Honestly, I have no idea where this came from. I have never even written for the TT fandom, much less the AqualadxRaven pairing, which I don't really care for that much. Oh well. This is what happens when I am forced to study for SEVEN STRAIGHT HOURS. I hope it's worth it. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: You have got to be kidding me.

It would be an understatement to say that Raven was merely surprised when, upon entering the common room of Titans Tower at five o' clock in the morning, she found a dripping wet Aqualad before her.

Oh, yes, to say that she was "surprised" was undeniably an erroneous statement.

Of course Raven was not expecting any of her teammates, apart from Robin, to be awake at such an early hour, and even Robin normally spent these hours either training in the gym or mentally laboring over a desk in the evidence room. Still when the Titans East had migrated to the West Tower for a weekend visit, Raven had automatically assumed that these teammates were no different.

Yet here was Aqualad, standing not far from the doorway of the main room, his drenched uniform clinging to every prominent and seemingly flawless muscle in his body. Despite the situation, Raven could not deny that she found the way the light glinted against his features very attractive.

But of course she would never admit it.

Fortunately for Raven, she was not forced to overcome the struggle of finding the proper words to speak, for Aqualad was the first to offer a small smile and a greeting. "Good morning."

Raven quickly blinked away her surprise and nodded slightly in his direction. "Aqualad."

At the passing of his name from her lips, Aqualad's smile widened slightly. "Sleep well?"

Again Raven gave a small nod. "Well enough, though I doubt the same may be said for you. You do realize that it's five o' clock in the morning, don't you"

Aqualad shrugged, a few droplets of water dripping off of his shoulders and onto the floor at the action. "I always go for a swim in the morning. Swimming kind of helps me to clear my head."

"Oh," Raven murmured quietly, now accurately comprehending the reason for her teammate's unexpected appearance. There was a short pause, then, "Is it completely necessary for you to clear your head before the sun has even come up?"

Aqualad chuckled softly, then began to approach Raven with slow, even strides. "Maybe not, but it's the most convenient. I don't know about your tower, but during the day at the East Tower , it is non-stop chaos."

The sides of Raven's mouth twitched slightly as if she were trying to prevent a smile from surfacing. "Is that so?"

Aqualad cringed as he spoke. "Broken combs, Bee's never ending yelling, the constant smell of Mexican food – it's always the same daily routine outside of fighting crime."

"I understand perfectly," Raven muttered, momentarily turning away to mentally review all the times she had woken up to the infamous "Meat vs. Tofu" fight.

"So what's your excuse?"

Raven turned back to Aqualad with a raised brow. "I'm sorry?"

Aqualad smiled crookedly at her. "For being awake at the crack of dawn," he explained patiently.

Raven opened her mouth to reply only to find that she didn't have an answer. Why had she woken so early that particular morning? She remembered that she did in fact have a specific purpose when she made her way to the common room, but then she had seen Aqualad and…

That purpose was gone from her mind like a dream, leaving her open-mouthed and without an answer to Aqualad's inquiry. Deciding to play it safe, Raven looked down at the tips of her shoes and came up with a most unoriginal answer: "I couldn't sleep."

Which was, of course, a complete lie, but Aqualad didn't need to know that.

Aqualad's warm gaze met Raven's as she looked up once again. "I understand perfectly," he said, purposefully repeating her exact words from moments before.

Raven couldn't hide her smile this time. As usual it wasn't a real smile – she didn't even show any teeth- but it was a Raven smile, which was just as sincere. She turned and walked to the cabinets of the kitchen, hoping to distract herself from the Atlantean, who, despite being charming to her, was making Raven feel a bit awkward. She was highly unused to being openly talked to, much less in such a kind manner. Although it was appreciated, it put Raven a bit too far out of her comfort zone.

So Raven busied herself with her daily ritual of boiling water for her tea, turning away from Aqualad and suspecting he would soon leave her presence. She was surprised, however, to find that when she turned back around a few minutes later, Aqualad remained right where he had been standing, only this time, he seemed to be staring at her pensively. Raven raised her eyebrows in question.

"You've changed," he said simply, steadily, at her inquiring glance.

Raven contemplated his statement for a moment, silently ignoring the surprise she felt at the fact that he had decided to continue to hold a conversation with her of all people, before responding, "Since the last time we met, you mean? Well, I suppose I may have gotten taller…"

Aqualad laughed, a sound that gave Raven butterflies in her stomach for all of about two seconds. "No, I didn't really mean physically." His eyes flitted over her body momentarily. "Although I must say you have grown a few inches."

The corners of Raven's lips twitched. "How so, then, if you didn't mean physically?"

Aqualad turned a bit more serious when he answered. "I meant your whole demeanor. The last time we met, you just seemed more… uncomfortable. Kind of suspicious of everyone around you."

"How have I changed since then? Am I really that different?" Raven almost regretted asking these questions a moment later. Maybe she didn't want to know how she had changed, what Aqualad thought of her…

Her worries were soon eased, however, when Aqualad once again smiled warmly at her. "You've changed in that now you don't seem so self conscious. You seem more confident and sure of yourself in your words and in your actions around other people."

Raven offered him a small smile of appreciation. "Then I suppose that's a good thing?"

Aqualad returned her smile whole-heartedly. "Definitely. But I have to know – what changed you? I know that now that you have defeated your father and everything you're more free to express your emotions, but instead of being more emotional, you just seem more… comfortable – like you know exactly what's coming. Why?"

