Sweet Odium - Chapter 31: Chapter 31

[Rune]
I had woken up to the sound of voices mumbling something inaudible to me until I fully regained my hearing after falling asleep. The side of my face was still burried in Raven's chest and it vibrated when he spoke. It was so dark that I could barely make out his features but the grey hair that showed up to his side was definitely visible enough for me to get a little shock.
"G- grandma!" I yelled when finally realizing that it was her who walked along us through this deserted street where we were located at the moment.
When I tried to get down Raven kept holding onto me even more tightly.
"Your leg is still injured. And the village is right up ahead." He justified his actions and when quickly glancing in the other direction I saw the streetlights and yellow shining windows of a little village. We were still somewhere around the area of London... was this the village grandma was living at currently? How the hell was she even here?!
Again I turned my head to face the lady from where I was carried by Raven.
"Grandmaa..."
"Don't you dare complaining Rune Falcon. After Vera called me I searched whole London for you to find you injured after almost being murdered by your uncle!" She complained harshly and raised her hand as if to hit me although I knew she'd never do that.
Judgingly, I gave Raven a side eye.
"You told her?" I whispered but he only shrugged.
"What was I supposed to do? Say you stumbled over a rock?" He wondered when the answer was not necessary.
"You should at least be thankful that I was there to help your friends. The three of them are starting to get on my nerves." She grumpily continued her rant and I was already about to say something back before I noticed how something didn't fit.
"Three? I thought only Jane and Vince...?" Gladly Raven finished that sentence for me with a little grin plastered on his face.
"Apparently, Celeste survived too... she has incredible talent so your grandma told me she froze the blood around the bullet in her stomach until she could safely get it removed. It requires total concentration to an extent that only a handful of people with her ability can do it. I did not even know something like this was possible." Raven told me what he knew and I felt how a little weight was lifted from my heart. At least her... one more person that was alive made everything a tiny little less awful.
"Grandma..." I breathed out when we were approaching an inviting looking, old fashioned house.
"I know you want to hear from me that I am sorry for not listening to you and that I wouldn't have gone through this if I stayed at home but I can't say that... you know I love you... but I won't go back on what I did so please don't try to stop us. I am very thankful for what you're doing right now but I don't want you to get involved."
Granny didn't answer to that more than grunting but she did not seem offended by what I said. It only made her worry even more although she acted all tough. It felt wrong pulling her into this although she helped us survive. She was skilled but not skilled enough to survive if we were seriously attacked here.
The door opened and we were met with the tall figure of Vince. His hair was wet as if he'd just taken a shower but his green eyes were gleaming with happiness that I never saw before... he even smiled.
"Hey nerd. You didn't think we bit the dust, did ya?" Raven raised an eyebrow and basically shoved himself inside with me still on his arms. The further we got into the house the more embarrassing it got.
"You idiots..." Vince sighed and wrapped his arms around us after Raven had finally let me stand on two feet again. The embrace felt warm and genuine, the total opposite of what I had went through when fighting Peter.
"Oi! Don't you dare leaving me out!" I heard a cracked up shout from what probably was the living room and seconds later Jane showed up, walking a little stiff with bandages around her arm and ankle. Her left eye was covered underneath another bandage and I noticed how pale and tired her face looked. Despite that, she was grinning as she always did and joined the group hug.
"You're supposed to be resting, Jane." Vince complained but it sounded kindhearted.
"Are you two okay?" I asked both of them when we went to the small sofa together and Vince and Jane gave each other weird looks. It made me anxious to stand in silence...
"We've contacted Neil and Yuto saying that you two went missing, so your brother is currently letting a whole army of the Inoue group mobilize in London... he plans to barge into wherever Mellontikos is hiding and get you out of there to put an end to that terror organisation." Vince reported but I couldn't say whether I supported that idea or not. I had learned many things about Mellontikos in that one day I was there and the most important one was that the majority of its members were victims to society whose only desperate wish was to escape their misery. Making them responsible for Mellontikos does was not right... but the Inoue family would not spare them if they resorted to violence.
