Elaine was standing in her garden working magic. She had no desire to lose her plants to this blasted snow. Oh, she loved snow. Chicago taught her a lot about loving snow, but in Orange County? She did not love snow. This was a little more than she was used to trying, so once she finished with the protective spells over every freaking plant she slumped against the branch-fence and ran a hand through her hair.
She looked positively wiped.
But, not wiped enough to lift her head and look into the woods, a slow smile curling her lips. There was enough snow to form a snowball, she used magic because she could hide it while she formed it. She wasn’t entirely sure where he was, but, after she’d formed a few loosely packed snowballs behind a veil, she let them loose.
She only hoped maybe one would hit Riddick.
Only Elaine would start a snowball fight with a dangerous man, in the woods, by her home, in California. After all, she really enjoyed a challenge and also wanted to make something nice out of this whole OC dropping snow on her head bullshit.
***
Watching Elaine was the only thing which brought Riddick pleasure these days. His dreams had become the Dreams everyone spoke of and they were constant. Nothing about his body felt familiar any longer yet he could use his new abilities as if they'd been a part of him since birth. The snow made him blind even in darkness which meant he wore his goggles constantly. It annoyed him only because he was deprived of the colors which made up the witch.
Elaine was more than a greyscale figure of woman to Riddick.
He hated seeing her without the shades Nature had painted her in.
Winter wasn't something anyone in the OC was prepared for though it did nothing to Riddick. His body didn't seem to feel cold the way most would. Even with his arms bare, Riddick hardly noticed the change in the temperature. He watched as Elaine glowed around her plants. She coddled each one as if it were her own child, precious and loved. The garden would survive this strange climate change thanks to her care. Riddick had no doubt of that.
Dodging the icy projectiles, Riddick darted back and forth across the snow, a blur of muscle and motion across the white spanse separating him from Elaine. He reached for her waist to try to grab her, uncertain if she'd dart away with magic or let him capture her.
~*~
Elaine loved each plant and had taken great care in making sure they would survive. She didn’t mind winter, honestly, but the snow in the OC was so weird she was not too happy about it. She didn’t want her plants to die and had expended a lot of energy trying to ensure their survival. It was a garden she needed for her work. She couldn’t let it die.
And she had grown to enjoy the idea of Riddick around. His presence kept her place safe from other things. Predators left her alone, her cats could actually roam her garden without fear and they also stuck close to home knowing they were safe there. It was lovely for them, and for her. She’d left them inside, though, the snow and them weren’t something she wanted to deal with right now.
She had thrown snow at Riddick because she wanted to have a little fun. But he moved faster than she was expecting and he was able to get a grip on her. She was laughing though as she used his momentum to swing him into the snow that littered the ground around them, trying to dump him into the white piles. If she went down too, it was worth it. Elaine never had snowball fights as a child, but in her dreams she’d learned to dodge things with baseballs instead of snow, and she found she much preferred snow.
So she let out her inner child to play. Snow was supposed to be fun. Might as well roll with it. Or in it as it were.
~*~
Letting the momentum of their movement carry him along, Riddick hit the snowdrift with Elaine cradled against his chest. She got dusted with fine powder which flew up from his impact. He could barely feel it or her. There wasn't enough force behind her countermeasure to register to him; her weight was negligible compared to what Riddick knew his body was capable of managing.
"You know, you're lucky I like you, witchy woman. I don't roll around in the snow with just anyone. Sure you won't catch cold out here?"
Ridick knew he wouldn't.
Sickness didn't come to him in his Dreams and he couldn't remember it having ever visited him in this life either. A part of him thought it was courtesy of his Furyan side. There was a chance he could have been wrong, but he'd deal with it when or if that happened. Riddick felt grateful to be able to smile at Elaine as he grabbed a loose handful of snow to drop on her head.
"I think that's 'Tag,' as in, you're it, Elaine."
