Oh?

Raven's mind spun. Cautiously, she opened one eye. Starfire was looking at her, swaying slightly, and blushing brightly. Raven opened the other three eyes.

"…Oh?"

Starfire stood straight and rigid for a moment before relaxing, her mouth working again, trying to say something more.

"I see…"

The two looked at each other, Raven the picture of expectation, Starfire seeing it and trying desperately to focus enough to form a sentence, with Raven, in turn, seeing Starfire's struggle to think straight. Raven decided to try to take some of the pressure off by stepping back and out of the embrace.

"…Yeah. I…imagine it comes as a surprise."

"It does."

Raven waited a moment as Starfire collected herself, watched her take a deep breath before looking straight at her, instead of simply staring into space. Once she saw Starfire fully in the moment, she decided to continue.

"I…like I said, it was unexpected. I…almost thought I might fall for Beastboy, but as my understanding of my emotions progressed, I found my feelings kept shifting back towards you. At first, I thought I was mistaken. Just switching friendly feelings for…deeper ones. And when I began to realize what I had started to feel for you…I was confused. And maybe a little…scared. But despite that, I couldn't let go of the feelings, no matter what I tried. So…I decided…to take a chance."

"Is that…is that why you invited me out? For a…date?"

"I…yes. I…wanted…a moment, just the two of us, to see what it would be like. Then, Adonis, and…this…and…Despite it all, when I finally understood what I felt for you, I knew I had to tell you, no matter what might happen."

"H-How long? Have you felt this way…about me?"

"Hmmm…Strictly speaking, probably shortly after we switched bodies during the incident with the Puppet King. You were…the very first person that I ever opened up to. You became the only person I could confide in after that. Then…just a few weeks ago, I started to understand what feelings I had been suppressing all that time. Then, last night, I…finally accepted my feelings for you. You stopped being just a comrade, just a friend. You were someone I…loved."

Starfire half sat, half fell to the ground as she tried to absorb everything she had just heard. Her mind was reeling from the surprise. And looking up, she could still she Raven, holding onto herself tightly, shaking slightly from nervousness, looking back down at her, waiting.

"I…do not know what to say."

"Then…don't say anything. Just…think about it for a while…and…and when you're ready, tell me. Tell me…if…if…you might be able…to love me in return."

With that, Raven quietly walked away, head bowed, back down into the Tower, leaving Starfire to stare out over the bay and decide, perhaps for the rest of her life, the course she would take.

Robin looked up from tinkering with his belt when Starfire walked back into the common room some time later. He was about to call her over, but stopped when he saw the expression on her face. She was completely out of it, deeper in thought than he had ever seen. She didn't even acknowledge his presence as she walked past him to the fridge. Without even looking at the handle, or inside the fridge, or in the cupboard she reached into, she pulled out a bottle of mustard, grabbed a straw, and sat, heavily, onto the couch. She was still staring into space when he walked over and sat next to her, not even glancing in his direction.

"Ahhh…Starfire?"

Starfire turned, slowly. For a moment, she stared right through him as if he were invisible. Then her eyes came into focus, and she seemed to almost flinch.

"Starfire? Are you alright?"

Starfire stared at him a moment longer with an expression of…guilt? Robin thought for a moment she might've broken something with her alien strength, but that look…he had never seen that emotion in Starfire at quite this level, not even when talking about Blackfire. Starfire did sometimes feel her sister's behavior was partially her fault due to some imagined responsibility. Then, the look changed, as if Starfire was studying him very closely.

"I am fine." Starfire responded in a flat, emotionless voice that set off warning bells in Robins' mind. The look of scrutiny continued.

"Is there something wrong…with me?"

Starfire cringed, and Robin knew he had hit the mark. He took a moment to study Starfire in return. She seemed intensely nervous about something. They both sat in silence, staring into each other's eyes.

"R…Robin…"

"Yes?"

"…"

"What is it, Star?"

"It is…us. What…are we?"

"We're friends, right?"

That last remark got Robin an even more intense stare from Starfire, and he began wondering what exactly she was thinking about. He wondered…they had gone out a few times before, but only casually…and Starfire seemed to be thinking about him…Maybe…she was thinking about being more serious with him?

"Y-yes. And…"

"We like each other…"

Starfire shifted at those words, and Robin tried to think of the next thing to say, but by now, Starfire was squirming on the spot. So he decided on a different tactic. He leaned down and lightly kissed her bare shoulder. Starfire Shot out of her seat and immediately raised a hand to feel the spot he had kissed, staring at the spot with confusion and worry.

"I-I am sorry friend Robin but I have something important I must be doing…"

Starfire half-walked, half-ran out the door, leaving a very confused Robin staring at her retreating form. A small part of Robin's brain registered that she had stopped tacking on 'friend' after they had gone out for the first time.

Raven paced in her room, completely unable to meditate. I'll probably never be able to meditate again after today…

A knock on her door, and Raven jumped at the sound. It had been almost an hour since she had confessed to Starfire. Slowly, carefully, she walked to the door, almost hoping it was Cyborg or Beastboy, at least they could provide a moments' distraction. Raven opened it, and her heart skipped a beat. Starfire was standing in the hall, one hand rubbing a shoulder as if she had injured it.

"Raven, can I…"

Raven immediately opened the door, and Starfire rushed in. Closing the door behind her, Raven turned back to see Starfire pacing back and forth in front of her bed.

"Starfire?"

Starfire turned to look at her, then seemed to collapse, sitting heavily on the bed, her head bowed. Raven hurried over to her, seeing her raise her head to look at her, look back and run a hand over the bed sheets, still unmade from last night, then stare down at her own shoulder.

"Raven?"

"Yes?"

"I…don't know."

"I…understand. It's…a lot to take in."

"It is not just that. It is also…Robin."

Raven carefully reached out, and seeing no signs of resistance, took one of Starfire's hands in her own.

"I'm sorry, Starfire. I knew this would happen, and I hate doing it to you."

"He…kissed me, right here, on my shoulder. It felt…nice. But…I remember dreaming about a kiss on my shoulder, and it was not Robin. That kiss also…felt nice. It also felt…different."

Starfire looked at the guilty blush on Raven's face, staring by habit into the two lower eyes before leaning onto Raven's shoulder.

"If it involved anyone else, I would have likely come to you for advice."

"I…just couldn't wait any longer, Star. I knew the longer I waited, the closer you two would become. I knew it would become even more painful for me not to tell you as time went on, and I knew it would be even worse for you to hear it."

"Raven…what are we?"

"That…is up to you. I don't want you to love me because you feel sorry for me. As long as you're happy, i'll be alright."

Starfire reached up to rub her shoulder once again. Then she looked up to Raven's face, studying her.

"It is such a difficult choice…to stay with something I know, or to risk myself on something unknown. To…take a chance…"

Slowly, agonizingly slowly, Starfire ran a finger across Raven's cheek, reaching down to hold her by the shoulder. Pulling Raven down to her, Starfire shaking so much Raven had to wrap her arms around her, Starfire closed her lips over Raven's mouth in a deep kiss.