The door slammed open, bouncing off the wall with a thunderous smack. Raven didn't have to look up to know it was Emori. She was the only one who didn't bother to knock anymore. Who always entered the room like she owned the place.
Or like a queen visiting her lowly and poverty-stricken subjects.
"I come bearing the answer to all your problems."
Raven perked up. "You've figured out a way to permanently sew Murphy's mouth shut?"
"Sorry, Little Bird. I appreciate the things he does with that mouth far too much for that."
"Jesus, Emori." This woman needed to come with a goddamn warning label. "You could have just said no!"
She shrugged, unrepentant.
On the other side of the room, Luna hid a smile.
Traitor.
Though she couldn't quite bring herself to be too annoyed. She could never be annoyed when Luna smiled. And it was a nice change from her mood of before.
Raven's hopes had been realized: the dark cloud that had hung over her earlier seemed to have abated with rest. Thank God.
She never knew how to handle Luna when she was like that. Mostly just got by on sheer luck and desperation - as evidenced by their standoff at the dock. She wasn't good at comforting people. Had never been good at comforting people.
Not like Luna. Who, by all accounts, was a master. Raven had no clue how she did it. And did it so easily. Always knowing the right thing to do or say to make the pain hurt a little less. The bad not seem so bad. It was a gift.
Consumed by her thoughts, it took a beat for the rest of Emori's words to catch up to her.
"Wait, Little Bird? Seriously?"
Like that was original.
And she wasn't even little! She was a nice, good, decent height. Average sized. Elves would be envious of just how average she was. Well, not average average. There was nothing average about Raven Reyes. But, you know, whatever was a step above average that was her height.
Emori gave another shrug before pointing over her shoulder. "It's what she calls you. I'm only borrowing the term."
Since when?
Raven whipped around to look at Luna accusingly, noting that she'd suddenly become very in the bracelet she was working on. "You couldn't have thought of a better nickname?"
"What's wrong with it?" she asked without a hint of remorse, folding the blue thread over and under. "I think it's sweet."
Emori snorted.
"That's what's wrong with it. Give me something badass, not sweet."
Luna nodded gravely. "I'll take that under advisement."
Raven narrowed her eyes, not confident of her sincerity in the slightest. And, wait-
Did this mean that she and Emori had been talking about her behind her back? Because. . . well, shit. That was only marginally better than knowing that she and Murphy were talking about her behind her back. Mostly because everything that Emori heard eventually made its way back to her more loathsome half, so there was hardly much of a difference to be had.
"What did you bring, Emori?" Luna asked, changing the subject.
Raven narrowed her eyes.
Sneaky.
Their 'guest' held up a pile of containers in her hand. "Two lots of itchy ointment. And some arnica to help with that neck, as promised. Also, figured I'd put them in something less fragile considering Raven likes to break shit."
"It was one time!"
"Not including the two plates in the kitchen."
Thanks, Luna.
"Fine. Two times - and it could have happened to anyone."
"And yet so far it's only happened to you," Emori retorted. "Now do you want this shit or not?"
Raven huffed but acquiesced with a nod.
The rash on her arm demanded it.
(as did the scabs on Luna's neck)
"I dreamt of you last night," Luna commented, idly examining the cream for her neck after Emori had left.
Raven's eyes snapped to her in horror.
"Don't worry," she laughed, "nothing bad."
How to tell Luna that it wasn't the thought of being one of her nightmares that had Raven so horrified? After all, if her dreams about Raven were anything like her own ones about Luna. . .
"Well, technically it was actually about a little bird that wouldn't stop following me around - but I can see through the symbolism," Luna amended.
Okay, that was somehow even worse than where Raven's thoughts had originally traveled. She groaned. "I could have happily gone the rest of my life not knowing that."
Luna chuckled, sweeping some of her hair aside as she began the task of rubbing the ointment into the scabs on her neck. "Sorry."
She didn't sound sorry.
"If it makes you feel any better you eventually morphed into a very big bird and I rode you to far-off places. Away from here."
No, that did not make her feel better. That did not make her feel at all better.
Raven's skin burned, her pulse pounding from something other than embarrassment.
Rode you. . .
She had to wonder whether Luna was doing this on purpose. No way she could be this skilled in accidental torture.
"Eventually you set me down in your nest and we cuddled together until the dream ended."
Raven stared. "You're killing me."
