The door to Raven's room opened, and she stepped out into the hallway. Her hood was down, and she looked refreshed, physically speaking. But inside, she had butterflies in her stomach. She wasn't even going to talk with Nightwing himself, yet. Just Starfire. But in many ways that was almost as nerve wracking. Raven had ways to keep her emotions under control, up to a point. But this was really going to test those methods.
After walking out of her room, she turned and saw Cyborg leaning back against the wall a few yards away. His arms were folded, and he appeared to be contemplating something. Raven faced him directly.
"Cyborg." She said. Cyborg's head stayed in place, but he lifted his eye to meet her gaze.
"Hey Raven. I talked to Starfire. She's waiting for you in her room. And don't worry, I didn't say what it was about. Just that it was something very personal. She seemed a little confused, but she said she'll wait for you all the same."
Raven nodded. "Thanks, Cyborg. I owe you."
Cyborg shrugged. "You don't owe me anything. And you might want to wait until after the talk to thank me."
"That's encouraging." She said drily.
"I'm just saying… We both know Starfire is a good person, and kind and generous. But if she is really still in love with Nightwing, well… love can make people crazy sometimes."
"Tell me about it." Raven said. Sometimes I don't feel like myself when I'm alone with him, she thought to herself. She didn't dare say that out loud. "But either way, I appreciate your help."
"Don't mention it." Cyborg said. He walked over and put his hand on her shoulder. "And good luck." Raven nodded, and then started heading towards Starfire's room.
As she walked, Raven felt those butterflies in her stomach. She had just spent almost an hour meditating, so she wasn't going to get much calmer. She just had to deal with it like an adult. That's what she was now, technically. After walking for a minute, she came to Starfire's door. There was a part of her that wanted to turn around and forget the whole thing. Instead, she took a deep breath, and knocked on the door. Starfire almost immediately answered.
"Raven?" Starfire's voice could be heard inside the room.
"Yeah, its me." Two seconds later, the door opened. Starfire stood there, towering over Raven without meaning to. Starfire's expression was curious. Raven didn't sense anything else. Starfire really had no idea what they were about to talk about. Raven was starting to feel a little bad about potentially ruining Starfire's day, but Raven was committed now.
"Please, come in." Starfire stepped aside, and raised her hand, gesturing Raven inside. Raven walked in, and Starfire closed the door behind them. Upon entering, Raven noticed that Starfire had somehow managed to get the room looking close to the way it had years earlier, but with a few new mementos, and some books. Raven had never thought of Starfire as a reader. Raven was a little curious about the books. They appeared to be written in Tamaranian though. Raven could read and speak several languages, but she had never taken the time to learn Starfire's.
"Cyborg told me there was something very personal you wanted to discuss." Starfire said. "I admit I am curious as to what you want to talk to me about that you don't want our friends to hear. Nothing bad, I hope." Raven turned around to face Starfire. She blinked. She opened her mouth to speak.
"Starfire… those books you have, what are they about?"
Now Starfire blinked. "The books?" Starfire turned her head toward the small collections of books on her shelf. "Ah, those. They are tomes… books, regarding legal matters and regional social customs on Tamaran. As the ruler of Tamaran, I feel that it only makes sense to educate myself on such matters when I have the time."
"Huh." Raven said. "So, non-fiction then." A curious expression came over Starfire's face just then. Starfire appeared to be examining Raven's face, as if trying to decipher something.
"Yes. But that is not why you wanted to speak with me today, is it?"
Raven cast her eyes to the floor. "No. There's… something important I wanted to talk to you about."
"Is it about Ravager?" Starfire said. "Or Slade?" Raven shook her head.
"It's not about them."
"Then it is about you and me?" Starfire asked. A hint of concern crept into her features.
"No. I mean… sort of. I came here to talk to you about… Nightwing." Raven spoke his name with a whisper, but Starfire heard it all the same.
"Nightwing?" Starfire said. "What about him do you wish to discuss?"
