Kory mumbled against her smooth sheet of ruby red hair as she stirred in her blanket. She gently fluttered her eyelashes until the daylight consumed her view. After her eyes had become accustomed to her surroundings after a long time without light, the first thing to hit her was the strong, fresh scent of coffee. She smiled to herself as she let her senses delve into the fragrance. Kory shifted while still maintaining her laying position and turned her head to locate the source of the wonderful coffee aroma. Dick smirked down at her and pushed a cup closer to her, urging her to take it, "Morning beautiful," He greeted, leaning in to kiss the top of her head. Kory beamed and giggled sleepily before slowly pushing herself up to sit. She ruffled her hair slightly, "Mm... Good morning, Richard..." She yawned, stretching her arms above her head.
"Made you some coffee," Dick stated, holding the mug out to her once again. This time, she accepted it with a bashful nod in thanks.
Suddenly, Kory's eyes widened and she nearly spat her coffee out, "Oh! I need to begin cleaning...the... house?" Kory faltered as she glanced around at her surroundings. The rooms were flawless and her friends sat calmly on the sofas, engrossed in a commercial about bunny slippers.
Kory raised an eyebrow, "But... Everything is the spotless... How did-" She was cut off,
"Dick got us all up so we could clean and decided you deserved some rest," Wally clarified, a hint of pride within his voice,
"We had to be unbelievably quiet though," Karen added,
"Dick was scared that we'd wake you up," Rachel smirked, crossing her arms over her chest. Dick shot her a look but Kory simply giggled at the two.
"Oh!" Kory beamed, clasping her hands together, "Thank you all so very much! You are most helpful,"
They all nodded and smiled, practically telling Kory that it was nothing, "We were happy to help!" Jenny told her,
"Well... Some more than others..." Rachel deadpanned, glancing at Garfield and Wally. Both boys cast a glare before both sitting forward, "We were tired!" They complained in unison, causing everyone else to chuckle.
-
Dick smiled as he absent mindedly played with Kory's hair. He slowed the rhythm of the swing chair with his feet by planting them on the ground. He used the arm that was around her to rub her back softly. He was acutely aware of the fact that she was falling asleep against his chest and as much as he didn't want to, he knew he had to go.
"Kor?" He asked, in a hushed tone. Kory made some sleepy noises and Dick was pretty certain that he heard a faint yawn. She shifted ever so slightly but made no attempt to sit back from him. She tilted her head up and let her tired eyes bore into his fond eyes, "Mm?" She replied, her eyes closing for a brief second.
"I should go baby..." He whispered, smiling lovingly down at her.
"I do not wish for you to go..." She answered, levelling the same tone as him.
"I know. I don't want to either." Dick paused and filled it with a smirk, "Especially as I know sleeping alone can't compare to sleeping with you,"
Kory giggled and sighed. She gently pushed herself away from Dick so that she could get to her feet. Dick followed in suit and took her hand in his as they wandered towards the front of the house. He leaned down and kissed her goodnight before getting into his car. He pulled out of the driveway and waved to her. Once he was gone, Kory shivered. She hugged herself and trudged back inside. She always hated it when he left and what was worse was that nobody else was home.
The end of the week rolled by quickly for Dick and Kory and so they found themselves sitting on the edge of a small pier down the road from Kory's house. Kory snuggled against Dick who smiled at her affections. Kory blinked before glancing up at the moon. It was so big tonight and Kory was beyond transfixed. Although her main focus was on the white orb in the night sky, she had taken into account the millions of glimmering stars. She smiled.
Dick shifted slightly which caused Kory to realise that her back was slightly sore. She leaned away from Dick and stretched her arms above her head and waited to hear the slight 'click' of her joints. Suddenly, she felt a slip of material against her neck and collar bone. Slow to react, Kory placed her hand to her neck and gasped, knowing exactly what had fallen into the water. While she was relieved her locket from Dick was still around her neck, her heart sank as she grasped the concept that it was the locket from her grandfather which had slithered into the water. Kory leaned forward frantically to see where it had dropped, "No!" She cried, bowing over the water. Dick held her instantly, concerned for the reason she was hanging off the edge of the pier in such a hurry, "Hey! Kor, careful! You'll fall in," Dick warned, protectively.
