"And how long do we have to stay here exactly?" Raven looked over her shoulder at the growing crowd of fans below the stage. She frowned at the other Titans. "Because there are way too many people here for my liking." There were actually a lot of people, in her defense. Over half of Japan's population had ventured out to the capital to get a glimpse of Tokyo's newest heroes. To say they were feeling a little overwhelmed was an understatement.
"Yeah, dudes? I love the food and girls, but it's getting a little too crazy out here." Beast Boy followed Raven's gaze and shuttered. "Especially when middle aged men start holding up signs with your face on them..."
"Well what do you expect me to do about it? The only way I could get the hotel rooms for free was to do a quick Q&A before we leave." Robin sighed. He knew he should have never agreed to the Mayor's terms, but it was getting late and he was not going to spend one more night on the streets. He had enough adventure for one day. They all had. He put his head in his hands trying to block out the fangirl screams.
"Welcome, welcome citizens of Tokyo!" They heard the strike of the gong and jumped around, facing the now silent crowd. The mayor directed them over to the leather couch where they all sat with microphones in their hands.
The mayor started, "How is everyone tonight?" The crowd roared, louder than before if that was even possible. The mix of excitement plus the beautiful weather gave them much to celebrate. It was actually a very cool night, being that it was July. The wind was whipping a little around the stadium, causing the country's flag to dance along with the happy crowd. The moon was full in the sky and the Cherry Blossoms were at full bloom. It was actually quite romantic, and Starfire didn't fail to notice.
"Oh isn't it beautiful!" She whispered, to no one in particular. Robin had heard her and took her right hand in his, giving her a tired smile. She frowned, "Robin, is everything alright?"
He looked out at the crowd and back at her. "It's fine, Star. I'm just a little tired and...
"Nervous?" He stared at her in disbelief. "Robin, you are sweating through your gloves."
"Oh, oops." He removed his hand from hers and wiped it on his pants. "Yeah, I don't like big crowds...looking at me."
She gave him a reassuring smile. "It is okay. You are not alone." She grabbed his hand back and placed it on her lap. It felt a little awkward, but he didn't mind. As long as he had her to comfort him.
The mayor sat down in his chair next to the couch and began his speech, "Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for coming out tonight to honor five of the greatest heros Japan has ever seen! If you haven't already heard the whole story, listen carefully to me now, as I will tell of their adventure and how they rescued Tokyo..." The story only lasted about fifteen minutes, as the mayor went into every little detail of the Titan's journey. How they arrived in the city, how they survived without knowing the language, how they figured out that Tokyo's own police commissioner along with his force were to blame for all the crimes that occurred in the past couple of years. Finally he finished with how they took down the ink monster and freed Brush-o-gun. "And that, my friends, is how the Teen Titans of America saved our fair city! A round of applause for our honored guests!" The crowd exploded with screams of admiration for the teens, making them blush. Once everyone calmed down, he turned and smiled at the Titans, "So, how are you five tonight?"
"Pretty freakin' good, if I should say so myself," Cyborg chuckled and the other four Titans joined in on the laugh. Pretty soon the whole stadium was, too.
Robin spoke up, "Yeah, thank you so much for all you've done. We really appreciate it."
"Oh, you are so very welcome. Anything for the Titans! Now, I know you all must be very tired so let me get started." He turned to the crowd, "As you know, we have been taking questions all afternoon from the people of Tokyo to ask them," he gestured towards the heroes, "and boy did we get a lot of questions!" He pulled out a bucket from beside the chair full of little white slips with questions on them. "First up!" he stuck his hand in the bucket and grabbed the first slip he could find. He unfolded the paper and announced, "This one is for Raven," and he looked over at her as to get her ready. She nodded. "Raven, what is it like being the new spokesperson for Tokyo's own brand of gum?"
Raven frowned. "Oh, it's just perfect," she answered with sarcasm. The crowd, however, didn't pick up on it and cheered loudly at the acceptance of their gum by the famous goth girl. She waved a hand at them dismissively and leaned back on the couch.
"Okay," quipped the mayor, trying to quiet the crowd down, "This next question is for Starfire. Starfire, how hard was it to fight in your miniskirt?"
Robin's jaw dropped in disbelief that someone would be that rude as in to ask such a question. Starfire only looked surprised, as she never thought about her choice of dress being a problem before. "Erm, I have had no problems with my attire while fighting. This is the clothing of my home planet, Tamerean, and I have worn it since I was very little." She nodded at the mayor, signaling she was done and he fished out another question.
"Robin! The leader of the team!" He looked over at the boy and gave him a questioning look, as his mouth was still open. Robin quickly collected himself and the mayor asked, "Robin, an attractive man like yourself must have a girlfriend. What's she like? What's her name and is she a superhero like you?"
The stadium went silent.
The Titans went silent.
Robin lost the ability to form words.
It was the first time that Robin was to talk about his relationship with Starfire publicly. He doesn't do that though. He doesn't talk about feelings. Jesus Christ, he was Robin the Boy Wonder. He trained with Batman. Batman didn't do feelings. He just didn't.
"Uh..." Robin stalled. He looked over at Starfire, who looked just as confused as he did. "Well, I do have a girlfriend." The crowd stirred. He ignored it and continued. "Sh-she is a superhero, like myself and actually...she's sitting right next to me." He held up his and Starfire's intertwined hands so everyone could see. The crowd cried in approval and the two teens smiled.
"Oh Robin?" Beast Boy spoke up with a smirk on his face. "Part of the question asked what Starfire was like. Tell us my friend, what do you think about the lovely alien here?" He pointed at Starfire next to him. Robin went white and gave the boy a death glare. Beast Boy just laughed and leaned back, getting ready to watch the train wreck that was about to happen before him.
"Oh, thank you Beast Boy. I must have...missed that part." He looked at Starfire and she looked down, blushing. "Well, to tell you the truth, she's...amazing." Starfire's head snapped up and looked surprised. She had expected him to blow off the question and change the subject, but he continued, "Really amazing, actually. I've known her for two years now and she's my best friend. All of us Titans are really close. It took me a long time to finally realize that I liked her. A lot. But when I did, I guess I was just...scared. I know, a hero scared? What?" The crowd chuckled causing him to smile. "But I was. I was scared that she didn't feel the same way. She is a princess you know, of her home planet." A gasp could be heard throughout the arena, causing the blush on Starfire's face to grow deeper. "Yeah and that's a little intimidating. But, this morning after we took down police commissioner Daiso, I kissed her." An 'awwwww' erupted throughout the air and both teens continued to blush. "Yeah, so she's my girlfriend now and it's so cool."
Starfire laughed. It's times like these that she remembers that he is just an awkward teenage boy, and not just a hero. She loved it. She turned to him and kissed him full on the mouth. It took Robin a minute to get over the shock and and overwhelming feeling that the whole country was judging them right now, but he gave in. It lasted about a minute, until the mocking Robin was dreading started.
"AWWWW, PITTER PATTER!"
And that's how Beast Boy got the big, red bump on the side of his face.
Thanks to Raven, of course.