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To say that Musa hadn’t thought their night out would end up like this was an understatement. A normal couple would choose to go on a romantic dinner, or to the movies, but her and Riven…they weren’t really a normal couple, were they?
No they weren’t, and it was for that reason that Musa and her boyfriend now stood in front of the laser tag obstacle course. Both ready to battle each other to a bloody death. ( Not really, but she liked being dramatic, ok? )
“You know, when you announced you were taking me out on a date in front of the girls, I knew it was because you were tired of Sky preening about being the best boyfriend,” Musa teases casually “but low key you had me worried you were taking me to some stuck up restaurant or something.”
“That’d be boring, wouldn’t it, love?” Riven smirks at her and then winks just before the lights turn off and the glow in the dark signs come to life “Wanna make a bet?”
“What type of bet?” Musa is intrigued, if not a tad worried. There is no predicting what goes on in Riven’s mind and she knows her boyfriend. He could be vicious when he wanted, especially if his competitive side was out to play. ( But then again, so could she. )
“The type of bet where whoever wins can demand anything - anything - from the other for a whole day… In bed or out,” He finishes off with that devilish smirk of his.
“Does that include me getting to keep your leather jacket?” She asks wickedly while leaning up and tugging on the collar of said jacket, her fingers grazing the back of his neck. She doesn’t even try to bite back her smile as a shiver runs through his body at her touch.
“For the day,” He murmurs back, his voice two octaves lower and his eyes suddenly much heavier as his gaze raked over her body. It’s no secret to either of them how much he likes seeing her in his clothes, good thing she also loves stealing them.
“Yeah I got that part, so… Would the bet allow me to do that?” She knows it would, but she wants to keep teasing him.
“As long as you're ready to spend a day in just my jacket when you lose.”
Musa rolls her eyes but nods anyway “Alright, same goes for you. Deal?” She offers her hand to him and he takes it, shaking on it “Get ready to lose.”
“I never lose.” Riven scoffs, turning his back and going to his assigned spot on the course. Musa moves to her designated area and they wait until the buzzer rings, indicating the start of the round.
It’s every man for themselves and their objective is to hit the other participants’ vests with the laser beam. There would be three rounds to decide the winner.
Musa knows she has a slight disadvantage, after all, no amount of hours training could erase the years and years shaping Riven into one of the best Specialists their school had ever seen. She realises, mind spinning with possibilities, she is going to have to use every trick she has learned, dirty or not, in the months training with him to her advantage.
She ducks and hides behind one of the track course obstacles and takes the time to plan her attack. Riven likes to work on the offensive while she’s the opposite with defense being her strength, the perfect other half. That means that her boyfriend will spend the entire round looking for her and killing the other participants instead of trying to hide and dodge any attacks she might make against him. He will be constantly in the open field, begging her to hit him.
The game has barely started and it’s a bit intimidating how fast he works. She can hear people running back and forth and guys cursing left, right and center. Musa peeks out of her hiding place twice and manages to take down a player each time, and then one more when they decide to check in her corner. Since she’s crouched low, she shoots them out before they have a chance to see her coming.
She feels her boyfriend close twice, hears him muttering, her mind easily picking him out from the array. The scoreboard, hovering in the center of the field, shows him easily racking up kill after kill with the majority of those taken out cursing him.
“That fucking green player is a beast, did you see how fast he took out Scotty?”
She can hear Riven cursing her as he creeps by her corner for the third time:
“So short she can be tucked in the damn banners...”
She would have hit him for that comment, but she’s a woman on a mission and she has more important things to focus on right now than punishing Riven for making fun of her height. It’s not her fault he choose to be a fucking tree!
After some time, Musa decides that the game would be no fun if the only thing she does is stay hidden in a corner. She decides to take her chances on the open field and pray that her empath abilities will help her sense danger before she’s out of the game. Unfortunately for her, as soon as she comes out, she ends up face to face with a very smug Riven.
They both know that it was now a matter of who shoots first, a Mexican standoff if you will.
Before any of this can happen, Musa hears the tell tale beep that signals someone is out. She feels vibrations across her body and looks down at her vest and realises she’s the one eliminated. Behind her, one of the players around her age is looking very pleased with himself for being able to hit her.
His happiness doesn’t last long because he’s suddenly hit by five consecutive shots and Musa turns to see a very pissed off Riven, who apparently doesn’t care about the fact that one shot would have been enough to have the guy out.
“No one shoots my Pixie but me, you little asshole.” He declares loud and clear and as Musa walks out of the field she can’t help but smile. She knows she’s out for the round and would have to try and beat Riven on the other two, but she finds herself not minding that fact when her boyfriend can be so adorable.