"No, no, no!" She stressed, dropping her head,
"Hey, what's wrong?" Dick quizzed, piecing together that he had missed something,
"The locket from my grandfather... It fell into the water! Oh... The clasp must be old so it would be understandable that it broke,"
"Don't worry,"
Dick suddenly got to his feet and threw his shirt off. Kory flushed slightly at the sight of his bare torso, "Richard... What are you doing?" She questioned, quickly.
"Getting your locket back, duh." He replied, smoothly.
"What!? Are you insane? The water is freezing!" Kory fretted,
"Guess I'll chance getting a cold," He shrugged, diving into the water. Kory leaned back to stay away from the small splash before resuming her position on the edge.
Dick mentally kicked himself as he understood just how cold the water was. He shook his head and focused on what the aim was as his oxygen was beginning to slip from his lungs. He swam lower and lower in an effort to retrieve the precious locket. His eyes weren't responding greatly to the sudden adjustment but he managed to spot the silver locket from the corner of his eye. He made a grab for it and mentally groaned as he understood that it was caught around a small rock. He hurried in his efforts to unwrap the chain from the rock as he was getting close to the breaking point of lack of air.
Abruptly, the chain became free and Dick mentally reminded himself to pat himself on the back once he could breathe again. He speedily pushed himself higher towards the surface.
He forced himself up until he reached the exterior of the water. He gulped as much oxygen into his system as he could, "Richard!" Kory called in relief. She hoisted him back up onto the pier and gave him some space to breathe. He inhaled and exhaled noisily as he attempted to gain back all of the air he had lost. After his breathing had become even once more, Kory reappeared at his side.
"Richard... Are you alright? Are you injured?" Kory questioned, letting her eyes wander over his form to check for herself.
"I'm... Fine... I... Promise," He huffed, trying to push a small chuckle into his sentence. Kory sighed and leaned down to hug his cold body to hers. Dick smiled against her warm locks of hair. Although she couldn't see what he was doing, Dick held his arm up slowly to reveal the locket, "Look what I... Got for... You..." He informed her, smugly.
Kory rocked back on her heels and glanced at his uplifted hand. She gasped and clasped her hands to her chest,
"I know how important it is to you... I had to get it back for you," Dick explained, calmly handing her the locket.
Kory swiftly looked at the locket before shaking her head at Dick. She gently dropped it beside herself while staring at Dick. Dick raised an eyebrow, "Aren't you gonna-" Kory cut him off as she threw herself forward and melded her lips with his. It was a somewhat passionate kiss with plenty of feeling behind it. Dick placed his hands on her back as a type of support. She really did catch him off guard but he wasn't about to protest against her affectionate attack. She buried her slender fingers within his unruly mess of black now soggy hair. Dick used every part of willpower to drag himself away from her, "I like that better actually..." He smirked,
"I had a feeling that you might..." Kory giggled, resting her forehead against his. The smallest amount of breeze suddenly wrapped itself around them. Kory didn't feel very affected whereas Dick shivered immensely and his teeth chattered unwillingly. Kory's expression returned to the state of concern and she helped him get to his feet,
"Come... You must dry off or you will catch an illness," Kory instructed, bending down to retrieve his shirt for him,
"It's okay, Kor," Dick said, nonchalantly, "I can walk home by myself. It's not a big deal,"
"My house is closer. I would prefer you to come with me, Richard... Please?" She pleaded.
Dick noticed the look of worry across her features and didn't see it fit to argue with her but,
"It's kind of late, Kor. Your parents will be so pissed if I turn up like this at this time..."
