A/N: Welcome to Lustful Catapult! If you're into romance, drama, and tragedy, this is the story for you! Rated T for some sexual situations (don't worry not much details) and cursing! I hope you enjoy, leave a review if you like it and I'll update soon with more! If you like this story, check out my ongoing story: Into Memories Past! Alright onto the good stuff!

Chapter One: What You Want

"I can't do this anymore, Dick!" She cried, desperately searching his eyes for any meaning to draw her back in. But all she saw was vast empty pools of blue.

"Kori, please..." He seemed to beg as he clasped his hands together. "You have to understand! You should understand, we are heroes first and foremost."

Kori stared off, past Dick as if he wasn't even there. The future for them looked so bright. All Kori ever wanted to do was settle down together, get married, and even have a few kids. Was that so impossible? Did Dick just not see a future with her like she had? All the happy images of white picket fences danced before her eyes as she can see the imagery of Dick slowly fade away through her tears.

Dick adjusted his mask back onto his face as he listened silently to the muffled cries coming from Starfire. He so badly wanted to grab her and pull in her in close. Tell her everything will be okay, that they will be able to start the life she wanted right now. But it just wasn't in the cards for Richard. At least, not right now. He balled his fists, wanting to punch anything but all that was around him was emptiness.

They stood in an empty football field that wasn't far off from the tower. The tower seemed to gloom a hazy gold in the distance, making it feel uninviting. Starfire felt helpless, she began to sob louder so that Nightwing would just come and hold her. But he didn't, he didn't even budge. Maybe the love he had for her was slowly dissipating. She felt like she couldn't even blame him for it. They would fight back and forth for weeks. Starfire was so eager to end the superhero game to enter the life of a wife. Nightwing wanted to pursue the Teen Titans, saying he made the team for a reason. Just because they all weren't teens anymore didn't mean the team was over.

As Starfire lifted her hands away from her now swollen eyes, she traced the area to find she was standing alone.

"Dick?" She called out in a whisper. "Dick?!" She yelled as she spun around the area, scanning the darkness for any sign of him.

"Starfire." He sternly spoke as she looked up to find him perched on a tree branch. "It's Nightwing."

With that, he disappeared leaving Starfire a wordless mess.

Raven sat in her room staring hard at her old blue cape that hung unused on her closet door. She clicked her tongue as her gaze followed over to her reflection in the mirror. Her hair was longer now, past her shoulders. Her new cape was white and flowed behind her like a gown. Times have changed, the team has changed, and these changes were starting to weigh on her mind.

Was the team going to neglect that they were all approaching their late 20s? Life was so much more, much more than being a hero. New heroes who were younger were emerging, heroes that could possibly take their place. Ever since Raven fought her father Trigun, she realized that as happy as she was being able to protect the citizens of Jump City along with her friends... it just wasn't enough anymore. She wanted things to become, well, normal.

A soft knock echoed against her metal door.

"Raven." The soft voice spoke as Raven got up off her bed. She placed her hand to the scanner allowing the metal doors to swiftly open revealing the green changeling. Raven couldn't help but stare at him for a moment. Beast Boy himself has changed. Sure, he was still the prankster of the house that was always up for a good time. But he was more mature. He took situations more seriously, he didn't treat life quite like a joke anymore. He was more passionate about training making his muscles more significant and defined.

Raven moved to the side letting Beast Boy in. He entered leaning against the wall as she closed the door behind him, returning back to her crossed legged position on the bed. She waited for a few moments, wondering why he was being so silent.

"Hey, Raven." He finally broke the silence as she perked her face up to show she was listening. "The villains lately have been becoming petty, don't you think?"

"What do you mean?" Raven answered, cocking an eyebrow.

"Life is becoming repetitive. These villains are just doing simple crimes, you know? Robbing banks, car theft, the normal stuff." He responded as he counted the crimes off his fingers.

"A villain is a villain." Raven spoke, staring at Beast Boy in wonder. What could he possibly be getting at?

"The hero game is kinda growing old." He blurted, clearly rummaging through his thoughts. "I mean, I know we got powers that normal people don't have. It's not like I'm not grateful for being able to save innocent civilians." Raven watched as his mouth trembled, going over his words. Even the way Beast Boy talked nowadays was more mature. "Or being able to impress the ladies!" Raven's eyes narrowed. Okay, maybe not THAT mature.

"Besides that last part," Raven scoffed, rolling her eyes. "I understand what you're trying to say."

"Do you think I'm being selfish?" Beast Boy questioned, eagerly expecting a response as he rubbed at the back of his neck.