Raven took a deep breath. She wanted to put her hood up to hide, but she knew that would be childish. She simply looked at Starfire, and hoped she was keeping her emotions under control. "Starfire, how do you feel about Nightwing right now?"
Starfire furrowed her brow. "How do I feel about him? I don't understand. What are you trying to ask me?"
Raven tried not to think about what she was about to say. Thinking about it would just make it harder. She just barreled on. "I mean… do you love him? And does he love you?" There was a long moment of silence in the room. Raven's heart was beating faster now. Her palms were sweating. Starfire stared at her for a minute, as if trying to figure something out. But then she replied.
"I… do have feelings for him. I suppose that you could say that… yes, I still love him."
Raven again looked at the floor. "And… does he love you back?"
"Raven, you are my friend. But I have to ask, why are you asking me these questions? Is it out of some concern? Or… is there something else? I would really like to know." Starfire took a few steps closer. Raven felt so small next to her. Not just physically. Raven hesitated, but Starfire waited patiently for a response. Finally, Raven looked Starfire in the eye.
"I don't know how to say this." Raven said.
"Speak from your heart." Starfire said. Her voice and words were soft, but her face was one expecting bad news. And maybe something else…
"Starfire, I…" Raven sighed. "I also have feelings for Nightwing." The words dropped like a lead weight. There was another long silence in the room. It may have been Raven's imagination, but it felt even longer than the last one. Raven's heart was pounding. Starfire had to hear it. At some point, Starfire tilted her head back a little while still looking at Raven. Her mouth hung open, and then it turned into a slight grimace.
"I don't… understand." Starfire eventually said. "What kind of feelings do you have for Nightwing? Please explain." Raven could sense that Starfire was becoming more emotional now. Although the exact nature of those emotions was unclear. Raven did clearly sense the confusion though. She sighed again.
"The same kind that you have, Starfire." Raven said. "I'm in love with him. I have been for… some time."
Starfire still looked at Raven like something to figure out. "Is this some sort of earth joke?" Starfire said in a very low voice. Raven shook her head.
"I'm sorry. I didn't want to tell you before, because I knew how you two felt about each other. I stayed away. But… we all left and went our separate ways. You were on another planet. But if I thought you two still loved each other then I never would…" she trailed off. She cleared her throat. "Anyway, I was going to tell him how I felt. But… then I saw you two talking… and about to kiss. But you've also been… distant to each other lately and I just didn't know…" Raven was rambling now. Unlike her to do so. But she felt unusually nervous. Raven had known fear. Fear of monsters, fear of death, fear of the unknown. But this was something different. After Raven stopped talking, Starfire lowered her head and looked directly at Raven. Despite their long history as friends, Raven did not know what Starfire was thinking, and felt uncomfortable.
"Raven…" Starfire said. "You…" Starfire blinked, and a tear fell from her eye. She blinked again, and another tear fell.
Oh no. Raven thought. Starfire closed her eyes.
"Raven." Starfire whispered. She began to cry. Raven almost wished that Starfire had gotten angry instead. Starfire turned away from Raven. Out of embarrassment? Anger? Disgust? Raven stood there, and listened to Starfire's sobs. Raven no longer felt nervous. Now she just felt like shit. She was starting to wish she hadn't done this.
"Starfire, I'm sorry." Raven said. "I…" What else could she say? Starfire still stood there sobbing, with her back to Raven. Raven decided it would be best for her to leave. Raven walked back towards the door. In that moment, she lamented the fact that she wasn't quite old enough yet to legally buy hard liquor. She felt that she could use it. But if she was lucky, maybe she wouldn't get carded…
"Raven." Starfire said. Starfire held up a hand, and looked at Raven through reddened eyes. Raven stopped, but didn't know what to say. She watched as Starfire took a deep breath, and wiped her eyes.
"You wanted to talk, so let us talk." Starfire said.
"We don't have to—" Raven began.
