driftfleet | (no subject)

Mm, no, this is just for you. [ Raven grins, even as Hank does his very best to attempt to be offended. All she can do is grin and kiss him again, tilting her body up and close against his, basking in it for a moment. Maybe there are other first mates and captains that are dating, but she's sure they wouldn't compare to her and Hank. They're too good a team, even if it might be a little bit of her own pride talking.

Moving back, she tugs him to one side, so they can relax together - and she tilts her head up to look at the roof where Hank was hanging, fighting her laugh. ]

He really did feel awful about it, you know. He honestly thought you were there because you were a mutant, not because you were a super genius mutant.

[ But, you know... That's how it always went with telepathy. ]

Did I ever tell you how the CIA found out about my mutation?

That's good. Otherwise, I might have to do something about it. [he thinks they make a good team too, and even if it's biased somewhat there's fact in there, too. The way they both think and fight, when it's necessary - it blends together in a way that works better than most. They might not see eye to eye on some things, but they're also the type to talk it out, rather than argue.

Another thing attributed to being apart for so long.

He hums in faint amusement and shakes his head, a bit wry] I thought I was going to introduce him to a few of my inventions and be done with it. I wasn't expecting to get involved past that. [and then, dryly] You do know my "genius" is connected to my mutation, right?

But - no, you didn't. How'd they find out?

Oh, really? [ Normally, Raven thinks she might not be able to handle the idea of someone fighting for her, or being at all possessive over her, but when it comes to Hank... He understands her, and he's letting her go, one day, when she needs to have her space. That's what makes her know that she's meant to be with him; she's with someone who understands her limits and accepts her for who she is, and she'd never imagined having that before.

They talk, they discuss, they bring things up, they kiss and they go to bed together without anger. It works.

Even when he speaks she shakes her head, waving a hand. ] You're still a genius, Hank. It doesn't matter how it happened, it's just how it is. You know Charles was absolutely delighted by all the things you had to offer - it was a little bit annoying, since I wanted you all to myself.

[ Shaking her head, Raven hums absently. ]

They refused to believe Charles was a telepath so I stood up and transformed into one of them.

Really. [it's a joke, of course, because he knows it'd never happen. He knows she loves him, and as much as they joke about it he's not worried about her finding someone else. They've managed to find their own little space here, just for them, and the routine they've created works for them. It all works, even when something threatens to break the routine.

He huffs a little noise, nose wrinkling] I'm just pointing it out. [he ducks his head a bit, looking off to the side] I still spent a lot of time with you, though.

[he stares at her for a moment before he bursts out laughing] My boss told me something had happened but he never told me what. You really did that?

That sounds exciting. [ It's all a bit of a tease and a game more than anything else and she and Hank both know it. She might fight for mutants and be violent when necessary, threatening to kill the people that have done so much harm (she still can't look at Tyrion, still doesn't dare seek him out to apologise for her rudeness) but she knows that she doesn't want to fight, not really. Just because she's prepared for it doesn't mean it's something she's actively searching for, no matter what.

Grinning, she nods her head, pleased. ] You spent time with me because you wanted to get groovy with my blood. At least at first, anyway. [ She kisses his cheek because she knows that he wanted to be around her for her, too, and it's when she leans back that she shrugs a shoulder absently. ]

Of course I did. They were going to kick us out and Charles really, really wanted to make it work, to figure out everything that was going on and to help Moira. It was the only thing I could think of to do.

Not really. [he's much the same; he doesn't want to fight and he never will, unless he has to. Unless something comes along to threaten what he cares about. And he's already admitted to her that he doesn't think hope is all it takes, anymore. How ready he is, though, is not something he wants to find out.

