An hour later, Rain is lying on his back in Tess's room, completely out of breath. She's next to him on her bed, equally out of breath, her chin resting on his chest as she looks up at him with a smug grin. Her hair is still slightly damp from a shower earlier, and she's changed into cloth shorts and a tank-top.
The revealing attire is...not doing wonders for Rain's restraint. Fortunately, Tess seems to prefer it that way, because she's kept him virtually unable to talk for the past forty minutes. In fact, this is the first time she's let either of them breathe freely for this long. When she speaks, her voice is equal parts exasperated and smug.
"Mmm...gods finally...this is so gratifying. I've been waiting forever for you to express romantic feelings for me. What took you so long, dumbass?"
Rain stares back at her, an exasperated expression finding its way to his face as well.
"I've been confused about my own feelings ever since that movie together, when you almost triggered my Quirk in your room! Why in the world would I express them to you, when it might have damaged our friendship? Also, what about you!? If this is what you wanted, too, and you were wondering how I felt, why didn't you express yourself!?"
Tess narrows her eyes at him for a moment, then looks away sheepishly.
"Well...I was going to eventually. I was working up the courage...trying to find out how you felt about me first. You were sending very mixed signals! I was worried about messing things up..."
His expression turns incredulous.
"Me? Mixed signals? Like what!?"
She glares at him, her expression full of annoyance.
"Oh, I don't know...maybe calling me the most beautiful girl in the Academy repeatedly, but never seeming remotely flirtatious about it. Agreeing to go to a movie alone with me and calling it a hot date, but having some other woman in your room when I show up. Inviting me to a campfire lunch and talking about how much you love my company, but never taking the initiative to spend time with me outside of class. Agreeing to an overnight camping trip with me, but going to yet another girl's room every night. Any of this ringing a bell, dumbass?"
Rain's eyes widen in surprise, his voice becoming flustered.
"I...well I mean, that was just...no. Okay...so...you're just putting it all together...it's misleading. Uhm...alright...on second thought...maybe I'm not blameless. I...uh...can see where you're coming from...possibly. I'm sorry..."
After watching him babble nervously for a minute, staring back at her sheepishly, Tess just gives him an amused smile.
"I forgive you...worrying about that is a waste of time now anyway."
Rain breathes a sigh of relief, then gives her a nervous smile.
"Uh, great...thanks. But...uhm...Tessa...what now?"
She smirks, then pulls herself further on top of him and buries her face in his neck, wrapping him in a tight hug. She sighs deeply...her voice full of pleasant satisfaction.
"Now...we stay in this bed for another half hour, letting me make up for missed time. After that...hmm...maybe breakfast together in the cafeteria before class? Making out with you this much is making me hungry...not that I'm complaining. Actually, you're pretty good at it...are you sure that you weren't exaggerating about how little you've dated?"
Rain coughs nervously.
"Ehem...uhm...yes, I'm sure. You're actually...the first girl I've kissed...if I'm being honest. But Tess, that's actually not what I meant...about what now. I meant...for us...our, err, relationship dynamic. I don't even know what to call you anymore."
Tess pulls her head out of his neck and rests her chin on his chest again, looking at him curiously. There's a smug smile on her face, and her voice becomes...teasing.
"Wait...am I really the first girl you've kissed? That's kind of...flattering."
He fights the embarrassment as heat rushes to his face, and he just narrows his eyes at her in annoyance.
"Yes...really. Now, are you just going to pretend the second part of what I said didn't happen?"
Tess sighs and rolls her eyes, then gives him a reassuring smile.
"No, I'm not...relax. Do you want to keep kissing me? In general, I mean."
He gives her a puzzled expression.
"Well, yes..."
Tess smirks at the response, and continues as he pauses.
"And do you plan to try and kiss other girls?"
Rain's voice becomes defensive, and his expression bewildered.
"Wh-...no! Why would you ask that!?"
Tess chuckles in amusement, a smug smile coming to her face. She ignores his question, her voice becoming teasing.
"What about me? How do you feel about the idea of me kissing other guys?"
He feels a flash of fear and shock in his chest, his expression blanking. Eventually, he looks away from her gaze sheepishly, his voice becoming embarrassed and quiet.
"I...well...if you're asking, I...uhm...am not fond of the idea...truthfully."
Tess flashes him a bright smile, obviously pleased to hear his answer. She leans towards him, her green eyes shining mischievously, her voice becoming coy.
"Good...my answers to all of those questions are the same, Rain. So, we were already friends before, and now we want to kiss one another but not other people...I'd say the answer to your original question is pretty obvious. I'm your girlfriend...don't you think?"
He feels equal parts shock and elation at her unexpected characterization. He stares back at her incredulously, Tess meeting his gaze with an affectionate smile and raised eyebrows. He responds cautiously, his eyes studying her face as he speaks.
"You're...okay with that?"
She smirks at him, her tone becoming playful as her green eyes scan him in amusement.
"Of course, dumbass...that's what I want. However, since I'm your girlfriend, I expect us to go on a proper date on our next day off. That okay with you?"
After a moment to get over his surprise, Rain flashes her a wry grin.
"Of course...I was going to tell everyone I had a hot date then anyway. Now, it'll just be true."
Tess rolls her eyes at him, but a pleased smile is stuck on her face.
"Good...I'm looking forward to it."
She buries her face into his neck again, letting out a deep, satisfied sigh as she squeezes him tightly once more. Her voice comes out borderline giddy.
