Signs of Spring: Male Reade x Summer Rose x Raven Branwen

Chapter VII: Love and War

Raven always made sure to put great care into her appearance each morning, first impressions start with outward appearances after all. Today however, she had spent much more time than usual readying herself for the day. Her hair was much neater than it usually was, the normal stray strands wet down and joining the collective which neatly flowed in a wavelike pattern down her back. Being blessed by the gods with natural beauty, Raven didn't normally wear makeup. Today however, she had applied a very minimal amount to enhance her already stunning features. A thin amount of foundation and just a hint of eyeshadow to make her red orbs pop. A subtle rouge lipstick was applied which she hoped would draw (F/N)'s attention to her lips.

Entering her first class of the day, the many turning heads when she stepped through the door confirmed that she had achieved the desired effect. The girls were throwing her envious looks as the boys mouths hung open, essentially drooling over her. With a smug look, Raven took her seat and patiently awaited (F/N)'s arrival. Five minutes until the bell and Raven was beginning to grow impatient. After the amount of work, she had put into looking good for him and he didn't even have the decency to admire it. As the bell rang her annoyance turned to confusion. Where could (F/N) possibly be? It wasn't like him to miss class. By the time the bell rang several hours later, Raven was absolutely livid. Not only had (F/N) been absent, so had her teammate, Summer Rose. It didn't take long for Raven to come to the obvious conclusion, that Summer had seduced (F/N) and they were no doubt wrapped in each other's arms in some secluded corner of the school, or worse still, his bedroom. It seemed Raven had drastically underestimated her friend turned rival.

As Beacon's classes broke for lunch and the halls filled with chattering students making their way to the cafeteria, Raven instead made a beeline path for the dormitories, hoping against hope that she wasn't too late. That Summer hadn't beaten her to... that. Just thinking about anyone else having (F/N) made Raven's face flush a dark red, her pace quickening. Sure enough, when she threw open the door to (F/N)'s room she was greeted with a sight that made her nostrils flare. There was (F/N), shirtless, with his arms wrapped around Summer, whose head was buried in (F/N)'s toned chest.

Raven released an involuntary snarl, baring her teeth as she observed their entangled legs. The noise caused Summer's wolf ears to twitch, and it wasn't long after that the two were roused from their peaceful slumber. Both (F/N)'s and Summer's eyes shot open upon seeing Raven glaring down at them, and they quickly scrambled out of the bed.

"Raven, it isn't what it looks like." Summer says quickly.

"Oh really?" Raven scoffs.

"Nothing happened Raven." (F/N) piped up, struggling to quickly put on some clothes. "Summer and I just slept together, that's all."

Raven snarled again, her fingernails beginning to sharpen into claws.

"I-I mean... uh, there's no right way to say this."

"What (F/N) is trying to say," Summer says, giving (F/N) and exasperated look, "is that we were tired, so we fell asleep in his bed, that's all."

"And what were you doing in his bed?" Raven asked.

"Nothing." Summer says a little too quickly. Raven glares at her, causing Summer to falter. "Well, maybe something. It was just a little kiss, that's all. Okay, so maybe more than a little. Quite a bit more. Okay, so a lot of kissing. We kissed a lot."

(F/N), sensing that Raven was about to lose it, did the only thing he could think of to prevent her from going off on Summer. He kissed her. Grabbing her unexpectedly around the waist, he turned her away from Summer and pressed his lips against hers, eliciting a small gasp of surprise which quickly turned into a small moan of pleasure as (F/N)'s lips slowly moved against her own. Despite his lack of experience, (F/N) was an absolutely phenomenal kisser. If Summer hadn't been present, Raven might have thrown him on the bed and had her way with him right then and there. Instead, she gave a small whimper of displeasure when he pulled away.

"You free tonight?" (F/N) asked.

"Y-Yes." Raven replied breathlessly and somewhat confused, her mind still lagging a few seconds behind, lingering on the kiss.