"I want to." Starfire finished. Her eyes were still wet.
Raven had no idea where this was going. "Okay…" Raven said.
Starfire sighed. "Well… if we're going to talk, then we might as well be comfortable. I feel that this might take some time. You can sit, and I… just need a minute to clean my face." Starfire held out her hand, gesturing towards a chair. There was another chair, and a round table in between. Raven walked over cautiously, not sure what to expect. Starfire went over to her personal bathroom and turned on some water. While Starfire was doing that, Raven sat down in one of the chairs. Raven sat there, feeling awkward and uncomfortable. She truly did not know what was about to happen. After a minute, Starfire returned, looking mostly better. She sat down in the chair on the other side of the table. The chairs were oddly shaped and slightly uncomfortable, but Raven didn't say anything. She just waited for Starfire to say something. One could hardly tell that Starfire had been crying. Although, there was a slight twinge to Starfire's face, as if she was experiencing pain somewhere.
Starfire sighed. "Is my appearance still disheveled?"
"You look fine." Raven said.
Starfire nodded, and for just a moment, looked as if she was staring into space. Raven could only wonder what she was thinking. Then, Starfire's focus snapped back, and she turned back to Raven.
"Raven…" Starfire said. "You really, truly meant what you said? Please, do not lie to spare my feelings. I want to hear the truth from you."
"I never meant to hurt you Starfire." Raven quickly said. "If you still love him, then you should be with him. I… I can find someone else."
Starfire smiled sadly, and looked at the table. "Can you? I know that when you love someone deeply, it is not so easy to just… get over them, as you would say."
"I'm not going to try to get in between you two. There are… other fish in the sea. Or some dumb platitude like that."
Starfire now looked at Raven directly. "There is nothing for you to get in between. We are not a couple, anymore."
"But you just said…"
"Yes, I still have feelings for him. But… He does not feel the same way. Not anymore. He has made that clear." Starfire smiled. But the smile didn't reach her eyes.
"I mean, he's under a lot of stress from the investigation, and everything that's happened." Raven said. "I'm sure that once this is all over…"
Starfire shook her head. "He has changed. And so have I. We are… no longer compatible. Perhaps if I hadn't stayed on Tamaran, things could have been different. Maybe we could have changed together. But we have gone down different paths."
"Well, we all have. None of us are exactly who we were years ago."
"Yes… but I sense that your path is much closer to his now."
"You… don't have to say that." Raven said.
"I would not say it if I didn't feel it was true. I have seen the way he looks at you, and heard the way he talks to you. He is much more comfortable with you now than me, or anyone else. I… wanted to believe that it was simply because he reunited with you first, and it would just take him a little more time to…" Starfire paused, and looked at the ceiling, as if searching for something. "…get back in synch with me, and the rest of the team. But that hasn't happened. Not really. And now I know why."
"Just because I love him doesn't mean he feels the same way." Raven said. "He… always saw me as a friend. Maybe a good friend, but still just a friend."
Starfire smiled, but not as sad this time. "Perhaps you are right. But I doubt it. I think he does love you, even if he himself doesn't realize it yet."
Raven lowered her eyes. "I wish I was as sure about that as you." Then, she quickly raised her eyes again. "But I still wouldn't feel right about approaching him until you're absolutely sure he doesn't still love you."
Starfire sighed. "It is okay Raven. I will not say that I am happy about the way things have turned out. But the truth is, this endeavor of mine was always doomed. I have to return to Tamaran, very soon. I did not even intend to be gone for this long. There are others watching over the planet in my absence, but… I have to go back. Nightwing was not willing to stay there with me when he was still Robin. And I am sure he would not go now as Nightwing. And it would not be right of me to even ask. This is his world. He belongs here. I let myself believe that somehow I could make this work, but…"
Silence, yet again. It was then broken by Raven. "I think you belong here on earth too. I'm not just talking about your feelings for Nightwing. You still have friends here. We've missed you. I've missed you."