"The team is our family. But..." Raven trailed off, collecting her thoughts. "No. You aren't being selfish. I have thought about it once or twice, too." Beast Boy's eyes seemed to gleam, feeling relieved that he wasn't the only one feeling that way. His eyes soon changed, staring at her with what seemed like passion. Raven was taken off guard as she stared into his forest green eyes.

When their eyes connected it felt like electricity shot through them. Her heart began to pound as Beast Boy slowly approached her, not breaking eye contact. No matter how many times Raven tried to look away. She could feel her face flush as the atmosphere in the room changed. He stopped right in front of her, staring down at her as he placed his hands at her sides. She opened her mouth to talk but all it did was tremble. His face came closer to hers, staring deep into her violet eyes.

"What would you do if I kissed you right now?" Beast Boy asked as he stared down at her gray lips.

"What?" She breathed as her palms began to sweat. He placed one of his hands on top of hers, rubbing at her knuckles with his thumb.

"You know Raven, you might slap me for this..." He paused as his lips came inches from hers. She could feel his warm breath envelop her cheeks. "But sometimes life is worth those risks." He pressed his lips to hers. At first Raven froze, her eyes growing large. Was this actually happening? She never knew Beast Boy felt this way about her. Memories flashed before her eyes. His smile seemed to stick out in almost every one of them, which made her wonder how she never realized it before. How she never understood her own feelings towards Beast Boy. How she became driven with jealousy when Terra came a part of their world. How depressed she was when Terra wound up breaking Beast Boy's heart. How relieved she felt when her heart was broken by a man trapped in a book, that Beast Boy was the first one there to offer a hug. How madly her heart would beat when he was by, even when he was annoying her.

She slowly closed her eyes, welcoming the kiss to become deeper as she felt herself being pushed down on the bed.

Cyborg made sure to check if his door was locked before he took a seat at his computer. For months now he would do this ritual. Check the door was locked, check. Double make sure the door was locked, double check. Sign online to find her username, check. Send her a message if she was online. He smiled happily to see her name on his online buddy list.

Tech-NoMan: Hey there, little lady!

Silent_CatWalk: Oh, hey there Tech! How's it going?

Tech-NoMan: Oh, you know the usual.

Silent_CatWalk: I been thinking about you too ;)

Tech-NoMan: You really like to flatter yourself, don't you?

Silent_CatWalk: I don't need to, I have you for that

Cyborg let out a small laugh as he couldn't help but keep smiling. He been talking to this girl for awhile now. She was the reason he would be smiling most days. Even though he didn't even know her name. She didn't know his either and they planned to keep it that way until their relationship got more serious. He didn't even give her details that he was a part of a crime fighting team. When he told her his employment he said he was basically a cop. She told him that she was a stray kitten wandering onto the good side of the tracks.

She was so different from the ordinary girl, it astounded him. She didn't constantly need reassurance from him that he was into her or that he wasn't dating someone else in the real world. She was sarcastic, not too girly, and knew some things about tech that surprised him. Not many girls could really get him on a level like that. Technology was like speaking a different language... well... it was a different language.

Tech-NoMan: I think I want to get more serious.

Silent_CatWalk: Are you for real?

Tech-NoMan: My name is Victor.

Silent_CatWalk: Wow, you really are being serious

Silent_CatWalk: ...

Silent_CatWalk: Victor is a cute name, you do sound like a Victor.

Silent_CatWalk: My name is Jennifer. But, call me Jenny. :)

Tech-NoMan: Are you okay with this?

Silent_CatWalk: I been ready for this.

Silent_CatWalk: We been talking for six months now, Victor.

Silent_CatWalk: I think... we are ready for a new step.

Tech-NoMan: What if you don't like what you find out about me?

Silent_CatWalk: Victor, I'm not here for looks if that is what you are thinking about.

Silent_CatWalk: If I was that shallow, I would of left a long time ago. Don't you think?

Silent_CatWalk: Baby steps, as we feel comfortable.

Tech-NoMan: I am the luckiest man alive.

Silent_CatWalk: ;)

Cyborg sat at the keyboard, rereading her words. I'm not here for looks. If I was that shallow, I would of left a long time ago. He met Jenny six months ago on a site that he was ashamed for even playing. The site was called Habbo Hotel, you get to be these little pixel people and walk around a hotel to meet others. He did this whenever he felt lonely or wanted to be someone other than... well... Cyborg. He wanted to be the man behind the metal, Victor. Victor Stone.

Jenny was hanging around in one of her friends rooms that he happened to walk into. They got into talking, which he remembered the first thing she ever said to him.