The noise he makes this time is a little incredulous, and edged with just a bit of flustering] I didn't - want to get groovy with anything, even if you had said no, I would've - still wanted to spend time with you. [he doesn't think he's ever even used the word "groovy" in his life until just now]

Geez . . . that would do it. [he'd only ever met a handful of the men in that room, but he can see why she would've had to prove it to them]

[ At least things are relatively peaceful here; Charles and Erik had been banged up, but it hadn't been entirely their fault. Raven knows that if something like that were to happen to her she definitely wouldn't take it half as well as her brother did, and it still prickles at her, leaving her a little bit frustrated. Even now he was too good, too unwilling to fight... But maybe he'd had enough of fighting too. He'd been in another world, and she knew about that place now.

Maybe he was as tired as she was.

Her focus returns to Hank and she grins, shaking her head even as she wraps her arms around him. ] I know that. I knew it the whole time, even if Erik seemed to want to make it his mission to mess with us. I wouldn't give just anyone my blood, Hank.

[ Shaking her head, she moves, resting against him with a small smile. ]

They were just stupid men anyway. They treated Moira like crap.

[it's a fond memory, at least, even though it lead to something far less pleasant down the road. He remembers how nervous he had been, asking this beautiful girl such an odd question, and being prepared to get shut down immediately. He had been so enchanted by her and her simple compliment, though, and how nice she had been to him, that it really was the only thing that made him go for it in the first place.

Even when he had regrets about what happened, that wasn't one of them. Even if Erik had ruined the moment]

Well that's - a good thing, I think. [he huffs a little] At least he doesn't try to mess with us now.

[he'd give Erik the same treatment he gives Charles - which is being mature and throwing things at him]

Mmm, I'm not surprised. I wasn't too fond of the ones I had the chance to meet.

[ Thinking about how far they'd come is odd and strange, seeing how they'd stumbled into this relationship. It's something miraculous, and not something she'd ever have thought possible for them before she'd woken up here on the fleet... But here they were. Here they are. It warms her, and it makes her feel so good to think they've found a place together, even in the middle of all of this.

She's glad that they'd changed and grown together. She's glad that they've found one another. There aren't really any other words for it. ]

If he did I'd make him get lost. He only did it because he thought it was funny. [ Psst. And he'd commented on her mutation, but that sort of confidence boost was a story of years before. She doesn't need Erik for that anymore. ] He's grown up too.

[ Shaking her head, she sighs. ]

It's a good thing Charles broke away from them. They wouldn't have done anything good with his mutation.

If he did it now, he forgets that I can turn around and do the same thing to him and Charles. [fight immaturity with immaturity, even if he'd be risking seeing things he didn't want to see. Things he's already seen, unfortunately.

He makes a wry noise] He's grown up, but he's just as bad as the rest of us.

[he had proof.

But the thought of remaining with the CIA and what would have happened is a somewhat sobering thought. After everything in Cuba he'd left and taken his plans and notes on Cerebro with him, more because it would benefit Charles more than the government. But after everything he'd learned happened over the years . . . he's more and more glad that they didn't stay]

No, they wouldn't have. [he finally says] I'm glad I left to stay with him instead.

... That's true. He wouldn't dare risk it when he knows we know where he lives. [ It's strange to think that she and Hank can tease Charles and Erik, but it comes hand in hand with the knowledge that her brother is happy... And isn't that enough? It doesn't matter who he's wish, and the fact that it's Erik doesn't really get to her anymore. She's just glad he's different from the man she'd seen in Paris and Washington.

They're all comfortable enough to act a little silly, and isn't that good too? ]

We all have our moments, don't we?

[ The idea of them all staying with the CIA... It seems impossible. It seems impossible to her that Erik would have ever gone back to work with them, and even Charles realised that it wasn't viable for their little mutant community, or for the school Charles wanted. It wouldn't work with the US Government breathing down their neck.

Breathing out, she turns her head and smiles softly. ]

I'm glad you stayed with him too.

