Disclaimer, reiterated: I do not own DC Comics nor Warner Brothers, the Teen Titans, or the characters this AU (alternate universe) fic is based on.
I do, however, own the plot. The material presented is my own, and anything resembling it is purely coincidental and any of the content cannot be duplicated in any manner without my permission.
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You've Got Mail
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Chapter 37
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"You better do a better job toweling me off Richard, I'm so wet!" Kori said after Dick gave little effort in drying her with a towel, but insisting that he do it for her. He'd only managed to dry off her breasts and bottom before he was 'finished'.
"I'll take that as a compliment," he said with a cheeky grin.
"I cannot believe you said that!" She feigned a 'hmph' and then giggled, "No matter how true it is."
"And I can't believe you said that. But I'm not sure I believe you, I better check-"
With a squeal, Kori snatched the towel from Dick and took off out toward the small outer room of the hotel suite. Dick grabbed a second towel and chased her. Kori surprised Dick at her maneuverability and her complete lack of self consciousness while naked. He slowed to watch her and took up the chase again when she made the mistake of going into the bedroom. He followed her. Closing and locking the door behind him, Dick had essentially cornered Kori, whose exits were the bathroom: a dead end unless she wanted to be locked in; the balcony: which was private, but being naked out there? Risky; or trying to get past Richard and go for the locked bedroom door, where she would surely get tackled.
Once cornered, Kori chose to fight back.
Soon it was a battle of towel flicking, something Dick was more practiced in, but Kori was certainly game and wouldn't let any sting of the towel impede her progress. So she was soon the one to have Dick in a corner. She had no idea she liked to be this dominant.
Richard was impressed, but was not one to lose without a fight. He did have a slight height advantage and he hoped a strength advantage (it is after all genetic that men are stronger than women). Going for broke and grabbing Kori's wrists he backed her toward the bed. It took surprising amount of effort, and he briefly considered if he could have pulled her as easily. Kori was stronger than she looked, that was for sure.
With might and gravity to boot, Kori found herself pinned to the bed, wrists above her head.
"Submit."
"Never," she laughed.
"But I have you pinned."
"I am weighing my options."
"Sounds ominous."
"It is meant to."
Dick wasn't sure if there was a change in her, if he saw something in her eyes. One hand took her wrists, the other cupped her cheek, "Kori, are you okay with thi-"
It was all Kori needed as a distraction. She scissored her legs within Richard's and flipped him over, quickly drawing up her knees and straddling his chest. It was now her turn to pin his wrists. Her weight distributed over his chest made moving impossible.
"I am the fine with this, why do you ask?"
"That wasn't nice."
"All is far in love and war."
"And Kori, is this love or war?"
"It is ninety percent love."
"Oh, I see, so you have some fight left?"
"Until you do the surrendering."
"Never."
"Very well. I will have to abduct you and keep you as a prisoner of war then."
"Sounds kinky."
"I shall not do the promising."
"Please?"
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The wake up call at 8:45 AM seemed far to early for either of them. They hadn't gotten much sleep, making love playfully right after Richard 'surrendered' and then again when Richard woke Kori about 4 AM. That time he found himself unable to stop saying to Kori how much he loved her, telling her over and over again, barely allowing for her to echo the sentiment.
After that interlude, he couldn't fall back asleep, the week's responsibility's weighing heavily on him. He also wanted to come up with a plan the placed Kori more concretely in his life, so that when the shit hit the fan with Bruce – and it surely would – that Kori knew that he wanted his new life to be with her.
Also, Dick knew life with Kori was more of a lifeline than he ever allowed himself to have, but their relationship was going to help him get through it all. It scared him to death how much he needed her to make this move, but he trusted their love. Was he going to be upfront to ask her if she felt the same or just assume that she did?
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"I cannot believe it is the time for us to be leaving, Richard." Kori lifted her head about six inches off the pillow and then flopped down with a groan. "I never want to do the leaving."
"Because we've gotten to sleep in?" Richard teased.
Kori opened one eye and looked at him, annoyed. "That is it. Exactly. I have given you my heart and my soul and my body and the first thing that you think about is the sleeping in of our first and apparently only trip away."
"What? No, that's not-"
Kori interrupted him with giggles. "I do know you are doing the kidding. I loved every minute and every of the activities in the bed."
"Oh you did, did you?"
"But before you do the calling of me insatiable again, more importantly, I just loved the being with you for so long. I felt like I could spend the rest, uh, I mean, well, uh-"
"Kori, I am so glad you feel that way." Richard moved in closer and cupped Kori's chin and then Kori rolled up on her side and began caressing his body along from his ribs to his hip. "I have to talk to Bruce this week about going to grad school and taking a leave of absence from Wayne Enterprises. It isn't going to go well. It will have to wait until after Saturday night when he has invited you and I to dinner, something that we have to attend-"
"I would love to go."
"I doubt it-"
"Richard, he is your father!"
"Thank you for going with me." He kissed her lips. "After I tell him, I might be moody, withdrawn, not myself. Know it's me, not you, not us, okay? Please. You are the world to me, I really like the way we're headed but this thing, leaving my job, might mean Bruce is going to make things miserable for me for a while."
"Why?"
"Because... because he can be like that. He wants the control."
"I do not understand."
"Look what he's done."
"No, I understand that he is that way, I just do not do the understanding why."
