Unflawed

Everything about him was unflawed. His long, black hair that glistened when he broke the surface of water; his dark, deep violet eyes that seemed to be able to read the very thoughts running through a person's head; his smile, which could make everything seem better. He was god of attraction, king of land and sea. He was kind, generous, caring. A gentleman that was, by all means, perfect.

She was… not.

—

Raven sat on the edge of the Tower's roof, legs dangling off the side, wondering if anyone could see the exact same view she could. The sunset had made her aberrantly happy, the twice a day occurrence that only happens when the sun crosses the horizon. Colors splashed across the sky—red, orange, blue, green, pink, purple: everything.

Beautiful, she thought. A surge of joy came upon her, forcing her to look down at the calm waves in order to bury the feeling.

"Raven?"

She froze at the voice and looked over her shoulder. Behind her, amused expression on his face, stood Aqualad. Her heart leapt as she looked away, cursing Azar inaudibly. "Hey. What're you doing here?"

"Robin invited us over for a sort of thank-you dinner, since we watched the Tower when you five were away."

She stared out at the dimming clouds in concealed horror. As he stepped up next to her, leaning forward on the raised concrete, she asked, "What are you talking about?"

"I'm guessing you either didn't know or forgot. We just finished dinner a few minutes ago. Sorry… we all thought you were sleeping, or meditating—not to be disturbed." Aqualad looked at her cautiously. "I suppose we were wrong."

She shook her head with a sigh. "No, it's my fault. I completely forgot. When did the TE-Ship get here?"

"An hour or two ago. Didn't you see it?"

She shrugged, about to look at him when she saw his face close to hers. "No. I must've been… sleeping, or meditating—not to be disturbed."

That made him laugh, a hearty laugh that would have made her smile if not for the constant emotional secrecy she had established.

"So instead, you've been up here?" He raised a brow when she nodded. "Isn't it a little cold for just your uniform?"

Looking at him, she realized he was wearing dark jeans and black hooded sweatshirt. Suddenly, she felt the wind blowing through the thin fabric of her leotard, the chill biting at her pale skin. "Thanks," she muttered, shivering. "You just made me cold."

"Sorry again," he chuckled. "I didn't realize that words could change the temperature."

She pulled her knees to her chest and muttered, "No… I'm just impervious when I'm oblivious."

After a short pause, he looked over his shoulder at her. "D'you want my hoodie? It's nice and fuzzy on the inside…"

"N-no," she chattered, blushing crimson. "I'm f-f-fine…"

"No; you're stuttering!" he answered, beginning to remove the sweatshirt.

"I insist, keep it on—I'm good, I promise."

He stopped moving, then walked away from the edge of the Tower. As Raven turned to see where he went, two arms wrapped around her neck and she felt Aqualad's warmth against her back, his chin resting on the top of her head.

"Hey," she stammered, her whole body tensing at his touch. "Don't-"

"You left me no choice!" She could hear the grin in his tone. "You wouldn't wear the sweatshirt, so it's wearing you!"

She sighed, relaxing slightly as a few seconds passed. "Thanks, I guess…" she mumbled, resting her head on her arms to hide her blush.

"Why are you so… timid?" he wondered suddenly, looking down and sideways at her. "You're tough in battle, but-"

"When it comes to interacting with people, I'm unresponsive?"

He was hesitant to answer. "Well, yeah. Something like that, only with less syllables."

She smiled softly. "Emotions, for me, are dangerous. My powers depend on emotion, and if I have too many feelings, things… blow up."

"Oh," he said, putting his head back on top of hers. "That's… unfair."

Raven closed her eyes and gently brought his arms closer. "It is," she whispered, holding back unexpected tears.

"So… you can't ever show anything?" His breath ruffled her violet hair, making her tense again. "That's terrible. Everyone should be able to-"

An almost silent cry escaped her lips, making him stop in mid sentence.

"Raven?" he asked, pulling away from her. "What's wrong?"

She shook her head, brushing the moisture off her cheeks. "N-nothing." She stood and began towards the roof door.

"No," he persisted, turning her around by the shoulder. "I'm sorry—I spoke without thinking. I didn't mean to make you cr-"

"Aqualad," she muttered, stepping away. "You didn't do anything. It's just that… no one's ever talked about that with me before. You just sounded so sad when you said it…" She wiped her eyes again. "Nevermind. I'm just being stupid—"

"Wait!" He grabbed her arm again, although this time she didn't turn to look at him. "Raven…?" He reached his free hand to her chin.

She caught his wrist before his hand touched her and unwillingly turned to look at him, tears streaming from her eyes. "Don't…" she whispered desperately. "Don't touch me…"

"Raven," he said tenderly, releasing his grip from her arm and instead enveloping her hand. "This isn't about emotions, is it? Something happened before that hurt you… And you don't want to show any sentiments because you're afraid of being emotionally harmed again…?"

She winced and averted her gaze as he pulled her closer, holding the side of her chin. Skimming his thumb lightly over her cheek, he wiped away her tears, uttering a whispered, "Can't you trust me?"

"I do trust you," she reasoned with an uneven tone. "But…"

"But?" he asked, a flicker of pain in his eyes.

"But I don't want to be hurt again. You…" She sniffed, jerking away. "You were right. I'm just a coward, hiding from everyone. I have to be."

"No, you don't! You don't have to be alone!" He let go of her hand, giving her the chance to go back inside. "I understand, or at least will in time. But I wanted to say that… well, I really like you, Rae. I don't want you to push me away every time we see each other, though, so…" He stopped and then brushed past her to the door, the first traces of pink appearing on his sorrow-filled face. "I don't know," he finished.

As the door clanged open, Raven shook her head a final time and caught Aqualad by the hand. His gaze flitted over his shoulder to her.

"I… I'll try," she whispered, trembling when he turned to her.

Beaming in a mix of joy and sympathy, he embraced her soothingly. "Don't force yourself, though," he commanded, holding her away from him with a slight seriousness.

Raven hiccupped, trying to look happy. "Right," she agreed, resting her forehead against his chest, exhaling shakily.

"Oh, god, you're probably freezing," Aqualad whispered into her ear. "But… look at that sunset."

Raven turned around and stepped forward to watch the sun finish sinking out of sight. The last splatters of blue and purple were fading, leaving room for the newly visible stars to light the sky.

"Beautiful," she murmured, awestruck, turning back to him. "What?" she asked. He had moved so close, she had almost run into him. "Why are…?"

He cupped her chin in his hand, his face nearing hers, his breath hot on her face. "Raven," he said slowly as if asking permission.

Shocked at first, she then tilted her head with a peaceful smile and a nod. "Aqualad," she answered, closing her eyes with a relieved sigh just as his lips lowered onto hers. Nerves tingling, she pulled away, savoring his strangely oceanic taste.

"Shall we?" He gestured towards the door leading inside. "You look a bit chilly."

She bit her lip, grinning, and reached out to hold his hand. "No," she whispered, leaning closer as she looked into his eyes. "Not anymore…"