I play this dumb virtual game to provide an escape, I don't like the person who I am now. He totally got how she felt, since he was playing the game for the same exact reason. They would up talking for hours, each day, never missing a moment to hear about the others day. With a few fabricated lies, but he just couldn't tell her that he was a Teen Titan. For a normal girl like Jenny, that could scare her away. Being a super hero had its perks with the ladies, but when things got serious and they knew their lives could be in danger for being in a relationship with a super hero... they usually take the first chance they can to get themselves out of it.

He didn't want to lose Jenny.

Silent_CatWalk: Before we get more serious though...

Silent_CatWalk: Can you really open up to me?

Silent_CatWalk: Like open, open up to me.

Tech-NoMan: But don't I do that already?

Silent_CatWalk: Look, I know its in both our nature to avoid serious topics...

Silent_CatWalk: Or be really real for that matter

Silent_CatWalk: It just feels like your a tin man sometimes, you know?

Tin Man. Tin Man. Tin Man. He felt the word echo throughout his head as he sat back in his computer chair. Not even online could he really escape the person he truly was. Half man, half robot.

Starfire stood in the field, wiping her tears away with her wrists frantically. She looked up at the tower, not feeling any need to return to it. But she had to, her family lived there and she shouldn't have to exile herself because... Nightwing... wanted to be a jerk.

It's Nightwing. She could hear him saying, whispering over and over in her mind. He didn't say the words, 'we are breaking up.' But she knew what he meant when he said those words to her. She knew exactly what he meant. She felt like a piece of thrown away trash. Was their supposed love really that fragile? He never said he loved her anway. Maybe he never felt it, like Starfire had. She walked over to the edge of the field and climbed on the rocks that littered across the shore by the water. She tip toed across the stones, trying to organize her feelings. As she tried to keep her mind in check, her uniform began to glow red.

"There's trouble." She breathed, holding onto the gem on her neckpiece. She had to put Richard in the back of her mind, the people that needed saving had to come first. She looked over at the tower as she tried to fly. Kittens, rainbows, mustard, pizza... none of those happy thoughts were lifting her off the ground. "Looks like I will have to do the running." She groaned as she began to run, she scrambled for her communicator looking for the coordinates. It looked like the crime was taken place at the old abandoned factory where the teenagers like to throw wild raves at.

"Looks like this is going to take me awhile." She sighed, as she kept with the pace. As she did, her communicator went off. As she accepted the signal she looked down to find Nightwing staring at her, keeping his serious composure.

"Starfire, where are you?" He asked, sounding slightly concerned. "We have a mission."

"I know, I am on the way." She spoke through huffs, sounding a bit winded.

"Are you running ther-" Nightwing stopped abruptly as he played with his mask. "Understood." Of course she was running, especially after the incident they just had. He looked to the ground, then turned the signal off. Starfire's heart began to sink, the harsh reality was beginning to settle in. No longer was she Kori to him, no longer could she call him Dick or Richard. No longer will she be able to see the crystal blue eyes of the man she loved so much. Through tears, she continued to run to the abandoned factory.

When she finally reached the vicinity she could hear the bass vibrate the ground below her. As she looked around all she saw was hoards of teenagers dancing outside and drinking. Was this the crime? Drinking underage? She looked around but couldn't find her friends anywhere. Suddenly, she saw Raven's cloak whisk by on top of the warehouse. Of course, nothing could come easy. Now she had to find a way to climb up to the the top of the roof. Her friends must be fighting silently to not alarm any of the teenagers who were partying here.

Starfire tip toed around back as she looked around for any way to reach the top of the roof. But before she could even get a chance she heard Nightwing shout from above.

"Team! This way!" They hopped away to another rooftop, giving chase to whoever was causing mischief. As she was about to join them a hand reached out and covered her mouth. She was pulled backwards onto what felt like a firm chest. She froze, not sure if she should attack or not. The grip felt light, not forced. When the team disappeared, the hand was released from her mouth as she turned around.

Staring back at her was a slender looking man with a skull mask. Red X. She immediately turned her starbolts on as she glared at him. He put up his hands and waved them about.

"I'm not looking to fight, gorgeous." He commented as she kept her hands up.

"What evil are you doing here, Red X?" She scoffed as he put up his hand to his chin as he then shrugged.

"Who said I'm doing any evil?" He leaned carelessly on the wall in back of him as he crossed his arms, waiting for the aliens response.

"Because you are a villain. That makes you evil." Starfire retorted as she heard a slight chuckle from him.

"Sure, I steal things. But does that really make me evil? Do you really know anything about me?" Starfire thought about his words for a moment as she lowered her hands, turning off her starbolts.

"I suppose I do not." Starfire stared at Red X, puzzled. "You did help us from time to time as well."