In the end Riven wins the round but, since he wasn’t the one that got her, they bicker during the break as to who got the points in their little bet. He’s stubborn, but so is she and it takes some heavy flirting on her part to get him to agree that the first round was a bust.
The buzzer sounds again, people disperse with Riven being everyone’s number one target. People want vengeance for being taken down by him in the first round meaning he has to adjust. The downside is that Musa’s also now a target thanks to his previous declaration. Hiding isn’t as much of an option as before, but joining the fray outright will be her defeat so instead she climbs high on top of one of the structures in a corner of the field and gets a vantage point. Like a snipper, she begins to take out player after player.
Her score climbs higher than even Riven’s, who unfortunately for him spends a good deal of the second round running and dodging shots. This only makes it even harder for Musa to hit him.
She’s getting nervous. The more people she takes out the easier it makes for him to try and find her and the stakes rise with each person eliminated. Soon enough there’s only the two of them left. Time to go for the kill.
Musa is competitive by nature, and with Riven that trait is always elevated to the maximum. She still remembers the early stages of their tentative friendship where they were at constant war to see who could beat the other in Specialism. Competing with Riven felt as natural as breathing.
She’s going to win. His ego needs to be taken down a peg or two.
She climbs down the structure and runs across the game field and ironically, she’s faced with the exact same situation from the last round. She and Riven, face to face. Except this time there was no idiot to take her out before she could kill her boyfriend.
Green eyes stare at brown ones in a battle to see who would move first. Anticipation high and blood pumping in her veins, Musa prepares to take the killing shot.
She just hasn’t taken one thing into account: Their synchrony.
It was the one thing Professor Silva had always praised about them. No one had seen a more synchronized Fairy/Specialist duo since the headmasters themselves. On the battlefield when they were a team looking to take down burned ones? Fucking great. Here, at this moment, when all they wanted was to take each other down? Fuck that.
Musa wanted to curse this entire fucking game.
Their buzzers sound. It’s a tie. They had killed each other at the same fucking time. Seems like round 3 is the one to define it all.
“You two want to get a room?” One of the other players joke as they walk into the break room.
“Why? You guys go out so quickly we have the whole field to ourselves,” Musa shoots back and she can feel Riven’s eyes on her, a full blown smirk on his face and so much pride rolling off of him. Just like wearing his clothes will leave him more than a little dazed, her snarking is definitely a turn on for him too- just as his was for her.
Musa has a front row seat to everyone’s feelings and despite the fact that most people kept their mouths shut, on average in their heads they all sounded the same. Riven just had the balls, and at times the gal to say what they all were feeling and thinking. His delivery, on the other hand, to this day still needs a hell of a lot of work.
With two minutes left of their break, Riven sidles up to her, pulling her closer and teases:
“You know it's not too late to back down.”
She can tell that he’s half serious, half teasing and he knows exactly what she’s going to say:
“You're full of shit Riv, feel free to take your own advice.”
His grin is full on as he leans down and kisses her neck, causing her to gasp in shock and surprise as heat shoots down to her core and leaves her more than a little breathless.
“Either way, love, I’m not going to lose,” He murmurs against her collarbone and damn him because her legs feel like jelly with the way his hot breath dances at the juncture of her neck.
“Hey lovebirds! It's the last round, you coming or what?!” Someone calls and it's time to settle this once and for all.
Trying her damn hardest to keep it cool after the dirty move her boyfriend pulled on her, Musa is ready to spill blood. His blood.
She doesn’t give the other players a second thought aside from viciously shooting them right in the middle of their chest. She’s angry. She’s determined. She’s horny. Nothing will stop her from reaching her goal.
The empath knows that it didn’t matter who wins or loses, she’s going to spend the rest of the weekend fucking him five ways into Monday. This is a matter of principles, and she’d be damned if she lets him win.
Competitors are falling and she still hasn’t spotted him as she moves to the back of the field, away from the entrance and in a darker spot of the room. She comes across another player and once she’s done eliminating him she sees it. A speck of green glowing light right to her left.
She caught him. He’s dead.
Riven has his back towards her and she carefully approaches him, gun pointed at him but she doesn’t take the shot. Not yet.
She’s hunting him, like a lioness stalking her prey, one step after the other and moving as he moves so he won’t be able to see her with his peripheral vision. She doesn’t think she will be able to get away from him. He was trained to notice enemies sneaking up on him, but to her surprise he doesn’t turn around and she lowers her gun, wrapping her arm around him and pressing her hand to his chest as she tiptoes to whisper on his ear: “Got you.”
