"Dryer's done." Peeking from her meditation space in front of the bay window, the sorceress waited patiently for her leader to exit the common room, before relaxing from her lotus fold and landing on the ground with a the daintiest of thumps.
Reaching for the ceiling on her tiptoes, the tiny sorceress tightened each of her muscles, then relaxed them one by one, letting her fingers trickle over tousled waves like a waterfall, undoing a haphazard braid. Tugging her black stockings to her thighs, Raven watched the window. Impressive charcoal clouds loomed over the city, the wispy curves naturally ominous. A tiny smile dwelt on her lips, and with crossed arms and slippery stockings, she made her way to the couch.
A certain bounce decorated her gait, odd to say the least. But the rain made her happy. It wasn't earthy scent it pulled from the earth, nor the shiny puddles that lazed in the divots in the concrete, nor excessively colorful arch that leap over Jump City. Those were Garfield's and Victor's and Kori's favorites. No, Raven didn't quite enjoy those things. It was something else.
A harsh bleep! shook the girl from her giddy haze. Amethyst eyes widening, the sorceress seemed awestruck as raindrops large as golf balls splat against the bay window and hail rattled the rooftop like cheap tin. Raven relished in the sound of severe storm warning, the obnoxiously stout electronic blare, music to her ears. Nature shifted, and the common room fell a shade dimmer. Raven smiled again. The disastrous gloom made her own problems seem less severe.
"Raven… Raven? Hey, Rain Princess."
A laugh sounded from the doorway, gentle beneath the pitter-patter overhead. Scanning the room, the alpha Titan had to squint to find her silvery silhouette curled neatly on the sofa. In his spot. He smiled. "Brought you a sweater." Approaching from behind, he dropped the cashmere on her head before hopping over the back of the couch. "Fresh from the dryer."
Her gentle hum was the only reply as she pressed her nose against the warmth. Holding the material at it's full size before her, the sorceress frowned.
"What setting did you use?"
"What?" His shadow loomed over her, his hands now on his hips, clutching another sweater in his right fist. "Hot." Duh.
A sigh escaped her. "Dick…" Her gaze shifted to his and she spoke as if she'd said it a million times. "Extreme heat shrinks everything one size too small."
Amidst the dusk, his eyes were incandescent, his cheeks burned. A confused cobalt in the dim silver lighting. "Really? Everything? A whole size?" Shoving his fist in her lap, he awaited her shy grasp beneath the bulk of navy material. "That's my favorite sweater. You're saying it's too small now?"
Raven snorted, holding the ribbed material like she had before so it could be outlined by the stormy light. Examining the silhouette, she nodded. "Looks a bit smaller to me. Sorry." She held it out for him to take.
His genuinely dejected pout lasted only a second, before a crack of lightning lit his imagination. Curling her fingers around the material, Dick offered a crooked half smile. "You keep it, okay? I owe you a sweater anyway." He could already imagine how pleasant a sight it'd be; the cool azure tones bringing forward faint silvers of her features, like the outline of her irises or the curves of her collarbones. Prompting her again, he smiled in full. "Keep it, Raven."
Lavender eyes were tentative of his generosity, before she slipped the material over her head. She hadn't realized how much Dick had grown before this moment; the sleeves hung well over her fingertips, the v-shape of the neckline sliding miserably from her thin frame, the bottom hem completely obscuring her uniform. Still, it was warm, and it was his, so she would keep it.
"Looks better on you anyway," his smiled. "Alright, now. You're in my spot," A large hand tapped her knee, prompting her to move.
Falling to reality from sweater heaven, Raven pouted at him, a playful touch shy and foreign and rare to her features. "Where are the others?"
"Puddle jumping downtown like they do every time it rains. You know that." Poking her thigh impatiently, he tried to keep the smirk from his lips. "Now scoot." They had the whole Tower to themselves, and this was the game she wanted to play? He could think of a million others.
More pouting. She was in the most delightful of moods and he read her like a forecast. Windows were unnecessary at this point. He was positive it was a rainy day.
"Geez, Raven."
After a dramatic eyeroll, the boy crouched, leaned in, and in one, magnificent sweeping motion scooped the tiny sorceress from her nest on the couch. Gentle laughter vibrated the hazy room, nothing too exuberant. As he held the girl close, bridal style, he turned took his rightful place on he couch, the Raven still clutched to his chest. She was certainly a handful on rainy days, the rarity of her unbridled happiness was so precious that he barely knew what to do with it. Bashful kisses traced against his jaw, her fingers curled behind the shells of his ears, the wavy aftermath of a rainy day braid sweeping over his neck. Bright sparks struck the depth of his stomach, making his darkest desires foreseeable.
"Gotcha." His breath was already ragged, stolen by anticipatation. Tilting his head back to rest against the back of the couch, he closed his eyelids, indulging in her sinful little touches a while longer. Her stiff frame melted against his and he wrapped his arms tighter around the girl, firm but subconsciously gentle, snuggling into her like the delicate thing she was.
Her touch was braver now. Long, caressing strokes trailed over his neck, slowing to a pain-staking pace. A drawn exhale rushed past his lips.
"You're always in a brighter mood when it's gloomy out." He commented, enjoying himself thoroughly as another of her kisses sucked gently at his shoulder. Well, he could forget the neckline of this old tee; surely it was stretched to the maximum. Raven could have this one too, then.
"I'm…. content." Came her sultry whisper. Gracious, he loved those rumbling tones. The thunder beneath her smooth voice was sexy, seemingly amplified by the veritable rumbles just above their heads. "I'm always the same, Dick, but you don't notice until it's dark."
Long, caressing strokes trailed over his neck, slowing to a pain-staking pace.
"No…" Dark brows threaded. If he could mindlessly enjoy himself as her desires expended themselves against his fevered skin, he would. But he couldn't. He was curious, he cared. What sort of hint was that? It wasn't just because the lighting of the room had changed. That was silly. Raven was bright on his mind regardless of the placement of the sun. "You actually seem… happier."
His days as Robin had left the man far too insightful.
"It's just something about a rainy day." Raven sighed, pulling her lips from him though she stayed curled in his arms. "If Mother Nature can't control her storms, it doesn't seem so bad that I can't control mine." Her words carried in a sigh, the lightening reflecting against her dark gaze at synchronized with the moment of clarity. "I just… The chaos makes me and my life seem better."
He smiled, threading his fingers through the tangles behind her neck. "You're too hard on yourself." Tracing aimless patterns down, over her spin, he continued. "Despite everything, you have people who love you… People who are in love with you."
The smallest of simpers played her lips. "Continue…"
"What's more to say?" His laugh replied, his left hand meeting his right, fingers lacing behind her waist and yanking her closer. "I love you? You knew that."
"It's nice to hear."
"Alright, Raven." He tipped his head up, a smug look resting on hers. Voice lowering to a serious whisper, chin tipping so their eyes were level, Dick smiled. He took her cheeks in his hands, admiring the silvers of her irises. "I love you."
A clap of thunder, a crack of lightning followed, like applause.
Closing her eyes a moment, Raven focused on the thrum of raindrops on the roof. I love you, I love you, I love you, their scattered pitters seemed to repeat. Beautiful. The sentiment of the storm, raindrops like the simplest poetry, her old friend turned lover. It was all so beautiful. Opening her eyes once more, Raven couldn't help but notice his gaze, intense and intent as his lips brushed the corner of her mouth.
"Rainy days are my favorite, too."
a/n: thanks for reading! reviews are always nice, wink wink. xoxo!