"Gods, you are so comfy...I could get used to this..."
*****
Rain is staring at the cup of tea in his hands, a small but shit-eating grin plastered on his face as he's deep in thought. It's been a couple days since his camping trip with Tess, and things have been...well...
'I'm so fucking happy...'
Rain sighs in satisfaction...that's basically the gist of it. His biggest worry of the past few days has been making sure to continue taking his training seriously...so that the Crucible doesn't upend this blissful existence he's established. Fortunately, Nik has still been training him as aggressively as ever...maybe even more so.
Similarly, Tess and him have kept up their evening sparring sessions, and their new relationship doesn't seem to have diminished her ferocity in the slightest. If anything, she seems more determined...like she's trying to cram the same amount of training into a shorter time span, so that their night can...progress.
Speaking of Tess and him, their routine has stayed similar in some ways – class in the morning, and sparring at night. However, there have been a few...additions. The first is that they eat most of their meals together now.
He...appreciates that, in no small part because it has helped with the rumors surrounding his relationship with Ronin. They haven't had to say anything...just being seen together so frequently has been enough to start new, conflicting rumors about his love life. To Rain's surprise, Nik hasn't asked him about rumors regarding Tess yet, presumably because he was already aware that they're friends, and assumes the rumors are just misunderstandings like with Ronin.
Another change in Rain's and Tess's routine is that, after their sparring, they usually spend the rest of their night making out...which he's really enjoying. Finally, there's...the sleeping arrangements.
Much to Rain's surprise, Tess has been very insistent on sleeping in his bed with him since their camping trip. According to her, it's 'no big deal' because they 'already did it while camping', and he is 'too comfy to give up'. So, his initially startling experience of waking up to Tess on top of him has become the norm, though she wears a tank-top and shorts now.
Her presence and state of dress has led to some...awkward reactions...from Rain. The first time, he was mortified and apologetic, but she just politely ignored the situation until it passed, remaining nonchalant throughout. He...really appreciated it.
Tomorrow is their off-day and first official date. To his surprise, Bright is unavailable for some reason, so he'll be spending the whole day with Tess. After some searching online, he suggested an activity called bowling that the Academy gets them free access to, and Tess agreed. She seems to be excited about the plans, so he's pleased with his decision as well.
Rain takes a sip of tea, lost in thought about what the date will be like. Suddenly, a calm voice interrupts his thoughts.
"Will you be entering the Champion's Tournament?"
He glances up at the source of the voice – a beautiful blonde girl with pale blue eyes, Ronin. He raises his eyebrows at her inquisitively.
"I believe so...you are, too, right?"
She nods her acknowledgement absentmindedly, studying his expression. After a moment, her tone become curious.
"If we face one another in the ring...I wonder which of us will win."
He directs a bewildered expression at her.
"Is that a joke? Naturally, you'll win."
Her expression becomes puzzled, her blue eyes alight with confusion.
"Why would that be a joke? And I fail to see how it's natural that I will win. I know better than most how strong you are."
He shakes his head in amusement, then directs an incredulous smile at her.
"Well, there are no Talents allowed in the tournament. Between that, and the fact that I'm pretty sure your sword skills are leagues better than mine, you should beat me easily."
Ronin narrows her eyes at him.
"I'm not talking about your Talent. Remember, I saw you fight that Legacy friend of yours...Niklaus. The strength of the blow you landed was stronger than what any of the other Champions around here could produce, and I know it wasn't because of your Talent."
Rain purses his lips, looking back at the intense Ronin thoughtfully. He wasn't aware that she had a measure of his general strength. In retrospect, he supposes that it's neither surprising nor consequential information for her to have. Worst case, she makes some fuzzy assumptions about his Bloodline...which will inevitably be wrong, and something she probably won't share.
He shrugs at her nonchalantly.
"Well, even if you're right, I don't intend to use Ichor in the tournament...I need practice fighting while at a disadvantage. So, I doubt I'd be able to overpower you, and that means your sword skills would overwhelm me. Besides, I don't care to see which of us is stronger...that attitude is for your enemies, not your allies."
The corner of her mouth twitches upward, a trace of amusement sparkling in her normally cold, blue eyes.
"I see...and what if we were enemies, fighting outside of a tournament. Would you lose then?"
He glances at her in surprise, thrown by the unexpectedly obsessive line of questioning. He gives her a hesitant stare.
"It depends...would you be trying to kill me?"
Her expression remains neutral, but her eyes become briefly thoughtful before she responds in an even tone.
"Let's say I was...hypothetically."
Rain gives her an amused smile, but his eyes are deathly serious.
"Then you'd die...hypothetically. Should I be concerned about this line of questioning, Ronin?"
She purses her lips thoughtfully for a moment, then shakes her head calmly.
"No, I'm just curious about how strong my only ally is...that's all."
Staring at her suspiciously for a few more seconds, Rain eventually just rolls his eyes, his tone becoming sarcastic.
"Well...next time, just challenge me to an arm wrestling contest or something. It's a lot less suspicious than hypotheticals about us fighting to the death."
Ronin nods appreciatively, no trace of humor in her expression or voice.
"I see...I'll keep that in mind."
Rain stares at her for several moments, looking for signs that she's joking but finding none. Eventually, he hangs his head in exasperation and sighs.
'Gods...sometimes I think I'm starting to understand her, then she does shit like this...'