[if they didn't act silly every now and then, he thinks, or without some sense of humor, the world would find a way to crush them. He'd learned that quickly enough in Kyriakos, and it had helped when his memories had really started coming back. When he remembered deaths and fights and instead of dwelling on it he cracked jokes with teenaged girls who wouldn't let him mope, even if he wanted to]

Some more than others. [and that's directed at himself; he's the worst offender and he knows it.

He meets her smile with one of his own, and he can't help but shrug. Charles had needed him, even if he had never said it, and Hank knew he had nowhere else to go. Home, maybe, but he hadn't been there in years] Mm, so am I.

[he'd never regretted staying, not even after the school had closed and they'd spent the rest of those years miserable]

[ Raven has lived long enough alone and sad that she thinks she craves happiness and the desire to cling to the good and avoid the horrors; she had been afraid for so long that she would never feel anything like this again, she had been so worried that all the good in her had been stripped away, and now... Now she has a little more relief. Now she feels a little more content, and it makes her happier, especially when she can spend her time with Hank. ]

That's what makes them great moments, though, isn't it? [ Not that Raven minds; she likes Hank having his moments. It makes him who he is.

She knows that Charles had needed Hank, and that Hank had stepped up and taken the place of all the people that Charles had lost - Alex, Sean, herself, Erik... He'd had so much pressure on his shoulders and somehow he'd survived. Raven wishes she'd been there, but at the same time she knows it would never have worked. It wasn't right for any of them.

Softening, she smiles, nudging their noses together and wrapping her arms around his neck. ]

You're wonderful.

[Hank had felt similar, at one point; if everything that had happened was enough to crush Charles' hope, to drive him to drink and abuse the serum and basically turn his own home into some glorified prison that they both locked themselves up in, then he certainly saw no point into hanging onto his own hopes. He still remembers telling Logan - "There's no professor here" - and the heavy significance of it. How it technically hadn't been a lie.

In their world, it had only been months ago. He wonders if Logan knew just how much he had accomplished in his short trip to the past]

More or less. [he grins a little at her. They all have their moments.

He leans down so she can hug him a little better, blinking widely at what she says. Another compliment, and she gives him so many that he has no idea what to do any of them. And he certainly doesn't know how to accept them gracefully, if at all.

So this time, he just makes a vague noise, so she knows he heard her, and kisses her briefly]

[ Raven is used to Hank now, how he accepts compliments, how he allows her things and lets her take from him, and sometimes she thinks she ought to feel bad about it - about how much she lays at his feet, giving him compliments and her heart and all her confidence even as he feels like he doesn't deserve it. Raven wants him to understand how much he does deserve it, how much he should be praised and celebrated for all that he's done and everything that he is... But it's hard to put into words.

All she wants is to love him. To support him. It's strange, to want it all over again, and she hesitates each time the words tumble from her lips. ]

More or less. [ Raven shakes her head, drawing him closer and squeezing her arms around him, hands stroking through his hair. When she leans back she shifts so she can press her forehead against his chin, closing her eyes and smiling. ]

I spoke to Charles about the photos.

[compliments are still so hard to accept, even with how much he's been working on. Raven gives him so much and he feels like what he gives her in return pales in comparison. The planet had helped, it spoke for him when he couldn't find the words, but they were no longer there. It was back to floundering for responses he weren't sure were the right ones, and compliments he couldn't make himself accept.

But he was working on it. He was trying.

He sighs quietly and tightens his arms around her, but the pang of guilt is there and gone when she speaks up again. He makes a curious noise]

Yeah? What did he say?

I managed to convince him.

[ Which was more than Charles accepted straight away and she's playing it up, but, of course. She can't help herself, and she tilts her head up, looking at him even as she settles close to him, watching his face. It's easy to lose herself looking at him, looking at this wonderful, charming man she loves, and she knows that he can't accept it easily. So she'll accept it for the both of them.

Tilting back, she grins, nudging her nose against his jaw and pressing a kiss against the skin there. ]

We said we'd take, oh, about a thousand. And then we'd print some out for his locket, too.