She paid her no mind. "A very nice cuddle if I must say. Incredibly soft and warm."
Raven groaned. "Luna."
The laugh that met her ears let her know that the torture was entirely intentional. Great.
Luna may not know the reason for her fluster, but it seemed that was no obstacle in her willingness to have fun with it.
Wonderful.
Murphy was right. You are evil.
The words 'I rode you' were certainly going to be haunting her until her last breath. And she honestly wouldn't be surprised if Luna was the reason that breath ended up being her last. She was clearly trying to send her into cardiac arrest.
(Raven wondered if this was what she had been like as a child: obnoxiously playful and mischievous. Bright enough to blind. The thought took the edge off her embarrassment. If that was true, then Raven was grateful to be afforded the privilege of witnessing it. Witnessing her)
"Did you dream about me?"
"Nope." Raven determinedly stuck her fingers in her own ointment, urging the smelly goo to distract her from the sudden weight in her chest, the terror and ice that clenched her heart.
Just a dream.
"Well, that's disappointing. Even hurtful." The smile in Luna's voice suggested otherwise. She was enjoying this far too much. "I might take offence."
"Feel free."
There was a low chuckle and then the sound of rustling. Curious, Raven glanced over - then froze.
Not this shit again.
Luna was carefully peeling out of her jacket, not even wincing as it dragged across her wounds. Definitely a high tolerance for pain.
Still, as much as Raven dreaded the task ahead, she couldn't deny that she was grateful for the distraction. Rubbing ointment onto Luna's skin would definitely keep her mind off last night's dream. "Need help?"
Luna paused, then threw her a grateful smile, like she hadn't been confident that such help would be offered. Way to make me feel like crap. "Please."
Raven wasn't sure what to make of the other feeling she saw buried in her eyes, coiled tight around the gratitude. Something that looked an awful lot like excitement, if a rather dimmed version of the feeling.
Probably just eager to get some relief from the itching.
Raven could empathize.
"I'll just take care of my arms first while you do the back of your neck and then. . . yeah."
Jesus, Raven, are you really signing yourself up for this again?
Do you have no self-preservation instincts whatsoever?
Apparently not.
She swallowed, returning to her task. Trying to block out the fact that Luna wasn't entirely alone in her excitement. A part of Raven felt it too. Hated that she felt it.
Especially since her excitement was for entirely different reasons.
They passed the next minute or so in silence, nerves building in Raven's chest as the seconds counted down. Down to the torturous fate she'd willingly trapped herself in.
Dumbest move of your life.
And there were so many other moves to compete with.
She really hadn't had to offer. Abby was due to return within the next hour and she knew Luna well enough to be certain she wouldn't mind the wait. That she would accept it easily.
Only. . . Raven didn't want her to accept it. To have to.
Worse: she wanted to do this. Wanted to lay her hands on Luna's skin again, to feel her heat, brush a thumb across the ridges of her spine. Possibly even touch the tattoo that she'd passed up the opportunity to last time, depending on if the rash had expanded that far down in the hours since.
There was a tap as Luna set her bowl on the table. "Do you mind if I lie down on my front? I'm still not able to stand for any considerable length of time. Or will that be an issue?"
Raven stared like a deer in the headlights.
An issue?
Then Luna's eyes flicked down to her hip.
Oh! Because of her pain.
For once she wasn't angry at the concern. Was far too relieved for that.
"It'll be fine." Raven grabbed the chair, shoving it back to its previous spot, right up close and personal with the bed. Using it would be less painful than perching on the mattress, especially since it wasn't exactly a large bed. "I didn't realize standing was an issue."
"This morning it was. And I still feel a little too weak to test how much I've improved since then."
"Fair."
Also good to know. Raven filed the information away, resolving to watch Luna like a hawk the next time she had to go the bathroom. Well, on the way to the bathroom anyway. Obviously not in the bathroom. But, you know, on the long and dangerous journey. Just in case.
Luna reached for the hem of her shirt and Raven snapped her gaze away. Shit. The last thing she wanted was an eyefull.
That would definitely trigger cardiac arrest.
Raven listened to the sound of rustling and - half a minute later - the creak of bed springs. "All good?"
"All good."
Taking a breath, she turned around. Even though she'd known what she would find, she wasn't at all prepared for the sight of Luna lying on her stomach, naked from the waist down.
Half-naked Luna. In bed.
Half-naked Luna, in bed, waiting for you to touch her.