"It is not only Inoue... the Hwangs and other gifted groups are also sending their people here." Jane added with furrowed eyebrows. Meanwhile Granny was moving her eyes to my side while Raven was oddly quiet on the other side.
"We couldn't tell them about you and your grandmother being from Falcon so we said we'd stay hidden and get our injuries treated. Actually we tried to come up with something different with the help of Mrs. Falcon but gladly we were able to find you quickly..." She added and again shot us a smile with her bruised lips. What did I think asking if she was okay... she obviously wasn't.
"Additionally, we had to get Celeste to a hospital as soon as possible and Jane is not really in good shape either..." Vince looked at the blue haired girl in worry but she slapped his arm slightly assuring him that she was fine.
"What we're trying to say is that we need a plan to-"
"Guys, granny..." I interrupted them when I realized where this was going. These two wanted to help with something that they didn't even know yet. Raven and I had not told anything of what had happened in the basement to them yet.
All the attention was on me at the moment and I finally started explaining to them what we had witnessed in the Mellontikos underground base. How Peter Falcon fooled us into believing him, how he used the cursed dagger and what I had done to that boy with the powers I had not known existed.
The room fell awfully silent again but that was no surprise to me. I did not even know myself how to process all of this. But what interested me the most in the moment was my grandmother because she was the only one that wasn't surprised at all.
"You knew right? You knew all along..." I looked up at her feeling anger and frustration build up inside of me that I couldn't push back. I had already suspected it since Vera mentioned having heard "Project Healer" before. She had probably been to young to understand back then but that also meant granny kept it form both of us.
"Rune..." The guilt was clearly audible in her voice but I refused to let that make me feel bad.
"I need to start from the beginning for this. It's better for all of you to know anyway...
When your mother realized her project of healing people from gifted powers was never going to work she was about to commit suicide by eating the last cursed fruit that they had created. Me and Peter were the only ones who knew about it so the fact that she actually survived and got a second child was like a miracle to me. Your father found out about the cursed fruit not much later and of course he was upset about it but that only led us to lose focus on what was going on around us. It was not much later after you were born that my son Peter started to show his real intentions and threatened to take over the Falcon group. I should have known that jealousy had scarred his personality all these years... he used to be such a fine young man but I could never teach him the morals that everyone else shared. He became more distant, aggressive, sad and brutal every day but I did not even realize it all these years because the project of my daughter had taken up all my attention." She stayed quiet for a moment but I wished for her to continue. I could not afford to also feel bad for her at the moment but it happened faster than I could prevent it. Granny basically abandoned one of her children. What an awful feeling of regret... even I could feel that.
"At some point his threats died down and in the family his name was not mentioned anymore. Meanwhile we discovered your ability and kept you hidden from the outside world until one day, out of the blue we were attacked right at our headquarters with no explanation... it was later when your parents had already passed away that I found out how the leaders of the biggest groups were apparently killed by the Falcon clan and that the messages and people they send to us were all eliminated so diplomacy had never been possible in the first place. The whole world must have thought that Falcon cut itself off from everyone else and out of fear they began to hunt us. Someone had leaked information about project Healer and at that time Peter must have used it to cause a war between the gifted families. I- I always wondered w-why he hated us so much that h-he caused his whole group to be massacred." The old woman started sobbing and I didn't know what to do. I was supposed to be angry at her but how came that all that anger had been washed away as soon as her voice broke. She was like a mother to me... seeing her cry was like torture to me.
I followed what my heart wanted and took her in my arms carefully.
"You couldn't know what was going on in his head... he might have been deeply hurt in the past by something that you don't even have a connection to." I tried to comfort her and hold back my own tears. Guilt was like a parasite in ones heart that slowly grew bigger every day with no way of escaping until it'd ruin a person. I didn't want granny to go through that...
