79. "I'll still be here when you're ready."

Pairing: Raven and Wally (Kid Flash/The Flash)

Setting: Comics / College AU

Age: 19-21

"So you've really decided?" The question filled the silent room and Raven's eyes shot away from her closet and towards the door, finding a certain redhead standing in the doorway. But a response didn't come right away, like she was trying to delay the inevitable. Or maybe it was simply the fact that by saying it out loud would mean that it was really happening and she'd need to come to terms with it.

"No." She answered nonchalantly, all the while still neatly putting her clothes in the suitcase placed on her bed.

"But you're already packing." Wally let out an incredulous chuckle and stepped into the room, but didn't dare to invade her personal space just yet.

"I know." Avoiding any eye contact with him seemed like the best option for her right now. She didn't want to make it harder than it already was.

"Rae…" He sighed and watched the girl move around the room in such a calm manner that it was almost chilling, even for her.

The silence fell between them once again, as neither of them could really bring themselves to carry this conversation forward. Even if both of them understood very well that they had to, one way or another.

"Listen, I-"

"Wallace-"

Both of them speaking up at the same time just made them stop their sentences abruptly. Well, now this was just getting awkward. Not wanting this to turn into another staredown, Wally nodded for her to continue.

"If you were in my position, wouldn't you go?"

"In your position as being at the top of the class in every subject, acing all the tests, never missing a class, probably breaking some academic records?" He was about to ramble on further, but flinched the very second her glare pierced through his entire being and decided to answer seriously. "Yeah, sure. I guess. I mean, it's a British college you're getting transferred to, it has to be super good, right?"

"One of the best." She corrected him, but she had already proved her point. "It's an amazing, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Wallace. I'd be stupid not to take it."

"You could never be stupid." He scowled at her and she deadpanned right at him.

Right. Not the time.

"Raven, look. I mean, okay, I get it. It's important, it's a big step, a great opportunity. But- I just-..." Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair, not entirely sure how to finish that thought.

"But what?" Having stopped with the packing for the moment, her full focus was now finally on him. He held the silence for a second longer, staring at the carpet underneath his feet before he slowly raised his eyes up again.

"I just thought you'd give us a chance, too." The boy finally admitted, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Wallace…" She whispered in a sigh, closing the suitcase and pushing it aside to have some room for her to sit down.

"I know, I know." He quickly started before she managed to say anything more and went over to sit next to her. "It's probably not the best timing for this, but-"

"It's really not."

"-But don't you think we should talk about what's gonna happen now? With us?" His green eyes looked almost pleadingly at her, while she only averted her gaze.

"There's nothing that can happen, Wallace. We'll be across the ocean from each other. And we're students. We don't have the money to go visit each other all the time."

"Yeah, but it's not like you're falling off the face of the Earth, Rae. There's still ways to communicate, to hear each other, to see each other. We can make this work." He desperately tried to reason with her.

"We couldn't make this work while living in the same dorm, what makes you think we can do it while living in different continents?"

"I wouldn't say it didn't work at all." The readhead gave her a slightly cocky smile, but was quickly shut down by her stare. Guess she was right. It had always been rocky with them. But he wasn't about to give up anyway.

"Okay, I get it. Our… relationship hasn't been the smoothest ride and this whole thing is new and scary and you're not prepared for any of this, I completely understand that. But, Rae," he gently placed his hand on top of hers and tilted his head to meet her gaze, "I'll still be here when you're ready."

For a moment, it almost seemed like the cold color of her eyes had warmed up after these words and it filled his heart with a small fraction of what one could call joy. And his lips curled into a smile.

"I'll be right here." Wally repeated with more confidence in his voice. "Waiting for you. As long as you'll have me."

A part of him wanted her to confirm that she'd come back to him. That they'd be in each other's life no matter what. But he knew that it'd be too much to ask right now. She had so much to go through as it was. So he merely offered her a gentle smile and a tended squeeze of her hand before he stood up from the bed, only to be stopped midway.

Looking down, he saw her delicate hand clutching onto his own as she got up on her feet as well. He watched her in silence, with a questioning, yet hopeful look on his face. Still, after a moment of gazing into each other, she made no sound. Failing to speak up, the raven-haired girl simply pressed her forehead against his chest and sighed in defeat, letting her shoulders drop.

She didn't need to say anything for him to know. This was all the confirmation he needed. And his heart skipped a beat at the thought. Wally reached his hands up to cup her face, entangling his fingers in her long hair while his thumbs gently grazed along the sides of her cheeks.

"No matter how long it takes, Rae. Remember that." He whispered softly and placed a tender kiss on top of her head before resting his forehead on the very same spot. Not bearing the thought of ending this on a sad note, though, he then pulled away from her and gave her the biggest smile he could muster right now.

"Alright, come on, let's not be sad! The college is a great opportunity and you deserve only the greatest things in life. And you'll do awesomely there, I know it!" He patted her shoulders and slowly backed away. "Just make sure you don't forget about lil' ol' me." Lifting his hands, he made a finger gun gesture with a laugh, despite him feeling like his heart was about to burst out of his chest and bleed out on the floor right then and there. But that wasn't an option. She deserved a happy ending to all of this.

And seeing her smile at his stupid goofy self was all the remedy he needed. What's more, she even let out a small chuckle and nodded at him, even though he could see some tears glimmering from the corners of her eyes. It was a bittersweet goodbye. Just like everything else in their life. Always bittersweet.

But he wouldn't change a thing.