"They would not know. They are in the south for the rest of this weekend. It is only Kom, Ryan and I at home,"
Dick smirked, "Well that changes things,"
Kory giggled, "Come... Remaining in the cold will not help the situation,"
"You know... I know you hate the fact that your parents are always away but you gotta admit... It has its benefits..."
Kory giggled and they began the short journey towards Kory's house, hands intertwined with one another's.
Kom looked up from the fruit she was slicing as the heard the door close. Her facial expression changed somewhat as she heard the sound of clothing hitting the wooden floor in the hallway. She cringed at a thought that passed through her head. She put the knife down and walked out of the kitchen, "Kory, no sex in the hallway." She joked,
Kory scowled at her sister, "Do not be stupid. Could you please get two towels?" She asked politely,
"Sure," She paused, "Jheez Dick, you look like a drowned rat."
Dick pulled a face at her, "You give the nicest compliments, Kom."
Kom grinned and shrugged before wandering off towards the cupboard to fetch the towels.
Dick shivered as Kory picked up his drenched clothing and placed them in a white basket.
She scanned him over, "Richard, you will have to remove your pants also. They will not help to achieve the goal of becoming warmer." Kory stated, in a 'matter of fact' tone.
Dick wriggled his eyebrows and smirked at her, "Maybe you are trying to get me to have sex with you in the hallway..." He murmured,
Kory rolled her eyes and smacked his chest, "You are such an idiot sometimes, Grayson." She laughed. Before she could walk into the kitchen, Dick took hold of her waist and pulled her to him. She smirked up at him and gave him what he was seeking. Dick had grown accustomed to the heat that Kory's lips seemed to emit while they were kissing and he had to admit that it was probably the best heat he could experience.
They jumped away from each other when they heard the returning footsteps of Kom. She chucked the towels to Kory and crossed her arms over her chest, "Dick, you might as well take a shower," She suggested,
Kory glanced from Kom to Dick, "Kom has a point. It will warm you up much quicker," Kory added, handing Dick the towels.
"Okay... Be back in a while," Dick agreed, kissing the top of Kory's head as he passed her and entered the bathroom. Kory watched him go but turned to Kom as soon as the bathroom door closed,
"Mind explaining? Last time I checked, it wasn't raining." Kom observed,
"My locket from Grandpa Galfore broke and it fell into the water at the pier." Kory paused with a fond smiling gracing her lips, "Richard jumped in to retrieve it for me..."
"Awh!" Kom cooed, making Kory roll her eyes, "Has he got his car?"
Kory shook her head, "I do not want him to walk home alone... Not at this time... It is almost midnight." She feared. Kom had a blank face while she ran thoughts and ideas through her mind.
"Why doesn't he just stay the night?" Kom blurted out,
"Wh-What? I-" Kory began but Kom cut her off with a simple smirk,
"Oh please, Kor. I'm pretty much certain you had him over on your birthday so don't act innocent,"
Kory blushed a tinge of scarlet.
Kom laughed at Kory's reaction to her words, "So! He can stay here and sleep on the sofa bed with you," Kom summed up,
"Why not in my bed?" Kory defended,
"No offense but I don't really want two cuddly teens cuddling in the bed across from me,"
Kory giggled and nodded, "Thank you Kom," Kory appreciated,
"No problem," Kom winked at her sister. Suddenly, Ryan came bounding down the stairs but stopped short when he saw both of his sisters standing at the bottom,
"Wait..." Ryan paused, "If you're both here, who's in the bathroom?"
"Richard," Kory answered,
"Oh awesome! Is he staying over!? I need his help with a level of a game that I'm stuck on!" He told them, making both girls roll their eyes.
About 10 minutes passed and Kory had resulted in sitting upon the bottom step while she waited for Dick to come out of the bathroom. Kom had returned upstairs with her bowl of freshly sliced apple while Ryan had returned to his room to attempt the level once again.
