LOVE + FEAR | Damirae

LOVE

Raven watched in horror as the embodiment of Love cornered the first friend she ever made. The one who had taken her in. The one who willingly ate (even went so far as to compliment) her horrible cooking. The very first to make Raven feel at home.

Kory.

Raven wanted to scream but a numbness had taken over. She was frozen on the spot. Fear coursed through her veins.

How could anyone see love as pure and beautiful when its true form could be so ghastly?

The branches swayed with the caress of the breeze. Leaves fluttered as they moved in correlation with Ivy who swung down on vines.

The green limbs placed Ivy down gently on the bone-white bark. She looked at Raven. "Let's finish this. Need a lift?"

Damian's hand tightened around Raven's. She gave his a comforting squeeze back. Play nice.

Raven let go.

Damian's emotions followed even as she stepped away, a blanket draped over her shoulders. It was comforting in a way, even feeling his worry. His emotions didn't force themselves upon her like countless others: they were just...present. A small sign that he was near, alive and well.

Ivy took Raven's unclaimed hand. They stepped off the branch and cut across the air. Bottomless eternity loomed above and beneath them.

"Gotta say, you have one hell of an imagination," Ivy grunted through clenched teeth like she was holding back a scream. Her gaze never dipped up or down.

"Thank you. For coming here," Raven said. There wasn't much of a reason for Ivy to be here, except for keeping Harley safe. Raven felt the warm tie between them — Harley and Ivy put the least stress on her emotions, surprisingly.

Ivy shrugged. "When we first met, you didn't have to talk to me or compliment my jacket and stuff — but you did. You always texted first and didn't complain about it...and the potted plant you got me was nice...you're one of the few that takes Harls seriously."

The words were awkward and described things so old Raven nearly forgot she did them. But the sincerity behind it —

Ivy looked away. "I'm here because I want to be here. I'm lucky to have a friend like you."

Raven's surroundings blurred. She wiped at her face with her sleeve, "Ivy —"

Shouts from above cut them off. The massive tree shook. New buds sprouted across the garnet leaves.

Lilies snapped their jaws, angling their long necks at everyone hanging for dear life to the branches.

Ivy glanced down briefly to meet Raven's gaze. "I know I should be terrified, but...that's so badass. Like, I just want to take every single one of them home with me and pick out cute little pots at thrift stores."

"You could buy plain ones and paint them with Harley." Raven tried to focus on the conversation and failed miserably. She was looking back at Damian, facing an entire branch full of bloodlusting lilies.

Eh. He's done a number on Wayne Manor's garden so many times. He should be fine.

"Yeah! As long as we, you know, don't die first," Ivy mumbled the last part.

The leaves hissed as they landed on Starfire's branch. Kory struggled on one of Love's plushy fists.

"Okay, how do we defeat Love?" Ivy raised scarlet lotus blossoms to duel the lilies around them. Two thorny vines rose at her sides, aimed at the large stuffed animal.