Unfair by Kate Voegle. Note: I don't own anything.
I heard this song and was like "OMG! RaeRob written all over the cover!"
It was almost midnight now. Darkness covered the city and the faint silhouettes of the buildings were all that showed up against the night sky.
The city sleeps
So silently
Even the gulls were silent, their screeching cries replaced by blissful silence. Nobody was awake but a girl, standing at the top of a huge tower shaped like a T. She was unusual, with her cropped purpled hair, violet eyes, and a pale complexion. A blue cloak covered her slim figure and she had the aura of someone who was very alone.
Wish I could say the same for me
But I've got this dead ended street
It was the midnight that calmed her fears and soothed her feelings. The unconquered silence allowed all her thoughts to meld and sort themselves out. It had been one of those weeks when her feelings jumbled all together and slid across her mind at the worst possible moments. This normally meant explosions and utter chaos. But she had a good reason this time, though the others wouldn't understand.
To keep searching
For a tunnel underneath the bitter truth
Or a bridge invisible I won't fall through
It was hard to say honestly how she felt about the whole dating situation with Starfire and Robin. It was hard for her to say anything about her feelings period.
That was why her name was Raven.
The dark bird. The messenger of the night. The carrier of darkness. Yes, the name Raven suited her very well.
Was it natural to feel jealousy when people begin dating?
After all, she could never allow herself to fall for anyone. Her emotions were too directly linked with her powers for that to happen. It stung to know that there was a part of life she would never be able to experience. Friendship was all she could afford to feel. It had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that the ebony-haired leader was her closest confidant and friend. He was the only person who ever bothered to look beyond the creepy clothes and demeanor.
And I don't know how much I can keep
Letting you unravel me
Raven called back the memory of breakfast. She had taken her herbal tea as usual and set out Robin's coffee, as usual. Everybody else's tastes varied depending on the day and she had long since given up trying to get breakfast ready for them.
"Hey Rae." Robin said sleepily, taking a sip of his coffee. Raven had sat down across from him like she always did and drank her herbal tea slowly.
"What do you want for breakfast?" he had asked after the caffeine woke him up a bit. She always shrugged and went back to her tea and Robin went back to the paper. Today he had gotten up and opened the refrigerator.
"You like apples right?"
She loved apples, though nobody had ever noticed. She had given him a quizzical look, but he just shrugged knowingly.
"Cyborg got a new recipe for apple pancakes. Want me to make some for us?"
"You really don't have to…"
"It's no big deal. I like cooking breakfast anyway."
Which was a lie. She had sensed that he had something to important to tell her and wanted her in a good mood.
"You know, apples are my favorite fruit too."
'Cuz the more you learn the more we share
He had sat down with the two plates of apple pancakes and given one to her. It was delicious, as usual. Robin let her eat for about three seconds.
"You'll never guess what happened."
"I should think not, since you haven't told me." Raven teased.
"Starfire and I are going to the movies tonight."
Raven froze almost unnoticeably. "So, you two are dating again."
We were worlds apart and you see
It was so much easier to be
'Cuz now I know what we can't have and it's so unfair
Robin nodded happily. "Isn't it great? Starfire's an awesome girl."
Raven gave one of her small smiles. A large one would attract attention. "That is great. You two make a good couple." she forced out, trying her best to sound normal. She must have succeeded because Robin just happily dug into his pancakes.
I never meant
Most of those pretty words I said
But I wanted you to think I did
It must be natural to feel such resentment, such betrayal at such a simple statement. It had to be natural.
"What are you doing up here?" Robin's voice came from behind her. He had somehow snuck up on her while she was lost in her thoughts.
"Enjoying the peace." Raven replied, her words a little harsher than she meant them to be.
"You seemed really quiet today. Do you want to talk about something?
'Cuz telling you all this makes no difference
It's useless
"Not really."
"You know you can tell me about anything right?"
Not this, she wanted to say to him. "That sounds really cheesy." she said instead.
"It's the truth. The truth often sounds terribly corny."
