached up and cupped the breasts that bounced tantalizingly in front of him. He squeezed lightly, earning himself another whimper from her. She began riding him harder, faster, her hips grinding down against his until he almost couldn't take it anymore. His hands moved from her breasts to her backside and he gripped it tightly, helping to guide her frantic motions.
He was so thoroughly caught up in the physical sensations that he nearly missed something vital. Nearly.
A glint of fang flashed in the corner of his vision. And the purposeful way Raven lowered her head toward his shoulder had his body instinctually tensing. "Raven, stop."
His words didn't seem to penetrate her erotic fog. She nuzzled her face into his neck, teeth grazing the flesh there.
"Raven, wait!"
His hands were on her shoulders in an attempt to push her back, but then her teeth sank into his neck. Fangs punctured skin, sinking deep. Her jaw tightened, clamping down, and Garfield Logan went slack against her advances.
All fight left him as a groan of ecstasy tore from his throat. His fingers clenched her backside, digging into the flesh as an orgasm like no other ripped through his body. He came hard, with a vulgar cry escaping past his lips.
His eyes crossed; his vision blurred. The whole world disappeared for him other than her. There was nothing but Raven. There would never be anything other than Raven.
She must have released him—though he wasn't sure when—because her head was thrown back as she screamed out her own pleasure. Her body clamped around him, tremoring, milking him for all he was worth.
And then suddenly she collapsed to his chest, spent and exhausted. She let out an fatigued whimper and nuzzled against him, her hair tickling his chest, her lips grazing his pectoral.
It was then that the full weight of their circumstances hit him. "Shit," he whispered, fear filling him. "Shit. Shit. Shit." His hands found her shoulders and he pushed her to a seated position. "Raven…shit. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't know you would… I didn't think… Oh, shit."
Her purple eyed filled with concern and the sated fog seemed to lift from her. The post-coitus glow effectively stripped away. "What? What is it? What's wrong?"
"What you did… Oh shit." He sat up and reached out to grip her arms. "Raven…you bit me. For animals…it's not just biting. It's…" His right hand lifted to his throat and he fingered the tender flesh there. "It's…more. A lot more."
She blinked at him, not understanding, but a look of self-doubt filled her eyes. That look nearly broke him. "Did I do something wrong?" she asked, sounding small and frightened.
He sighed, running a hand over his face. How could he explain the severity of this to her? "Not wrong. No." Dropping his hand, he trained his gaze on her purple eyes. He supposed the best way to address this was blunt fact. "Raven, when you bit me…you marked me as your mate."
"I what?" She reared back, her mouth dropping open in surprise.
"Some animals…they…well, they bite to mark another as their mate, to ward off other potential males. Or in this case females. It's a mating ritual. Like staking a claim, marking territory."
"So I just marked my territory? Like a dog?" she asked, embarrassment leaking into her voice.
He shook his head, unable to stop his small chuckle. Even in the midst of something so serious, she was able to make him laugh. "More than that. What you did…it was a lifetime bond." He waved a hand in the air, feeling his cheeks flush with embarrassment of his own. "Like in those cheesy werewolf novels girls love. The guy bites the girl, marks her as his own for all eternity. It was more like that."
"Do I look like the kind of girl who reads cheesy werewolf novels?"
She didn't. Not at all. Only…he'd gotten really good at recognizing her expressions. And she occasionally looked guilty while reading. It was his keen observation, not to mention his nosiness, that led him to discover that Raven sometimes read romance novels hidden behind benign and boring dust jackets. So he knew for a fact she'd read a werewolf romance or two. But he wasn't dumb enough to confess that out loud. "No…but…" He shrugged helplessly. "I think you get the idea."
These words seemed to somber her. All teasing gone, she spoke quietly. "What you're saying is that I just marked you as my lifelong mate?" On his wary nod, she blew out a breath. "Wow…I had no idea." Her gaze found his. "I…I'm sorry."
"Sorry?" Of all the reactions he'd expected from her, this wasn't it. He'd expected panic. Remorse. Fear. Regret. Embarrassment. He hadn't expected her to be sorry. "Why are you sorry?"
"That was a major thing I just did. And I didn't ask you for permission. I didn't…think."
"You didn't know," he corrected. "How could you have asked? I should have made it clear to you, explained." He grimaced. "But I never stopped to think about the fact that things that have been a part of me for years are new to you. The impulses…"
"Have you ever…had an impulse? To bite me?"
"Are you kidding? Many times. I just wasn't going to do it without talking it over with you beforehand. That's not something you do without consulting with your partner first. And…" He trailed off at her pointed look.
"Like I said, I'm sorry."