"Rune, my child. There is such a big burden put on your shoulders and it's all my fault now. Your mother said you can never know about your identity but it was wrong to follow that. I am so sorry I-"
"It is not wrong..." I stopped her. "If I had known from the beginning what I am capable of I wouldn't have been able to experience a happy childhood with you and Vera like this..." Again I hugged her tightly and just let the old lady cry out her heart. It was the first time I was witnessing her so emotional so I wondered if she had kept all those worries hidden for the last 16 years.
"But Rune..." it was now Jane who was speaking. "If you have those abilities... are you trying to say you will use them on Peter Falcon?" Her eyes were wide and next to her Vince seemed to be deep in thoughts.
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes for a second.
"Yes... I am the only one who can stop him without risking all the other injured people's lifes. I can't do it alone though... because they won't come at us unprepared to the gifted soldiers from the groups could actually be beneficial to us." I stared around at everyone and soon a complicated discussion began on how to proceed with this problem and what to tell Neil and the others. I told them everything I learned about Peter Falcon and together we were slowly filing out something worth a try.
It was the same day that I was told to stay in the room that was meant for me and recover my strength a little. Because Vince and Granny had went out to check around the area and Jane was deeply asleep on the sofa downstairs it was only me and Raven who were awake on this foggy day.
Subconsciously my thoughts kept driving of to how he had carried me through the forest. Was it only in my imagination or had he really called me his princess? I thought I could stop having feelings for him but the events in the past only added more to that. Was Raven even okay? He had spoken so little before...
"Rune?" In that very moment the door opened exposing the person I had just thought about. His black and red hair strands were falling down to all sides and almost covering his eyes because he didn't style them after taking a shower. He was wearing sweatpants and a white tightly fitting tee through which I was able to see his defined muscles. Unlike usually he wasn't acting all confident but instead it felt like he was sad in a way... just like everyone at the moment.
"Are... you okay?" I sat up on the guest bed and signed him to come in and close the door. Hesitantly, he sat down next to me so close that our thighs were touching.
"Who is fine right now?" He laughed half heartedly but I waited for him to say more until he continued.
"It's just... I don't know what to believe anymore. Of course I've been in complicated situations before but this one is everything at once. From one day to the other we're confronted with something totally new and I can't catch up fast enough to keep everything under control... I don't know." He let himself fall back with closed eyes and an exhausted sigh. What he had said was relatable in many ways... we had went on this mission with almost no information and now everything came at all at once. But why was he telling all of this to me? Why not Jane... or Vince?
"You don't always need to protect everyone... sometimes it's simply not possible to have control over everything." I said back and looked down at him so we made eye contact again. I had never asked him how he was coping with all of this... Raven might be an experienced soldier but that didn't mean he had no emotions...
"But I feel responsible every time someone gets hurt. Jane, Ed, Celeste, hell even Kate." He groaned and burried his face into his hands.
Instinctively, I turned around to sit next to him and gently took his hands away from his face to take them into mine. It just felt right doing it... and there was nothing more to lose right?
"It.is.not.your.fault." I carefully said every word and noticed how he responded to me taking his hands by pulling me closer slowly.
"But I still feel guilty..." he breathed in desperation and I felt his breath on my face that was right above his.
"Why?" I brought out forgetting how to breath. Raven was blushing... and his hazel golden eyes were like in a trance. Did the temperate just go up in this room? Why was he burning up?
"Because I lied to you..."
"About what?" I cluelessly wondered and tilted my head slightly.
"That I could not accept your feelings... it was lie... because in reality I've fallen for a longer time than I want to admit." it was nothing but a faint whisper that escaped Raven's lips but it made my heartbeat double in speed in seconds and before I knew what was happening Raven had closed the gap between our faces and softly pressed his lips on mine.
All kinds of emotions were exploding inside of my heart at once.
It was real this time. It wasn't acting nor a prank... the kiss was genuine and full of unsaid feelings.
With shivering hands I let myself sink into his touch and enjoyed the warm feeling of his lips on mine. Raven had let go of my hands and placed them at the back of my neck where he pulled away the tie that kept my blond hair together. It fell to both sides where he let it slide through his hands while softly biting my lower lip. All this time I had been longing for his touch like this and now that I finally felt it I never wanted it to stop again.
