Disclaimer: Surprise, surprise, I have not acquired the Teen Titans since my last story.
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Closed Doors
She stared at his door, then hesitantly rose her fist to knock on it before letting out a soft sigh and lowering her hand again. She had been to the door multiple times that day in hopes of bringing out its reclusive occupant.
He is busy. She told herself firmly, turning away from the doorway again. She managed three steps before turning the opposite direction. But wouldn't it be grand if he were to stop his busy for a few moments and try my Morinthark Pie?
She stared at the door again, the single word "Robin" written into it as though a warning sign. "Stay away, the occupant is too busy for anything you might have to show him. If this door is closed, it means he's probably tracing new leads on that recent jailbreak, or he's looking at new evidence to reveal the identity of Slade. Just wait until he decides to come out again, because otherwise he'll simply blow you off."
She sighed finally, shaking her head gently as she walked away. She would come back in an hour if he hadn't shown up yet, then she would ask him to please come out and try some of her freshly cooled baked goods. She paused at the end of the hallway and stared at the door one last time before turning away.
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He looked around the room, and felt a tug of guilt. He knew full well that no one else would be with him in the personal sanctuary of his room. At least no one should be there - that's what the boxes of the various security devices he had installed for the sake of the task at hand had assured him. The infrared cameras that disguised themselves as action figures and souvenirs were scattered throughout the room working to keep his secret just that - his.
He licked his lips nervously before letting himself settle into the computer chair at his desk. He stretched his fingers, attempting to get some of the tension out of them.
No one's going to know. You can do it just one last time, and no one has to know. He told himself quietly as he let out a whoosh of air. He sat, staring at the power button on his laptop for a second before licking his lips and pressing on it, watching the computer jump to life. He surveyed the room once more, feeling a bit of confidence flow through him. He was the leader of the Teen Titans, right? No one would ever expect this of him. He was in the clear.
It was his guilty pleasure - everyone in life had one of those, right? He told himself this was the one weakness he allowed himself. After a hard day of training in the Tower or battling on the streets of Jump City, it was kind of nice to come home and know that there was at least one thing waiting for him.
He lowered his mask onto his desk as a dialogue box popped up, asking for the password required to enter his hidden sanction. He quickly typed in "starfire," letting his shoulders drop as his desktop background popped up.
He sat in the regular attire for sixteen year old males awake at 12:31 in the morning. His flannel night pants rode low on his hips, an unremarkable white undershirt paired with it to make up his nighttime outfit. His normally gelled hair was still slightly damp from his recently completed shower. Unlike most young people of his age, his room was absolutely spotless - but then, this was a very meticulous young man. His walls were lovingly adorned with various newspaper clippings heralding both the triumphs and the brief failures of the team he had taken charge of. He looked up at one of the photos below a large headline proclaiming the Teen Titans victorious against the Hive Five and felt his guilt resurface. Four pairs of eyes stared back at him as though saying "we know what you're doing, sicko." He gulped softly before turning back to his computer. Without further thought, he opened his web browser.
It wasn't like he was doing anything illegal - it was perfectly fine for a boy of his age to be… curious about certain things. And it was perfectly healthy for him to want to explore those things using the technology at his fingertips.
His homepage was already set to the website, and he eagerly tapped away at his keyboard, searching for the desired page.
Ah, there it was, "For the Love of a Man with the Name of a Dark and Beautiful Bird of Flight," by ROBINISTHEBESTTEENTITANEVERSEX. He smirked a little as he clicked on the title, opening to the latest, newly updated chapter.
There was something to be said for being a super hero. Sure, you didn't always get the privacy you wanted and sure, someone was always trying to kill you, but there was really something to be said for the fans that worked hard to show just how much they appreciated your efforts. And it didn't hurt that they had the most vivid imaginations. He settled into his seat.
It's uncertain exactly how the boy wonder had stumbled across the delightful works known as "fan fiction." It had probably been late one night after researching the whereabouts of Slade, or when he was idly looking through his recent friend requests on NotMyspace. Maybe he just wasn't paying enough attention to the links he was clicking, or maybe he was searching for information about his favorite alien teammate. He had just kind of… found it.
He licked his lips as he let out a pent up breath and started reading.
"For the Love of a Man with the Name of a Dark and Beautiful Bird of Flight
By ROBINISTHEBESTTEENTITANEVERSEX
Chapter Seventy-Four
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
The space demons had been vanquished, once and for all. The team dispersed, Cyborg to start rebuilding the T-car with the addition of sonic waves to keep the next generation of space demons from discovering the wonders of Earth; Raven left to try to salvage her bedroom while Beast Boy followed her guiltily, trying to convince her of his undeniable innocence in its destruction. She deftly threw him out of a window.
Finally, they found themselves alone.
Robin stared at Starfire, his hair waving slightly in the soft wind that played across the cobblestones. Her fiery hair blew gently across her face, attempting to hide the tumultuous emotions fighting for the power of expression.
'Robin, I must admit that I have these feelings for you. I can't control them anymore.' She said softly, turning away from him. The back of her hand rested lightly against her forehead. 'It would probably be best if we parted ways now. I couldn't take the heartache I would experience if you were to reject me.'
A tear slowly streaked down her face, making its way to the tip of her chin before gently blowing away in the breeze. Her powder blue dress blew in the same direction, powerless to resist the intoxicating allure of the wind, bringing attention to the curvy legs obvious from her current stance. Her chest pushed up against the bodice of the gown, fighting in hopes of feeling the air's gentle caress.