[ Her gaze flicks up and she tries to manage her smile. ]

How does that sound?

You make it sound like you had to twist his arm.

[he can tell she's watching him and he pretends not to notice, even as he leans into her kiss. He's been noticing that more and more lately, the way she looks at him. It's . . . both hard to accept and something he cherishes, and despite that he'd never tell her to stop. Just like he doesn't stop her compliments.

He huffs out a laugh and kisses her forehead]

I have a feeling I don't have a say no matter how I answer that.

I am very good at getting my own way.

[ Raven leans into the kiss, tilting her head up, her arm around his body before she leans back, resting her forehead on his. It gives her the space to press little kisses against his mouth as she listens to him, trying to distract him a little, but then she shifts back so she can look at him when she speaks. It's only fair.

... And, again, he's too adorable. It makes her chest warm and her cheeks flush, and she's glad she's blue so he can't quite see it. ]

You could say no, if you really wanted to.

I may have noticed that.

[they're very lucky no one's walked past yet and broken up this little moment they've stolen, he thinks. And it certainly helps that Raven is a very good distraction, even if he has an ear out in case someone does happen by.

He makes a show of considering, before he grins, lopsided]

I could, but I don't think I want to.

[ Both of them are far too aware of their surroundings to be caught out, she thinks; they always are. Raven might trust the Blameless a little more than any other ship, but that doesn't mean she's completely blind to the fact that she's blue and, sometimes, a little bit naked. True, she's taken to wearing clothes so that she's not completely bare, but - there are some habits that are hard to break.

It's not like it matters in front of Hank anyway. ]

Are you sure? I'm going to take so many pictures.

[ She leans up, shifting to just... Cuddle into him happily. ]

Your camera will get full up.

[it doesn't matter to him, and - he pretty much forgets that she is, he's so used to it. Were she walking around in her "Raven" form naked, well, that would be an entirely story. And he certainly trusts their crew, too, but he knows that if they get caught - it'd be nothing but teasing. So, so much teasing.

Which - well, it could be a lot worse]

The only pictures I've taken are the ones I took on our date.

[he shrugs] As long as I'm allowed to print some out, you can fill it up.

[ Raven can handle a bit of teasing, but she knows it's not exactly the same for Hank - it's not something he's used to, especially not about a romantic relationship. She focusses on him instead, on leaning close and trying to hide just how happy she is - because everything feels like it's just fitting into place. Hank and Charles and photos, how she's going to try and convince Erik, her happiness, even the promises of the future.

It all just works. ]

Then we definitely need to take some more.

[ Not just together, but of other things, too. ]

We'll have to get an album. I promised Charles.

[she can try to hide how happy she is, but he can tell. The way she presses and leans closer, the tone of her voice - it's little things like that he's learned to pick up on, to figure out what kind of moods she's in. At this point, he'd happily put up with some uncomfortable teasing for her.

He makes a considering noise, and tugs her just close enough for him to rest his chin on the top of her head]

I'll have to ask Winn how he made his printer, then. I can't keep asking him to print things off for me.

[a quiet laugh] You promised, hm? We could make one. It might be easier than trying to find one.

[ Little things like this - it reminds her of all her wayward thoughts when she'd settled with Hank on the planet, how much they'd shared in such a brief time. She hadn't touched anyone as often as she'd touched him, and the things and emotions that had passed between them had been terrifying in their marvel... And she knows that she's not the only one who remembers as Hank rests his head atop hers, her arms moving to wrap around him, under his arms.

She's happy here, just like this, and she thinks he's more than aware. Hank knows her, and that's as comforting as it is terrifying - but it's not the same sort of 'knowing' that Charles thought he had. This is borne of an understanding that they both knew, and it soothes her worries as easily as they come. ]

We don't have to print them all out, and we can keep them on our devices for a long time, at least. That's the good thing.

[ Smiling, she squeezes him gently. ]

Maybe next time we stop we can get some things.