Well, shit.
She'd clearly overestimated her ability to handle this situation, and whatever it had in stall for her.
Raven let out a noise that was strangled even to her own ears. Hopefully, Luna didn't hear it.
"Raven?"
No such luck.
"Mm hmm?"
"Everything okay?"
"Swell." Swell? Since when did she say 'swell'? Jesus. She really had been hanging out with Luna too much. Now she was speaking in ocean slang. "One second."
Clumsily, and with a little too much speed, she collected Luna's bowl of smelly goo off the bedside table, grip fumbling, nearly losing purchase altogether. And wouldn't that be embarrassing?
Shaking her head, she forced her reluctant feet back over to the chair, dreading every step. You can do this. You can do this. You've survived being near-julienned and diced with a knife, drained by some new-age spin on vampires, and possessed by a homicidal A.I. You can most definitely survive rubbing cream onto some hot chick's back.
Whether or not her sanity survived along with her was slightly more open to debate.
Taking a breath, Raven lowered herself onto the chair, bowl heavy in her lap. Possibly Emori had added bricks to the ointment this time around.
Deep breaths.
Luna's head was turned towards the wall and she suspected that she'd done it to reduce the pressure of the situation, so Raven wouldn't feel like she was being watched. An attempt to make her more comfortable.
Always so fucking considerate.
Taking a breath, she looked down - examining the intimidating task before her.
The good news was that Luna's back was such a mess that all of Raven's nerves instantly evaporated. Instead, the most difficult part of applying the ointment quickly became the fear that she would hurt Luna in the process.
Well, that's one way to keep a lid on this pesky attraction.
Though she'd much prefer it if Luna didn't have to be harmed in order for it to work.
Clenching her jaw, Raven dipped her fingers into the ointment, wishing the coldness of the goo would prove a worthier distraction. Taking another breath, she carefully set her hand on Luna's back, noting the way muscles stiffened for a moment under the contact.
If Raven didn't know any better, she'd say she wasn't the only one feeling overwhelmed by the situation. But she did know better.
No doubt, the chill of the ointment and that of her own fingers was too much for Luna's still slightly feverish skin. "Okay?"
Luna nodded, but didn't answer.
Words would have been more reassuring but Raven resolved to take what she could get.
Gently, she began the slow process of massaging the ointment into Luna's skin, trying to be careful of the blisters, to make her touch as gentle as possible whilst passing over them. Even so, a faint moan fell from Luna's lips - quickly cut short. Teeth digging into her own, Raven softened her touch even further, hating that she had to hurt her in order to help her. "Tell me if it gets too much."
"Too much?" There was an undetectable quality to Luna's voice, an emotion that Raven couldn't parse.
"Too painful."
Another noise escaped her, though this time Raven recognized it as the telltale gust of breathy amusement. Huh?
"No chance of that," Luna hummed.
Raven's brow furrowed. "No?"
"No," Luna sighed, the exhalation doing something to her insides that she refused to acknowledge. "It feels good."
Raven froze. Brain shortcircuiting. The misfiring thoughts traveling down to her hand, suspending it mid-motion. "Oh."
Luna shifted slightly, reaching for some of her hair to move it back over her shoulder and grant Raven better access. "Does that bother you?"
"What? No. Why would it bother me?" Hastily, she returned to rubbing ointment into her skin.
"Your voice doesn't hide much." Nor did Luna's, at least in this moment. The amusement in it was impossible to miss.
Raven huffed. "I'm not bothered. Just. . . surprised. I thought it would be painful as hell. Certainly seems like it should be."
And, yeah, the ointment was soothing but not that soothing.
She hummed. "Okay."
Raven chose to accept that at face value, even though she knew it was far more likely that Luna didn't believe a word she was saying.
"It is painful," Luna continued after a pause. "But I don't mind that when. . ."
"When?"
"I think you've noticed that I'm a fairly tactile person."
Raven's mouth turned up a little at one corner. "I may have picked up on a hint or two."
"Mmm. I always have been. For as long as I can remember. I like physical contact. Crave it. And so, yes. . . this feels good."
She blinked. Startled for a moment by Luna's blunt honesty. How she made no attempt to tiptoe around the fact. "Oh."
It made sense. And she probably should have realized sooner.
This might also better explain that feeling she'd seen in Luna's eyes earlier. The excitement.
It hadn't been about the itching.