"You guys just simply get in my way is all. If I could I wouldn't fight you at all. But I guess Robin has an issue with me stealing his little play suit." He responded as Starfire eyed the suit.

"Why did you take the suit?" She asked curiously as Red X wagged a finger in her face.

"This isn't a hangout, pretty girl." He placed a finger under her chin as he looked up to find Robin... now Nightwing staring down at him. He let go of Starfire's face as he took a few steps back, disappearing into the shadows of the warehouse. Starfire stood confused as she heard a loud thump behind her. She turned to find Nightwing walking up to her with a menacing look on his face.

"You let the villain walk off scott free?" He shouted at her, looking into her frightened emerald eyes. "Don't let your feelings get in the way of the fight." He ran passed her in pursuit of Red X. As she was about to let her head hang down she saw a skull face quickly pop down out of nowhere.

"Man, that guy is such a Dick! Pun intended." He spoke as Starfire yelped, springing backwards against the wall. She looked up to find Red X hanging upside down from the roof.

"What... how do you know of that?" Starfire questioned as he just laughed in response.

"Why do you put up with his shit?" He intercepted, ignoring her question as she rubbed at her arm, staring off.

"We are not the together." She quietly admitted as she began to wonder why she was even telling him such things.

"Well, you are too pretty for him." He added as he dropped down to the ground. Starfire could hear Dick yelling to the rest of the team on the communicator inside, not too far from them.

"I do not know what you did today, nor do I wish to know. I will pretend to not know where you went. Please, get out of here while you can." She stammered as he shrugged, hopping back onto the roof and fading out of sight. She took a deep breath and began to the walk back to the tower alone.

"Where's Starfire?" Raven asked as she met up with the rest of the team on the roof.

"Letting the villain get away." Nightwing mumbled as Raven crossed her arms.

"That doesn't sound like Starfire." Raven answered as she looked around the area for any sign of her.

"Let's just head back to the tower." Nightwing snorted as he headed for his R-Cycle. Cyborg looked over at Raven with a shrug as Beast Boy came up to her. She couldn't help but blush, thinking about earlier. She threw her hood on over her head as he grabbed her hand.

"Well I didn't get a slap today! I guess this means... we are more than just friends?" All Raven could do was slowly nod her head as he let out a little cheer and the bright white smile that she loved so much.

"Round two?" He commented as she slapped the back of his head, flying away from him and towards the tower. He rubbed at the back of his head as he let out a small chuckle. "Guess I deserved that one." He turned into a raven and followed after her, his now girlfriend.

Starfire made it to the park as she desperately tried to fly, but to no avail she couldn't make it. What was she going to do? She couldn't and wouldn't swim across. She sat by on a park bench, leaning her elbows on her thighs as she stared out at the tower.

"Maybe I should just sleep here for the night." She laid down on the bench, staring up at the night sky as she could feel a slight chill in the air. Nightwing wasn't going to come for her. She covered her eyes as she felt the tears stream down her face. She knew if she lifted her hands she wouldn't see Dick. She wouldn't be held by him and told everything will be okay. He won't whisper to her saying that she was the most precious thing to him.

Cause she wasn't anymore.

She could feel herself gasping, choking on the cold air that surrounded her. As she lowered her palms she was greeted with that skull mask again, making her squeak. He hopped over the bench, sitting at her feet as she quickly shuffled herself to sit up straight. She dabbed at her face and stared down at her lap.

"What are you doing here?" She somberly asked as he crossed his legs, not looking at her but out at the tower.

"Better question is why did you walk the whole way here?" He stayed silent as she didn't answer him.

"Wait." She finally broke the silence. "Did you follow me?" He nodded in response as she knitted her eyebrows together. "Why?"

"Let's just say, I owed you one and my debt is repaid." He responded, stretching out on the bench.

"How?" She questioned as she stared at the unknown man.

"I made sure you were safe. You shouldn't sleep out here you know. The city isn't safe for a pretty lady." He taunted as she stuck out her tongue at him.

"I can take care of myself." She retorted as she picked her knees up to rest her chin against.

"Yeah, yeah. Just fly on home so I can head home and sleep." He blurted with a yawn as he saw her nervously pick at her fingers.

"I cannot. Why do you even care anyway?" She asked, looking at him from the side.

"I'm not a heartless bastard. You did one for me, I do one for you. Why can't you anyways? Cause the bird brain picked a fight with you?" She bit at her bottom lip as she hastily shook her head.

"No that is not quite the right answer. I do not wish to speak about it." She babbled, trying to keep the tears in. Red X began to wonder what type of drama he was getting himself wrapped into.