Starfire smiled again, the sadness mostly gone. "And I have missed you, friend Raven. But I must go where I am needed most. And right now, Tamaran needs me the most."
Raven sat there quietly for a moment. Then she slowly nodded. "I'll miss you when you're gone."
"There will be time for that later. In the meantime, I would like to ask you a few questions. I believe I am entitled to that much."
"Of course. Ask me anything."
"Anything?" Starfire said pointedly.
"…Yes?" Raven said cautiously.
"I will hold you to that." Starfire said. "First, I would like to know when you realized you were in love with him."
"It was… I first realized it a few years ago, before the team broke up."
"When we were on Tamaran?" Starfire said.
"Before that. It was during a very… tumultuous time."
"There have been many of those." Starfire said.
Raven looked down at her hands. She could have lied, but… she did owe Starfire the truth on this matter, at least. "Alright. If you want to know, it was during the whole… Trigon thing."
Starfire tilted her head back slightly, and her eyes widened, just a little. "I see."
"It was… a very hard time for me. The worst time. My world was coming apart. Both literally and figuratively. But Nightwing… Robin back then… He was the one who was always there for me. He always told me just what I needed to hear. He helped me to believe in myself, and a future for me. For the world. He was so kind, and considerate, and heroic. And even though he was only a teenager, he seemed so wise too. Like he understood so much about life, that I just couldn't see. I felt like I could trust him more than anyone. I could always depend on him. And he would always be there for me. And I wanted to always be there for him too. At first, I thought that what I felt was just gratitude. Then, admiration. But over time, I… I found that I couldn't stop thinking about him. One night, I even dreamt that I kissed him. That we kissed. When I woke up, I felt so confused. But I couldn't stop thinking about it. I didn't just see a friend when I looked at him anymore. He was more than that to me. But… I also knew that he loved you, and you loved him. It didn't matter how I felt. Nothing could ever come of it. So, I buried those emotions. I told myself it was just a stupid crush, and I would get over it."
"But you did not." Starfire said.
Raven shook her head. "I tried to. I really did. But when he left… when the team broke up, and he was gone, it hurt. It felt like there was a hole inside me." Raven put her hand to her chest, but then self-consciously removed it. "But I know it was worse for you. You lost more than I did, so I have no right to—"
Raven felt Starfire's hand on her own. She looked up, and saw Starfire's face. A look of sympathy. "Losing him was hard for both of us. He's a good man." Raven gently squeezed Starfire's fingers.
"You're a really good friend, Starfire." Raven said.
"Thank you." Starfire said. "But you might feel differently after you hear what else I would like you to tell me."
Raven felt nervous again. She straightened in the chair. "Why? What do you want to ask me?"
Starfire leaned back, and looked at Raven dead on. Her smile was gone. "Raven, you have told me what made you fall in love with Nightwing. But there is something else that I am very curious about. This is a very personal question, but it is just the two of us here."
Raven felt her heart beating faster again. "Alright. What do you want to know?"
Starfire leaned her head forward. "Raven, tell me: what do you find attractive about Nightwing?"
Raven blinked. "Well, I told you he's heroic, and kind…" Starfire shook her head.
"No, Raven. I am asking what you find physically attractive about him."
Raven began to blush. "Are you… are you messing with me right now?"
Starfire looked at Raven stoically. "On Tamaran, this is considered a serious matter. Please tell me, as a friend. What do you think is attractive about Nightwing?"
Raven's blush deepened. Her normally ashen face now had a pinkish hue. She averted her eyes. "I… I guess…" She was barely whispering.
"Please speak up." Starfire said.
"I think he's very handsome, okay." Raven blurted out. "He has a good looking face."
"And what else?" Starfire said. Raven raised her eyebrows, and then closed her eyes.
"He… I like his chest. And his arms. He's very… toned, and fit."
"Mmm." Starfire said. "I cannot disagree. And his outfit is very tight and revealing."