"I like it when you touch me." The words were just a whisper, barely audible.
Raven's cheeks burned, her stomach slithering into knots as she struggled to keep her attention on the task at hand. The ointment. Rubbing it into Luna's skin. Touching Luna's skin. "Oh."
For fuck's sake, find another word.
Raven took a breath.
So she likes you touching her? Touching her back. Her very naked back. No big deal!
Tiny deal.
Minuscule.
Not even really a deal.
"I'm sorry."
That startled her out of the raging furnace inside her chest. "Sorry?"
"Mmm." Luna hummed. "Because I know you don't like it."
Oh.
Shit.
"Not true." The words were out before she could think better of them but, honestly, Raven had no knowledge of how to form better. And she didn't want Luna to masquerade under this false belief for a second longer. "I just. . . it can be a little awkward for me."
"You find touch overwhelming."
Well, when it comes to you I sure as fuck do.
So she'd definitely noticed then.
Damn.
Raven's cheeks warmed with embarrassment. Thank God Luna didn't seem to have picked up on the cause of her discomfort surrounding touch. Or the fact that any and all discomfort started and ended with her.
Wonder how long that'll last?
It was Luna, after all. No way she wouldn't figure it out eventually. Seemed at this point Raven was just living on borrowed time.
In more ways than one.
She nearly scoffed at the thought.
"Yeah." She cleared her throat, accidentally brushing over the scar near Luna's spine, noting the momentary flash of tension in response. Raven moved away. "But that's not to say I don't like it."
"I'll keep that in mind."
It was impossible to tell from Luna's voice what she was thinking, feeling. And not being able to see her face completely made that even harder. But. . .
Raven thought she detected the faintest element of pleasure. Maybe. Possibly.
She really didn't know.
Clearing her throat, she started up towards Luna's shoulder blades, resolving not to give it another thought. To give any of this another thought. You've still gotta keep your wits about you for the task ahead.
Luna's hair was significantly more knotted than yesterday - not surprising given all that tossing and turning last night - and Raven thought about offering to run a brush through it.
Don't you dare.
This is already torture enough.
Yeah. It probably wouldn't be the best course of action in her mission not to die of Luna-induced heart failure.
Gotta be smart about this.
"So. . . how does it look after last night?" Luna asked, mercifully changing the subject.
Raven forced back a grimace, eying the reddened skin. "Well. . . I'll be honest - not great."
An amused huff escaped her. "I suspected as much."
"Yeah. At least, it definitely looks worse than yesterday." Which was quite the feat. "You actually might want to get Abby to inspect some of these. They could get infected." Not an examination she knew Luna would be at all eager to undertake. "How do they feel?"
Stupid question.
How do you think they feel?
"Well, I'll be honest - not great." She could hear the smile in Luna's voice, though. Couldn't withstand the slight tug at her own lips. "But I've had worse. I actually had a tussle with some coral once. Ended up tearing up my entire back. Which might have been bad enough, but the coral was toxic and left behind tiny pieces of itself in the wounds. Derrick had to scrape them out with a brush."
Raven winced. "Ouch."
"Mm," Luna agreed. "I definitely wouldn't recommend it."
"Noted. No getting into any tussles with any corals."
"Probably wise."
"No doubt. Though I think I'm pretty safe considering I don't know how to swim. Not exactly going to be running into any."
"You'd think. But I didn't know how to swim at the time either."
Raven's brows drew up. There was a story there.
Before she could even attempt to draw it free, though, she felt a light touch against her hand. Looked down to see that Luna's own had moved towards hers. Though it had yet to take hold.
"May I?"
Oh, what the hell? Not like it can get much worse than running your hands all over her naked back.
"Go ahead."
She saw the faint outline of Luna's smile from where her face was now turned towards her, cheek pressed into the pillow, moments before she felt the gentle wrap of her fingers. "I actually have a scar left over from one of the deeper wounds. It's faded. Near impossible to see but. . ."
Slowly, she drew Raven's hands towards the middle of her back, where the triskelion rested. Swallowing as she realized exactly what Luna had planned, she could only watch, powerless, as her fingers came to rest over one of the spirals.
"Do you feel it?"
What she felt was her heart beating like a goddamn woodpecker in her chest, her skin burning hot, as she couldn't help but trace a finger over the spot Luna held it. But when she took a moment, tried to focus on the rest of what she could feel. . .
Yes.
