Author's Notes:
Um, this is the first time I've posted any of my Teen Titan's fics. Hopefully you guys enjoy 'em, and once I finish some of my other fics I'll start posting more for this fandom.
It had started at the famous party after the defeat of the Brotherhood. Every titan who had fought had spent the night, some partying hard while others preferred to simply talk, staying away from the noise. They had been part of those who had fled the party, opting to watch the sunset with some other Titans instead.
The two hadn't said a single word to each other. Gnarrk and Cyborg had made sure of that. But it didn't mean they hadn't communicated. Passing notes and sending messages via communicator wasn't an option, but that didn't mean making faces wasn't. That was now their modus operandi
He started with a shy smile, making sure to catch her eye momentarily before looking back down to the guitar resting on his lap. At first, she brushed it off as nothing. People make eye contact all the time, surely that didn't mean anything. So she hadn't responded, instead resting against Gnarrk, chatting idly with the Neanderthal. That's when the music started; just about every titan on the roof turned to him at the sudden sound.
He shrugged them off and continued playing, his fingers dancing along the strings. She finds herself nestling even further against the caveman closing her eyes to enjoy the sound. She had never heard such a strange, calming melody. The notes soothe her and she finds herself falling asleep.
The song ends and another quickly starts up. She turns to face him, taking in everything: the way he's looking off into the distance and strums effortlessly, the way he taps his foot to the beat, the curly hair that sways back and forth as he nods his head, and the piercing green eyes that would occasionally find their way back to her.
She made sure to stare and catch his eyes. She smiled when she finally did. His eyes were really pretty that night, the dying rays of sun making them appear even brighter than usual. He smiles at her and she finds herself smiling back. He continues to play as he effortlessly transitions into another song, this one as slow and calm like the ones before. But this one has a different undertone, and the girl is ready to stand up and question him when Gnarrk sends him a glare, one that startles the boy into jumping up (though his fingers continue to play on, unaffected by their master's hesitation) and turning away.
~.~
Their first kiss hadn't been for another three years, and it had been done in secret. The titans had met up again to take on another foe, Slade, and once again, they held a party after the final battle was over. She had been wandering around the roof when she found him, huddled up in a corner, head between his knees and shaking like a leaf.
She hadn't known what to say or how to deal with it. He had yet to see her, and she could've walked away and pretended to have not seen anything. She still wasn't good with human interaction. But he looked so broken, so small.
She sat beside him, staring at the mess that vaguely resembled the boy she knew. He still hadn't noticed her presence, and, hesitating, she awkwardly started patting his back. He didn't jump or tense at the newcomer; it was like she wasn't even there. She wasn't sure what to do or more importantly, who he even was. Heck she barely knew his superhero name. He was the boy with the pretty eyes to her.
"Do you wanna talk about it?" She asked. He had flopped onto her lap but didn't answer. The girl squirmed at the tears that ran over her bare legs, the warm rivulets feeling distinctly uncomfortable as they gathered on the edge of her skirt. However, the position they were in did have its bonuses she decided as she ran her fingers through his hair. It was still long and curly, but now she knew it was also nice and soft... She found his neck and started rubbing soothing circles at the nape.
A subtle turn of his head was all the warning Kole received before he sat back up. He quickly looked away perhaps ashamed to have just cried on her. Kole brushed it off, hesitantly running her hands over her thighs to remove any of the remaining moisture.
"You okay?" She tried again.
He shook his head but he didn't turn back to her. He kept his distance as he pulled something from his pocket. First he pulled out a notepad, then a pen. Kole looked on patiently, waiting for him to write his message.
Do you think I'll ever turn evil?
"No, not at all." The girl appeased quickly. However, after a moment of thought, the girl added, "But, I don't really know you."
He nodded and held his hand out for the pad. He had turned to face her the moment she had started speaking, and now she could clearly see the distraught mess of the stranger-now-acquaintance. His eyes were red from crying, his cheeks puffy and his nose a snotty mess. The girl giggled slightly, noting how adorable the boy looks.
She handed the pad to him with a smile, trying to discern thought from deceptively clear eyes. The pad is quickly snatched back and the boy turns away from her, looking to the sky for guidance. He wrote slowly, taking the time to think out his words. There was a moment where he had stopped altogether and crossed something out; he taped his pen against his lip for a while before continuing on. When he finished, he handed the girl the pad, watching her face as she read the note.
My alias (the word name was crossed out beside it) is Jericho. My name is Joseph. But you can call me Joey.