She’s so close that he feels her breath hitting his neck and she can feel his heart beating faster and faster. Competitively, Riven is an animal and he’ll want to win at any cost. So now… Now she plays dirty to get what she wants.
“Your first mistake was ogling me that day on the grounds-”
She whispers, her lips linger just a touch on the back of his neck and his grip on his gun slackens.
“-Your second mistake was eye fucking me during training-”
Her breath dances as he turns his head back and she sees his pupils dilate until his eyes look more black than green.
“-Your third mistake was dating me-”
The empath inches impossibly closer and Riven unconsciously leans into her.
“-Your fourth mistake was challenging me-”
They are only a hair breadth apart.
“-And your last mistake...” she trails off.
“What?”
His voice is breathless and husky and she knows she has him exactly where she wants. Her hand travels down and under his shirt where it comes to rest on his hip. Fingers tracing his Adonis belt and the desire and lust radiating from him are so strong she almost loses her focus and lets herself give into him right there and then. But she’s stronger than this - or at least she has to be right now.
Musa turns him around so he’s facing her and pushes him against the wall and presses her mouth to his, biting on his lower lip and running her tongue against his until he's all but a complete mess. This prompts him to let go of his gun in favour of wrapping his arms around her and pulling her even closer. His hands are on her waist, pushing the hem of her shirt slightly up so his fingers meet her skin, and his lips travel lower to her jaw and neck and she knows she has him wrapped up on her finger, at her mercy.
But Musa's mind is still in the game and she doesn't let the opportunity pass her by. So she suddenly pulls back, smirking at his stunned and confused face, before lifting her gun and shooting him straight in the chest.
“This.”
The buzzer goes out and the lights turn on, marking the end of the game.
"Ha! I won!" Musa raises her fists in celebration, while Riven still stands there, shocked, still pressed to the wall "Hand over your jacket, loser."
Riven looks dumbstruck for an instant and then, with a growl, pulls her back to him and pushes her hard against the wall, kissing her with a bruising force. His hands circle her waist before slipping down behind her thighs and lifting her clear off, making her legs wrap around his hips and then he’s pushing her harder against the wall, leaving her breathless.
“That was a dirty move,” He mutters against her lips but despite the vibration of his chest and the low octave of his accusation, she can feel him and he is so fucking turned on and proud that she can’t help but smile victoriously against his lips.
“You’re all mine,” She taunts and his eyes become even darker at the implication and she can feel him growing hard against her core which is now rubbing so deliciously against-
“Hey! You two! Clear out, your game is done!”
Musa is embarrassed and lets her legs drop but Riven just looks put out at being interrupted and all but growls at the poor teen worker as they exit.
They make their way outside and look around, both a little too wired, a little too hot. But home is still a whole drive away and Musa’s growling stomach alerts them both to how hungry they are.
"Want to grab a bite to eat?" Riven asks, his voice still filled with lust and he clears his throat, looking at his girlfriend. There are food trucks littering around the plaza and they both prefer them to a sit down meal at this point. They silently agree on the burger one and walk towards it, making their orders and taking them to a nearby bench.
"Nice game tonight." A guy walks closer to them, one of the players that Riven remembers killing during all three rounds. The guy smiles at them but his eyes are only on Musa, and Riven feels his chest swell with jealousy. "Those were some bad ass moves for a fairy."
"Can't say the same about you," Musa answers with a teasing smile "Your moves were pretty shitty."
Riven frowns, looking at both of them. Musa's tone was different, it was flirty , and it was irritating the crap out of him.
Musa is always confident and easy going, and it’s one of the traits he loves the most about her. However, right now with how adrenaline-filled he is and with how the stranger is eating up his girlfriend right in front of him after they'd practically been all over each other at the game. It just rubs him the wrong way.
“Are you here to dazzle us with some more of your shit moves or...” He knows he’s being a little bit of a dick, and maybe there are better ways of handling this, but he wants this guy gone.
“I uh...”
“What, did you forget how to fucking talk too?” Now he’s outright snapping at the guy and Musa’s looking at him incredulously. The guy scrams away, thankfully, but Musa stares at Riven with open disapproval.
“What? I’m sorry, did I interrupt your flirt fest?”
“Flirt fest- Are you kidding me Riv? Is this some sort of joke? Because I’m pretty sure it wasn't him I was all over tonight!” She’s looking angry which normally turns him on but there’s is disappointment in those brown eyes of hers that he loves and fuck… Fuck , this isn’t how this was supposed to go.
“You were flirting.” He accuses.
“I was being friendly!” She shoots back “I'm sorry you've never experienced people being nice before!”
