Happy March, everyone! Don't worry; I still have more of Adventures in Warner-Sitting to come. In the meantime, I have a short story featuring two of my own characters from that tale: Ray and Claire Berkeley from the homecoming dance. These two began to intrigue me - what are they like as a couple? What could their love story be? Thus a little "slice of life" set within the Animaniacs universe came to be. I'm toying with the idea of writing a few more stories about Ray and Claire (a mystery or two) based on the feedback I get from this. Let me know what you think!
Posted in honor of Rob Paulsen's 69th birthday. Happy birthday, Rob - here's a "romantic lead" for you. ;)
Bette Davis had never been more right when she said it was going to be a bumpy night. But what a night it was.
In all his years teaching dance, Ray Berkeley had never been prouder to present the homecoming dance trophy to a couple. Nori Bennett was the best student in the class by far, and then to have a toon as her date! Yakko Warner, Nori's date, had been so ecstatic at winning the trophy that he seized her in a hug and whirled her around. No small wonder they won – they were the only couple who'd danced on the ceiling. And later, Yakko and Nori shared a slow dance, and the teen toon only had eyes for her the whole time, pure love glowing in his gaze. Ray had guessed right when he thought Yakko would have moved heaven and earth for Nori, proven when he and his siblings turned the tables on Amber Harding and Billy Clarkson. No one would ever forget the whoopee cushion, or Yakko's shameless, yet utterly justified, beanspilling.
Ray liked that toon. Yakko was a typical teenager, a smart-aleck who lived to defy authority, but odd as it seemed, there was something about him that reminded Ray of himself. And the way Yakko looked at Nori was exactly how he himself looked at his sweet wife.
Claire. Ray's eyes flicked to the closed bathroom door, where Claire was getting ready for bed. Even after thirty years of marriage, three children, and their first grandchild only last year, his wife still took his breath away. He could still see her when they first met: long, wavy hair the color of mahogany, amber eyes, alabaster skin, and cheekbones Marlene Dietrich would have envied. And he'd learned after he got to know her that she was even more beautiful inside. Now, her beauty had become more refined, her bone-deep grace shining past the smile lines time had wrought. Inside? Nothing changed. She was still his marvelous, sweet Claire. She was his perfect partner in dance and in life, and he wanted to spend the rest of his life loving her.
Hopefully, that includes tonight, Ray thought as he shed his suit in favor of sweatpants. He always loved being close to Claire when they danced, but tonight, when they did the cha-cha, her flirtatious expressions and sneaky kisses were enough to make him yearn to take her home. He slid his pants on and grabbed a shirt, but ultimately put it back in the drawer. For November in Burbank, it was still warm enough for him to be comfortable, and he figured it would surprise Claire to see him shirtless.
Ray took stock of himself in the mirror. Lord knew he worked hard to keep himself in shape. His biceps weren't bulging, but he did have some toned muscle. His chest was still defined, and he was definitely thin, bordering on skinny but for the teeniest bit of softness to his belly. He'd shied away from gaining much more, although Claire had told him more than once she wouldn't have cared if his tummy was a little rounder. I'm just not sure, he thought, rubbing his hands over his stomach.
"Measuring your belly again, are you?"
Ray chuckled, not turning around right away. "No, my six-pack abs are gone. They lied when they said Sharpie is permanent." He turned to see his wife coming out of the bathroom and whistled. Claire had clearly been thinking the same thing as him when they danced. She was draped in a long nightgown of aubergine silk that flattered her lush curves, her dark brown hair tumbling about her shoulders. "Hello, gorgeous," he said, crossing the room to meet her.
"Hello, sexy man," Claire teased, taking in his bare upper body. "I go in the bathroom, you're wearing a suit. I come back out, you're half-naked. What did I do to deserve this pleasure?"
All worries about his belly went out the window. Claire was pleased to see him shirtless, and it thrilled him to know his wife still found him sexy. "Read my mind," Ray said, winding his arms around her and kissing her deeply. "And bewitch me tonight."
Claire rolled her eyes. "I should've warned Chris not to play Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered earlier. Every time you hear that song, you get a little goofy."
"I'm a lot goofy. I thought you knew that after thirty years."
"Yes. But I love you anyway." Claire kissed him again. "Under that goofiness, you have the most beautiful heart. That's why I married you."
Ray's dark eyes twinkled. "Not because of this?" he asked, capturing her lips with his.
Claire smiled against his mouth. "Maybe a little."
"Or this?" Ray bent his head to the curve of her neck, planting soft kisses along her skin.
A small shiver went through his wife. "Possibly."