It was a strange gesture. She knew that some people had superhero titles or names or whatever to hide their identity. But the whole reason of having an alias is to keep their real names secret. Why was he telling her?
"Well hello...Joey. My name is Kole." The girl held her hand out to him in a gesture she had seen used time and time again when meeting new people.
The blond took her hand with a smile. he watched her eyes as he lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles. Kole giggled at the odd gesture, even more so when she noticed how red his cheeks had turned.
"It's nice to meet you too." The girl answered jubilantly. She doesn't let go of his hand, instead pulling his own hand to her lips and kissing his knuckles. He chuckled silently at this action but smiled nonetheless.
"Feeling better?" Kole asked. Jericho nodded, standing from his seat, and pulling the girl up with him.
He released her hand from his grasp and the smile faded from his face. He pulled out his trusty notepad and scrawled on it quickly. I should go. Robin wanted to talk to me.
"Okay," Kole responded dejectedly. She let out a small yelp of surprise when Jericho suddenly pulled her into a tight hug before quickly running away and disappearing from the roof.
~.~
Eighteen, it wasn't until they were eighteen that they had their first date.
It had taken Jericho a lot of pondering to even think of a way to ask the girl out. It wasn't that he was shy, it's just that she's special and asking her out should also be special.
So, he had asked her out in the most natural way he could, in sign language. Which she didn't actually understand. So, he had gone for writing her a song, which he had performed at a local music store. The song had nothing to do with asking her out (he just wanted to perform for her), but on the bright side, she was thrilled and had still said yes.
Even at eighteen, Gnarrk and Cyborg were still protective over Kole. The girl could not go out alone with the blond without weighing heavily on both men's conscience. Neither man was ignorant; they could tell that there was something brewing between the two titans, and they had no intention of letting some random guy sweep in and steal their little sister. So, they had followed the two on their date.
The date was a simple one: Jericho, or Joey for the date, had planned for them to catch a movie and then wander around town.
Kole wanted to go to the candy store.
The sky had been blue, the cloud fluffy, and the birds chirpy. The sun shone brightly upon the mass of people frolicking through the meadows, enjoying the ever-present sunshine of Jump City.
Joey, now a young man, had cut his hair short and had gotten rid of his mutton-chops. His face has sharpened up a bit, his eyes narrowed, and he had developed some muscle (Robin, Nightwing now, made sure every Titan could hold their own). Not to mention, the boy now stood at an imposing six feet.
Kole too had aged, although a bit more subtly. Her hair is still pink and her iconic two antennae are still sticking from the top of her head. Her blue eyes are as large as ever, but that's where her similarities with her previous self end. The girl had filled out a bit. She too had grown some muscle due to the intense work outs, and although she is nowhere near Joey's height, she has grown a lot taller.
The two had gone to see Toy Story 3, one of the few movies that Gnarrk and Cyborg had approved of. The movie didn't have much romance so, according to Kole's unofficial brothers, Kole would have no reason to make out with the rascal she's so enamored with; plus, Kole needed to experience at least a part of the childhood classic series. So the two watched in silence until the end, where Kole had started crying over the toys standing strong even in the face of imminent death. Jericho had to turn away in fear of losing his cool himself. Although, much to Cyborg and Gnarrk's chagrin, the ending did present the perfect opportunity for Jericho to hold her hand and then wrap his arm around her shoulders. And right when he was going to peck the girl on the cheek, he was cut off by someone clearing their throat rather loudly and a smack upside the head.
After the movie, as promised, Jericho took Kole to the candy store. For a solid five minutes, Kole stared at the store in wonder, futilely trying to pick a direction before dashing off into the nearest display that caught her eye. Jericho chuckled at the girl's excitement before he headed off to a different part of the store to pick out some chocolates.
"Joey?" Kole called out from somewhere deep in the store. "I can't reach."
Following the sound of her voice, Jericho easily maneuvered through the towering rows of confections before finding the girl, hopping up and down in an attempt to reach the large lollipop temptingly placed on the top shelf.
"Can you?" The girl pouted, fluttering her eyelashes childishly at the blond.
Jericho nodded, easily reaching the colorful lollipop. He stared at the giant piece of candy momentarily, wondering what all that sugar could do in a small shell.
"Ooh, you're getting chocolate? Can I have some too?" Jericho didn't know whether to be amused or worried. That's a lot of sugar.
Sure. It took long enough to ask the girl out; he had no intention of letting her go just yet. And if feeding the girl boatloads of sugar is what it took; well, she metabolizes sugar quickly enough.