“There’s a difference between being friendly and being flirty, Muse. Come on, are you telling me you didn’t see the way that guy was fucking you with his eyes?!”
“Oh, you mean the same way you looked at me that time in the Specialist grounds?” She raises her eyebrows and dares him to challenge her.
“That was different!”
“Oh really?! How?! How was it different, Riven?!”
“Because that was me! I’m a natural douche! You wouldn’t give me a second thought anyway!”
She falls silent at that, because there’s sadness and self depreciation emanating from him and it throws her off because she knows him and this is not him.
“Riv-”
“Yes, Musa, that guy was acting no differently than I did when we first talked, but that’s how I was and I thought you would never take me seriously- I never believed you would take me seriously. This guy… I don’t fucking know him but I already know he’s decent. He might flirt like me but he’s probably never-”
With a start Musa realizes this isn't about her at all but about him, how unworthy he feels compared to this random stranger because of his baggage. She puts her burger down on the paper plate and slides closer to him on the bench, cupping his face with both hands.
"Stop this. Right now."
"Musa, I’m not-"
"No, Riven. Shut up. It doesn't matter if that guy was flirting with me or not. I don't want him. I want you . The past doesn’t matter, all the matter is now. I know you, Riv. I know who you are and I love you- "
But it's like the word burns him as he pushes himself away from her and shakes his head, taking a joint out of his pocket and lighting it, hoping it would calm him down, clear his mind.
“You can’t,” He says and it’s almost a whisper.
“What…?” Musa leaned closer but he slides further away from her, like he can’t trust himself around her and has to keep himself in check.
“You can't love me... So don’t say that.” And it would be funny, except he’s being serious and there is this big raging typhoon of melancholy and sadness that seeps out of him.
“Don't tell me how to feel, Riven-”
Riven sighs, getting up and pacing around a bit, running an unsteady hand through his hair, before turning back to her “Do you realize who you’re talking about? What you’re saying? I know your group is all sunshine and butterflies and ready to forgive me in a heartbeat because of you and Sky, but the rest of school still parts like the red sea every time I walk by!”
“I don’t care what they say, Riv. Fuck the rest of the school.”
He shakes his head and takes another drag of his joint, closing his eyes as he blows the smoke out “You do, Musa. I know you do.” His voice is thick with emotion, “And I also know that’s not what you want.”
Musa frowned, studying his face and trying to decipher exactly what he was trying to say “What-?”
“Fuck Musa, of course I wish you’d come along with Bloom and Stella to watch me and the guys practice. Wish I could leave my jacket in your dorm without worrying what anyone would think. Wish I didn’t have to come up with excuse after excuse to hang out with my own fucking girlfriend without people judging us- judging you .”
He’s panting, eyes glassy, fist clenched as he rattles off. Their food is all but forgotten and Musa suddenly looks back at every interaction they've had with new glasses and wonders how in the hell has she missed all of this.
At the beginning, when their relationship was still fresh, she had quietly assumed that since he had been a fuck boy he didn’t like flaunting their relationship for fear of it messing with his reputation. She’s not exactly an extrovert and he’s her strength, her safe space and solace, so she never truly minded avoiding those things. But she now wonders if he had been secretly wanting to do all those things. The walking hand in hand to the cafeteria, her wearing his spare jersey on game days and just sitting with her on the lawn in between classes on warm days.
Looking back at the events that had prompted their date, she remembers the way Sky had half heartedly bragged about his own date, declaring himself and Bloom the best couple and daring the other couples to beat them.
A rather un-Sky thing to say, the empath thinks now, and she wonders if the blond specialist was in on it. If Riven had set it up so he had an excuse to ask her and Musa, who was known to be competitive, would have a reason to accept. Because he feared she wouldn’t do it otherwise.
“Riven, was all that shit with Sky just so you could take me out on a date?”
“No.” But he’s not looking at her and that's all the confirmation she needs. Then he mutters under his breath: “But I know it's not my personality you've been dating me for so…”
White hot anger bursts through the mind fairy because how dare Riven say she's using him for his body?! Does he think she’s this shallow, or is he joking? Making light of their argument?
But then she looks at his tired and sad eyes and that’s enough for her to realize that he means it. The idiot actually thinks his biggest quality is his body, which, as great as it is, it's most definitely not why she’s dating him. Getting Riven to actually listen and talk though will be a herculean task.
Leaning back on the bench and crossing her arms, she looks at the people around them as she gears up for the hit she's about to deliver.
“You know, contrary to what you’ve thought, Sam had a great body and he was a good and attentive lover.” She can feel hot jealousy surge through her man, so she gets up and faces him, grasping his face in her hands.
