Demons (Damirae)

Chapter Thirty-Five

Moments passed before their lips parted, swollen from the intimate contact. Pulling her head back, Raven regarded Damian with the intensity of both a thousand suns and a safety flame, hands still at his cheeks.

An unfamiliar look flittered across Raven's eyes, sparking confusion in Damian.

"What? What is it?", he murmured, brow knitting.

Raven's lips lifted, "Nothing, just...", she withdrew her hands, letting them fall to her lap, "this seems surreal."

Somehow finding a sensation of incompleteness overcoming him at the loss of her touch, Damian brought a hand up to the side of her face, brushing a free streak of hair away.

"It does, doesn't it?", he agreed. "Recalling our first time of meeting- roughly two and a half years ago, if I'm correct- we didn't exactly 'get along' as the phrase stands.", Damian scoffed, reminiscing.

Smirking, Raven teased, "That's for sure- how could anyone get along with that?"

"Tt. How rude of you.", Damian played along, feigning hurt.

"Aw, are your feelings okay? I'm only teasing.", she grinned, patting his hand in mock sympathy, before shivering violently.

Holy Mother of Azarath, it's cold!

Concern flaring, Damian offered, "We ought to go back inside, at this height and taking in to account the season, it's far too cold to stay up here for so long a time."

"Sure."

***

"So, as I was saying, you were an entitled brat with a superiority complex the size of-"

"Tt. I think we've revised this point for long enough.", Damian rolled his eyes as Raven snickered.

Sitting cross-legged besides him on the bed, Raven decided that she'd poked enough fun at him for the time being, "I suppose. Still, it's a wonder how things have changed- I mean, Dick and Kori and getting married and having a baby."

Damian idly trailed a hand down the wood leg of his bed thoughts drifting over the upcoming union, "They haven't decided on a date for the wedding- or had an engagement party yet- have they?"

Raven contemplated, "No... I don't believe so, though Kori did mention wanting to be married before the baby is born. That gives us about a five month time frame."

He hummed nonchalantly, "Right, the baby is almost four months now. We sensed it's presence at three months- when the embryo gains its own life force.", almost talking to himself.

"Damian?", Raven prodded, mildly worried.

Startled, Damian shot up, "Wha- yes- what happened?!"

Soothing him, she explained, "You were lost in thought. Are you okay?"

Eyes finding the hand that rested on his arm in reassurance, Damian pried it off, securing the hand in his. Sending Raven an affirmative nod, he centred himself on their point of contact: their hands.

"Raven,", he began, "If life had given you the opportunity, would you have a child or children?"

A bittersweet smile adorning her lips, Raven answered as truthfully as she could bear, sighing, "If life had given me the opportunity... then probably yes- but who knows what would have happened in the future.", as an afterthought, she asked, "How did you know?"

Damian's eyes lingered on her abdomen for a moment, "Magic as dark as that leaves a mark, as you know. I can feel it."

A ribbon of moonlight streamed in through a gap in the curtains, on the precipice of being overthrown by the yellowish glow of the room's lights. Sight falling to the pale light on the floor coming from the window, Damian's thoughts turned to the others in the Manor.