"Yay!" Kole cheered, holding out the hand not currently clutching a huge lollipop for the boy to take. Jericho took the hand willingly, despite the loud coughs and grunts in the background.
He paid for the candy (with Kole promising to pay him back later), before leaving the store with his date.
~.~
It's as sunny a day as their first date. The sun as bright as ever, the clouds maybe even fluffier than last time, and the grass swaying with the gentle breeze. Small animals scurried along the grounds, stopping every now and again to nibble on something small like a nut or the remnants of some family's picnic.
But not everyone was basking in the rays of the sun. For, today was a dark day in Jump City. A day when the sun shouldn't be shining as flippantly as it did. A day when families refused to have picnics or even go outside because they were all glued to their seats, the TV tuned into one of the saddest days in Jump City.
A titan had been killed in action.
He had been killed by the Brotherhood of Evil after serving faithfully for countless years. Like every titan, he represented a minority of children. He represented those who weren't normal, who were not like everyone else. He was one of those with an old soul, older than the oldest man alive. But yet, there was a comfort between him and the elder generation as they reminisced on times before modern technology.
Kole stood alone on the podium. Nightwing had given his introduction, speaking of how wonderful he had been and how much he had done for the team. It had been nice, but it was impersonal, detached.
She pulled out a wrinkled paper, smoothing it out on the podium before her. She took a shuddering breath, looking out at the masses who had come to the funeral. None of these reporters knew him or his powers. Even the titans didn't know much about him.
"I'm not ready to let go." The first words tumbled out before she was ready to admit them. "But then again," the girl stopped again, staring at the line of scribbles from last minute edits. This had been the part of the eulogy that she had struggled with the most. She had wanted to sound eloquent, but English was, is, her secondary language, and she had never been, and still isn't, proficient in it. "Few truly are. Robin—hiccup—sorry, Nightwing, has already re-rega led us with tales of his heroism. I'm sorry." The girl looked away momentarily, taking a deep breath. Sure, that line had been the hardest to sound eloquent in, but she's not even sure if she can even speak this next part without breaking out into tears right then and there. "Nightwing told you all about what he's done and how he's helped saved countless people. But we had a different relationship. He was the brother I never had, the one who was always there when I needed him. He found me and saved me from the monsters who used to hunt and use me." Kole heaved a sigh, running her hand through her hair. Her emotions were all over the place. A world without him was a new world for her. "I was ten when I first met him. I had just escaped from one of my dad's presentations, and I had just ran. I didn't know where I was, Russia? But I ran. Adrenaline can take you real far you know, but it can't take you as far as a gas full of car. And I ended up passed out in a blizzard. He found me." She gave a small smile, before she forced herself to continue. The whirlwind of good memories once again absorb everything she was going to say "He took me in and cared for me. I know its strange, and people have picked on me for trusting a person I met in a snowstorm. But he wasn't like the people I had seen. He had a purity about him. Some say he was too dumb to try and harm me. But he's smart enough to survive in a world that he doesn't understand. We had good times, great times. Even when we fought, we always found our way back to each other. He was the first one to truly care for me and love me, and for that, I will forever be grateful."
The girl kept her head down as she hurriedly walked off the stage. She was immediately enveloped by a mass of titans who pulled the crying girl into a tight hug. The funeral plodded on, but Kole couldn't bring herself to pay attention to everyone and their half-hearted speeches.
"Goodbye, Gnarrk." The girl mumbled as her boyfriend of two years pulled her into a tight hug. "I'm sorry I couldn't save you."
~.~
"Happy Anniversary." Kole whispers, kissing her fiancé on the cheek. Five years they had been a couple. Five tough years. Kole deserved a prize for a commitment, not that she would actually take it. Her relationship was more than enough of a reward. She had stayed with Joey through thick and thin, even when life had gotten hard. Now, one could ruminate on all the reasons why Kole could have, perhaps should have left Joey through the years. But their relationship is just so much more important than that.
Kole watches the sleeping man comfortably curled up at her side. Their date had been wonderful. Joseph seemed to have pulled all the stops to ensure that this night had been perfect, and as far as Kole is concerned, it had been.
As if in response to her statement, Joey subconsciously pulls the girl closer, wrapping his arms around her waist and nuzzling into her shoulder.
"I love you too." The girl whispers, contently wrapping her arms around Joseph's neck.
Author's Notes:
Tell me what you guys think, please? Should I continue in this fandom or leave with my tail between my legs?