“You feel that Riven? That's jealousy. That crap from before? That was your fucking insecurity.”
He’s reeling a little, she can feel it. Her little demonstration hits its mark and she sees a clear realization in his green eyes.
“I love you Riven. You, with the problematic past and the questionable choices and the daddy issues. That’s the guy I love.”
His shoulders drop in a quiet exhale and she can see his Adam's apple bob as he swallows hard, so uncertain, so unsure with what to do with the love and support she’s giving him, not trusting it entirely and it breaks her heart.
“You’re the guy that believed that I deserved more than what the school was willing to teach me. You never sugar coat things for me. You helped me realize that running from my powers and numbing them was ridiculous, that I was strong enough to face them. You took me laser tagging because you know that's what I like instead of fancy diners. You. No one else. And that’s why I love you. I love you because you know me and because I know you, and because I didn’t need to be an empath to know you, because you let me in Riv, you may think you didn’t, but you let me in.”
He needs to trust this or else they won't make it.
“So don't you dare shut me out now. I won't let you sabotage what we have.”
She looks him dead in the eye. They’re not just some college kids, they're now survivors of a war they never saw coming. She knows that the fighter in him needs her to say, to admit that she’s seen the bad and the ugly as well as the good.
“I know you’ve done shit in the past you’re not proud of. I know it. I was there. But as clearly as I saw you then, Riv, I see you now. I see a man who clawed his way out of that hell hole, who had the balls to come back and start again. I see a man who apologised and owned up to it all.”
It’s excruciating that he doesn't think all of that was enough to atone for his sins.
“And as much as I love sneaking off with you, as much as I love our privacy, I will gladly make out with you in the middle of the common grounds tomorrow for everyone to see. Because I’m proud of you and I'll take on the whole fucking world if it has a problem with us being together”
He’s a whole mess of emotions now and she lets him think it over, does not push, and lets her words hang in between them. A kid runs past them begging his mom for ice cream, an older couple gently makes their way across the plaza and still Riven’s pondering it all. A beat or two later as his emotions begin to plateau Musa asks one final thing:
“I've seen your scars, Riven, just like you've seen mine. You think I’ll leave you because of them, should I be worried that one day you’ll leave me because of mine?”
His eyes, which had been glassy, snap to hers with a sudden fury that startles her for a second causing her to pull her hands away from his face. He quickly grabs them, though, holding tight and pressing them to his chest, over his heart.
“What the fuck you’re talking about Pixie?! You’re mine! I fucking love you!”
“So you’re allowed to say it but I'm not?”
He stares at her, gaping like a fish, because he knows there’s no retort to that. She’s got him there with no way out, checkmate.
“We all have scars. You and me. And if you can look at me and love mine then I can look at yours and love them too. But if you decide to sabotage us, to keep snapping at every guy I talk to because you think I’ll leave you for them, or keep letting people's opinion affect how we are… No matter how hard I hang on, you’ll tear us apart.”
This is it, she’s laying it all out.
“So do you trust me? Or are you going to drag me on a ride only to end up breaking my heart? Because at this point, Riv, I fear that’s how we’ll end.” Either he will step up and fight for them or it’ll be a matter of time before they go their own way.
He’s silent and pensive, and she has enough respect for him to let him go through his emotions alone. So she blocks him. She wants to be a normal girl for once. Whatever decision he comes to next it’s going to be a surprise for her.
“When I asked you out that first time, I honestly thought you would laugh at me or, at best, you’d accept, we’d go out, fuck all night and then you’d leave because that’s the only thing I’m good for…”
She tries to interrupt him but he presses a finger to her lips before she can,
“But then I woke up to your smile and you stayed. We had breakfast and you still didn’t leave. It's been months- Hell! It’s been nearly half a year and I still shock myself every morning when I wake up and you’re there. Nobody ever stayed Musa, not for me, the real me . I guess I’m just scared that one day I’m going to wake up to something else other than your smile. But I would face a million burned ones before I break your heart intentionally, love. I fuck up and I let my insecurities get the best of me, but I’ll fight to change that every fucking day if thats what it takes for us to be together. Because I’ve faced a fucking war Pixie, but I don’t think I’d be able to face losing you.”
Screw him, she’s crying. But how can she not? She loves this idiot and for all his stupidity she knows he loves her too. He looks suddenly at loss at her tears and he’s such an idiot and she fucking loves him.
“Fuck- You’re crying, I’m sorry, I didn’t-”
“These are happy tears, you moron!”
He’s still panicking a bit but she can see how he slowly relaxes. He touches their foreheads together and so quietly she barely hears him says:
“I fucking love you.”
