Disclaimer: Teen Titans never has been, and never will be, mine.
For Better Or For Worse
(This takes place roughly two years after the Forthcoming conclusion of The Demon, The Witch, And The Ghost)
Sub-Zero couldn't believe he was doing this. Well, mostly, he couldn't believe he hadn't done it before. He'd been thinking about it for a long time now—a bit over a year, in fact. Due to mixed laziness and nervousness, he'd put it off, thinking it would be better to wait… but stack up enough yesterdays and tomorrows, and you're going to have nothing but wasted time. So, he had finally decided it could wait no longer.
… And so it was that the young man, flushed with a pinkish tint and murmuring to himself as he walked, paced the aisles at a small store downtown between several rows of flashy jewelry.
Jewels and gems of every color, shape, and size one could imagine were present in the small, dimmed shop… the glass cases, mounted inside with little fluorescent lights, contained all manner of ornate brooches, sparkling rings, twinkling necklaces of pearl, stone, and gem, and numerous assortments of colorful earrings of varying size. All this among a number of other, more miscellaneous jewelry-items such as tongue-rings, belly rings, and even the occasional bejeweled watch or bracelet, decorated the shop's glass cases, sitting upon purple velvet stands.
Sub-Zero groaned. It was all trinkets and baubles to him; he had no idea what was the most valuable or what was the prettiest—indeed, it all seemed beautiful to him personally, and he couldn't really decide over one or the other. However, there was someone else with more discerning eyes than he to consider…
… Pushing that thought from his mind, he sat in a small gray chair and stared at the 'Rings' section of the shop—which was, in and of itself, dizzying with variety and color.
Absent-mindedly, Zero rummaged about in his multi-pocketed gray belt for a moment before finally fishing out a small, heavily crumpled, piece of parchment paper. Taking it carefully in his hands, he unrolled and unraveled it, opening it up all the way so as to read what was written upon it. There, on the inside, was a list of several things jotted down hastily with messy black ink in a scrawled, untidy hand; it was unmistakenably Sub-Zero's writing.
It simply read as follows here:
'Gem? Diamond, Ruby, Emerald, Sapphire, Amethyst?
Other… pearls, glass, onyx; band gold or silver? Size?'
Next to all this was scribbled down a sloppy assortment of facts and figures, numbers and labels… sizes, colors, etc. Apparently, he had put a lot of time into researching certain things concerning high-priced jewelry before now.
Pocketing the document again, he stood up and strode over to the cases and racks of rings… and after a bit of eagle-eyed searching, spotted the specific sizing he was looking for.
… His eye was immediately caught by the sheer shininess of a golden ring, polished and glimmering, with a relatively large—perhaps huge—diamond perched atop, in such a way that it was nearly blinding to look at.
He grumbled and shook his head before continuing his search—not because of its weighty price tag, but simply because it looked more like something that belonged on a suit of armor rather than on a finger.
He found several plain silver rings with emerald stones, cut into sharp triangles and well cared for, stacked neatly in a row. They were attractive, as was everything else, but… they just seemed a bit too… bare. Too plain, even with the bright green stone.
"Looking for anything in particular?"
Sub-Zero jumped, his already weakened nerves given a sudden jolt by the wheezing, slightly squeaky voice behind him. After getting a quick grip on himself once more, he turned to face the speaker.
It was a small old man, elderly and wrinkled, with a good-natured smile and cottony white hair. He propped himself on a small wooden cane, with a diamond topper, for support and adjusted his spectacles to get a good look at Zero. He was probably, judging from his suit, the owner of the place.
"Oh! Uh… S-sorry 'bout that, Monsieur." Zero answered apologetically with a slight bow—though at the lowest point of the bow, he was still taller than the gnarled old man. "I was just… Looking around a bit."
"So I noticed." The old fellow laughed with a nod. "Say… Haven't I seen you around here before somewhere?" He fixed Zero with a curious gaze, wrinkled and squinty eyes widening a bit.
"Yes sir." Zero answered respectfully. "I've bought a ring from here before. A long time ago; couple years…"
The elderly shopkeeper gazed thoughtfully for a moment before suddenly snapping his crooked fingers with recognition.
"Oho! I remember you now! Silver ring. Pink-diamond gemstone, custom-carved into a heart shape. Women's band."
Zero stared incredulously. "Y-Yeah. That's right, Sir."