"Yeah…" Raven said, looking down at the table again. Starfire suddenly leaned in, her own head beside Raven's face.
"And do you like his butt?" Starfire said. Raven jerked back, and looked at Starfire, who now had a slight but definite grin. Raven pounded her fist on the table, and her face now had more color than ever.
"You are messing with me!" Raven said. Starfire leaned back and laughed.
"I am sorry. But you did make me cry earlier, and now you have made me laugh. Does that not seem fair?"
Raven folded her arms, and looked to the side. "Yeah, I guess. Very funny. You're taking this all very well, under the circumstances."
Starfire sighed. "There is no use in wallowing in self-pity. And besides, I am happy for you. You are about to start a beautiful relationship."
Raven held up her hands. "Hold on, I haven't even asked him yet. Its entirely possible he's going to reject me."
"I do not think that he will, for the reasons I described earlier."
"Okay. But if he does reject me, could you buy some alcohol for me? You're tall enough that they might think you're twenty-one. We could get drunk together."
"That does sound fun. But I have some Tamaranian wine hidden away. We could share that. The drinking age on my planet is lower than it is here."
"It's a deal then." Raven said. "So… is there anything else?" Starfire's expression became serious again.
"Actually Raven, there is one more thing I would like to ask you. Something I feel is important."
Raven raised an eyebrow. She had no idea what to expect at this point. "Okay. What is it?"
Starfire sighed. "Raven, why are you so uncomfortable around Beast Boy?"
Raven froze like a deer in the headlights. Her jaw hung slack. "What?" she said quietly. Starfire repeated her question. "Why… why are you asking me about that?" Raven said.
"You said that I could ask you anything." Starfire said.
"But this doesn't have anything to do with Nightwing." Raven said.
"We didn't specify that the questions had to be limited to Nightwing. I am asking you about Beast Boy now. Why do you not want to speak to him, or be alone with him?"
Raven felt her heart beating faster again. "Starfire, I don't want to talk about that. Just let it drop. Please."
Starfire sat there impassively. "I cannot force you to tell me. But I am not just asking out of idle curiosity. You are a good friend. But I consider Beast Boy to be a good friend as well. He has seemed visibly hurt by your behavior towards him. I would like to know why that is."
Raven looked down at the table again. "Starfire…"
"I remind you, it is just the two of us. I promise you that whatever you tell me will stay between us. You can trust me."
Raven looked up at Starfire. She felt the beginning of a headache, and put her fingers to her head. Her body, mind, and heart had gone through so much since this conversation began. She closed her eyes. She gritted her teeth for a moment. And then almost spat. "Fine." Raven opened her eyes. "I'll… I'll tell you. But you had better not ever tell anyone else, including Beast Boy."
"I swear on my family, I will never say a word to anyone." Starfire said.
Raven took a deep breath. "Okay. It all started a few years ago." Raven leaned back in her chair, and gazed up at the ceiling. "I already told you about how I felt after the team broke up. Robin went back to Gotham City. Cyborg, Beast Boy, and I tried to keep the Teen Titans going for a while as a trio. We even tried looking for new members. But no one was willing to stick around in the long term. And with just the three of us, we were getting our asses kicked just as much as we were kicking their asses. Sometimes, the bad guys just got away. It sucked. We sucked. So, after a while we all decided to quit. Well… Cyborg quit. He felt we weren't doing enough good here. And he thought that his skills could be put to better use elsewhere. So, he left. He encouraged us to do the same. But Beast Boy and I stayed behind."
Raven paused. She realized she was slouching. She also realized that Starfire's own posture had become more slack, perhaps sympathetically. "This is one of those times when I could use a drink." Raven sighed. "Anyway, me and Beast Boy stayed in Jump City. I'm not sure why. We knew the two of us alone couldn't fight the villains here. And honestly, we didn't really try. Unless something was happening right in front of us. The city was probably already getting worse by that point. I just didn't notice at the time because I was…" She paused and looked at Starfire. Starfire just raised an eyebrow. "…wallowing in self-pity." Raven finished.