Finally Dick wandered out of the bathroom. Kory stood up and turned to face him but all of a sudden, all words and thoughts evaporated from her mind. Unwillingly, her eyes focussed themselves on his toned chest and abdomen. She couldn't help herself. He had a white towel wrapped around his waist so his torso was on complete show to her. It made her feel strange,
"Heya, d'you know if my stuff is dry yet, babe?" He asked, running a hand through his damp ebony locks.
"Uh... I... I am not... Uh..." Kory babbled, becoming more and more flustered by the second. Dick smirked and noticed why she wasn't making much sense. He took a step towards her and took her hand and placed it against his chest. She could immediately feel his heart's steady beat. She glanced up at him. His expression held pure adoration for her but of course, his innocent smile turned devious within a split second,
"Mm... I wonder what your reaction would be if my towel fell," He whispered, wrapping his arms around her waist so that both of her hands rested against his chest. Kory broke free from her little trance and she rolled her eyes before slapping his chest lightly,
"To answer your earlier question; no your clothing has not yet dried," Kory explained, "So, I have messaged Wally and asked him to bring some articles of clothing for you to borrow."
"My little genius; always thinking ahead," Dick chuckled, dropping a small kiss against her nose.
"He should be here momen-" Kory cut herself short when she heard the doorbell sound. Dick groaned as Kory pried herself from his hold to go and answer the door.
Wally was leaning against the doorframe as Kory opened the door, "Goooood Evening, beautiful," Wally sang. Dick chuckled at his friend and walked over behind Kory. Wally eyed Dick carefully and smirked, "Well, well, well... What did you two get up to today? Hmm?" He probed,
Dick laughed while Kory rolled her eyes, "Do you have the clothes, Wally?" Kory asked, trying her best to avoid that subject. Wally grinned and sobered,
"Yeah," Wally replied, holding up a bag to Kory, "Feel lucky man, you got a pair of my new boxers. Were boxed up and everything... But do me a favour and keep em'. I don't exactly want em' back,"
Dick chuckled and shook his head, "Uh... Thanks man," He said, thankful for the clothes.
Wally nodded and turned on his heel to leave. He put a hand up to them, "Night lovebirds," He teased, jogging down the front steps. Kory shook her head at the red head and closed the door. She leaned against it and held the bag out to Dick. He opened the bag to scan the contents but raised an eyebrow to Kory, "Why'd he pack stuff that I'd sleep in?" He wondered,
"Oh... Well..." Kory began blushing as she spoke, "Kom and I thought it would be best for you to do the staying over... We thought it would be too dangerous for you to walk home alone... You do not have to stay but... I thought it-"
Dick silenced her with a simple kiss, "Why would I disagree with that offer?" He smirked,
"I am very happy that you wish to stay," Kory responded, smiling up at him lovingly.
"I... Get to sleep with you... Right?"
"You always seem to make that question sound like there is another meaning behind it," Kory pointed out, making Dick chuckled, "Yes... You will be sleeping down here with me to avoid being moaned at by my sister for being, 'cuddly'"
"Suits me fine; as long as I get to sleep with you," He replied, pulling her against his body. Kory loved it when he held her in such a way but she placed a hand on his chest to place a small distance between them. Dick raised an eyebrow at her in a questioning manner,
"We can cuddle once you are dressed. I do not think it would be very suitable to do so right now, would it Mr Grayson?" Kory commented but Dick could have sworn there was a hint of a seductive tone to her words however; her facial expression possessed innocence.
"I suppose it would, Miss Anders..." He sighed, slightly disappointed but he reconsidered and knew he could hold her afterwards. He scampered off towards the bathroom to get changed into the white wife beater and pair of grey sweat pants Wally had given him.