"Don't be so surprised my boy." The man nodded, hobbling over to the chair Zero had used formerly and taking a shaky seat. "My old brain ain't what it used to be… but I still remember most every ring I ever made."
Sub-Zero gazed doubtfully from the withered old owner to the exquisite jewelry around the shop. "You… make these yourself?"
As if to answer, he took the tip of his cane and reached over, pushing open a nearby door into the back of the shop… there was, inside, a large store-room of sorts, along the back of which was a table with various cutting and shaping tools, along with repair equipment, a cash register, and some books. Several shelves along the wall held boxes with names of various gems, stones, glasses, and precious metals, labeled along the front.
"If I don't make 'em myself…" The old man said to the impressed Zero. "How do I know they're any good?"
"I see…" Zero said absent-mindedly. He really couldn't think of what else could be said.
"Is the other ring broken? I can fix it." The old man offered quickly.
"Oh no, no… it's fine. It's just; I'm getting another… for a different reason. Though it needs to be the same size as the first." Zero explained.
"Hmm… All right. Anything in mind?"
"… I… I don't really know…" Zero sighed. "I'm thinking on it."
"Well, if you need any help, I'll be in back." The old shopkeep said genially. "Just knock."
"Right… Thanks, Monsieur." Zero said with another bow as the man went into the back room, leaving him alone to look around again.
Taking a quick glance at the nearby clock as it chimed noon, Sub-Zero groaned and began rummaging around the rings once more, looking at each single one, examing it minutely and going over every inch with his blood-tinted red eyes.
… An hour later, and he was back where he started. … They all seemed so… done. Generic. Cliché? Point being… almost all of them, he could point out something very similar he'd seen before either in real life or on television. He needed something more… unique…
… That's when it hit him. He rushed over to the door and rapped upon it with his gloved knuckles, being careful not to use too much force, lest he knock it off his hinges in his excitement. Scarcely had the owner opened the door opened when Sub-Zero said eagerly. "Do you make custom rings?"
The owner nodded. "Tell me what to use... I'll have it ready in a few hours. Why?"
... Sub-Zero smiled.
Zero briskly whistled to himself, walking along the docks where various ships and boats were being sold and auctioned off on this clear Jump City day… and clutching a small jewelry-box under one arm. Step one, complete… step two… working on it…
He knew he didn't have much time. It was late, and soon the sun would be going down… but he'd already spoken with Robin. He was permitted to stay out as late as needed, and spend as much as needed… no. As much as POSSIBLE, is how Robin had put it, considering the situation.
The docks were bustling with activity, people walking about and admiring the various vessels with agents and price tags attending to them.
Most of them were identical, except in different sizes: Whitewashed wooden decks, with sloping white cabins and masts, with billowing white sails. They were all so modern; so newfangled for Zero's tastes. Fortunately for him, his tastes weren't important at the moment.
"… Excuse me, Sir…" He walked up to a young man in a tux, who was scribbling down figures on a pad.
"Hm…? Yeah, Bud. You looking for a boat?"
"Well… sort've, yes. See… I'm in the market for… something…" He paused unsurely. "Erm… residential? Something one could live in?"
"Houseboats? Yachts? What, exactly?" The young man yawned, putting away his notepad and adjusting his glasses. "Or should I just show you the lot?"
"Yes… yes, I'd like to see them all if you have the time. I'm looking to make a purchase, and I'm looking for something special."
An Hour And A Half Later…
"You can't be serious… you want to BUY this?" The young sales agent's cigar tumbled from his mouth, splashing into the water unnoticed…
… The water splashed upwards in a ripple against the hull of a yacht. And not just any yacht—THE yacht. One hundred feet, roughly, in length… Air-conditioning… satellite TV and video gaming accommodations… luxury suite quarters… Bath and shower rooms with hot and cold water… Sails and engines… GPS…
… The mother of all boats, and enough to make even Zero's mouth water.
"Yes… Yes Sir, this one." Zero said, managing to shake himself out of his daze.
The ship that had kept him so entranced was black… a jet black hull and matching black masts with a silvery-tiled deck and a red racing stripe along the middle. The sails, through process of dye, were deep red as opposed to white…
"… It's perfect."
A bit later, back at the Tower…
Sub-Zero sighed and paced back and forth in his room… it was ready. The deed to the boat was in his hand, Robin had finally recovered from shock (with a bit of a smile on his face and simply shrugging forgivingly), and… the ring was wrapped in a small cloth and in his pocket.