"Anyway, I was already making plans to leave. Go somewhere else. Somewhere far away. I spent a lot of time living in my own head. Not saying much, or doing much. The only friend I still had around was Beast Boy. I figured he would go off on his own somewhere. But he stuck around. Which I found annoying. But also kind of appreciated. He listened to me going on about how screwed up everything was. Sometimes he would just listen. But sometimes he would make one of his stupid jokes. But I didn't have the energy to get annoyed at him. And then…" Raven sighed.
"Sometimes, while we were talking, I would notice him looking at me. Which is normal, right? Except, he wouldn't always just look at my face. He… I sometimes caught him stealing glances at my legs, or breasts."
"Oh." Starfire said. "I… suppose he was that age. I assume that you were quite angry at him, and this led to a fight." Raven shook her head.
"You would think so. And at any other point, you'd probably be right. But then… Look, I felt like shit. My world had been turned upside down. You were gone, Robin was gone, Cyborg was gone. The team was gone. And we couldn't run the tower and fight bad guys alone. I felt lost, and confused. But I also felt… lonely. And I was still a little self-conscious about my appearance. I knew that I was weird looking. With my grey skin and purple hair. I had never had a real relationship. I felt unloved, and undesired. So… I noticed Beast Boy checking me out. And instead of getting annoyed I felt… I don't know… flattered? Like, he actually thought I was attractive? And I did want to be attractive. You've seen my wardrobe…So, I let it go."
"After a few days, he came up to me, and asked if I wanted to go with him to the amusement park. I asked why. He said that he wanted to spend some time with me, and get to know me better. He said we could go on rides together. I said that sounds like a date. And he just said, 'Well, yeah'. My first thought was to tell him to go to hell. Maybe not quite that harsh. But when I opened my mouth, the words that came out were, 'Sure, I'd like that'.
"I see…" Starfire said. "So, you had developed feelings for him?"
"No. Definitely not. But like I said, I was lonely. And I felt shitty. Beast Boy was offering to take me somewhere where I could forget for a little while. So, I agreed to it. He seemed happy. And I'll admit it wasn't entirely unpleasant. We went on a few rides together. He held my hand. I allowed it. When it was over, he asked me if we could do it again. I needed to think about it. So, that was the end of the day. Well… first he kissed me. Not making out, just… a quick kiss. So quick I didn't have time to react. And then he walked away. I felt confused. I didn't know what to think."
"A week later, he talked me into another date. We saw a movie. He let me pick."
"Was it a scary movie?" Starfire said.
"How did you know? Anyway, it helped take my mind off things. We sat next to each other. I remember he got popcorn, and offered to share it with me. I told him I wasn't hungry, but took some anyway. He… held my hand again. And again, I allowed it. Then we walked home together. He was still checking me out."
"You did not say anything?" Starfire asked.
"This time I did. He said… he said he couldn't help it because I was so sexy."
"He said that to you?"
"Yeah. If he had said that a few months earlier, I might have slapped him. But… not to beat a dead horse, but I felt lonely, and undesirable. So, hearing someone call me sexy, and obviously want me… it made me feel good. It made me feel wanted. Desirable. And… not lonely."
"And then?"
"Then… we got back to the tower. This time he asked if he could kiss me. I said okay. He… he grabbed the sides of my face and pressed his lips against mine. He was making out with me. And… I let him. I had never done that before. It felt… thrilling. And hot. Even if it was Beast Boy. So, we went upstairs together and…"
"And?" Starfire said quietly.
Raven sighed. She made a round shape with her fingers on the table. It wasn't intended for Starfire though. She was just looking at a phantom shot glass. "I slept with him. I slept with Beast Boy. It… was my first time." Raven paused. Starfire was silent at this point. For a minute, they just sat there in silence. Eventually, Raven continued.