On her way into the main room, Kory grabbed some sheets, a big fluffy blanket and a couple of pillows and set about making up the sofa bed. She had just about finished placing a pale yellow sheet over the sofa bed before she was suddenly pushed onto the sofa bed from behind. She made an 'eep' noise as she landed on her back. Before she could even open her eyes, Dick had clambered on top of her, playfully. He placed small kisses all over her face while she giggled like crazy. Dick grinned and continued his bombardment of kisses. He stopped after a minute so that they could both take a breather,
"Did you truly have to do that?" Kory chirped,
"Mhm," He mumbled, leaning down slowly to crush her lips with his but just as he was about to get contact, they heard Ryan's loud footsteps hurrying down the stairs.
Kory immediately panicked and pushed Dick off of her with such strength that he rolled off the end of the sofa bed. Kory heard a faint, 'whoa!' as he fell. She closed her eyes as she heard the thud followed by a quiet, '...Ow...'
She fought back the urge to giggle and allowed the concern to flow. She crawled over to the end of the bed and gazed down at her fallen boyfriend, "Are you injured?" She wondered, stroking his hair.
"Ugh... Couldn't you have just warned me with words?" He groaned, sitting up.
"I truly am sorry, Richard," Kory murmured, affectionately.
"Nothing a make out session can't fix later," Dick returned with a flash of a grin.
Suddenly, both teens turned towards the door as Ryan strolled in and leaned against the doorframe,
"Hey Dick, I was wondering if..." He faltered and raised an eyebrow, "why are you on the floor?"
"Your sister-" He began but was abruptly cut off by Kory,
"I dropped something and... I uh... asked Richard to retrieve it for me." Kory lied, nervously smiling at her brother. He rolled his eyes and Dick simply sniggered,
"Riiight... Dick can you come help me with a level of Solace 5? I can't get past level-"
"68?"
"Yeah!"
"Sure thing. Kory... Do you mind if I...?" He trailed off, leaving the question open to her.
"Of course not," She beamed, "I must finish preparing the bed any way."
She shook her head at them both as they raced one another up the stairs. She sighed and continued her conquest to set the sofa bed up nicely.
After Kory had finished the sleeping preparations, she chewed on her lip as she awaited the return of Dick. She had a feeling he'd be gone for a while if she didn't go and knock for him. She sighed and made her way upstairs and stood before Ryan's door which had a small creak so that it wasn't closed completely. She lifted her wrist to knock but halted as she heard Ryan say something, "Hey... Dick?" He hesitated,
"Yeah?"
"You aren't gonna like... hurt my sister... Are you?"
Dick become unfocused on the game and turned his attention towards Ryan, "That's the last thing I'd ever wanna do, man. Why would you think that?"
"I don't know... I just don't want the same thing to happen to her twice."
"What do you mean?"
Kory was in two minds about letting Ryan continue and throwing something heavy at him and telling him to shut up. She silently sighed and closed her eyes and did nothing to prevent Ryan reminiscing about a bad time within her life.
"I don't know if Kory would be angry at me for telling you but... She dated this guy about a year ago? His name was Xavier and he was bad news. We all thought he was great at first but..."
"But what, Ryan?"
"Bruises started appearing all over Kory's arms and legs. We always asked her how she did it but she'd cover it up and say she didn't know or that she fell or something else."
Dick remained silent and Kory wasn't sure if that was a good or bad sign.
"One day, Kom came home and Kory was changing and she saw every single mark. He was abusing her constantly... To make it even worse, he was cheating on Kory too."
Kory could have sworn she heard Dick grit his teeth and clench his jaw.
"Why didn't Kory just break up with him?" Dick asked, tone below the level it usually was.
"She was younger... It was kinda like her first experience of 'love' and she didn't want to let go... She wanted to make things better with him."
"Where is he now?"
"Spain, I think. I'm pretty sure he had a 6 month jail sentence for starting a pretty bad fight with a stranger. He's never come near her or us since."
Dick nodded. Ryan looked at his lap and sighed, "As much of a pain as she can be sometimes... She's my sister and... I really don't want to see her go through the same thing twice."
