@loycos - sorry this took so long. I owe you something else as an apology! I hope it’s enjoyed though.
Raven took a long, deep breath, letting it out slowly as she stared up at the ceiling of her room. Outside the wind rushed across the desert rock, knocking bits of it around and flicking it against her house with little ticks. Grandpa had fallen asleep hours ago, and the TV was left on in the living room, a rerun of a talk show from several months ago still playing. It was surprisingly calm and peaceful. She might even say that it felt almost… normal.
Almost.
She shifted in her bed and her hand fell across a quickly-cooling hot spot on her sheets, one that smelled sweetly of something floral and fresh - like freesia. Her fingertips traced the mark where Kory had rested, and her mind raced through a million different things she had never considered before. Like the way her flame-colored hair rested against Raven’s cheek and how it felt like soft, downy feathers. Or the way the scent of freesia made her heart skip a beat, twisting wildly in her chest. Or how seeing another girl in her clothes could make Raven feel as though she were simultaneously melting and exploding at the same time. None of these were things that never really mattered before, and now they simply did.
Raven sat up, the bed creaking with the movement, and looked out the window at the myriad of stars that speckled the sky. She could see the glittering slash of the Milky Way that sparkled like light reflected in the waves of a river. It was peaceful and known, and there was something comforting in its normalcy. It felt like her life was spiraling out of control faster than she could react, and there was nothing she could really do but cross her fingers and let herself hope for the best and simply fall.
A soft tune broke through the crack in her window, haunting and a little forlorn. The notes echoes through the silence of the room, reverberating off Raven’s thoughts until it felt as if she was filled with the sound. The melody was off, as if it was supposed to be a lullaby but the notes were all scrambled. Raven closed her eyes and listened, hearing the wisp of breath trail after the the broken, foreign. Her heart twisted in her chest as if wounded, and her hands dug into the folds of the comforter needing something to cling to if only so she could keep herself grounded.
Kory…
Taking a deep breath, Raven swung her legs over the side of the bed and shimmied into a pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt that still had the scent of freesia clinging to it. Her cheeks flushed, and Raven pressed her hand against her heart, hoping for just a moment that it might quiet down, but it didn’t. It was trembling under her touch, vibrating and jumping as if her heart were familiar with all the subtle tones of Kory’s scent. She chewed her lower lip and took another deep breath, this time trying to calm her nerves.
Raven opened her door, and padded out of the house and into the yard in the front of her house. For a moment, she almost thought she was seeing things. Kory was sprawled out over the picnic table, her hair splayed over the dry, cracked wood, staring up into the sky. Her eyes were wide and green, catching the thin light of the stars above her, and her skin was glowing. There was a subtle brightness to her, a pink hue of bioluminescence that filled the inky darkness around her with light.
Raven thought she looked like an angel.
Kory lifted her head just enough to turn towards her, eyes widening just a little before a smile split her lips. Raven felt glued to the spot, watching as Kory’s skin lit up like a setting sun. Her heart leapt into her throat, picking up speed as it thumped and thundered through her pulse. She shoved her hands in her sweatshirt pocket if only to hide them from Kory’s curious stare.
“You’re… still awake?”
Her smile brightened even more and she sat up, swinging her legs over the edge of the table. Her bare feet dangled above the ground, toes wiggling as a soft, delicate chuckle escaped her throat. It reminded Raven of wind chimes in a rain storm - the sound beautiful, even if it was a little off.
“Stars.” Kory lifted her hand and pointed to the slash of pale light above her head. Her hair tumbled over her shoulder in silk waves of red-gold lighting up with the bright shade of her skin. “Stars so… different.”
“Do you remember… what the stars were like on Tameran, I mean. It's been so long since you were there and-” Raven stopped herself before she crossed a line she shouldn't cross and said something undeniably stupid and rude. But sometimes, even Raven had trouble keeping her mind and her mouth working together. Raven felt like Kory made her lose all control of her thoughts and actions. She was blindingly beautiful, and so unabashedly herself that felt a bit like Raven was crumpling from the inside out. Her hands shook again and Raven tightened her fists within the pocket on her sweatshirt, taking deep, slow breaths.
Kory seemed unfazed by Raven's question and she shrugged. “Some memories… hazy. Not there.” Her stare lifted to the stars again, lips pulling back into a soft slash of a smile. “But stars… stars important. Stars make me remember.”
Raven thought her heart was going to burst from her chest, and she was helpless against the breathy and embarrassingly girlish squeak that escaped. Starfire turned and looked at her again, which made the beating only worse. With careful, shaking steps, Raven inched closer to the picnic table Kory was lounging on, until her fingertips slid against the wood. She could feel her name carved into the tabletop, a brand left when she was young and impetuous, but now it seemed entirely different. It almost seemed to say: This is Raven's.
Her eyes met Kory’s and her face burned bright red. Raven's sweater looked strange on Kory - the hood was falling over her shoulder, with the hem riding up to show a slash of that soft, ruby skin. The skin that looked like a brush of thick, expensive satin. Raven’s fingers itched to touch her, to know what it would be like to dip her fingers in that little divot of her bellybutton, to hear Kory let go of a little sigh of…
Raven slammed the door on those thoughts before they ran away from her and she was unable to get them back. It was one thing to think of those things in private, but it was a whole different animal to think of them in front of Kory herself. Raven swallowed another wave of emotions and lifted herself to sit on top of the picnic table, positioning herself next to Kory’s head. A few strands of Kory’s hair brushed against Raven's thigh and Raven questioned if this was what heaven was like - this moment of beautiful peace where she was so close to a girl she was falling head-over-heels for. If this was heaven, she didn’t think she could ever leave.