'My sweet and golden goddess of beauty, do not let these tears mar the perfection of your delicate features.' Robin said gently, his fingers softly tracing the wet line from her eye to her chin. He seemed unaffected by the wind, wearing naught more than a pair of black slacks. His chest was strong, tanned from the pair's earlier excursion to the beach. His abs were well defined from the meticulous training sessions he subjected himself and his team to. 'I must confess that for years, maybe since the first day I met you, I have had similar feelings kept deep inside of my heart. I was afraid to reveal my true self to you, for fear that you would turn away and mock me. But, my love, I cannot hold it back anymore! I must have you with me for all of my days! My sweet, I am in love with you!'
'Oh Robin! I am your love slave!' Starfire crooned softly as she let her slender yet supple body fall into her lover's strong, sure arms. He held her tightly, working to make sure that she didn't feel the true strength of his power, for it surely would have crushed her delicate frame. She nuzzled her head into the crook of his neck, weeping softly.
'I am unable to comprehend this amount of joy.' She said softly as she pulled back a little.
'Then, I must beg of you, please refrain from all thought.' He answered as he pulled her in for their first true kiss.
As their lips joined fireworks filled the sky, a celebration of the fourth day in the month of July. She pressed against him gently, letting her fingers tangle into his messy, dark hair. He gently prodded her lips, asking for a taste of more, demanding to let her experience the further pleasures he had to offer.
'Oh, Robin!' She moaned gleefully as they pulled away finally, both flustered and red.
'My darling, you will never have to experience the dreaded fate of loneliness. As long as I am still able to take breaths, we will live together in harmony.'
'I love you Robin!'
'I love you too, Starfire.'"
He paused at the story's conclusion, smiling to himself. Somehow, the writer had managed to capture that side of him that no one else seemed able to comprehend. The strength he had, yeah, that was pretty accurate, if he did say so himself. Okay, so maybe his muscles weren't as well defined as he wanted them to be, but hey, he was still young. He still had some time before having a scene like that with Star. He nodded in satisfaction as he turned to look up at another newspaper clipping.
There she was, his… what did the author call her? His "sweet and golden goddess of beauty?" Yeah, she was definitely beautiful. And sweet. And kind. And caring. And eager to please. And… well, he could go on and on. He sighed softly, staring at the picture, then turned his attention back to his computer. This was definitely one of the best he had read so far. He had to review it, under the disguise of a fellow Titans fan, of course. He clicked the link to read the current comments on the story, watching in satisfaction as his name popped up with a very positive review written out next to it. He scanned the rest of the story's replies, wondering what other fans had thought of the story's magnificent ending.
"Beast Boys Lover wrote: I don't know about this one. Robin seems a bit OOC don't you think?"
He scowled at the computer. No, no he didn't think that Robin seemed out of character at all.
"StarfireplusRobinequalsLOVE wrote: good story but I think you were off wit robins character. no way would he talk to star like that."
His frown deepened.
"MOREMOREMOREMORE wrote: not bad ending really, i just think that it've been better if star wasnt such a poor maiden and robin wasnt trying so hard to be poetic."
Hey, he wasn't trying hard to be poetic. Things like that just… came to him. Yeah, they just came to him.
"plus," the review went on, "he would never have the courage to do all of that."
He sighed. Alright, so maybe there was some truth in that, but someday, he would gather his courage and tell her how he felt. Someday, he would gather his courage and at least ask her on a date. Someday, he would do exactly like he had done according to ROBINISTHEBESTTEENTITANEVERSEX. Someday…
He smiled in satisfaction, nodding to himself before closing his laptop and turning off the overhead light in his room.
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The morning was unusually quiet for a morning at the Tower. Robin had been uncharacteristically late to rise, to the relief of his exhausted teammates. Raven sat in the living room, sipping herbal tea and reading a rather large tome quietly. Starfire was in the kitchen, wondering which Tamaranian dish would most please her housemates. She had gone the night before in hopes of coaxing Robin out of his personal Bat Cave, but found that by the time she had gained enough courage to ask him to come try her cooking, it had been far too late in the night. She tried not to look too dejected as she rummaged through the cabinets, searching for a frying pan.
Cyborg and Beast Boy were absent from the room, both still presumably in their rooms.
Outside the sun shone brightly. The weather was going through the refreshing transition from Winter to Spring, when all the birds whom had been hidden during the harsher weather peeked their feather-covered heads out. The bay surrounding the Tower glittered the reflection of the sun's cheery rays.
The calm was broken by a loud howl of laughter. Raven looked up irritably while Starfire continued agonizing over which would be most appropriate for breakfast - Glargnosh or Slapolg? With a huff Raven turned back to her book, releasing her cup from the black energy she had encased it in to prevent its contents from spilling out.
The laughter had emanated from Beast Boy's room, where he was peering over the shoulder of his robotic companion, reading something off of Cyborg's arm with great interest.
"Love slave?" Cyborg shouted as another laugh echoed through the room. Beast Boy sat back on the bottom bunk of his bed, his hands covering his stomach as he released a long belly-laugh. "Who comes up with this stuff?"
"Friends, I invite you to the kitchen for a feast to break the fast," Starfire said as she walked into Beast Boy's room. The two boys tried to stifle laughs as she looked at them strangely.
"May I inquire as to what you have found so humorous?"
Cyborg choked back another laugh as Beast Boy turned and buried his head into a pillow.
"Nothing, Star. Nothing."
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I haven't really been around much lately, but I've been kicking this idea around for awhile and got a whole entire week off for Thanksgiving break so I figured hey, why not? Any comments, questions or constructive criticisms are greatly appreciated :). Happy late Thanksgiving everyone!
