Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans.
Author's Note: This is a Halloween oneshot I wrote which I more often than not forget that I even created tbh. Fun fact; I've only been Trick or Treating... Twice, I think in my almost 20 years. It's not very common in the UK. Anyways, originally written in 2015.
Tapping her fingertips against her thigh, she surveyed the items in front of her; some of which she would inevitably be surrendering to the one who sat before her. With furrowed eyebrows, her eyes shifted from side to side, considering which one she would sacrifice.
Biting her lip, she attempted to focus on the goods in front of her and not on the fact that his eyes were on her with that signature smirk fixed upon his face. She inwardly groaned as she felt her cheeks heat up a little.
Her emerald eyes continued searching for the one that would be forfeited until her orbs locked on one in particular. Swallowing, she slowly reached a hand out and snatched up the carefully selected treasure. Her eyes flicked back up and met his veiled eyes immediately. She narrowed her eyes as he leaned forward, presumably to accept her chosen offering. One eyebrow raised; he was prompting her so she too adjusted herself and sat up straight.
"I shall offer you one packet of the jelly gems in exchange for two of the twizzlers that are sour." Starfire wagered, waving the said candy in front of the dark haired boy who sat a short distance away from her.
Robin chuckled and tilted his head at her, "Hm, very tempting offer..." He paused and scooped up three sour twizzlers, "I accept but I'll do you one better. I'll give you three sour twizzlers instead of two."
With that, he passed her the colourful treats and in turn, received the packet of jelly gems. He silently savoured the tingling sensation that shot through his hand as his fingertips brushed against Starfire's soft skin.
The Tamaranian Princess glanced up at him with curiosity, "Oh! Well thank you, Robin however; may I ask why I am being given another of the sour treats?" She wondered, blinking her gorgeous green eyes at him.
Robin smiled and inwardly cursed as he felt heat travelling up the back of his neck, "Well, you're the one who convinced us all to go out and it ended up being a really fun night. So, think of it as a thank you." He explained, running a hand through his hair which was still mildly slicked back.
Starfire beamed at him and shifted so that she was sitting crossed legged like Robin, rather than on her knees as she was positioned previously.
"I welcome you." Starfire giggled, bringing a hand to her mouth.
Robin chuckled and shook his head, "I still can't believe you managed to get us to go trick or treating... I mean, you even got Raven to go, Star."
Starfire smirked as she sifted through her pile of candy which was just a little bigger than Robin's pile, "I believe I have my ways, Robin." She told him,
The masked hero gulped and felt a blush rise to his cheeks; something about the way she said that had made him suddenly nervous. She had a way of doing that a lot.
He cleared his throat, "Still... I mean, we're all, what, 17 or 18 years old and yet we spent Halloween walking around Jump city, trick or treating... And in costumes no less." He chuckled.
Starfire paused and cocked her head to the side, "It is unacceptable for our age group to do the trick or treating?" She queried,
Robin shrugged, "I guess most kids get to our age and see themselves as being too old for it. And most kids aren't superheroes either, I might add."
Her eyebrows slowly furrowed, "Then... Did you and our friends feel the embarrassment whilst we were conducting the trick or treating?" She asked quietly,
Robin sat up and leaned across to gently touch her knee in a reassuring gesture, "No, of course not, Star. It was different and I think we all appreciated being able to put the hero thing aside for the night and to just be..." He trailed off, pausing to consider his choice of words.
Starfire smiled timidly, "Normal?"
He grinned back at her, "Exactly."
They gazed at each other with faint blushes and small smiles upon both of their faces. Starfire broke the gaze and shyly glanced down at her mountain of candy. She raised her eyebrows as she picked up a cherry swirl lollipop.
"People were most generous this evening." She commented, exhaling as she lied back on her floor, drawing her knees up slightly so that she was comfortably staring up at the ceiling.
Robin smirked and tried not to dwell on the not so innocent thoughts that popped into his mind as his eyes skimmed over her costume. To anyone else, her black and purple lacy witch costume may appear almost cute however; Robin couldn't help but notice how well the material of the corset vest fit against her curves and how good she looked in black and purple lace. He mentally kicked himself for thinking of her in such a way but sometimes, he simply couldn't help it.
He glanced down at the costume he was still wearing. Vampires were so very traditional so he had decided to keep it simple however; Robin felt a lot more confident after noticing Starfire's lingering glances at him throughout the evening.
The boy wonder cleared his throat and shifted the piles of candy out of the way so that he could lie beside Starfire.