He made no effort to hold her captive or let her go. Elaine was a free spirit. She could make her own choices. Riddick would play along regardless.
~*~
Elaine landed lightly, she didn’t crash down on him too hard, and laughed as the snow poofed up around them. She laughed as it settled back down, the cold air and snow not bothering her too much. “No one said you had to hold on. But I don’t seem to be arguing ” she replied with a smirk “Nah, I’ve got a good immune system. and the ability to warm myself up with a little fire if I need it.”
She should have expected the snow being dumped on her head.
Which she hadn’t. As the snow landed on her and fell down the back of her shirt. She shuddered, shivering as it hit her skin. She squeaked in surprise as the cold hit her skin. “Tag, huh?” She laughed as she rolled out of his arms into the snow, landing on her knees as she scooped up snow and returned the favor. “Got you.” she said, before pushing off the ground and taking off running, she’d veil herself except she knew she couldn’t hide her tracks, so she relied on her quick feet and agile ability to not fall on her face.
She knew he was probably faster than her, but she was lithe and enjoyed the run, long legs carrying her through the snow without too much issue, cheeks already red from the air, but her eyes were sparkling with mischief.
She threw one hand backwards behind her, muttering a phrase in her old Egyptian, and threw up a snow wall - soft, but cold. Easy to break through it, though it’d give her a few seconds.
***
"Only a fool would have let go," Riddick countered.
He had no intention of letting Elaine go if he didn't have to---she was the best part of his life at present. Riddick would have taken the fall for her if they'd been heading into lava. She was worth it to him. There was something magical about the way she called to him. His attraction to her was one of the few things Riddick knew wasn't magical at all. That was purely instinct. Basic animal instincts were as far from magic as anyone could get.
Elaine took off away from him with a chirrup of discontent yet he could tell she was happy. Her smile could be felt it was so real. They could enjoy one another. They could have fun. Riddick wasn't only a monster, an alien, a convict. Elaine let him be more because she needed more out of him and he was grateful to be able to give it to her. Riddick didn't need any help with his animal side; being human? That was something he had to work on.
Racing behind her at a fraction of the speed he could manage, Riddick roared with laughter as he exploded through the ice wall Elaine had thrown up with her magic, "I'm thinking I owe you for that one!"
He didn't think about it as he pushed himself to catch her, tossing her into the air as if she were a doll.
"Can you fly, witch?"
She could do plenty, but could she fly?
Riddick would catch her if she couldn't. No question about that.
~*~
“Then I have met many fools over the years!” she commented as she ran, hair whipping out behind her. She loved the thrill of the run, the wind in her face, the cold breeze reddening her skin. There was something freeing about being able to run like that, to enjoy that kind of freedom and not having to worry about anyone thinking she had lost her mind.
Sometimes you just needed a way to let the stress out. Sometimes you needed to play. Even as an adult. Elaine had had so much trauma in her life that she rarely let herself go, rarely relaxed completely. But there was a safety net around her that made sure nothing was going to harm her. For now, anyways, and he gave her a little peace that she’d been unable to find for herself.
She laughed as he broke through the wall, the spell crumbling around him so it fell behind him without issue or ceremony, just snow hitting the ground as he ran to catch her. She laughed as he grabbed her and threw her up into the air. She was blown away by how easily he did it. Elaine couldn’t fly but she could slow her descent so she’d land softer.
But she trusted that he was going to catch her even as she slowed the fall.
Dark eyes sparkling as she laughed. “You owe me for that one huh? What are you going to do about it?” she remarked as she waved her hand behind him, magic pulling the branch behind them down and dumping snow on him.
**
Laughter was something sorely missing in Riddick's life. He imagined himself ages old without even the ability to remember the sound of laughter to keep him company. The injuries he suffered in his Dreams had manifested on occasion for him though they'd always healed. Scars were few and far between on his body; in combination with his lack of ability to become ill, Riddick wondered if he weren't immortal courtesy of being the host to the last of his race.