“I fucking love you too… Even if you can be a dick sometimes!” They both laugh at that and Musa saves that moment in her memory. Tucks it safely so whenever she feels sad or angry she can remember this. That they’re a team and they’ve always managed to understand each other.
“Let go back,” she pleads, as if he can deny her anything, and soon they’re on his hover bike on their way back to Alfea.
Sitting behind him on the bike, she clutches him hard, not wanting to be even a millimetre apart. The ride is short and she’s pretty sure he has broken a few traffic laws with the speed he drove but neither of them cares, that’s a problem for their future selves.
When they get to the dorms she interlocks her fingers with his and tugs him toward her suite. It’s late now, most people either turned in or will be out until later, so the hallways are empty as they rush through them.
They usually go to his, because he has a single room but fuck that. If he’s going to fight for them, she’s going to show him that she’s not embarrassed in the least of him.
Terra’s not here this weekend, so she’s not being a shitty roommate, and the rest of the girls on the suite might tease her in the morning but it’ll be good for Riven. He’s always been a man of action not words and she thinks he needs the same. Her reassurance will go only so far but hopefully her action will take him further.
The suite living room is empty and Musa’s a little disappointed for the first time but Riven has other things on his mind now, and desperately pulls her to him, hands tugging at her clothes, lips locked on hers and she starts losing herself in him.
Their clothes slowly form a nice trail from her door to her bed and she thinks she hears the sound of fabric tearing apart but she really doesn’t care. All she cares about is him and her and being as close to him as she can as their bodies stumble over the mattress.
He’s kissing her and she can feel the pure love and desire emanating from him as his hand runs over her body, touching every inch of her skin. But this isn’t about her, it’s about him and she turns them around, crawling over him and planting both hands on his chest to keep him glued to the bed.
Her hands run down his arms and her finger interlaces with his as she plants little kisses all over his face, whispering I love you every time her lips touch him. Then he manages to free his hand from her just so he can wrap his arms around her body, holding onto her like he’s afraid she’ll disappear but he knows she won’t.
He trusts her and she trusts him and soon they’re one, and they keep loving each other until the sun comes up and they’re too tired to even say goodnight as they fall asleep in each other's arms.
The next morning she wakes up before him and finds herself tangled up with him and the sheets and she’s happy.
She can’t help but study him, his mop of hair, his jaw- that she’s spent more hours memorizing than she’d like to admit-, the small scar near his ear, a childhood trauma immortalized by the hands of his father who should have protected him.
He’s unfairly beautiful and even though she spent the night telling him not to be insecure, she can’t help but feel insecurities herself. Out of their suite she’s probably the biggest nobody, she doesn't mean it in a self deprecating kind of way, it’s just that well… Alfea is full of princesses and heirs and well-known fairies and specialists- hell one of her suite mates is the fucking chosen one, and Musa is just… Musa. He could have anyone but he’s here and to know he feels so much for her it’s humbling and exhilarating all at once.
“Penny for your thoughts?” His chest vibrates a little as he speaks and it pulls her out of her musing. She finds herself staring at his groggy eyes as he shifts, propping one hand beneath his head as the other pulls her closer until they are comfortably situated, his hand drawing lazy patterns on her back.
“Nothing important… I just- I like this… … I really really like this.”
When he smiles at her, she feels like she’s won a prize. Then he kisses her, and it's the sweetest kiss they ever shared and it's going to Musa’s little list of memories she never wants to forget.
“I love you, Muse.” And well… She loves him too.
He wants to stay in and they do that for a while, until it's past noon and Musa tells him she wants to have lunch outside - in the cafeteria. It's a Saturday. They've just come back from Easter break and there is a Spirit Week Festival planned and when Riven grumbles about wanting to stay in bed all day, she reminds him she’s won and she gets to decide what they do. Doesn’t matter how hard he tries to convince her by kissing her all over.
She knows Terra’s organizing some games and that Aisha will be joining them later with members of the swim team, but Stella and Bloom are planning a double date and while Riven is showering Musa sends them a quick text asking if they mind turning it into a triple date instead.
Her girls’ response is fast and short: Of course .
She wears a tank top knowing full well it’ll be cold later and even though Riven repeatedly tells her to put on something warmer, she refuses to. She has a plan. When Riven grumbles about not having another change of clothes for himself she may be a little too excited about walking him to his room.
Like usual, once in the room, he spends too much time shellacking his hair- though she swears it does nothing to change it- while he’s doing so, she uses the time to knick a couple of items from his drawer. Shoving the pieces of clothing inside her bag before he can notice and when he gets out of the bathroom she takes his hand and entwines her fingers with his. Riven rolls his eyes, biting down a smile, though as much as he acts like he doesn't care she can feel him and she knows better.
