Prompt 11: Water
Set just after the foreshadowed mall trip that ended 'Switched'.

The silence was deafening.

Starfire was not accustomed to this. Tamaran had never been a quiet planet, what with all the wars and emotionally exuberant inhabitants, and Titans Tower had never been much better. Living with three super powered teenage boys didn't exactly allow for a noiseless lifestyle.

Raven, on the other hand, found comfort in the quiet. Azarath had been a place of solitary meditation and self-reflection, and she had managed to continue this pattern even now, generally by removing herself from all Titan activity when her presence wasn't absolutely necessary.

But this time was different. This time, Starfire would have to swallow her vivacious impatience and wait out her friend in the silence that the situation required. This time, Raven would have to let her voice be heard.

It was something neither was familiar with, and yet they'd come to the conclusion that such a practice might just be a vital element to the team, as well as their friendship. They'd almost fallen at the hands of the Puppet King because they couldn't understand one another, couldn't cope with their differences in their shared ignorance. Only once they'd each offered a bit of themselves to the other in that dark, dirty alley had they finally connected, finally managed to begin bridging the massive gap that lay between them.

And from then on, they'd agreed to meet each other half way.

They sat opposite from one another in Raven's dark room, candlelight barely illuminating their surroundings and casting long shadows along the floor and walls. This was it, the hard part. Raven and Starfire had promised one another nothing short of full disclosure, and not of the Glazed-Over, We're-In-Danger, Alleyway variety. The alien princess was familiar with such communication and thus had opted to go first. She openly spoke of her life on Tamaran, of being given over as a peace offering, abused and tortured within an inch of her life, kidnapped and experimented on, and sold into slavery. As she described all these things, Raven wondered how her friend could still manage to smile the way she did.

And suddenly it was her turn. To speak. About a life she'd locked away when she'd joined the Titans. About a father she was always trying to forget but was cursed to remember. And there was nothing but an empty silence.

Starfire saw the half-demon's hesitation; felt her discomfort. She put a hand over Raven's and smiled softly. Raven had never felt closer to anyone than she did to Starfire at that very moment.

"Please," Starfire whispered, "You can trust me."

Raven spoke then. Slowly at first, but with each breath her voice strengthened. Raven spoke to Starfire as she had never spoken to anyone before. And when the words finally came, they flowed like water.

I'll be your crying shoulder.
-I'll Be/Edwin McCain-