… But all that was the easiest part. Night had fallen, and he couldn't decide whether to do this in private… in the middle of dinner… or perhaps, on the roof, under the moonlight…
He had a slight idea as to HOW to do it… he just didn't know where or when. But… he figured, before dinner would be the best time. After dinner, Jinx usually went off to her room to draw or write, and didn't like to be disturbed. … He couldn't imagine where, though.
… Finally, he took a deep breath in, and pocketed both the deed and the ring box in the same pocket.
… He walked out the door into the hallway. No time like the present, he reasoned to himself.
In a matter of what seemed like mere seconds, the Hallway (which had so many other times seemed to be an endless tunnel) flew by… and he was standing in front of the large door marked "JINX".
Shakily, he sucked in a breath and… tapped the door gently.
It didn't take long before he heard the small bolts and locks unfastening on the other side of the door, and it slid open shortly afterwards, revealing Jinx, dressed as normal in her black dress and stockings and boots… except that her hair was down at the moment, in a long pink sheet on her back instead of up in horn-like pigtails.
"Zero! It's you." She purred, all but 'squee-ing' in her delight. "What do you need, Darling? I thought you were out shopping today?"
He managed a shaky smile back and tugged at his collar. "Well, I was! I'm done, that is… so… I came back."
She nodded, yawning and stretching. "All right. Where all did you go?"
"Well, eh… I'll tell you in a bit!" He said hastily, but in a bright, eager tone. "Jinx… can I… that is, may I… speak to you in private a bit?"
She cocked her head curiously, staring… but after a moment, she smiled and shrugged, tickling the underside of his pale chin. "Well… I don't see why not."
Zero offered her his arm, and she took it gently. They began walking down the corridor…
Jinx, as accustomed to Zero as she had grown the last four years or so… could tell immediately—within seconds—something was up.
"Zero… are you alright…?" She asked slowly. He looked all right, but… there was a shakiness to his manner, a certain clumsiness that wasn't there usually.
"I'm… a little nervous…" He admitted.
She blinked. "Nervous… about what?"
"Well… there's something I've been meaning to do… a long time… and I've finally decided to do it, tonight…" He said, remaining deliberately vague as his red eyes glimmered.
"Oh? And what would that be?" Jinx asked somewhat playfully.
"Just wait… you'll see…"
A long pause as they walked, and Zero took the opportunity to bend down and nuzzle her neck affectionately, prompting a giggle and a blush from her.
"… Jinx…" He broke the silence after a moment. His expression suddenly became grave. "… Could I… I mean… would you ever… be angry with me… for doing something?" He asked slowly, stopping in place.
She stared. "… I don't understand. Have you done something?"
"I mean…" He tried to think what to say… "If there's something… I feel I must say… that I don't mean to hurt you by saying… would you be angry?" He couldn't seem to arrange his words properly, and thus, only managed to confuse her.
"… I… I don't know. … What… are you going to say…?"
He sighed… but then smiled. "Here… come with me…" He said, avoiding the question for a moment and taking her farther along the hall.
Soon enough, they came to a flight of stairs… and Zero suddenly sat down, looking rather forlorn. His eyes were deep, preoccupied with thought, and not altogether courageous.
"… Zero… something… is… wrong." Jinx said slowly and deliberately, sitting down next to him… "… Tell me what… Please…"
"… There's something… I have to ask you…" He said suddenly.
She gently took one of his gloved hands in her slender, pale palms. "… I'm listening."
… Sub-Zero opened his mouth once… but nothing came out. It seemed his mind had suddenly gone blank and he couldn't remember the right words.
Frustrated with himself, he opened it again, and FORCED something out, but… in his scatterbrained nervousness… the unfortunate guy, being multi-lingual, said exactly what he meant to say, but… in French… and Spanish… among other things…
"Jinx… veux-tu m'épouser? Uh... NO! I mean… ¿Te quieres casar conmigo? … MERDE!" He shouted in frustration, too flustered by this point to talk rationally. His face was pink with flush… finally, he was on the verge of giving up—Jinx staring at him alarmed as if fearing for his sanity—when he gave it one last attempt, trying to calm himself enough to speak English. But… to no avail.