"I wish I knew. Bruce hasn't met you sweetheart but he's made conclusions that because you are brilliant and going to get a PhD that you won't be a proper wife for me."
Kori gasped and Richard had to chuckle.
"Dare I ask what you think?" Kori couldn't believe she queried, but then again, it was the perfect opportunity, and she did want to know if he was as interested as she was in the future.
"What do you think? You are the type of person I think is perfect – smart, educated, driven, not to mention athletic, stunningly beautiful, sexy, built. Kori you're fun to be with, we've proven we can spend time together this weekend, and you are the most amazing lover."
He had stopped short, she acknowledged inwardly. She was the prototype, she had all the qualifications needed, but was she the individual for the job? Kori's insecurities kicked in.
To Richard, he had come as close to proposing as he possibly could at that point. Kori was perfect, he'd spend his life with her, but this was a big hurdle with Bruce – he'd likely get killed, hopefully not literally. There was so many milestones and events: Kori's Masters commencement, Terry and Donna's wedding, the start of Dick's MBA. Dick didn't even know if he'd live in the Manor or on campus or maybe even with Kori, if she'd be willing. Too many variables.
Kori Anders was his future, Dick knew that, but putting it into words brought expectations and timetables and pressure and stress. Neither of them needed that at this point.
Kori brushed off her hurt feelings, telling herself that men are best judged by actions and not words, and his actions were telling.
Soon, Richard pulled Kori on top of him, and she let her desire for him take over.
As she pointed out to Richard before things got heated, "We owe it to ourselves to make love one more time. All we have to look forward to for a while is the hot dorm sex."
"Hot dorm sex with you Kori? Work's for me."
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"Richard, I am more than capable of taking my bags up to my apartment."
"I know that Kori," Dick replied as he got her suitcase out of the back seat of the Corvette along with a couple of shopping bags containing some wine and a few other things they'd picked up, included the table cloth Dick had purchased as a picnic blanket, "but considering that you met me out on the Green to take you away, meaning I missed out on the opportunity to pick you up properly for our getaway, please don't deny me the chance to see you home safely, a chance to behave as a gentleman. Alfred would never forgive me."
"I believe I will like Alfred a great deal."
"And he'll adore you, just as I do."
"Thank you, Richard."
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"Finally got in," Bruce said as he stopped into Dick's office about 3pm. Dick had gotten in about 1:30, after making every excuse he could think of to stay with Kori. She finally insisted he leave when he started to help her sort her dirty lingerie.
"I've been here since lunch, like I said I would be," Dick replied, not looking up for his computer screen.
"Tomorrow we have a breakfast meeting at 7:30 with R&D."
"Yup, have the memo, already have everything typed up. I'll be in after the gym, I plan to be here at least by 6:15 to hash over things one last time." He looked over to Bruce, "Were there any other things that came in since this was finalized this morning?" Dick suppressed a smirk.
"Nope, should be all you need. Oh, are you and Lori on for the weekend."
"It's Kori as you damn well know and of course we are. She'll be there for the entire miserable night."
"She can get away from her studies?"
"She's quite disciplined and diligent. She'll be fine."
"How'd the weekend go? You were careful I hope. We don't need a scandal and you have a company to concentrate on."
"A, I'm twenty-eight, not sixteen Bruce and B, it's none of your business." He almost remarked about 'you have a company to concentrate on, but he had decided that discussion would wait until after he introduced Bruce to Kori and all the festivities on Saturday.
"All right, I'll back off, I'm just making sure you keep your eye on the prize."
I am it's just not the one you think it is... "I've got my priorities straight."
"Good, that's what I like to hear."
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"You missed a heck of a game on Thursday, champ, but I have a feeling you couldn't care less!" Gar said as Dick walked over to his teammates before their regular Tuesday and Thursday softball game.
"Can't say that I did." Dick replied, smiling a bit more than he intended.
"Someone looks very happy, relaxed and satisfied," Roy chimed in with a smirk.
"Do not start, Roy," Vic warned, "although, with the utmost respect for Kori, she is a wonderful girlfriend for you Dick and you seem very happy and well, I'll go with relaxed."
"Nice time, huh?" Wally asked.
"Wonderful."
"You are such a girl." Vic replied. "But you better get out and play like the Dick Grayson we've been seeing of late. The Metropolis Supes are our opponents again tonight, so I hope you still have some energy after all those late, sleepless nights."
Dick gave Vic a death glare and picked up a bat to practice some swings and loosen up his admittedly relaxed shoulders.
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"But we won, Dick," Gar whined.
"Because of you, Stud," Vic said.
"Seriously, guys, I can't go. Repeat after me: Breakfast meeting tomorrow at 7:30 that I need to be in the office for just after 6 AM." Dick replied, exasperated.
"You're seein' Kori to get laid - can't handle 12 hours without now that you've tapped her."
"I swear to God Roy, if I had the time to go to jail tonight, I'd hit you so hard, I'd happily take the assault charges." Not that he'd said anything to Roy about the trip or that he and Kori had been together that morning, but what Roy said certainly hit home.
Dick grit his teeth as he walked back to his car. The truth was he was dying to be with Kori, but he couldn't. Work would have to come first for him and school would have to come first for her, and by living apart, they didn't have a choice sometimes but not see each other. It sucked, but it was the way things were right now.
Unless he decided to change it.
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To be continued...