Going for happy endingĀ ācause Iām saving the angst one for another time. Sorry Iām not keeping up the painting streak and did a gif instead but my wrist seem to hurt more frequently now.
Thanks for sticking by RobRae week! Honestly, my favorite part of it all was reading the tags and finding people opening up more to this pair, platonic or romantic, or just simply liking the art. But hey, isnāt that what ship weeks are for?
#damian/raven and #timdrake/raven links at end of the story
The snow had been coming down sideways for nearly 56 hours. It was, without a doubt, the whitest white Christmas in BlĆ¼dhaven's history. The city looked like a snow globe shaken too hard and trapped in a perpetual swirl of white. Streets were empty, lights were smeared into soft halos by the storm, and a shelter-in-place order had been issued sometime early that morning. Patrol hadn't happened that night before, and it probably wouldn't happen that evening or the next. Even criminals, apparently, knew better than to tempt fate in weather like this.
Dick had spent Christmas Day at Wayne Manorāloud, warm, chaotic in that very specific Wayne wayāand thanks to his girlfriend's teleportation ability, he'd been able to return to his snowed-in city without issue. He'd fully expected Raven to head back to the Tower afterward. She always got a little strange after being around his family, and she usually liked being to herself after a Batfamily gathering.
So when she'd hesitated to create a portal, with her fingers curled into the sleeve of her coat, and shyly asked if she could stay the night, he hadn't even thought about it. He'd kissed her immediately with relief and affection.
Now, hours later, Haley was curled in a tight ball at the foot of his bed, snoring softly, while Raven lay stretched across the mattress, bare legs tangled in sheets, wearing his shirt and nothing else he could see. The fabric slipped off one shoulder, dark hair fanned across the pillow, expression soft and unguarded in sleep.
Dick lay on his side, propped slightly on one elbow, watching her like she might vanish if he blinked. It was a ridiculous notion, he knew that. But some irrational part of his brain was convinced that if he relaxed too much, she'd be gone. Not because she didn't care. But because Raven had always been good at leaving quietly, and he didn't want her to leave.
Suddenly, as if she knew he was thinking about her, Raven's eyes flew open. She propped herself up on one elbow. "I need to go."
Dick reacted instantly, arm shooting out to catch her forearm, stopping her mid-movement. "Oh no you don't."
She blinked at him. "Excuse me?"
He slid an arm around her waist and tugged her back down with a dramatic sigh. "It's too cold to leave this bed."
She snorted, utterly unimpressed. "Dick."
"You can't possibly be thinking about leaving this apartment in weather like this," he continued solemnly. "It's practically a public safety issue."
Raven shook her head, lips twitching. "First of all, I can teleport, Boy Blunder. Leaving in weather like this is no problem." She pushed at his chest half-heartedly. "Secondly, I'm not leavingĀ you."
"That's what they all say," he replied dramatically, tucking her closer. "First it's 'I'll be right back,' then boomātragic separation. Frostbite. Regret."
She tilted her head, studying him with obvious amusement. "You're being ridiculous."
"I'm being romantic," he corrected, brushing his thumb along her hip, slow and absent, like the motion itself was grounding him.
She smiled despite herself. "Richard, let go."
"I can't," he said softly. "The storm forbids it."
She rolled onto her back, looking up at him. "The storm forbids it?"
"Yes. And so do I." He leaned down and kissed her slowly and deeply. It was unhurried, familiar, warm. The kind of kiss that didn't ask for anything, didn't rush toward more. She kissed him back just as easily, fingers curling into his hair, indulging him, letting him linger. When they broke apart, she rested her forehead against his. He didn't pull away. "You said you wanted to stay," he said quietly.
Raven felt the uncertainty beneath the words like a soft tremor she hadn't noticed before. Suddenly, everything made sense.
When they'd started dating, everythingĀ hadĀ been easy and comfortable. But then intimacy had entered the picture, and while Dick had been wonderfully attentive, patient, affectionate; Raven knew she'd been inconsistent. One day warm and open, the next withdrawn. She'd been pushing and pulling without meaning to. Not because she didn't want him, but because she was still learning how to stay without bracing for loss.
She'd probably made herself difficult to readāmadeĀ himĀ feel like he was guessing when he shouldn't have had to. "Richard," she murmured, stroking his cheek tenderly, thumb brushing the faint crease near his mouth. She gazed into his beautiful blue eyes, steady and sincere. "I do want to stay. IĀ amĀ staying."
His shoulders eased, tension bleeding out of him in a way she could feel even without empathic abilities.
"I like hearing that," he admitted.
She smiled softly. "I know."
A beat passed, and she shifted slightly beneath him. "But I really need to go to the bathroom."
"ā¦the bathroom?" Dick repeated.
"Yes," Raven smiled.
"So you're notā"
"No."
"You really aren't dramatically abandoning me to the storm?"
She raised a brow. "Wasn't planning on it."
He groaned, dropping his forehead to her shoulder. "Wow. I completely misread that entire situation."
"You did."
"I've been reading through Jason's Shakespeare collection," he muttered.
"I can tell," Raven said, smiling. "You gave a ten out of ten performance."
"Right," he said as he slowly, sheepishly released her, hands sliding reluctantly from her waist. "I'llā¦ uhā¦ keep the bed warm."
"My hero," she said fondly, slipping free and padding toward the bathroom. She paused at the door, glancing back at him. "Try not to miss me while I embark on this treacherous journey."
"I'll try," he played along. "No promises."
She shook her head, fond smile lingering, and disappeared into the bathroom.
When she returned moments later, he was sprawled dramatically across the bed, arm flung over his eyes like a fallen tragedian. "You were gone far too long," he said mournfully.
Raven climbed back into bed without comment, settling against him, fitting easily into the space she'd left behind. "There, there" she said. "Crisis resolved."
He wrapped his arms around her immediately. "You came back."
"I told you I would."
He smiled into her hair, warm and content. "Good. Because babyā¦"
"Yes?"
"It's still cold outside."
She smiled, eyes closing. "You're getting cheesier and more dramatic with age."
"It's part of my charm."
Haley chose that moment to yip in annoyance.
"Alright, alright," Dick chuckled, shifting just enough to give the dog room. "We'll be quiet now. So bossy."
"Merry Christmas, Dick," Raven murmured, already drifting, comforted by warmth and certainty.
"Merry Christmas, Raven."
Outside, the storm raged on; but inside, no one was going anywhere.
-the links below are for one-shots with damirae and timrae
-Robrae is the ship with the most Slice of Life stories on average.
-The ships with the most Omegaverse stories are: Jaydick (996), Sladick (267), Brudick (245) and Dicktim (178).
-The ships with the most stories tagged with anal sex are: Jaydick (863), Sladick (333), Brudick (272) and Damidick (169).
-The ships with the most fluff content are: Jaydick (849) and Birdflash (823).
-Sladick is the second ship with the highest number of Bottom Dick stories (136), with a percentage difference of 135.89% compared to the stories labeled as Top Dick (26).
-Jaydick is the ship with the highest number of Top Dick stories (348), with a percentage difference of 33.57% compared to the stories labeled Bottom Dick (248).
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