Elaine felt painfully mortal in his arms as he caught her.
She dumped a branch overflowing with snow on his head making Riddick laugh, a booming sound from deep in his chest. The cold didn't bother him at all though it did make him more aware of his baldness. Hair was something he wondered about from time to time, but he'd never wanted to risk letting his grow. It was only another way to let an adversary have a handhold on him. Riddick liked being at the top of the food chain too much to offer any help to an enemy.
"What am I going to do about it?"
Riddick shook his head, letting snow drift down onto her face as he cleared it off him.
"I'm thinking I might roll you around in one of these drifts to see if I can make a snow angel with you."
~*~
Elaine was lucky. She already knew she’d live a rather long life. She’d learned in her dreams there were wizards a couple centuries old. She could survive for quite a long time, if she was careful. She had no desire to die anytime soon, so she made her life healthier. She didn’t take as many unnecessary risks. She could still be killed by relatively normal means, although it was certainly harder.
Her lips curled into a wicked smile as she watched the snow fall then get shaken into her face. The cold made her cheeks redder, but she didn’t seem to mind it too much. In stark contrast to his baldness, she had long, thick hair, that usually she tied back but not today. She liked the way the snowflakes clung to the strands.
She was tougher than she looked and sturdier than she felt.
She blinked at him, not in a surprised way but an attempt to look innocent. “I didn’t know a wild man and a witchy woman could make a snow angel. It’s not like either of us are innocent things.” she said with a laugh. It was easy to laugh. He made her feel something she’d tried to lock down after she got burned last time.
Elaine had bared her wounds to the man she thought would understand. And he had. But he’d also cut ties with her for a much younger woman. Someone from his Dreams. She? Had closed down for awhile and turned into the hermit in the woods. She was dangerously close to caring about what happened to Riddick, where his life would take him. It made her heart race.
“I guess it’s time to find out, isn’t it?” She hooked a leg through his and dropped, pulling him with her and letting the snow cushion her fall, she wasn’t worried about him hurting her as she landed. Some of her hair had been flung out as she fell and now spread around her head, some was stuck to her cheeks, and it only made her grin a little bit more.
***
Riddick went down willingly enough though he caught the majority of his weight on his fists, braced around her as she shifted. He turned her until her body aligned with his. She was an answer to a prayer he would have never uttered. Riddick didn't mind how small she felt beneath him. He cared only how her heartbeat was strong, her smile sharp, and her body warm enough to make his own feel less like a furnace.
He wrapped his hands around her wrists, pulling her arms up from her sides to scrape the soft snow up, out from their bodies. It made the wing pattern of the snow angel easily enough. Riddick moved to close his mouth over the pulse in her throat. She tasted alive. Far, far too alive for him to fuck up with his dark world filled with violence and death.
Funny how Riddick couldn't bring himself to care too much about that.
"Didn't you know there's no such thing as demons, witch? There's only angels. The kind flying around in Heaven and the kind who fell down to Hell. We're the kind stuck between, here on Earth? We're the kind of angels made to sin."
Nudging her thighs apart, Riddick widened her legs to brush out their 'angel's' lower half even as he pressed himself harder, tighter, hotter against her core.
"I think we're going to be good at making angels. What do you think?"
~*~
Elaine settled under him, grinning wide and bright. Her heartbeat was strong, racing just a little bit even, her skin warm to the touch despite the cold of the snow beneath them. She sighed happily as his warmth added to hers and made the cold more bearable for her. She wasn’t as cold resistant as he was, but that really didn’t seem to make a difference right this second.
She smirked a little as he wrapped his hands around her wrists and pulled her arms up to make the snow angel’s wings. It was funny seeing someone like him playing these kind of kid’s games with her. Though, it was quickly turning into something else that she? Did not mind about in the least. It had been a very long time since anyone had their mouth on her skin and she practically melted right then and there. Her pulse beat strong and quick under his mouth, the red from the wind being replaced by a blush across her skin and down her throat.
