Author's Notes: I suppose I should explain a few things. First, what's up with Golem, well-known as a lazy dolt and further stressed by a chronic jet lag and lack of sleep brought by constantly switching work shifts to post two stories in one week? And what in the blinding blue blazes is a two-part story doing in a collection of unrelated and supposedly short fics anyway? Most importantly, why did the previous story suck so much and why did it end up so abruptly?
Well, luckily all these questions have one simple answer. This second part was already written but I hated it so much that I deleted it completely, but the urge to post something was too strong to resist and I ended up publishing the first part. When I read what I posted I was… well, "unhappy" would be an understatement, but by that time it was too late to do anything about it.
The only way to fix that blunder was to rewrite the second half, post it as a two-parter and hope it will improve the sudden and unsatisfying ending of the first part.
I'd love to see if my attempt was successful, so don't be shy with those reviews!
-=oOo=-
The Date, Part Two
Having a half-demon sorceress for a girlfriend sure had its perks, Gar thought wryly as he munched his tofu-lettuce-tomato sandwich and watched Raven nibble daintily on her own chicken, roast pepper & sour cream creation. The cooler with the drinks, the basket with the food, the blankets, a small battery lamp, even a first aid kit – in short, everything that could possibly be needed during their outing had been placed previously in a convenient pocket dimension, to be retrieved as necessary.
"I admit I had my doubts about keeping our relationship a secret from the team," he chuckled softly. "But after today I can see the wisdom of it."
"It's bad enough when they think we're dating civilians. It would be ten times worse if they knew we're dating each other. Scoot over and give me that blanket, it's getting chilly." She finished her sandwich and snuggled up against him.
"Mmmm. I'll keep you warm, don't worry," he enveloped her in his arms after wrapping the blanket around them. "How about a kiss?"
Her nose scrunched up. "Yuck. You'll taste like tofu."
"And you'll taste like chicken, so yuck right back at you," he nuzzled her gently.
"No tongues, then?"
"No tongues."
They exchanged chaste pecks for a short while. Raven shifted and sighed. "Well, they do say relationships are all about adaptation. Come here," she pulled him in for a steamy kiss. The taste of tofu and chicken didn't bother them at all.
"So…" Gar whispered after the kiss ended and he got his breath back. "I wanted to ask you something."
"Mmhmmm?" she purred, basking in the warmth of his body and his emotions.
"Um…" he began, stopped and cleared his throat. "Let's say that, uh, hyperthet– I mean, hycothep– Argh! Hythophec–"
"Hypothetically?"
"That's the word! Let's say that there's this girl, right? And she's, um, you know, half-demon, you see, even if she's wonderful and beautiful and–"
A small smirk graced Raven's features. "I get the idea, Gar. Go ahead."
Garfield grinned contritely and scratched the back of his head. "So, as I said, she's all sorts of awesome, and hot, and great, in spite of being half-demon, but she does have a very short and very explosive temper…"
Raven lifted an eyebrow. Gar swallowed and went on.
"Aaaand she's had this totally cute and amazingly good looking and insanely hot and sexy boyfriend for a couple of months…"
Raven turned on her stomach, raised her head and propped her chin on the heel of her hand, fixing Garfield in an intense gaze. "What a lucky girl she is," she murmured.
"Really?" His face brightened for a moment before he ran a finger under the collar of his shirt, as if the tie wasn't allowing him to breathe properly.
"Uh, yeah, I guess she, um, is. Anyway, the thing is, and what I wanted to ask was like, uh, what d'ya think she would do if he, um, one day he, uh, tried to… you know, he… because she's so beautiful, and so hot… and I know it's stupid to ask, but… I just…" he floundered, his voice descending into a whisper. His girlfriend hid a small smile and took pity on him.
"You mean what would she do if he tried to... as Starfire would say... 'fondle her mammaries'...?" Gar didn't answer but the glowing blush on his face was more than enough of a response. Raven felt a sudden and irresistible urge to tease him.
She tapped a finger on her chin, as if she was thinking about it. "It's not easy to say, Gar. Half-demons are fickle creatures," she sighed quietly while pressing herself closer to him and lowering her head on his shoulder, getting comfortable. "I suppose it would depend. She may get angry, and he may lose a hand – if he's lucky, of course. If he's not, he may just end up in the deepest Pit of Hell where a legion of demons would teach him their meaning of the word 'fondling'."
Garfield's gulp was quite audible. Raven fought her laughter down with difficulty before a quick twang of guilt pricked her heart; she hoped her teasing hadn't been too cruel. Hopefully the remainder of her answer would make it up to him.
She burrowed deeper into his embrace. "However..." she nuzzled and kissed his neck, making him gasp in surprise, "she may also see it as his way of telling her that she's attractive and… desirable." Her hand played with his tie a few moments before wandering over his chest, the nails scratching gently. An involuntary sigh escaped from Garfield's lips.
"That being the case... I'm sure she would feel very... grateful," she continued as her finger traced his ear and grazed a sharp nail down his cheek and throat. Garfield shivered. Raven's finger hooked under the tie and pulled to loosen it. "I'm convinced she'd be eager to… reward him, for being so… wonderful."
"Reward him?" the question came as a quiet growl deep out of Garfield's chest.
Now that the tie was loosened up a little, Raven's fingers wasted no time twisting open the button on his shirt collar and sneaking down to the next one, and the one below it. "Mmhmm," she hummed. "Reward him richly. In fact…"
Furtively, like a thief, her hand snuck under his shirt. The tips of her fingers traveled this way and that over warm, soft skin making the wiry but powerful muscles underneath twitch at her touch. "... it wouldn't surprise me if she did it… several times," she concluded before sliding a leg over his hips.
Garfield's breathing and heart rate were by now well into overdrive. Raven fell silent for a few moments while her lips, tongue and teeth were busy exploring under his jaw. Calling on all her reserves of willpower she managed to pry herself away and pull back. The sweet heat of her heavy panting scalded his face.
She abandoned all pretense at propriety and moved to straddle him. "The question is..." her eyes glowed as they devoured him, "... if he would consider the reward worth the risk."
His hands moved over her hips. His growl deepened. "This reward… it would be mind-blowing?"
She nodded and lowered her head. Her small, sharp teeth found his lower lip. "It would… rock his world."
"Rrrrrr," he rumbled, the vibrations setting off jolts of electricity through her body. "He'd be an idiot not to risk it."
"Indeed," she breathed, her chest heaving. Talons pricked her skin through the fabric of her dress and she bit back a moan. "Makes me wonder…" her hips rocked against him. "What the hell is he waiting for?"
As soon as those words were spoken she found herself rolled on her back while the weight of Garfield's body pressed down on her. Her short gasp of surprise turned quickly into a needy whimper before his lips sealed hers in a deep, passionate kiss. Her eyes rolled up and fluttered closed as searing tingles burned her skin and rushed in a feverish torrent down her spine to pool like a fiery maelstrom in her lower belly.
Her hands curled through his hair and she pulled him closer, getting drunk on his taste and the heat of his body, her mind drowning helplessly but happily in the swirling ocean of blazing desire. One final thought went through her mind before the seething waves engulfed it completely. Gar might be many things, but when you got down to the stuff that mattered, he was no idiot.