His whole childhood had been a constant study in the importance of concealing one's emotions. Blacks were notorious for their passion, which made any sentiment a hundred times stronger than it might have otherwise been, so his parents had gone to great pains to ensure that he knew how to appear calm even as his insides simmered in self-righteous fury. Over time, it had become like breathing to him; easy and instinctual and impossible to do without.
With her, things were different. She broke through his shields with the ease of a lion bounding through long blades of grass to get to him, sending him off kilter without even trying. At first, the unexpected vulnerability was terrifying. But she exposed herself to him with equal measure, almost as if she couldn't even imagine doing any different. There was a darkness to her that rivalled his own, with the only difference being the way that she chose to use it. For the first time in his life, he was completely and utterly open with another human being, and she with him.
And he relished it.
A/N: Prompt: 'open'