She closed her eyes for a moment at his words, her lips spreading into a smile that was promising so much. “I like the idea of being angels made to sin. Sin isn’t so bad.” she opened her eyes to look at him, but she avoided looking directly into his eyes as much as she wanted to. She did not know if his goggles would be enough to stop it from happening - she did not want to risk it. Right now was not the time for a Soul Gaze. She did not want to ruin a moment with such a strong thing. Sometime, maybe, but not right now.
Elaine didn’t offer any resistance as he moved her legs, nor any when he pressed himself against her. Her fingers curled against her palms as she decided to try and take her hands back. Not that she minded his grip, but she wanted to pull him closer. She didn’t hesitate to press her hips against him, though, clearly enjoying this as much as he was.
Her voice was a little softer as she replied. “We might be, I suppose we’ll just have to keep trying this out and see.” Though she pulled one leg up and snaked it around his hips, and pulling him closer, she wasn’t letting him get away either. Not right now. He smelled wild and dangerous. Zee was going to strangle her, but she didn’t care.. He’d captured her attention and she was perfectly okay with that fact.
**
"Sin has its perks."
Riddick released Elaine's hands when she pulled against his grip. He hoped she didn't push him away, nearly lost his control when she squirmed closer. Her legs were strong. The heat between them ratcheted up several degrees as Elaine wrapped her leg around him to hold him closer. It had been far, far too long since anyone had wanted Riddick closer.
For a moment, he wished it weren't snowing---and not for the first time he wished she'd look him in the eyes when they were touching.
He couldn't understand.
Who'd want to break out of their fantasy to realize they were near to crossing lines with an animal?
Moving back to his knees as he sat up, Riddick tugged Elaine up his thick thighs until she was perched on his lap. He kissed her quick. They didn't need to linger any longer than they had. She might be able to conjure fire, but her skin could ice up the same as any human. He didn't want to ask her if she was cold. Riddick had no intention of insulting her by implying she was weak.
All he wanted was more of her company.
"Let's go inside. Sin a little or a lot. I'd rather keep you warm, witch. Pleasure can come with a little pain, but why should it? Haven't we hurt enough?"
Riddick had and Elaine seemed to have as well if the story the scars on her body told was anything to go on. He stood with her as easily as if he were standing alone. Elaine was a negligible weight compared to what Riddick had done before, in another life. He'd carry her as far as she'd let him, proudly. She was the first woman to pull him closer instead of pushing him away in too long to consider.
He wasn't letting her go without a fight.
~*~
Elaine laughed, tilting her head back into the snow to do so. Oh he was something else entirely. She flicked her eyes to his, giving him a quick glimpse of hers before she was perched on his lap, arms snaking around his neck, her skin warm despite the snow. Elaine was cold but she wasn’t going to admit that either. . The glance was enough, the magical tug felt by both was just beginning when she pulled her eyes down and smiled as she settled into his arms
He lifted her with an ease that made her feel lighter than she was. She wasn’t a tiny thing by any stretch of the imagination but he carried her without an ounce of trouble. “I suppose we should see just how much sin we can manage.” she said, her lips curling into a grin. She rested against him as he headed back to the house, eyes half closed as she took in the scent of him. It was the first time she really had to do so, without a bunch of other things getting in her way.
He was strong and she appreciated that fact. She was glad for that strength, she had no doubt she’d need it again. the Dreams were gearing up to give her a hard one soon enough, she just couldn’t help but worry about it. But with him being around enough, she was slowly relaxing. Dreams could throw their worst, she wasn’t alone here.
Not now. Not for awhile, at the very least.
Fingers of one hand ran the length of the back of his neck and up the back of his head, their grip strong as she trailed her hand around, exploring the muscle beneath her fingers. She didn’t think she’d mind him keeping her warm, or any amount of sin they’d get up to.
It was turning into a perfectly wonderful day in her opinion.