Dick placed a comforting hand on Ryan's shoulder. Kory smiled sadly outside the door for her brother's confessions of how the ordeal made him feel. Quietly, she slipped away and headed back downstairs.
"Ry? I can absolutely promise you that I will never hurt your sister. Especially not in a physical way." He vowed,
"You love my sister, don't you?"
"I do."
Ryan smirked, "Gross but good."
Dick chuckled and got to his feet, "Actually, if I don't get back to the princess soon, she'll kill me so later dude." He explained, heading out the door.
Kory was perched on the perfectly made sofa bed and she was staring out of the window at the raindrops pelting the glass when Dick returned to her. She immediately sensed his aura as he stepped through the door. She heard the sound of the door then closing.
She gave into a small smile when she felt soft, warm hands snake their way upon her stomach. Next, she felt his knees against her thighs as he sat on his knees directly behind her. He rested his head on her shoulder and his voice made her feel at ease, "Hey beautiful," He greeted, "Did ya miss me?"
Kory smirked, "Not really..."
"Yeah right," He chuckled, then let go of her slightly to view her clothing, "I like the change of clothes..."
Kory rolled her eyes, "You always like my clothing when it is nightwear, Richard,"
"I can't help it!" He playfully protested, "You make nightwear look so good..."
He nuzzled against her neck and planted small kisses against her shoulder. She couldn't stop the sigh that slipped from her mouth and when it was sounded, Dick stopped his actions and shuffled to look at her face, "Everything okay?" He asked, concerned,
"I am... It is just... I heard you and Ryan talking about..." She trailed off, not particularly wanting to say the name,
"Xavier." Dick finished. Kory could hear the edge in his voice and she say his jaw visibly set,
"... Are you angry because I did not mention to you about Xavier?"
"What? Of course not, Kory. I get that you wouldn't wanna talk about it; it's a pretty sensitive issue, right?"
Kory nodded.
"Exactly. I'd never push you into telling me something about your past that you weren't comfortable talking about." He stated, rubbing his thumb against the hand of hers he was holding. Kory slowly broke out into one of her incandescent smiles that were so often expressed. She made quick movement about leaning forwards and hugging him close. A question from Dick is what coaxed her to pull back and look at him,
"There is one thing I... kinda wanna ask though..." He stammered,
"Which is?" Kory urged,
"Well... Did you... Uh... Y'know... with him?"
"Did I have sexual intercourse with him?"
Dick gulped and nodded. She was so direct with questions like that. He loved and hated it.
"He attempted to force me to indulge in sexual activity with him a lot... however, I did not want my virginity going to him." Kory cringed at the end of her sentence. Dick's face expressed sudden anger when she said 'force' but he simmered down after a minute or so. He softened into a smile, "Good. He wouldn't have deserved it." He admitted,
Kory smiled softly at him but his expression told her another question was coming, "So... Why was Ryan suddenly asking that?" He wondered,
Kory thought for a minute and closed her eyes as she understood the most obvious reason, "Well... I believe it may be because you and I have been dating for 2 months now and things were at their worst with Xavier at 2 months which is why we broke up after 2 months. I believe Ryan was worried because he likes you and would like to believe you are not like Xavier." Kory explained,
Dick nodded slowly in a show of understanding, "You heard my answers and everything, right?" Dick grinned, nervously,
"I did. I was very pleased with them also," Kory giggled,
"Good." Dick paused to peck Kory's lips, "Let's get some sleep, baby."
Kory nodded and fluttered her eyelids tiredly as she settled down beneath the covers and into Dick's arms, "Good night, Richard," She sighed, contently,
"Night Kor..." Dick paused, "Hey Kor...?"
"yes?" She yawned,
"I love you..."
Kory smiled and tightened her grip against him, "I love you also, Richard..." She replied. With that, they both began to fall further into the land of sleep...