"I have a feeling that people were probably more generous than they would usually be because the titans were at their doors." Robin shrugged, placing his hands behind his head as he too glanced up at Starfire's ceiling. A small smile tugged at his lips as he noted the small glow in the dark stars that were stuck up there.
They stayed like that for a short while; simply lying side by side whilst staring up at the ceiling in comfortable silence. However, there was a question that was burning within Robin's mind.
"So..." He trailed off,
Starfire turned her head to the side to look at him and presumably to prompt him into continuing with his words.
"Why the sudden interest in trick or treating, Star?" He wondered, keeping his eyes trained on the glowing stars above, "I mean... We've celebrated Halloween a number of times before and you've never mentioned anything about trick or treating."
Starfire lowered her eyes slightly and turned her head again, facing upwards once more.
"I... It has been an earthly ritual which I have longed to try however; I never believed any of the other titans would wish to accompany me so I allowed myself to forget about it." She paused and clasped her hands together upon her stomach, "But this year, I witnessed many small children, becoming so very excitable over the tradition and... I wished to share in that."
Robin had turned his head to look at her by this point and asked quietly, "So, you wanted to feel like a kid?"
Starfire smiled sheepishly, still avoiding looking at him, "I suppose in a sense, yes," She took a breath, "Robin, you may have noticed that I do not exactly act like the most mature teenager at the best of times... The trick or treating is a child's activity, I know however; I wished to participate in such an activity because I wish to hold onto what I was never permitted on my world."
The masked hero's expression softened and he felt a wave of sympathy for his best friend who retained the small, sad smile upon her lips.
"On Tamaran, I was forced to grow up before I even had the chance to act on being a child. As a Princess, I was forbidden for having any friends for the fear that they may corrupt me and once I was taken as a peace offering... Well, I was certainly not treated like a child aboard that ship." She explained, bitterly.
Robin gulped and reached out to take one of her hands in his. He gently stroked her skin with his thumb to show that he was there for her. He knew Starfire like no one else in the tower. He knew the dark corners of her bright and expressive mind and she knew his darkest thoughts; his worst memories.
"Starfire..." He whispered, his voice betraying him.
Her lips suddenly quirked into a warm smile and she turned her head to look at him whilst giving his hand a quick squeeze.
"And that is why I am so grateful to have met you and our friends... You allow me the whimsical childish nature that I was not permitted to experience on my home planet. You all accept my childlike behaviour and even go so far as to encourage it in many ways; joining me for the trick or treating tonight was merely one of those many ways." She informed him, quietly.
"I think it does all of us good to remember what it's like to be a kid, you know, Star. It's easy to forget, doing what we do." Robin returned, smiling softly.
"I believe it elevates the stress and pressure of what we do, Robin." She responded, smiling brightly at him.
Robin nodded and with an inhale of breath, he rolled up onto his feet. He stood before Starfire with his hand outstretched to help her up.
Starfire raised an eyebrow at him but accepted his hand anyway and allowed him to pull her up.
"I was thinking... There's still a few hours of Halloween left. What would you say to watching a horror movie?"
Starfire's eyes widened briefly, "Horror movies and I do not get along so well..."
Robin chuckled, "Don't worry, I'll grab a blanket for you to hide beneath, Star."
The Princess beamed back at him.
"Besides, all of this candy has to get eaten, remember?"
She giggled, "Very true indeed, Robin."
Her fearless leader smirked and gestured over his shoulder, "Well, I think I'm gonna change out of this and into some sweats."
"I believe I will do the same... As much as I like my costume, the material is slightly uncomfortable."
Robin smiled softly, "Well, I'll grab the blanket too and come back in a minute, okay?"
Starfire nodded and walked him over to her door where he nodded in her direction before taking one step out of her bedroom doors.
The Tamaranian reached out suddenly and took hold of his hand, causing him to half turn back towards her.
"Star-" She cut him off as she pulled him in for a warm embrace.
Initially caught off guard, Robin hesitated but soon returned the hug and buried his face against her hair and her shoulder. She wound her arms around his shoulders and neck and kept a tight hold on him whilst he wrapped his arms around her waist.
"Thank you, Robin." She whispered,
It was on the tip of his tongue to ask why she was thanking him but he resisted and gently stroked her hair.
"It's okay, Star." He murmured before pulling away and heading down the hall towards his room, throwing her a quick glance over his shoulder before she quietly shut her bedroom door. She exhaled and smiled. This trick or treating truly did bring out the best sides of people and Starfire had already decided that she would have to convince them to do it again next year too...