Raven considered his question as she carefully removed the boiling water from the stove. She understood what Aqualad was trying to say – she was more comfortable with her surroundings, in her own skin, but again he was correct in saying that it wasn't all because of Trigon. Although defeating Trigon had given Raven more peace of mind, it seemed to herself that she was just as stoic and plain as ever (at least, that was how it seemed to her), as if she still didn't know how to express her emotions outwardly. Apart from the newfound confidence she felt on the inside, Raven could not immediately recall a time when she had displayed significantly less confidence on the outside…

But then, when Raven finally realized why she seemed so different to Aqualad especially, she had to make a conscious effort to prevent herself from laughing out loud. Upon recalling her previous encounters with Aqualad, Raven could specifically remember some of their first (and only) meetings. As soon as she had laid eyes on him, Raven had discovered what the emotion of attraction truly felt like. How could she have ignored Aqualad's precise features, his well-toned body? She had been absolutely dazzled by him.

Over the past year, however, and the past few months in particular, Raven had managed to bring herself down to earth, telling herself constantly that looks aren't what really matters and, besides, why would a guy like him want a girl like her? Her intelligence and lack of emotion, Raven thought, could in no way compensate for Aqualad's "perfection".

And so in a way, Raven had given herself "Aqua-therapy". Now when she would look upon this particular teammate, her immediate thoughts would not be composed of words such as "gorgeous" or "beautiful" or the occasional "washboard abs", for she now thought of him as a peer, a real person first, a fact of which she was quite proud.

When Raven finally fixed her amethyst gaze back onto Aqualad, whose brow was still raised in anticipation of her answer, she wisely decided that honesty would be the best option in this situation, seeing that Aqualad of all people would be quite mature enough to handle it without harassing or embarrassing her in the future.

So Raven, surprising him with a smile, spoke with an undertone of humor in her voice. "Would you like the sugar-coated version, or would you like the truth?" she asked.

Aqualad smiled back at her, putting her smile to shame as he would anyone's with a flash of his teeth. "I can handle the truth," he answered confidently.

Raven braced herself by gripping the counter that was now between them and leaning on it slightly, as if preparing herself for what she was about to say. Then she slowly began, "Honestly, when I first met you, I, much like your many myriads of fan girls, was hopelessly smitten with you, in awe of you – 'starstruck' even." Here Raven took a deep breath and let it out, gaining momentum with each genuine confession. She continued in a stronger voice than before, "But over these past few months, I have come to realize that you're just Aqualad – just another hero, not unlike Robin or Speedy of any of the other male figures I work with each day. When I first met you, I believe you were under the influence that I was a naturally shy, self conscious person, because that was the way I acted in your presence, but now that I have realized what you are, my demeanor around you is my true self – the way I speak and act around my family and my closest friends." Raven uncharacteristically offered him one more small smile as she concluded, "Overall, I have come to realize that you are not just some heartthrob or 'sex god' as your fan girls so bluntly put it, but a real person, and that is something I truly admire."

At first Aqualad was simply wide-eyed and silent, as startled as Raven was by her sudden revelation, and for a moment Raven feared that she had been to open and had made a serious mistake by overestimating Aqualad and confiding in him so completely. Hell, she had even surprised herself by becoming such an open book to one person. She had never entrusted her private thoughts to anyone so quickly and completely as she had just done Aqualad in those last few seconds, and she may have even scared him. At this terrifyingly embarrassing revelation, Raven could feel her face flush scarlet. Attempting to hide the blush along with her humiliation, Raven turned away from her companion to busy herself once again with her tea, now completely silent in her embarrassment.

Raven was almost ready to start for the door when Aqualad suddenly but brilliantly cleared the awkward air with a simple smile. "You really are the smart one, aren't you?"

Filled with relief and a new sense of pride, Raven turned slightly so that Aqualad could see the slight smile she offered him in her profile. "That depends upon what you consider true intelligence to be, but yes, I suppose I am."

Raven turned away from the boiling water almost fully so she could meet Aqualad's gaze properly for a moment, and she, not for the first time, was intrigued by his eyes, which seemed to only emphasize the fact that for the moment, she held his full attention. Raven, although flattered by this, was not ready to let go of her tendency to feel uncomfortable while being the focus of anyone's attention, much less Aqualad's.

So Raven withdrew from his steady gaze, returning to the cabinet to retrieve a tea bag for the now boiled water. Aqualad watched with a new sense of admiration for the girl as she rummaged through the cabinet, obviously in search of something, but after a minute or two, Raven closed the cabinets and turned back to him looking slightly defeated.

"What's wrong?" Aqualad inquired, sincerely concerned.

Raven looked back at him and forced her features to return to their usual, stoic positions. "Nothing imperative, really," she said, waving her hand in a gesture of unimportance. "We're just out of tea bags, I think."

After a short moment of thought, Aqualad smiled suddenly, deciding to make the best of the situation and seize the opportunity. He spoke, the gleam of newfound mischief in his eye, "Where are the keys to the T-Car?"

Raven looked at him in disbelief. Surely he wouldn't-… Cyborg would have his head! Raven shook her head at him, but smiled as she did so. "I would tell you, but I don't want to be held responsible for any physical damage Cyborg may cause you in the future," she stated honestly.

Aqualad's smile remained. "He can't cause me physical damage if you would be my partner in crime."

Before Raven could decide how to react to this, Aqualad had grabbed her hand and began to lead her to the garage.

"What-? Where are we going?"

Aqualad beamed down at her, her hand still in his, unsettling the butterflies in her stomach once again. "Do you want your tea or not?"

And what could Raven do besides smile back? Yes, she decided, tea would be very nice.

As the two heroes exited the common room, Aqualad asked only one more question: "So, you were 'starstruck' by me?"

Well, there it is. My greatest worry is that Raven wasn't kept in character. If you believe so, please let me know so that I may have the chance to improve my writing. Review if you feel so inclined. All reviews, as well favorites and ESPECIALLY constructive criticism, are greatly appreciated.

- Elli