“There. Home there…” Kory lifted her hand and pointed to a fleck of light that was barely visible in the endless black of the sky. She paused for a long moment, her hand falling to her side, and Raven could see the silent question flicker through her eyes, as if Kory was no longer sure that really was her home anymore. “...perhaps.”
Her voice fell, the usually joyful chime disintegrating into a hum of sadness doubt. Raven felt her heart twist again, but now for a completely different reason. She didn't want Kory to know pain in the way that humans did, but she knew that there was no escaping it. Kory had no real home anymore. She was ripped from her parents arms, forced to leave her planet, sent halfway across the galaxy, and here she had spent the remainder her youth being used for experiments that made Raven feel like she might be sick. It wasn’t fair. True, Raven’s life hadn’t exactly been easy either, but she had made it through… well enough at least.
Raven let her hand fall to Kory’s hair, running her fingers through the silk as she stared up at the stars. For a moment, here in the darkness of the exact middle of nowhere, surrounded only by darkness and stars, with Kory’s head practically in her lap, Raven felt strangely content. Happy was one thing, but this? This was infinitely more. It seemed that there was nothing that could take away this moment, and Raven let a soft sigh escape her lips, her hand sliding down Kory’s hair to rest against her shoulder.
It felt like an eternity slid by in silence, the occasional sound of wildlife and the soft push of breeze were the only sounds that broke their silence.
“Home.”
Raven glanced down at Kory to find her shifting closer, placing her head in Raven’s lap. Her fingers tangled in Raven’s sweatpants, sending little shocks of burning-white heat through the thick fabric. Raven felt like she was about to disintegrate, and her body was going to burst into flames before falling into the darkness around them. Her heart slammed against her ribs, watching with bated breath and Kory lifted her warm hand to Raven’s cheek, sliding her fingertips down the curve of her face. Raven swallowed and tried to focus on the flecks of gold in Kory’s too-green eyes.
“Home.” Kory’s voice was insistent now, as if she were trying to convey something that Raven was a little too dense to realize.
“Home?” Raven shifted and glanced up at the stars, trying to understand what she was saying.
“Home.” Kory sat up, swinging her legs under her as she leaned closer to Raven. “You home.”
Raven made that embarrassing squeak again and her eyes widened, hands falling to her sides as Kory leaned closer to her. Kory pressed her forehead against Raven’s, her loose hair falling around them like a curtain to shield them from the world. Raven held her breath, absolutely sure that if she even breathed the wrong way, this moment would disappear forever. Instead she sat there, drenched in the soft glow of Kory’s skin, looking into eyes that reminded Raven of far-away nebulae close to another world she could barely pronounce.
Kori leaned closer, her nose brushing just a little against Raven’s. She smelled of freesia, bright and floral… heavenly. Raven closed her eyes and leaned closer, her hands resting over Kory’s as the world vanished around them.
“Home.” Kory’s voice was softer now, barely above a whisper, but it held every ounce of emotion she could convey. “You home.”
Raven nodded. “You’re my home too.”
Kory’s breath ghosted over her lips, curling around the sensitive skin as if it were trying to brand Raven. Raven twitched and she leaned closer, opening her mouth just enough to taste the slash of air between them.
There was a minute where nothing happened and time was simply suspended.
And then Raven moved.
She pressed her lips to Kory’s, her hands slipping over the curve of Kory’s arms before burying into her hair. Kory let go of a noise that was almost a sigh, almost a moan, and her hands wrapped tightly around Raven. The embrace was just a bit awkward, as if Kory didn’t quite know what she was doing, but knew that she enjoyed it. She enjoyed the press of a woman against her, the brush of love that neither of them could fully figure out, and the excitement of knowing that this was hers. Raven knew that’s what she was feeling, because she was feeling it too.
Kory made another little noise and she pulled Raven closer, her mouth now moving in swift, needy kisses. She was struggling to control her alien strength, as if one loose push from her emotions would crush Raven, but Raven didn’t care. She couldn’t. Not now, at least. Not when she had her arms wrapped around Kory, and her lips sealed tightly against her own. Not when it felt like the universe was suddenly a thousand times brighter. The world was glowing with star fire, burning with all the light of a million suns.
Gasping and shaking, Raven pulled back just a little to look into Kory’s eyes.
Kory chased after her lips with a Tameranean curse falling between them, but Raven stopped her by pressing her hand over Kory’s heart. She stopped and watched Raven with a curious expression, and Kory’s hands slid down Raven’s back to her hips, as if to pin her to this moment.
Raven’s thumb rubbed a slow, soft circle over Kory’s heart, and she gave a sheepish smile. “Home.”
Kory lit up, her skin glowing even brighter than before illuminating the small yard around them. She pulled Raven closer, nuzzling her head under the curve of her jaw and resting her ear against Raven’s heart. Warmth filled them both, and Kory could do nothing more but practically sing with excitement.
After months on the run from the twisted project that created them, Cyborg, Terra, Beast Boy and Garth are near their breaking point, barely surviving on what they can steal, squatting in the ruins of an abandoned subdivision. But as they reach their lowest ebb, their creator, Dr. Niles Caulder, is ready to make his move…and they’re about to learn that they weren’t the only kids to go through Caulder’s twisted process! There are more children with powers out there, and unlike our heroes, they were raised for only one purpose—to be the living weapons Caulder wants ALL his Titans to be!
