A Little More Time When It's Too Late
"Can't you stay a little longer?" Raven asked from her comfy bed of furs and blankets as she watched Summer get dressed to go home. Why did she always have to leave so soon? Actually, Raven knew exactly why but she dreaded the answers all the same.
"I'm on borrowed time here Raven. Ozpin expects my mission report tomorrow." Ozpin. "Qrow agreed to go run errands with me tomorrow as well and I can't just bail on him when's coming all this way." Qrow. "Besides I can't leave Tai all alone with the girls, they're gonna burn the house down." Tai, Yang and Ruby, the most important of the bunch.
Raven sighed as she hugged the pillow Summer's been sleeping on, briefly closing her eyes and letting sweet scent of roses wash over her senses, "And what am I? A fun little detour?" That came out a lot meaner then she intended it to.
"Don't be like that Raven. You know that's not true." Wasn't it? Maybe not before, when Raven had just left and Summer tried her damn hardest to reach her, then their meetings felt like they had purpose. Nowadays its just sexual release. Barely any different then the relationship Summer has with Tai.
Well that's not true. Raven knows that Summer loves him, she still loves him and Tai was always strong enough to love them both, just like Summer. Raven though?
"We would have more time together if you let me help you more. That mission could have been over in two days tops and then we would have the rest of the week to ourselves." Selfish. Raven was selfish, wanting Summer all to herself when she damn well knew Summer had people to go back to, people who loved and depended on her.
But wasn't Raven one of them? She loved Summer that was for sure, and she did depend on her more then she would like to admit. Summer Rose was her hope that the world could be better that she could... have been better.
Raven knew it wouldn't happen, not now. Summer was done getting dressed, covering up all the evidence of their time together. Back when they were together in the open Raven loved leaving marks on Summer's thighs. Another things she's lost when she left, the ability to show the world how much she cared. Now all their care was reserved for secret meetings in her tent or in some cabin or inn Summer was staying in for a mission.
"You know, you could come back. We miss you. Tai misses you. Qrow would never say it but he misses you. Yang and Ruby-"
"Don't even know me. Yang doesn't remember, Ruby never met me, Qrow hates my guts and Tai has you. Nobody there needs me Summer, I'm needed here, with me Tribe." Sensing this was gonna be a conversation Raven reached for her robe and put it on, displaying the marks on her breasts to Summer almost as if she wanted to show them off to her lover. "We already talked about this."
"I need you. Did you ever stop to think about that? About us?"
"Us." Raven's heart clenched at the though "I'm not going back Summer. I can't, not anymore."
"Yes, you can. You're just too afraid to." Summer argued back, whipping around to face Raven who in turn looked away, looking at her Grimm mask instead. She made her choice long ago, she had to live with it, there was no taking it back.
"Are we gonna do this every damn time?" It was getting really tiring having the same argument over and over when they would spend that time kissing and cuddling instead.
Summer looked exhausted by it as well but she was never one to back down, least of all from Raven, "We wouldn't have to if you stopped being so stubborn and came ba-"
"That's enough Summer!" In her anger Raven opened a portal right behind Summer. They both knew who it was leading to.
Silence loomed over them for a few moments while Summer looked back at it, then at Raven, "You can always change your mind." Her voice sounded softer this time, hurt, sorrowful, "We would love to have you back in our lives Raven. All of us."
Raven didn't reply back, she just watched Summer leave, desperately wishing that he was strong enough to reach out, to embrace her, to tell her to stay. But she can't. She can't ask Summer to do what she did, she can't take her away from so many people that love her. Once she would have, once she was that selfish, not anymore.
Now she was just alone. Again. With the memories and the scent that she drowned herself in as she sank back onto the bed and embraced Summer's pillow close to her chest.