"Then it's a date."

Time Skip:

Raven didn't return from her date with (F/N) until just before midnight. Judging from the subtle smile that remained on her lips for the remainder of the night, as well as her humming lightly to herself, a far cry from her normal stoic, unsmiling attitude, Summer assumed that her date with (F/N) had gone exceptionally well. While Summer was happy for her friend, she was also a little unsettled. Up until then, Summer had had the upper hand in their little war, having actually gone on a legitimate date with (F/N). Now the two of them were on even footing. It was strange, fighting with one of your best friends for the same man's affection. Summer wanted her friend to be happy, but at the same time it directly opposed her own, as the happier Raven got suggested the closer she had gotten with (F/N), something Summer desperately wanted to prevent. What was even stranger was the fact that (F/N) was completely aware of their competing for his affections. It would have been easy competing over a completely oblivious individual, as the one they preferred would be painfully evident. However, the fact that (F/N) was aware of their intentions, as well as him being a perfect gentlemen, meant he did not pick favorites, which only served to complicate the matters.

Over the next few weeks, Summer and Raven engaged in a series of convoluted, if not somewhat humorous battles for (F/N)'s attention. Their methods of attracting (F/N) varied greatly. While Summer played the role of the sweet adorable girlfriend, pampering (F/N) with gifts of home baked sweets and soft kisses on the cheek, Raven preferred a more direct approach, appealing to (F/N)'s more primitive mind.

In the middle of seducing (F/N) late one night, dressed in revealing clothing while alone with him in his room, Summer stumbled through the door, her hair a bushy mess as she held her tail to her chest. Raven was so angry she barely heard what Summer had said, something about having had a nightmare. What Raven had hoped to be a passionate night of love making instead turned into a night of comforting Summer. Draping one arm around her shoulder, (F/N) laid on his bed with her while she nuzzled into his side, adorably falling asleep while clinging to his waist. (F/N) gave Raven an apologetic look before she stormed from his room and back to her own.

Feeling that Raven was gaining a slight edge, Summer had made (F/N) promise to spend some time were her over the upcoming weekend, to which he happily agreed. Summer enjoyed spending her time with (F/N) cuddled up together on a couch while watching romantic movies and feeding each other her most recent recipe. A large blanket wrapped around each other, Summer and (F/N) giggled as they fed each other chocolate covered strawberries from a bowl on the table in front of them. (F/N) enjoyed them because they were delicious, the perfect blend of fruity and choclately. Summer enjoyed them because they often got chocolate around their mouths or on their fingers which they would lick or kiss off one another, allowing her to be more physical with (F/N) while still being appropriate. Summer was just about to place another strawberry in (F/N)'s open mouth when she noticed his eyes start to wander on a point just behind her, followed shortly by his head and then the rest of his body. Turning, she saw Raven sauntering by, swaying her hips intentionally with every step she took, giving (F/N) a very pointed look. Scowling, Summer grabbed (F/N) by the chin and refocused his attention on her, causing him to blush in embarrassment.

Raven and Summer's battle for (F/N)'s affection didn't go unnoticed by the students of Beacon. (F/N), who was once a simple face in a sea of faces, was now the main topic of the Beacon rumor mill. The girls often speculated that for him to have caught both the eyes of Raven Branwen and Summer Rose, that he must have a seriously large pet snake (which wasn't necessarily untrue). Occasionally they would whisper about getting in on the action themselves, see if the rumors were true. Meanwhile the guys threw (F/N) large grins often accompanied by a thumbs up, or else dark glares rooted in envy and faces that clearly read 'what's he got that I don't have?'. While (F/N) wasn't necessarily averse to the new attention, he was growing weary of girls cornering him, asking if they could see it, and guys begging him to tell them, in detail, about what Summer and Raven were like in bed. Every time (F/N)'s answer would be the same, "If I were you, I wouldn't want Raven to have heard me. Now please leave me alone and refrain from requesting such things in the future, for your own safety."