#kalrae

Despite being several years her senior, Kal had always intrigued her. He had a sharp wit, and a gentle disposition that made it easy to talk to him. The pair were often seen holding heated discussions at great length about the morality and psychology of being deemed a ‘super-hero’. And it had been a common occurrence for them to even sit up while one or the other was on watch in their respective comm rooms and keep each other company over the satellite connection. 

The two had spent so much time talking over longer distances, that nobody was surprised when Raven announced that she would be leaving the Titans in order for her to focus on more personal matters. She wanted to write, she wanted to settle down and really live for a while before returning to heroics down the line.

It had been Kal who supported her when she initially wanted to branch out, though the others were wary. Wally and Richard had both expressed concern, stating that she was acting grossly out of character from the girl they’d come to trust. But she insisted.

They could see the shimmer when she was around the older man, and they relented. It was odd for them, seeing her so close to someone that wasn’t a member of the team.

Raven had always been one to avoid being the center of anything. Normally, she hated it. But with Kal, she had seemed so open to the attention. She would never flinch away when he brushed by her, nor would she even bat an eye when he happened to catch her under the mistletoe at Bruce’s Christmas party.

Two years had passed and Raven had grown up considerably since moving to a solo career. She still held some of her old habits, but her friends could see what good all of this was doing for her.

and had missed the openness of her mother’s old ranch. 

So when she asked if she could accompany Kal back to the Kent family farmhouse, he was more than happy to show her around. Not to mention, Ma Kent was absolutely elated to be able to cook up a big meal to welcome one of her boy’s friends. Ma was even more thrilled when Raven had accepted her offer to live on the farm and help her out when Kal had to be away.

Raven would be able to have a horse again. It was her first thought, but the loudest by far was the fluttering in her chest when she realized how close she would get to stay to him.

She had insisted that she be the one to tell Kal too. The two had gone out for a nice dinner alone, not their first. But now, as they walked, they had let their hands come close. It was subtle at first with Kal’s thumb grazing over the back of her hand, and then with Raven snaking her slender fingers through his much larger ones. 

Before long, he had wrapped his hand around her waist, escorting her into the restaurant as if it were the most natural thing in the world. He had been slowly coming to the conclusion that perhaps it was.

“Kal,” Raven looked across the table at him, her once stoic face now glowing with happiness. “I’ve got wonderful news.” She could barely contain her excitement, dark eyes almost watering as she explained how his mother wanted her to stay for much longer than initially planned.

He was easy to read, but she respected his privacy and stayed out of his mind as she spoke. 

“That is,” oh boy. Now the nerves were starting to get the better of her. “If you want me to stay.”

Kal’s face remained still as he stood from the table and moved to tower over her. With one swift movement he pulled her to her feet and into him. The warmth of his embrace left her shocked, at first, though slowly she managed to raise her own arms and return the gesture. 

The entire walk home, they were inseparable. Kal had her tight against his side, and they both walked with a bit more vigor. It would have been simpler to merely fly or teleport back to the farmhouse, of course, but they wanted to spend the time together. They would be seeing a lot more of each other now than they every had in the past.

It was intimidating for the both of them, in a sense. Kal had always been so careful in the past. He feared ever hurting those he cared for, and a part of him knew how fragile Raven’s mental state was. She could take care of herself and he very well knew that. But he also knew of the suffering she had gone through. So to see her this elated over something so small as moving to a new town, his town, made his heart sing. 

A very strong part of him wanted to jump the gun and ask Raven right here and now what he’d been contemplating on and off for the past year. But he held off. He had to do things right. 'I have to ask Ma what she thinks,’ Kal mused. He was careful not to be too specific though, knowing the extent of her powers. 

When the two arrived back home, the truck was gone. An envelope was pinned to the screen door with Kal’s name on it. He opened the note gingerly, and chuckled to himself. ‘Or maybe I don’t have to ask at all.’ He carefully tucked the envelope into his back pocket and led the girl out towards the stables.

“There’s something you need to see,” he sounded excited yet nervous at the same time.

“Is everything alright?” Raven kept in step with him, despite him pulling at her arm like an excited child. 

Bright eyes glanced back at her, and without him saying so, Raven knew that all was well. She met his gaze with a smile and the two carried on. 

They had been out to the stables before; Kal had been quite surprised when he found out that Raven had known how to ride horses for many years. It was one of the many things about her that he had shared with his mother on those late nights when he was back at home, needing guidance. And it was his mother that had suggested they set up a permanent place for two new additions to the Kent farm.

A bed for raven, and a stall for the foal.

The young woman’s eyes widened as they came down to the end of the empty stables, a new nameplate custom painted on the very end stall.

“Nightwish,” she said, running her hand over the carved letters. The realization set in, and Raven couldn’t contain herself. 

“Ma named her for you. A mare at the neighbor’s farm just had her. Black and white spotted beauty.” He kissed the top of her head as she began to cry. “She’ll be back monday. You can thank her then.”

They had spent the rest of the evening caring for the few other horses and dealing with minor chores before settling in to enjoy a nice calm night alone. 

‘Tomorrow’, Kal thought as he drifted off to sleep with Raven curled up on his chest. ‘I’ll bring it up tomorrow.’

And bring it up he did. They had the day to themselves again, and Raven had been helping him clear out a workspace in the larger of the barns on the property. It would be her new space. A quiet desk away from the house with a place for her to meditate, write, and store some of her larger books.

She was sweating, and there was hay stuck in her braided hair, but she was happy. 

“Rachel?”

Kal rarely used her real name. She spun to face him, only to see that he was still holding onto the note his mom left for him yesterday. “Is everything alright?”

He crossed the short distance quickly, taking her hand in his own and staring into her eyes. They had always been close, but nothing so close as this.  “I have something else for you,” he breathed, heart racing to match hers. 

Gently, he pressed the slightly crinkled envelope into the hand he was holding and then kissed it. “Ma wanted you to have it too.”

“You’ve already done so much for me, I couldn’t possibly...” With some prodding, she finally opened it. “Is this..?”

He dropped to one knee, never letting his eyes move from her. “It was my Grandma’s. I know it’s not much but I-”

Raven cut him off by lurching forward and wrapping her arms tightly around his neck before bringing her lips down over his in a fierce kiss.

Both of them seemed to be fumbling as they continued to hold each other, their hands now finally exploring previously unknown territory for fear of overstepping bounds.

Kal had to force himself to steady long enough to slip the ring on her finger before picking her up and hungrily kissing her deeper. 

With breath catching, they stared into one another’s eyes, knowing that this would be perfect for them. Another note could be detected in Raven’s look, and Kal leaned close to ask her. “Are you sure?”