Best Way To Fall

"Before I met you I never knew what it was like to be able to look at someone and smile for no reason."

"Can we quickly get it done and over with?" Raven spoke monotonously.

Starfire clasped both hands together and squealed in delight, unable to contain her excitement, "Friend Raven, these children look so lovely. There is no need to 'quickly get done and over with'."

"Aww, c'mon Rae, there're children! And it's Christmas!" Cyborg chided playfully.

"Actually, it's two weeks before Christmas," Raven corrected dryly.

"It's the Teen Titans!" a boy clad in brown turtleneck screamed as the five heroes entered the orphanage.

Robin watched Raven. She may act like she dreaded interaction with kids, but he knew that she loved kids more than the rest of them did. He also knew that she had a soft spot for children and animals.

A child hugged Raven's feet. If it was anyone one else, especially Beast Boy, hugging her, she would blast them into another dimension without further consideration. Starfire was worried that Raven might act on impulse on the children if she got irritated (which happened quite usually). Robin never worried, because he knew what Raven was like behind the stoic mask she wore every day. Robin saw the corner of Raven's lip rose gently as she hugged the child back gently. Robin grinned.

"Is Santa real?" the little girl asked.

Beast Boy who heard the question pulled his elf-like ears and mouthed desperately, "She's going to say 'no'!" He was about to interrupt the conversation when Robin raised his palm at him, forbidding him from doing so. Robin knew Raven adored children, because unlike her, they were something she could never be―angels. Raven cherished other's childhood because she knew what it was like not having a happy one.

"Of course he is," Raven answered. "Why do ask?"

Beast Boy heaved a sigh of relief and turned his attention back to his tiny friends.

"He never gave me what I want for Christmas every year," the girl in pink chewed her lips. "I have been a really, really good girl. I really have!"

Robin saw her eyes softened, feeling genuinely sorry for the girl. "What do you want for Christmas?"

"I want a family," the girl pleaded.

Raven swallowed. "I think Santa will give you a family this year," Raven smiled.

And indeed he had. Santa had granted the girl a family. On Christmas, the girl, Heather, was adopted by a loving couple.

For the whole of the two weeks, Raven had been searching painstakingly for a good-hearted family who was willing to adopt Heather. Because of this, she lost many hours of sleep, and gotten a little more bruises during a battle as she wasn't mentally fit for fighting. When Heather was legally adopted on Christmas, Raven was there to witness it. Even when she came home to the Tower, she was still smiling. Beast Boy made jokes about her. She may be angry, but she still hadn't lost the sparkle in her eyes.

Ah, Robin caught himself. Why was he paying so much attention to Raven? Why was he willing to earn more cuts and bruises to make sure she wouldn't get hurt in the field?

Robin smiled, because he realized he had fallen in love with her.

This is 100% original. And the inspiration comes from my own story What Do You Want For Christmas.

I flipped through my old FF collection. And you can really tell that you have matured a lot though all these years just by reading your old stories. I can't believe it has been four years since I joined FF. Time flies so fast. And I also found an unfinished RxR fic inspired by Divergent in my laptop.

Merry Christmas!