"Tum Mujhse Shaadi Karogi?" He blurted out desperately in Hindi…
Badly out of it with sheer anxiousness, he groaned and turned away from her, realizing he'd screwed it all up. He tried to mumble an apology, but his voice, naturally low and airy in the first place, was all but gone at the moment. Finally, he put his head in his hands and fell silent with shame.
Jinx was rooted to the spot like a statue. Her confused, incredulous look had vanished… instead; she was clutching at her chest and wondering if she had heard the last sentence correctly. … Her slender stockinged legs began to quiver somewhat, suddenly feeling very much like jelly, and she stumbled over to him, falling eventually on her knees in front of him.
"……" She seemed to be far too overwhelmed for words. Her feline eyes, luminous both with their natural sheen and with the glossiness of tears, seemed wider than ever before.
… As it dawned on Sub-Zero that she had understood the last bit of his jumbled proposal, he turned slowly to cast a hopeful gaze on her, not sure how it was she had understood a sentence of Hindi, but not really concerned by that at this point.
… Their eyes locked into each other, luminous pink slits and foggy red pools; their eyes were connected by something that, though unseen, was powerful enough to keep them staring at one another, without so much as a blink.
Jinx's voice, quivering and weak but there, broke the silence. "… Zero… I… I don't know what……" She swallowed and shivered. "…… Oh my God…"
He suddenly felt a breath rise up in him and he realized his voice was back. He cleared his throat and spoke, getting down onto one knee.
"Jinx… I know I don't deserve it, especially after a screw-up like that. But…" A pause. "… It would give me no greater pleasure, nor honor, nor purpose for living… than to be with you for the rest of my life."
As he spoke, Jinx's eyes—running over by this time with tears, streaming down her thin face and onto her dress—followed his hand as it went to his pocket. He took out… a small jewelry case. In that moment, her heart began thudding frantically against her chest, pounding and thumping so loudly that she began to think she might wake someone up.
"Jinx… the light of my life… Mon Amour…" He opened the case and she couldn't suppress a weak moan at the sight. "…… Will you marry me?"
There in the box was a small ring, just the size of her finger, with a silver band etched with the name "Jinx" in curling, loopy, cursive lettering on the inside. The gemstone was black obsidian with a bright reddish tint to it, resulting in a beautifully dark gem… all around it; small diamonds twinkled in a sort of sparkling frame for the jewel itself. The obsidian gem was cut in such a way that it perfectly formed an angular diamond shape.
…. Jinx, almost mechanically, held out a trembling left hand.
Zero took it gently and slid the ring onto her ring finger; the piece of fine jewelry slid effortlessly on and seemed to have been made for her.
She stared at it on her hand, her face growing more and more red as tears flowed more freely, her eyes wide. Suddenly, she clutched her hands to her chest and squeezed her eyes shut with a soft gasp—and before Zero could react, she leaned over and kissed him fully on the lips.
… They stayed like that for a moment, Jinx's slender arms wrapping about his neck and her pale fingers running themselves through his fluffy white hair; Zero reached around her in an embrance and ran his hands along her back, producing a sort've electric thrill that ran up her spine.
Finally, she pulled away with something between a gasp and a sob, her face crimson and tear-stained, and yet still with a smile. "Oh God… Zero…. I, I will! I will marry you!"
… After that, silence seemed to prevail; both of them were too overcome, too overwrought with emotion for words. And after who-knows-how-long of silent embracing and caressing, mental exhaustion took its toll on both, and they fell asleep together right in the middle of the hall.
Blackfire yawned to herself as she stepped out of her and Star's shared room, scratching her side and shaking out her long, somewhat ruffled hair as she adjusted her black Pajamas. Star wasn't awake yet—at this time of morning, the only other people liable to be awake were Robin and Cyborg, both of whom were probably busy—but she was hungry nonetheless. So she was on her own for breakfast this morning…
… But she had barely started walking down towards the kitchen, it seemed, when her foot caught a large heap of something in the dimmed corridor and she went tumbling headfirst into the tiled floor with a soft yelp and a thud.
Only after she had gotten shakily to her feet did she realize she had tripped over two of her closest friends—both of whom were tangled together in the floor of the hallway with their heads resting at the base of a stairway; Zero had entwined Jinx in his arms, and she had wrapped her legs around his legs. There was a mutual facial expression of serene joy, that seemed to suggest a pair of sleeping angels.
Blackfire stared for a moment, unsure of it things and wide eyed. Then, deciding it was better not to know until they intended everyone to know, went to go get breakfast.