1
"Wow.", Raven said, eyes widening.. "You're the only one that gets me flowers."
"Don't feel special because I got you flowers.", Goth replied. "I work in a flower shop. I get a discount and its convenient."
Raven's eyes returned to their normal size.
"Feel special because you're you.", he continued.
"Hm.", Raven started. They walked away from his flower shop. Even though Raven's hood was down, she still wore her typical cloak based uniform. She held her roses as she would a baby, with folded arms and the occasional small smile as if to let them know she was still thinking about them. Goth bore typical, low budget goth wear: black pants with way too many zippers and pockets with its over sized legs enveloping pseudocombat boots, and a preweathered t-shirt featuring a wholly inaccurate rendering of Raven with the words I save the world. Why did you drop out of college? on the back. The real trick was that the shirt alone was worth way more than it appeared-it was the only piece of merchandising she had ever autographed.
"So how did you end up working in a flower shop anyway?", Raven asked. "It doesn't seem very..."
"Dark?", Goth challenged.
"If you want to put it that way.", Raven responded.
"A flower shop is the perfect place for a goth. People come in after struggling futiley in the effort to get The Man or Big Brother or Corporate America what it and not they want. With their token recompence, they ask me to help them impress someone they love.", Goth informed. "Then I sell them something beautiful, in corpse form, after it's been culled in the prime of its life."
"I'mmmmm...not so sure the flowers are a good idea any more, Goth.", Raven reconsidered.
"oh", Goth responded. "Don't worry. Those roses were all ready to retirement. Their best times were behind them."
2
"That's two o' Big Bob's finest you got there.", the man at the hot dog stand informed. "Five even, young sir."
Goth pulled on a length of chain and his wallet popped out of his pocket and into his hand. Taking out a five, he paid for both him and Raven.
"That wasn't neccessary, but thank you.", Raven told him.
"Oh? And how much does superheroics pay? Here I thought I was going to get rich quick in horticulture retail.", Goth joked.
Raven dribbled just a little when she tried to smile around her hot dog. Goth let a single finger catch a drip of condiment. He slowly raised the finger to her lips. Raven blinked, twice, quickly glanced at him then licked up the mustard. The two shared a small glance and a smile but shyly looked away.
Blindly, their hands found each other. Holding hands, they continued on their way.
3
"And that's Leo.", Raven said. The two were lying in the clearing of a local park. A dark barrier floated between them and the sky. The only holes in it were where the stars that made up the constellation Leo would shine through.
Goth softly placed his hand on her abdomen. Then as if to take her attention away before she could protest he quickly asked, "You're the only person I know that knows astronomy than me. Why?"
"Starfire's better than me.", Raven started. "She knows star charts like we know the capitals of states. I just ended up coming across zodiac after zodiac in magical studies."
"To better control your innate powers.", Goth said.
Raven's eyes perked up. She rested a hand over his and turned to her side. It was quite a dichotomous action for she turned away from him, yet pulled him closer. "You get it.", she said.
"Not really.", Goth replied. "I've never developed any particular skill that one would call magical. But, like any goth recently emancipated from his parents and more worried about making the rent than making friends, I've dabbled in enough Druidic research and feng shui to get sort of an idea. Azarath Metrion Zinthos isn't exactly a catch phrase like the news says, huh?"
"Catch phrases. Like we're trying to look cool while we're risking our necks saving people.", Raven scoffed.
Raven turned back to him. His hand now held her by the small of her back. "My powers are natural." The floating black screen turned in on itself, transforming into a sphere with riged scars over its surface. "Azarath is a word that is not only means this planet where I was born, but the language, the people, the culture, the sprit..sort of the way we consider Japanese people to speak Japanese, act Japanese, etc. Zinthos is a call for control, discipline, guidance and intent. Metrion...doesn't really translate."
"That's why I sort of...mishandled that one time. My powers are held in check. The more intense the emotion, the more likely something bad might happen."
Goth chose that moment to pull her into a kiss. It ended shortly. Goth glanced around. "Nothing looks blown up."
Raven shrugged. "I was sort of expecting that. Maybe the next one'll be your nose bleeding."
"You know, it's getting kinda chilly out here.", Goth pointed out. "I have a small, but warm apartment.", he hinted.
"It would be kinda nice to see where you live.", Raven told him."I mean, it's kinda obvious where I live. The big giant 'T' out in the bay."
Goth smiled slightly at her joke and pulled himself upright. He offered a hand to pull Raven up but she raised herself in a stiff board like manner, as if a vampire was surprised in its coffin during the day and pivoted on its heels. The floating ball of darkness turned into a large disk on the ground. "Step on. I'll fly you."
Goth stepped on. "You know, you don't have to impress me with your powers."
"Maybe I want you to be impressed with me.", Raven suggested. She stepped on the disk in front of him. As the disk diminished in size and roze into the air, a somewhat perturbed Goth slid closer to Raven and held onto her with his arms around her waist. As the disk carried the two into the sky, they quickly became as close as they would be on motorcycle.