“What?” She teases, “You’re afraid holding hands with me is going to affect your street cred?”
His eyes flash at the challenge and he lifts their entwined hands to place a hard and lingering kiss on her knuckles.
“Should have run when you had the chance, now you're stuck with me, love.” He finishes with a wink.
“I'll take my chances.” With that they’re both grinning, the familiarity of this moment surprises the couple because it’s all new and unusual for them, but they absolutely love it..
The walk to the cafeteria is pretty empty, so they decide to head to the carnival and grab something to eat there. Doris walks out of the kitchen with her hand on her back and Musa can feel the pain she’s feeling however, as soon as she spots Riven, she opens up a large bright smile.
“So this is your girl, Riven?”
“Yeah, Dory, this is her.” He looks so fucking proud that, if they weren’t in front of the older lady, she would’ve kissed him.
“You better treat him right, you hear me? He may look like a bad boy but he’s got a good heart and he needs a good girl to look after him.”
Musa’s never been taken to task over a guy but Riven is equal parts embarrassed and touched, so despite her flaming cheeks she endures the scrutiny with as much grace and smile as she can, because Doris may look severe but her eyes are kind.
“Yes ma’am.”
“And don't make him stop showing up here okay? I forgave him for ditching me last year to hang out with that psycho, he doesn’t get another shot!” She says, glaring at Riven and he has the decency of looking down and blushing, while the empath nods with a shy smile and a “Yes ma’am.”
“And you be the gentleman I know you can be. Treat her right ma’boy, I like this one. She looks like she has a good head on her shoulders. And God knows you need it”
They leave the cafeteria hand in hand, and Riven looks actually bashful as he says, “Thanks for being sweet to her, she was there for me... When no one else was.” and Musa sends a prayer of thanks for the older women because she’s not sure what would have happened to Riven if he’d been truly alone.
When they get to the carnival Musa is instantly hit with the overwhelming amount of emotions in play. There are nervous people, happy people, exhausted people and even a few horny ones here and there. She’s a little afraid that all these emotions might dampen her enjoyment, but then she feels Riven’s hand squeezing hers and she knows everything is going to be fine.
They soon spot Bloom, Sky, Stella and Brandon standing near the milk bottle game chatting enthusiastically. When they get closer to the couples, she sees Sky giving Riven what she believes was supposed to be a subtle look, but she knows he's probably wondering if their little plan worked.
Riven nods and Musa can feel Sky’s emotions, relief and happiness. With a big smile, he calls the boys over to play the game, betting he can win by a landslide. Brandon immediately accepts the challenge and, although Riven pouts over having to let go of Musa, he soon joins in too, all three of them trying to prove themselves to their girlfriends.
Bloom and Stella simply roll their eyes but enjoy the little show and Musa joins them, earning a knowing smile from her friends since they were well aware Riven spent the night in Musa’s room.
Brandon ends up winning over the two sulking men and Riven and Sky demand a rematch in another game. After Sky wins the next game, Riven and Brandon challenge him to yet another one before they end up exploring all the carnival games available.The girls join in in a few games but they’re happy to just watch and talk during most of the night. They end up buying what one may consider too many sweets but in Musa’s not-at-all-biased opinion was just the right amount and she has to admit this and her laser tag date last night have been the most fun she had in a while.
Much later, when Musa is happily sporting Riven’s jacket, who grumbles that he told her to bring a jacket and she retorts saying she wants his and that was the whole point, they’re joined by a blushing Terra and a laughing Aisha who happily tells the story of how lil’ ol’ Terra had a second year water fairy from the swimming team crushing on her so hard that he was tripping over his words.
In the end, Musa can safely say that it was an absolutely fantastic night.
The next day, she finishes her homework early and waits for Riven to go join the other boys in training. Part of Farah’s post war curriculum is the introduction of first world sports, like the swim team that one Aisha loves the most. Though it's the one called football- or soccer, as Bloom calls it-, that has the whole school buzzing.
Farah means for the sports to be a relief, as a way to ground the students in being students again and not just soldiers. They have a match coming up against another school and the aim is to create better student relations across different universities, but so far it has only increased competitiveness.
The boys have been practicing non stop and Bloom had dragged Stella to the practice a few times before, saying that that’s how girls in the first world support their partners and that it was a nice thing for her to do for Brandon. But Musa hadn’t joined them yet, not even a single time, because she thought it would distract her boyfriend and embarrass him. After his confession on the date that night, she knew he wanted her there. So that day, when Musa shows up, book bag in hand, her friends quickly engage in some light teasing.