"The next day, I immediately knew I had made a mistake. Whatever mental state I had been in before that made this seem like a good idea, had been broken. I was… upset and angry. Beast Boy asked when we can go on another date, but I blew him off. But he came back the next day, and asked again. I said no. Then…" A look of clear annoyance crossed Raven's face, reliving the memory. "Then he asked me if I wanted to 'do it' again. He said we could do it on the couch since no one else was living there anymore." At this point, Starfire put a hand to her mouth, but remained silent.
"I got really mad at him and started cursing and yelling at him. I called him names. I told him to get out. But not so politely. Later, he tried calling me. I told him to leave me alone. Forever. He tried texting me later on my cell phone, but I threw it away. In the middle of the night, I packed my things and left without saying anything. And… that's what happened." After finishing talking, Raven drew a deep breath, and then let out an equally deep sigh. Not a sigh of exasperation though. More like one of release, albeit tinged with regret. Raven now felt tired, mentally and emotionally, after saying all of that.
For another minute, Starfire was silent. But she looked at Raven with a renewed concern. "Raven, do you feel that Beast Boy took advantage of you? Is that why you are distant with him?"
Raven looked at her friend, and then down at the table. She stroked her fingers with her other hand. "I don't… I don't think that was his intention. I mean, I'm older than he is, so it's not like he was grooming me or anything. I made my choice. I went out with him, and slept with him, because I was lonely and depressed. And he went out with me and slept with me because he was…"
"Also lonely and depressed?" Starfire said.
"I was going to say horny." Raven said.
"Ah."
"…That means—"
"I know what horny means. You feel that he was only thinking of his base sexual urges, and not considering your emotional state."
"Well… yeah. That about sums it up. But like I said, he was just a kid, and I was older than him. So, the responsibility was partly mine. I could have said no. If I had told him no, I'm sure he would have listened. He just… wasn't thinking with his head. Not that head, anyway. I don't know what I was thinking with though. I guess I just thought it would make me feel better. And it did, until it didn't, and then it felt worse. I was angry about that. Not just at him, but also myself. I always thought that my first time would be… special. With someone I love."
"I am sorry, Raven. He probably realizes that you are unhappy with what happened. Maybe if you tried talking to him…"
Raven shook her head. "I can't. I know I should let it go but… I still get annoyed being around him. And besides, I don't think things could just go back to the way they were before between us. It's changed. And… that's just how I feel."
"So, you are going to be closed off from him for the rest of your life? Over something that happened when you both were so young?"
"Starfire… I know it isn't entirely logical. But I… I just can't. It was only a few years ago, anyway. Maybe someday, when there's a little more distance. But right now, I'm focused on Nightwing. I want to look to the future right now. And… I hope Nightwing can be in it. That's where my focus is. Of course, I know that we still have to resolve this stuff with Slade and his kids. I… just don't need another distraction right now. I don't need more drama, and I don't want another big emotional confrontation when I still have to talk to Nightwing. Is that okay?" Raven looked at Starfire, wide eyed. It was not a rhetorical question.
Starfire looked at Raven and slowly nodded. "That's okay." Starfire stood up. Raven did likewise. Raven began to stretch her arms. Her muscles felt stiff. As she did so, Starfire, without warning, went over and put her arms around Raven.
"Hey, no fair!" Raven said, arms still outstretched.
"I will always be your friend, Raven." Starfire said softly. Starfire's embrace felt warm, and comforting. Raven certainly wasn't expecting this reaction. Raven slowly lowered her arms, and then put them around Starfire.
"Thank you." Raven said as they hugged each other.
Endnotes: This one got done faster than usual. The next one will probably take longer though.
On another note, I have recently had to disable private messages on this site due to a large number of spam comments, particularly regarding "art commissions". These comments are a scam, and you may have noticed them among the reviews. Since PMs are disabled, that means that I cannot respond to any reviews on this site, or receive genuine private messages. The site doesn't allow public replies to reviews, only private ones. I may re-enable the PMs at some point though.