"You're the most beautiful person I ever met." he breathlessly said and even though it sounded simple, his compliment made me feel butterflies.
"I know someone who is prettier. And super handsome too." I claimed and saw the olders eyes narrowing before he flipped us over with a smooth movement, being careful not to come in contact with my injured leg.
"Who?" He asked teasingly and smirked when leaning down to place kisses on my neck, one after another from my ear down to my collar bone. It send shivers down my spine and I bit my lip to prevent any noises from comming out. This was so embarrassing.
"I asked who?" Raven repeated himself but just when I was about to answer he bit a certain point on my lower neck before starting to suck on it with a patience that made me go insane.
"Ngh~" I silently moaned fearing he'd find it weird but that noise caused Raven to smirk even wider.
He held my waist and pulled himself closer to me to place his lips on mine again and intensify the kiss.
Our movements got more passionate and rough by the second and the only thing that gave me security were my hands that held onto his neck and shoulders tightly.
I wasn't necessarily submissive but Raven was going further with such confidence that I had no choice but to obey. It felt right this way though.
Playing a little with him I let my hand slide underneath his shirt knowing that the cold of them would make him gasp. I used that opportunity to slide my tongue between his lips but he was quick to respond and fight back until I was the one feeling his tongue exploring every part of my mouth.
"I forgot that princess has some confidence in this." Raven reminded himself licking his lips and the nickname made me feel weird in a good way that I never experienced before.
"Then how about this?" He slid my sweatshirt over my head so I was lying there half naked with my chest exposed to him. Both of us were breathing heavily but neither could stop. It wasn't the first time he'd seen me like this so I wasn't as insecure about it anymore.
"Don't move." Raven demanded and pinned down my wrists above my head with one hand while letting his fingers slide down the middle of my torso and along the outline of my abs. It tingled my skin and my back slightly arched.
"I said don't move princess." Raven proceeded to slide his hand up and down until he moved over and brushed my nipple. At the new sensation my head moved back and more muffled sounds escaped my throat.
"Are you sensitive there?" He wondered sweetly enjoying the effect he had on me.
"P- please." I answered short on oxygen but I was given no time to calm down when suddenly his warm and wet tongue slid around my nipple while he pinched the other with his hands. Raven really knew what he was doing. How was I so easily turned on by him?
I moaned out and squirmed under his touch but the older persistently held me in place and slowly moved his tongue down my chest and abs leaving a wet trace.
"Raven, stop..." I pleaded when he arrived at the rim of my pants that had started feeling painfully tight. But I didn't want him to do everything. I might not be as experienced as he was but if I had to be his princess I wouldn't be a pillow princess.
"Is something wrong?" Raven already worried but quickly realized where this was going when I sat up and pushed his back against the wall. The older's eyes widened in surprise for a second but he let me take off his shirt and gave me full permission to do whatever I wanted.
Since the day I found him injured near Berlin I had wanted to touch those defined beautiful muscles. They weren't like those body builders who only went to the gym but Raven's body was made of hard training and countless fights.
With my thumb I trailed the outlines of his chest and abs while moving closer to sit on his lap. My legs were on each side of his hips basically cornering him in the spot he was. Slowly, I let my hips grind down on his
I bit his collar bones, then kissing up to his neck and teasingly nibbling his ear while not stopping the movement. A rosy scent of body lotion came from his skin.
I felt how Raven's body was tensing signaling me to go even further and grind down harder.
"Rune~" he moaned out my name sending shivers through my body before he placed his hands on my lower back and let them travel down until he reached my butt.
I felt how he was getting excited while at the same time he squeezed my lower half.
I had never done it with a man before although I had imagined it countless times.
But it wasn't only sexual desire that I felt... because I loved Raven Inoue. I fell for every part of him and now I couldn't let go anymore.
It was like a drug when I started kissing him intensely again. Sweet and intoxicating. Taking my breath away and making everything sparkle and glow as if going through a rush. Raven's eyes sparkled when he caught his breath and whispered to me.
"I'm never gonna let go of you, Rune"