Ray grinned. He loved it when they played little lovers' games like this, and he knew she loved it, too. "How about this?" He brushed his lips behind her ear, then slid the strap of her nightgown aside and kissed her shoulder, and finally kissed the hollow between her clavicles.
Claire let out a soft sound and put her fingers under his chin, lifting his face to her level. Her eyes were shining with desire, and when she drew him into her arms and kissed him, he felt the rush sweep through him like wildfire. "Claire," he whispered, feeling her hands roam the bare skin of his back.
"Feel good, Ray?" she asked. Her voice, naturally husky, was seductive. However, Ray detected a hint of amusement, which tickled him. If his bride was planning on teasing him, he was totally on board. "Yes," he breathed.
"How about this?" Claire moved her lips to nuzzle his neck, one hand wandering upward to stroke through his hair.
"Mmm-hmm," he hummed in agreement, leaning his head back to give her better access to his throat.
"This?" Her fingers tickled his belly button.
Ray laughed at the sensation. "Yes!"
"And I know you love this," she purred, running her hands all over his chest.
Ray felt his knees weaken. "Oh man, Claire…" He hooked an arm under her legs and swept her up into his arms, claiming her lips with his as he carried her over to their bed. Nothing more was said as they gave in to passion and love.
Claire sighed happily as she snuggled further into her husband's embrace, savoring the feel of his skin against hers. At the dance, she had hoped he was wanting her as much as she wanted him. It seemed silly now that she would have thought she couldn't read him that well. She and Ray had been together so long, they could read each other's body language, looks, and secret smiles better than a book. Sometimes he reads in Braille, she thought with a soft chuckle.
"What's so funny?"
Claire looked up into Ray's honey-brown eyes. "I was just thinking how good you are with your hands."
He smiled. "Good to know I haven't lost my touch."
"In any way," Claire replied with a laugh, resting her head back on his chest. He kissed the top of her head and began stroking his fingers through her hair. "Ooh, you definitely haven't lost that touch."
"Thank God." Ray brought his other hand around to caress her shoulder. "Did you have a good time tonight?"
"I thought that was obvious earlier," Claire said with a wicked grin.
"Not that," Ray laughed. "I mean the dance."
"Of course I did. Any time we get to dance together is a wonderful time. I think those three toons took it from fun to extraordinary, though."
"They sure did."
Claire was quiet for a moment, playing with the silver hair at Ray's sternum. "Did you notice how Yakko was looking at Nori?"
"You saw it, too?"
"How could I not? That's the same look you give me when you're in a romantic mood or you want something."
"You think the two are mutually exclusive?" Ray deadpanned, his eyes gleaming with mischief.
"Oh!" Claire dug her hands under his arms and tickled; Ray let out a roar of laughter, followed by a playful growl, and rolled them both over. Laughter filled the air and the sheets went wild as they wrestled, until Ray was lying on his back once more with Claire in his arms. "I win," he joked, stealing a quick kiss.
"This time," Claire warned, playing along. "I think we were talking about Yakko and Nori. All kidding aside, I really do think he's in love with her."
"So do I. And I think the feeling's mutual on Nori's part."
"I agree. I saw her looking at him like there was no one else in the room." Claire looked up at him and smiled. "I should know. I still look at you that way. And you do the same with me."
Ray's eyes were tender as he cupped the side of her face in his hand, stroking her cheek with his thumb. "Like this?"
Her heart giving a thump, Claire reached up to catch his hand in her own. "Just like that."
Ray turned her hand over, watching the moonlight catch her wedding rings: the white gold band and the rhombic diamond of her engagement ring. "I think they could have a happy ending. People might not think so, as different as they are."
"Opposites attract. Besides, they're not so different from us. If he makes her laugh as much as you have me, and if he's as kind and good a man as you…" Claire shifted up and gave him a kiss. "They're meant to be."
Ray lost himself in their kiss for a moment, then pulled back to smile at his wife. "I love you, Claire." He waited until she had said I love you, too before catching her mouth in another liplock. When they both came up for air, he raised his eyes heavenward. "I'll never ask for anything else, I promise," he swore to the man upstairs.
"Oh, I don't know about that," Claire said slyly, planting a kiss on his chest. "You might be calling on him later tonight."
Ray's eyes sparked with desire and he chuckled heartily. "Goodnight, everybody," he purred, drawing Claire close and claiming her lips with his, a prelude to more love in the heart of the night. After thirty years of this, one might think they would be bored. Ray and Claire had both learned long ago that if love is true, loyal, and unbreakable – and more importantly, if you had the blessing of falling in love with your best friend – life was never boring. Was it easy? Lord, no. Was it fun? Absolutely. Would they live happily ever after? Forever.