"Jesus." He blurted, rubbing his hand down his mask. "It's against my code to leave a girl alone." Starfire thought of his words wondering what Dick's code possibly was. That definitely was not on his list. She was clearly alone and he was elsewhere, not really giving a care.

"What is this code?" Starfire questioned as she placed air quotes around the word code. He rubbed as his chin, avoiding her gaze because he didn't like seeing girls upset.

"Well, I guess I can tell you... uh. Girls shouldn't be left alone, but protected. Do things that are necessary, not reckless. No killing. Ever." He stopped leaving the alien girl to look at him in a different light.

"I guess you were the right. You are not all the bad." Starfire answered, a small smile displaying on her face. She couldn't help but be kind of intrigued by the man.

"Told you." He simply replied with a slight shrug of the shoulders. "Shoo on home now, you are getting me too sentimental." He trailed a line down from his masked eye with his index finger as she let out a small laugh. The bit of joy he gave her was enough to help her fly again. She floated up getting ready to head to the tower. As she was about to turn to thank him he was no longer there. She let out a small sigh and headed back, even though she honestly didn't want to face their leader.

Dick sat in the main room waiting for Starfire to get home. He rubbed at the temples of his head, trying to keep the headache he had growing that evening away. Just because things were over, didn't mean that he didn't care about Starfire. He just couldn't give her what she desperately wanted from him. She didn't want to wait and he didn't want to give into that just yet. He was only twenty six, he still had plenty of time for that stuff... didn't he? Was he wrong?

He sat going over his thoughts as the moon casted an eerie light through the window. He heard soft footsteps enter the room, as he looked up he saw a withered Starfire try to sneak past him. But as their eyes met, it seemed she damned herself for not being quiet enough. He was happy enough to see she was able to gather enough joy to be able to fly.

"Let's talk." Nightwing spoke as she slowly revealed herself from the darkness.

"I do not wish to do the talking tonight, Nightwing." She emphasized his name as she stormed passed him to her room. As she reached the main doors that lead to the hallway she felt his hand reach out and grab at her arm.

"We are talking now." He sternly spoke as he spun her around. He could see tears building up in the ducts of her eyes. He turned away, not wanting to see the look on her face again.

"What is there possibly to talk about? It is the over. I understand this." Starfire spoke through her tears, her strained voice felt like nails to a chalkboard to Richard. He ruffled his hair back away from his face.

"We are a team. We can't let bad emotions and vibes affect the rest of the team. We have to just get through this, act like nothing ever happened." Starfie's mouth opened wide at his hurtful words, it felt like he was stabbing her intentionally.

"Oh, yes, right. Let me just act like I do not love you, like me act like this whole thing never did the existing." Starfire sarcastically uttered as Dick began to lose his patience.

"Don't you care about this team, Kori?!" He yelled as she put her foot down.

"Do NOT call me KORI!" She hissed bitterly as he gritted his teeth.

"Why can't you ever just UNDERSTAND for once instead of taking everything personally?" He screamed as she didn't lose her ground.

"Oh, so you do the breaking up with me and you expect me to not take it personally?" She retorted as she spun on her foot in a huff, staring away from him.

"Well, we probably wouldn't even had broken up if you just understood me more." He spoke with a harsh tone that made Starfire choke on her next words.

"Well... if you understood me more Nightwing, we wouldn't be fighting as much as we do." She could feel the tears balling up in her eyes, making it hard for her to see.

"Well, then we did the right thing by splitting apart." He growled as he walked through the main doors to head to his room. He put his palm up next to the scanner, letting his empty room greet him. He collapsed to the bed as he could smell Starfire's perfume stained into his pillow. He grabbed it and tossed it to the otherside of the room. As he did so, he could feel the warm tears release from the lashes of his eyes.

Red X sat in his small one bedroom apartment as he removed his costume. He sat back on his cheap recliner chair as he removed his mask, taking a deep breath as he did so. He wondered why the red headed alien seemed to peek his curiosity. She always had, ever since he met her. Robin always had his claws deep into her, it made it hard to believe that they weren't together anymore.

He turned on the television to watch the news to find himself being the star of todays segment. He laughed as he heard the newscasters say, 'but the titans let him get away.' As he stared at the costume he stole from the titans years ago he began to wonder how long he would play the part of Red X for. He was getting older and he lived in a run-down apartment that was full of crap furniture he hitched from the local dump. No girl on his arm, no kids or anything. Deep down he always wanted the American dream. He just had it hard his whole life. He stared back at his old costume that hung on the coat rack next to the door.

At least he changed drastically from who he used to be, back when he was hellbent on revenge.

Realizing nothing was going to change anytime soon he picked up the controller and flicked through the channels tirelessly.