There was a faint texture to Luna's skin, a break in the smoothness. Hidden beneath dark ink.
"Yeah," Raven breathed; wondered if her voice sounded choked to anyone's ears but her own.
Yesterday, she'd craved to touch this tattoo. And now. . .
Well, now she had to resist the impulse to run her fingers over each dark spiral, to trace the continuous line over and over again. She wanted to linger.
Knew she couldn't.
Shouldn't.
Shaking her head, Raven drew her hand away. Luna's fingers fell loose, allowing her the escape. "You're all done by the way. No more spots to cover."
Not with ointment, anyway. Luna's skin however was definitely in need of some covering if Raven was to stand any chance of getting some of her brain cells back in working order.
"Thankyou," Luna responded, before starting to sit up.
Raven's eyes widened. Fuuu-ck. Hastily, she whipped her gaze away, turning to stare at the opposite wall - which, in all its white glory, unfortunately had very little to focus on. "No problem."
Her voice definitely sounded strained.
"Well, problem or not, it's help is appreciated."
"Abby could probably do a better job." All the more reason to ask her next time.
There was a moment's silence, broken apart only by the rustling of clothes. "I'm not so sure of that," Luna said, finally, voice unreadable. "But she gets the job done."
"Yeah. She tends to."
Hopefully that'll extend to engineering nightblood.
As the silence stretched on between them, a detectable note of awkwardness to it, Raven decided it was probably best to change the subject. "So. . . did you get the tattoo before or after you formed Floukru?"
"Before," Luna answered, some of the easiness returning to her voice. "When I was eighteen. Floukru started forming maybe two or three months afterwards, though I didn't know it would be Floukru then. I didn't know it would be anything at all."
Eighteen. Raven wondered how old she was now.
She tried to imagine forming an entire clan at that age. Couldn't quite manage it. At eighteen, she'd been making reckless decisions liable to get herself floated. The only people she'd cared for and allowed herself to feel any responsibility towards: her mother, Sinclair and Finn.
It was crazy to think that was only a little over a year ago.
Her eighteenth birthday had heralded the biggest mistake of Raven's life. A mistake the boy she'd loved had been the one to end up paying for.
"You can turn around now."
Flushing a little at how obvious she'd been, Raven slowly turned back to face her, noticing the ever-so-faint curve of amusement to Luna's mouth. She was exasperated to admit that she found it entirely too sexy.
Damnit.
"Adria liked it," Luna started. Then, at Raven's questioning glance, "The tattoo. She had a baby brother and could remember her mum having it painted onto her belly. I think seeing it on me was comforting. Reminded her of home."
The words were a suitable distraction from the burning flush in her cheeks.
Raven sobered. "It must have been hard for her. Going through that. Losing her family."
"She lost everyone. Her parents. Her siblings. Her village. . . her home. Her entire world." Luna paused, growing quiet for a time. "In a way, what I'm going through now, she went through as well. When she was five." Luna shook her head. "She amazed me. Every day. Every time she smiled. Or laughed. Her willingness to love. To trust. Her kindness. . . I don't know how she did it."
The same way you did. The same way you do.
"Listen, I'm sorry for upsetting you earlier. . ." Raven started, hands shifting into her pockets, remembering too late that they were still covered in smelly residue.
"You know, when we were talking about this place. This island."
The people on it.
Raven still felt guilty for her words. For her endless propensity to put her foot in her mouth.
I never want to hurt you.
Luna's brow furrowed a moment, before clarity unfurled its tension. "You didn't. I upset myself." She leaned towards her, the action notably less graceful than usual. "Believe me, you have nothing to apologize for."
Debatable.
"I touched a nerve."
Luna's mouth drew up humorlessly. "A very sensitive one. . . What happened, the wounds are still tender. And a lot of them are laced with guilt." Luna looked down. "I really thought we were safe. Out there on the sea. And that arrogance cost us everything. As a child, I was taught that no place was safe. . . I forgot that at some point. Chose to, I think. . . I grew arrogant. And people died because of it."
Raven knew what it was like to live most of your life on edge, always waiting for the other shoe to drop, never fully able to relax. And she understood the hunger for a reality where that didn't have to be the case. A reality that Luna had found - no, made for herself.
It had to hurt. Finally letting down your guard - only to be trampled into the dirt.
And the self-recrimination and regret that would swallow you whole in the aftermath. The bitterness over how stupid you'd been. The conviction that you should have known better. Because you did.