“Well hello you.” Stella croons “What has caused you to finally join us?”
Musa simply rolls her eyes at the blond before taking a seat next to them.
“Haha, very funny.”
“Who’s joking?” The blond deadpans.
“Leave her alone Stell, she’s probably just tired of peeking at the guys playing shirtless from the library window.” Bloom teases but Musa can only focus on one specific thing that her friend says.
“They play shirtless?” And the empath is suddenly far more interested than before. A shirtless Riven is just a sight to behold- especially if he’s exercising.
“They do when it gets too hot or when enough girls show up.” Stella tells her “But, don’t change the subject. I might tease but I’m glad you’re here.” Stella throws an arm around Musa’s shoulders, hugging her friend, and then gesturing with her chin to a group of first year girls giggling, “I'm tired of seeing these girls salivate over your guy. Especially when he’s good at the game and because they think they have a shot.”
“I’m sorry, what?!”
“Half the school still debates whether the two of you are single or together hon...” Bloom admits “Maybe it’s time to set the record straight.”
They're both right, on all accounts. The guys do ditch their shirts. Riven is more than good, he's great, and whenever he scores a goal the group of girls get up and cheer, waving at him. Of course the idiot is completely unaware.
The way his eyes light up when he sees her and jogs over is beyond sweet and her heart does a little happy dance as he stands in front of her, smiling brightly and with his hair dripping with the water he had used to cool himself off.
“Hey stranger, nice seeing you here.”
“Hey yourself. What can I say, people kept telling me the view was great around here.”
“And what's the verdict? Is the view any good?”
She decides to tease him. Takes her sweet time raking her eyes up and down his body, slowly taking every inch of him. The sweaty messy hair, the twinkling eyes, the glistening abs, that tantalizing V….
“Eh, I’ve seen better.” And his eyes… Oh, his eyes make promises of what he's going to do to her later because of that little comment.
She can’t fucking wait.
She feels the hard glares at her back. Feels the jealousy and faintly hears angry whispers of the girls.
She’s glad. Let them look. Let them know. For now she’ll settle for kissing him long and hard in front of everyone.
Three weeks later at the official game, the stands are packed and the whole school is watching with anticipation. Alfea students are proud and they are not ready to lose to another team.
But that isn’t what has Riven on edge. No, the thing making him nervous is the fact that his girlfriend is nowhere to be seen.
It’s almost a month since they had had that conversation after the laser tag game and now there wasn’t a single soul in the entire school who wondered if Musa and Riven were together.
Telling Musa the truth, crashing down his barriers and letting her know his insecurities was really freeing. Now, he never holds himself back from kissing her, hugging her, letting her walk around the school with his jacket on. Since that day she hasn’t missed a single practice of his. So for her not to be here right now, as the game is about to begin, it’s stressing him, making him lose focus on the one thing he’s supposed to do tonight.
But, just as Silva is about to call the Specialists to announce the beginning of the game, he sees her.
She’s standing at the sidelines wearing his jacket and she looks so fucking cute that he can’t help the Cheshire smile that fall on his lips. She waves him over and he goes because there’s very little he doesn’t do when it comes to her.
“You came.”
“Of course I came, you idiot. Thought I’d miss it?”
“You had me worried there for a second.”
“Well...hopefully this will make it up for that.” She proceeds to remove his jacket off herself, only to leave him completely flabbergasted.
She’s wearing his jersey. His fucking soccer jersey.
Now he knows how the damn thing had vanished from his drawer.
She does a little twirl and he can see his name, his goddamn name, spelled out on her back and it’s too much and he can't even focus, so he does the only thing that feels right at the moment.
He kisses her like a starving man.
Their mouths meet and fuck if there’s a crowd watching them. He’s going to drink all of her. Their lips meet, their tongues clash and the kiss is getting a little too explicit for a public space but he doesn’t. Fucking. Care.
They only break apart when Sky comes over and practically pulls him off of Musa, all the while grumbling that this is a family event and if they could please for the love of God wait until the game is over and they are in the dorm to maul each other.
Just before he walks away Musa smirks at him, lips swollen and red, pulls him back to her and whispers low in his ear:
“I’ll be yours all day tomorrow if you kick their ass.” Well, he’s already going to do everything to win, but now… Now there’s no way in hell he’s going to lose.
He doesn’t. Hours later the game ends and Alfea’s the winner and everyone’s cheering, but Riven can only focus on the way Musa smiles and runs to him, not even hesitating to jump into his arms, wrap her legs around his waist and kiss him and well…
He fucking loves this girl.