'Cuz those who get to know our hearts the most
They always seem to be the ones we'll never hold
Robin sat down on the edge of the roof, dangling his feet off the edge. Raven sat down next to him, looking up at the stars. They were sitting under the Corona Borealis. How symbolic.
"How did you know I had something on my mind?" Raven finally asked. Robin shrugged.
"I just kind of knew. You're very subtle, so it was hard to be sure."
And I don't know how much I can keep
Letting you unravel me
'Cuz the more you learn the more we share
"How was your date with Starfire?" she asked. It was something that she should have asked earlier but had decided put off until some later time. Even as she asked it there was a vaguely unpleasant feeling in the pit of her stomach.
Robin shrugged. "It was okay. We had to run because of some crazy fans early on, but it was pretty good otherwise."
"That's why you don't go to one of those super crowded movie theaters."
He grinned and nudged her with his elbow. "You always seem to know what I'm about to say. I've noticed that more and more."
We were worlds apart and you see
It was so much easier to be
'Cuz now I know what we can't have and it's so unfair
"Great minds think alike." Raven said softly.
"That's what Starfire said too when I mentioned that to her. Only she said it like 'Exceptional intellects surmise consonantly'."
Raven cringed inwardly at Starfire's name. Which was ridiculous because Starfire was the closest thing to a best friend she ever had.
Can't you see it's destroying me?
I can't stand the closeness
"Her English is very good, unless you want her to say something simply." she commented. Robin laughed and ruffled his black hair with one hand. Then he noticed the faint tinge of gold on the horizon.
"Speaking of Starfire, I have to go. She wanted me to help her with something today."
Raven nodded simply and heard him get up and walk toward the door. She breathed a sigh of relief and turned toward the east.
But don't you dare go avoiding me
It kills me and yet it keeps me going
"That reminds me, I have something for you. Be right back." Robin called from the doorway. There was a minute or two of silence. Then he ran back across the roof to hand something to Raven. It was a gorgeous hardcover book embossed with gold writing. The title read A Complete Compilation of the Works of Robert Frost. The words were written in artistic loops and flourishes.
"I knew that you liked Edgar Allen Poe, but I thought that you might want to read something happy once in a while." He gave her a sidelong glance. "You probably don't like it."
"It's beautiful." Raven whispered, opening it up and admiring the illustrations. "You shouldn't have."
Robin blushed. "It was nothing. Think of it as an early birthday present."
And I don't know how much I can keep
Letting you unravel me 'Cuz the more you learn the more we share
Raven smiled, just enough to soften her features. It was enough to show Robin how she felt.
"Thank you. I love it already."
Robin beamed and began to say something when his communicator beeped. He opened it up to show Starfire's smiling face.
"Robin! I wish to see you now that it is of the three a.m. and discuss the plans for our next excursion."
"Okay, I'll be right there." Robin turned to Raven and smiled apologetically. "I'd love to stay and watch the sunrise with you, but Starfire wants to 'discuss the plans for our next excursion.'"
"Don't let her take you to the florists shop again. They're still mad that she ate all the roses."
He grinned. "She still doesn't realize that was wrong. I've always wondered what happened to all those roses she gets from her fan mail."
Raven snorted. "Just go Boy Blunder."
She could still hear him laughing as he went down the stairs.
We were worlds apart and you see
It was so much easier to be
Once he was gone she felt something fade inside her. Raven opened the book to the first page and read the neatly written message.
"Do the Fates truly hate me so much?" she wondered aloud.
To Raven: Happy Birthday
You may only be one person in the world, but
To one person you are the world.
Robin
'Cuz now I know what we can't have and it's so unfair
The Corona Borealis (for those who are not complete and utter nerds like me) is a constellation. The story is that Ariadne fell in love with Theseus (guy who defeated the Minotaur in the maze) and helped him find his way out of the maze with magic thread. Then Theseus had a dream that Dionysus (God of Wine) told him to leave Ariadne because he had fallen in love with her. So he did and Dionysus gave her a crown as a wedding gift and put it in the stars after she died.