You did know better.
(no wonder Raven's words had touched a nerve)
"I don't think it's arrogance to want to believe that you're safe, Luna," she murmured. "And it's not as though you let the ball drop on trying to ensure that you were."
"Except I did, though, didn't I?" Luna's voice was light, a jarring contrast to her words. "I let Skaikru into our home. And A.L.I.E. along with them."
"I mean, technically you thought we were Lincoln."
"I did. And technically I could have kept you locked in that shipping container until it was time for you to return to shore after I found out you weren't. Found out that you weren't seeking refuge. You were just seeking a nightblood."
Raven suppressed a wince. "Why didn't you?"
"I don't keep prisoners," Luna's eyes hardened a moment, before softening once more. "And I think a part of me also hoped that maybe I would be able to convince some of you to stay. To turn away from the fight. . . I owed Lincoln that." She tilted her head. "And I was curious. About Clarke. About Octavia. These two strangers who'd held the hearts of people I loved, people who were now dead. But more than any of that. . . I didn't think you were a threat. Again, arrogance. Well, that or stupidity." She smiled wryly. "I'm not sure which I'd prefer to be the case in this instance. Though I suspect it was probably a bit of both."
Again, Raven had to hide a wince. She wished Luna wouldn't talk about herself like that. Wished that the recrimination in her words wasn't so acidic.
(and intimately familiar)
Her discontent didn't go unnoticed and Luna's smile became more real as a hand briefly touched hers. Gave it a swift squeeze. "It's okay, Raven. It's a lesson. A reminder. To not repeat the same mistake again." Her hand drew away. Drew away before Raven could catch it. Could dare to. "I know you want me to believe that I'm safe here and I appreciate that but I can't afford to."
Raven remembered her conversation with Murphy. The foreboding feeling in her gut that had been present since last night. The trepidation that she couldn't shake. "I get it."
As much as she wanted Luna to feel safe, to comfort her, she had to admit that it was probably better - wiser - if she didn't.
And, after all, wasn't that how Raven had survived growing up under her mother's roof? And now, here, all these months on the ground in a world that seemed determined to kill her (or at least make her suffer)?
She could definitely understand where Luna was coming from. Couldn't say that she was wrong to come from that direction either.
She's being smart.
Something you might want to take a stab at being again yourself.
Luna smiled a little ruefully. "You know I'm not usually like this."
That made Raven blink. "Like what?"
"So morose. I'm usually much better company - or so I've been told."
Morose.
That was probably a good term for it. Though in Raven's opinion, it sounded dismissive. Dismissive of the pain Luna was clearly feeling. Everything she'd suffered.
Her light tone even moreso.
But she decided to go along with it because clearly Luna was trying to lift the mood, lift herself out of the trenches, and Raven didn't have it in her to deny her that.
"Well, you've been through a lot. I don't think anyone's expecting you to be the life of the party." Raven certainly wasn't. "Besides. . . I think you're pretty great."
She flushed a moment later. Okay, a little too honest there.
But Luna smiled. The kind of smile that touched her eyes - though Raven didn't miss the hint of surprise in them. "Well, you're pretty great yourself. A lot great actually."
And her cheeks burned hotter. "I'm alright."
"Modesty doesn't suit you."
Ain't that the truth.
Raven ducked her head. Cleared her throat. "But seriously no need to apologize. You're going through shit. Speaking as someone who's also going through shit, it's nowhere near an issue."
"I'll keep that in mind." Another brief squeeze was bestowed upon her hand. "How's your headache?"
Raven narrowed her eyes, but decided to accept the incredibly obvious subject change. You're losing your edge. "Fine. Better than yesterday."
By the thinnest of thin margins.
Luna raised a brow - a speck of disbelief in her eyes - though she didn't voice it. "I'm glad."
"How's your. . ." Raven attempted to gesture at one specific thing - realized she couldn't, "everything?"
Luna's mouth turned up to match her brow. "Better than yesterday."
Raven narrowed her eyes.
Okay, she deserved that.
"I'm glad."
Luna smiled wider at the faint snark in her tone. Didn't let go of her hand.
For once, Raven allowed the touch to linger. Didn't try to pull away. Held herself steady, fighting against the burn in her skin, relaxing into it, until Luna gave a final squeeze.
Let her go.
(Raven pretended that was okay.
Pretended that she hadn't wanted her to stay)