"Raven, I…" He paused, took a deep breath for courage, then plowed forward. "I don't care that you bit me. If that's what you were feeling in the moment, if that's what your instincts were, then I am beyond flattered. I would be the luckiest guy in the world to be marked by you. You don't need to apologize to me. Whatever you did, I take willingly. I'm the one that failed you, not the other way around."
"So you would be okay with it then? Me marking you?" she asked tentatively, quietly. "It's just the fact that I didn't understand that bothers you?" On his nod, she whispered, "I don't regret it."
He sucked in a breath, shocked by her words. They were like a punch to the gut. He loved Raven. With all his heart. And he knew she loved him. But Raven's life had been much different than his. She'd not had loving support growing up. She wasn't used to the family life. He loved her, and she loved him in return, but he hadn't let himself think about anything beyond that. He hadn't seen her getting married, having kids, doing the whole domesticated thing. They shared a bed, and he had contented himself with that. But now…
His gaze searched hers, hope and longing in his eyes. "You don't care if others know you've marked me as your mate? Because anyone with powers associated with animals will know. Aqualad is going to tease us relentlessly. I guarantee it. Mallah might try to use one of us against each other. It is going to open a whole new world of commitment. Are you sure you are okay with that?"
She gave a little shrug. "I think I am."
He couldn't believe it. This sexy, amazing woman was fine with the two of them being so irrevocably linked. "This is like a big deal."
Raven reached out to cup his face in her hands. "I told you before—you're it for me. Why would I care if everyone else knows that too?"
He grinned, his chest filling with love for her. "I just never thought you would—"
"What? Want that cheesy werewolf love story ending?" she asked with a wicked curve of her lips. "All I can say is that it's growing on me."
In that moment, he knew he'd never loved anything else more than he did Raven. Not Steve, not Rita. Not even pizza. "I'm never letting you go, you know that, right?" Before she could respond, he dove on her, driving her to her back as he cocooned her with his body.
"Prove it."
"I intend to, darling. I intend to." And with that, his mouth crushed to hers.
OOOOO
Two days later, Garfield stood looking up at the sky as fireworks bloomed in the air. He was on the top of Titans Tower, watching the city's 4th of July fireworks with his friends. He and Raven had crept off for a moment of privacy, and he held her back against him while they watched the night sky fill with colorful blossoms.
Raven nuzzled her head back against his chest and pulled his arm tighter around her. "This moment is just…perfect," she whispered.
He couldn't have agreed more. After everything they'd been through lately, after every test they'd faced, this moment made all of the challenges worth it. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so at peace, so content. And the majority of that was because of the woman in his arms, the one he'd never thought he deserved but always desired.
"Raven…"
She spun in his arms, gazing up at him. "Gar?"
She looked beautiful. Amazingly, unbelievably beautiful. Unable to help himself, he lowered his mouth to hers for a firm but chaste kiss. He took his time, savoring the feel of her lips against his own.
Her cape fluttered in the breeze and he slipped his hands underneath it, pulling her tighter against him. He kissed her again, this time deeper. He asked himself again how a goofy ass jokester like him had gotten so lucky. He wasn't sure what he'd done to deserve this…
"Raven…" His hand slipped into his pocket and tightened around the small box there. The morning after she'd bitten him, he'd gone to the jewelry store. He'd picked out a ring, a subtle one that fit her personality and reminded him of her spirit.
He'd chosen the ring with such confidence, but now his hands trembled with nerves. She wanted him for more than just an ongoing hookup. He knew that. She loved him. She'd marked him as her mate, had claimed him as hers. And she hadn't even batted an eye. She wanted this too…right?
He swallowed thickly and began withdrawing his hand from his pocket, the words he would say to her rushing through his mind at lightspeed. This was his moment. Fireworks burst magically in the sky. She was here, warm in his arms. He had the ring. All he had to do was drop to one knee and…
"Hey, lovebirds! Are you guys coming back or what?" Cyborg's voice cut into the silence, causing Gar to jump. "We're waiting for you two before we start this rooftop dessert. Get your butts back over here!"
Raven laughed lightly, her boyfriend's near action unknown to her. "I guess we got caught." She stood on tiptoes to lightly press her lips to his. "We should get over there before there's no cake left for us."
As she sauntered away, Garfield let his breath out slowly. His fingers uncurled from the ring box and it fell back to its spot deep inside his pocket. He'd been wrong. This wasn't the moment.
He didn't want to rush it. He wanted his proposal to be just right. Besides, he already had the ring. It was only a matter of time before he asked her the question that would change everything. The time was coming. And it was coming soon.
That's it for now! Only two more months to go after this one and we've reached our year! We're in the final stretch!